USA > Illinois > History of the Ninety-sixth Regiment, Illinois volunteer Infantry, Vol. I > Part 17
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in death, or making their way to the rear in such manner as their wounds would permit. Every moment thinmed the ranks. A half dozen cannon in front of the right centre of the Regi- ment ponred a destructive fire diagonally across the line and into the left of the 40th Ohio and the right of the Stth Indiana. The hot breath from their terrible throats seemed like a blast from the infernal regions, and the dense smoke hung like a pall above. "Fire at the battery !" was the order. and pros- ently most of the guns were silenced. But there were other batteries and a cloud of infantry coming. live after line, and all above those trodden acres the air screamed with merciless bullets. Lieutenant Colonel Clarke sat calmly on his horse near the left of the Regiment, speaking words of cheer to the men as they met the terrible fire. A moment later a bullet struck him, inflicting a mortal wound. He was assisted from his horse and carried to the rear upon a blanket. Colonel Champion's horse was twice wounded, but its rider stood unscathed behind the centre of the line.
At times the number of wounded going to the rear was such as to create the impression that the line was giving way. but for a time there was no break. There came a lessening of the terrible roar. A regiment at the lett was giving ground. The regiments comprising the second line, although the; had habed some distance in the rear, were unable to endure the territhe storm, and feil back. Then came the indescribable " Rebel yell," as fresh battalions of the enemy came through the opening at the left. Men looked into each other's faces as if to read their thoughts. Officers blanched as they took in the situation. The left was gone. The troops in rear bad gone. There was as yet no support or protection on the right. The incessant fire from the front was being supplemented by entilading shots from left and right as the lapping lines passed both the flanks. Mingled with the roar of musketry rose the inated vell of the exultant enemy as they swarmed after the retreating battalions. To remain longer meant the absolute destruction of the entire Regiment : to give ground was the only hernative, as there were no indications of support. and the NINETY-SIXTH retired : slowly at first. some of the officers back-
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, III .. V. I.
ing down and the men loading and firing in retreat ; but as the waves of Rebel gray swept after them. they ran back in some confusion, through the hollow, up the long slope. while shot and shell screamed and hissed and exploded all about them. But the Rebels had been so terribly punished that they did not follow far. The ridge passed, the Regiment again formed, most of the men rallying on the colors. Bat Oh, the lines were terribly shortened. Lieutenant Colonel Clarke, to whose fatherly care and strict discipline the Regiment owed so much of its effectiveness in that supreme hour of its history, was being borne to the rear. Captain Blodgett had been struck down and badly injured by a heavy treetop torn from its place by a Rebel shell, and was, to all intents and purposes, a prisoner, being held by the limbs while the Rebel lines passed over or around him and then retired. and only being released from his position when the Union lines advanced in a second charge, some of the mien then helping to remove the tree and get him up. Lieutenant Blowney had a shot across his head, from which the blood was flowing freely over his face. but he was bravely rallying his command, and doing gallant service. Captain Taylor had been wounded, but remained with his command. Captain Pierce and Sergeant - Major Quinn were among those hit, -- the latter being so severely injured as to cause his capture. Lieutenants Sinns and Barnes were being assisted to the rear, each with a mortal wound. A hundred officers and men must have fallen in that first half hour. Other regiments had suffered scarcely less. Gen. Whittaker being slightly wounded, Colonel Champion took temporary command of the Brigade, and as Major Smith was on Gen. Steedinan's staff, the command of the Regiment devolved upon Captain Hicks, of Company A, -as gallant and brave a man as over wielded a sword. Most of the men responded promptly to the call to reform the lines. Stepping to the front. Captain Hicks spoke as follows : " Comrades. von have made one charge -- a gallant charge. On yonder hillside lie the bodies of your fallen comrades. Forward 10 avenge their deaths !" The men responded with a cheer and again moved to the front, bearing somewhat to the right, to cover
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the extended Rebel lines and support a section of artillery that had been moved to that part of the field. In the brief interval while the lines were forming some of the wounded had been carried to the rear, but those who fell at the extreme front could not be reached. In all of the succeeding movements of the afternoon the Union lines did not penetrate so far, and these men lay between the fire of the two armies much of the time, although occasionally the Rebels advanced a few rods past them.
