Bells on Cavalry Horses at night - was that a thing?

NH Civil War Gal

Captain
* OFFICIAL *
CWT PRESENTER
Forum Host
Regtl. Quartermaster Antietam 2021
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
I was wondering about this and did some web searches. I came across a very old web article from around 2005 where someone referenced something like, "we used to see stuff on Ebay selling Civil War Cavalry Bells, we have a thread about it." But when I went to look at the thread, it was gone of course.

They were referencing it as a scam. This thread was from a site that was about military horses and looks like it has been inactive for quite a while.

So, @Package4 or @Lanyard Puller or others, what do you think? Were cavalry bells a real thing or not?
 
I was wondering about this and did some web searches. I came across a very old web article from around 2005 where someone referenced something like, "we used to see stuff on Ebay selling Civil War Cavalry Bells, we have a thread about it." But when I went to look at the thread, it was gone of course.

They were referencing it as a scam. This thread was from a site that was about military horses and looks like it has been inactive for quite a while.

So, @Package4 or @Lanyard Puller or others, what do you think? Were cavalry bells a real thing or not?
Not that I am aware, just the opposite, they didn’t need bells, they were inherently noisy at canter. Canteens, cups, metal scabbards and rattling sabers created more than enough noise. Troopers even dented their scabbards to help muffle the saber rattling, or so it is said.

There were real camel bells for the US Cavalry out West, for an experiment with that animal.

Maybe during the Christmas season!
 
Look at this link on FleaBay:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5338579798&icep_item=303520710060

I wasn't clear before, and @captaindrew it's his fault I wasn't, apparently these bells were put on SOME of the horses at night to keep track of them. But honestly, in all my readings, I've never come across that practice. I've also seen some of these bells going for a couple of hundred dollars with patriotic patterns on them, so they are being called cavalry bells for the Union side.
 
rebel relics is a moron.

cavalry did indeed dent the scabbard to keep the sword from rattling.
 
Look at this link on FleaBay:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5338579798&icep_item=303520710060

I wasn't clear before, and @captaindrew it's his fault I wasn't, apparently these bells were put on SOME of the horses at night to keep track of them. But honestly, in all my readings, I've never come across that practice. I've also seen some of these bells going for a couple of hundred dollars with patriotic patterns on them, so they are being called cavalry bells for the Union side.
They are US Army camel corp bells
 
Look at this link on FleaBay:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5338579798&icep_item=303520710060

I wasn't clear before, and @captaindrew it's his fault I wasn't, apparently these bells were put on SOME of the horses at night to keep track of them. But honestly, in all my readings, I've never come across that practice. I've also seen some of these bells going for a couple of hundred dollars with patriotic patterns on them, so they are being called cavalry bells for the Union side.
I didn't do it! :furious: I was two thousand miles away :nah disagree: I have no control over the pour :confused: I can only recommend the product, not the dosage :whistling:
 
I wasn't clear before, and @captaindrew it's his fault I wasn't, apparently these bells were put on SOME of the horses at night to keep track of them.

I am trying to keep my focus to read the biography of Earl Van Dorn of Mississippi. He became a major in the 2nd Cavalry and was posted to Texas in the 1850's. His company was called the Mobile Grays because they bought some of the finish gray mounts.
It said they trained their horses so they could turn them out to pasture outside the fort but they would return at the first sign of trouble. In a description of another account when they were out on the frontier, the Indians attacked and drove off their horses but the horses returned.
I thought that was interesting and should have been used more by the Army.
 
Look at this link on FleaBay:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5338579798&icep_item=303520710060

I wasn't clear before, and @captaindrew it's his fault I wasn't, apparently these bells were put on SOME of the horses at night to keep track of them. But honestly, in all my readings, I've never come across that practice. I've also seen some of these bells going for a couple of hundred dollars with patriotic patterns on them, so they are being called cavalry bells for the Union side.
So my answer would still be the same, no, each trooper had a picket pin and each 4 horses would be picketed together, or a picket line was tied between trees and the horses were tethered there.

Troopers needed to know where there horses were and if all horses had bells how would you know which ring was your horse?

Might someone have decided to use bells, could have happened, but they were not an issue item.

what was the product and dose🥃:dance:

US Camel Corps bell circa 1860:
  • rs=w:600,h:600.jpg
 
In my foggy addled memory I remember a diary entry of a Va. Cav trooper near Aldie, Va. writing of the sound of the Federal Cavalry "bells" as they approached on the dark road, and how fortunate they {US Cav} were to be encumbered with so much noisy equipment. He also mentioned in his literation of bells some of the specific items; canteens, cups, etc. which were liberated after a brief skirmish.
 
I was wondering about this and did some web searches. I came across a very old web article from around 2005 where someone referenced something like, "we used to see stuff on Ebay selling Civil War Cavalry Bells, we have a thread about it." But when I went to look at the thread, it was gone of course.

They were referencing it as a scam. This thread was from a site that was about military horses and looks like it has been inactive for quite a while.

So, @Package4 or @Lanyard Puller or others, what do you think? Were cavalry bells a real thing or not?
Of course they were, at the end of December each year dasher and dancer us their troupe would have to leave their billet and spread joy throughout the year spreading joy to girls and boys and still make it back for morning bugle calls. Bells got them back safe and sound. Jeez I thought we all knew this?
 
Back
Top