SegTours.com
> "Gettysburg Segway
Tours and Rides" > Our Fleet
Our
Fleet
SegTours
uses only the latest ("Gen2") Segways with LeanSteer
technology which are easier and more fun to ride than earlier
models.
Each
Segway in our fleet is named after
a horse that served in Gettysburg.
--
The North --
Betty
- The loyal mount of Dr. G.B. Hotchkin, Regimental Surgeon
of the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry. Betty was a beautiful and
swift dark bay mare who was said to have outrun a rolling
shell to save herself and her master.
Billy - The beloved horse
of 1st Lt. Frank A. Haskell, Aide-de-Camp of Brig. Gen. John
Gibbon. On July 2nd, Billy "was touched by two or three
bullets," including one to the chest, but Haskell remained
unhurt. He had another horse, Dick, shot out from under him
the next day during Pickett's Charge but again remained unhurt.
After the battle, Haskell wrote a long letter to his brother,
considered today to be a classic of military literature and
one of the most detailed first-hand accounts ever written
about the battle.
Caesar - a magnificent
bay horse owned by Capt. Frederick Otto Baron Von Fritsch,
Aide-de-Camp of Col Leopold Von Gilsa (1B, 1D, 11C). In a
contest witnessed by Abraham Lincoln in late June 1863, Caesar
jumped a five-foot fence with a nine-foot ditch behind it.
Just days later at Gettysburg, despite suffering two bullet
wounds, Caesar saved Von Fritsch by similarly jumping a high
fence to escape Confederate pursuers. The next day, July 2nd,
Caesar had his nose torn off by artillery and Von Fritsch
put him down with three bullets.
Charlemagne - The last
and favorite mount of Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, commander
at Gettysburg of the 20th Maine (3B, 1D, 5C). Colonel Chamberlain
had six previous horses shot out from under him, was himself
wounded six times in the war, and won the Medal of Honor for
his heroism in his tenacious defense of the left flank of
the Union line on Little Round Top. Charlemagne was also with
(now) Major General Chamberlain when he presided over the
parade of Confederate infantry as part of the formal surrender
at Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865. Charlemagne was
a Morgan horse and was wounded twice but survived the war
and returned to Maine with his master, who was subsequently
elected Governor of Maine. The horse was named for the King
of the Franks and first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire,
also known as Charles the Great.
Fancy - The horse ridden
by Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds, commander of the I Corps and
one of the Union Army’s most respected senior commanders.
At Gettysburg Reynolds also had operational control over the
III and XI Corps and Buford’s Cavalry Division. On the
first day of the battle, Reynolds was shot in the back of
the neck, fell from Fancy, and died. There is a monument to
Reynolds riding Fancy on the battlefield at the Chambe rsburg
Pike on McPherson Ridge. Reynolds' other horse was called
Prince.
Faugh-a-Ballagh - The
favorite horse of Col. Patrick Kelly, commander of the “Irish
Brigade” (2nd Brig., 1st Div., II Corps) which attacked
The Wheatfield on July 2nd. “Faugh A Ballagh” is
also the famous war cry of the Irish Brigade. It is from an
old Gaelic phrase, fág an bhealach, meaning "clear
the way" - the sentiment of which is similar to the modern
Marine Corps axiom, “Lead, follow or get out of the way.”
Grey Eagle – The
“old white horse” of Brig. Gen. John Buford, commander
of the 1st Division, Cavalry Corps. Upon encountering a superior
Confederate force on the morning of July 1st, Gen. Buford
was credited with selecting the field of battle at Gettysburg.
From his vantage point in the cupola of the Lutheran Theological
Seminary, Buford successfully directed his dismounted cavalrymen
to delay the approaching enemy long enough for Maj. Gen. John
Reynolds and the 1st Corps to arrive on the field, thereby
preserving the critical high ground for the Union army. Gen.
Buford died, probably of typhoid, in Washington D.C. five
months after the battle of Gettysburg. Grey Eagle participated
in his master’s funeral procession, which was attended
by President Lincoln.
