AboutJames Bell Expertise I am actively involved in Revolutionary War reenacting (1775-1783). I am currently the Vice President, Quartermaster, Webmaster and Lieutenant in a Pennsylvania Line unit. Living history organizations are one way we can keep the past alive, and instill into our youth what life was like in days long gone. There are several living history organizations out there, from Mideavil Times through World War II. The Civil War and Revolutionary War are two of the most popular. I can answer questions regarding how to get in contact with a living history organization, and what would be involved in getting into the hobby, from the cost of weapons and accoutrements to what you can expect during a weekend event.
Experience I am relatively still a "young pup" in the hobby - 10 years. Many of the more seasoned ones have been in the hobby since the Bicentennial.
Question I was wondering if you could answer a question of mine for a class I'm taking. Do the position of horse's legs on war statues mean anything? I've heard that it's just an urban legend. What's your take on this? Thank you.
Answer Greetings Laura -
I have heard of this also and, it just so happens, that I visited the Gettysburg Battlefield last week. The tour guide, as we passed statue after statue, echoed the same thing I have heard before ...
Horse on two rear legs, front legs in air ... soldier died in battle
Horse with one front leg off ground ... soldier wounded in battle
Horse with all four legs on ground ... soldier died of old age or natural causes.
He did mention, however, that many of the statues showed inaccuracies in depicting the fate of the soldier.
I did a little more online research, to the U. S. Army's Military History Institute website. I found the following article at the following address ...
Any relationship between the number of raised hooves on a horse-and-rider statue and the rider's actual experience in battle is merely a coincidence, as reflected in equestrian statues at Gettysburg National Military Park, according to Ms. Kathy George, park historian. Searches there and here have found no substantiation for any such coded messages. For example, several booklets concerning dedication ceremonies for equestrian statues, such as the Slocum and Sedgwick statues at Gettysburg (see E467.1S59N5 &-S4C7) contain nothing about the significance of the hooves. For further example, note that the Gettysburg statue of Gen John F. Reynolds, who was killed at Gettysburg, differs from his Philadelphia statue. See:
Reynolds Memorial Assoc. Unveiling of the Statue of General John F. Reynolds, Philadelphia, September 18, 1884. n.p., n.d. 40 p. E173P18no211pam22.
See frontispiece photo.
Stauffer, Wm H. "Round Table Talk: There's No General Rule About Position of Feet on Equestrian Statues." Civil War Times II (Jul 1960): p. 6. Per.
