Civil War horses and mules: Talk will focus on their 'sorrowful' treatment and care

Edwin Forbes sketch of a "played-out mule" (Library of Congress)

We usually hear about human loss during the Civil War. But more horses and mules fell -- casualties to battle wounds, disease and poor care.

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine estimates about 1 million succumbed. Other sources place the toll much higher, at about 1.5 million.

Their critical service to the armies made these animals primary targets, particularly when hauling artillery. Still others were killed instead of being allowed to fall in enemy hands.

Atlanta veterinarian Mary-Elizabeth Ellard, vice president of the Georgia Battlefields Association, will discuss their plight in a Jan. 14 talk entitled “A Sorrowful War: Veterinary Medicine during the Civil War.”

Dr. Ellard

Veterinary care during the conflict was in its infancy and many who tried to treat animals were quacks or even rudimentary training.

“Despite the vast numbers and critical role of horses and mules used in 19th century warfare, neither the U.S. nor the Confederate militaries had sufficient knowledge or veterinary personnel to provide for effective care,” the GBA says. “Dr. Ellard will review the needs of working animals to explain why far more animals died of disease than injury, even compared to human deaths.”

The Picket spoke in 2013 about the topic with Ellard and David Gerleman, an expert on horses in the Civil War. Gerleman estimated Northern and loyal border states had 4.2 million steeds, compared to 1.7 million for the Confederacy.

Horses and mules were, in many ways, the muscle of the armies. They pulled artillery pieces, food and other equipment. While considered largely expendable, the beasts were loved by their riders and caretakers.

Most that died fell to illness, starvation and exhaustion, said Ellard. Only 10 percent died of their battle wounds. Animals often were beset by highly contagious Glanders, a disease that causes respiratory and skin lesions. It could spread quickly when horses shared water and feed troughs.

Ellard told the Picket this week that “breakthrough research by two Civil War veterinarians on Glanders forever changed our ability to control the spread of infectious diseases.” She identified them as Drs. John Terrell and John Page, who worked at a Confederate horse infirmary in Lynchburg, Va.

A casualty at Gettysburg (Library of Congress)

Horse and cattle “doctors” who cared for military animals generally had no formal training. Veterinarians used poultices, linament and other remedies to stave the losses – but they had no antibiotics. Eventually, Union cavalry had veterinary medicine chests.

Despite some improvements in military equine care later in the war, it wasn’t until World War I that the Army created a formal veterinary service, according to Gerleman.

Ellard says the role of horses and mules, their needs and the paucity of care remain understudied aspects of the war. She first gave the presentation in 2014 and adapts it for her specific audience.

The aim is for attendees to gain new insight into the “inestimable role” of equids and reflect on the impact that human crises can have on animal welfare.

Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Ellard will speak at 7 p.m. on January 14 at Oak Grove United Methodist Church, 1722 Oak Grove Road, Decatur, Ga. Click here for more details. The 6:15 p.m. preceding dinner costs $8.