Gimlet – The “celebrated
war horse of the Rappahannock” belonging to Private John
C. Babcock, perhaps the most publicized scout in the Civil
War. Babcock was an architect from Chicago whose drafting
skills led him to be assigned as a cartographer in Allen Pinkerton's
new Intelligence Bureau for the Army of the Potomac. Unlike
other mapmakers of the time, Babcock personally scouted the
front lines at great risk to himself and Gimlet. As a result,
however, he produced some of the most accurate maps of the
war, including one which was described by General McClellan
as the finest piece of topographical work he had ever seen.
Shadowing the Confederate army near Fredericksburg, Private
Babcock was credited with first discovering the Confederate
army's forward movement which ended at Gettysburg.
Handsome Joe - The warhorse
of Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick, commander of the VI Corps which
arrived on the battlefield on July 2nd after marching 35 miles
in just 15 hours. Surviving Gettysburg unharmed, General Sedgwick
was killed ten months later at the battle of Spotsylvania
Court House when he was shot by a Confederate sharpshooter
from more than a mile away. He was the highest-ranking Union
casualty in the entire Civil War. A statue just north of Little
Round Top depicts General Sedgwick sitting atop Handsome Joe.
The general’s other horses included Rambler and Cornwall.
Lancer - The horse ridden
by Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer, commander of the 2nd
Brigade (“Michigan Brigade”), 3rd Division, Cavalry
Corps, at Gettysburg. General Custer and two of his brothers
(one of whom had been awarded two Medals of Honor in the Civil
War) were famously killed 13 years later at the Battle of
the Little Big Horn, popularly known as “Custer’s
Last Stand.” Custer’s other horses included Don
Juan, Harry, Dandy, Vic, and Roanoke.
Old Baldy - The favorite
mount of Maj. Gen. George M. Meade, commander of the Army
of the Potomac. Baldy was wounded many times during the war,
including the second day of Gettysburg when he was hit in
the stomach by a bullet that first passed through Gen. Meade’s
right leg. Baldy survived the battle, however, and outlived
Meade himself by more than 10 years. Today, Baldy's head is
mounted on a plaque in a glass case, under the care of the
Old Baldy Civil War Round Table, on exhibit in the Meade Room
of the Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum of Philadelphia.
There is a monument to Meade, riding Baldy on the battlefield,
east of Hancock Avenue on the Leister farm. Meade’s other
horses included Blackie, Gertie, and Old Bill.
Old Jim - The horse ridden
to Gettysburg by Col. Strong Vincent, commander of a Union
brigade and native of Pennsylvania. In Hanover on July 1st,
Col. Vincent sat on Old Jim as he watched his headquarters
flag being unfurled and exclaimed to a staff officer, “What
death more glorious can any man desire than to die on the
soil of old Pennsylvania fighting for that flag.” True
to his prophecy, Vincent was mortally wounded at Gettysburg.
An engraving on a boulder on Little Round Top marks the spot
where he fell.
Pretty
- a "sprightly mare" ridden by Brig. Gen. David
McMurtrie Gregg, commander of a division of Union cavalry.
He helped stop Confederate cavalry General J.E.B Stuart, who
attacked the Union right flank on July 3rd about 3 miles east
of Gettysburg in what is now called the "East Cavalry
Field." Gregg, astride his faithful Pretty, is immortalized
by a statue in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Plug Ugly - The battle
mount of Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams, commander of the
XII Corps (replacing Slocum). Gen. Williams survived the war
unwounded, due in no small part to Plug Ugly, who was wounded
numerous times, including taking the brunt of a shell which
exploded beneath them at Chancellorsville. Plug Ugly survived
his wounds and was with the general at Gettysburg. He was
retired about a year later and died shortly thereafter. A
statue of Gen. Williams atop Plug Ugly stands at the intersection
of Central Avenue and Inselruhe Avenue on Belle Isle (Detroit).
Gen. Williams’ other horses were Yorkshire and Major.
Slicky - The horse ridden
by Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton, commander of the Cavalry Corps.
