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Traveller (1857–1871) was Confederate General
Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...
's most famous
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
. He was a
gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be compose ...
American Saddlebred The American Saddlebred is a horse breed from the United States. This breed is referred to as the "Horse America Made". Descended from riding-type horses bred at the time of the American Revolution, the American Saddlebred includes the Narr ...
of , notable for speed, strength and courage in combat. Lee acquired him in February 1862 and rode him in many battles. Traveller outlived Lee by only a few months and had to be put down when he contracted untreatable
tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...
.


Birth and war service

Traveller, sired by notable racehorse Grey Eagle and originally named Jeff Davis, was born to Flora in 1857 near the Blue Sulphur Springs, in Greenbrier County, Virginia (now
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
) and was first owned and raised by James W. Johnston. Traveller was trained by Frank Winfield Page, a young enslaved boy. An
American Saddlebred The American Saddlebred is a horse breed from the United States. This breed is referred to as the "Horse America Made". Descended from riding-type horses bred at the time of the American Revolution, the American Saddlebred includes the Narr ...
, Traveller was of Grey Eagle stock; as a colt, he took the first prize at the Lewisburg, Virginia fairs in 1859 and 1860. As an adult he was a sturdy horse, high and , iron
gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be compose ...
in color with black point coloration, a long mane and a flowing tail. He was next owned by Captain Joseph M. Broun and renamed Greenbrier. In the spring of 1861, a year before achieving fame as a Confederate general, Robert E. Lee was commanding a small force in western Virginia. The quartermaster of the 3rd Regiment, Wise Legion,
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Joseph M. Broun, was directed to "purchase a good serviceable horse of the best Greenbrier stock for our use during the war." Broun purchased the horse for $175 (approximately $4,545 in 2008) from Andrew Johnston's son, Captain James W. Johnston, and named him Greenbrier. Major Thomas L. Broun, Joseph's brother recalled that Greenbrier: General Lee took a great fancy to the horse. He called him his "colt" and predicted to Broun that he would use it before the war was over. After Lee was transferred to
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
, Joseph Broun sold the horse to him for $200 in February 1862. Lee named the horse "Traveller". Lee described his horse in a letter in response to his wife's cousin, Markie Williams, who wished to paint a portrait of Traveller: Traveller was a horse of great stamina and was usually a good horse for an officer in battle because he was difficult to frighten. He could sometimes become nervous and spirited, however. 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 Confedera ...
, while General Lee was at the front reconnoitering, dismounted and holding Traveller by the bridle, the horse became frightened at some movement of the enemy and, plunging, pulled Lee down on a stump, breaking both of his hands. Lee went through the remainder of that campaign chiefly in an ambulance. When he rode on horseback, a courier rode in front leading his horse. After the war, Traveller accompanied Lee to Washington College in
Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...
. He lost many hairs from his tail to admirers (veterans and college students) who wanted a souvenir of the famous horse and his general. Lee wrote to his daughter
Mildred Childe Lee Mildred Childe Lee (February 10, 1846 – March 27, 1905) was an American society hostess and the youngest child of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis Lee. She was the last member of the Lee family to be born at Arlington Plantation and had a p ...
that "the boys are plucking out his tail, and he is presenting the appearance of a plucked chicken."


Death and burials

In 1870, during Lee's funeral procession, Traveller was led behind the caisson bearing the General's casket, his saddle and bridle draped with black crepe. Not long after Lee's death, in 1871, Traveller stepped on a nail and developed
tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...
. There was no cure, and he was shot to relieve his suffering. Traveller was initially buried behind the main buildings of the college, but was unearthed by persons unknown and his bones were bleached for exhibition in
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
, in 1875/1876. In 1907,
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...
journalist Joseph Bryan paid to have the bones mounted and returned to the college, named
Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...
since Lee's death, and they were displayed in the Brooks Museum in what is now Robinson Hall. The skeleton was periodically vandalized there by students who carved their initials in it for good luck. In 1929, the bones were moved to the museum in the basement of the University Chapel, where they stood for 30 years, deteriorating with exposure. Finally in 1971, Traveller's remains were buried in a wooden box encased in concrete next to the chapel on the Washington and Lee campus, a few feet away from the Lee family crypt inside, where his master's body rests. The stable where he lived his last days, directly connected to the Lee House on campus, traditionally stands with its doors left open; this is said to allow his spirit to wander freely. The 24th President of Washington and Lee (and thus a recent resident of Lee House), Thomas Burish, caught strong criticism from many members of the Washington and Lee community for closing the stable gates in violation of this tradition. Burish later had the doors to the gates repainted in a dark green color, which he referred to in campus newspapers as "Traveller Green". The now-defunct base newspaper of the United States Army's Fort Lee, located in Petersburg, Virginia, was named ''Traveller''.