As the lines moved forward there was again a swift charge and a wild cheer, and again the leaden messengers sped across the field. Both lines were charging, but this time it was the Confederates who first hesitated, halted and fell back. while Union shots momentarily lessened their number. But again there were other Rebel lines and other batteries, and the Brigade, whose line, working still to the right, had grown to be scarcely more than a skirmish line, was compelled to halt. Officers sheathed their swords and took up muskets. The color guard of nine were all gone but two or three. Sergeant Bruner. who carried the Stars and Stripes, was terribly wounded. Corporal Swanbrough, who had already had the staff of the Regimental flag shot off twice in his hands, caught the Na. tional colors as they fell, and gallantly bore both flags aloft. Later, he. too, was struck down by a falling limb, stunned for a moment, and recovered his senses barely in time to save the flags from capture, after the Regiment supposed them lost. But who can describe those terrific charges and counter charges, as the Rebels again and again sought to drive back the Reserves and gain possession of the roads leading through McFarland's Gap. The fighting, in each of the advances. was severe, -intensely se, -and yet there was not the noise or the impetuosity that attended the first grand onset. But if the men did not keep the perfect lines observed on grand reviews, they at all events took good aim and did remarkably effective work. There were those whose boldness and enthusiasm led them to the front, and others whose timidity kept them a little in the rear. But all the time that dieaiful afternoon they hardly onee sought cover, rarely even
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, In ... V. I.
going behind a tree, but stood out. manfully, as it courting death, while the dread storm of shot and shell raged over the timbered ridges, and the hills and valleys reverberated with the roar of battle.
So the battle raged, with occasional intervals, from before two o'clock until dusk. the men advancing and driving the Rebels, only to be in turn driven back over substantially the same ground. Sometimes there were two lines, but by some strange fate. the NINETY-SIXTH was always in the front one. Always there seemed a cloud of Rebels. far outnumbering the Union troops, and rarely. if ever, did the enemy charge with less than two lines and often with three or four. Once the NINETY-SINTE advanced so far as to receive an cofflading fire from the other regiments of Pie Brigade, and Colonel Cham- pion declared his belief that with five hundred fresh troops he could have driven the entire left wing of the Confederate army from the field. The ground seemed ahost fairly covered with the bodies of the killed or desperately wounded of the enemy over acres across which the Regiment advanced. Gen. Hindman, commanding one of the Rebel Division- with which the Reserves fought, in his report says of the engagement on that part of the field, that he had never before seen Confederates fight better or Federals tight so. well. In some of the advance movements a few Robe's were captured, and from them it was learned that the trees were not Bragg's men. but Longstreet's veterans from the. Potomac, who had rarely known defeat, and who boasted, as they came upon the battle field, that they had been sent to show Bragg's army how to fight.
The left of the line moved less than the right ; in fact. the left of the Brigade seemed to be the pivot on which the Reserves swung. like a great pendulum, for four terrible hour ... In the retreats there was a deliberateness and stubbornness seldom equalled. Colonel Champion was as cool and cour- ageons as man could be, and his bravery, seconded by that of the line officers, acted like an inspiration.
Two Regiments of the Brigade- - the 89th Ohio and 22d Michigan --- being out of ammunition, met a charge of the
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snowy with their bayonets, but were overpowered and sur- rounded. most of them being made prisoners. This was near ilir close of the fighting and after most of the troops at the left had moved to the rear. It was a terrible sacrifice. for they had made a gallant fight, but probably necessary in order to the protection of the retreating columnn.
