The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 29, 1898, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 29, 1898. THREE POSITIONS OF A HORSE GOING DOWN. a day, tury has has experien its staid inhabitants never dr possible and h the la in jts On neck of s the Gulf, a the whit 4 3 y and artillery dot the landscape, or glimmer like clouds, amid the dark green fol- jage of the pine trees. The 1 ilation y is more than fifte 25 of i of this tented c thousand. The est in every camp, a pany g are v dinary to e are sc ert W s (From a Pho great city of tents at Tampa been growing so rapidly dur- ing the past two weeks that it is now impossible to see it all in if one hopes to devote any time In the various camps. The sleepy little town, which for a cen- Itered in the sun and sand, .d such an awakening as imed done more business in onths than ever before n d in every “com- things are seen that *h out of the or- civilian. The lit- tle homes of the soldiers, each with its well ordered row of personal prop- placed before it and within its the camp kitchens, the picket for horses, the quartermaster’s the more elaborate canvas the officers and regir re—all these have interest for er. west of the town, however, w camps have even farther in rection, toward th encamp- the Cuban volunteers, he who t early In the morning before f the sun puts an end to will see some thi that as unique In a beau boughs a. sh mos asual pas: ful grov fancifully festooned v from the s L a body rough riders, whom ar erican or European born, but who have enlisted to fight for Cuba Thelr leader is a man with a history. led expeditions into Central Af- fought against savage tribes years: explored remote and hitherto unknown regions in_the most inaccessible portion of the Dark Continent:; has hunted tigers in India for the fun of the thing, and has done all sorts of unusual things, simply for adventure. He is rich and has equipped graph Specially Taken for The Call at Tampa, Fla.) this force of men in order that he may do a little Cuban campaigning and see some excitement. His name is Willlam Astor Chanle Mr. Chanler Flint, who. several ¥ with Gener ' campaigning in Cuba s ably fitted to »xpedition as Mr. Chan- p a few days ago ra_and found the trip etache with my well worth the trouble. The ment of men under Mr. Chanler's com- mand are all of hercul bufld, and every man an athlete. ot only that, but every one of them has seen service in some army or another, in various parts of the world, and not one of ‘them knows what pl al fear means. The {impedimenta is re- duced to a minimum and is the exact counterpart of that used by the Cu- bans on the island. A hammock of strong canvas, slung between two trees, forms the bed. Over this, supported by a lariat, a yard above the hammock, is spread a “poncho” or storm blanket of stout can waterproofed. This forms their tent. The ponchos are a pro- n against both rain and sun, and HERE IS THE STORY OF THE FIRST REGIMENT THAT EVER SAILED FROM THE UNITED STATES 70 A FOREIGN LAND. , It Came to California, Then Under Mexican Rule, Around Cape Horn in 1846. The Soldiers Were Six Months on Sailing Vessels, HE Stevenson regiment of vol- unteers that sailed from New in 184 bound for n the United Stat nd occupy a foreign te rito in the history of the world that a de- tachment®of soldiers had been sent so far to reach the country of the enemy. Then the reached w to seize m province that had been a Spanish ession. . In 1898, the same port that was entered by the invading troops in 1846, the second American army sails, as the first did, to the v to occupy re- moté territory. ‘The span of the two expeditions will reach half around the globe in a direct line, but when di tance is considered there must be add- ed the circuitous route around Cape Horn that was traversed by the army of 1846—a trip of over 15,000 miles, oc- cupying six months by the sailing v sels that were employed as transports. With fleet and comfortable steam- ships to traverse less tempestuous seas, this trip to the Philippines will be an txcursion of pleasure compared with s the first army It had never occurred before merican Government v across the continent and They Settled Here After the War the jcurney of the argonautic soldiers of 1846. When the war broke out between the United States and Mexico, California wi n outlying province of the latter cou y. Its resources were undevel- oped. The'little that was known of the fertility of its soil was within the know ge of the padres who con- lucted the missions. If they had suspicion of mineral wealth the secret carefully guard- ed. Its expart commerce was confined to hides and tallow that were collected at a few seaport towns and bartered to trading vessels owned by merchants in Boston. In the it of war there was an un- derstand: between Mexico and Eng- land that the province would be seized by the latter country, and a British warship, under the command of Ad- miral Seymour, was stationed at Maz- atlan prepared to make the the first intimation of hostilities. 