The Army at first thought a shell found this summer on a Wisconsin range may have been from the Civil War. Who actually made the 10-pounder? These guys!

The shell found at a Wisconsin training range (Claudia Neve/U.S. Army) and Bruce and Bernie (right) Paulson
on the set of "The Blue and the Gray" miniseries in 1981 (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

Stephen Osman has been pards with Bernie and Bruce Paulson for 50 years. They traveled in the 1970s to historic sites around the country, setting off cannons and having a good time along the way.

“They’re just characters. I spent a lot of time with them,” said Osman, who served with the identical twins in the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry reenactment group.

He describes them as exuberant and a force of nature, barging into a museum or military site with a host of questions. He jokes they even snore in tandem.

But when it comes to their occupation, the Paulsons are decidedly serious. Their inquisitiveness, creativity and resolve have made them leaders in the field of replica Civil War ammunition, cannons and gun carriages.

Osman’s friendship with the siblings, who operate Paulson Brothers Ordnance Corporation in Clear Lake, Wis., came full circle this summer, when the U.S. Army turned to experts after an unusual artillery shell – believed to possibly date to the Civil War -- was found on a training range at Fort McCoy, Wis.

Bernie Paulson in the large room that holds cannons, carriages and wagons (Courtesy John Phillips)

“There was no Civil War battle around here, no training from that era, so it left us wondering: how did it get here?” said garrison archaeologist Ryan Howell, according to an Army news release about the mystery find. Compounding the mystery was the ordnance had a spot for a fuse, common in the 19^th century.

The Army said the ammunition was rendered safe, but Osman  said black powder inside would long have been by ruined by rainfall.

Osman, retired site manager of Historic Fort Snelling in Minneapolis, was among those contacted by the Army. Could this be an authentic Civil War shell, as first believed? That seemed unlikely since the fort began operations in 1909.

Osman took a look at the photos and determined the round was non-ferrous and – most importantly – was made by the Paulson brothers and fired by them at Fort McCoy decades ago, back when the Army allowed certain groups to use the site. The siblings were known for using zinc, an element used postwar.

The bottom of the shell indicates it is a modern make (Claudia Neve / U.S. Army)

Another clue was the inscription “10 PDR” on the bottom of the shell, referring to it as a 10-pound round. That label did not appear on ammunition made during the war.

The replica shell was an early prototype when the twins were still figuring out how to make quality reproduction weapons. The shell either never made firm impact or the fuse popped out upon landing, Osman and Bernie Paulson said.

Bernie, 83, told the Picket in a recent phone call he and Bruce were making these in the 1970s and before they found drawings that helped them improve design and construction.

“You talk about crude,” he said of their fuses in the early days.

But the Paulsons went to the West Point foundry and a New York library to dig deep into Civil War artillery, including the work of Alfred Mordecai and a muzzle-loading cannon and ammunition created by 19^th-century inventor Robert Parrott.

The First Minnesota fires a mortar at Fort McCoy in the 1980s (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

Since then, they have made or finished thousands of rounds and are well-known in the re-enacting community.

Thomas Bailey, who operates Historical Ordnance Works in Woodstock, Ga., said he participated in gun firings with the Paulsons several years back. Back then, that could be done on military ranges, including Camp Ripley in Minnesota.

“I shot with them numerous times and they like to do that as authentic as possible,” said Bailey. “I served on their 10-inch mortar, their heavy 12 (Napoleon) and a 20-pounder.”

He noticed something else about the interaction between Bruce and Bernie.

“They could anticipate the other man’s thoughts and facilitate that.” 

They have another lasting bond: Bernie's son is named Bruce, and Bruce's son is named Bernie.

The First Minnesota firing weapons in the early 1980s (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

Historians' research saved shell from being blown up

It’s not uncommon for firing ranges or battlefields to be littered with unexploded ordnance. That was especially true during the Civil War, when artillery shells failed to go off for myriad reasons. Many Confederate shells fired at Gettysburg turned out to be duds, likely because of poor or ejected fuses.

Fort McCoy, in western Wisconsin, has an array of training – including firing ranges -- for the armed forces.

The artillery shell in question was found in July in what is called the Northern Impact Area, which has been operational since 1942. The Army did not provide details on whether it was found flat on the ground, protruding or otherwise.

