LEADING ARTICLES. 



491 



WAR-HORSES OF FAMOUS GENERALS. 



James Grant Wilson tells about the 

 favourite war-horses of famous gene- 

 rals in the Century. Washington was 

 considered to be the best horseman of 

 his age. He lost many horses during 

 his different campaigns, but General 

 Braddock, his chief in the fight at Fori 

 Duquesne, had five killed under him— 

 a record unequalled in the annals of 

 war Lafayette thus describes the great 

 American and his charger, " Dolly " : — 



\ VIi nmouth I commanded a dn ision, 



and it may be supposed I was pretty well 



still, 1 took time, ami. I the roar 



and confusion of the conflict, to admire our 



loved chief, who, mounted >>n a splendid 



charger, rode along the ranks amid the 



- diers, cheering them by his 



voice and example, and restoring to our 



indard the fortunes of ithe fight. 1 thought 



T had never seen such a superb man. 



Washington, by the way, was never 

 thrown, and was perhaps the strongest 

 man of his time. Mr. Custis thus de- 

 scribes an incident which occurred in 

 one of his daily rides a few davs be- 



re his death : — - 



W ishington saw with displeasure two stal- 

 wart negroes vainly endeavouring to raise a 

 heavy stone to the 'top of a wall. Throwing 

 " York:o,vn's " bridle to- me. be sprang from 



- saddle, strode forward, pushed the slaves 

 aside, halted over, and, grasping the huge 

 stone with his large, strong hands, slowly 

 hut surely raised it to it.- place, and re- 

 mounted without any remark. 



WELLINGTON'S CHARGER AT WATERLOO. 



Wellington, too, was a fine horseman, 

 and used to ride regularly to hounds. 

 His most famous charger was " Copen- 

 hagen." 



At four o'clcck on a June morning, ninety- 

 eight years ago. when Napoleon w as defeated 

 by Wellington in one of the sixteen decisive 

 the world, the illustrious English 

 soldier mounted his celebrated charger, 

 "Copenhagen," remaining in the saddle for 



:.iteen hours. •Copenhagen" was a 



powerful chestnut, grandson of the famous 

 war-horse, " Eclipse," and son of " Lady 

 Catherine." the charger ridden bj Fi< 

 Marshal Lord Grosvenor at the siege of 

 Copenhagen, when she was in foal with the 

 colt which afterwards carried Wellington i1 

 Waterloo. The war-horse cost him. in 1813, 

 four hundred guineas. Two years later, when 

 the famous victory was won. and Wellington 

 had held his historic interview with Blucner, 

 the duke dismounted at ten o'clock. As 



>penhagen" was led away by the 

 fully threw out his heels as a 

 nig salutation to his successful 



I ras Wellington's last act, before 

 Strathfieldsaye for London on public 

 va e business, to walk out to the a 

 pa Idock to pat h - favourite cha 

 feed him with chocolate or od • 

 tionery, of which he was inordinatelj 



groom. 



g 



leaving 

 or pn- 



d.ja< • 

 : t ) 



d. 



COSTLY .MOUNTS. 



Napoleon, who was not by any means 

 a good rider, had several b; 

 chargers the most famous being 



Marengo." He rode this horse 

 eight hours at Waterloo, and previously 

 in scores of battles, as well as during 

 the disastrous Russian campaign. In 

 all, Napoleon had nineteen horses killed 

 under him. Field Marshal Bliicher had 

 twenty, while in the American Civil War 

 Generals Custer, of the North, and For- 

 rest, of the South, had almost as many 

 in the short period of four years. 



The most valuable charger ever used 

 as a war-horse in recent history was 

 " Cincinnati," General Grant's favourite. 

 His sire was the fastest four-mile thor- 

 oughbred, save one, that ever ran on an 

 American racecourse. He did the dis- 

 tance in 7.19! minutes. Grant was 

 offered £2000 for him. He rarely per- 

 mitted any person but himself to mount 

 him, and considered him the grandest 

 horse he had ever seen. President Lin- 

 coln, on a visit to Grant a week or two 

 before he was shot, rode him daily. 



SHERIDAN'S GREAT RIDE. 



General Sheridan, probably the great- 

 est sabreur since Murat, made his 

 famous ride on a coal-black charger, 

 " Winchester." Read's lines on that 

 brilliant episode will always be remem- 

 l^ered : — ■ 



Hurrah, hurrah for Sheridan! 



Hurrah, hurrah for horse and man! 



And when their statues are placed on high 



1'nder the dome of the Union sky. 



The American soldier's temple of fame, 



I ere with the glorious General's name 

 Be ii said in letters both bold and bright: 



■ Here is bhe steed that saved the daj 

 By carrying Sheridan into the fight, 

 From Winchester -twenty miles away." 



Sheridan considered " Winchester " 

 one of the strongest horses he had ever 



