by Theo. F. Rodenbough Brigadier-General, United States Army (Retired)
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GENERAL McCLELLAN'S HORSES
While General McClellan was in command of the Army of the Potomac, in 1862, he had a number of war-horses. The favorite of them all was “Daniel Webster,” soon called by the members of the general's staff “that devil Dan,” because of his speed with which the staff officers had great difficulty in keeping pace. During the battle of the Antietam the great horse carried the commander safely through the day.
“Daniel Webster ” was a dark bay about seventeen hands high, pure bred, with good action, never showing signs of fatigue, no matter how hard the test. He was extremely handsome, with more than ordinary horse-sense. He was a fast walker, an important requisite in commander's charger, but a disagreeable quality for the staff officers whose horses were kept at a slow trot. After McClellan retired to private life, &;ldquo;Dan” became the family horse at Orange, N. J., where he died at the age of twenty-three. McClellan said: “No soldier ever had a better horse than I had in ‘Daniel Webster.’”
McClellan also had a charger named “Burns,” a fiery black, named after an army friend who gave the horse to McClellan. His one failing was that at dinner time he would bolt for his oats regardless of how much depended on McClellan's presence on the battlefield at the critical moment, as in the battle of the Antietam. Running at dinner time became so much an obsession with “Burns ” that McClellan was allways careful not to be mounted on him at that hour of the day.*
* The Editor has vivid recollection of “Little Mac” in April, 1862 (then at the height of his popularity), during a ride from Fort Monroe to Big Bethel, being the first day's march of the Army of the Potomac toward Yorktown, Va. The writer commanded the escort (a squadron. Second U. S. Cavalry), and during the ten or twelve miles of the route covered at a gallop, between double lines of infantry, halted for the moment to permit the commanding general to pass, the air was literally “rent” with the cheers of the troops, filled with high hopes of an early entrance to the Confederate capital. As the brilliant staff, headed by the young chieftain of magnetic presence, with bared head, mounted on “Black Burns,”, swept along amid clatter of hoof, jingle of equipment, and loud hurrahs, the thought came to the writer that thus the “Little Corporal” was wont to inspire his devoted legions to loud acclaim of Vive I'Empereur. (T. F. R.)