2ut the Government at W prepared for a checkmate, and the capture of Monterey by Commodore Sloat was the beginning of the end of the American conquest of California. The country was then held by our na- val forces, supportec in thesinterior by the few volunteers under Fremont and later on reinforced by the regular troops that were aarched overland by way of New Mexico under the com- | mand of General Kearny. It was early in the spring of 1846 that President Polk directed the organiza- tion of a_volunteer regiment in the State of New York for duty in Cali- fornia—a body to be selected with great caré and with the desi at | e e e Shoala betydesien that | g;wnward, at an angle of about 45 de- | grees, and usually lands on the side the volunteers should be discharged in this country at ‘e close of the war and form the nucleus of its American colonization. The regulations provided that all re- | cruits should be surgically examined, and so strict were the examining sur- geons that out of 800 men who were at first presented 150 were rejected, but within two da:s over 500 applications ere made for the vacancies. When completed very few members of the regiment were over 21 years of age, and no married men excepting those whose wives accompanied the regiment as laundresses were accepted. The au- thority to raise the regiment and its command was given to Colonel Jona- than D. Stevenson. The transport fleet consisted of the ships Thomas H. Perkins. Loo Choo, Susan Drew, Brutus, Isabella and Sweden. The regiment contained, offi- cers and ali, °44 men. The fleet was convoyed by the sloup of war Preble. Continued on Page Twentv. the hammocks, suspended above the ground, keep them from malarial in- fluences of the wet soil. Another lariat stretched between two trees near by and about two feet from the ground supports all the carbines and rifles of the command. Another poncho, spread very close to the ground and kept wer, covers the cases of provisions and keeps them fresh and sweet for an indefinite time. The same tree upon which the owner fixes his belongings also serves as a tether-pin for his horse, which, at- tached to the end of a long lariat, browses off the leaves of the ground palmetto or the sweet bunch grass that prevails here. Over at one corner of the grove, and invariably on that side farthest from the direction of the coast, is the camp kitchen. Its smoke always blows away from the camp—a little trick the Cuban campaigners arefexpert at perfecting— and there, gathered about the fire, when I visited the camp, were half a dozen bronzed, brawny men preparing food for the evening meal. Mr. Chanler and his officers were en- tertaining some ladies who had come to see the camp, and for thelr delecta- tion and my own amusement agreed to assemble his troop and show us some rough riding. No bugle is used In this command. A sharp command ut- tered in not much more than a natural tone was instantly up by a trooper seated against a tree half a dozen yards aw He passed It along, and in less than a minute men had sprung from hammocks, horses were untied, saddles thrown on and cinched, and the lithe, active men were mounted and formed. At the command of “Forward” the horses leaped out at a gallop and fairly ed to a point within half a score ards from Mr. Chanler's position, when the line halted as suddenly as if it had encountered a stone wall. With a grace that can come only from long practice, the commander vaulted into the saddie and with a quiet command, which was instantly obeyed, the column swung off at a gallop, forming twos as they went. Another command, and with a wheel as sudden as it was unexpected, the line charged fairly at the ladies, who were sgated among the tre head- quarters. The broad, heavy blades of the machetes flashed from their sheaths and circled the air with a thrill- ing swish that was really dramatic. The ladies screamed, and were about to take to flight when the plunging steeds reined up with a jerk at their very feet, the rough riders saluted with their machetes, and gracefully bowing turned like a flash and were off like the wind. Through the trees they went, forming into two squadrons as they rode. One bore off toward the south and the other toward the north. They were too far away to hear the command, but turned suddenly