Interesting Description of a Confederate Cavalryman's Equipment

Spiders live in moss? Gosh...that could explain some things. We used to use it in our baby baskets for, ahem, diapers...:confused:

LOL. After years in West Texas and New Mexico, we traveled down around Gonzales, Texas. I was so thrilled to see moss again, I thought I would take some home for use in crafts, etc.....so we picked some and put it in a container in the bed of the pickup. OMG......next stop, I happened to look back there and there were millions of the spiders crawling everywhere....out of the box, across the luggage........to put it mildly, my husband wasn't a happy camper.
 
Not my area of expertise, but how suitable is a mule as a cavalry mount?
90% of time Mules are inferior cavalry mounts, For one thing they are smarter than a horse and not stupid enough to keep returning to battle, only horses and humans are dumb enough for that. Streight's men used Mules and were captured, mules and all. If you bred a good thoroughbred mare, a mule might be very good, but few people did that. There were some mules in Stuarts cav, probably of the good 10% but during the grand review for Lee, Stuart hid them. They are much, much tougher and durable than horses, but don't generally have same sense of loyalty as a good horse.
 
90% of time Mules are inferior cavalry mounts, For one thing they are smarter than a horse and not stupid enough to keep returning to battle, only horses and humans are dumb enough for that. Streight's men used Mules and were captured, mules and all. If you bred a good thoroughbred mare, a mule might be very good, but few people did that. There were some mules in Stuarts cav, probably of the good 10% but during the grand review for Lee, Stuart hid them. They are much, much tougher and durable than horses, but don't generally have same sense of loyalty as a good horse.
I'm a fan of mules and donkeys... wonderful animals!! But of course I'm not a fighting cavalryman...
 
That's a mule on the right... don't you think? Not sure about these guys being fighting cavalrymen though...
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I believe though that horses are better on the flats, not as stubborn and faster.
I've reenacted as cavalry, or more often courier with headquarters, a few times, first on a horse and then a mule, about the sizes of the ones in the photo. It's a sample of one, but top speed of the mule was definitely a limiting factor. Very frustrating when the officers took off at a good canter and I gradually fell behind. Never had that problem with the horse.

Ironically, though, the horse was slower and more careful, and therefore more surefooted. He walked up and down rock ledges in a dry stream bed one time, that other cavalrymen said were impassible. By contrast, the mule would fling herself down slopes as quickly as possible, I guess to get it over with. She never fell, but whoa nellie, don't do that.
 
And riggers tape!! Aka hundred mile an hour tape! Lol

Mules have a lot better stamina (according to dad!), than horses. That's a view from the forest service. Mules climb better than horses. "Pack" mules.
I believe though that horses are better on the flats, not as stubborn and faster.
You read several times where dismounted wounded horses would hear he bugle call for charge and rush to heir masters side, even while bleeding from terrible wounds. They would run with their master's replacement mount until they died. Happened to Forrest once and once with a Union Officer. A mules intellect would not allow such self sacrificing heroics. I see mule racing in Califorina and assume they are out of racing mares, Thoroughbreds and QHs, but never been around any. or ridden one. Only Mule I ever rode, in Big Bend national park, had a terribly rough gate, very uncomfortable. Was wondering if the racing mules (which I suppose are like the good riding mules described during Civil War) are as back jarring?
 
You read several times where dismounted wounded horses would hear he bugle call for charge and rush to heir masters side, even while bleeding from terrible wounds. They would run with their master's replacement mount until they died. Happened to Forrest once and once with a Union Officer. A mules intellect would not allow such self sacrificing heroics. I see mule racing in Califorina and assume they are out of racing mares, Thoroughbreds and QHs, but never been around any. or ridden one. Only Mule I ever rode, in Big Bend national park, had a terribly rough gate, very uncomfortable. Was wondering if the racing mules (which I suppose are like the good riding mules described during Civil War) are as back jarring?
That straight shoulder is going to make for a rough gait no matter what, I would think. There are pacing and gaited mules which might be better but they are rare.

I'm not so sure racing alongside other horses is heroics or loyalty or courage, just pure instinct and habit. I used to retrain off the track thoroughbreds and most take a bit to learn that you don't head off whenever a horse near you picks up a canter. Horses like running in groups.
 
That straight shoulder is going to make for a rough gait no matter what, I would think. There are pacing and gaited mules which might be better but they are rare.

I'm not so sure racing alongside other horses is heroics or loyalty or courage, just pure instinct and habit. I used to retrain off the track thoroughbreds and most take a bit to learn that you don't head off whenever a horse near you picks up a canter. Horses like running in groups.
Not all race horse riders are mutton fisted nuts, just most of them. I know it generally takes time to retrain runners, when it is possible at all. Worked with Hunter-Jumpers and race horses. But the two incidents I mentioned the horse came directly to their master and died running at his stirrups. Thanks for info about mule gate, that was my take on situation, but dont have enough time mule back to make educated guess. Once was enough and there is no way I could have ridden him all day, I would have been in agony. We were rounding up donkeys to take to Florida to train yearling Colts with. (Not my first choice of method, but I was being paid) respectfully.
 
Sam Watkins told this classic Mule story from the battle of Shiloh...
"One fellow, a courier, who had had his horse killed, got on a mule he had captured, and in the last charge, before the final and fatal halt was made, just charged right ahead by his lone self, and the soldiers said 'Just look at that brave man, charging right in the jaws of death.' He began to seesaw the mule and grit his teeth, and finally yelled out, 'It arn't me, boys, it's this blarsted old mule. Whoa! Whoa!'" (Co. Aytch, Chpt. 2)
 
Sam goes on...
"On Monday morning I too captured me a mule. He was not a fast mule, and I soon found out he thought he knew as much as I did. He was wise in his own conceit. He had a propensity to take every hog path he came to. All the bombasting I could give him would not make him accelerate his speed. If blood makes speed, I do not suppose he had a drop in him. If I wanted him to go on one side of the road, he was sure to be possessed of equal determination to go on the other side... He was a resolute mule, slow to anger, and would have made an excellent merchant, to refuse bad pay, or I will pay your credit, for his whole composition seemed to be made up the one word - "no." I frequently thought it would be pleasant to split the difference with that mule, and I would gladly have done so if I could have gotten one half of his "-no."​
 
And the battle of Shiloh thus ended for Sam...
"On my taking the rope off he shook himself and seemed to say "You think that you are mighty smart folks, but you are a leetle too smart." I gave it up that that mule's "no" was a little stronger than my determination. He seemed to be in deep meditation. I got on him again, when all of a sudden he lifted his head, pricked up his ears, began to champ his bit, gave a little squeal, got a little faster, and finally into a gallop, and then a run. He seemed all at once to have remembered or to have forgotten something, and was now making up for lost time. With all my pulling and seesawing and strength I could not stop him until he brought up with me at Corinth, Mississippi." (Co. Aytch, Chpt. 2)
 
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