When his own horse was not readily available, Gen. Meade borrowed
Slicky on July 2nd in order to ride out to investigate reports
of a Confederate attack upon General Sickles' lines on the
Union left flank.
Tammany - The warhorse
of Maj. Gen. Dan Sickles, the controversial commander of the
III Corps. Gen. Sickles was sitting atop Tammany observing
the action around the Peach Orchard on July 2nd when he was
struck by a cannonball. The shell tore through the general’s
right leg, leaving it dangling below the knee. Tammany was
remarkably uninjured by the shell, however, and remained calm
as the general dismounted with the help of his aides. General
Sickles’ other horses included Grand Old Canister and
Grape.
-- The South --
Black (or "Old Black")
- the battle horse of Gen. George Edward Pickett, for whom
the famous "charge" on July 3rd was named. Black
was steady, strong, and sure-footed but would allow no one
but General Pickett to mount her. She was a charger –
staid and indifferent to bursting shells. Pickett's other
horses included Romeo (see below) and Lucy.
Butler - a burly bay,
the favorite horse of Brig. Gen. Wade Hampton III, a brigade
commander in J.E.B. Stuart's Division. At Gettysburg on July
3rd, Hampton earned the Confederate Medal of Honor when, despite
a saber wound to the head, he charged atop Butler to the aid
of a trooper who was fighting alone and surrounded by the
enemy. Hampton killed several of the enemy and rescued the
trooper but received a shrapnel wound to his hip and a second
saber wound which fractured his skull. Hampton and Butler
survived the battle and, upon the death of J.E.B Stuart the
next year, Hampton was promoted to lead the Cavalry Corps.
Hampton's other horse was Captain.
Dixie - The large dark
bay of Col. Edward Porter Alexander, commander of Alexander's
Battery, Artillery Reserve, and the officer in charge of the
massive artillery bombardment preceding Pickett's Charge.
Col. Alexander sometimes rode Meg, a shorter, lighter bay,
and it was said that his life was saved many times by his
choice of horses. While atop Dixie, it was said on some occasions
that his leg may have been taken off by a projectile if he
had been riding the smaller horse. And while atop Meg it was
said that his head would have been taken off by an artillery
shell if he had been riding the taller horse.
Fire Fly - The horse of
Maj. Gen. Robert E. Rodes, divisional commander in the Second
Corps, who led the successful assault from Oak Hill against
the right flank of the Union I Corps. The horse may have been
the namesake for a short-lived space western television series
which debuted in 2002. The writer and director of “Firefly”
was Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) whose
inspiration for the series came from reading The Killer Angels,
a novel about the Battle of Gettysburg.
Hero - ridden by Lt. Gen.
James Longstreet, commander of the First Corps. After the
death of Stonewall Jackson two months before Gettysburg, Lee
looked to Longstreet as his second-in-command, referring to
Longstreet as his “Old War Horse.” Under orders
by General Lee, Longstreet reluctantly supervised the disastrous
infantry assault known as Pickett’s Charge. There is
a monument to General Longstreet riding Hero at Pitzer Woods
(at the amphitheater).
Jeff Davis - The favorite
roan horse of Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood, divisional commander
in the First Corps. Of the horse, General Hood said, “whenever
he was in condition I rode him in battle and, remarkable as
it may seem, he generally received the bullets and bore me
unscathed.” At Gettysburg, Jeff Davis was lame and General
Hood could not mount him in the field. So General Hood mounted
another horse and, true to the superstition, was shot from
the saddle but survived. General Hood described Jeff Davis
as a “spirited and fearless animal” who performed
his duty and survived the war.
Jinny - the faithful mare
of Maj. Gen. Isaac Trimble, Aide de Camp, Second Army Corps
(Ewell’s). Upon the mortal wounding of Maj. Gen. Pender,
Trimble was assigned to lead one of the three southern divisions
in Pickett’s Charge. As they crossed the Emmitsburg Road,
a bullet smashed the general’s left ankle, also wounding
Jinny. Jinny managed to return the general to the Confederate
lines but subsequently died of her own wounds. General Trimble’s
leg was amputated but, for fear of infection during the long
retreat of the Southern army, he was left to be captured by
Union forces and spent the balance of the war in Federal prison
camps.
