Old Baldy (ca. 1852 – December 16, 1882) was the horse ridden by Union Major General

George G. Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. He ...

at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

and in many other important battles of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Early life and Civil War service

Baldy was born and raised on the western frontier and at the start of the Civil War was owned by Maj. Gen.

David Hunter David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was an American military officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves ...

. His name during this period is unknown. It is said that he was wounded anywhere from five to 14 times during the war, starting at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

, where he was struck in the nose by a piece of an artillery shell. Soon after, in September 1861, he was purchased from the government by Meade in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, for $150 and named Baldy because of his white face. Despite Baldy's unusual, uncomfortable pace, Meade became quite devoted to him and rode him in all of his battles through 1862 and the spring of 1863. The horse was wounded in the right hind leg at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

, and at Antietam, he was wounded through the neck and left for dead on the field. He survived and was treated. At Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, Baldy was hit by a bullet that entered his stomach after passing through Meade's right trouser leg. He staggered and refused to move forward, defying all of Meade's directions. Meade commented, "Baldy is done for this time. This is the first time he has refused to go forward under fire." Baldy was sent to the rear for recuperation. In 1864, having returned to duty for the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

and the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

, he was struck in the ribs by a shell at the Weldon Railroad, and Meade decided that Old Baldy should be retired.

Retirement and death

Baldy was sent north to Philadelphia and then to the farm of Meade's staff quartermaster, Captain Sam Ringwalt, in

Downingtown, Pennsylvania Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,898. Downingtown was settled by European colonists in the early 18th century and has a number of historic buildings an ...

. He was later relocated to the Meadow Bank Farm, owned by a friend of the Meade family, where he remained for several years. He was moderately active in retirement and Meade rode the horse in several memorial parades. His last parade was as the "riderless horse" in the funeral procession of his master, in November 1872. Baldy lived another 10 years. He was euthanized on December 16, 1882, at the age of 30, when he became too feeble to stand. On Christmas Day of that year, two Union Army veterans (Albert C. Johnston and H.W.B. Harvey) disinterred Baldy's remains and decapitated him, sending the head to a taxidermist.

Baldy's remains

Baldy's head was mounted on a plaque in a glass case and displayed in the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

Civil War Museum and Library in Philadelphia. In 1979, his head was loaned to the Old Baldy

Civil War Round Table Civil War Roundtables (also referred to as Round Tables or CWRTs) are independent organizations that share a common objective in promoting and expanding interest in the study of the military, political and sociological history of the American Civil ...

, which paid for its restoration and placed it on exhibit in the Meade Room of the

Civil War Museum of Philadelphia The Civil War Museum of Philadelphia (formerly the Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum of Philadelphia and previously the Civil War Library and Museum) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, claims to be the oldest chartered American Civil War instit ...

. The latter museum closed in August 2008, pending a relocation, and most of its artifacts were distributed to other museums, including the

Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center The Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center is a Gettysburg National Military Park facility, with a museum about the American Civil War, the 1884 Gettysburg Cyclorama, and the tour center for licensed Battlefield Guides and for buses to see the Getty ...

. Attorneys for the two museums reached an agreement under the auspices of the Philadelphia Orphans' Court in December 2009 to return Old Baldy to the GAR museum on Griscom Street. Ceremonies marking the resumption of public display of Old Baldy at the museum were conducted on September 26, 2010.Kaufman.

Notes

References

* Colimore, Edward
"Old Baldy to return to Frankford Civil War museum."
''Philadelphia Inquirer'', March 8, 2010. * Kaufman, Herb. "Old Baldy's Head Is Featured in Museum's Meade Exhibit." ''Civil War News'', November 2010. * Magner, Blake A. ''Traveller & Company, The Horses of Gettysburg''. Gettysburg, PA: Farnsworth House Military Impressions, 1995. {{ISBN, 0-9643632-2-4.

External links