Horses of the ACW

dawna

First Sergeant
Joined
Feb 20, 2005
Location
canada
Since there appears to be enough horse enthusiasts on this Forum, I thought I'd start a thread dedicated to horses of the ACW. Below is a general article on training etc.

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Bealeton, Virginia. Captain Henry Page, assistant quarter master, at Army of the Potomac headquarters.Portrait with horse. Date Created/Published: 1863 Aug.​
Although few people realize it, the horse was the backbone of the Civil War. Horses moved guns and ambulances, carried generals and messages, and usually gave all they had. An instruction from Major General William T. Sherman to his troops shows the value of the horse to the army:​
"Every opportunity at a halt during a march should be taken advantage of to cut grass, wheat, or oats and extraordinary care be taken of the horses upon which everything depends."

The total number of horses and mules killed in the Civil War mounts up to more than one million. In the beginning of the war, more horses were being killed than men. The number killed at the Battle of Gettysburg totaled around 1,500. The Union lost 881 horses and mules, and the Confederacy lost 619.

It is the great misfortune of horses that they can be saddle-broken and tamed. If the horse was more like an ox, not suited for riding, the war would have been drastically different. But no matter what the horses were put through, they soldiered on. Whether plodding through choking dust, struggling through mud, rushing up to a position at a gallop, or creeping backward in a fighting withdrawal, the horses always did what they had to do. They served their masters.

The Cavalry Troops
At the start of the war, the Northern states held approximately 3.4 million horses, while there were 1.7 million in the Confederate states. The border states of Missouri and Kentucky had an extra 800,000 horses. In addition, there were 100,000 mules in the North, 800,000 in the seceding states and 200,000 in Kentucky and Missouri. During the war, the Union used over 825,000 horses. The average price of a horse was $150.00 a head. Occasionally, high-class horses were found, but the reverse was commonly true.

The South furnished - involuntarily - many horses to the North. Most of the fighting was done on Southern soil, and the local horses were easily seized by Northern troops. While Confederates had opportunities to take Northern horses during Robert E. Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania and upon the occasional raids into Northern territory, the number taken was small compared to the thousands commandeered by Union troops, who occupied large areas of the South for several years.

The Northerners were not the only ones to make off with horses. Both the North and the South soon began to take horses that belonged to enemy allies. This was often done not out of necessity but simply to deprive the enemy of horses.

Early in the war, the Confederate cavalry was superior. The theory was that in the South the lack of good roads had forced Southerners to travel by horseback from boyhood, while in the North a generation had been riding in carriages and other wheeled vehicles. Although this may have been true, rural young men in the North were also horsemen by necessity, but unlike many of the Southern boys, they had to bear the tedious burden of caring for their animals after plowing behind them all day. Young Northerners who knew horses seemed to have little desire to assume the responsibility of taking them to war, and instead joined the infantry.

In the South, long before the war, young men organized themselves into mounted militia companies, often with passionate names. Although these may have been more social than military, the men learned how to drill, ride daringly, and charge with the saber.

Southern cavalry horses were also superior to Northern horses, largely because of the Southern penchant for racing. Nearly every Southern town had a track, and the sport developed a superior stock of pure-blooded, fleet-footed animals. In the North, the stocky, strong draft horses were preferred because of their ability and willingness to work long hours.

It is difficult to determine the dominance of any breed in the war. It is probable that breeds native to and developed in the South - the Tennessee Walker, the American Saddlebred - were most widely used because their gaits were smooth and comfortable to ride and they had tremendous endurance. The horses used by the North were most likely ordinary carriage and riding horses, since no particular breed has ever originated from the North. Morgans may have been widely used on both sides. They were small and compact, and good endurance resulted from these qualities. Pictures portray horses that look much like Morgans and Arabians. Arabians may have been scattered here and there, but they were not yet prominent in the U. S. The small Arabian is noted for being fiery, courageous, and having remarkable stamina; perhaps they might have served to slightly change the battle and march patterns of the Civil War.

