federal remudas

[malachi]

While I know of the sparcity of confederate mounts, I had once read reference to federal remudas which were carried along with the army much as one might see in cattle drives for spare horses. Does anyone out there have any info on this aspect of animal resupply and those who were in charge of their care? Did the Confederacy attempt to do the same early on?

with regards,
John Gregory Tucker

[The Egyptian Homeguard]

Re: federal remudas

John, Good question... I've wondered about that often. War Horse: Mounting the Cavalry with America's Finest Horses by Goldberg, Livingston and Roberts, doesn't/ didn't make much over the Civil War. It's mainly Punitive Era stuff as I remember (I've actually misplaced my copy). The only refrence I ever remember seeing to a herd driven along with the army was on Grierson's Raid through Mississippi. They didn't actually start with one, but "procurred" it along the way. I can't remember anything Civil War specific about government remount herds, except Chapter12 of The Photographic History of the Civil War: The Cavalry, has some great 1864 images of the Giesboro, D.C. holding facility. The depot reputidly held 6000 horses, the stock yard alone was 45 acres... pretty impressive. Let us know what you find out and i'll keep looking too. Zack

[brown]

Re: federal remudas

Remember that some in Wilson's Corps at Nashville are dismounted, including Biddle's Brigade for sure. Obviously this is quite late war and the army stretched, but it was an active choice to dismount some regiments to fully mount others.

[Mike Ventura]

Re: federal remudas

Lindsey -

My g-g-grandfather, Gravenor M. Call was in Co. C, 6th Ind. Cav in Biddle's Indiana Brigade (5th & 6th Ind. Cav.) The 6th was dismounted right after Atlanta and their mounts sent to the 5th Ind for a while (they served as railroad guards in N. Georgia). Then, the 5th was also dismounted when both the 5th & 6th were sent to Nashville. They camped in an area called "Edgefield," just across the Cumberland River from downtown Nashville near where the Titan's stadiums now sits. This was done when James Wilson became the cav commander under Thomas, and re-orged the cav and re-distributed mounts.

I know that earlier in the Atlanta Campaign, after Resaca and Cassville, the Indiana Brigade camped at Acworth, GA for about a week to rest and refit their mounts.

This would tend to show that there were no Federal "remudas" at least at this late date in the western theater. There is no mention of any "remuda" in David Evan's excellent "Sherman's Horsemen" - about Sherman's cav during the Atlanta Campaign.

[The Egyptian Homeguard]

Re: federal remudas

While we've been talking about the possible source of horses for the armies, I remembered I had ran across these in The US Cavalry Horse , Carter, 1895.

“(T)he number (of horses) supplied to the Federal army surpasses all belief. There were purchased during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1864, 188,718 horses; captured from the enemy and reported, 20,308. Leaving out of consideration those captured and not reported, it is observed that the army required more than 500 horses each day for remounts; and this is the measure of destruction of the horses during the same period” “During the first eight months of the year 1864 the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac was supplied with two remounts, nearly 40,000 horses.” “The supply of fresh horses to the army of General Sheridan during his late campaign in the valley of the Shenandoah has been at the rate of 150 per day.”

I know it is Eastern War, but still astounding figures of the sheer number of horses the Federal army was going through... Later, Z