Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1910-06-02
CAVA[RY0N THE move
They Usually Travel at a Walk
While on a March.
CAREFUL OF THEIR HORSES.

CAREFUL OF THEIR HORSES.
Reasons Why Trot or caIlop Might
Prove Disastrous to the Animals.
The Wagons and supplies-Goins In
to Camp at Night.
People unfamiliar with tbs marching
of troops frequently have tie impress
sion that mounted troops usually trav-
ell at trot or gallop while on u march,
In the cavalry. however. the gait Is
usually walk.
There are reasons why 1t is not nd
visible for cavalry to trot or gallOp On
Its road marches. The trooper Is re-
CURED to carry his three weapons
rifle. pistol nnd sabrr-over hundred
rounds of ball ammunition, his bl;ln-
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 conccn-
trated at comparatively few points in
stead Of being uniformly distributed
over the horses lack, SD that at II tr.,t.
In spite Of all that may be done "
avoid 1t, the concussion ut certain
points is considerable and III kept u;)
tends TO develop blisters aud sores on
the horses back. which may increase
until the animal Is no longer tit to usa.
AS the supply department furnishes
but one horse to each trooper. differ
Ing III this respect from the mounts OF
the cowboy. who has as many. as he
wants. Il constant vigilance Is required
on the part of the captain while OH II
long march in order to keep his horses
scrviceable ard prevent his troopers
from becomim. dislnounted.
This he ;lccompiishes in part by
marching ut 81 walk whenever the cir
cumstances will admit 1t. BY means ut
the walk we make four miles an hour
says Captain W'illiam Il. Flynn. U. s
a.. In Forest aud Stream. and as TWEEN
ty-five miles is considered fair days
march it Is thus made in about seven
hours. considering the necessary ha,ts
The wagons carrying our supplies can
go no faster than that. and there Is
rarely any advantage in reaching ones
camping ground very much in advance
of the wagons.
1T ~ customary with Individual tour
lists and campers upon making canlp
to turn their horses loose and either
to watch them or else trust 10 luck in
the matter of finding them again We
are not permitted to do this in tho
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 a
rope fastened to IL picket pin driven IN
the ground.
On the march each mounted man
carries his lariat aud pin attached to
bis saddle and as soon us he unsldtlles
seeks a coed grazing place for his
horse aud drives his pin iii the ground.
The horse TINS gets 81 limited AREA
upon which 10 Craze The pins arc
changed once or twice during the even
ing. and as the horse stays all night un
his rope llr gets pretty fair chance
al the grass. after all. and when we
want him in the morning we can iin1
him.
The horses having been uns;.t.died
and disposed of. the men then put al,
their shelter tents. y shelter tent Is IL
convenient little affair made in two
halves to accommodates nicely two sol
diers Elci, soldier carries his half
YNrl wi 4 t.,,,l .,t
roll attached to his saddle. so as soon
as he unsaddlcs he can select his
"bunkie" and put up his tent. The Of
6cers' tents are wall tents. carried in
the wagons aud cannot be put UP till
the wagons come In.
AS soon ais that takes place details
of men put up the officers tents. get
wood and water for the cooks. and the
latter build their fire and ut once set
about getting supper. Soldiers like tn
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 little sooner than 1t Is
expected.
On the march we eat but two meals
day. After breakfast the cooks give
each man IL liberal sandwich of bacon
and bread. This the man incloses III
his meat can and when he gets hum
cry eats it. This constitutes his mid
day meal
Supper over. a guard is rosted to
look out for the safety of the camp.
and the other men usually colle,.t fuel.
build rousing Gre. gather round It
and amuse themselves by singing. tell
ing yarns aud cracking jokes upon
each other till bedtime. which comes
pretty early with men on the march.
The officers fill in the time 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 cavalcnde fair.
~ on the road that early rising Is es-
sential. The guard rouses the cooks
long 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.
Described
PA. what is meant by nervoua
SvrooI, ~