and dashed at each other, riding like centaurs. The machetes leaped out as the lines closed in, and when they came together there was a clash of steel that was positively fierce. It was real, too, for the men wore no masks or other protection, and one of them had the end of his nose split as neatly as a surgeon could have done it. The wounded member was plastered up by skilled hands, and the incident | was dropped with Mr. Flint's remark: “He should have remembered his in- structicns about guarding and he wouldn’t have been touched. He won't be again.” Wheeling, circling, velling and riding with a positive abandon that can be seen nowhere else, the men showed how practically impossible it would be | for a foot soldier to defend himself from a machete charge. No one who has never geen it’can form any idea of |its impetuous dash and irresistible “ fierceness. The fatal machete blow is delivered and back of the victim’s neck. He may be a superb fencer with rapier or saber, but he knows no guard that will avail against this blow. “It is a remarkable fact,” said Mr. Flint, who has seen many a Spaniard after the machete has done its work. “that almost every one struck at all is struck on the side and back of the neck. The blow almost severs the head from the body.” I had little regard for the machete as a soldier’'s weapon untfl 1 saw it used by these men. Army officers who have seen it have, to a considerable number, armed themselves privately with the murderous cornknife of the Cubans. Strange t6 say, the machete is not made in Cuba or Spain, but in Hartford, Conn. Aside from these weapons, this force is armed with six- shooters and either 45 caliber carbines, Winchester 30-40 rifles or the Mauser rifle. They are all crack shots and ex- Derts with the pistol. GETTING LICKED INTO SHAPE. The Sixth United States Cavalry is encamped in a pine woods about a mile from Chanler’s camp. This regiment includes among its troopers those mar- velous Cossack riders who electrified New York audiences some months ago at Madison Square Garden at the mili- tary tournament. A Troop, in com- mand of Captain H. P. Kingsbury, ably seconded by Lieutenant W, C. Short, is famous throughout the army for the daring of its riders. F Troop of the Third Cavalry, encamped in an ad- joining grove, Captain G. A. Dodd, is another equally noted troop of cossack riders; so the rivalry between them is marked to a degree. Lieutenant Short kindly ordered out several of his men to show what could be done in the way of cossack rid- ing in rough ground, where underbrush and palmetto sprouts made it more dif- firnlt than in o tanharked arena. OPENING SUPPLIES WITH A4 MACHETE IN THE CAMP OF THE ROUGH RIDERS. (From a Photograph Specially Taken for The Call at Tampa, Fia.) Such little trifles as picking up bits of paper from the ground from a run- ning horse, leaping high obstacles, mounting and dismounting at a charge, vaulting entirely over a running horse, or vaulting from the ground, alighting on the horse’s back and facing to the rear, wheeling on fore feet," wheeling on hind feet, etc., were rapidly executed by these men, and they appeared to en=. joy it. The drill. when completed by a troop-. er, gives him entire and absolute com= mand of his mount. The horses are trained to do éverything and the entire troop will move sidewise at a trot—an almost improbable thing to imagine, vet it is true. The entire troop will charge over fences, ditches or hurdles, with the men standing uprizht in the saddles. Every horse will lfe down in- stantly at word of command and thus a force of cavalry in the woods can be concealed until an enemy approaches within a few yards. One of the most difficult feats, one well worth illustrating, was performed by one of the men riding at a gallop over very rough ground. He handled two horses, both spirited steeds, and rode bolt upright, standing fairly in the. saddles, one foot on each animal. Another pretty effect, which shows the perfect control of the riders over their mounts, is shown in the picture presenting the three stages of the horse rolug down. The intelligent animals will all go to their knees and remain there, with the cavalrymen mounted, until told to lie down. Another pretty picture was afforded by a trooper holding the head of his pet, which reclined comfortably on the ground while the photograph was made. Some of the meu in A Troop will vault entirely over three horses running abreast, from the ground. Every man in the troop is an athlete, and every one .an expert with saber, revolver and carbine. Captaln Kings- bury certainly has a troop to be proud of. ‘W. J. ROUSE. UNSOLDIERLIKE CONDUCT ‘IN PICKET LINE.