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Pacific Northwest Cavalry Reenacting

Welcome! This is mainly a "local" forum for American Civil War cavalry reenactors in the Pacific Northwest. It will have dates of events and trainings as well as any items of interest.

Pacific Northwest Cavalry Reenacting
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Civil War Research

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am conducting research on the evolution of Cavalry doctrine during the American Civil War. Despite having spent 24 years in the (Armored) cavalry and having survived a change of command ceremony in the 1st Cavalry Division (Thank God the horse knew what to do!) I know very little about horses. I would like to learn about the practical side of horse cavalry operations (e.g. load limits for horses, the effect of heat/muddy roads on horses, dietary requirements on campaign, sustained march speeds or any other information that would affect cavalry operations). I would be grateful for any assistance provided.

Dan Peterjohn

Re: Civil War Research

You can spend some time on this site and find many things that will help you in your research. Go to the site map. Congdon's Compendium and the regulations are available as well as a period cavalry training manual.

Good Luck in your research. If you have a specific question I may be able to point you in the direction you need to go or give you an answer from my own research.

Regards,
Lin Ahearn

Re: Re: Civil War Research

Hello Lin,

Thanks for the reply. I suppose I should plow through the documents before asking specific questions. I am eager to learn abouut the limits of horses after reading some accounts of Stoneman's raid in support(?)of Hooker's campaign leading to Chancellorsville. The reports of the countryside being littered with the corpses of horses does not say much for planning and care for the basic mode of transportation. I have recently visited the cavalry museum at Fort Riley, Kansas and I have a photograph of a monument there dedicated to the loss of a million+ horses and mules during the Civil War. Seems to me there was a lot of acceptable "wastage" of animals (to use a World War I term).

Dan