Interesting military tradition for mules: New arrivals had their tails shaved hence shavetails Then as they learned new skills and their tail grew a bell was cut into the tail to show the mastered skill. First bell was added when the animal could pack Second bell was added when the animal could...
Thought this was an excellent account of Col. Emory Upton's charge on the Mule Shoe salient at Spotsylvania, May 10, 1864. From the diary of Clinton...
Archer W. Watkins Inspired by the success of Upton's Charge, General Grant decided to repeat the tactic, but on a much larger scale. Two days later he would launch an entire Federal corps–20,000 men–at the tip of Mule Shoe salient. The attack was launched at 4:30 a.m on May 12, in the foggy darkness and driving rain. The assault was predicated upon surprise, so the Federal troops advanced ...
He saw 40 acres and a mule as a permanent fix to the problem of 4 million freed slaves without any property or money. Again, Lincoln let it slide. It was only after Lincoln's assasination that this field order was revoked. Click to expand... Welcome to CWT, Steve. This is a well thought out and interesting analysis of Sherman's views.
The handler pointed the mule at the empty prairie and then the handler lit the fuse to the loaded Mountain Howitzer on the back of the mule. The mule had never heard the sound of a "spitting and sputtering" burning fuse before, and started to buck and try to run off. The handler tried to regain control of the mule- of the bucking and turning mule.
The struggle over the fortified Confederate position known as Spotsylvania's Mule Shoe was without parallel during the Civil War. A Union assault that began at 4:30 A.M. on May 12, 1864, sparked brutal combat that lasted nearly twenty-four hours. By the time Grant's forces withdrew, some 55,000...
From The Original Civil War Buff Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1863 "During the night battle of October 27-28, some mules, panicking from the noise of firing, broke free from their harnesses and stampeded toward a Confederate unit. The Confederates, unable to see and confusing the sound of mules'...
Many realized after the Mule Shoe's construction that it was not the best position; IIRC, the line was laid out by one of Ed Johnson's aides, who was not a professional engineer. Can't recall all the details but there's some further info to its construction in Earl Hess' "Trench Warfare Under Lee and Grant".
Today, May 12, marks the anniversary of the infamous fight for the Mule Shoe salient and Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania C.H. After Hancock's massive assault busted through the Mule Shoe salient that morning, Confederate division commanders John B. Gordon and Robert E. Rodes immediately began...
