N"OW A WORD TO THE CAVALRY MAN". 137 



sucli sanitary necessities and rules in the care of the 

 horses as would keep them sound in the camp and effec- 

 tive in the field. Causes of the dwindling away of cav- 

 alry in war can be counted by the score, and for one 

 cause on the battle-field there are five in camp and on 

 the march, and where there is no surgeon wit!i authority 

 the waste goes on. 



On Hunter's raid in June, 1864, from Martinsburgh to 

 Lynchburgh, and on his retreat through the mountains 

 to the Ohio river, the best horses were ridden till ex- 

 hausted and then ordered shot by the rear guard. The 

 necessity for those orders might have been avoided. 

 There was no provision made to save the cavalry, but 

 there was ample to destroy it. Hunter commanded. In 

 camp or on detached service the colonel of a regiment 

 is responsible. In an army on a camjDaign, the general 

 or officer in command is responsible. 



It was very short-sighted economy to appoint a chaj^lain 

 to a regiment and ignore a veterinary surgeon — the most 

 necessary man next to the quartermaster. Occasionally 

 grooms who could bleed, wash a horse's feet or give him 

 a ball, were employed at 175 per month, but these men 

 had no standing, commission or authority over the orders 

 of the orderly sergeant to " turn out." On going on a 

 raid of three or four days, grain was issued, and it was 

 a common practice or order to feed sparingly at every 

 meal so as to have something left for the last day. Thus 

 the horse was hard- worked, stinted in his food the while, 

 and made to carry food on his back that ought to be in 

 his belly. Horses wdll do more and keep better if fully fed 

 during the three days and go without any food on the 

 fourth, than to be stinted, reduced and weakened by de- 

 grees during the entire four days' march. No horse will 

 lose flesh on one day's fasting, but he will on four days 

 stinting of food while hard-worked. Work and stint 

 your horse and you become the raven's quartermaster. 



