The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-06-27
Grants GMhar Charger Cincinnati

to foot regiment he would walk.
Mccall insisted however. that his
lieutenant should ride and pointed out
a three-year-old mustang which one Of
the colored servants with the regiment
had purchased at Corpus Christie for
three dollars, with the remark There.
Grant, is a horse for YOU" The young
lieutenant bought 1t for S.. Grant
records in his Memoirs" the result
as follows: 1.-THE day we started
was the first time the horse had ever
been under saddle. I had, however,
but little difficulty in breaking him.
though for the first day there were
frequent disagree ments between us as
to which way we should go. and some-
times whether we should go at all.
At no time during the day could /
choose exactly the part of the column
1 would march with; but after that,
/ had as tractable horse as any
with the army, and there was none
that stood the trip better"
Grant not only won the admiration
OIL HIS ulSH ny tiLCs way III NiiNh IN
mastered this wild horse but during
the battle of Monterey he performed
a feat which won him renown through
out the army as daring soldier and
a matchless rider. With his charac-
teristic modesty he records the Incl
dent in his Memoirs as follows:
I'VE had not occupied this position
when it was discovered that our am
munition was growing low. volun-
teered to go back to the point we had
started from, report our position to
General Twiggs, and ask for ammUni-
ton to be forwarded. We were st.
this time occupying ground off from
the street, in rear of the houses. My
ride back was an exposed one. Before
starting I adjusted myself on the side
of my horse furtLest from the enemy
and with only one foot holding the
cantle of the saddle and an arm over
the neck of the horse exposed.
started at full run. 1t was only at
street crossings that my horse wGs
under fire, but these crossed at such
past and under cover of the next
block of houses before the enemy fired
l got out safely without a scratch"
During the Civil war Grant had
known. Among them were Egypt
presented by admirers in southern
Illinois, and Jeff Davis" which had
been captured from the Confederates.
But his favorite was Cincinnati" II
big bay, sired by Lexington. the lead
ing racer and sire of his time. Gin
cinnati" was presented to him by
resident of the Ohio city after Grants
victory at Chattanooga and the gen
eral rode him almost daily during the
Wilderness campaign of 1864 and until
the close of the war Cincinnati"
was seventeen hands high, an animal
of great endurance and Grant re-
garded him as the greatest mount
any army commander ever had.
Grant was so fond of him that h"
rarely permitted anyone else to mount
him, although he made at least two
exceptions One was in favor of Adj
miral Daniel Ammen. who saved
Grant from drowning when he was a
/ boy, and the other was President Lin
coin. When Lincoln visited Grant at
his headquarters on the James river
he placed Cincinnati" at the Presi-
dents disposal and in his memoirs"
he writes that Lincoln "was a fine
horseman and rode my Cincinnati
every day." He once refused an offer
of $4,000 for the animal and after
Lees surrender retired him from
active service. Cincinnati died on
Maryland farm in September, 1874.
But riding horses were not Grants
only horseflesh interest. He was also
fond of fast harness horses. During
his years as President in Washington
Grant visited the stables every day ct
the close of business in the White
House. He wanted to see for himself
that the stock was well fed.