At a little before night-fall the enemy, baffled and dis- couraged, drew back their lines a little, and the fighting ceased except that an irregular skirmish fire was continued for a time. And it was well that it was so, for the Union forces were well- nigh exhausted and almost out of ammunition, except as they took it from the cartridge boxes of the dead and wounded. At one time a few boxes were brought upon the field. Were gold thrown out in handfuls among a crowd of Chicago news- boys it could not be more eagerly seized than were the coveted cartridges on that afternoon. Gen. Thomas was not slow to take advantage of the Inll in the terrific storm, and at sundown or a little before he ordered his men to move quietly but quickly back through MeFarland's Gap and out toward Ross- ville. But the night of the line was the last to be with- drawn, and the NINETy-SixTH Illinois and 121st Obio still kept up a desultory musketry until the fire grew red and the short. southern twilight had almost deepened into night. Then they drew back, a little band of resolute men, the last organized body to leave the field. The four or five miles to Rossville was made in sullen silence. Between eight and aine d'elock the camp was reached, and the men threw them- -elves down on the "banks " they had left less than three days before. Oh. how weary they were. For two nights they had hardly slept at all. Since before daylight of that morning they had caten nothing except an occasional bite of hard-tack from their haversacks. For hours many had had no water. They were dusty, powder-grimmned, so hoarse that they could hardly speak above a whisper ; so tired that they could hardly rise after they had lain down. But darkness and distance had relieved them from the terrible strain induced by the deadly peril of the battle, and no wonder that one soldier. as he scized a cup of hot coffee and threw himself down beside
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I.
a camp-fire, exelpimed : "Boys, this is heaven." And he felt it, so great was the relief experienced.
As they gathered around the camp fires -- the unhurt and some of the wounded who had been able to get back --- and dis- cussed the incidents of the day in undertones, the groups were sad, for so many were gone. All of the dead and many of the severely wounded were lying unprotected and uncared for on the battle-field. Each Company had its list of heroes. Almost every man had narrowly escaped some imminent peril. and fully one-half of the survivors had bullets through their clothing or equipments. Colonel Champion, who had proved a very lion in the fight, was unharmed, although he rode his third horse, two having been shot under him.
The Brigade had lost forty-four per cent. of its entire nom- ber ; the Regiment almost fifty per cent. But the Reserves had saved the right ; and in saving the right had saved the army ; and in saving the army bad, perhaps, made final victory possible, and thus saved the Union of the States.
In withdrawing from the field there had been some break- ing up of commands, and daylight of Monday, September 21. found the army in much disorder. Col. MeCook's Brigade had been drawn back toward Rossville, and pickcted the Gap through the night. Shortly after sunrise Sheridan's Division of MeCook's Corps moved out on the Crawfish Spring road. along the west side of Missionary Ridge. Other commands soon formed and were sent into the Gap and upon the Ridge at its right and left. The troops of Steedman's Division were moved a little toward Chattanooga, shifting position here and there for a time, and then marching to the top of the Ridge at the left of the Gap, and near the extreme left of the main army. Throughout the day it was expected that the enemy would move forward and attack this position, but their losses had been so heavy that they were not anxious to renew the battle, and they contented themselves with a reconnaissance along the new line. During the skirmishing the only casualty in the NINETY-SixTu was the wounding of C. W. Graham, of Com- pany HI, and one or two others. The troops did not fortify their position until toward evening, when a light barricade was con-
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. tructed of rocks and logs. There was no despondency among the troops, but on the contrary a feeling of confidence and a belief that they could resist any direct attack the Rebels conld make.
The position of the army, although admirable for defens- i've operations, providing that the enemy were to make a direct assault. was such that a force might pass its right and ent it off from Chattanooga. It was therefore determined 10 move back to the city soon after nightfall. Meanwhile engi- neers laid out a line of works, either flank of which rested on the Tennessee River, and to this line, commencing at nine !. M., Division after Division was withdrawn. At eleven o'clock Steedman's Division was in motion, the main body. after a slow and tedious night march, reaching Chattanooga. where the First Brigade, including the NINETY.SIXTH, was detached and sent across the river, and theuce to Moccasin Point. confronting Lookout Mountain.
