Recently, we’ve noted how horses built a commander’s reputation. For Confederate General John C. Breckinridge, his reputation as a battlefield commander in Virginia was enhanced by his horse – or more specifically by the color of his horse.
It’s quite a story, and today we’ll share some facts about Breckinridge’s horse: Old Sorrel. Continue reading
It’s not everyday that I find a letter by a Civil War general, specifically answering the question “which was your favorite horse?” But today, we got lucky! Matter-of-fact Union General William T. Sherman clearly stated in 1888 which warhorse was his favorite.
Meet the horse that entered Atlanta and probably took the general on the March To The Sea: Duke. Continue reading
Turner Ashby served most his Civil War battles and skirmishes as a colonel, but he was promoted to brigadier general about two weeks before his death. Ashby is a controversial figure among some historians. However, I think it’s relatively easy to agree that his horses helped create his image and his legends. Numerous accounts mention Ashby’s horses and one of his favorites was a big white stallion called Tom Telegraph. Continue reading
A descendant of famous race horses. A rider who could fly on (not off) horses with incredible skill.
Those two sentences would be one way to briefly describe General Ulysses S. Grant and his most famous Civil War horse…meet Cincinnati. Continue reading
You did not want to be General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain‘s horse… The job application really should’ve included something like “extreme hazardous conditions; great risk to life and limb.” As the story goes, six horses were shot while Chamberlain was riding them. A bad luck rider?
Chamberlain’s horse toward the end of the American Civil War was Charlemagne. Really for all the things this amazing horse did, he ought to be in more paintings and sculptures. Continue reading
Horses! They seem to be everywhere and yet forgotten in some Civil War studies. Just for fun, we thought it would be nice to spend a whole month of Fridays talking about some horses of the Civil War era that belonged to famous generals.
Of courses, horses had many tasks during the conflict – pulling artillery, supply wagons, ambulances, cavalry mounts, officers’ steeds. Horses are immortalized in the statues that grace battlefields, memorial parks, and cities. And – still we focus more on the man than the beast. That’s natural – after all, the generals fight the battles; the horse just carries them so they can see the battlefield and plan the strategy. But it’s time for some of those horses to get some extra attention and love!
Starting January’s historical theme of the month is General Robert E. Lee’s most famouse horse: Traveller. Continue reading
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