The shell eventually will be displayed at Fort McCoy (Claudia Neve / U.S. Army)

An Army article earlier this month said a Wisconsin Air National Guard ordnance team was expected to blow the shell up. “Thankfully, before that was possible historians stepped in to do research on the possibly rare artifact,” the article said.

“Initial theories speculated that the artifact could have been a battlefield souvenir brought to the base during World War II, as it wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to collect items to take home.”

Tonya Townsell, public affairs officer for Fort McCoy, said Matt Flueger and Osman (right), both historians and collectors, were eventually consulted and Osman made the positive match with the Paulsons.

The Army news release highlighted the overlap between artifacts and modern weaponry.

 “Pictures of it fooled all the experts,” Howell concluded, “but in the end, what we found was not from the 1860s battlefield -- it was from a 1970s reenactment.”

The shell will eventually make its way to be on display at the Fort McCoy History Center, officials said.

It's one thing to read about fishing ...

Re-enactors including the Paulsons were permitted to fire replica and period cannon on the post between 1970 and 1991, Townsell told the Picket.

Bernie Paulson recalls the brothers and the First Minnesota firing various original artillery pieces once a year at Fort McCoy after the garrison gave them permission. (That ended after Sept. 11, 2001). The firings were closed to the general public, he said. “Let’s try it out at Fort McCoy to field test this equipment,” they thought at the time.

“Let’s just say you are an avid fisherman. You read all the books you can find about fishing and the bait. But it doesn’t do you any good unless you throw your line in the water.”

They brought in bigger guns, including a massive 13-inch seacoast mortar (above). Grainy videos on the Paulson Brothers website show crews in action and puffs of smoke at various locations. At Fort McCoy, their 10-pounder guns had an effective range of about one mile.

“The whole idea is you can bring Civil War cannon to an Army artillery range and fire live ammunition just like it was in the Civil War,” Bernie said.

'Risk takers' took their game to another level

According to news articles I have perused, the brothers had an interest in the Civil War since they were young. They first got into making garden and agricultural tools before turning to the Civil War. They love working with machinery.

Stephen Osman (with sword) next to the Paulsons in 1978 (Courtesy Stephen Osman)

“We were risk takers. We were always risk takers. We just happened to be successful,” Bruce told the Pioneer Press in 2015.

Their operation is about an hour east of the Twin Cities and they have restored or made new weapons. As Minnesota Public Radio points out, cannons and mortars are lined up outside and appear to be trained on a parking lot and buildings across the street.

The website lists metal gun carriages, cannonballs (minus explosive material), parts and implements, including sponges, buckets and spikes. The Paulsons formerly produced cannons.

As their research improved and production increased, the Paulsons became well-known in re-enacting circles. They were filmed for the 1982 TV miniseries “The Blue and the Gray,” starring Stacy Keach.

John Phillips, a Civil War reenactor and member of Battery I, 1^st U.S. Light Artillery, has toured the Paulsons’ building and uploaded six videos.

“As you can imagine, touring the Paulson museum holds quite a bit of history,” he told the Picket.

The brothers source their material from five foundries and often finish products before sale.

A couple cannoneering keepsakes in his garden

Osman, a collector who writes for a monthly newsletter for the Twin Cities Civil War Round Table, did not fire with the Paulsons at Fort McCoy, but he did at Camp Ripley. The twins recreated progressive rifling, he said.

Bailey, the Georgia ordnance seller, said the twins “are the first people in my lifetime that really started to produce Civil War artillery carriages and related vehicles.”

The brothers have slowed down a bit but are still actively in business. Osman keeps a couple Paulson shells (left) in a rock garden at his Minneapolis home.

Osman said the men are innovators in the field of explosive rounds.

“They were fanatics and tripled their effectiveness by learning and researching.”

I asked Osman for photos showing the Paulsons. One image is from “The Blue and the Gray” set (above), humorously holding cannon props.

The other was taken in 1978 of the First Minnesota re-enactors (also above).

Osman is in the front row, holding a sword and standing next to a drummer. The Paulsons are to his left.

I asked him to identify the pair.

“Gimme a break,” he said. “They are identical twins.”

