"On which Everything Depends"
Author: Jill R. Hurtt
Publisher:
Published: 2013
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHorses and mules were essential to the conduct and, ultimately, the outcome of the U.S. Civil War. Horses and mules fulfilled such important duties as hauling supplies to camp, providing the means by which the artillery was maneuvered in battle, and granting cavalry units their essential mobile capabilities. While many historians have explored the importance of the cavalry, artillery, and transportation services, the appreciation shown to the equines who were essential to these units has been relatively slim, and the logistical concerns that resulted from the units' reliance on equines are often minimized or ignored. Providing a basic level of care for millions of horses and mules affected the decisions and plans of military and civilian leaders throughout the Civil War, as did the need to procure more equines; such considerations consequently had a significant impact upon the war and its outcome. The Confederacy's inability to procure a sufficient number of horses and mules for its forces in the field, as well as the fodder they needed, eventually made it impossible for some commanders to operate effectively. Finally, the study of horses and mules and the feelings of camaraderie, gratitude, and empathy that many of the soldiers who served alongside these equines felt for them is integral to gaining a more thorough understanding of the conflict and those who lived through it. It is my hope that this work will increase the readers' understanding and appreciation of the important roles that horses and mules played in the Civil War, the myriad logistical considerations that reliance upon equines entailed, and the decisions that these logistical considerations necessitated. Such details have frequently been overlooked in historical accounts of the war; appreciating the contributions made and problems posed by equines is essential to increasing understanding of this influential American conflict.