Dogs and other animals, etc. at Gettysburg (other than horses)

Tom Elmore

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Dog:

"General" (possibly at Gettysburg). Col. Bryan Grimes of the 4th North Carolina Infantry wrote that during the Seven Days’ Battles, "I captured a fine St. Bernard dog, which was protecting the corpse of a Colonel of a Pennsylvania regiment ... This dog ("General") became the pet of the regiment, and remained with it for over two years, when in pursuit of Hunter in the Valley of Virginia in 1864 he succumbed to the hard marching, broke down and was lost, not having the endurance of men. [http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/grimes/grimes.html]

Watchdog (and cow). On the morning of July 1, near Willoughby Run, the Confederate skirmish line passed an occupied residence with a large watchdog. A man emerged with some surprise and demanded to know what it all meant. When told, he said, “Tell General Hill to hold up a little, as I turned my milk cow out this morning and I wish to get her up before the fighting begins." [W. F. Fulton, 5th Alabama Battalion, Confederate Veteran magazine]

Yellow dog with the 147th Pennsylvania. A long-haired yellow dog joined Company G in Maryland on the march. "He stayed with us all through the Gettysburg battle and when a shell dropped near us and exploded, the dog, who had found a cool place under the rocks, would come forth and bark at the bursting shells. The dog stayed with us until our return march thru Maryland when he left us and we never saw anything of him again." [Diary of M. S. Schroyer, 147th Pennsylvania]

"Grace," with Steuart's brigade, specifically the Maryland Battalion. See other posts for details about Grace.

"Charlie," with the Troup Artillery of Georgia (Capt. Henry H. Carlton's battery). Joined the unit August 1, 1861 in Staunton, Virginia, present at Gettysburg, killed two days before the surrender. "He seemed to enjoy the whistling of bullets, shrieking of shells, and to go wild with delight as the combat raged. He was too small to take an active part in the work, but would dart back and forth from gun to gun, cheering the men with his clear, ringing voice, which could be heard distinctly above the din of battle." [Confederate Veteran magazine, vol. 19, pp. 515-516]

"Sally," with the 11th Pennsylvania. Joined the regiment as a puppy in 1861, acknowledged by President Lincoln during the spring 1863 review of the army, stood guard over her fallen soldiers at Gettysburg, killed instantly in the front lines at Hatcher's Run on February 6, 1865. See other posts for more information about Sally. [http://www.nycivilwar.us/sallie.html]

Irish Wolfhound with the Irish Brigade. See other posts for details.

"Company K," with Brig. Gen. James H. Lane's brigade (possibly at Gettysburg). A pretty little Yankee dog branded “Co. K” persisted in making friends with Gen. Lane, and followed him back to camp where he became a great pet at brigade headquarterss. "He proved to be a splendid little fighter."

“Stonewall,” with the First Company of Richmond Howitzers. A little dog who bark shrilly and scampered among the guns and would jump into one of the ammunition chests when the guns were moved.

Cat:

During the second day's fighting along the Emmitsburg Road, a kitten jumped on a soldier and mewed piteously. [Henry Blake, 11th Massachusetts]

Mule:

A mule named James Longstreet was the mascot of Hood’s Texans and was kept by Major Robert Burns. At the sound of a cannon he would make a bee line to the wagons. He was the size of a small Shetland pony, perfectly formed, graceful, quick in his movements, but never did a lick of work in his life. Died in 1869. [From a previous post in CivilWarTalk]

Two pack mules of Meade’s mess carried coffee and sugar. A round shot passed through both on July 3. [National Tribune]

Bear:

"In the mountainous woods not far from Gettysburg some of our soldiers captured a black bear, and carried him back with us in our retreat. I have often wondered if this particular one was tame and going about with some Italian wanderer, or whether he was wild; and if he was wild, whether he had a mate, and what became of his mate. He was not muzzled, as a bear in captivity usually is. He was a mascot for a while, but finally, no doubt, he was converted into steaks. What became of the bear I never knew, and can only testify that if he were ever converted into steak, I never got any. [John M. Bowden, Company B, 2nd Georgia]

Fox:

On July 2, as the Yankees were shelling Spangler’s Woods, a red fox was run out and was chased by an artillery company into Wright’s brigade. We chased him to Thomas’s brigade and they chased it to Lane’s brigade which caught and killed it. [Alfred Zachry, Fighting with the Third Georgia] This appears to be the same red fox described by a soldier of Lane's brigade that "was surrounded and picked up" (but no mention of it being killed). [Malachi Hovis, Company E, 34th North Carolina]

"The only wild fox I ever saw at large; the little fellow must have been so frightened by an exploding shell or something, as to lose all fear of men, and he ran almost under our feet." [Charles Ezra Sprague, 44th New York]

Rabbit:

I am tracking down the source, but during the battle a rabbit jumped on the head of a soldier.