Little Round Top rehab project at Gettysburg yields artillery round

Nearly 160 years after the battle at Gettysburg, a Civil War-era unexploded artillery shell was found this week in the Little Round Top area. According to the Gettysburg National Military Park, the shell weighs about 10 pounds and measures about 7 inches long. An Army explosives ordnance disposal team later detonated the round. -- Article 

Ulysses S. Grant posthumously promoted to general of the armies in defense bill; supporters also cite his later support of civil rights

Lt. Gen Grant outside his headquarters tent in Virginia (Library of Congress)

Ulysses S. Grant, remembered for securing victory for the Union in the Civil War, has been promoted posthumously to general of the armies, only the third person to attain the rank.

President Joe Biden on Friday signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the appointment. Grant’s predecessors are George Washington (promoted in 1976) and John J. Pershing (1919).

The push for Grant to hold the rank was led by Sen. Sherrod Brown of his native Ohio and Sen. Roy Blunt and Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri. The bipartisan congressional resolution was linked to celebrations of the 200^th anniversary of the officer’s birth. General of the armies is the highest military honor in the U.S.

The resolution recognized that victories achieved under Grant’s command “were integral to the preservation of the United States of America and that he “is among the most influential military commanders in the history of the United States of America.”

The general gained famed in the Western Theater – including wins at Shiloh and Vicksburg -- before he moved east to oversee the final campaigns to quell the Confederacy and Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him lieutenant general in March 1864.

Grant served two terms as president, from 1869 to 1877.

“Grant’s exemplary leadership on the battlefield could only be overshadowed by his commitment to a more just nation for all Americans during the Reconstruction Era,” Brown said earlier this year.

Although Grant’s presidency was wrapped in scandal, he is remembered for supporting civil rights, suppressing the Ku Klux Klan, establishing the Department of Justice and endorsing the 15^th Amendment, which granted African-American men the right to vote.

Anne Marshall, executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University, earlier this month wrote in support of the promotion.

“I believe that the promotion would be much more than a symbolic nod to a great military general,” Marshall said in an essay on The Conversation website. “Rather, it would highlight the overlooked legacy of a man who fought to end the last vestiges of slavery.”

Robert Smalls became a hero for bold escape with other enslaved persons. An Army ship named for him travels to where it happened

Maj. Gen. Robert Smalls in Kuwait (US Army photo)

The first Army vessel named for an African American will sail next week to Charleston, S.C., the city where Robert Smalls commandeered a Confederate ship and became a hero to the Union cause.

At the start of the Civil War, the enslaved Smalls was a pilot on the steamship CSS Planter. On the morning of May 13, 1862, Smalls led the takeover of the ship by its slave crew, sailed past the harbor's formidable defenses and surrendered the vessel to the Union blockade fleet. His wife and children were among those on board who gained freedom.

The Maj. Gen. Robert Smalls LSV-8 -- which carries troops, equipment and supplies – has been with the Army since 2007. It has been reassigned to Hawaii and transferred from the reserves to active duty, Maj. Oliver Schuster, an Army spokesman, said in a statement to the Picket.

The voyage from Virginia via the Panama Canal will take about 34 days.

LSV-8 will be part of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command in Hawaii. The command is led by Maj. Gen. David Wilson, a Charleston native and Citadel graduate. Wilson, a member of the Class of 1991, is the first African American graduate from the Citadel to become a two-star general.

“This voyage is unique as it will be the only time a vessel named after a son of Charleston will be in Charleston while in a unit commanded by another son of Charleston,” Schuster said in an email.

Harpers Weekly article on Smalls' daring ride (Library of Congress)

The vessel is expected to arrive in Charleston on or about March 15, Schuster said.

The 8th Theater Sustainment Command saved LSV-8 from being decommissioned by bringing it to active service in Hawaii, he said.

Smalls, 23 at the time, was celebrated across the North for his daring ride to freedom and he served as a ship’s pilot for the rest of the conflict.

After the war, Smalls returned to his hometown Beaufort and bought his former master’s home. After serving in South Carolina’s Legislature, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served several terms.

The congressman fought against the disenfranchisement of black voters across the South, according to the American Battlefield Trust. He also fought against segregation within the military.

Robert Smalls' portrait on ship's bridge (U.S. Army photo)

Smalls died in 1915 at age 75.

The Maj. Gen. Robert Smalls LSV-8 was inducted into the Army’s water fleet at a commissioning ceremony in September 2007 in Baltimore.

"This is a great day, and one I will never forget," Freddy Meyer, great-great grandson of Smalls, said at the event.

