Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-02-17
4 n EMAekAe-E TEAM.
GsWup Of SIX Army Mules and Their
Experience During tho Civil War.

From sn 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 1901,
certain group OF six met officially as com
rades. They had been associated oGSa-
siOnally before in the somewhat mixed
society Of the quartermaster's corral, but
now they We're regularly mustered into
the service Of the United States by Capt,
afterwari Gen. Sawtellc, and were
hitched up together for the first time at
Berryvilie, Nd; and one Edward Wesley
Williams, q cOlored teaslster, united his
fortunes with theirs. He was good
teams,er, and ar onp established those
smicable 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 singletrees banged about the wheelers'
heels His bits were always OF the regu
lA,ion size, seven eighths inches round,
and full five inrhes bttween the rings.
His broad harness straps were always
properly adjnste,l. so the. there should bs
no reasonable ground for the laying back
Of ears or the letting fly OF heels.
The authorities deemed it important
that Williams and his mules should be in
Washington Sn the day of Lincoln's in
auguration, and they started for the ma
tional capital Oh March !. bat history fails
to record the rxac; date Of their arrival.
IAasmuch as the ceremonies passed OF
successfully. and without interference
from the confedcrates. We may infer that
the whole six added the music OF their
voices to the cheers that went mp from in
front Of the Capitol ou that memorable
occasion. They remained on duty in and
about the defeuses of Washington until
MAY IL. 1863. when they were transferred
To Fortress Monroe, and reported to Gen.
Mcclellan, OF his lawful Representatives.
They marched up the Peninsula par;ici
pated in the siege of Yorktown. the battle
OF Williamsburg, ard the srduous mud
marches VI the ChIck8homiuy. At the
seven days nght all six were present for
duty. and. with indiscrim.nate efficiency,
hauled army supplies or ghastly loals os
dead ont wounded. until they reached
Harrison's Landing with ire Army Of the
Potomac Thence Williams drove back
to Fort Monr,e, ard was shippsi 20
Wasbinct..a with his team in tir1c to haul
ammunition ont To Manassas junction,
aud take part in what an Irish soldier lad
called our annual batting as Bull Run. -
They saw the tables turned at Ant.ctaIn,
and turned back again at Fredericksburg,
where they were in the ANN fGn!tion trail
Under Gen. Hooker, tho team followed
the fortunes of war through the Chancel-
lorsvilie and Chau.iily campaigns. and
WIS with Grant in front Of Petersburg
But there. sal 10 relate. the faithful
saddle mulc. or whose back Williams i,ri
ridden 80 many weary nIilcs, was killed
by artillery fire from the cncmy's works
Her surviving comrades bore up under
this affection and admitted = new incum
bent. with their usual grace. The intro
duct,oc OF STRANGER was no. permitted
20 interfere with regular duties and le
team worked right along u1tn the fall Of
Richmond
In Juno following 1860, hostilities ha.'
ceased, and the team was ordered back to
Washington, where II WAS transfer, .
back to the regular army, and was oa
duty herewith in August, 1866 Their
Is no evidence forthcoming 30 show that
the faithful Williams r. nos still cracking
his black snake over the backs Of his
historic team at scme 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. 1:.cy
frequently went without hay or grain for
four or fiyo days, subsisting On wayside
croppings; and several times they were
withou; water for twenty-four hours -
Adrian Rexford in American Magazine