His 18th and last battle was July 3, 1863 on Cemetery Ridge

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Find a Grave for Col Norman Hall
Col Hall's Gettysburg Report
Gettysburg Tablet
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Question for Fort Sumter experts - The association claims Colonel (the horse) heard the first shots at Fort Sumter - is it practical to believe that a horse(s) would have been kept at Sumter - or is more likely he was sent north when Anderson and his men occupied Sumter?

 
D. Scott Hartwig, National Park Historian, in his essay “I Ordered No Man to Go When I Would Not Go Myself”---Norman Hall, Alexander Webb, Alonzo Cushing, and the Art of Leading Men in Battle" has this to say about Norman J Hall then a young officer at Fort Sumter in April 1861:

"Hall also showed something of the stuff he was made of when on the second day of the bombardment a Confederate shot struck the fort’s flagstaff and sent the colors crashing down into the courtyard. The courtyard at this moment was a smoky hell. Confederate shells had set the fort’s barracks afire. The fire burned furiously, producing thick, choking smoke. The smoke and heat were so severe that to Abner Doubleday, “It seemed impossible to escape suffocation.” Assistant Surgeon Crawford described the scene as “pandemonium.” Hall dashed into this inferno of smoke, flame, and rubble. The heat was so intense it singed his hair and burnt off his eyebrows. His brass epaulets grew so hot he had to tear them off. But he managed to remove the flag from its halyards. As he did so it burst into flames, but he smothered or stamped out the fire. A sergeant, an engineer lieutenant, and a civilian laborer joined Hall and they strode up to the fort’s parapet and raised the flag again, under fire, to the cheers of the garrison. Surely, at that moment, Hall at least earned the respect of the old army men."

http://npshistory.com/series/symposia/gettysburg_seminars/9/essay7.pdf


 
Keep the equine stories coming! I love each and every one! I must say for a light colored horse to survive so many battles is amazing. Riding such a horse into battle was the equivalent of shouting "Here I am shoot me" while riding a big target. Thanks for giving us a view of the ACW from an equine perspective.
 
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It's unlikely the horse would have been at Ft. Sumter. Much less likely (unthinkable, actually) that Lt. Hall would have been allowed to keep him after his surrender. But, I think we'll all gladly allow 'Colonel' the unlikely honor anyway -- not that he really needs it!

Great story. Thanks for posting.
I would assume he was stabled nearby on shore.
 
I would assume he was stabled nearby on shore.
But, wasn't everything "nearby on shore" occupied by the rebels? I'm quite sure they would not have allowed the Lieutenant to take him back north with him when he was released.

ETA: I do note however, that Anderson and his 9 officers, 68 enlisted men and 8 musicians were "allowed to leave for the north." They apparently were not actually made prisoners, but left in possession of the Fort until a (civilian) ship was sent by the US fleet to take them away. It would be interesting to know just how that was handled. Perhaps they could bring off their personal property -- whether that included horses, I don't know. It should be possible to find out.
 
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Great story! ALL of the horses thrown into the war deserve accolades!
Notice the difference in his stance...back legs "parked out" like that could very likely be a back problem. Being shot in the hip probably didn't help with that either. Poor baby.
 
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