A gaunt Virginian saw a rabbit prior to the charge on 3 July: “run old heah [hare]; if I was an old heah I would run too.” [Reminiscences of Capt. Francis W. Dawson]

Cow/Calf:

On the evening of 1 July [at the McPherson place?], a little calf wandered about, bleating and moaning piteously. Its mother had been killed by a stray shot during the day. It touched its cold nose to my hand. [J. A. Walker, 45th Georgia, Some Stirring Incidents]

Captain Parker’s brown cow doubled as a pack animal and was tied to his wagon, covered with the cook’s pots and pans. Also on hand were several hens and a red rooster. [Aristides Monteiro, Confederate Surgeon, E. P. Alexander's Battalion]

We owned two beautiful white cows which were still alive when we returned home after the battle – the soldiers had seen that they were milked during our absence. [Lydia Ziegler Clare and Hugh Ziegler at the Lutheran Seminary, "The Dead and Dying ..."]

General Wadsworth said he was compelled to take someone’s milk cow for dinner for himself and staff. [Bachelder Papers, I:199]

Yellow Jackets:

On Culp’s Hill, Tom Powell encountered a nest of Yellow Jackets in a rock two foot square, Tom took shelter behind the rock, fought off the Yellow Jackets but keeping behind the rock, which offered protection. But at times he would jump up, slapping, stamping and cursing. [Capt. W. H. May, 3rd Alabama]

Bees:

During the retreat a man was seen running away. I went a little out of my way to see what mischief he had done. I found a bee hive with the head taken off and full of the best honey. I broke off a small piece of comb and bit it and was stung on the lip by a clinging bee. It was very painful, which caused a swollen face and a violent headache. [Alfred Zachry, Fighting with the Third Georgia]

Birds:

Morning of July 2, the birds were singing sweetly as ever. [Edward F. Palmer, 13th Vermont, The Second Brigade]

One soldier carried perched on the barrel of his rifle barrel a young crow he had picked up somewhere, and on noticing our youngest sister, Green, in the party, came up to us and lowering his gun offered her the bird as a pet that she took with hesitating childish delight. We named the young raven “Pickett” … and he became a general pet and pest at home. [Bradley Ripley Alden Scott, Memoirs of the Civil War]

Battlefield guides spoke of many buzzards, but there were none here, probably because they were frightened away by the smell of powder and noise of the cannonading. They never made their appearance until several months later. [Battleground Adventures, The Bank Clerk]

Leeches:

July 2, halted on the banks of Rock Creek, the stream dammed for a small mill. Within a few minutes the soldiers had stripped off their clothing and hundreds of them were in the pond. The water was full of blood suckers, I never saw so many on any other occasion of my life. One or more was ornamenting every soldier as he emerged from the water. [Mason Whiting Tyler, Recollections, 37th Massachusetts]

Pigs:

We found the feet of our four fat hogs lying in their pen after the battle. [Lydia Ziegler Clare and Hugh Ziegler at the Lutheran Seminary, "The Dead and Dying ..."]

Snakes:

One night in Pennsylvania we bivouacked in a field where the wheat had just been cut, and was in shocks. We tore down the shocks for bedding. A moccasin snake was in one, and the cry was, “Snake, snake! Kill him, kill him!” Bill Waterson had already fixed his bed and was laying on it. The snake was under his blanket. “Get up Bill, the snake is under you.” “Oh, d--- the snake,” said Bill, “I’m going to sleep,” and the next morning we found the snake in his straw. [10th Georgia account]
 
Tom, Thank you for taking the time to write that.

I will never really know the shear terror that the Gettysburg soldiers had to endure. What I do know is people's strong emotional ties to animals. The bond these soldiers had to their horses and animal mascots had to be very strong. Little vignettes like yours really helps humanize these soldiers.

I never thought about natures little critters the soldiers would run into. Bears, bees, yellow jackets,leeches, etc.

When I started reading your post, I thought to myself that there would be no snake stories. I hate snakes. You saved the worst for last. At least it wasn't a pet snake!
 
