John Babcock & Gimlet

[CJSchumacher]

I wanted to post some pictures I've found of a flat saddle. The photo is from the Library of Congress and includes John Babcock of the Secret Service and Gimlet, a "celebrated war horse of the Rappahannock", taken in October 1862. Mr. Babcock is clearly an officer in the Federal Army and I've written down a list of things to notice in the photos.

Before all else, its a fantastic shot of a federal officer with a gentleman's civilian saddle and tack and a great looking mount!

Things of note to the saddle:
- Flat saddle with low cantle
- English rigging
- Striped web girth
- Rounded skirts, not so swept forward if at all and next to no kneeroll
- Saddle cloth with a smaller blanket folded underneath
- Simple stirrup leathers with open metal stirrups

Gimlet's headstall:
- Nice rosette's with decorative browband
- Six buckle bridle with horshoe buckles and standing loops
- Roached mane!!
- Running martingale with apparently leather stops around 1-2 inches radius
- Reins clipped to thin snaffle rings with stitched snaphooks (similar to those on a sword belt!)
- Presumably leather cheek stops used with snaffle...possibly hard rubber of the period??

Babcock:
- Stirrups on his pant cuffs
- Extremely well dressed to include a sharp hat, hatcord, jacket, opening vest, cravat, etc. This guy would make even Mosby proud!
- Officer's double folded sword belt with leather safe behind a gilted federal shield buckle
- Add a Mustache and flavor savor and I think you have John Sweeney!!!

I've been looking through some other photos in this collection and taking advantage of the ability to download the tif files. I will post additional details in photos including soldiers properly watering bareback, both with and without blankets, as well as a federal column crossing a bridge and at least one mounted federal with a rifle slung over his back.

Take care,

[Mike Ventura]

Re: John Babcock & Gimlet

Chris:

I concur that he was no doubt an officer - one of the "acorns" on his hat cord seems to be sticking over the front of the brim. However, unless my eyes deceive me, there is no other rank insignia visible.

Love that "Roman Senator" do. Mr. Babcock was quite the dandy. I also note the hwite collar (perhap paper) against the darker colored shirt and the less than formal knotting of the cravat. The pocket square is also a nice touch.

I relly enjoy pictures such as this that counter the stereotypes that we sometimes seem to develop in the 21st Century as we look back 142 years.

Keep up the great work, Chris!

[courier]

Re: John Babcock & Gimlet

Note two vests.Is this unusual?
Regards,Rick Harris

[CJSchumacher]

Re: John Babcock & Gimlet

Note two vests.Is this unusual?
Regards,Rick Harris

Rick,

He is only wearing one vest...I'm assuming you think his shirt is another due to its white collar. In fact, it is just that...a shirt with a white collar and not a second vest.

Mike,

Good thoughts on the "stereotypes." The more you look, the more variety you find...and often...that variety is not entirely different than many things we use/do/wear today. It continues to amaze me how the finer things don't really change much, just slightly. I dug that pocket square too!

[rstacy]

Re: John Babcock & Gimlet

I'm about 99% certain that Babcock wasn't an officer but an enlisted man who was on detached scouting duty. Check out the frontispiece on the Soldier Life and Secret Service volume of Miller's Photographic History. There is the picture of Babcock that you reference. It states that he enlisted early in the war and I remember reading somewhere that he never was commissioned and served as a private through the war. There are other pictures of him in that volume of Miller's (p. 263 and 264-5), one of them with Pinkerton. As a scout, often working with civilians he may have dressed anyway he wanted and got away with it. According to Miller, Babcock was still living in 1911 when the book was printed.

There was a book published around '97 that covered union intelligence and that might have something on Babcock's career. I can't get my copy and I don't remember the title or the author but someone may may have that information. I think that may be the source of my thought that he was never an officer.

You're right, it's a great picture. It's an interesting example of something definitely not PEC, although his job was pretty uncommon too.

Bob Stacy

[Chuck Winchester]

Re: John Babcock & Gimlet

Chris,
first of all thanks for posting that great picture. On the matingale,Henry W. Herbert in his "Horses, Mules and Ponies and How to Keep Them" (1859) has this to say about those disks on the martingale,
"The running martingale is scarcely ever more desirable, though with horses which have a habit of rearing, or of throwing up their heads, it may be used as a last resort. But in all cases the straps should be sufficiently long to allow the rings to go quite up to the buckles when the horse's head is in a perependicular position, and the reins should be supplied with buttons to prevent these rings from beung caught on the buckles of the reins."
It is nice to see this period image to know exactly what he is talking about.
Also, that is an exceptionally low pommel. It seems to be resting right down on the horse's withers. In modern flat saddles this area is cut away and back to allow a space there but on the ante-bellum examples it is more or less straight up, inline with the front of the saddle and skirt, thus making it of necessity higher in the pommel. The earliest drawing I have of an "English" saddle is dated 1739, and there is surpisingly little change over one hundred twenty years. I suppose if you have a good design you stick with it.
Chuck Winchester
Pickett's Mill Battlefield, Critters

[GBaylor]

Re: John Babcock & Gimlet

Chris,

That saddle is a dead ringer of the one Luke is making me (when I get it is another story) We studied Stubb's prints and an early 19th C. saddle to copy. Now, just waiting! maybe I'll shave my mustache and I can portray Babcock at events.

John Sweeney

[CJSchumacher]

Re: John Babcock & Gimlet

Chris,
first of all thanks for posting that great picture. On the matingale,Henry W. Herbert in his "Horses, Mules and Ponies and How to Keep Them" (1859) has this to say about those disks on the martingale,
"The running martingale is scarcely ever more desirable, though with horses which have a habit of rearing, or of throwing up their heads, it may be used as a last resort. But in all cases the straps should be sufficiently long to allow the rings to go quite up to the buckles when the horse's head is in a perependicular position, and the reins should be supplied with buttons to prevent these rings from beung caught on the buckles of the reins."
It is nice to see this period image to know exactly what he is talking about.
Also, that is an exceptionally low pommel. It seems to be resting right down on the horse's withers. In modern flat saddles this area is cut away and back to allow a space there but on the ante-bellum examples it is more or less straight up, inline with the front of the saddle and skirt, thus making it of necessity higher in the pommel. The earliest drawing I have of an "English" saddle is dated 1739, and there is surpisingly little change over one hundred twenty years. I suppose if you have a good design you stick with it.
Chuck Winchester
Pickett's Mill Battlefield, Critters

Chuck,
You know what I find most interesting is that the "rings" on this particular martingale are closed disks with slots for the reins. I just haven't seen many like this, as most we use today are simply open rings for the reins to pass through. Very interesting.

Sweeney,
I'm sure it will be worth the wait as we know. Sucks in the meantime! Todd had a saddle at his place he had picked up that was very old with an identical full, rounded skirt like this one also. I love those classic features like the lack of knee rolls!

This picture is so great...it almost makes you forget this was wartime!