A CIVIL WAR TALE OR TWO ..... Part Two

     

                                  WINCHESTER

         He was a magnificent steed, a fiery black Morgan stallion that led a famous general into battle.  His name was Lion, named so because he had a fierce temperament and was high-spirited, practically unmanageable.  Lion was raised on my great-great grandfather Isaac Strahl's farm in Morgan County, Ohio, and broke to ride by my great-grandfather, Perley Strahl.  
 

        During the Civil war, horse buyers for the Union Army circulated throughout the North buying horses for the war that was fought on horseback as well as on foot. The sleek black Morgan for some reason, piqued the interest of the buyers and a sale was made.  No doubt great-great grandfather Isaac was happy to be rid of him.  What the army wranglers did to calm the three year old stallion down is unknown, but the horse apparently became controllable.

Lion caught the eye of General Philip Sheridan who was in need of a personal steed.  The year was 1862 when Sheridan took possession of the horse and renamed it "Rienzi" after a recent skirmish in the state of Mississippi.  He rode Rienzi for the remainder of the war in all of his campaigns.  In 1864, he renamed the magnificent animal "Winchester".

As the story goes, on the morning of October 19,1964, while Sheridan was quartered in Winchester, Virginia, he received news that his troops were being attacked by the Confederates at a place named Cedar Creek, some twelve miles distant.  He mounted Rienzi and rode at breakneck speed, rallied his retreating troops and thus turned the tide of the battle.  Inspired by the battlefield heroism of both man and beast, Thomas Buchanan wrote a poem about the incident entitled "Sheridan's Ride".  Sheridan then renamed the horse Winchester.

  

  A statue of Sheridan riding Winchester was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909.  Winchester is now preserved in a glass case and on exhibit in the Hall of Military History of the Smithsonian institute of American History in Washington,D.C.  The saddle, bridle, and other trappings shown on Winchester were those of General Sheridan.  (First photo) 

Of Winchester, Sheridan said that he was an animal of great intelligence and immense strength and endurance.  With his head held high and his quickness of movements, one would think him exceedingly impetuous.  However, according to Sheridan, a firm hand and a few words were all that were needed.  The horse was cool and quiet under fire, a quality sorely needed in the time of battle.   

An account of the Strahl connection was provided by my great-aunt Ella Strahl who visited the Smithsonian in 1963.  Ella knew of her grandfather's horse farm in Ohio and of Lion.  According to Ella, a neighbor of Isaac Strahl actually saw Sheridan riding Winchester while he, a farm boy, was in service. The young boy had a knack for recognizing horses as well as he did people and confirmed that indeed, Winchester was the same horse that had been raised by Isaac Strahl in Ohio. My great-great grandfather's role in this tale was unfortunately lost to history.