On the Road with Traveller, General Lee's horse
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During the era of the American Civil War, a good horse was worth its wait in gold – as essential to a successful ground campaign as the infantry around it or the rider atop it.

General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Southern Confederate Army and a well-trained combat veteran, knew this only too well as he searched for the animal that would carry him through the war. Lee wanted a dependable horse with plenty of stamina. Unfortunately, too often stamina came tied to too much spirit and rough behavior.

Lee’s first horse was Richmond, named in honor of the city and the people who gave him the bay stallion. While Richmond was sturdy and strong, he misbehaved in the company of other horses – which was a genuine problem when you consider that Lee’s other commanders and their deputies all took to the battlefield on horseback.

So, not eager to insult the city of Richmond by ignoring its gift, Lee quietly retired the horse to his farm.

While putting Richmond out to pasture, Lee spotted a stately gray gelding that immediately captured his imagination. The big animal seemed to have all of the qualities Lee sought. Unfortunately, the horse was not yet for sale. The gelding was called Greenbrier at the time because he had won several ribbons at the Greenbrier County Fair in West Virginia. But, Lee was also intrigued that the horse was previously named Jeff Davis – after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. The horse himself was a shade of gray that matched the trademark confederate uniforms almost perfectly.

With the front calling, Lee could not wait for the gray gelding to become available. He chose a chestnut mare named Lucy Long – nicknamed “Miss Lucy.” She stood about 15.1 hands and was a good runner. Unfortunately, Miss Lucy did not have the stamina to withstand the rigors of long, forced marches. Lee constantly feared the horse would arrive at the battlefield so tired that she would be an easy target.

Miss Lucy broke down after two years, and she was sent to join Richmond at Lee’s farm. While on the farm, Miss Lucy was captured by Union troops. Fortunately for Lee, she was found again after the war in a public riding academy. Lee made sure friends bought the mare and had her shipped to the general’s home. She lived as a pleasure horse and pet for family members and friends until age 31.

But, as the war continued, Lee again found himself without a horse. He remembered that powerful gray gelding, Greenbrier. Lee tried again to buy the horse and succeeded in 1864. Paying $200, Lee final found himself with a very strong horse with good speed and a rough, tough disposition.

The gelding brought with him a reputation for being unruly to the point of being dangerous to owner and rider alike. But, Lee established a close partnership with the creature, later writing that he was “gentle, easy and comfortable, and very willing to move out without urging.”

This willingness to trot anywhere at anytime convinced Lee to rename the horse Traveller. The horse would carry Lee everywhere throughout the remainder of the war – right up to the eventual surrender to Gen. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. After the surrender, Traveller carried the general home to his farm and his other horses.

After the shooting stopped, Traveller would bear Lee the 100 miles from Richmond to Lexington – where Lee served as president of Washington and Lee College.

Lee rode Traveller often in the post-war years, including long trips to visit his invalid wife. Lee himself suffered a fatal heart attack in the fall of 1870. As if he and his horse were somewhere tied together, Traveller stepped on a rusty nail and contracted tetanus.

After doctors put the suffering animal down, Traveller was buried with honors next to Lee’s Chapel, where the general is entombed.

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