"Maj. Gen. Smalls was a renaissance man -- an educator, a politician, a soldier, a businessman and a family man, and the Army could not have picked a better person to name this ship after."

Immigrants deserve much of the credit for winning the Civil War. A Wisconsin museum's new exhibit explores why they took up arms

Exhibit on soldier David Oram (Courtesy Civil War Museum, Kenosha, WI)

Whether motivated by money, patriotism, anti-slavery sentiments or the need to prove oneself, immigrants flocked to join the Union cause during the Civil War, sometimes not long after they arrived by boat. Their contribution to victory over the Confederacy cannot be overestimated: They made up 25 percent of soldiers and 40 percent of sailors in the Federal ranks. 

The Library Company of Philadelphia

"Defending the Union: Immigrant Soldiers in the Union Army,” a new exhibit at the Civil War Museum in Kenosha, Wis., explores the service and sacrifice of these men.

Military records, photographs, memorabilia and personal narratives of veterans help tell their compelling story.

Many immigrants had fought in European conflicts and were prepared for combat. Others arrived impoverished, ripe for recruiting – drawn by a bounty (enlistment bonus) and steady military pay.

“Some had families to support, or wives and children awaiting money for passage,” the museum says in an article about the exhibit. “Many men enlisted on the spot, or within days of reaching American soil. Others went to war for draftees who paid them to take their place.”

More than 500,000 immigrants showed uncompromised bravery while fighting for the Union.

Norwegian-born Col. Hans Heg (left), commanded the 15^th Wisconsin, a regiment comprising mostly Scandinavian immigrants. David Oram, who came to the United States from Dundee, Scotland, when he was about 8, joined the 24^th Wisconsin.

Both were at the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863. Oram was seriously wounded and spent six months recovering. Heg became the highest-ranking Wisconsin officer to die in battle.

Heg, 33, died defending the freedoms he found in the United States. “The State has sent no braver soldier, and no truer patriot to aid in this mighty struggle for national unity, than Hans Christian Heg,” the State Journal wrote Sept. 29, 1863, reporting word of his death. “The valorous blood of the old Vikings ran in his veins, united with the gentler virtues of a Christian and a gentleman.”

Early in the conflict, Heg wrote about what motivated he and other immigrants.

(Civil War Museum, Kenosha, WI)

"The government of our adopted country is in danger. That which we learned to love as freemen in our old Fatherland --our freedom -- our government -- our independence -- is threatened with destruction. Is it not our duty as brave and intelligent citizens to extend our hands in defense of the cause of our country and our own homes?"

The Civil War Museum largely concentrates on soldiers from seven Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

“More than a third of Wisconsin’s population was foreign-born, giving it the second-highest proportion of immigrants of all states, says Patrick Young, who writes “The Reconstruction Era” and “Immigrants’ Civil War” blogs.

“For every one immigrant who served in the Confederate army, nine served with the Union. Many, particularly the Germans, said they did so to end slavery. Without these men, and their wives who supported their service, it is difficult to see how the Union could have been preserved,” Young tells the Picket.

A large proportion of those on the Union side were German and Irish, but Poland, Italy and many other countries were represented.

Some 369 immigrants received the Medal Honor for their heroism in the Civil War.

(Courtesy of Civil War Museum, Kenosha, WI)

“United if only by the desire to prove themselves worthy of becoming Americans, immigrants and ethnic groups often struggled to earn respect and a place in society,” the museum says.

In a video posted to the museum’s Facebook page, education coordinator Doug Dammann details the life and service of David Oram, who settled in Racine. He enlisted in August 1862.

Oram rejoined the Union army after he was wounded at Chickamauga, and mustered out in June 1865. He returned home, married and worked for a machine company. Like many Union veterans, Oram was active in the fraternal Grand Army of the Republic – in his case, the Gov. Harvey post.

Oram and his wife, Rosina, attended many events, including the 1915 encampment in Washington, DC,  marking the 50^th anniversary of the war’s end.

In April 1935, a few months before Oram died at age 94, he was honored at a patriotic and military ball in Race County. Besides Chickamauga, he was a veteran of the battles at Perryville, Stones River and Franklin-Nashville.

David Oram before the Civil War

The program for the veterans council ball included this verse:

“To Our Comrade David Oram

The last of Abe Lincoln’s boys,

And to his Comrades departed;

Our Boyhood Heroes

To You, We the younger veterans,

Affectionately dedicate this Program.

