The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-09-12
: TALES OF
ARMY HORSE UNDER FIRE

ARMY HORSE UNDER FIRE.
We had in our company young
German named Schultz. His horse
was his especial pride. Sometimes
schultz went to sleep without rations,
put his horse never. No matter how
scarce or how hard it was to get for
age' the young Germans horse al
ways mad an evening feed, a thor
ough rubbing down, loving pat. and
goodnight, Frank" in two Ian
guages-broken English and Ger
man. Many time have I seen
schultz skirmish for lunch for his
morse when we halted to make cot
Zee instead of preparing his own
lunch. While the rest of us STAYED
IN our tents and read or played cards.
Schultz would keep Franks COM
pany for hours, sometimes talking
German to him and sometimes Eng
llsh. Some of our horses showed
lack OF care; Franks was always in
good order: in camp he glistened like
new plug hat, and seemed as fond
or his master as his master Of him.
When the Atlanta campaign opened.
in May, 1854, there was not a proud
er soldier or prettier horse than
Schultz and Frank in the First.
Our first fight of note in that cam
paign was at Varnell's Station. May
3. Somebody-never mind Who
made a mess of 1t. Our little brigade.
the Second of the First Cavalry Diyi-
sion, consisting of the Second and
Fourth Indiana and the First Wis
consln, commanded by Col. o. H. LIE
orange, was thrown against Gen. Joe
Wheeler's entire command, and we
fought 1t all day. We started to
charge, but were halted in a piece of
woods and were ordered to fight on
loot. We were already under fire
and In considerable confusion. and
only portion of the command heard
The order, SO 1t happened that some
of us fought as cavalry and some as
infantry. Schultz remain mounted
and did heroic service. Early in the
light his pet was shot. AS the AMI
nal made but little fuss over it and
'teadied down quickly his rider
thought 1t was only a slight wound
Ind remained in battle all day, hay
ng travelled miles in the perform
lnce OF important and dangerous
asks, the wonderful animal SEEM
ng to enter. into the spirit of the
work as completely as his master.
That night at 9 o'clock the brigade
:amped.
The moment Frank was unsaddled
he lay down. Schultz thought it was
because the horse like himself was
ired, and after patting him and
telling him in both languages what
splendid fellow he had been that
lay, and thanking him for carrying
him. safely through one of the hot
Test battlay. he busted himself with
supper getting. In the forage bag
were several extra ears of corn. At
ter his own repast of black coffee.
crackers and uncooked white pork.
such a banquet as many a soldier
has been more thankful for than he
was for the feast of last Thanksgiv-
Ing, Schultz shelled the corn and
took it to Frank. The horse did not
welcome him as usual, did not rest
his head on the masters shoulder
and look, it he did not speak, thanks
Tor such master. He didn't hear
Schultz announce in German that
he was coming with a double ration.
frank was dead and stiffening,
showing that soon after lying down
life had departed.
When Schultz realized that his pet
was dead he threw the corn down,
dropped by the side of the animal,
tenderly laid one hand on his neck
and with the other gently rubbed his
head, as he had done many times be-
fore, and sobbed like child. In
talking about his loss the next day
he said: my poor Frank couldn't
tell me he was badly hurt and ask
to go to the hospital, as would have
done had I been shot. He carried
me all day as If he thought it was
his duty, and that things would go
wrong If he didn't, and when the
battle was over and I was getting
supper he lay down and died.
THAT horse was a better soldier
than I am-than any man in the
regiment. Not one of us would have
fought all day with such a hurt
as that. No one would have expected
it Of us, yet I expected it of Frank,
and he did not fail me-" With this
outburst the poor fellow broke down
again, and none of his comrades
made light of the young Germans
sorrow. They knew it was sincere
James F. Lyon, in Chicago Times
Herald.
LOCATING KHAN-TENGRI.
Almost in the centre of Asia, on
the border of Asiatic Russia and the