, 1888-04-05
A ReMARkAe.g TEAM.
A Group OF Six Army Mslcs and Th'r
Experience During tho Civil War.

A GROUP OF Six Army BIslcs and Their
Exporionce During tho Civil War.
From an account given by Mr.. Harvey
Riley, formerly In charge OF the quarter
masters depot at Washington, we are
enabled to give sketch Of one remark
able team: Early in the spring OF 1851,
certain group Of six met officially as COM
rades. They had been associated occa-
sionally before In the somewhat mixec
society of the ounrtermaster's corral, but
now they were regularly mustered into
the service of the United States by Capt,
afterward Gen., Sawtelle, and were
hitched up together for the first time at
Berryville, Nd: and one Edward Wesley
Williams, n colOred teamster, united his
fortunes with theirs. He was good
teamster, and ut once established those
amicable and confidential relations with
his animals which are of the highest con-
sequence TO the successful negro driver.
His trace chains were never so short that
the singletrces banged about the wheelers'
heels. His bits were always OF the regu.
lation size, seven-eighths inches round,
and full five inches between the rings
lis broad harness straps were always
properly adjnsted. so that there should be
no reasonable ground for the laying bsek
of ears or the letting fly of heels.
The authorities deemed 1t important
that Williams and his mules should be in
Washington on the day Of Lncoln's in
auguration, and they started for the ma
tional capital on March /, but history fails
to record the exact date Of their arrival.
Inasmuch as the ceremonies passed of
successfully, and without interference
from the confederates, we may infer that
the whole six added the music of their
voices to the cheers that went up from in
front OF the Capitol on that memorable
al nlaxy ,,a1 ,f,s slt,t a. In
about the defeuses of Washington until
May II, 1862, when they were transferred
to Fortress Monroe, and reported to Gen.
Mcclellan, or his lawful representatives.
They marched up the Peninsula, partici
pated In The siege of Yorktown, the battle
of Williamsburg, and the arduous mud
marches Of the Chickahominy. At the
seven days fight all six We're present for
duty and with indiscrminate efficiency,
hauled army supplies or gbastly loads of
dead and wounded, until they reached
Harrison's Landing with the Army Of the
Potomac. Thence Williams drove back
to Fort Monroe, and was shipped TO
Washington with his team in time to haul
ammunition out to Manassas Junction,
ssld take part in what an Irish soldier lad
called "our annual batting at Bull Run"
They saw the tables turned at Antietam
and turned back again at Fredericksburg
tuey were III VIC tTulu
Under Gen. Hooker the team followed
the fortunes Of war through the Chancel.
lorsville and Chantilly campaigns, and
was with Grant I'm front of Petersburg
But there, sad to relate, the faithful
saddle mule, on whose back Williams had
ridden so many weary miles, was killed
by artillery fire from the enemy's works.
Her surviving comrades bore up under
this affiiction and admitted new incum.
bent, with their usual grace. The intro.
duction of q stranger was not permitted
TO interfere with regular duties and the
team worked right along until the fall of
Richmond.
In June following 1865, hostilitIes ha1
ceased, and the team was ordered back to
Washington, where IL was transferred
back to the regular army, and was on
duty Herewith in August, 1865. There
Is no evidence forthcoming to show that
the faithful Williams Is not still cracking
his black snake over the backs of his
historic team at some remote frontier
post; but, IN the nature of things, the
four footed members of the association
must long since have been honorably re-
tired, or perhaps shot, for such Is the
merciful method of dealing with the super
annuated government mule
None OF these animals was more than
fourteen and half hands high, nor
weighed more than 900 pounds. They
frequently went without hay or grain for
groupings; and several times they were
without water for twenty four hours
Adrian ReXford in American Magazine.