The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-29
A Ride With The Regulars
By DIX. punR rERGu SON

If you want to have u good time. jine the cavalry. .=-.l l.. E. stewart What a chaneel All the gods of olym- nus were at the top of their fame that day An invitation came to me from Capt J. E. Shelley. Troop k. Elev- enth cavalry. United States army. to join him on the hike" to oglethorpe, Sick of wasting leather on these "blasted paving stones. with no sight of good horse since old Hickory was a yearling, | was glad of the epportu- nity of riding with the regulars.
 Dawn on the 10th of Fehruary-the day for breaking camp and leaving the fair grounds at Birmingham-wa was hut mild modification of the night, gray, dismal and most awful wet The sun was surely out somewhere east of the Suez, but here the heavens were in tears
 The cooks were active early and busy over coffee. oat meal and bacon. Re- veille at 6 and then the troop was out to feed the horses
 Break fast was ready on the troop CTS returns from the stable Then they broke camp. The big wagons lined up in front of the tents, each man at his particular post and at his particu- lar tent. At once the loops of rope were 1 lifted from the pegs. over went the l tents flat on the ground, few quick deft turns and folds and the homes of l so men for two weeks were in big canvass bundles. In the wagons these | hnnA1,c la1 in, ft lar place, Ropes were wrapped ovcr all and tied. The wagon team then novel off. l have hearl about the Arabs folding their tents and silently stealing away but 1 am laying odds on Troop K, Eleventh cavalry United States army, beating them doing any thing thev ever did
 Then to saddle the troop horses-nc confusion, no noise each man with his saddle quickly putting on his owr horse, thes cinche drawn up, the horses watered, and everybody was ready foi Captain Shelleys orders, prepare tc mount, march and forward!' and the | hike" was on.
 The way to Trussville was wet. Ther, was hard rain. but being well protected by slickers. it brought us no specia cheer when it held up outside o 1 Trussville, where our camp was to b, made a night. for the ground was very wet The wagons came up within ar hour The picket line was stalled out and out of the wagons the bundles wer' rolled. In few minutes here agair was our town that had been dismantlet in the morning at the fair grounds [ place for everything. and everything il it's place. Early to bed and out early the next morning for the ride to Ash lVille.
 I Now speaking of picket lines anC horses. the man on the street does no consider that horse has any amoun iof character Wrong again. They have many characteristics peculiar tt their owners For example, this picke line prevented the good horse Jack Frost from taking the trip. He could not have been up with the travelina horses on this picket line, for they will not allow an outside horse to b' tied up with them on the line which resented Jacks appearance with many and sundry kicks and bites. Do yot know any folks like that?
 The next night we camped at Gads- den. Captain Shelley, Alb Travers ant the writer having been friends since the early days when Alb was meeting all corners with his rapier and the LOT. relli Brothers were doing high hant to hands. and Captain Shelley doing hi famous triple somersault into the wate of Lake View. Some visitors came ou l who had once seen a camp; some very stunning looking women taking the writer for a real soldier. a question oi two was asked about the army ano about horses, and with great glee the callers were shown over the camp. l Out of Gadsden on freezing morn ing and on to Collinsville, Fort Payne and Wauhatchie, where successive camps were made and getting filter