Blue vs Gray

Tag: virginia

  • The Ride That Changed Everything: Sheridan and the Horse named Rienzi

    The Ride That Changed Everything: Sheridan and the Horse named Rienzi

    Introducing Friends of the Blue and Gray.

    I’ve gotten a lot of requests to talk about the animals of the Civil War, so I figured it’s time to start a series. I’ll try to do this once a week either Saturday or Sunday. Welcome to Friends of the Blue and Gray. Let’s jump right in!

    October 19, 1864 – Rienzi comes thundering onto the field at Cedar Creek, carrying a general who refused to lose. The tide turned the moment they showed up.

    In a chaotic war, sometimes a man on a horse makes the difference, not a strategy or battle plan.

    That horse was Rienzi, a sleek black gelding gifted to, at the time, Colonel Philip Sheridan in 1862 by officers of the Second Michigan Cavalry. Rienzi had three white fetlocks, and a presence that turned heads. Sheridan named him after the Mississippi town where he received him, and the two would become one of the most iconic rider-horse duos of the war. Actually this name will change, but we will get to that!

    Rienzi carried Sheridan through nearly 50 engagements, including 19 major battles and two cavalry raids. He wasn’t just a mode of transportation, but he was a warhorse through and through: steady under fire, powerful under strain, fast when it mattered, and loyal no matter what.

    Sheridan on Rienzi, racing from Winchester to Cedar Creek. Twelve miles of urgency, one horse, and a general hell-bent on turning a rout into a rally.

    On October 19, 1864, Rienzi earned his legendary status. Sheridan had been away in Winchester, Virginia, when Confederate troops launched a surprise attack on his army encamped at Cedar Creek. The Union lines were breaking. Morale was slipping. Panic was spreading. Sheridan got word and mounted Rienzi.

    What followed was a ride that would live on in poems, paintings, and battlefield legend…. and internet blogs (shameless shoutout).

    Sheridan and Rienzi covered 12 miles in under two hours, galloping past retreating Union troops, shouting them back into formation, rallying them to stand and fight. The sheer sight of Sheridan charging onto the battlefield on Rienzi likely lit a fire in the ranks. The men turned, re-formed, and counterattacked.

    The Union not only held the line but they won the battle.

    A New Name

    After Cedar Creek, Rienzi was renamed Winchester, in honor of the town from which he launched that legendary ride. Sheridan never rode another horse into battle. Rienzi had earned that place for good and rightfully so, Rienzi was a faithful companion (one would say a Friend of Gray).

    Winchester stayed with Sheridan until the horse’s death in 1878. The general had his body preserved and mounted, and today you can still see Winchester on display at the Smithsonian, standing in quiet tribute to one of the most pivotal rides in American military history.

    The horse that carried Sheridan through nearly 50 engagements and one of the most legendary rides in U.S. military history.

    This wasn’t just a warhorse. He was a friend, a companion and a sign of hope. He was part of the moment that changed everything that day in 1864.

    Thanks for taking the time to read this. I actually really enjoy this new theme. Feel free to shoot me a message or an email if you want me to cover something specific.

    Make sure you check out these sources. Great reading!

    Sources:

    Smithsonian Institution – Winchester (Rienzi) Smithsonian Magazine – “Philip Sheridan’s Valiant Horse” Emerging Civil War – “A Horse Named Rienzi” American Battlefield Trust – “Sheridan’s Ride”

    Image credits :

    Image 1 (Color painting of Sheridan rallying troops): American Battlefield Trust – https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/sheridans-ride

    Image 2 (Black & white illustration of Sheridan’s ride): Library of Congress – https://www.loc.gov/item/2005681732/

    Image 3 (Preserved horse at the Smithsonian): Smithsonian Institution – https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_439678

  • First Flag Friday

    First Flag Friday

    While not actually Friday, this post is part of a weekly series honoring Civil War flags and the stories sewn into their fabric. I’m reviving this series after Instagram removed my previous post — this time, it’s staying.

    A Regiment Forged in Fire

    The 26th North Carolina Infantry Regiment was formed in August 1861, largely composed of young men from western North Carolina. By 1863, it had grown into the largest regiment in the Army of Northern Virginia, with nearly 900 men under arms. Their commander, Colonel Henry King Burgwyn Jr., was just 21 years old, a boy in age and was known as the “Boy Colonel.” As someone who turned 21 in the Army I could not imagine leading 900 men when I could hardly lead myself…

    The regiment’s legacy would be defined by a single brutal day: July 1, 1863, on the outskirts of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, you have probably heard of it and if you have not you must be looking up color combos for your wedding (Blue and Gray get it…).

    Gettysburg: The Slaughter at McPherson’s Ridge

    As the Battle of Gettysburg opened, the 26th North Carolina advanced as part of General Heth’s division, crashing into Union troops of the famed Iron Brigade, specifically the 24th Michigan Infantry, one of the toughest and best equipped regiments in the Union Army.

    The two sides fought at point-blank range through the woods and open fields of McPherson’s Ridge, exchanging fire in a near-suicidal contest of will. Muskets overheated. Trees splintered. Men collapsed in rows.

    Colonel Burgwyn, leading from the front, personally took the regimental colors after multiple color bearers had fallen. He was struck in the side and died shortly after, uttering only, “Tell my mother I die with my face to the enemy.” Honestly, some of the most incredible last words you could imagine.

    Casualties That Shocked Both Sides

    By the time the smoke cleared, the 26th had lost 588 men out of roughly 850 engaged—more than 70% casualties in a single day, the highest regimental losses suffered by either side at Gettysburg. Over 13 color bearers were shot down while carrying the flag.

    The 24th Michigan, though victorious on the field, suffered nearly 400 casualties themselves. The fight between the two regiments was so intense that it’s still cited in military studies of small unit combat.

    Two days later, the remnants of the 26th participated in Pickett’s Charge, advancing again under fire. Only around 80 men answered roll call after the battle ended.

    The Flag That Would Not Fall

    The regiment’s battle flag, a Confederate standard, was pierced by dozens of bullets, soaked in blood and gunpowder, and nearly captured several times. After the war, it was returned to North Carolina and has since become one of the most iconic Confederate flags in existence. Not because of what it symbolized politically, but because of the story it tells about sacrifice, command, and loss. (Can’t be banned here Instagram HA!)

    Legacy and Memory

    The 26th North Carolina is memorialized today with monuments at Gettysburg and in North Carolina. Their story is often cited not to glorify war, but to illustrate the devastating human cost of loyalty, leadership, and civil conflict.

    The flag of the 26th North Carolina still exists. It has been preserved and displayed, most notably in Raleigh during special exhibitions. The blood on it is real. The holes are real. The deaths were real.

    Sources & Further Reading