Although the northern copperhead (a venomous moccasin) is found in Pennsylvania as well as the Georgia uplands, this Georgia soldier may have been thinking of the eastern cottonmouth (water moccasin), which is a semiaquatic snake found only as far north as southeastern Virginia. In that case, it was probably a different type of snake, such as a rat snake, which feeds mainly on rodents and birds, and poses no threat to humans. Still, Bill Waterson must have been mighty exhausted to ignore a snake that wanted to share his blanket. [Peterson's Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America]
 
"Sallie" of the "Bloody 11th"

image_zpsoupfmanc.jpe
 
Dog:

"General" (possibly at Gettysburg). Col. Bryan Grimes of the 4th North Carolina Infantry wrote that during the Seven Days’ Battles, "I captured a fine St. Bernard dog, which was protecting the corpse of a Colonel of a Pennsylvania regiment ... This dog ("General") became the pet of the regiment, and remained with it for over two years, when in pursuit of Hunter in the Valley of Virginia in 1864 he succumbed to the hard marching, broke down and was lost, not having the endurance of men. [http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/grimes/grimes.html]

Watchdog (and cow). On the morning of July 1, near Willoughby Run, the Confederate skirmish line passed an occupied residence with a large watchdog. A man emerged with some surprise and demanded to know what it all meant. When told, he said, “Tell General Hill to hold up a little, as I turned my milk cow out this morning and I wish to get her up before the fighting begins." [W. F. Fulton, 5th Alabama Battalion, Confederate Veteran magazine]

Yellow dog with the 147th Pennsylvania. A long-haired yellow dog joined Company G in Maryland on the march. "He stayed with us all through the Gettysburg battle and when a shell dropped near us and exploded, the dog, who had found a cool place under the rocks, would come forth and bark at the bursting shells. The dog stayed with us until our return march thru Maryland when he left us and we never saw anything of him again." [Diary of M. S. Schroyer, 147th Pennsylvania]

"Grace," with Steuart's brigade, specifically the Maryland Battalion. See other posts for details about Grace.

"Charlie," with the Troup Artillery of Georgia (Capt. Henry H. Carlton's battery). Joined the unit August 1, 1861 in Staunton, Virginia, present at Gettysburg, killed two days before the surrender. "He seemed to enjoy the whistling of bullets, shrieking of shells, and to go wild with delight as the combat raged. He was too small to take an active part in the work, but would dart back and forth from gun to gun, cheering the men with his clear, ringing voice, which could be heard distinctly above the din of battle." [Confederate Veteran magazine, vol. 19, pp. 515-516]

"Sally," with the 11th Pennsylvania. Joined the regiment as a puppy in 1861, acknowledged by President Lincoln during the spring 1863 review of the army, stood guard over her fallen soldiers at Gettysburg, killed instantly in the front lines at Hatcher's Run on February 6, 1865. See other posts for more information about Sally. [http://www.nycivilwar.us/sallie.html]

Irish Wolfhound with the Irish Brigade. See other posts for details.

"Company K," with Brig. Gen. James H. Lane's brigade (possibly at Gettysburg). A pretty little Yankee dog branded “Co. K” persisted in making friends with Gen. Lane, and followed him back to camp where he became a great pet at brigade headquarterss. "He proved to be a splendid little fighter."

“Stonewall,” with the First Company of Richmond Howitzers. A little dog who bark shrilly and scampered among the guns and would jump into one of the ammunition chests when the guns were moved.

Cat:

During the second day's fighting along the Emmitsburg Road, a kitten jumped on a soldier and mewed piteously. [Henry Blake, 11th Massachusetts]

Mule:

A mule named James Longstreet was the mascot of Hood’s Texans and was kept by Major Robert Burns. At the sound of a cannon he would make a bee line to the wagons. He was the size of a small Shetland pony, perfectly formed, graceful, quick in his movements, but never did a lick of work in his life. Died in 1869. [From a previous post in CivilWarTalk]

Two pack mules of Meade’s mess carried coffee and sugar. A round shot passed through both on July 3. [National Tribune]

Bear:

"In the mountainous woods not far from Gettysburg some of our soldiers captured a black bear, and carried him back with us in our retreat. I have often wondered if this particular one was tame and going about with some Italian wanderer, or whether he was wild; and if he was wild, whether he had a mate, and what became of his mate. He was not muzzled, as a bear in captivity usually is. He was a mascot for a while, but finally, no doubt, he was converted into steaks. What became of the bear I never knew, and can only testify that if he were ever converted into steak, I never got any. [John M. Bowden, Company B, 2nd Georgia]

Fox:

On July 2, as the Yankees were shelling Spangler’s Woods, a red fox was run out and was chased by an artillery company into Wright’s brigade. We chased him to Thomas’s brigade and they chased it to Lane’s brigade which caught and killed it. [Alfred Zachry, Fighting with the Third Georgia] This appears to be the same red fox described by a soldier of Lane's brigade that "was surrounded and picked up" (but no mention of it being killed). [Malachi Hovis, Company E, 34th North Carolina]

"The only wild fox I ever saw at large; the little fellow must have been so frightened by an exploding shell or something, as to lose all fear of men, and he ran almost under our feet." [Charles Ezra Sprague, 44th New York]

Rabbit:

I am tracking down the source, but during the battle a rabbit jumped on the head of a soldier.

