Lize of the 1st Iowa Infantry - and Guthrie's mule

SWMODave

Sergeant Major
Thread Medic
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Jul 23, 2017
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Southwest Missouri
eugene_fitch_ware_1898.jpg

Eugene Fitch Ware, 1st Iowa Infantry
Photo courtesy Kansas Historical Society

There had been a lot of vagrant, tramp dogs visiting the camp furtively; they were a bad-looking lot. The ugliest was a mudcolored mongrel, whom somebody named "Lize"; she was so ugly that she was a curiosity. She had never had a friend, and had been kicked around and half-starved to death until she was painfully timid. Our company adopted this dog and placed it under the charge of Sergeant Harbaugh (afterwards a Brigadier General of the Regular Army). Our drunken captain, and Lize, were taken aboard, and down the river we started. … Our Keokuk company dogess, "Lize," had grown fat and saucy, and although she had lost none of her ill looks she had lost her timidity and become the pet of the company. …..Then we wished the war was over, and then we went to sleep with "Lize" barking at something. …..

I here wish to state a circumstance that I had overlooked, and that is about Guthrie and the mule. On our trip to Forsyth, Guthrie had acquired a mule. He did not impress or levy on it—it just came poking its head out of the brush where Guthrie happened to be, and walked up to Guthrie and offered its services. Guthrie put his gun-sling around the mule's neck and rode on in the column. Then he let one of the tired boys ride, and in a little while Guthrie had established a hospital with an ambulance attachment. Everywhere that Guthrie went that mule was sure to go. The mule seemed to place the utmost confidence in Guthrie, and Guthrie hung on to the mule. Guthrie had lived on a farm once and fully understood mule language and mule diplomacy, and getting some rope he made a lariat and kept the mule picketed out and fed and watered. Although we as soldiers might have little or no food, there were oceans of grass for the mule, and Guthrie, who was one of our brightest boys, had sense enough to take good care of the mule and claim owner ship and refuse to turn him over to the quartermaster. Guthrie and the mule became inseparable. So, when the orderly sergeant called the roll and got to the "G's" he would call "Gregory," "Grimes," "Guthrie and the mule." So the mule got into the roll-call and Guthrie would answer "Both here."

Our company dog "Lize" had grown fat and became of no practical use except to keep us supplied with fleas. ……Corpular Mace and the company dog "Lize" turned up during the forenoon while marching away from Springfield. Both were fat and hearty. We asked Mace where he had been and why he had not helped us to fight the rebels ; he replied, " Everybody has got their best holts—old Mace's best holt is cooking."

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