Troopers Down

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M60 Tank at Point Alpha

While this article is two decades old and in German, it is an interesting piece on the arrival of an M60 tank for permanent display at Point Alpha.

A Story from the 11th Cavalry’s Day as Horse Cavalry:
And You Thought Breaking Track was Tough!
Courtesy of Don Snedeker

The Greensboro Record (Greensboro, North Carolina) 31 October 1907
Former Trooper of Eleventh Cavalry Shares His Desperate Struggle

From the Des Moines Register and Leader

With eyes flashing, nostrils distended, ears laid back, mouth open, and whiskers standing sharply on end, Satan, a vicious horse, gave desperate battle with a brawny blacksmith yesterday afternoon. Satan determined he would not be shod: the blacksmith shod him single handed, but in the struggle, he had his left hand literally crushed. Several bones were broken, and the smith suffered excruciating pain.

The name of the smith is H.W. Brown, a former trooper in Troop D, Eleventh Cavalry, who was discharged here and took up the trade with Vroman.

Satan is a beauty: a little sorel, weighing scarcely more than 1200 pounds, plump and full of ginger and fire.

Satan has always rebelled savagely against the iron shoe. His very name was given him on this account. He has never been known to let a smith shoe him without being bound by leather straps until he could not move. Brown is a very wiry soldier, erect and solid.

Satan was led in by a common halter and tied to the ring at the side of the stall. With a great leather apron about his waist, Brown took the shoe and approached Satan. Quick as a flash the horse wheeled and both feet shot into the spot where Brown’s stomach was – But Brown was quicker in removing it.
Then came into play the scientific blacksmith’s tactics, picked up in the United States army, where bad horse are plentiful. Advancing to Satan’s side, Brown was ready for the next spring and caught Satan sharply in the flank with the point of his elbow; a painful grunt was Satan’s reply, and he huddled himself in surprise in a corner.

The smith stooped to lift a hoof and Satan, without moving his foreparts, deliberately twisted himself in a position to let fly one foot, but Brown again escaped by springing aside; this time, however, the smith trapped the fellow and caught his left foot before he had the leg stiffened. There was a struggle. Brown slipped a knee under the hoof and cruelly pressed down, cramping the leg so that Satan stood still, while the hot iron was pressed his hoof; then Satan’s hoof was released. For the first time he took a good look at the man who dared.

When the shoe was ready to nail, Brown again approached the horse. The same tactics were adopted, except that at the crucial moment Satan, instead of merely twisting himself, crouched and jumped forward as far as his halter would allow and let fly his left foot twice as quickly that it caught Brown’s left hand each time. Bystanders heard the bones crush as the cruel hoofs struck. Brown’s face went white, his teeth set and quietly asking his helper to take Satan’s head, the plucky fellow brought the crippled hand to the bear the best he could and forcing the little sorel in a corner deliberately cowed him by the power of his eye and his nerve nailed both shoes home.

When it was over the smith was wet with perspiration and almost fainting from pain. He was taken at once to a physician, where his hand was dressed.

Satan showed no more ill temper but walked with his head down from the building as though he were ashamed.

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