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H O R S E
P E O P L E
WAR
The Union cavalry on the move. Each side
counted about 80 horses, and that made
for impressive columns. We could only
wonder about what Gen. Morgan’s
forces, which numbered 2,400, looked like.
Re-enacting the Civil War,
Morgan’s Raid II was
as real as it gets.
By Holly Clanahan
Photos by Carl Staub
Peace
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A
AROUND THE BEND OF A TREE-LINED COUNTRY LANE, CERTAIN
death awaited.
The Union cavalrymen, anxious for a fight with the
Confederates who had been running from them all day, were
chasing a few stragglers who galloped across a bridge, around
a corner and out of sight.
When the boys in blue rounded the bend, they found
themselves facing the Confederate Army in formation and
ready for a standoff. Then the ranks parted to reveal an
added surprise: a horse-drawn cannon packed with a powerful load of ammunition that promised to send them to
their maker.
“They killed the whole unit of us right there,” said Craig
Croft of Lake City, Florida, remembering the sneak attack
earlier in the day. “It was a massacre.
“We were tired of trail riding, and we were ready to stop
and fight a little. We were just too overanxious,” Craig said,
by way of explanation.
The Civil War re-enactment the men were on, Morgan’s
Raid II, did pass at times for an idyllic fall trail ride, but then
the pop of gunfire interrupted, and horses were spurred
toward the action. Small talk along the way was abruptly
replaced with quick tactical instructions, and a conversation
with saddlemaker Doug Kidd of Border States Leatherworks
ended with a polite tip of the hat and the drawled explanation: “I have a wa-ar to attend to!”
For me, it was my first war. Portraying a Civil War
journalist, I rode with the troops just as my 19th century
counterparts did. Dressed in period men’s clothing and
using a horse and tack borrowed from event coordinator
and AQHA member Darrell Markijohn, I tried to blend
in with veterans of 20-plus years.
I had done a story on the hobby in the March-April 2006
issue of America’s Horse, and Darrell invited me to ride along
on the four-day, 60-mile ride back in time, in southern Ohio
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Early morning fog put a haze over reality, making it easy to believe
you had been transported back among 19th century cavalry troopers.
in early September. It was one of those invitations I couldn’t
possibly refuse.
We were to retrace the steps of Confederate Gen. John
Hunt Morgan – portrayed by Darrell – as he invaded
southern Ohio in 1863, stealing horses and provisions in
an attempt to draw federal troops away from Tennessee.
His plan worked, as Union forces took up the chase, following
Morgan and his 2,400 men eastward across the state to
Portland, Ohio. There, Morgan intended to ford the Ohio
River, taking him into the friendlier territory of West
Virginia and on further south.
As history goes, the Confederates did a decent-enough
job of fending off their pursuers (hence the successful
cannon ploy) until Morgan made a fateful decision to rest
his men and horses. The Union cavalry soldiers caught up
with him near Portland, as did a unit of Union infantry
and local militia. And the Ohio River had risen enough
for Union gunboats to traverse it, so naval forces also
played a part in what’s known as the Battle of Buffington
Island, the only Civil War battle fought on Ohio soil.
Morgan was defeated and many of his men captured.
More than 140 years later, 170 re-enactors and their horses
were split into opposing sides to play out a realistic version
of those events.
“There wasn’t much scripting at all,” Darrell said, which
made Morgan’s Raid II different from typical re-enactments
that are more like public performances, recreating a specific
battle. “This was more of a 24-7 kind of event. You essentially
fought the ground as you saw it, which resulted in the military
commanders making decisions and tactical choices like our
predecessors actually did.”
Tim Short of Weybridge, Vermont, riding San Peppy
Rowdy Roe, served as a scout, riding ahead of the main federal
column and searching for Confederates laying in wait.
“This is different from your average re-enactment” with
was time to feed and water the horses. (Food and water was
trucked in for horses and humans, alike, so we didn’t have to
actually “raid” the countryside as Morgan’s men did.)
After a quick breakfast in the dark for the riders, the
buglers played “boots and saddles,” which meant that you’d
better hustle your saddle on and mount up.
Though the mornings were rushed, there was time for less
hurried conversation on the road and later, sitting around
fires in camp.
“Some of us have been doing this close to 25 years,” said
Michael “Iceman” Bailey of Avenue, Maryland, pointing out
that the backgrounds of today’s soldiers are just as varied as
those of the Civil War soldiers they’re portraying. The ranks
include carpenters, masons, farmers, construction workers,
railroad workers, lawyers, small-businessmen and retired
military men.
“I love horses. I love history. My family fought in this
war,” Michael said softly. “The people that died … the horses
that died … to make sure it’s not forgotten, that’s the
important thing.
