Mosby and Me
By 1st Lt. OreoPage Two
Modern Times:
So much for our past history of 135 years or so ago.
Now I will now tell you about the present and a bit of the future.
(I am now in the position to know the future, due to an unfortunate set of circumstances -- being a spirit that now dwells in the hearts, minds and souls of the members now serving with the current 43rd Battalion of Virginia Cavalry.)
That's right, there is a Battalion of Confederate Cavalry alive and well and serving very deep in the heart of Yankee territory. Mainly Central Connecticut, but let me begin where I enter this story or adventure:
It's December, 1995, and I am a 7 year old Appaloosa gelding, brown with a white blanket and dark spots, 14.2 hands tall and at this time of my life quite lazy and a little stubborn.
On this particular afternoon I was grazing in Field #3, directly behind Barn #3, which is located at Hillside Equestrian Meadows, Wolcott, Ct., minding my own business.
Suddenly, this gentleman approached with Bucky, the owner of Hillside. I had seen the guy on the farm before and had not paid very much attention to this other gentleman other than to know that he wanted to purchase a horse.
To my great astonishment, I was able to overhear a conversation between Bucky and the man about me. I heard this guy say I want him", pointing to me, I could hear Bucky say "he's green and a little wild", then I heard this guy say, "I don't care, I want him", then Bucky said "he cost $1500" and this guy again says, "I don't care, I want him"!
The next thing I know is the guy comes over to me and says "my name is Jeff and I am your new daddy". I thought to myself that that can't be possible as you are human and I am a horse.
I decided to give this arrangement a try and this guy was an experience I shall never forget.
First of all - this guy tells me he is going to be my friend and take care of me, which he then commenced to do. Every morning this guy would show up to feed me breakfast, groom my coat, pick my hooves, and clean my stall.
But one thing, for the first month of so he never tried to ride me, but he did talk alot, telling me about his hopes and dreams for the two of us. I thought the guy was as crazy as a thoroughbred!
His hopes and dreams were something I knew nothing about but I was about to learn.
For one thing he kept calling me his Mount and that I was to become a warhorse, whatever the heck that is, but I continued to listen and enjoy all this attention, as a matter of fact I was becoming a bit of a spoiled brat.
One fine day in February 1966, this guy kept me on the cross ties longer than usual and I noticed this strange object laying on the ground.
It looked like a saddle, but of a type I had never seen before. I would be told that it was called a "McClellan saddle", and this particular saddle was made in 1859, and it was for me to wear.
It was then I came to the realization that my "Life of Reilly" was over and I was about to begin to learn my specific role in this guy's, my new daddy, hopes and dreams. I knew I could at any time give this guy a difficult time, but I decided to wait and see what would happen.
When we did start to ride together, it was a very pleasant experience even though I could tell he did not have much riding experience, then again, I didn't have that much experience being ridden.
We were doing things that I knew the other horses on the Farm that were in training were not doing. I was expected to not only listen to his verbal commands, but feel his commands thru his hands and legs and feet, and they were not the usual commands such as, go and whoa but forward and halt.
Little by little, he began to add different objects to the saddle, but not your ordinary objects, such as a lariat. Oh no! After the saddle came the saddle bags and his bed roll tied to the rear of the saddle, then a canteen hanging off the front left side of the saddle, then this rifle, a replica of an 1858 Sharps Carbine hanging on the right side of the saddle in its scabbard, and a light cavalry saber, hanging from the left side of the saddle in its scabbard, and finally another blanket rolled up and mounted on the very front of the saddle.
I didn't have an ordinary bridle either, the bridle I had was a replica of a bridle of the time period of the 1860's, a bit heavier and bigger but more comfortable than the other bridles I had ever worn.
We continued to work and ride with this gear and to my surprise I became comfortable with the saddle.
Later I would learn to call this gear accoutrements. I also began to trust this man who kept telling me he was my Daddy and his ability to ride me.
Our first summer together was spent in the barn, he actually moved into the hay loft above my stall and he lived there for five months.
All this time he kept telling me about the 43rd Battalion of Virginia Cavalry. The only thing I didn't know was that he was the Battalion's Commanding Officer, the "Mosby of our time". But I was soon to find that out.
A Connecticut Yankee in
Marse Robert's ArmyRead the rest of the story
More Information:
Overcoming Disability to Achieve a Childhood Dream:
Jeff Smith's Bio.
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