On The Battlefield

Needless to say, the horses selected for military service needed to fit the requirements for artillery horses and were highly scrutinized for as close to the desired qualities as they could possibly come. The qualities most valued in a horse intended for artillery were described in John Gibbon's diary:

"The horse for artillery service should be from fifteen to sixteen hands high ... should stand erect on his legs, be strongly built, but free in his movements; his shoulders should be large enough to give support to the collar but not too heavy; his body full, but not too long; the sides well rounded; the limbs solid with rather strong shanks, and the feet in good condition. To these qualities he should unite, as much as possible, the qualities of the saddle horse; should trot and gallop easily, have even gaits and not be skittish."

Horses that were between the ages of five and seven years old were usually selected. John Gibbon carefully portrayed what was wanted, but horses with these qualities were not always available. Horses became scarce and stayed in short supply in areas of continuing conflict.

Regardless of the shortage, the horses still had to prove they were fit for battle. Supposedly, the horses went to what would now be called a boot camp where they were taught to react to various commands and cues from the rider. They were also taught how to react appropriately to certain situations they might encounter on the battlefield. One training exercise included incoming machine gun fire at body level. At a physical and verbal command from the rider, the horse was supposed to lie down and stay down, thereby eluding bullets and creating a breastwork for its rider.

At the conclusion of the training, the horses had to pass one final test that determined if they would become army horses. On a signal, the riders dismounted and directed their horses to lie down. Machine gunners at the other end of the field would open fire, scattering bullets over the prone men and animals. The horses that panicked and jumped up were killed promptly and released from duty.

Artillery and saddle horses had to endure ample danger in battle. An effective tactic used when attacking a battery was to shoot the horses harnessed to it. If the horses were killed or disabled, moving the guns was impossible. Unfortunately for the horses, they could take much punishment. They were difficult to bring down and keep down, even with the impact of large-caliber Minie bullets.

An example of this tactic was brutally shown at Ream's Station in August 1864. The Tenth Massachusetts Battery was fighting from behind a makeshift barricade with the horses fully exposed. There were six guns, and five soon came under fire. In minutes, only two of the thirty horses were still standing; both animals bore wounds. One horse was shot seven times before it went down. Others were hit, went down, and struggled back up only to be hit again. The average number of wounds each horse suffered was five.

Despite the thousands of horses killed or wounded in battle, the highest number were lost to disease or exhaustion. The Tenth Massachusetts Battery lost 157 horses between October 18, 1862, and April 9, 1865. Out of these horses, 112 died from disease. Forty-five of these succumbed to glanders. Glanders, a highly contagious disease that affects the skin, nasal passages, and respiratory tracts of a horse, was most widespread. Another forty-five horses from the same battery were lost to fatigue; they simply became too exhausted to work and were put to death.

The capacity of a healthy horse to pull a load was affected by a number of factors. Chief among these was the nature of the surface over which the load was being hauled. A single horse could pull 3,000 pounds 20 to 23 miles a day over a hard-paved road. The weight dropped to 1,900 pounds over a macadamized road, and went down to 1,100 pounds over rough ground. The pulling ability was further reduced by one-half if a horse carried a rider on its back. Finally, as the number of horses in a team increased, the pulling capacity of each horse was further reduced. A horse in a team of six had only seven-ninths the pulling capacity it would have had in a team of two. The goal was that each horse's share of the load should be no more than 700 pounds. This was less than what a healthy horse, even carrying a rider and hitched into a team of six, could pull, but it furnished a safety factor that allowed for fatigue and losses.

"Horses of the Civil War"
by Deborah Grace
 
Great post. As you wrote many of us on forum love horses. If you want to check out an older thread, check "The Horse in the Civil War. I started it on Oct. 15. 2010. There are also some other great threads on horses. There is never enough said to praise the horse.
 
I'm amazed at the number of horse lovers on this Forum. Can you imagine us all being in the same room together?