Ourselves, we dedicate

To Carry On the Work, so well and nobly done

By the Grand Army of the Republic

(Courtesy of Civil War Museum, Kenosha, WI)

Fritz Kredel: Versatile illustrator and wood-cut artist left Nazi Germany, depicted uniforms of Civil War, other American soldiers for book, mounted prints

The five Kredel illustrations I have had for years (Civil War Picket)

A journey of discovery can begin with a few old pictures hanging on the pegboard wall of your garage.

That’s my story, anyway.

Five illustrations of American soldiers in uniform – including two from the Civil War era – have been hanging in my garage for more than three decades. Back in the 1960s, they were lacquered onto pieces of thin board and sold in shops. Now, (like me) they are showing their age, scuffed and a little weathered.

My parents bought them while my dad was attending command and general staff school at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The $2 mounted prints made multiple moves until I settled in the Atlanta area years ago.

Fritz Kredel

A few months ago, I took them down to have a closer look. The illustrator’s signature -- not surprisingly -- was a little tough to discern, but after a few Google tries I came up with his name: Fritz Kredel.

That’s where the journey to learn more about these five prints began. Who was this man?

My internet searches peeled back multiple layers of a renowned German-born artist whose work was distinct and was enjoyed by millions of Americans for decades. I felt sheepish about my ignorance of his prodigious illustrations and wood cuts.

Kredel learned wood engraving at a young age and that helped him become, as one observer writes, a master illustrator of books and prints. Yale University has a collection about his artwork.

“He had the great ability to show personality, movement and emotion with a tremendous economy of line,” wrote graphic designer Mark D. Ruffner in a 2012 post on his blog.

Depictions in "Soldiers of the American Army" (amazon.com/wayfair.com)

Kredel, born in Michelstadt in 1900, was trained as a graphic artist and designer, and became adept at wood cuts, pen and ink and water colors.

Kredel fled Nazi Germany in the late 1930s, moved to Vienna and ended up in the United States, where his career really took off. He and his family lived in New York City and Kredel taught at Cooper Union. He was much in demand as a book illustrator, and is remembered for his fairy tale characters and botanical drawings, among many genres.

Kredel teamed up with military historian and author Frederick Porter Todd for the volume “Soldiers of the American Army, 1775-1941," which came out just before America’s involvement in World War II. It was updated in a 1954 edition. My prints are reproduced from the book.

I asked his granddaughter, Tilda Brown Swanson, about Kredel’s interest in uniforms and other forms of militaria.

“He had a love for the heraldry, the uniforms, the helmets and the details that distinguished the various uniforms of different soldiers, and he was good at distinguishing those in various illustrations,” the Iowa glass artist wrote in an email.

Dover, the current publisher, has this description: “Splendid pictorial history of military apparel includes meticulously researched, beautifully rendered illustrations of regimental attire from the Revolutionary War, uniforms worn by the Texas Rangers (1846), Louisiana Zouaves (1861), Philippine Scouts (1904), and members of the Women's Army Corps (1954). Descriptive text accompanies each illustration. 32 full-color plates.”

The five in my small collection are:

-- Federal Infantry (1862) – Iron Brigade of the West and Vermont Brigade. Both saw intense fighting and endured high casualties. The Iron Brigade was known for its Maltese cross insignia and black felt hats. The Vermonters had a staggering 1,200 casualties at the Wilderness.

-- 7^th Regiment, New York State Militia (1861) – private in overcoat and private in full field equipment. This volunteer, “silk stocking” militia unit was mustered into service early in the Civil War, and was reactivated a few times, mostly in support roles.

-- The Regiment of Artillerists (1812) – matross and drummer, parade uniform

-- Thompson’s Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion (1775) – musketman and rifleman

-- Cuban Expedition (1898) – trooper, Rough Rider, in stable dress and private, 71^st New York, in full field equipment

"Corps d'Afrique (NY Public Library)

Other Civil War subjects in the book are Stuart’s Calvary Division, CSA (1862), colonel of cavalry and major of horse artillery, Corps d’ Afrique (1864), brigade bandsman and sergeant of heavy artillery, New York Zouaves (1863) 5^th New York and 44^th New York, Confederate Infantry (1863), and Louisiana Zouaves (1861), captain and Zouave.

