565,000 Pounds of Horse Feed a Day, The Civil War's Greatest Raid

Rhea Cole

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565,000 Pounds of Horse Feed a Day, The Civil War's Greatest Raid

In 1865 Union General James H. Wilson led the largest cavalry force of the Civil War. Consuming 26 pounds of feed a day, his 13,500 cavalry mounts required a staggering 357,000 pounds of fodder a day. Sherman had told Wilson that he wanted "Forrest hunted down & killed." Forrest commanded the last great Confederate cavalry force of about 8,000 that required 208,000 pounds of fodder daily. The combined 565,000 pounds of fodder is a real number that puts the complexity of the confrontation between Wilson & Forrest into perspective. Theirs' was the last great confrontation between the mounted defenders of slavery & those who would destroy it.

Forrest confronted Wilson with all the grim determination & drive that he could muster. When desertion became rampant, Forrest had two Kentucky cavalrymen executed & had their bodies displayed along side a road. As General Richard Taylor put it, "Forrest fought as if the world depended on his arm." At both Ebenezer Church & Selma, Forrest killed yankees with his own hand. However, Forrest's personal drive was not enough to fend off Wilson or to stop the evaporation of his force through desertion. Nobody wants to be the last man to die in defense of a lost cause. Montgomery, the birthplace of the Confederacy fell to Wilson. He divided his force, sending one against West Point & the other Columbus.

When the small but determined garrison defending West Point was overrun, General Robert C. Tyler was the last general killed during the Civil War. Perhaps it was fitting that so determined an advocate for secession & the Confederacy should go out fighting hard. At one point his men even drew rocks.

At Columbia, Georgia state troops & militia attempted to hold the town against Wilson's veterans. The forlorn hope defense was overwhelmed & a melee followed. Leading the defense of the last ditch was another hard core secessionist & advocate for reopening the African slave trade. Charles Lafayette Lamar led his men on a final desperate charge & became the last officer to die in the Civil War.

Having largely destroyed what was left of the Confederacy's war making industries, Wilson moved on, taking Macon without a fight. President Davis was captures by Wilson's men. The hard-core secessionist Governor John Milton took his own life rather than surrender to Wilson.

Forrest, as determined as ever, had reconstituted a cavalry force ready to fight on. His immediate superior, General Taylor had surrendered. General Thomas had informed Forrest that if he didn't surrender that he would pursue him through Mississippi & Alabama doing such damage "that they wouldn't recover in fifty years." It was over, Forrest gathered his men & told them that the war was over. They wept & begged him to take them west & continue the war from there. Forrest told them to go home & become good citizens in new country that had been born out of the war.

In purely military terms, Wilson's raid was a signal success. He took 6,820 prisoners, 288 canon & five fortified cities. He captured Davis. This at the cost of less than 800 of his own men. In the awful arithmetic of war, that is what a victory looks like.

Wilson's raid is often viewed a lot like the bombing of Dresden; a waste of life & wanton destruction inflicted when the war was already won. Forrest & Wilson didn't know that the war was ending. Each was fighting the foe that confronted him with equal determination. As Grant said a great deal was lost that it would have been better to have left it alone. But isn't that the same thing that could have been said about the whole Civi War?

Wilson's was the last great cavalry force to be seen in North America. 13,500 men & horses under one command would never be seen again. An age of the world had come to an end.
 
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565,000 Pounds of Horse Feed a Day, The Civil War's Greatest Raid

In 1865 Union General James H. Wilson led the largest cavalry force of the Civil War. Consuming 26 pounds of feed a day, his 13,500 cavalry mounts required a staggering 357,000 pounds of fodder a day. Sherman had told Wilson that he wanted "Forrest hunted down & killed." Forrest commanded the last great Confederate cavalry force of about 8,000 that required 208,000 pounds of fodder daily. The combined 565,000 pounds of fodder is a real number that puts the complexity of the confrontation between Wilson & Forrest into perspective. Theirs' was the last great confrontation between the mounted defenders of slavery & those who would destroy it.

Forrest confronted Wilson with all the grim determination & drive that he could muster. When desertion became rampant, Forrest had two Kentucky cavalrymen executed & had their bodies displayed along side a road. As General Richard Taylor put it, "Forrest fought as if the world depended on his arm." At both Ebenezer Church & Selma, Forrest killed yankees with his own hand. However, Forrest's personal drive was not enough to fend off Wilson or to stop the evaporation of his force through desertion. Nobody wants to be the last man to die in defense of a lost cause. Montgomery, the birthplace of the Confederacy fell to Wilson. He divided his force, sending one against West Point & the other Columbus.

When the small but determined garrison defending West Point was overrun, General Robert C. Tyler was the last general killed during the Civil War. Perhaps it was fitting that so determined an advocate for secession & the Confederacy should go out fighting hard. At one point his men even drew rocks.

