Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-06-22
ITO BE CONTINUED)
SOME ARMY HORSES.


Journal)
General Grant was a fine horseman
and q great horse lover. Cincinnati, Egypt
and jeff Davis were three Of the horses
ridden by him and familiar to thousands
of men in the Army Of the Potomac. The
two first named were large animals Of
about sixteen hands two inches In
height, and both were dark bays. JEFF
Davis was n black pony, fourteen hands
two, inches high, and was very service
able animal.
General George G. Meade rode q dark
brown horse, and II he rode those Of any
other color memory fails to note II.
General p. II. Sheridan had two well
remembered horses Rienzl and Breckin-
ridge, the first named q black the last q
large gray PAGER named after General
Breckinridge. This horse was captured
from one of his STAFF officers. Renzi,
afterward named Winchester. was a black
geldng, sixteen hands high, of Morgan
stock. He is thus described by General
Sheridan in his memoirs:
Captain Archibald p. Campbell, Second
Michigan Cavalry presented me with the
black horse called Rienzi, since made his
torcal from having been ridden by me
in many battles, conspicuously in the ride
from Winchester to Cedar Creek, which
has been celebrated in the poem by T.
Buchanan Read. This horse was about 8
years old. With the exception of three
white feet he was Jet black. sixteen hands
high, strongly built and Of great endur-
anco lie was so active that he could
cover with ease five miles an hour at his
natural walking gait. He died in 1873.
Soldiers Of the Army Of the Potomac.
as we'll as of the Army Of Northern Nir-
Einla, are still living, among the former
the present writer who remembered Trav-
eilor. General Robert e. Lees horse
ridden by him almost constantly during
the Appomattox campaign of the civil
war He was a powerful. chunky gray
horse with black points. with long name
and tail.
On Sunday, April 8, he stood in charge
of an orderly in front OF the MacLean
House whilo Generals Grant and Lee
concluded tho terms Of the surrender of
Lees army, after which he carried GEN.
eral Lee to his army assembled in val
ley at Appomattox
Many general officers and members OF
soldiers. had fine horses. General II. G.
Wright, the distinguished commander OF
the famous Sixth Corps, was always well
mounted and his horses were invariably
bays or dark browns. General Frank
Wheaton, the commander Of the First
Division Of that corps during the Apo.
mattox campaign, rode a remarkably
beautiful horse Of dark copper color. al.
most black and handsomely dappled. The
| animal had luxuriant white and flowing
name and tail.
Nc officer Of the army was a better
horseman or q greater lover Of horses
| than General George A. Custer Of the
| Cavalry Corps. He spent much money
| on his mounts. and was never known tc
bestrido poor one. At the grand review
| of the Army Of the Potomac, May IS
| 1865. General Clusters horsemanship ant
| the horse he rode were accidentally
| brought into conspicuous prominence
| President Andrew Johnson, Sec. of Wal
Edwin NJ. Stanton, General Grant an,
| General Sherman and many other prom
nent officials sat on the reviewing stant
in front of the White House they wer,
astonished to see General Custer dasl
|
ored to salute, the President passin,
but his horse was beyond his control TO-
the time being. and he lost his hat an,
sword. mounted orderly followed hin
and returned them. General Custer, hav
ing regained control Of the runaway, rod
past the reviewing stand again with bow
ed head, and having reached tho head O
| the division and passing in review CAV
the salute with his inimitable grace an,
| precision. His horse had been frightened
by bevy OF schoolgirls 300 In number
seated on stand at the corner o
Fifteenth street and Pennsylvania ave
not far east Of tho reviewing stand, VIII
arose IN body and threw bouquets a
the gallant General as he passed
The horse he rode on that occasion wa
q magnificent seal brown thoroughbre
stallion lie was four mile racer tina
had won twenty-six out OF thirty-thre
races. Just before Lees surrender at An
pomattox Clusters Scouts had capture
this horse, and he was named Don Juar
Unlike his namesake Of Byronic fame
he was afraid of pretty girls and fed fror
them. He was found In a stable on
stud farm, was brought to Custer an
property, contraband Of war, and wa
sold to him by the quartermaster /
charge. Don Juan was of furious TEN
per. He was later sent to General Gus
ters home at Monroe, Mich. where h
was exhibited at a State fair and wher
ne killed groom. A year later he droI
ped dead of heart disease In his stall.
| Custer had another unfortunate adver
ture, fine horseman that he was or hi
first buffalo hunt in Kansas, in the sprin
OF 1867. he said,
| 1t may be because this was the first. b,
surely of the hundreds of thousands {
bunaloes that l have since see
none have correspondent with hll
IN size and lofty grandeur. My horse wa
above the average size. yet the burfal
lowered even above him. had carrie
my revolver In my hand from the momer
the race began. | had placed the muzz
Oh 'ne revolver close to the body of II
pullaio' when, as If divining my inter
uot' ana feeling his inability to oscar
py hight' he suddenly determined to figh
ana at once wheeled, as only bufYa,
cam to gore my horse SO sudden VIZ
MS movement and so sudden was "
corresponding veering Of nv horse
avoid the attack that to retain nv co,
troll over him I hastily brought up m
pistol hand to the assistance of the othe
Unfortunately as I did so my finger
the excitement of the occasion nresse
the trigger. discharged the pistol or
sent the fatal ball into the very brain
the noble animal rode. Running M p,
speed he fell dead in the course n, h
leap.
During the early spring OF 1868 soma
,ba cHicors of the ARMY ~ tho ~.