The Corps d’Afrique was a predecessor of U.S. Colored Troops. It was comprised mostly of recently freed slaves in Louisiana.

An order from Washington created several regiments that would fight for the Union.

One of the first to form was the 1st Louisiana Native Guard. It originated in 1862 in New Orleans during the Federal occupation. It was made up of freed men and slaves who came for nearby plantations.

Famed Army Gen. Matthew Ridgway wrote a message on the back of hardbound copies of “Soldiers of the American Army” published in the 1950s.

Volume for sale at Abebooks.com

“The readers of this volume will become acquainted with the colorful story of our American uniform,” Ridgway wrote. “To every American soldier, his uniform is a symbol of the tradition of the past, of determination for the future. It is a reminder of the noble heritages which has been handed on by those who wore the uniform before us – a heritage of integrity and honor, of courage and steadfastness, of selfless devotion to country.”

While the book may be the most well-known reminder of Kredel’s talents, there was so much more to his creative output.

“My grandfather illustrated around 500 books and did dust jackets for many more, and so the books on soldiers are only a small part of what he illustrated,” says Swanson. “He also was very good at botanical illustration, fairy tales and suiting his illustration to the time of a text.”

"Grimm's Fairy Tales" work by Kredel. Courtesy of Mark D. Ruffner

His illustrations, many of them whimsical, were published in “Andersen’s Fairy Tales” (The Heritage Press, 1942) and “Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Grosset and Dunlap, 1945).

Ruffner, the graphic designer, said Kredel’s illustrations for children’s book were charming, witty and romantic.

“Illustrators of children's books inform and influence us at our most formative stage. At an early age -- if we are lucky -- we are introduced to so many morality plays, and while the morals of the stories are important, so too are the indelible cast of characters, and the way in which they are presented.”

In 2000, there were three major shows on Kredel’s work, according to Swanson. One was in his hometown of Michelstadt, about 30 miles southeast of Frankfurt. The New York Times wrote about an exhibition that year at the Grolier Club in New York City.

“Drawings, watercolors, woodcuts, lettering, book illustrations, maps, marionettes, political cartoons, paper dolls, the presidential seal for John F. Kennedy's inauguration and other works on paper sprang in profusion from Kredel's fertile imagination,” according to the article.

Another major Kredel work, the article said, is a woodblock map of Michelstadt as it appeared around 1650, replete with medieval buildings and narrow streets.

Begun in Germany, it was completed in the United States in 1954. “Woodcuts, he felt, had a crispness and sharpness that could not be achieved in any other medium,” wrote Times art critic Grace Glueck.

His earlier works in his native country included “The Offenbacher Haggadah,” which was published in 1927 and is considered “a landmark in German-Jewish bookmaking in Weimar Germany.” The Haggadah is text cited at the Seder table during Passover.

Kredel died in 1973 at age 73. His obituary cited several accomplishments, including winning the gold medal for book illustration at the 1938 Paris World Exhibition, about the time he came to the United States.

Promotional card for 2010 event at the University of Kentucky

Swanson and her mother, Judith, over the years have written and spoken about Kredel’s work.

“I have many things I hope to write, develop, and do in honor of my grandfather,” says Swanson. “I am currently working on a documentary and I hope to release that sometime in the next year or so.”

Latest photos show more weaponry, crew items from scuttled CSS Georgia

Nautical tackle used to move objects

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps divers are recovering and rendering safe nearly 70 pieces of ordnance that settled in the Savannah River after a Confederate ironclad was scuttled by its crew in December 1864.

It’s the latest phase in the operation to remove the CSS Georgia from the channel during the harbor deepening in Savannah. For months, divers have been bringing smaller artifacts to the surface, providing an insight into how the vessel operated and the crew lived amid cramped quarters.

These photographs were taken in June by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Jeremy S. Buddemeir and Chelsea G. Smith.

Bottle and bottle top

Experts will try to determine origin of pottery

Thrust block protected propeller shaft

Solid bolt projectile that would have been fired from cannon

Roller hand spike used to reposition cannon after firing

Veterinary care during the Civil War: Quacks and a few good men (part 2)

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

Overworked. Underfed. Bad shoes. Unclean.

Those attributes of the typical Civil War soldier were shared by the horses and mules that hauled the supplies and were the quick mounts necessary to sustain a campaign.

