A Guide to the Army Mule of the Civil War at CivilWarTalk

John Hartwell

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A pert young mule is a Thing of Beauty

A decade threads from our "Four-footed Friends" forum:



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[Library of Congress image]



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A Broken-down Mule, 1864, by Edwin Forbes
[Library of Congress image]





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Shoeing he Refractory Mule
[Leslie's Illustrated, May 1864]






To be continued:
 
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More Mulishness from CivilWarTalk, mostly from other forums:


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Yesterday's post contained a missive from a donkey/mule rescue group in Texas--which I read with great interest because of all the knowledge here! I am afraid that I under-appreciated these fine animals and will surely send in some of the vast Fairfield $$ ☺
 
HOLY Alcott, Jno!! This is wonderful, thank you! I'm using her because her observations are some of the best, and my favorite mule synopsis.

There'll be another in a bit- new favorite, Trooper George Peck, 4th Wisconsin Cavalry did well with mules. Meanwhile, is anyone bumping a for Army Mule-A-Day-March?

Sorry I've missed Army Mule-A-Day-March! In honor of April as National Poetry Month, The Frederick & Spotsylvania National Military Park staff shared the following poem on Twitter.

The Army Mule
By Tom of Co. K

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For years upon years, very patiently, too,
I’ve waited for some one to give me my due.
The officers, soldiers, the batteries, flags,
The donkeys of all kinds, the cavalry’s nags,
Have been mentioned with praise. It seems to me cruel
That none should remember the old army mule.

Though my voice is no longer so vibrant or strong
At the last I am driven to sing my own song.
For, boys, you remember, as surely you must
I brought up your rations through mud and through dust;

I raided the hard-tack; I chewed up the tents;
In somebody’s ribs made a couple of dents,
And doubled the fellow who was such a fool
As to tickle the side of the old army mule.

I stopped when I chose; went on when it suited
Myself; not because I was beaten or booted.
We gave the bold Sothrons a terrible licking,
While you did the fighting, ‘twas I did the kicking.

If I share not the honors with you in your pride,
Why did they put US in plain sight on my side?
Ah! The war days are over; old friends have grown cool
To the broken-down, pensionless, old army mule.

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As I creep down the tow-path, the old boat behind,
The days that have vanished come back to my mind.
When forage was plenty; how luscious and sweet
The juicy, green oats and the young, tender wheat!

How often at night when the teams reached their goal,
And forage was missing, I had but a roll.
Ah! Life on the tow-path, a tyrant to rule,
Will soon end the days of the old army mule!

~From “History of the Corn Exchange Regiment, 118th​ Pennsylvania Volunteers, From Their First Engagement at Antietam to Appomattox,” 1888.

And from the same regimental history, here's an anecdote titled "The Appetite of an Army Mule."

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