COMANCHE-Survived to become a Unicorn

Comanche is the stuff from which legends are made! He was a 15 hand bay gelding of mixed breed...thought to be Morgan and Mustang. (See the post on Justin Morgan for more on Morgans.) He was purchased by the army in 1868 in St. Louis, Missouri and sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Captain Myles Keogh of the 7th Cavalry bought him as his personal battle mount. Later that year, Captain Keogh rode in a battle against the Comanche Indians in Kansas where the sturdy horse suffered a serious wound from an arrow to the hindquarters. Yet, this brave little horse kept going. This is where he earned his name. In fact, Comanche was wounded in several battles, yet he always countinued to carry Captain Keogh through them.

On June 25, 1876, Captain Keogh rode him behind Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This famous battle resulted in the death of the entire detachment of soldiers but Comanche and nearly 100 horses and one yellow bulldog survived. The Legend is that only Comanche survived but this is not true. In terms of fame and reputation I guess you could say it is true as his remains are kept protected at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum to this day. Anyway, Comanche was found two days later in very bad shape. He was transported to Fort Lincoln and was nursed back to health and retired.



I found the following order on Wikipedia that you will find interesting:




In April 1878, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis issued the following humane order:
"Headquarters Seventh United States Cavalry, Fort A. Lincoln, D. T., April 10th, 1878. General Orders No. 7.
(1.) The horse known as 'Comanche,' being the only living representative of the bloody tragedy of the Little Big Horn, June 25th, 1876, his kind treatment and comfort shall be a matter of special pride and solicitude on the part of every member of the Seventh Cavalry to the end that his life be preserved to the utmost limit. Wounded and scarred as he is, his very existence speaks in terms more eloquent than words, of the desperate struggle against overwhelming numbers of the hopeless conflict and the heroic manner in which all went down on that fatal day.
(2.) The commanding officer of Company I will see that a special and comfortable stable is fitted up for him, and he will not be ridden by any person whatsoever, under any circumstances, nor will he be put to any kind of work.
(3.) Hereafter, upon all occasions of ceremony of mounted regimental formation, saddled, bridled, and draped in mourning, and led by a mounted trooper of Company I, will be paraded with the regiment.
By command of Col. Sturgis, E. A. Garlington, First Lieutenant and Adjutant, Seventh Cavalry."[2]

Comanche then lived a life of luxury and was honored to be made "Second Commanding Officer" of the 7th Cavalry.

In 1887, he was taken to Fort Riley, Kansas where he lived out his days. He died in 1890. He is one of only two horses in U.S. history to be buried with full military honors. (See the post on Black Jack.)

At least two songs have been written about him. Enjoy this one:




I hereby nominate Comanche to the Legion of the Unicorn. May he wear his horn with honor!

Read about the Legion of the Unicorn in the first book of the Mist Trilogy: Behind the Mist.

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ANIMAL KINGDOM - Celestia or the Animal Kingdom in the Afterlife

Saturday, May 7th was the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby... arguably the most famous of all horse races. I have just completed revisions on Book Two of the Mist Trilogy: Mists of Darkness, and the opening scene is at Churchill Downs a couple of months before the Derby.

I missed the running of the derby as I was attending a performance of the touring group of Lipazanner Stallions (More about that in a later post.) In case you missed it, too, you can watch the race by clicking on this link:

http://youtu.be/rQsMgu9rr1k

Animal Kingdom is a great name for the winner if you are a Behind The Mist fan. You will understand the title of this post...Will Animal Kingdom earn the opportunity to become a unicorn and serve the animal kingdom in the afterlife? Time will tell but the signs are looking good!

Animal Kingdom is the son of an inexpensive Brazilian-bred Stallion by the name of Loroidesanimaux and a German-bred mare. He is owned by 20 partners including, as the New York Times writes: "A cranky former turf-writer." This horse was fortunate to have been trained by Englishman, Graham Motion who believes that a horse should be allowed to be a horse and has never been cited for violating medication rules. He raised and trained AK in a European style training farm in Maryland. There the horses are galloped and hacked through the woods and turned out in large pastures and paddocks. Mr. Motion does not believe in subjecting his horses to the race-track life. This is a man who deserves to become a unicorn rider someday!

The Kentucky Derby was AK's first race on dirt. Now it will be on to the Preakness for him. GOOD LUCK ANIMAL KINGDOM...I'll be rooting for you!

Side note: Rep. Edward Whitfield and Sen. Tom Udall introduced just last week, legislation that would regulate the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in the horse racing industry. I am all for protecting animals but not a fan of more government regulation on private industry. So, I don't know how I feel about that. I am open to your opinions.

BLACK JACK - Earned his Unicorn horn in the Army

November 22, 1963. That morning is seared in my memory like a brand on a horse's haunches. I was sitting in Mr. Lomax's music appreciation class at Lake Oswego Junior High School. It was a windowless room made of cement bricks that had been painted a pastel color, probably blue. Mr. Lomax was desperately trying to get a group of seventh graders to understand some aspect of music theory, a subject that I wouldn't appreciate until I was thirty, when a voice came over the intercom and interrupted, permanently, Mr. Lomax's lecture. President John F. Kennedy had been shot. A few other events are equally embedded in my memory: my marriage, the birth of my children and historical events like the first moon walk, 9/11, and today's anniversary...the Columbine shootings (we Coloradoans really remember that day!) But surprisingly few. If you weren't alive at that time, you probably can't envision what it was like. The media had made us believe that we were living in Camelot with King Arther (or, perhaps Lancelot) at our lead. It was like looking in a mirror and having it suddenly shatter before your face. I remember watching the funeral on our black and white T.V. I remember seeing a lovely, lean black horse being led down the crowd-lined avenue, riderless with riding boots placed in the stirrups...backwards.

(Photo taken by Ron Williams from the Arlington National Cemetary Website.)

I want to share with you what I found out about this horse. His name was Black Jack. He was named for the General of the Armies: John "Black Jack" Pershing. He was foaled on January 19, 1947 and became the last of the Quartermaster - issue horses. He entered the 3rd U.S. Infantry Stables at Ft. Myer on September 22, 1953. He was given the last Quartermaster brand on the left shoulder and the army serial number 2V56 on the left side of his neck. Black Jack served a long and honorable army career, including participating in the funerals of President Kennedy in 1963, President Hoover in 1964, President L. Johnson in 1964 and Five Star General Douglas MacArthur in 1964. When a riderless horse is led in a funeral procession he is called a "Caparisoned Horse." He is the symbol of a warrior who would ride no more. Apparently the tradition started with Genghis Khan. The draping on the horse, including the backward boots are part of the tradition. Black Jack died on February 6, 1976. His remains were laid to rest in a plot at Fort Myer, Virginia. He joined Comanche as the only other horse buried with full military honors. In the horse fantasy story, Behind the Mist, it is the noble and great horses that are chosen to become Unicorns once they enter animal heaven. If they complete their training, they are inducted into the prestigious Legion of the Unicorn. I, hereby, nominate Black Jack, the last Army horse, to the Legion of the Unicorn!

Send me the story of your Noble and Great Horse.

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