Modern medicine was decades away and only a few schools trained veterinarians – and none of those professionals were in the U.S. Army when war broke out.

Horse and cattle “doctors” who cared for military animals generally had no formal training.

“He was almost like a used car salesman. There is an air they are quacks, and often they were,” says David Gerleman, an author and speaker on the topic of horses and the Civil War.

They did more harm than good, in most cases, Gerleman contends.

Solicitation to provide horse care**

The challenge of providing adequate care for horses and mules was enormous. While some infirmaries were set up by each side, hundreds of thousands of animals died of starvation, disease and exhaustion. An estimated 1.5 million animals died, a small fraction of that total perished on the battlefield.

Veterinarians used poultices, linaments and other remedies to stave the losses – but they had no antibiotics.

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.

Glanders, which today is under control in the United States, was generally a death sentence.

Harsh conditions and weakened immune systems made the animals susceptible to a variety of ailments, says Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Ellard, an Atlanta veterinarian who has studied the care of horses during the War of Rebellion.

Lameness and worn hooves were particularly a problem for the South, because horseshoes were at such a premium. Horseshoes were essential for the well-being and performance of horses.

“No horse in the wild has to walk on asphalt or pull a heavy object,” says Ellard.

Farriers, who specialized in hoof care, were considered the primary caregivers for horses.

Mary-Elizabeth Ellard

“Much of what (horses) faced are foot problems,” says Ellard. “A competent farrier can do a lot with a simple knife to help that horse.”

The belief was that farriers “were veterinarians in disguise,” says Gerleman. That idea holds true through the Civil War. “The U.S. Army didn’t need (veterinarians) because there wasn’t much respect for them or they were not deemed necessary.”

Grooming of horses and mules was necessary, but often overlooked. Ellard likens the wearing of saddles and yokes to a person carrying a 50-pound backpack around the clock.

Mules and horses developed sores, and skin lesions were common.

The North had a better saddle – the McClellan – named for the general who traveled to Europe before the war and learned about how those units cared for horses. Veterinary surgeons in European armies were treated with respect, according to Gerleman.

The McClellan saddle was “designed for the comfort of the animal and not the rider,” says Ellard.

Confederate cavalry and other units typically used the Jenifer saddle style, but it would create sores when an animal lost weight or was overworked.

A rebel horseman prized a saddle taken from a captured or killed Union animal.

Of course, most horses and mules were used to pull wagons and artillery pieces and caissons. Those pulling cannons into battle were fortunate to endure 18 months of service.

“It was a life of exhaustion. It depended on the quality of your teamster. Some cared and some didn’t,” says Ellard. “If he was lucky, he survived the war.”

Eventually, Union cavalry had veterinary medicine chests.

Union farriers in Virginia (Library of Congress)

“You have to have some knowledge of these various drugs in order to make them effective,” says Gerleman, citing the case of a Pennsylvania unit that mixed some and unwittingly killed most of the treated horses.

Cavalry units brought on veterinary sergeants, but most federal monies went to pay for civilian veterinarians – such as they were.

One unit, the 7^th Pennsylvania Cavalry, had the benefit of a surgeon who had professional veterinary schooling. George F. Parry kept diaries during his service.

“February 16 inspected the horses and classified according to orders from the War Department in four classes…. March 2 horses in bad condition from poor feed – musty corn. Suffering from diarrhea, colic and indigestion,” he wrote in one entry. 

Prescriptions included expectorants, salves, nerve stimulants, diuretics and sedatives.

Parry may have been the very first U.S.-trained veterinarian to enter the service of the United States.

He often wrote about starving horses and the lack of feed.

David Gerleman

What is now known as the American Veterinary Medical Association was founded in 1863, during the middle of the war.

In March of that year, Congress authorized for each cavalry regiment a veterinary surgeon with the increased rank of sergeant major and vastly increased pay of $75 per month.

But Gerleman argues “very little change came out of the war” in regard to military equine care. The impetus to make improvements went away for decades as the country settled into peacetime. It is not until 1916 that the Army creates a formal veterinary corps, with officers.

“It is a long process and often a sad one,” Gerleman tells the Picket.

(**McClure letter comes from the National Archives, Record Group 92, Records of the Quartermaster General, Entry 301, letters received by the secretary of war and transferred to the Quartermaster General, 1861-1862).