But in this movement a sorions disaster befel the Regi- ment. Company HI, under Lieutenant Yates, had been posted in front upon the skirmish line, during the day. In the early evening, it being reported that the line was too weak, Com- pany C, under Lieutenant Earle, was sent to reinforce them. When the main line was drawn back into Chattanooga these Companies were not relieved or ordered back, and with sev- eral other Companies found themselves surrounded, and were captured about ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, after making a brief resistance, in which James Forsyth, of Company I. was killed, and two or three from other commands were wounded. Thus the Regiment lost two gallant officers and thirty-four brave men, more than one-half of whom were to perish in the foul prison-pens to which they were committed. For a more circumstantial account of the experiences of the men captured at this time, the reader is referred to the chapter on " Prisons and Prisoners of War." in another part of this work.
It was not until Moccasin Point was reached that an oppor- tunity was given to attempt to fully measure the losses of the Regiment in the terrific experiences of Chickamauga, or to estimate the services it had performed. From all sources
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HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILI. V. I.
came mustinted praise for the heroic action of the Reserve ( orps on Sunday afternoon. I had fought more than three times its own munbers. Three times it had hurled itself against the solid lines of the enemy when attack seemed hopeless, and each time it had broken and driven back their front lines. Repeatedly it had withstood the assaults of the doubled and quadrupled lines of gray, fighting, at fearin! odds, until the night had come and given Gen. Thomas oppor- tunity to withdraw his forces. And in all this dreadfal fight- ing the NINETY-SixTH had been in the front line and at the right. where the work was most severe and the danger most intense. It had charged the most frequently, penetrated far- thest to the front, held its advanced positions longest. and was always slowest in falling back. Its losses in killed and wounded had been the heaviest of any Regiment in the Re serve Corps, and, considering the number of hours it was engaged, the heaviest of any Regiment in the Army. Of 419 who went into the fight 200 were killed or wounded. while the total loss, including those captured on Missionary Ridge. was 234. or fifty-eight per cent. of all who took part in the battle, -a percentage rarely reached by any command in a single battle. The following is
THE CASUALTY LIST.
Field and Staff.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. - Lieutenant Colonel Issac L Clarke: Quarter-Master William S. Bean.
WOUNDED .- Sergeant Major Francis P. Quinn, # shot through lungs. * Captured.
Company A.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED .-- First Sergeant John G. Schaefer. Corporal William Price. Color Corporal David Isbell, Christian Kaufman. John H. Witman.
WOUNDED. - First Lieutenant William Vincent, leg : Sergeant Frank A. Wen, aim : Corporal Jason B. Ishell, shoulder : Gottlieb Beck, fare. John W. Connor, * side ; John Einsweiler, thigh ; Milton Glover, head : Edward Reubeno, finger shot off; Edward Simpson, head ; Joseph D. Young, leg ; Josephus Metcalf, # head.
$ Captured.
BATTLE-FIELD OF CHICKAMAUGA.
Union.
Confederate.
Positions, Evening of Sept. 18th. 1663. fu
-X
Direction of lines ot battle, Sept. 19th.
First lines of battle, Supt. 20th.
?
Last lines of battie. Sept. 20th,
1
STICOMAN
THOMAS
LAVAIHO
.. .
NORTH-C-
١٠٨١٤
-0-
Cavalry.
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Company B.
KnaLD .- Emery Dart, Charles Fox, William Kimball, Thomas Potter.
WoUNDED .- First Sergeant A. A. Bangs,* head ; Sergeant William D. Whitmore, shoulder; Color Corporal Hamilton Whitney .* { side; Cor- poral Caleb Whitney, foot ; Henry Annis, leg ; John HI. Cruver.f arm ; John Cashman, t foot ; W. W. Tower, leg ; Charles McCusker, shoulder.
· Captured.
+ Ijenbled for further field! service.
