Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1909-12-30
.CAVALRY0N THE MOVE
Thhy Usually Travel at a Walk
While on a March.
CAREFUL OF THEIR HORSES.
Reasons Why . Tret Or . osIlep Might
Prove Disastrous 20 the Animals.
The Wagons and suppIiss-oeins In
70 Camp ct Night.

TO Camp st Night.
People unfamiliar with the marching
Of troops frequently have the impress
sion that mounted troops usually trav'
el at trot or gailop while on a march
In the cavalry. however. the gait ID
usually a walk.
There are reasons why II Is not nd.
visable for cavalry to trot or galiop on
its road marches. The trooper Is re-
quired to carry bis three weapons
ride. pistol and saber--over q hundred
rounds OF ball ammunition. his blan-
ket. shelter tent. canteen. extrn horse
shoes and sundry other articles. all OF
which add considerable weight to that
OF the trooper
This weight In more or Iess concen.
trated NJ comparatively few points In
| stead al being uniformly distributed
over the horses back. 80 that at trot.
In spite OF all that may be done 10
avoid II. the concussiop nj 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 at 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
long march Ia order to keep his horses
serviceabIe and prevent his troopers
from becoming dismounted.
This he accomplishes In part by
marching at a walk whenever the cir
cumstances will admit H. by means Of
the walk we make four miles an hour.
says Captain William +. Flynn. q. $.
A., In Forest aud Stream. and as TWEEN
ty-live miles Is considered n fair days
march II Is thus made In about seven
hours. considering the necessary hats.
The wagons carrying our supplies can
20 no faster than that. and there Is
rarely any advantage In reaching ones
camping ground very much In advance
OF the wagons.
IL Is customary with individual tour.
lists aud campers upon making camp
10 turn their horses loose and either
10 watch them or else trust TO luck In
the matter Of finding them again We
ure not permitted TO do this Ia the
army. We always mean TO provide
grain for our animals ON the march.
aud when we are unable TO buy hay
en- route and thus have. to rely upon
grazing we put each horse out on n
rope fastened 10 picket pin driven in
the ground
ON the march each mounted man
carries his lariat and pin attached 10
liis saddle and rs soon as he unsaddles
seeks good grazlng 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 even
ing. aud as the horse stays ali night on
his rope be gets pretty fair chance
at tho 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 M
their shelter tents A shelter tent Is
little affair made in two
halves TO accommodate nicely two sol
iliers. Each soldier carries his half
aud his pole with him on his blanket
ROLL attached TO his saddle. so as soon
as he unsaddles he can select his
"bunklc" and put up his tent The of.
fcers' tents are wall tents. carried In
the wagons aud cannot be put up I'LL
The wagons come In.
As soon as that takes place details
u men put up the officers tents. get
wood and water for the cooks. aud the
latter build their Gre and ut once set
about getting supper. Soldiers like to
have their food well cooked: but. bet
ter still. they appear 10 like II prompt.
~ cooked. and that camp cook Is al
ways popular who yells Come and
get it!' Just little sooner than Il Is
expected
on the march we eat but two meals
a day After breakfast the cooks give
each man liberal sandwich OF bacon
and bread This the man Incloses In
his meat can and when bc gets hun
CRY eats H. This constitutes his mid
day meal
Supper over. guard is posted TO
look out for the safety OF the camp.
aud the other men usually collect fuel,
build rouslng Dire. gather round IL
and amuse themselves by singing. tell
ing yarns aud cracking Jokes upon
each other ill bedtime. which comes
pretty early with men on the march.
The officers OIL In the time In about
the same manner.
On the march one always has 20 rise
early. There are SO many things TO be
done In order 10 get the cavalcade fair
ly on the road that early rising Is es-
sentlal The guard rouses the cooks
long before daylight. and by the time
the horses are fed and brushed Oh
the cook announces breakfast. After
breakfast the tents are taken down.
wagons packed. the horses saddled. aud
the column Il once more on the march