Lol! You and M E Wolf should get together for a chat! I love horses too, but the few encounters I've had with them resulted in my being either stepped on, thrown off, or rebuffed in some way. I didn't take it personally, I just backed away slowly and said, " ok, fair enough I'm moving away now, just let me get on the other side of this fence here...don't kick me on the way over.:smile: "
 
Regardless of the shortage, the horses still had to prove they were fit for battle. Supposedly, the horses went to what would now be called a boot camp where they were taught to react to various commands and cues from the rider. They were also taught how to react appropriately to certain situations they might encounter on the battlefield. One training exercise included incoming machine gun fire at body level. At a physical and verbal command from the rider, the horse was supposed to lie down and stay down, thereby eluding bullets and creating a breastwork for its rider.

At the conclusion of the training, the horses had to pass one final test that determined if they would become army horses. On a signal, the riders dismounted and directed their horses to lie down. Machine gunners at the other end of the field would open fire, scattering bullets over the prone men and animals. The horses that panicked and jumped up were killed promptly and released from duty.

What? Not during the Civil War. That's nonsense. Evidence please.
 
What? Not during the Civil War. That's nonsense. Evidence please.
I agree. The Gatling Gun, from everything I've been able to find, was not part of the Union army until 1864. Here's a site with a letter from Gatling telling Lincoln that his gun "is just the thing needed to aid in crushing the present rebellion." It just doesn't look like they were common enough in the army to warrant any special training. http://www.civilwarhome.com/gatlinggun.htm I've seen it said that the first use of the gatling gun was during the battle of Petersburg, but in searching the New York papers I've been unable to verify that.
 
I agree. The Gatling Gun, from everything I've been able to find, was not part of the Union army until 1864. Here's a site with a letter from Gatling telling Lincoln that his gun "is just the thing needed to aid in crushing the present rebellion." It just doesn't look like they were common enough in the army to warrant any special training. http://www.civilwarhome.com/gatlinggun.htm I've seen it said that the first use of the gatling gun was during the battle of Petersburg, but in searching the New York papers I've been unable to verify that.
Genl Benjamin Butler bought 12 of the guns for $1,000 each in 1864. Only two saw limited service during the Petersburg siege. The USN also bought a few to use on their riverine forces.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/gatlinggun.htm
 
James B. White wrote:
What? Not during the Civil War. That's nonsense. Evidence please.

I agree --machine guns were not used during the Civil War, but during post Civil War and my Great-Grand Uncle during his time in the U.S. Cavalry during the Pilipino - American War and W.W. I, that kind of training to have a horse lay down during live fire as to be a live barrier was experienced then.

Otherwise, horses were taught to be the body between their riders since the horse has been used in war. "Dressage" is actually foundation training for horses in combat. Using their natural abilities for human uses.

M. E. Wolf

Note: Gatling Guns listed in the O.R.s.