Traveller in verse


Lee's other horses

Although the most famous, Traveller was not Lee's only horse during the war: * Lucy Long, a
mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...
, was the primary backup horse to Traveller. She remained with the Lee family after the war, dying considerably after Lee, when she was thirty-four years old. She was a gift from J.E.B. Stuart who purchased her from Adam Stephen Dandridge of The Bower. Notably, she was ridden by Lee at the
Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...
. * Richmond, a
bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...
colored
stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...
, was acquired by General Lee in early 1861. He died in 1862 after the
Battle of Malvern Hill The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, was fought on July 1, 1862, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. M ...
. * Brown-Roan, or The Roan, was purchased by Lee in West Virginia around the time of Traveller's purchase. He went blind in 1862 and had to be retired. * Ajax, a
sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ('dock' being a common name for the genus '' ...
horse, was too large for Lee to ride comfortably and was thus used infrequently. James Longstreet, one of Lee's most trusted generals, was referred to by Lee as his ''Old War Horse'' because of his reliability. After the Civil War, many Southerners were angered by Longstreet's defection to the Republican Party and blamed him for their defeat in the Civil War. However, Lee supported reconciliation and was pleased with how Longstreet had fought in the War. This nickname was Lee's symbol of trust.


In popular media

* '' Moonrunners'' (a 1975 movie that spawned the TV series '' The Dukes of Hazzard'') featured a dirt-track racing car, a 1955 Chevrolet, with a Confederate flag on the roof, named "Traveller". (Traveller was later transformed into the painted up street car, a 1969 Dodge Charger, known as the "General Lee" in the TV series.) * Adams, Richard. ''
Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to: People Generic terms *One engaged in travel * Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources * Nomad, a member of a community wit ...
'' New York: Knopf, 1988. . A fictional first-person narrative, in dialect, by Traveller. His equine memoirs are told to a cat in the stable of the retired general.''New York Times'' book review
* In '' Bronco Benny'', from the Belgian comic '' Les Tuniques Bleues'', Traveller has a major role. Only Bronco Benny, best horse tamer of the Union, is able to break in the proud horse. His capture causes war with Native Americans who see Traveller as a divinity. In the end, when the heroes fake death, Lee doesn't notice them but Traveller does and displays a little affection for them.


See also

*
Horsemanship of Ulysses S. Grant The horsemanship of Ulysses S. Grant has been widely acclaimed by his contemporaries and historians as among the most exceptional in American history. Ulysses S. Grant was a commanding general during the Civil War and a two-term U.S. President. B ...
* List of famous horses of the American Civil War *
List of historical horses This list includes actual horses that exist in the historical record. For fictional horses, see: List of fictional horses. Racehorses A * Adios Butler: famous harness racer * Affirmed: U.S. Triple Crown winner (1978) * Ajax: 18 consecutive ...
* War horse


Citations


General and cited references


''Southern Historical Society Papers''
Richmond, Va., January–December, 1890.
Lee's Horses at Stratford Hall website
* ''General Lee's Traveller, On the Campus of Washington and Lee'', brochure published by the Lee Chapel Museum, 2005. * Magner, Blake A. ''Traveller & Company, The Horses of Gettysburg''. Gettysburg, PA: Farnsworth House Military Impressions, 1995. .

''American Saddlebred'', November/December 1998. * Pendleton, Robert A. ''Traveller: General Robert E. Lee's Favorite Greenbrier War Horse''. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing, 2005. ISBN 9781412049146


External links



a poem by Rev. Robert Tuttle {{US Warhorses navbox 1857 animal births 1871 animal deaths Horse monuments Individual male horses Individual warhorses Robert E. Lee Stone Mountain