Ami's SOA Dogs In Camp, Or Can You Spot The Dog?

LoyaltyOfDogs

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Some of the dogs who accompanied soldiers in the Civil War are well-remembered today, thanks, in part, to their portraits. Dog Jack of the 102nd Pennsylvania Volunteers, who was the subject of several CDVs, for instance, or General Rufus Ingalls’s handsome Dalmatian, who appears in a series of photographs, are among the best-known.

Still others are remembered—though their own names may be lost to history—because of their association with a famous figure. Just as some high-ranking officers did, more than a few enlisted men chose to include dogs in their own portraits.

But many other dogs were also photographed during the Civil War with groups of soldiers in camp—or with sailors aboard ship. They appear in casual scenes of everyday life and also in formal portraits of companies or officers’ staff members. Some dogs are prominently posed front-and-center. More than a few sleep through the picture-taking, sometimes not quite showing their best sides to the camera. Others are content to be held quietly or to sit or lie unobtrusively in the background with their soldiers. Sometimes they’re accompanied by servants, children, nurses, family members or other individuals visiting the camp. A close look at details in a high-resolution image often reveals a dog hiding in plain sight in a landscape view or a dog whose soldier made a point of including him in the scene.

If not for these brief glimpses, these dogs might have entirely passed from history. This new thread can serve as a spot where we remember them and the other loyal dogs who accompanied soldiers in Blue or Gray. Below are a few pictures of these unsung canine companions. And, at the end of this post, are links to a few of the threads where photos of dogs in camp have previously been posted.

Dogs like this one joining an infantry regiment for dress parade showed their best soldierly bearing. (Does anyone know what this dog is carrying? A link to the high-resolution image is here.)

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Other dogs, like this eager pup in the foreground, who no doubt smelled the fresh loaves of bread, readily display their doggish enthusiasm instead of holding still for the camera. He’s just one of three dogs in this portrait of a quartermaster’s unit at Petersburg.

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Maybe this blurry dog was suddenly distracted by some delicious aroma wafting out of the commissary. Or did he think he heard someone calling him for dinner?

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Did this dog’s soldiers choose not to wake him for their picture?

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A terrier has a commanding view of the landscape from his perch atop a caisson.

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An artilleryman holds tight to his lanky flop-eared pup.

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Here, a dog takes a seat in the wagon beside one of the regiment’s aides.

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A soldier of Co. K, 3rd Massachusetts Artillery, cradles two small terriers in his arms.

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What other dogs have you spotted in camp scenes? Please share them here!

The following are a few of the threads where we CivilWarTalk members have shared our delight in seeing these all-but-forgotten companions to the soldiers.


This list is by no means complete, so please update this thread with other links as you find them. Thanks!

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Best thread ever! Well, if we can find a dog on a pontoon bridge, would be the best in all history. :angel:Thanks so much for putting it together for us @LoyaltyOfDogs !


Or did he think he heard someone calling him for dinner?


Cat. Not for long in his camp.

Did this dog’s soldiers choose not to wake him for their picture?


May have been awake when everyone showed up for the photo, became very bored. Our dogs tell me humans are extremely boring, objecting to all the fun stuff. You know. Never understanding about cats eating, sniffing inappropriate spots, swiping bacon from the counter and no with no interest in skunks. I don't know how they put up with us.
 
I love the story of Jack of the 102 PA Volunteers. I read when he came into their fire house initially, they were not particularly kind to him, but he persisted and became a beloved "mess mate" when they went off to war. It made me smile when he was "released" as a POW along with his mates, his freedom granted in exchange for 1 confederate soldier.
https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/fortward/default.aspx?id=40198
 
Best thread ever! Well, if we can find a dog on a pontoon bridge, would be the best in all history. :angel:Thanks so much for putting it together for us @LoyaltyOfDogs !

If there is an image of a dog on a pontoon bridge, @JPK Huson 1863, I'm certain you'll find him. :thumbsup: And thanks for your kind words. You're very welcome. I had fun putting this together.
 
In the case of the fist dog I am inclined to say that is a messenger tube but not totally convinced. Placement seems a bit high on the neck but its hard to tell in the pick. WWI messenger dogs had a very similar set up with a tube attached to the collar. If its a tube he had a job.
Here is an article about them with pics of the collar set up.
https://animalogic.ca/wild/remembering-the-animals-that-went-to-war
 
This is a great thread in my estimation. I love seeing these soldiers and sailors rally around their dogs. Dogs just do that to perceptive humans. Humans who abuse dogs or who collect them as status symbols and then neglect them are the lowest form of wasted human tissue in my opinion. That will probably get me chastised by a moderator, but I'll risk it.
 
One of the things I really enjoyed years ago (besides petting my wonderful dog) was smoking my pipe. (Well, actually, it was pipes...plural.) Pipes weren't good for me and I eventually gave them up along with cigars. Dogs are good for me, and I'll never give up petting them. All that said, this picture of all these soldiers enjoying their pipes really makes me salivate and crave the taste of my favorite tobacco.
 
Custer appears in more than one photograph with dogs, interestingly enough.

View attachment 223028

Apparently one of the two dogs from these two photographs may have been named Rose. Custer mentioned adopting a dog named Rose in a letter to his sister, though no description was given.
I had heard Custer was an avid dog-lover, and had as many as seven near his headquarters at any given time. I may be mistaken as to the civil war or the time thereafter with the Indian Campaigns.
Lubliner.
 
I had heard Custer was an avid dog-lover, and had as many as seven near his headquarters at any given time. I may be mistaken as to the civil war or the time thereafter with the Indian Campaigns.
Lubliner.


Yes, you're right. Read someone's account of Custer's dogs following him through the war, like a long, hairy streamer. Have no way to verify this but I ' think ' that writer counted fifteen. Well, makes sense. You can't tell me those dogs did not become a big, old puppy factory.

Thankfully seems to have left them behind on his last trip. Must be a gazillion accounts from that day, not a mention of a dog.
 
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