A gaunt Virginian saw a rabbit prior to the charge on 3 July: “run old heah [hare]; if I was an old heah I would run too.” [Reminiscences of Capt. Francis W. Dawson]

Cow/Calf:

On the evening of 1 July [at the McPherson place?], a little calf wandered about, bleating and moaning piteously. Its mother had been killed by a stray shot during the day. It touched its cold nose to my hand. [J. A. Walker, 45th Georgia, Some Stirring Incidents]

Captain Parker’s brown cow doubled as a pack animal and was tied to his wagon, covered with the cook’s pots and pans. Also on hand were several hens and a red rooster. [Aristides Monteiro, Confederate Surgeon, E. P. Alexander's Battalion]

We owned two beautiful white cows which were still alive when we returned home after the battle – the soldiers had seen that they were milked during our absence. [Lydia Ziegler Clare and Hugh Ziegler at the Lutheran Seminary, "The Dead and Dying ..."]

General Wadsworth said he was compelled to take someone’s milk cow for dinner for himself and staff. [Bachelder Papers, I:199]

Yellow Jackets:

On Culp’s Hill, Tom Powell encountered a nest of Yellow Jackets in a rock two foot square, Tom took shelter behind the rock, fought off the Yellow Jackets but keeping behind the rock, which offered protection. But at times he would jump up, slapping, stamping and cursing. [Capt. W. H. May, 3rd Alabama]

Bees:

During the retreat a man was seen running away. I went a little out of my way to see what mischief he had done. I found a bee hive with the head taken off and full of the best honey. I broke off a small piece of comb and bit it and was stung on the lip by a clinging bee. It was very painful, which caused a swollen face and a violent headache. [Alfred Zachry, Fighting with the Third Georgia]

Birds:

Morning of July 2, the birds were singing sweetly as ever. [Edward F. Palmer, 13th Vermont, The Second Brigade]

One soldier carried perched on the barrel of his rifle barrel a young crow he had picked up somewhere, and on noticing our youngest sister, Green, in the party, came up to us and lowering his gun offered her the bird as a pet that she took with hesitating childish delight. We named the young raven “Pickett” … and he became a general pet and pest at home. [Bradley Ripley Alden Scott, Memoirs of the Civil War]

Battlefield guides spoke of many buzzards, but there were none here, probably because they were frightened away by the smell of powder and noise of the cannonading. They never made their appearance until several months later. [Battleground Adventures, The Bank Clerk]

Leeches:

July 2, halted on the banks of Rock Creek, the stream dammed for a small mill. Within a few minutes the soldiers had stripped off their clothing and hundreds of them were in the pond. The water was full of blood suckers, I never saw so many on any other occasion of my life. One or more was ornamenting every soldier as he emerged from the water. [Mason Whiting Tyler, Recollections, 37th Massachusetts]

Pigs:

We found the feet of our four fat hogs lying in their pen after the battle. [Lydia Ziegler Clare and Hugh Ziegler at the Lutheran Seminary, "The Dead and Dying ..."]

Snakes:

One night in Pennsylvania we bivouacked in a field where the wheat had just been cut, and was in shocks. We tore down the shocks for bedding. A moccasin snake was in one, and the cry was, “Snake, snake! Kill him, kill him!” Bill Waterson had already fixed his bed and was laying on it. The snake was under his blanket. “Get up Bill, the snake is under you.” “Oh, d--- the snake,” said Bill, “I’m going to sleep,” and the next morning we found the snake in his straw. [10th Georgia account]

Under Cats, don't forget Tom Cat of Fort McAllister.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GA_Richmond_Hill_Fort_McAllister_Tom_Cat_marker01.jpg
 
From Haskell's Gettysburg: A Lovely Summer Morning describing the Cannonade on Day 3:

Riderless horses, galloping madly through the fields, were brought up, or down rather, by these invisible horse-tamers, and they would not run any more. Mules with ammunition, pigs wallowing about, cows in the pastures, whatever was animate or inanimate, in all this broad range, were no exception to their blind havoc.
 
@Tom Elmore appreciate this thread very much. I always enjoy hearing these interesting stories.

Addition under Rabbits......
Sometime in the course of its sweep the brigade [Wofford's] flushed a rabbit that probably had been cowed by the events of the day. The creature fled from the awesome Georgians toward the federal position. As it did so, "Wofford's men, reckless fellows as they were, raised a shout, and about fifty shots were fired at the rabbit." But the rabbit got away.

Source: Harry W Pfanz. Gettysburg: the Second Day page 328. Cited to an article by Lafayette McLaws entitled "Federal Disaster on the Left" that appeared in Philadelphia Weekly Press, August 4, 1886.
 
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