Navy O.R.-- Series II--Volume 1
Statistical Data Of Ships.
United States Vessels. "I"-"M"
U. S. S. MARION. (See U. S. S. Morse.)
U. S. S. MARION.
Acquisition.--Built at Boston Navy Yard by Government, 1838. Date of launching not found. Rebuilt as a screw steamer at Portsmouth Navy Yard, 1871-1876.
Cost.--Original, $212,842.51.
Description.--
Class: Sailing sloop-of-war.
Rate, rig, etc.: 4th; ship.
Tonnage.--566.
Dimensions.--Length 117'; beam 32'; depth 15'.
Draft.--Forward, 14' 9.5"; aft. 15' 8.5".
Speed.--9½ knots per hour on a wind; 11½ free.
Battery.--In 1853, 16 guns. June, 1861, 12 32-pdrs. 27 cwt., 2 32-pdrs. 33 cwt., 1 light 12-pdr. howitzer; July 6, 1861, same. June 13, 1862, 1 light 12-pdr. removed; July 24, 1862, 1 20-pdr. Parrott rifle, 4 32-pdrs. 27 cwt., 4 32-pdrs. 27 cwt., 2 32-pdrs. 33 cwt., 1 light 12-pdr.
howitzer; January 12, 1876, 1 XI-inch pivot, 6 IX-inch pivot broadside, 1 60-pdr., 1 12-pdr. howitzer, 1 50-pdr. Gatling gun.
Disposition.--1897, turned over to the Naval Militia, San Diego, Calif., continued on this service until March 7, 1907, when name was stricken from the Navy list and ordered sold.
Remarks.--First cruise made in 1839. Sunk when heaved down in Rio harbor, 1842; raised; sailed back to Boston. Cruised on various stations and used as practice ship for midshipmen until 1870. Rebuilt as a screw steamer at Portsmouth Navy Yard, 1871. Commissioned January 12, 1876. Out of commission 1882. Commissioned January 15, 1885. Out of commission, Mare Island, Calif., March 22, 1890. Re-commissioned and cruised in the Pacific until 1897. Turned over to Naval Militia, San Diego, Calif., 1897.
--------
Navy O.R.-- Series II--Volume 1
Statistical Data Of Ships.
United States Vessels. "I"-"M"
U. S. S. MONADNOCK.
Acquisition.--Built by contract; hull at Boston Navy Yard, machinery by J.P. Morris & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Launched, Boston Navy Yard, March 23, 1864.
Cost.--$737,843.87.
Description.--
Class: Twin screw steamer; wood and iron; double turret.
Rate, rig, etc.: 2d; monitor.
Tonnage.--1,564.
Dimensions.--Length, 250; beam 55' ½"; depth 11' l½".
Draft.--Forward, 12' 6"; aft, 12' 3".
Speed.--Maximum, 9 knots.
Engines.--Four: Ericsson's vibrating, lever, surface condenser. Diameter of cylinder, 32"; stroke, 20".
Boilers.--Vertical, water tubular. Battery: Original: 4 X-inch B. L. R., 2 6-pdr. Q. F., 2 37 mm. R. C., 2 Gatling. October 22 1865, 4 XV-inch Dahlgren S. B.
Disposition.--Laid up at Mare Island, and condemned in 1882. Rebuilt and launched at Mare Island, September 19, 1883.
Remarks.--Commissioned October 4, 1864. Made the long voyage to the Pacific, going through the Straits of Magellan. First of her type to make a long sea voyage, 1865-66. Total cost to January 1, 1889, $592,-358.59.

U. S. S. MONOCACY.
Acquisition.--Built by contract with A. & W. Denmead & Son, Baltimore, Md. Launched December 14, 1864.
Cost.--$275,000.
Description.--
Class: Ride-wheel steamer; iron; double-ender.
Rate, rig, etc.: 3d; 2-masted schooner.
Tonnage.--1,370.
Dimensions.--Length, 265'; beam, 35'; depth, 9'.
Draft.--9'.
Engines.--One; inclined, direct-acting, surface condenser. Diameter of cylinder, 58"; stroke, 8' 9".
Boilers.--Four; 2 main, horizontal, fire tube; 2 superheating, with 1 furnace in each.
Battery.--Originally 6 guns. 1888, 4 VIII-inch Dahlgren; 2 60-pdr. Parrott rifles; 2 24-pdr. howitzers; 2 12-pdr. howitzers, 2 37-ram. R. C.; 2 20-pdr. rifle howitzers; 1 Gatling.
Disposition.--Sold at Nagasaki, Japan, to Hashimoto & Co. for $11,325. 1903.
Remarks.--Total cost of extra work and materials, and of repairs to January 1, 1889, was $163,546.42. Cruised in the West Indies and Asiatic Station from 1865 to 1903.
 
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Washington, D.C., vicinity. 17th New York Battery, with horses harnessed to guns. June, 1863

The Story of an Artillery Horse: Loomis Battery's "Old Sam"

The Coldwater Light Artillery had been a crack militia unit well before the commencement of the Civil War, and when hostilities began, this unit from Branch County, Michigan, was one of the first to offer its services for the cause of the Union. The people of Coldwater were justifiably proud of their Battery, and donated everything needed to complete the equipment of the unit.

Among these donations was the use of Old Sam, a horse owned by Mr. Clark, a local innkeeper. Old Sam had been employed for several years as a cab horse, bringing passengers from the train station to the inn. When the Battery left Coldwater in May, the thoughts of those left behind were all of the men; few could have spared concern for a horse. But the men themselves had apparently already adopted Old Sam as something of a pet, the sight of him pulling his cab down the old post road being familiar to them all.

