Horses+and+Mules+of+the+Civil+War

=The Cavalry= toc The southern cavalry was far superior to the northern cavalry. Even though the north had more horses, the horses of the south were of greater quality. In the south, horse racing was a major sport and form of entertainment. Almost every town, no matter how small, had a racetrack. Since horse racing was so popular in the south, there were a long line of pure blood, fleet footed [|Thoroughbred] race horses, which were ideal for war due to their speed and lightness in movement. The north on the other hand did not enjoy horse racing. They, instead, had carriage horses. The horses to pull carriages are normally quite large in size, and very heavily set draft horses, much like a [|Clydesdale] or a [|Gypsy Vanner]. This made horses with the qualities needed for a war horse very rare. Due to the fact that the north lacked the high quality cavalry horses of the south, local southern horses were often seized by northern troops and used for battle. Even with the south's high supply of [|Thoroughbred horses], the most common horses in the war were most likely the Tennessee Walking Horse and the American Saddlebred, with a few Morgans and Arabians. The south also had higher quality horsemen than the north. The south had low quality, dirt roads which led many southerners to travel by horseback. The small amount of horseman who were in the north, were often forced to work with horses since they were young, and joined the infantry because they didn't like the horses. The south's high quality cavalry led them to many cavalry victories.

=Horses in Battle= There were very high horse casualty rates due to disease and other factors throughout the Civil War. That is why the horses who were chosen to be in the war had to meet very specific qualifications. The horse had to be 15-16[|hh] in height and strongly built. They had to be sturdy, with solid limbs and large shoulders, but not so large as to impede their movement. The horse had to be full and well rounded without being too long and too heavy. There had to be both free and even gaits without being to skittish. Due to the high quality demanded of these horses, horses between ages 5-7 were normally chosen. All these requirements could not always be met however, and good horses became scarce in areas of repeated conflict. Horses, like people had to go through a form of bootcamp. In bootcamp, they were taught how to respond to specific cues and commands from their rider and how to respond to certain situations during battle. For example, they were taught that when they are being shot at, they must lay down, and stay down, otherwise they'd be killed. As a sort of "final exam" the horse would be commanded to lay down and stay down. After they horse is down, guns would open fire around them, the horses who jumped were killed on the spot by the bullets, and the horses that did not jump entered the war.

=Feeding= It was vital that the artillery horses got the proper amount of food, because without the horses, the [|battery] was immobile. An artillery horse's daily ration was 14lbs of forage and 12lbs of grain. The horse's grain normally consisted of some form of corn, oats, or barley. Even though pasturage was an option, it was not an effective source of nutrition for the horses and could cause a horse to [|founder]. Also, there was never a sufficient amount of pasturage for each horse to supplement the daily ration (80lbs pasturage=daily ration). However, sometimes there would not be enough wagons to transport the hundreds of pounds of forage and grain. Until the grain and forage arrived on the wagons, pasturage was the only option to feed the horses. Artillery horses needed to be fed every single day, whether the [|battery] was moving or not. The [|battery] could stay still for weeks at a time with no change, but nonetheless, the horses would need to be fed. Watering the horses was a quite complicated matter to be faced. When the horses needed to be watered, often times the battery would be far off from the nearest stream or river. Only half of the horses could be watered at a time, because if the enemy were to launch a surprise attack, the [|battery] would still have some mobility. It was vital for there to always be horses harnessed to the [|battery], otherwise the enemy would attack, and the [|battery] would be lost.

=The McClellan Saddle= In 1855, six years before the start of the Civil War, General George B. McClellan traveled to Europe. During his time in Europe, he learned of European war tactics,weaponry, and logistics. When McClellan returned after a year, he had in his possession over 100 books and manuals. Before writing his report on the trip,he read every single one of the 100 books and manuals. In his studies of these manuals, he came across a Hungarian saddle. He then adapted that model saddle and made his own version of the Hungarian saddle. It was much cheaper than any existing saddle. This saddle was light enough so that it didn't harm the horse's withers, but sturdy enough to carry the weight of a rider. It had a rawhide, open seat with a thick leather skirt and a woolen [|girth]. However, during a shortage of leather, skirts could be found of thick canvas. It was meant to be set on a sort of saddle blanket or saddle cloth. A saddle cloth is a thick, square piece of cloth that goes under the saddle, so that the saddle wouldn't poke the horse's sides and withers. This saddle became standard issue among northern cavalries. The McClellan saddle soon became standard issue in the South when the southern saddle began to harm the horses' withers. = = = =

=Famous Mounts=

Little Sorrel
[|General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson] found Little Sorrel in the car of a train being raided by the Confederates at Harpers Ferry in 1861. Jackson liked the horse, but he did not take to the horse's original name "Fancy". Jackson proceeded to rename the horse "Little Sorrel" because of his sorrel color. Jackson came to depend on this horse throughout the war. Little Sorrel was a small, sorrel colored gelding who was not easily spooked. Little Sorrel was with Jackson until he was fatally wounded and killed at the Battle of Chancellorsville, VA in 1863. After the war had ended, Little Sorrel was given to Mrs.Jackson. Mrs.Jackson, however was unable to care for the horse, which led to Little Sorrel being given to the [|Virginia Military Institute], where General Jackson had taught. Little Sorrel became sort of a mascot to the cadets until his death in 1886 at the age of 36. His bones are now buried at the [|Virginia Military Institute] near the statue of Jackson.

