" Whose Dog Are You? " Curly, 11th Ohio, Makes It Home From War

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
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Advertisements for ' performing dog ' acts were fairly common although this is the most delightful ad I've come across ( 1864 ). While circus acts toured the country, best performers around went to war. They performed magic tricks, like surviving a war.

Curly may have made an appearance here before? Cannot find the thread . Much reprinted in 1864, taking a chance because Curly made it through the war. Always wince when the regimental mascot is killed. Company A, 11th Ohio's mascot, a rough coated spaniel named Curley was wounded more times than most men and came home anyway. The young lady may be apocryphal, Curley was extremely real. By 1864, a fuzzy hero.

whose dog  1 The_Palmetto_Herald_Thu__Aug_4__1864_.jpg


In the midst of a bloody, dreadful war we must have loved any bright spot. You can see how frequently these stories were picked up, reprinted and discussed. Gosh we needed some good news. What's a brighter story than a good news dog?

whose dog 2 The_Palmetto_Herald_Thu__Aug_4__1864_.jpg

Have always been a little baffled about why the dogs always seem to be in a position to be wounded or killed- no shame in being in the rear. You're a dog.


whose dog 3 The_Palmetto_Herald_Thu__Aug_4__1864_.jpg

You can't imagine a lost dog in an entire could be found.

whose dog 4 The_Palmetto_Herald_Thu__Aug_4__1864_.jpg

" Wears a cheerful look ". Don't they all, unless it's meal time and they're convincing you death is imminent unless fed.
 
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...Have always been a little baffled about why the dogs always seem to be in a position to be wounded or killed- no shame in being in the rear. You're a dog....

It is baffling, isn't it? You'd think a dog's instinct for self-preservation would kick in and keep him in the rear. Someone, after all, has to guard the wagons. I wonder if it might be the dog's general affinity for his pack mates that propelled so many of them to the front lines. Once a dog accepts you as a pack mate he will never let you go, even if you're going in harm's way.
 
It is baffling, isn't it? You'd think a dog's instinct for self-preservation would kick in and keep him in the rear. Someone, after all, has to guard the wagons. I wonder if it might be the dog's general affinity for his pack mates that propelled so many of them to the front lines. Once a dog accepts you as a pack mate he will never let you go, even if you're going in harm's way.
True and with K-9s courage travels both ways on the leash ,up and down. If the dog gets in with a group that are hard chargers even in the face of danger the dog will be more inclined to do the same.
 
Most dogs are tied to the people with whom they live, and in the case of soldiers, they travel with. Loyalty is one of those things which can override any survival instincts, the dog went to where he felt he was needed. I think he was a comfort to his soldiers in both camp and battle. No greater love. In WWII the 551st AB Bn, carried their dachshund, who was named Furlough into battle and as far as can be known she died with her men in the Battle of the Bulge. Normally she was with the HQ unit, and the unit has so few men during the battle the HQ unit fought with the rest. Their last battle as a unit they took 250 men into battle, 110 survived. I like Curley's collar also, especially the wording it's very unique. I believe cats aren't well suited to the travel the men undertook in their fighting. Now in a winter camp I think there would have been cats around.
 
It is baffling, isn't it? You'd think a dog's instinct for self-preservation would kick in and keep him in the rear. Someone, after all, has to guard the wagons. I wonder if it might be the dog's general affinity for his pack mates that propelled so many of them to the front lines. Once a dog accepts you as a pack mate he will never let you go, even if you're going in harm's way.

Ok, that makes sense, thank you! One story was more than hair raising, dog would snap at bullets whining overhead. You just know his ' pack ' would have been much happier not to have the dog out there but may have had no choice.

Does anyone know if there's a dog memorial, please? I mean for the ACW, guessing yes, we have something for the K-9 Corps. My uncle did 2 tours with the K-9 in Vietnam. Remember as a little kid wanting to meet and pet his dog- uncle pointed out these dogs were not exactly the cuddly type.
 
Think of a dog, any dog, during a thunder storm. The biggest, toughest cur becomes either your cuddliest lapdog, or disappears into hiding in parts unknown. That's quite an inborn fear to overcome. But, so many of them did, though the first roar of the guns must have been terrifying.

And snapping furiously at the buzz of passing minie balls, or "attacking" the puffs of dirt kicked up by striking bullets is very commonly heard. After the initial terror subsided, it became "fun."

The collar inscription, btw, is a paraphrase of the couplet on the collar of a puppy the poet Alexander Pope presented to the Prince of Wales in 1732:

“I am his highness’s dog at Kew;​
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?”​
I wonder how many cats there were?
Cats are much too intelligent to involve them selves in any such goings-on. They wisely leave war to lesser creatures, like men and dogs.
 
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...Cats are much too intelligent to involve them selves in any such goings-on. They wisely leave war to lesser creatures, like men and dogs.

Cats do indeed believe themselves to be superior creatures, and maybe they are. They certainly avoided making the same "bargain with the devil"--us humans--that dogs have made. But dogs are forgiving, and that gives them a touch of the divine.
 
The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”
Mark Twain

" Cats are much too intelligent to involve them selves in any such goings-on. They wisely leave war to lesser creatures, like men and dogs. " @John Hartwell

Twain may have appreciated dogs but he saved his best efforts for cats- Twain could have written that, Jno.

Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.”
Mark Twain
 
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