Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-11-19
#isesllaneuus 8sadius.
CAVALRY ON THE MOVE.
rhey Usually Travel at a Walk While
on a March.

CAVALRY ON THE MOVE.
rhey Usually Travel at q Walk While
on q March.
People unfamiliar with the marching
of troops frequently have the impress
sion that mounted troops usually trav-
el at a trot or gallop while on a march.
IN the cavalry, however, the gait Is
usually q walk.
There are reasons why 1t Is not ad-
visable for cavalry to trot or gaIlop on
ats road marches. The trooper Is re-
quired to carry his three weapons
rifle, pistol and saber-over hundred
rounds Of ball ammunition, mis- blan-
ket, shelter tent, canteen, extra horse
shoes and sundry other articles, all Of
which add considerable weight to that
Of the trooper.
This weight Is more or less concen-
trated at comparatively few points in
stead Of being uniformly distributed
over the horses back, so that at q trot,
In spite Of all that may be done to
avoid It, the concussion at certain
points Is considerable and II kept up
tends to develop blisters and sores on
the horses back, which may increase
until the animal Is no longer fit to use.
AS the supply department furnishes
but one horse to each trooper, differ
ing in this respect from the mounts Of
the cowboy, who has as many as he
wants, a constant vigilance is required
on the part of the captain while on a
long march in order to keep his horses
serviceable and prevent his troopers
from becoming dismounted.
This he accomplishes in part by
marching at a walk whenever the cir
cumstances will admit 1t. BY means
OF the walk we make four miles an
hour, says Captain William F. Flynn,
U. 8. A., in Forest and Stream, and as
twenty-five miles Is considered a fair
days march 1t is thus made in about
seven hours, considering the necessary
halts. The wagons carrying our sup
plies can go no faster than that, and
there Is rarely any advantage in reach
ing ones camping ground very much
in advance Of the wagons.
It is customary with individual tour
lists and campers upon making camp
to turn their horses loose and either to
watch them or else trust to luck In the
matter Of finding them again. We are
not permitted to do this In the army.
We always mean to provide grain for
our animals on the march, and when
we are unable to buy hay en- route and
thus have to rely upon grazing we put
each horse out on a rope fastened to a
picket pin driven in the ground.
On the march each mounted man
carries his lariat and pin attached to
his saddle and as soon as he unsaddl,
seeks good grazing place for his horse
and drives his pin in the ground. The
horse thus gets limited area upon
which to Craze. The pins are changed
once or twice during the evening, and
as the horse stays all night on his rope
he gets pretty fair chance at the
grass, after all, and when we want him
in the morning we can find him.
The horses having been unsaddled
and disposed of, the men then put up
their shelter tents. A shelter tent Is a
little affair made In two
halves to accommodate nicely two SOL
diers. Each soldier carries his half
and his pole with him on his blanket
roll attached to his saddle, 80 as soon
as he unsaddles he can select his
"bunkie" and put up his tent. The Of
ficers' tents are wall tents, carried In
the wagons and cannot be put up till
the wagons come in.
AS soon as that takes place details
Of men put up the officers tents, get
wood and water for the cooks. and the
latter build their fires and at once set
about getting supper. Soldiers like to
have their food we'll cooked; but bet
ter still, they appear to like 1t prompt
ly cooked, and that camp cook is al
ways popular who yells Come and
get it," just a little sooner than 1t is
expected.
On the march we eat but two meals
a day. After breakfast the cooks give
each man a liberal sandwich Of bacon
and bread. This the man incloses In
his meat can and when he gets hun
cry eats It. This constitutes his mid
day meal.
Supper over, a guard is posted to
look out for the safety Of the camp. |
and the other men usually collect fuel,
build a rousing fire, gather round 1t
and amuse themselves by singing, tell
ing yarns and cracking jokes upon
each other till bedtime, which comes
pretty early with men on the march. |
The officers fill in the tir1e in about
the same manner.
On the march one always has to rise
early. There are so many things to be
done in order to get the cavalcade fair
" on the road that early rising Is es-
,ential. The guard rouses the cooks
ong before daylight, and by the time
the horses are fed and brushed of the
cook announces breakfast. After
breakfast the tents are taken down,
wagons packed, the horses saddled, and
The column is once more on the march.
LYING KILLS sELF-REsPEcT.