Company C.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. - Corpoud John Y. Taylor, William Bonner, John H. Ehlers, John Fidler, Acting Color Corporal Squire inman .* 1
-
WOUNDED .- Second Lieutenant Charles W. Earle, arm and wrist ; Sergeant Edward Murray, #| shoulder, hip and atm ; Sergeant Charles A Partridge, hip; Corporal George C. Dodge,* + ankle ; Corporal William B. Lewin, shoulder; Corporal Lewis HE Bryant, both legs; Corporal Jobn MeGil, right arm ; Henry P. Barnum, face ; John W. Balley. arm ; Henry Bater, shoulder ; Henry M. Cutler, arm ; Ira Cribh, shoulder; Leonard S. Doulittle,*+ right leg; William Diver, arm : William H. Ehlers, arm : Norris Hamilton, face ; Orrin Howe, ++ leg; James McCredie, leg; Oscar Rector, right shoulder and lung : Michael Umbdenstock, right arm.
CAPTURED SEPTEMBER 22, 1863 .- Second Lientenant Charles W. Bil ; Sergeant Harison Huntington ; ; Privates John Bensinger, t Henry H. Cutler, Henry C. Green, ; James Kearney, William McClellan, ; Wil -* liam McCreadie,# Laughlin Madden, # Henry C. Payne,; Hugo Roden- berger,1 Joseph Schweri, Joseph Savage, Charles Sturm,# Christian Weistof.
· Captured.
· Disabled for further feldt service.
; Died while a prisoner of war.
Company D.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED .- Sergeant William W. MeKes: Sergeant Isaac Quigley; Corporal Elisha Haggart ; Elias Hosley, James Rich.
WOUNDED -Captain A. Z. Blodgett, shoulder and back ; Second Lieutenant Theodore F. Clarkson, head ; First Sergeant John H. Collier, thigh; Corporal Charles Ellis, leg; Corporal Orson V. Young, foot; Walter Crapo, arm ; Edward Rix, head; Joseph A. Roth, left hand ; H. G. Levagood,{ arm ; Edmund S. Stevens, *t leg and body ; Johu Swindells, t hand ; William Sabia, t left thigh ; Alza Stewart, hip ; Robert E. Stanley, face ; John C. Thompson, knee ; Jacob Van Patten, kuce and breast ; Eli"Thayer, *# head ; James T. Guppy, head.
* Captured.
t Disabled for further field service.
; Died while a prisoner of war.
13
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HISTORY OF THE 96TU REGIMENT, ILL .. V. I.
Company E.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. -- Corporal Heury Cashman, Cor- poral Edgar Warner, Robert C. Allinson, Alfred Eldeikin, William Edre, James A. Thomas, Joseph Tinkler, Daniel Harrington, Stephen F. Black- stone, * Thomas B. Martin, " Heary Mack, * Dennis O'Leary .*
WOUNDED .- Captain Wm. F. Taylor, car ; First Lieutenant Haley Il. Richardson, thigh ; Second Lieutenant Sidney B. Funk, + face au shoulder : Sergeant Win. H. Robbins, &H arm and Inng ; Sergeant Royal J. Cooper, foot : Color Corporal Wm. F. DeGraff, leg : Corporal William Will, { leg ; John A. Bush, leg and side ; * Solomon Bixby, arm ; Jaines Cole,farm and body ; George W. Dimmick, " ; head and hip; John H. Pooley,i thigh ; George Teal, arm; Andrew King, wrist and side ; Thomas Scott, kree ; Charles F. Hayth, " { ankle.
. Captured.
+ Disabled for further field service.
* Died while a prisoner of war.
Company F.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED .- First Licutenant Nelson R. Simms ; Corporal John R. Oatey, Color Corporal Walton Reed, Corporal Augustus Armbruster, Hirmin L. Bostwick, James Pbaley, Frederick W. Miller.
WoUNDED .- Corporal John A. Robinson, | lost right arm ; James Brown, back ; William Calvert, ing ; Patrick Convay, hip ; Joseph Gam- mon,t chest and leg; Thomas Graham, face: John Hocking, thigh ; Bennett Holtkamp,## Edward Weaine, #f thigh ; John Kneebone, leg ; Hugh Williams, hand.