At Columbia, Georgia state troops & militia attempted to hold the town against Wilson's veterans. The forlorn hope defense was overwhelmed & a melee followed. Leading the defense of the last ditch was another hard core secessionist & advocate for reopening the African slave trade. Charles Lafayette Lamar led his men on a final desperate charge & became the last officer to die in the Civil War.

Having largely destroyed what was left of the Confederacy's war making industries, Wilson moved on, taking Macon without a fight. President Davis was captures by Wilson's men. The hard-core secessionist Governor John Milton took his own life rather than surrender to Wilson.

Forrest, as determined as ever, had reconstituted a cavalry force ready to fight on. His immediate superior, General Taylor had surrendered. General Thomas had informed Forrest that if he didn't surrender that he would pursue him through Mississippi & Alabama doing such damage "that they wouldn't recover in fifty years." It was over, Forrest gathered his men & told them that the war was over. They wept & begged him to take them west & continue the war from there. Forrest told them to go home & become good citizens in new country that had been born out of the war.

In purely military terms, Wilson's raid was a signal success. He took 6,820 prisoners, 288 canon & five fortified cities. He captured Davis. This at the cost of less than 800 of his own men. In the awful arithmetic of war, that is what a victory looks like.

Wilson's raid is often viewed a lot like the bombing of Dresden; a waste of life & wanton destruction inflicted when the war was already won. Forrest & Wilson didn't know that the war was ending. Each was fighting the foe that confronted him with equal determination. As Grant said a great deal was lost that it would have been better to have left it alone. But isn't that the same thing that could have been said about the whole Civi War?

Wilson's was the last great cavalry force to be seen in North America. 13,500 men & horses under one command would never be seen again. An age of the world had come to an end.

confrontation between the mounted defenders of slavery & those who would destroy it.

advocate for reopening the African slave trade.

Forrest & Wilson didn't know that the war was ending


Really?
 
confrontation between the mounted defenders of slavery & those who would destroy it.

advocate for reopening the African slave trade.

Forrest & Wilson didn't know that the war was ending


Really?
That is the historic record. Forrest was a slave trader, he knew what he was fighting for. The other Confederate officers In the post were passionate secessionists. None of them lived long enough to hear about the Lost Cause rewrite of The Civil War.

Oh yea, this guy was agitating for secession from the 1850’s onward. There was a big debate about reopening the African slave trade. Farms in border states, especially Tennessee & Virginia made most of their cash selling human beings to fulfill the labor needs of the Deep South. Here in Nashville, Adilecia Franklin, the wife of the Bill Gates of the Virginia to Mississippi slave trade, became the richest woman in the US when he died. Restarting the African trade would instantly drop the bottom out of slave prices.

How could Forrest & Wilson know that Richmond was going to fall & Lee surrender? Crystal balls were not standard army issue, they kept on fighting until somebody told them to stop.
 
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1) In 1865 Union General James H. Wilson led the largest cavalry force of the Civil War.......;
2) In purely military terms, Wilson's raid was a signal success.......;
3) Wilson's raid is often viewed a lot like the bombing of Dresden; a waste of life & wanton destruction inflicted when the war was already won.......;
4) Wilson's was the last great cavalry force to be seen in North America. 13,500 men & horses under one command would never be seen again.

These four points, and probably some others that I've skipped over, are similar to Stoneman's 1865 Raid. Stoneman's Raid even occurred during the same time frame. I don't know if the size of Stoneman's force equaled Wilson's force and Stoneman was never opposed by anyone as talented and tenacious as Forrest. But the two operations have some similarities.
 
A little quick reading revealed that Stoneman's force was estimated to be about half the size of Wilson's. But points 2 & 3 above are still similar for the two operations.
 
These four points, and probably some others that I've skipped over, are similar to Stoneman's 1865 Raid. Stoneman's Raid even occurred during the same time frame. I don't know if the size of Stoneman's force equaled Wilson's force and Stoneman was never opposed by anyone as talented and tenacious as Forrest. But the two operations have some similarities.
I think you are correct. Grant was not going to let the Confederacy have a breathing space. As always, Grant was going in for the kill.
 
Subsequently in turned out that the destruction in Alabama and North Carolina was not futile. The speed with which ex-Confederates organized a resistance is evidence that any remaining armories in the south would have been a source of weapons used in those insurgent movements.
 
I always admired Forrest. He was certainly driven and talented. He made his money on land speculation as well as slaves. He entered the war as a Private and left as a General. Partly because he had enough money to equip his men with the best equipment he could find. He was extraordinary as leaders go. Custer was his equivalent for the Union, a showman, completely fearless but a lot of good men died trying to follow his lead. His ego got him and his brothers killed.
 
I always admired Forrest. He was certainly driven and talented. He made his money on land speculation as well as slaves. He entered the war as a Private and left as a General. Partly because he had enough money to equip his men with the best equipment he could find. He was extraordinary as leaders go. Custer was his equivalent for the Union, a showman, completely fearless but a lot of good men died trying to follow his lead. His ego got him and his brothers killed.
Anybody but the ego maniac Custer
 
Good thread. But it bears repeating, that the Wilson raid, like anarchy descending on Richmond, the burning of Columbia, Stoneham's raid, Sherman's march through Georgia, all occurred after the Confederacy refused to surrender after Lincoln won re-election.
 