“We do it ’cause we love it,” he summarized.
Not a week after returning from Morgan’s Raid II, the 6th
Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, of which Darrell is a member, was
already planning to attend another re-enactment in Virginia
in October.
“We do events so we have things to talk about at the
campfire,” Darrell joked. But it’s not entirely untrue.
“This is what builds campfire stories,” said Louisianan
Frank Crooks, “and memories.”
Paul “Mad Dog” Rice Jr., the artillery commander who
masterminded the cannon ambush, said one of his fellow
soldiers told him on a particularly hard-driving day that
“it was the best mental vacation he’d ever had in his life.
He just got away from reality. We were only concentrating
on getting from Point A to Point B, and when you get to
concentrating like that, you lose where you’re at in life. …
“When you’re re-enacting, that’s the point you want to be.
You want to be somewhere else, so you can forget about
whatever problems you have in life.”
Experiences like that are what Darrell calls “Civil War
heavily scripted battles, he said. “This is an ongoing thing,
with one group chasing another one and covering so much
ground. … You get a feeling of what it was like.”
That’s what appealed to David Hauser, commander of the
2nd Virginia Cavalry, Co. C.
“I call it an interaction of professionals,” he said. “We’re
not putting on a show. We’re out here to be good soldiers.”
So tactics were on the cavalrymen’s minds, but so, too, were
the horses. After all, in the Civil War, that was the only thing
standing between them and the much-derided infantry.
Today, a sense of horsemanship prevails, and the horses are
never far from their riders’ minds – literally.
“It really is a celebration of the
horse,” said Darrell, who’s from
Canton, Ohio. “It was good to see so
many people who work so hard to
take care of their animals.”
Picket lines were strung up
between trees at each night’s campsite, and troopers made their beds not
far away. We slept on the ground, on
bedrolls cushioned by flakes of hay,
and it was pleasant staring up at the
crisp stars above and listening to the
sounds of horses softly snorting and
sifting through their hay.
Whatever sweet dreams the troopers
might have been having, however,
were interrupted by the first bugle
call at 5:20 a.m. each morning. It
was followed by another 10 minutes
later, and troopers barely had time to
get their bedrolls rolled away and
packed on their saddles before the
Darrell Markijohn, at left, portrayed Gen. John Hunt Morgan. His dependable mount was LL Doc A Duedle Dues.
“stable call” came, alerting us that it
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moments.” Others call the teleport moments “seeing the
elephant.”
“It’s a moment during an event where you really feel like
you’re back there,” Darrell said. He experienced one the first
night, before the soldiers even embarked on the raid.
With the horses and riders settled into camp and his
administrative duties largely over, he looked over a foggy
field, lit by a spectral full moon behind the picket line.
No modern intrusions, just soldiers and their horses resting
for the start of an arduous journey.
“You see horses silhouetted in the fog and the rays of
moonlight shining down. That was a good moment. It was
Horses and riders alike feel the heat of battle
in saber fights. Other authentic weapons
used are black-powder pistols and carbines.
Riding on the Raid
RIDERS HAD BEEN STRONGLY ADMONISHED TO PREPARE
their horses for the grueling ride, which required nearly
20 miles the first day. Horses had to be shod and had
to pass a vet check before being admitted into camp the
first day. Vets and farriers were among the ranks to
tend to problems that cropped up, and chase vehicles
ensured that injured horses and riders weren’t left to
fend for themselves.
Thankfully, no horses sustained serious injuries, but
even minor mishaps sparked discussion about how Civil
War soldiers handled emergencies without our luxuries.
Theirs was a much harsher existence.
“They either had to do what they could to take care of
them or they had to leave them behind,” event coordinator Bob Vance said of the Civil War mounts. “There
weren’t too many choices.”
Horses who fell out of the ranks because of injury or
exhaustion were referred to as “jaded,” and as Darrell
Markijohn, who coordinated the event along with Bob,
said, “That’s why (Morgan’s men) were out there robbing
civilian horses.”
In this century, Frank Crooks of Ville Platte, Louisiana,
Buglers relayed messages to the
troops: everything from when to
eat to which direction to turn.
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was one of those who heeded the warnings about preparing
his horse, Wild Turkey Pudden, or “Willie.”
“I’ve been preparing him for three and a half months,”
he said. “I got the time and distance down, then gradually
started adding the equipment.”
The cavalry horses, who have to lug weapons, ammunition and bedrolls, in addition to their riders, should be
conditioned to carry up to 250 pounds, Frank said.
Frank, who is company commander of the 1st Louisiana
Cavalry, Co. E, was one of the soldiers who was watching
out for the horses’ welfare. He offered friendly reminders
to less-attentive soldiers whose tin cups were hanging
from their cantles.
