FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2011 73
The movement of artillery units – huge cannons and caissons containing ammunition and accessories – from one battlefeld to
another often over impossible terrain was staggering; but the greatest danger was in placing these guns during combat and then
standing nearby
offcers on foot could usually see
and control their entire commands,
higher ranking feld offcers needed
horses to transverse the greater
distances over which their troops
were fghting. They also needed to
be elevated to see and control the
whole battlefeld. The sight of their
commander riding back and forth in
harm’s way encouraging his troops
proved invaluable to the courage
and spirit of his men. Of course, if
his men could see him so could the
enemy, often making an offcer’s
horse more of a “sitting duck” than
the artillery teams. Many offcers
went through several horses in one
battle.
In addition to dangerous combat
tasks, many horses and mules
lost their lives serving in important
positions in the rear: pulling
ambulances, food and supply
wagons, and a huge assortment
of critical support vehicles. These
animals were “heavy lifters” just like
artillery horses, and were simply
worn out if they were not killed
outright by shells that overshot
their primary targets and hit these
supporting units parked in the immediate rear of the front lines.
Finally, nothing on four legs was safe toward the war’s end.
The shortage of horses and mules forced both sides to grab up
any they found and “draft” them into one of the above services.
Even worse, it became a federal means-to-an-end to destroy
huge swaths of southern farmland to accelerate the demise of the
Confederate army. From Atlanta to the east coast, General W.T.
Sherman, while implementing his “scorched earth” policy, killed
horses and mules with all other livestock in a 60 mile wide path
of destruction.
We should never forget the horrors of that four year war or
its long aftermath. Compromise was discarded, retribution was
paramount, and the cost to our nation was astronomical. Amidst
the chaos many heroes emerged and their stories live on. Just
as many of our equine friends obediently did their jobs, paid that
ultimate price, and should never be forgotten.
Field Offcers on their horses survey the battlefeld from above the fray affording them a better
grasp of the fghting, and the mobility to quickly change their positions as necessary