Loomis's Battery was often found where fighting was the thickest, and the toll on the Battery's horses was even more fearsome than the toll on the men. In savage fighting at Perrysville 33 horses were killed or disabled. The Battery was again heavily engaged at Murfreesboro, losing nearly 40 horses. Finally, in the debacle at Chickamauga, the Battery lost five of its guns and nearly 50 horses. In the course of the War, many others were lost to disease, or simply wore out their lives in the hard work and scant forage that were the lot of the artillery horse.

But somehow, through all of this, Old Sam plugged along. His seemingly charmed life made him a symbol of survival to the men of Loomis's Battery, and he continued to be a reminder of the home they had left behind so many months before.

After mustering out, the men of the Battery were sent home to Coldwater, and so was Old Sam. When the ramp from his railroad car was lowered, Sam needed no one to tell him that he had reached his old familiar station. Not waiting to be bridled, he simply trotted down the ramp and went directly to his old stable, his empty stall waiting for him. Again like the soldiers with whom he had spent four years, he returned to the work he had known before the War. He retired to a local farm a few years later, but continued to be a special participant in every Decoration Day parade and GAR encampment.

When at last his time had come to an end, the veterans with whom he'd served had long since come to regard Old Sam as one of them, and were loathe to part with him, even in death. Though the law forbade his being buried in the local cemetery, those veterans felt there was a higher law to be followed. Local legend, passed on from father to son for over a century, says that they buried Sam in an unplotted area of the town's cemetery. There are still a few descendants and relatives of those men who can point to a large shallow depression in a disused corner of the cemetery as the final resting place of Old Sam, the artillery horse.

"...we call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words." ~Anna Sewell: Black Beauty~


Loomis' Battery: First Michigan Light Artillery, 1859-1865 (1975) Matthew C. Switlik
 
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Statue of Alpheus S. Williams and Plug Ugly
PLUG UGLY'S STORY