“If it bangs on the horse’s back, it will sore it,” he said.
“And it’s important to balance your load (with equal
weight on both sides). You’ve got to be attentive to what
you’re doing.”
Despite his precautions, by the third day, the dependable 7-year-old Willie was getting tired. “He’ll get a
vacation,” Frank promised. Willie’s dam was also a cavalry
horse for Frank, as was her half-sister.
“I’ve had Quarter Horses since the mid ’80s,” he said.
“Everybody swears that their breed is the best, but I’m
just sold on Quarter Horses all around.”
So are many of the re-enactors, and several of them had
to brag just a little about their mounts.
Brian DuBois of Wentworth, New Hampshire, bought
Sonnys Lonsum Zippo before the first re-enactment of
Morgan’s Raid in 2003 and said, “He really took to it. …
He’s got such a good, sensible mind. He’s an awesome
horse. He’s my best buddy.”
Brian, who describes himself as a fairly new rider,
loves the fact that his Quarter Horses have always taken
care of him.
“Anything you ask of them, they give their whole
heart and soul to it,” he said. “And this is a lot to ask of
an animal.”
Cavalry horses must learn to tolerate small-arms fire
off their back, the booming of cannon fire nearby and the
hand-to-hand saber fights that send them charging at
one another.
I saw some of what Brian was talking about firsthand
when, on the third day, I was mounted on a different
horse, 3-year-old Rap Up A Clue, who was at only her
second re-enactment.
When skirmishes broke out and soldiers near us were
firing their pistols, “Sandy,” who is owned by Darrell
Markijohn, tossed her head but stayed calm. By the
fourth day, the head flipping had disappeared, and she was
well on her way to becoming a cavalry veteran.
The Bohemian Brigade
Civil War journalists – which I was for the duration of
Morgan’s Raid II — were nothing if not colorful.
Here’s how author and fellow member of the fourth
estate James M. Perry put it in his book “A Bohemian
Brigade: Mostly Rough, Sometimes Ready”: “They were
rowdy and boisterous. They competed hard to be first
with the news and got it wrong more often than they
should have. They were frequently arrogant and
pompous. They lied; they cheated; they spied on one
another and on the generals they wrote about. They made
up battles they had never seen.”
They also did an important service, providing civilians
back home with the only news there was forthcoming from
the front. They endured many of the same hardships the
soldiers did, and they faced the loathing of most generals.
(Thankfully, that wasn’t the case for me!) In fact, Union
General William Tecumseh Sherman called them “buzzards
of the press.”
My 19th-century counterparts also didn’t have the
liberty to ride with both sides, as I was fortunate
enough to do.
Perry’s book, however, recounted one Northern journalist who – fortified by Catawba wine – ventured into
a nearby Confederate camp. As he took his leave, the
Union general told him, “You’re a damned fool anyhow
and will be hanged, as you deserve to be.”
Fortunately for the journalist, however, the Southern
general’s aide recognized his name from an even-handed
report of a previous battle, and he was allowed to go
about his business, Perry wrote.
a defining point where I could step back into the 19th century and experience what this ride was all about.”
Other moments, vignettes from the black-powder and
saber fighting, are also etched on Darrell’s memory.
“Those moments are all fixed in time,” he said. “I won’t
soon forget those.”
His fellow event coordinator, Bob Vance of Johnstown,
Ohio, was portraying the commander of the Union cavalry,
Gen. Edward Hobson, and he had his own recollections of
tactical triumphs.
Friday morning, he took part of his troops on a shortcut
that would land them on top of a hill, in front of the
Confederate soldiers who were marching toward the Ohio
River. Another company of Union cavalrymen took a path
that allowed them to come up behind the Confederates.
Although the timing was a little tricky, the plan worked,
and Bob said “we would have wiped (Morgan) out right there
if it had been an actual battle. Of course, nobody dies in our
re-enactments. They all live to fight another day.”
No doubt, every soldier left reinvigorated with a special
memory or two, a daguerreotype of adventurous days.
Besides that, there’s the camaraderie among the soldiers,
which echoes the kinship felt by real soldiers. There’s the
graciousness of the citizens of Vinton and Meigs counties,
who welcomed the re-enactors much like the 19th century
sympathizers who offered provisions to the soldiers. And
there’s the bond felt with the horses, who were the real troopers.
“Now do you see why we do this?” asked Roy Prillaman,
who rides the “wheel” horse on the six-horse artillery team.
Yes, sir. I do.
To learn more about re-enacting and about Morgan’s Raid II,
visit the 6th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry’s Web site at www.6thohio-cavalry.org.
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