Roswell Farnham to Asa P. Blunt
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In compliance with an order appointing the undersigned a board of Survey for the purpose of examining saddles, horses & bugles in the Second Conn. Battery stationed at this place of which the accompanying is a copy the undersigned met at the camp of the 2d. Conn. Battery & proceeded to examine the abovenamed property as pointed out to us by Capt. Sterling.
We found eighteen (18) saddles of a peculiar make, but what was the name of the
pattern we did not learn. They were furnished to the battery by the State of
Connecticut. They were substantial & well made & but little worn - but
the form of the tree is such that the men are made lame by the use of them. They
are in some respects similar to the ordinary cavalry saddle, but the pommel
rises abruptly
nearly or quite eight inches making it dangerous for
the rider who moves faster than a walk. And the edges of the open space in the
seat rise so sharply that men who have drilled in them but a single day have
been lamed for a week.
We think these saddles unfit for the service to which they are now put.
We also examined five horses.
The first, a heavy bay horse, apparently able to a good deal of work, was reported by the Capt. & farrier to be so intolerably lazy that he was entirely useless - that he was in fact worse than no horse at all as he had to be dragged along by the rest of the team.
The second, also a bay horse, had a swelling of the gambrel, & an ulcerous discharge therefrom which unfits him for service. He cannot touch his near hind let to the ground. He has been in this condition for several weeks without hope of mending.
The third was a bay mare. She lost a
colt a short time ago & since
that time when put to any labor has been subject to fits or spasms which unfit
her for service.
The other two horses were apparently thoroughly worn out. A single day's march was said to throw them from their feed for some time. One of them had been taken from the harness, when on duty, being merely an additional load instead of any help. Upon the examination of the horses & learning what we could of them we came to the conclusion that they were unfit for service & should be condemned.
The two bugles shown us were worn out - One had a crack in it, where it had been originally soldered together, which made it very difficult to blow & the other was so battered as to be useless.
All of which is respectfuly submitted
Roswell Farnham Lt. Col.
12th. Vt. V. M.
To Col. A. P. Blunt
Commanding at
Wolf Run Shoals, Va.