All Civil War aficionados are familiar with Lee's horse Traveler, Stonewall's Little Sorrel, Forest's Roderick, Grant's Cincinnati and Sheridan's Rienzi, but not much is known about Plug Ugly. If General Alpheus Williams was an unsung hero, then so was his battle mount Plug Ugly. Partly because Plug Ugly's story, which is metaphoric of the frequent fate of living beings in the war, and partly because his name describes the American Civil War more closely than his famous equine cousin's, I have named this project in his honor.
The first mentions of Plug is in Williams' description of the Union defeat at Winchester in May, 1862 as quoted below. Plug is not mentioned by name, but it may be implied from later writings that it is him.
"As we reached the brow of the hill a most terrific fire of infantry was opened upon us from a long line which extended beyond my extreme right. The air seemed literally to be full of whizzing bullets, which stirred up currents of wind as if the atmosphere had suddenly been filled with some invisible cooling process. The cavalry could do nothing before such an overwhelming force and it went down with great rapidity. I stopped just long enough to know that I could see nothing of value through the smoke in front, and looking to the left I saw the whole line of the brigade retiring in order and yet rapidly to the rear.
I put spurs to my horse, descended partly down the hill and was beginning to think I should spend a time in Richmond if I did not hurry, especially as I was penned in by a heavy stone wall. I dashed my horse at a point where two or three stones appeared to have been knocked off the top and although he is a pretty heavy beast (not my favorite gift horse) I think he appreciated the occasion for he cleared the wall most gallantly and carried me safely over into a narrow lane."
Plug was not his only horse. He had a favorite show horse named Yorkshire, but when it came to crunch time Williams would be found atop Plug. During the muddy winter quarters at Stafford in 1863 he writes:
"I rode yesterday my "Yorkshire." I have not been on his back for over a month, preferring to ride "Plug Ugly" over these rough and muddy roads. "Yorkshire" never looked so well as now. He has grown large and muscular since we left Detroit. Considering his thin skin and soft hair he stands exposure wonderfully, though Charley is as careful of him as a mother of a baby. The horse is admired by everybody and pronounced by all as the finest animal in the army."
At the height of the desperate night battle at Chancellorsville, Williams was riding to rally a regiment of Berry's division, which, with his division, was astride the Orange Plank Road forming the Union last line of defense.
"I was passing through a low, muddy spot, when a shell struck in the mud directly under my horse and exploded, throwing up the mud like a volcano. I felt as if I was lifted ten feet in the air, and supposed, of course, my horse (old Plug Ugly) was clean gone in all his under-works. I dismounted in haste and found he was bleeding pretty freely, but, strange to say, not seriously wounded and only in three or four places. It was probably a percussion shell which buried itself below the mud so deep till it reached the hard earth, that the superincumbent pressure gave a low direction to the pieces, and thus saved both horse and myself."
Plug's rough life continued during the post Gettysburg days. When following Lee through Maryland's Pleasant Valley in July of 1863 Williams writes:
"I forgot also to tell you of a narrow escape I had on the road. I was passing a column of our soldiers and endeavored to take the side of the road, passing along a deep roadside or ditch on a narrow strip between a stone wall on one side and the deep ditch on the other. I finally came to the end of the wall where a rail fence had been partly thrown down. Here I tried to jump my horse over, but in turning him on the narrow ledge he slipped and tumbling down the bank landed flat on his back in the bottom of the ditch. Fortunately, as he slipped I jumped from the saddle and landed safely on the bank.
Old Plug Ugly must have fallen eight or ten feet and as he groaned hugely I supposed he was finished at last, after passing through diverse battles and one heavy fall into the pontoon boats. The men got his saddle off while he lay as quiet as a lamb and turning him round, with a big grunt he got to his feet and was led to the upper end of the ditch to terra firma, apparently as sound as ever. My saddle, which I supposed was crushed beyond repair, came out scarcely injured, saved I supposed by the overcoats and blankets strapped before and behind. Altogether, it was a lucky escape for man, beast, and saddle."
Plug's long suffering then brings out William's warm sentiments toward his companion in hardship:
"Old Plug was somewhat stiff the next day, but I rode him every day. He is a regular old soldier, however, and takes great advantage of my indulgence and his long service and five or six wounds. As we march along he grabs at every knot of grass, corn, shrub, or any vegetable substance that presents itself on his way. No amount of spurring or whipping can break him of this habit of laying in a supply against short rations. He is an odd, lazy old fellow, sometimes pretending to be very scary, especially after every battle, at other time apparently afraid of nothing. For a year and a half we have been daily companions. We get up a great love for even brutes under such circumstances. I should grieve to part with old Plug Ugly, with all his faults."
The war began to take it's toll on Plug and his rail transfer to the Western Army with Williams did not help:
"My horses arrived yesterday. Old Plug Ugly has lost pretty much all his tail. His length is so great that he rubbed at both ends of the car and has bared the bones of his head and his tail, besides having had his neck badly bitten by some indignant horse. He looks worse than after the shell exploded under him at eyes on our first meeting. The stallion looks better, though he is badly rubbed on both hips by his two weeks railroad voyage. Non of the horses are badly injured, however."
Plug gave out during the grueling campaign against Atlanta and Williams, on the move, sorrowfully released him. Writing from Savannah on January 23, 1865, Williams gave the following epilogue:
"My horses got a good feed. The venerable Yorkshire, who is generally carefully attended to, looked supreme disgust, as he was obliged to stand in the rain all night unblanketed, and for thirty-six hours unfed. Major, the chestnut horse I have generally rode since last spring, as tough as a knot, looked quite resigned. The worthy and war-worn old Plug Ugly, I believe I have told you before, gave out last summer beyond even strength to be led, and was ignominiously sold for $50. I would cheerfully pay more for his bullet-bored skin, if I had it at home. I hear that he died soon after I disposed of him."
"From the Canon's Mouth: the Civil War Letters of General Alpheus S. Williams" (Detroit: Wayne State University Press and the Detroit Historical Society, 1959)
 
I read somewhere, I think it was in "To the Gates of Richmond," I don't remember the name of the general. But it seems he had a horse that, apparently subscribed to the adage, "out of sight, out of mind." When there was shooting going on, he would turn and face the other way. The hapless general would have to reverse himself in the saddle to direct the action.

That must have been the subject of mirth around the campfires, but a painful embarrassment to the general.
 
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