The National tribune., 1883-07-19
"Riaing Nsrgan.s Nule.n
To the Editor NsrroxA1. rnrrrzr.

To the Editor NATIONAL. TRIBUNE:
In reply 10 the inquiry of Margaret T.. laurel
Oregon, IN your Issue Of June % as to What is
the meaning Of riding Horgans mule? have this
tos say IN The carly days OF the war at the camps of
o. the Army OF the CumberlaEd-in Kentucky it
WAS common thing 10 see farmers moving about
among our company and regiinental teams closely
examining the horses and mules and upou being
Intercepted a. 10 their business. the inyariabie
SNgcr was thai they in search of a stray mule
50 that alter awhile il was taken for granted that
every citizen who visited the camp came on that
errand. The boys, in the kindness of their hearts
were disposed 20 assist the visitors aH they could
ia recovering their property; so, no matter what
their real business was, they were sure to be greet
cd on reaching camp, with wild cries coming from
every point, Of - Here's your mule!" This soon
became favorite army eatcll-word and, indeed ii
seemed TO fill actual want. 1t circulated through
the whole Army OF the Cumberland afterwards,
ana even reached the enemy camp for find that
Pollard, the Southern historian and editor OF the
richmond E1aintsleT during the war; says in his
" Lost Cause" that when General Bragg saw at
Missionary Ridge ms lines crumbiing and threw
himself into the midst OF some of his troops shout
lag: aie0, here IS your commander" his cars
were RECALLED in return with loud cries of Here
your nu!e!" Finally, the sentiment became en-
bodied IL verse, and was set to music under the
name OF " Oh, Mister, Here's your hIuleih In the
carly spring oil 1853 the writer first had the pleasure
Of hearing II sung with piano accompaniment. At
that tine J was on dgty ~ Block House No / ON
the railroad from Nashville to Murfreesboro'
guarding iiIe Iirst bridge east of Nashville. The
string band TO which belonged received permits
Sion 10 leave
Judge Brienc who lived about mile up the rail-
road and sosac sE miles from tie city. lie received
as couFteousiy, and very pleasantly enter
tanned Icy the Judge and his family who were all
staiieh Jnionlsts. During the evening, his daugh-
ter--a tail beauty, now the widow of q Regular
Army officer who died recently at Nashvie-sang
among other ballads the song above referred TO-
But, as to Riding MoIgan's Aiule - Ii was the
custom Of John Il Morgan to replenish his cavalry
mounts from the stables OF the farmers and stock
growers 81 Tennessee and Kentucky, and, after lie
became famous as a raider our rear we some
tIaes substituted The words, John Morgan has got
your mule" which used to elicit much profanity
from Tie objects of our baiinage. IL sometimes
happened, also. that Morgan's men would pick up
small bodies OF our men who We're struggling in
the rear, mount them mules without sad.
dies and hurry them off TO The rendezvous O.
their chief, who Immediately paroled them Wher
they finally found themselves once more with tfeil
commands they were To DO much the worse
for the and tear of n4nle bareback riding SC
that =" Riding 4Iorgssn's Mule" meant with US o.
the Army Of the Cumberland, a very rough expert
ence. This, doubt, was the origin OF tie expres
SION GEORGE BARKHAMfR,
DoYLEsrowE, o. Co. X, 18th o. I.