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The General’s Mount: a Poem on General Forrest’s HorseBy Jack Knox | Online Bonus | 5 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post THE GALLOP warmed his blood Loosened stiff and aching muscles. Ahead, A fence, He cleared it With a mighty surge of effort. He was warm And he was running, A painful, awkward stride, But running hard To the General. THE next fence- Up and over- He almost lost his footing; But he could smell the powder now. The General smelled of powder. NOW he could see the men and horses, Nervous horses, Ready for the charge. Now he could see the General. One last fence before him And the field. He cleared it as the bugles blasted "CHARGE!" HE was racing with the shouting horsemen now. He was straining hard To reach the General’s side, Five good strides ahead. Bleeding. Straining hard. Three good strides . . . When the killing bullet hit him in the chest. THE keen ear of the General caught a sound; Inaudible, almost, against the din. Half a plaintive nicker, Half a choking scream; Like the scream of horses "bad hit" on the field. Amid the shouting and the shrieking and the fire The General heard it. He stiffened, Half turning in his saddle. And there behind him In the charge, Stumbling, plunging, dying, His war horse -On his feet, but dying In the charge. THE feared And fearless, Battle-hardened General Spurred ahead; To fight more awesome battles for his cause. But the man-the horseman- Underneath his honored uniform -Bedford Forrest- Died a little there On the field near Spring Hill, March the fifth, 1863. Subscribe Today
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5 Comments to “The General’s Mount: a Poem on General Forrest’s Horse”
Thank you for sharing this poem, in America’s Civil war
magazine,
It is truly a very good poem,
CW reenactor
17th MI coe infantry
By Mr. M. Music on Dec 11, 2008 at 11:44 am
the genaeral had 30 horses shot out from beneath him,which horse was this?
By dave on Dec 11, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I first read this poem when I was a child. If not the same one, then one that was very close to it. It was in a copy of the Nashville Banner newspaper from Tennessee. I do not remember the year, but it was a commemorative issue.
By michael goins on Feb 10, 2009 at 12:07 am
Mr.M.Music
“the genaeral had 30 horses shot out from beneath him, which horse was this?”
To wit: General Forrest, unlike many Union Generals, actually led his men into battle by riding towards the front and exposing himself to artillery, musket, and sabre. This was CSA General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s horse named Roderick. Roderick was shot out from under General Forrest on 5 March 1863 near Spring Hill, Tennessee. In addition, General Forrest also owned and rode a war horse named Highlander. He cherished both Roderick and Highlander and each time he lost a horse, he lost a little of himself. His favorite horse, King Philip, a large gray horse, was wounded in the neck during the same battle where Nathan’s brother, Colonel Jeffrey Forrest was killed. This so enraged Nathan, that he charged into the Union lines and used his sabre to personally kill or injure over three Union soldiers.
This was during the Feb 1864 Battle of Okolona.
By James Burns on Jun 10, 2009 at 1:46 pm