Civil War Horses: Life and Death of a War Horse

General Lee on Traveller at the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863.

Although the soldiers of the Civil War realized that the horse was the backbone of the Northern and Southern army; many readers of history have lost sight of their contribution to the war effort. Mounts of famous generals became almost as well-known as their riders ; among others, U.S. Grant’s Cincinnati, Lee’s Traveller, Stonewall Jackson’s Little Sorrell, Phillip Sheridan’s Rienze, , George G. Meade’s Old Baldy (wounded five times in battle) to name the most famous. By contrast and of less renown were the “War Horses” that moved caissons, guns, ambulances, cavalry, and messages between and during battles. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), soldiers preferred to shoot and kill horses rather than enemy combatants, because without horses, artillery became passive objects of heavy metal and without mounts the swift cavalryman was reduced to a foot soldier now powerless to scout, locate, and strike the enemy and its supply lines. Sharpshooters were ordered to take away the horse, it stripped the enemy of two of its major forces for combat, cavalry and artillery, leaving only disadvantaged infantry to carry the brunt of the battle.
During the conflict it is estimated that between one million and three million equines died, including horses, mules, donkeys, and even confiscated children’s ponies. It was estimated that the horse causalities at the Battle of Gettysburg alone, July 1 to July 3, 1863, exceeded 3,000. Diaries and letters of soldiers often mentioned the stench of dead steeds rising up from the killing fields.

Dead Horses after the three day Battle at Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863.

An account of an event at Gettysburg, General Gibbons of the Union army made an observation for all to hear:
“One thing which forcibly occurred to me was the perfect quiet with which the horses stood in their places. Even when a shell, strong in the midst of a team, would knock over one or two of them or hurl on struggling in its death agonies to the ground, the rest would make no effort to struggle or escape but would stand stolidly by as if saying to themselves It is fate, it is useless to try and avoid it. “
The horses that died from gunfire or artillery shells were the more fortunate ones. The majority suffered a much more cruel death. Many were simply ridden to death, either due to the exigencies of battle or to poor judgement by cavalry riders. Some were worn down over time, became sick and lame, and were shot or abandoned.
Feeding the horses was always a big issue. The feed ration for a horse was 14 lbs. of hay and 12 lbs. of grain per day. Multiply that by the hundreds of horses in a unit and you can see the logistical problem required to garner 800,000 lbs. of feed each day to maintain their horses. It was an overwhelming task and forced the army to languish the farms and towns to find horse feed.

General John F. Reynolds at the rear was exhalting  the charge of the Union light brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863. He was shot in the head and died that day.

In most cases, generals rode horses and didn’t walk. The horse provided added height, enabling them to see their men on the battlefield. In addition, the mounted the officers’ voices carried  as they commanded in the field while at the same time the sight of the commander majestically poised on his horse gave the soldiers a symbol of bravery and honor.

Finally, one clause in the surrender terms at Appomattox reflected on the importance of the War Horse.   Every Confederate cavalryman was entitled to take his horse home with him. This provision, insisted on by General Lee, was accepted by General Grant when he was told that once the soldiers returned to civilian life, they needed the “War Horse,” to plow the fields and plant spring crops.

:   every Confederate cavalryman was entitled to take his horse home with him. This provision, insisted on by General Lee, was accepted by General Grant when he was told that once the soldiers returned to civilian life, they needed the “War Horse,” to plow the fields and plant spring crops.