Secesh, the squirrel

[donna]

Clarissa Jones who was a Union nurse had a pet gray squirrel named Secesh. He was a gift from her brother, Lane. She had named him Secesh as that was a nickname at the time for Confederates.

She put her squirrel out to board as it was so lonely.

She wrote to her brother, " Let me tell you about Secesh--I have put it out to board--the poor little beast seemed so lonely and felt so lean that I feared it pined for the native woods and as I had not the time to notice it thro' the day I concluded to lend it to Tom Lyman, Mr. H's grandson. I took it there today to exhibit it to the children. Tom brought up a large cage which he had made for his own pets of a like race--he offered it to me and knowing his propensity for--such things I loaned it to him till he got tired of it".

From: "Guardians of the Artifacts: Pets and Mascots of the Civil War".

 

[James N.]

Reminds me of one I owned as a boy that was the only survivor from a litter (?) taken from their home by my stupid cousins. I only had "Buck" a month or so until a family friend paid me $5 for him, only to take him somewhere and release him back into the wild where he belonged. I'm sure he was happier than in the bird cage he had been living in!

 

[John Hartwell]

Another secesh squirrel, though not named so, was owned by none other than Belle Boyd. Union army surgeon C. E. Goldsborough encountered the critter in the spring of 1863:

"There was another very amusing incident connected with our stop at the hotel over night at Staunton that is worth relating. After Dr. Pierce and I had partaken of a nice supper and had a short chat with the hotel clerk, that gentleman showed us upstairs to a large, well furnished room, with a large double bed in it, and, after wishing us a comfortable night's rest, retired. Pierce and I were both tired from our day's tramp, and soon fell asleep; but it was not long before the Doctor gave me a violent shake, and when I woke up said there were rats in the room. I replied, "Oh! rats," but he insisted one had run over his face, and I called the clerk up from the office. When the clerk arrived and heard Dr. Pierce's story, he laughed heartily, and said he had assigned us to Miss Belle Boyd's room, as that lady had gone down the Valley to Winchester after the fight, but had left a pet squirrel behind in her room, and he had forgotten to mention it. The squirrel, he said, was perfectly harmless, but if we desired he would remove it, and we both said we preferred to occupy the room alone, and he took it out."
National Tribune Scrapbook (1909), p. 46-7

 

[James N.]

For some perverse reason this thread reminds me also of this famous/notorious courtesan of the Old West known as Squirrel Tooth Alice for her pet seen here on a leash and lying in her lap!

 

[donna]

Thread on some famous squirrels. Thought worth bringing up.

 

[major bill]

Squirrels as said to make horrible pets. While interesting to watch, they have high energy and need room to run and play. They do not do well in cages They bite and scrach. They are very smart and cleaver, and can get in to almost everything. They are distuctive and chew and gnaw on everything.

 

[James Brenner]

Squirrels as said to make horrible pets. While interesting to watch, they have high energy and need room to run and play. They do not do well in cages They bite and scrach. They are very smart and cleaver, and can get in to almost everything. They are distuctive and chew and gnaw on everything.

There's a reason why they're called tree rats.

 

[huskerblitz]

Squirrels as said to make horrible pets. While interesting to watch, they have high energy and need room to run and play. They do not do well in cages They bite and scrach. They are very smart and cleaver, and can get in to almost everything. They are distuctive and chew and gnaw on everything.

No kidding. Our two rehab guests twice got into our wash machine and bit the same freaking wire.

This is Blue, playing dress up because my wife gave her a walnut. They know enjoy their best squirrel life in our tree line.

 

[huskerblitz]

View attachment 168022

For some perverse reason this thread reminds me also of this famous/notorious courtesan of the Old West known as Squirrel Tooth Alice for her pet seen here on a leash and lying in her lap!

Hey, she has a pet prairie dog! Awesome!

 

[Tom Elmore]

Circa May 1863, Lt. Col. Thomas Chamberlin of the 150th Pennsylvania noted: "In some of the company camps could be found a crow or two, a cat, a tame squirrel, dogs and even a buzzard." (A History of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, by Thomas Chamberlin, pp. 95-96)

 

[bayonet]

Reminds me of one I owned as a boy that was the only survivor from a litter (?) taken from their home by my stupid cousins. I only had "Buck" a month or so until a family friend paid me $5 for him, only to take him somewhere and release him back into the wild where he belonged. I'm sure he was happier than in the bird cage he had been living in!

Yeah as a kid our dog chased squirrels until she walked up the driveway with a baby one hanging on her back. Guess the squirrel caught her. Dad grabbed it and we keep it as a pet for a month or 2. Travelled the house well fed and slept a top my closet or it climbed under the sheets with you in the middle of the night to cuddle. Then Sister took it outside and it ran away. She tried to get it back crying and took some of his tail off in the process. Never saw "Charlie" again

 

[donna]

My Mom had a pet squirrel when she in high school. She said it was quite tame. I have picture of them in an album. Have to locate it.

 

[huskerblitz]

My Mom had a pet squirrel when she in high school. She said it was quite tame. I have picture of them in an album. Have to locate it.

My wife and I do wildlife rescue. Take in orphaned babies, feed them until they are big enough to be released. Of our first batch of raccoons, one opted to stick around and raise her first litter in our granary where she was born.

We currently have five more we're raising to be released later this summer.