Baldy or Old Baldy.
Baldy was born and raised on the western frontier and at the start of the Civil War was owned by Maj. Gen.
David Hunter. His name during this period is unknown. It is said that he was wounded anywhere from five to 14 times during the war, starting at the
First Battle of Bull Run, where he was struck in the nose by a piece of an artillery shell. Soon after, in September 1861, he was purchased from the government by Meade in
Washington, D.C., for $150 and named Baldy because of his white face.
Despite Baldy's unusual, uncomfortable pace, Meade became quite devoted to him and rode him in all of his battles through 1862 and the spring of 1863. The horse was wounded in the right hind leg at the
Second Battle of Bull Run, and at
Antietam, he was wounded through the neck and left for dead on the field. He survived and was treated. At
Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, Baldy was hit by a bullet that entered his stomach after passing through Meade's right trouser leg. He staggered and refused to move forward, defying all of Meade's directions. Meade commented, "Baldy is done for this time. This is the first time he has refused to go forward under fire."[
citation needed] Baldy was sent to the rear for recuperation. In 1864, having returned to duty for the
Overland Campaign
and the
Siege of Petersburg, he was struck in the ribs by a shell at the Weldon Railroad, and Meade decided that Old Baldy should be retired.
His last parade was as the "riderless horse" in the funeral procession of his master, in November 1872. Baldy lived another 10 years. He was euthanized on December 16, 1882, at the age of 30, when he became too feeble to stand. On Christmas Day of that year, two Union Army veterans (Albert C. Johnston and H.W.B. Harvey) disinterred Baldy's remains and decapitated him, sending the head to a taxidermist. (Wikipedia)
Bonus: Jefferson F. Davis "
"I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war, but I could not. The North was mad and blind, would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came." This part of a much longer quote that I am unable to find in a format that allows me to copy it. It was made, I believe, in July of 1864 to a reporter. Davis insists that the Confederacy will fight until there is no one left standing. Interestingly, he reverses his earlier claims, by stating that the was is not about slavery, but about independence. Why did the South need to be independent, except to protect and preserve slavery? Hmmm....