List of horses of the American Civil War

This is a list of named horses and the senior Union and Confederate officers who rode them during the American Civil War.

Horse Officer Notes
Ajax Robert E. Lee Ajax was reportedly too large for Lee to ride comfortably and was therefore used infrequently
Aldebaron Philip Sheridan Sheridan's first horse
Almond Eye Benjamin F. Butler
Bayard Philip Kearny Kearny's secondary horse; Kearny was killed at Chantilly while riding this horse
Bill Henry J. Hunt
Billy George H. Thomas Named for William T. Sherman
Black Auster William J. Hardee
Black Bess John Hunt Morgan
Blackie George G. Meade Meade's secondary horse
Blackjack Jefferson Davis
Boney William Rosecrans Rosecrans' favorite horse
Brown Roan (also referred to as "The Roan") Robert E. Lee One of Lee's secondary horses, Brown Roan went blind in 1862 and had to be retired
Bucephalus Sterling Price The original Bucephalus was the black stallion of Alexander the Great on his journeys to Africa and Asia, after which Sterling Price named his horse.
Burns (also called Black Burns) George B. McClellan McClellan's secondary horse
Butler Wade Hampton Hampton's favorite horse
Captain Wade Hampton
Charlemagne Joshua Chamberlain
Cincinnati Ulysses S. Grant Grant's favorite and most famous horse, acquired in 1864; most paintings of and memorials to Grant depict him astride Cincinnati, including the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial at the base of Capitol Hill
Cornwall John Sedgwick Sedgwick's secondary horse
Daniel Webster George B. McClellan
Decatur Philip Kearny Kearny's secondary horse, shot through the neck at the Battle of Fair Oaks
Dixie Edward Porter Alexander
Dixie Patrick Cleburne Horse killed at the Battle of Perryville
Dolly William T. Sherman Sherman's secondary horse
Don Juan[1] George Armstrong Custer One of Custer's secondary horses
Duke William T. Sherman In a letter in 1888, Sherman wrote that his favorite horse throughout the war was the one he rode in Atlanta
Egypt Ulysses S. Grant One of many secondary horses used by Grant
Fancy John F. Reynolds Reynolds' favorite horse
Fanny John Gibbon
Faugh-a-Ballagh Patrick Kelly
Fire-Eater Albert Sidney Johnston
Firefly Robert E. Rodes
Fleeter Belle Boyd
Fleetfoot Walter H. Taylor
Fly-By-Night James Longstreet A gift from General Robert E. Lee in 1864
Fox Ulysses S. Grant Grant's primary horse
Gertie George G. Meade Meade's secondary horse
Grand Old Canister Daniel Sickles Sickles' secondary horse
Grape Daniel Sickles Sickles' secondary horse
Grey Eagle John Buford
Handsome Joe John Sedgwick Sedgwick's secondary horse
Harry George Armstrong Custer One of Custer's secondary horses
Hero James Longstreet
Highfly J.E.B. Stuart Stuart's secondary horse
Jack Ulysses S. Grant One of many secondary horses used by Grant
Jasper Robert H. Milroy [2]
Jeff Davis John Bell Hood
Jeff Davis Ulysses S. Grant One of many secondary horses used by Grant
Jennie Sullivan Ballou Killed at First Bull Run, the horse Ballou was riding when he received his mortal wound at that battle
Jinny Isaac R. Trimble
Kangaroo Ulysses S. Grant One of many secondary horses used by Grant
Kentuck George B. McClellan McClellan's favorite horse
King Philip Nathan Bedford Forrest Forrest's favorite horse after the death of Roderick
Lancer George Armstrong Custer Custer's favorite horse
Little Sorrel (also Old Sorrel) Stonewall Jackson Jackson was fatally wounded while riding Little Sorrel at the Battle of Chancellorsville; Little Sorrel is buried on the Virginia Military Institute parade deck mere feet from Jackson's famous statue
Lookout Joseph Hooker Named after the Battle of Lookout Mountain
Lucy Long Robert E. Lee A gift from J.E.B. Stuart, Lucy Long was the primary back-up horse used by Lee
Methuselah Ulysses S. Grant Grant's first horse upon re-entering the Army in 1861
Milroy John B. Gordon The horse was captured from Union General Robert H. Milroy at Second Winchester in 1863 and subsequently named after him.
Moscow Philip Kearny Reportedly Kearny's favorite, though Kearny avoided riding him due to his conspicuous white color
My Maryland J.E.B. Stuart Stuart's secondary horse
Nellie Gray Fitzhugh Lee Horse killed at the Battle of Opequon
Old Baldy (also simply Baldy) George G. Meade Meade's favorite horse, which he rode at the Battle of Gettysburg; Old Baldy was wounded at First Bull Run and Antietam
Old Bob Ambrose Burnside
Old Isham Benjamin F. Cheatham Horse was named after Isham Harris, the Confederate Governor of Tennessee
Old Jim Strong Vincent
Old Spot Judson Kilpatrick
Pocohontas George H. Steuart
Pretty David McMurtie Gregg
Prince John F. Reynolds Reynolds' secondary horse
Plug Ugly Alpheus S. Williams
Rambler John Sedgwick Sedgwick's favorite horse
Red Eye Richard B. Garnett
Red Pepper Patrick Cleburne
Richmond Robert E. Lee Richmond died in 1862 after the Battle of Malvern Hill
Rienzi (later Winchester) Philip Sheridan Renamed after Sheridan's famous ride at the Battle of Winchester
Rifle Richard S. Ewell
Roanoke George Armstrong Custer One of Custer's secondary horses
Roderick Nathan Bedford Forrest Forrest's favorite horse
Rondy Ulysses S. Grant The first horse Grant used in battle
Rosey William P. Carlin Named for William S. Rosecrans
Sam William T. Sherman Sherman's secondary horse
Shiloh Daniel Ruggles
Skylark J.E.B. Stuart [3]
Slicky Alfred Pleasonton
Tammany Daniel Sickles Sickles' favorite horse
Tobey William Rosecrans
Tom Telegraph Turner Ashby [4]
Traveller Robert E. Lee Lee's favorite horse; Traveller died a few months after Lee in 1871, and was later buried beside him at Lee Chapel in Virginia
Virginia J.E.B. Stuart Noted in Gettysburg Campaign[5]
Warren Bryan Grimes Pulled Grimes' coffin during his funeral procession
Yorkshire Alpheus S. Williams

See also

References

  1. ^ When General Custer met Don Juan: A tale of two horses
  2. ^ Cozzens, p. 274.
  3. ^ Wert, p. 50.
  4. ^ Cozzens, p. 240.
  5. ^ Magner, p. 46.

Further reading

  • Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8078-3200-4.
  • Magner, Blake A. Traveller & Company, The Horses of Gettysburg. Gettysburg, PA: Farnsworth House Military Impressions, 1995. ISBN 0-9643632-2-4.
  • Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J.E.B. Stuart. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7432-7819-5.