"The Charge of the Mule Brigade." Topic

See here….

link

Amicalement
Armand

That one surprised me, Armand. There was an article a number of years ago in Gettysburg Magazine when Bob Younger was publishing it. The title was the same or very similar. It was about mule drawn ammunition wagon(s) delivering ammo to the Federal First Corps on July 1st during the battle of Gettysburg. I was expecting that. But what you did post was fun.

Tom

Based on an actual incident from the 1863 campaign to relieve the siege of Chattanooga.

Grelber

Yes, part of the "Wauhatchie Night Attack," October 28-29, 1863. The confederate launched a confused night atttack from a command of under 4,000 men. Yankees held.

Some federal mules were apparently abandoned by their frightened "skinners," and, terrified by the sounds of battle, charged blindly into (confederate Genral) Law's lines.

Some Confederates, thinking this was a cavalry change, stampeded in turn.

Actually, Law's command was driven back by Tydale and Orland Smith before the "mule charge" took place. Probably a myth, but at the time some officer commended the mules, and wanted them breveted as horses!

Not my era, but found this in Mark M. Boatners Civil War Dictionary of 1959.

GdeP

A votre service mon ami!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Yes, probably happened like GdeP says, but the idea of giving mules a brevet as horses always makes me smile. Just about as useful as some of the real brevets handed out.

I relived this during my reenacting career, although it was cows rather than mules. We were doing a small reenactment at White's Ferry, MD (the last functioning car ferry across the Potomac River). We were doing a tactical battle on a farmer's property. The farmer had given us permission, but warned us not to bother his cows. We Began our fight and were moving and shooting through some open woods but we didn't see any cows. Well, unknown to us, the cows heard our firing and all of them were retreating in front of us as we advanced. Finally, they were cornered against a fence and could not retreat any further. We and the Rebs were just settling down to a real firefight when out of nowhere several hundred panicked bovines came thundering right through our battle! I'm not sure who was more terrified, us or the cows, but for a few minutes it was pandemonium :)

Brevet them to buffaloes!

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand