History of Civil War canines highlighted during Cedar Creek Battle reenactment

Like This? Click Here to Recommend It View larger image Confederate and Union cavalry clash with their sabers drawn during the 145th anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek near Middletown on Saturday. Andrew Thayer/Daily View larger image Nancy Hogan-Ruhrbaugh, of Dillsburg, Pa., left, stirs dinner while Susan Davidson, of Madison, and Darlene Tomlin, of Fredericksburg, warm themselves by the campfire. Andrew Thayer/Daily View larger image A company of Confederates are drilled in the field during the 145th anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek near Middletown on Saturday. Andrew Thayer/Daily View larger image Nancy Hogan-Ruhrbaugh, of Dillsburg, Pa., left, Susan Davidson, of Madison, and Darlene Tomlin, of Fredricksburg, cook dinner and warm themselves by the fire while talking to Frank Patton, of Winchester, and Amy Rogers and her daughters Abbie, 4, and Leah, 6, during the 145th Anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek near Middletown on Saturday. Andrew Thayer/Daily View larger image Cannons quietly sit near the Confederate encampment during the 145th Anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek near Middletown on Saturday. Andrew Thayer/Daily View larger image Union cavalry charge up the hill with sabers drawn during the 145th Anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek near Middletown on Saturday. Andrew Thayer/Daily

By Sally Voth -- svoth@nvdaily.com

MIDDLETOWN -- Visitors to the 145th anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek had the opportunity to learn about some of the Civil War soldiers' most loyal and faithful companions.

A crowd ducked under the symposium tent -- and got out of a steady rain -- Saturday afternoon to hear Michael Zucchero discuss some of the tales related in his new book, "Loyal Hearts: Histories of American Civil War Canines."

"Canine pets and mascots were as much a part of the American Civil War as the soldiers who camped, marched and sometimes died with them," he said. "These dogs are there, and they're there in numbers, sometimes in mass numbers."

Nearly every regiment had a mascot, usually a dog, Zucchero said, and their stories have long been lost or overlooked. But, he said, the soldiers whose lives they shared wrote about them in diaries and letters.

"Civil War soldiers, they had strong emotional bonds to these dogs, just as we do today with our own dogs," Zucchero said. "Unlike today's military working dogs, there's no evidence that dogs accompanying Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers fulfilled any military purpose. Often, they were strays that were attached to a particular unit or regiment. These dogs often found a regular niche within the lines."

Even President Abraham Lincoln, in reviewing the Army in April 1863, "doffed his hat while greeting Sallie, a handsome bull terrier," who was with the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, according to Zucchero.

His book has photographs of the regiment's monument at Gettysburg that features the dog. Sallie's four litters of puppies proved "that there were other dogs present" in her camp, Zucchero said to laughter.

Then there was Dog Jack, who started out as a firehouse dog in Pittsburgh, and joined the firemen when they signed on with the 102nd Pennsylvania Infantry.

"Dog Jack was present here at the battle of Cedar Creek 145 years ago," Zucchero said.

Prior to the battle of Cedar Creek, Dog Jack had been captured at Salem Church, and spent six months as a prisoner before he was exchanged for a Confederate soldier, Zucchero said.

Dog Jack disappeared in Frederick City, Md., two months after Cedar Creek, Zucchero said, and it's thought the silver collar that soldiers presented to him led to his being targeted by a thief.

And Harvey, a pit bull with the 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was so beloved that at a regiment reunion in 1886, soldiers and their families posing for a picture included a large oil painting of Harvey, Zucchero said.

"He was also featured on reunion buttons and ribbons, and he was featured on reunion pamphlets long after the war," he said.

Kathy and Garry Luke, from Syracuse, N.Y., enjoyed Zucchero's presentation.

"I thought it was excellent," Luke said. "It was something that I didn't really realize."

This was the couple's first trip to the reenactment, but they said they'd be back.

"We learned details of things that we never dreamed of," Mrs. Luke said. "We learned a lot about women, too, and the war. Whoever we talked to, we learned something new."

"I was impressed by the intensity of the [reenactors]," her husband said. "They're really into their history. I think they're just waiting to have someone say, 'And what can you tell us about this?'"

Signing copies of his book after his presentation, Zucchero, who is from Ocean City, Md., said his interest in Civil War dogs' stories began when he started collecting original photographs of the animals.

"I started collecting these, and I started researching their stories," he said. "I just found these stories are there. They're little known. They've been sitting there in regimental histories, diaries and letters, and they're just great stories. It's just that nobody really thought it was important. They were very important to the soldiers.

"They helped fill an emotional void. Young soldiers far away from home, dealing with the realities of war. The dogs helped them fill a void there. Dogs reminded them of home and comforted them."

As Laurencio Lowe, 11, from Columbia, Md., was getting a copy of his book signed, Zucchero told him he had a warning.

"Not all these stories have happy endings," he said.

Lowe found the presentation interesting.

"I loved the story about Jack," he said. "I felt bad for Jack, but I also thought he was very cute. The story just reminded me of my dog. The book sounded so good, that I just wanted to buy it."