CAPTURED .- Captain Charles E. Rowan.
* Captured.
+ Disabled for further fell service.
: Died while a prisoner of war
Company G.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED .- Thomas Davis,* William HI. Wheeler, William H. Whaples.
WOUNDED. - First Lieutenant Benjamin G. Blowney, head ; First Sergeant Aaron Scott, hand ; Sergeant B. F. Shepard, thigh ; Corpora! Walter Drew, side ; Corporal James Hickox, side and leg ; Corporal HI. H. Gage, hand : Daniel Benson, " thigh ; George Butler, t foot ; Jared O. Blodgett, Myron J. Brown, grein; John A. Corbin, thigh: Joseph Darby. * 1 left arm : Daniel U. Gail, leg ; William Joyce, foot ; Jobn Ladd, thigh : Lewis Miller, hip.
* Captured.
t Disabled for further feld service.
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CHICKAMALGA.
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Company H.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED .- First Lieutenant George F. Barnes ; Color Corporal Ward L. Morton, Corporal Henry Simons, Cor- poral Thomas Morris, * James J. Curry,* Albert Farley, James Forsyth, Thomas K. Johnson .*
WorsDED .- Captain J. L. Pierce, right arm and ride ; First Sergeant J. A. Francisco, t leg and side ; Sergeant Michael Hileman, Color Sergeant M. M. Bruner, farm and breast ; Sergeant MI. S. Vandervoort, lex; Ser- geant Charles P. Howard, farm ; Corporal Charles L. Metta, hand ; Cor- peral H. F. Hastings, arm : Edward McGinniss, + wrist ; James Rets, i Arin : Patrick Farrell, 1st, leg; Patrick Farrell, 20, arm; Hiram W. Nelson, f shoulder : Geo. W. Andrews, foot ; John H. Foster, face : Nor- man P. Ward,f thigh ; James MeCafferty. fnce and neck ; Charles W. Grahnin, | hand : Charles D. Bunce,# Bensou Moore, arm ; Samuel Wil- cox, ArI !.
CAPTURED SEPTEMBER 22, 1863 .- Second Lieutenant Charles Hi. Yates, Sergeant Michael Hilenian, Corporale John A. Boothby, ; Patrick Flannery; and Alphonzo Marshall, # and Privates George W. Andrews, + Richard Cullen. Daniel W. Dowd, John H. Foster, Peter Hawkes, William Ingersoll,; Andrew Johnson, John Kurby, # Nathaniel MicWain, George H. Stanchiield,{ James M. Sallee, Edwin Van Dyke, Adam Vrowman, t Alberto Wheelock, # John V. Wilkerson.
« Captured.
+ Disabled for further field service.
+ Died while a prisoner of war.
Company I.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED .- John Adams, Truman F. Bennett, Hemy Bonitell, John Bowman, Gains W. Young.
WOUNDED .-- John Fablinger, shoulder : James Hutchinson, side ; Francis S. Keontz, breast ; Frank M. Pogue,f leg; August Stemlie, shoulder ; Hugh Williams, side ; Benjamin B. Wilson, shoulder ; Thomas Reynolds, shoulder : Daniel Malone, sealp.
+ Disabled for further field eurvice.
Company K.
KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED .- Corporal Thomas Porter, Anson Brinkerhoff, Joseph Bowker, Mathew Dunbar, Michael Fox, Darius W. Kenney.
WOUNDED .- First Sergeant C. C. Cowen, | right shoulder ; Sergeant Garrett W. Luke, scalp wound ; Sergeant Charles N. Elston, right leg ; Corporal Wm. E. Tilton, side : James E. Black, arm ; Acting Color Cor- poral Thomas A. Conlee, shoulder ; James F. Champlin,* Thomas C. Grave- > foot ; Edward Graham, arm and thigh ; Iliram H. Hamilton. * left leg: Cyrus Pomeroy,t leg; Curl Richardson, leg ; Henry Schultz,* left breast and arm : Charles Smith, left leg hurt by the fall of a horse.
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