Through the efforts of both the SCV and the SUV, there is now a nice marker marking the area of the Ebenezer Church fight in Stanton, Alabama and when our guide was asked the approximate location of where Forrest killed the Union officer (Captain James D. Taylor) during the fight, he pointed at a house and said: About in their living room - now that is a real selling point for a house.
selma2_009-259x184.jpg
 
I always admired Forrest.......Custer was his equivalent for the Union.......
That doesn’t seem like a good comparison to me.

I can't think of a Forrest-like general in the Union. I think of Custer as being closer to the Union equivalent of Stuart. Even then, the comparison doesn't go much past the flamboyant image.
 
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Wilson's was the last great cavalry force to be seen in North America. 13,500 men & horses under one command would never be seen again. An age of the world had come to an end.
I agree with the first two sentences. The last statement isn't accurate. Worldwide, there were cavalry units that large in mounted combat up until the beginning of WWII. The Cossacks come to mind.
 
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I agree with the first two sentences. The last statement isn't accurate. Worldwide, there were cavalry units that large in mounted combat up until the beginning of WWII. The Cossacks come to mind.
Some argue the last great (and successful) cavalry charge was made by the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade at Beersheba during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign against the Turks in 1917. To be sure there were cavalry actions up to and including WWII. In my opinion, the last American Cavalry charge was made against the Japanese in the Philippines in January, 1942. The charge actually scattered the Japanese for a time.
 
Yes, I agree. My post was specifically in reference to the number 13,500. Rhea Cole mentioned that a cavalry force that large was never seen again in the U.S., which is true. But worldwide not everything had changed. The Russians fielded some big Cossack cavalry units in the east. I’m not sure the British force you referenced exceeded the size of Wilson’s force.
 
Yes, I agree. My post was specifically in reference to the number 13,500. Rhea Cole mentioned that a cavalry force that large was never seen again in the U.S., which is true. But worldwide not everything had changed. The Russians fielded some big Cossack cavalry units in the east. I’m not sure the British force you referenced exceeded the size of Wilson’s force.
No, The Australians did not number as many as Wilson's force. They did however make a gallant charge, the last of it's kind. You are correct regarding the Cossack units. The Poles also used Cavalry to defend themselves in WWII and their bravery was unrivaled.
 
Not sure of the date, but when the Army decided to phase out horses as draft animals sometime after WW1, they thought to destroy them. Unsure of the outcome too.
Lubliner.
 
That is the historic record. Forrest was a slave trader, he knew what he was fighting for. The other Confederate officers In the post were passionate secessionists. None of them lived long enough to hear about the Lost Cause rewrite of The Civil War.

Oh yea, this guy was agitating for secession from the 1850’s onward. There was a big debate about reopening the African slave trade. Farms in border states, especially Tennessee & Virginia made most of their cash selling human beings to fulfill the labor needs of the Deep South. Here in Nashville, Adilecia Franklin, the wife of the Bill Gates of the Virginia to Mississippi slave trade, became the richest woman in the US when he died. Restarting the African trade would instantly drop the bottom out of slave prices.

How could Forrest & Wilson know that Richmond was going to fall & Lee surrender? Crystal balls were not standard army issue, they kept on fighting until somebody told them to stop.
Creating and emphasizing negativity about the South/Confederacy unnecessarily---IMHO
 
Yes, I agree. My post was specifically in reference to the number 13,500. Rhea Cole mentioned that a cavalry force that large was never seen again in the U.S., which is true. But worldwide not everything had changed. The Russians fielded some big Cossack cavalry units in the east. I’m not sure the British force you referenced exceeded the size of Wilson’s force.
That is what I meant. The horses of a corps of cavalry, with remounts, artillery & support vehicles would have numbered roughly 20,000 (+ / -). At an average cost of $130-150 each consuming 26 pounds of grain & hay a day, just keeping that many horses alive & sound required tremendous effort & expense. Wilson's force was manned by veteran troopers & officers with years of battle experience. There would, thank goodness, never again exist the necessity for a U.S. Army mounted corps sized mounted force... Patton's saber design & the Special Forces cavalry operations in Afghanistan are ripples in that pond.

Out of curiosity, I googled Cossack Cavalry. The one that sent my eyebrows up into my hair line is the 15th Cossack Cavalry Corps, commanded by SS officers & consisting of 22,000 mounted men.
 
Creating and emphasizing negativity about the South/Confederacy unnecessarily---IMHO
You are obviously ashamed of what Southern slave-holders stood for. That is unfortunate. While I am a modern person who finds everything to do with slave-holding morally offensive, I have a deep respect for my family members & others who fought & died for what they believed in.
 
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