Year: 1862

A correspondent Of the Chicago Times, who
has been following the Army of the West,
gives an amusing account of his experience in
equine locomotion. Here is


Speaking of hor es reminds me Of somo ex-
perience 1 have had in that line during my
pilgrimage with the army as journalist. IL
is matter of some importance that every cor


respondent should have some kind of riding
animal at his command, otherwise he will tint
himself deficient on emergencies when haste is
essential. Ny frst idea Of the proper thing
was a gallant charger, gaiy compsrisoned,
prancing high and low when crowds were
about, and always holding himself in readi-
ness for public exhibition. This is the off,
Ger style of doing the thing. found that the
article was difficult to procure, and expensive


to keep having no soldiers at my command to


guard fine horse night and day, to prevent


his being "cramped" and carried off Before


l had done with experiences in this line, l


was contented with more modest pfetensions.
During period of four months l have been
owner and sole proprietor of five horses. The
first of these was a relic of the Fort Donelson
fight. He came from somewhere in the mouu-
tans of Tennessee, and from habit of climb
ing rocks and holding on by his nose, he was


much addicted to standing on his hind legs,
| without regard to who might be in the saddle.





being scarce at that time, and hay and oats
scarcer, he was accustomed to take his meals
| in the tops of small trees, where his cultivated
taste taught him to find tender twgs and juicy
| buds. This nutritious food gave him q frame
| like clothes-horse, and his legs, to use an apt
/ phrase, were as fat as a rye straw. His back
| bone split new saddle in two, and cut hair


cloth blanket into shreds. 1 could have got
along with this, but he constantly brought me


to shame and disgrace by going on his hind
| legs for browse on state occasions, to say moth
/ ing of q propensity for climbing every steep


cliff he came to, and sliding me over his tail in
| the operation. He wes good horse TO go bird


nesting with, or in case of emergency, to run
/ up the side Of house and get out of danger;
| but he was SO far from my idea Of perfect


horse, that / sold him for thirty dollars, as
1 Floyd's veritable war charger, to trophy
| seeker, who wore blue spectacles, and carried


portfolio. As / saw him afterward, in COM
pany with five others as poor as himself, drag
ging an army wagon, concluded that the
purchaser was not sufficiently vigilant to elude
1 Uncle Sans watehfuness, and get him home.
| Nv last glimpse of him was as he stood upon
his hind legs with his fore feet on a rail fence,
apparently reaching for browse in the moon.


nv next attempt was in the mule line. A
! friend in the quartermasters department in


sisted upon presenting me with s superb riding


animal which had come into his possession,
he didn't say how, but supposedly by the


cramp process. The beast had prepossessing


exterior. Ears as long as my arm, q head


like butter-frkin, pipe-stem neck, body as


comely as q sugar hogshead, and legs not to


exceed eighteen inches in length. With this
inviting exterior, he had a disposition still
more outrs and perverse, if possible. The
, frst time 1 mounted him, he kicked up hi
. heels and landed me over his head some twenty
, feet in advance. The next time he sat down
J on his haunches and i slid saddle and all owe
, his tail Then he laid down and rolled owe
, and over, faster than Bengal monkey eoult
! have followed him; and finally he resorted t,


every trick an animal could be guilty of Il
) show his perverse temper. He had way o
making great fuss when the saddle girth wa
|, buckled-putting on deplorable countenanc
! and grooming dismally. as though his life wa


being squeezed out You might pull and tu:


for ten minutes, straining the girth up to tn


last notch, and fairly tire yourself out will


exartion, when, upon stepping back with ma
f licious consciousness of having brought tn
: ugly brute to terms you would see his bod.
s collapse, and the girth hang suddenly linn
t and loose while he looked asksnce with Gun
: ming leer, as much as to say: How do yo
!. ike thet. now2n He never failed to infiat
d himself like 9 balloon when the saddle wa
n to be put on, and then collapse for the salts
y faction of having it turn around and unses
II his rider at the first mud hole he came to.
It rode him for the spite of the thing for tw
g long weeks got apair Of spurs with rowe
d an inch and half lsng, and fayed his side


with them whenever he ventured to flag h
Is ugly ears at me, and finally had the satisfaC
Q ton of seeing him tumble down g bluff hur
+ dged feet high and break hia neck.