Cincinnati
Cincinnati was an 18[|hh] bay [|Thoroughbred] owned by [|Ulysses S. Grant]. The story of Cincinnati began in St. Louis, MO. While visiting his ill son in St. Louis, Grant was approached by a man by the name of S.S Grant. This man had a proposition for Grant. S.S.Grant offered Cincinnati as a gift, because he was much too old and ill to continue riding the horse. However there was one condition. No one may mistreat the horse as long as he was with Grant. Grant accepted the offer, and from then on, no one except Grant was ever allowed to ride Cincinnati. However, an exception was made for [|President Abraham Lincoln], who later stated that he greatly enjoyed riding Cincinnati. Grant was once offered $10,000 in gold for the horse, but the offer was declined. Cincinnati stayed with Grant when he was elected president, until the horse's death. ==

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Traveller
Perhaps the most famous mount of the Civil War was Traveller, belonging to General Robert E Lee. Traveller was a 16[|hh] [|Saddlebred] who was grey with black spots. Traveller was born in Virginia in 1857. Lee bought the horse for $200 in 1861 and was to be his mount for the entirety of the war. The horses's name, Traveller, came from his exceptional endurance and ability to travel. After the war, Traveller would accompany Lee to Washington College to teach. Lee died in 1870, and Traveller would attend and march at his funeral. He did not outlive Lee by long, though. in 1871, Traveller stepped on a nail and developed [|Lockjaw]. He was eventually euthanized.

Rienzi (aka Winchester)
Rienzi was a 17[|hh]horse who was black with three white ankles. Rienzi was given to [|General Phillip Sheridan] only a few days prior to his successful raid at Rienzi, MS, hence the horses name. Rienzi was very fast, and his speed would soon become a key factor in the fate of Sheridan's troops. In 1864, the Confederacy decided to launch a surprise attack on Sheridan's troops at Cedar Creek, VA. Sheridan, at the time, was in Winchester, VA, 12 miles from his troops, on his way back from a staff meeting in Washington. When he heard of the attack, he ran Rienzi as fast as his legs could carry him to Cedar Creek, and made it back in time to lead his troops to victory. Rienzi was known as Winchester from then on. This event would later become known as [|"Sheridan's Ride"]. Winchester and Sheridan were together for the rest of the war, and until Winchester's death in 1878 at the age of 20.

=Mules= Mules played a large role in the Civil War as well. They were most commonly used to pull wagons with ammunition, forage for horses, regimental baggage, and other sorts of supplies. They were not used for Cavalry mounts or for the battery because they were too uncooperative and hard to work with. Teams of six mules at a time would be hitched to a wagon. The mule driver would sit on the back right mule and carry a long black whip, commonly referred to as "The Black Snake". The mules would get whipped by their ears to gain their cooperation and attention. It would also be common to see a mule driver swearing at their mules trying to get their attention. Mules were not preferable to work with during the war, due to their stubborn nature. Unlike horses, the troops could not trust the mules, therefore their use tried to be avoided.

=From Winchester, VA to Cedar Creek, VA= Refer to Rienzi (aka Winchester)

=Bibliography= 1. Allen, Jonathan R. "Civil War Mules." The Civil War. LearnCivilWarHistory.com, 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 28 May 2012. . 2. Grace, Deborah. "The Horse in the Civil War." Reiliy's Battery. July 2000. Web. 28 May 2012. . 3. "Horses of The Civil War." Reenon's Civil War Page. Web. 28 May 2012. . 4. Jesperson, Hal. Cold Harbor, Virginia. U.S. Grant's Horses: On Left, EGYPT, Center, CINCINNATI, Right, JEFF DAVIS. 1864. Photograph. Library of Congress. Wikimedia Commons. 21 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. . 5. L, Simon AT. McCellan Saddle Fort Kearny 2006 B.jpg. Photograph. Ft Kearny Nebraska State Park. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 28 May 2012. .

6. Read, Thomas B. Sheridan’s Ride. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Laurascudder, 18 Mar. 2007. Web. 28 May 2012. . 7. Rodenbough, Theo F. "Horses Of The Civil War Leaders." Horses Of The Civil War Leaders. 23 Dec. 2001. Web. 28 May 2012. . 8. Stonewall Jacksons Pferd Old Oder Little Sorrel. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. 31 July 2009. Web. 28 May 2012. .

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