Magic - the dark chestnut
mount of Capt. William Blackford, Aide-de-camp of J.E.B Stuart.
Magic had a nervous temperament and was easily distracted
but unmatched in quickness and fiery spirit. "She was
as fleet as the wind and as active and as quick as a cat,
and no fence or ditch could stop her." Blackford's other
horses included Comet and Manassas.
Milroy - The new acquisition
of Brig. Gen. John Brown Gordon, a Brigade commander in Early's
Division, Second Corps. Milroy was an immense and majestic
coal-black stallion whose “neck was clothed with thunder.”
The horse was named for Union General Robert Milroy, from
whom he was captured two weeks before Gettysburg at the Second
Battle of Winchester. Although General Gordon was greatly
impressed with Milroy’s appearance, he said that Gettysburg
was “the first and only fight in which I attempted to
ride him” because when bullets started flying, Milroy
took off for the rear to the disgrace of his rider.
Old Fox - The steed of
Col. F. G Skinner, 1st Virginia Infantry, Kemper's Brigade,
Pickett's Division, First Corps. Old Fox was a sorrel famed
for prowess as a hunter. Ten months earlier, Col. Skinner
distinguished himself at the Second Battle of Manassas by
riding into the enemy’s artillery lines atop Old Fox
and cutting down the cannoniers "40 or 50 yds" in
advance of his own infantry. Colonel Skinner was wounded three
times (in the leg, chest, and arm) and removed from field
duty but was restored to command at Gettysburg where he led
the 1st Virginia Infantry during Pickett’s Charge.
Pocahontas - The horse
of Brig. Gen. George H. Steuart, commander of an infantry
brigade in Johnson’s Division, Second Corps. The general
was a native of Baltimore and was called “Maryland Steuart”
to distinguish him from Virginia cavalryman J.E.B. Stuart.
Upon entering Maryland during the Gettysburg campaign, General
Steuart was said to have jumped down from Pocahontas, kissed
his native soil, and performed seventeen double somersaults
while whistling the tune “Maryland, My Maryland”
(better known as the tune to "O Tannenbaum"). His
celebration was premature, however, as Steuart’s Brigade
lost nearly half its strength in the failed attempt to capture
Culp’s Hill. The horse was named for the daughter of
the Powhatan Indian chief.
Red Eye - Brig. Gen. Richard
B. Garnett initially rode a dark bay mare who was killed early
in the battle. Then he mounted his best horse, Red Eye, a
bay gelding. During Pickett’s Charge, horse and rider
went down in a hail of lead near the stone wall. Red Eye was
seen running back across Confederate lines 30 minutes later
but without his rider. In fact, the general’s body was
never recovered – very unusual for an officer of his
stature. It is assumed that the canister shot at close range
left his body unrecognizable and that he was buried in a mass
grave.
Rifle - the much-cherished
steed of Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell, commander of the Second Corps.
Gen. Ewell often rode in a buggy because his left leg was
amputated below the knee about a year before Gettysburg, making
it difficult to mount his horse. He kept Rifle, a “flea
bitten gray”, close at hand, however, and was sometimes
lifted into the saddle and strapped to his horse to avoid
falling off.
Romeo - a black gelding
belonging to Gen. George Edward Pickett whose name was immortalized
by the futile and bloody assault on the third day of the battle.
Although Pickett had several horses over the course of the
war (see "Black" above), he preferred Romeo for
special occasions, including when he accompanied General Lee
to the Appomattox surrender in 1865.
Traveller - The famous
mount of Gen. Robert E. Lee, commander of The Army of Northern
Virginia. Originally named “Jeff Davis,” the horse
was purchased by General Lee in 1862 and renamed Traveller
(with two L’s in the British style). Traveller was an
American Saddlebred, iron grey with black points. He was loved
by Lee because he had great stamina and was difficult to frighten.
Although General Lee was said to have most frequently ridden
another horse, Lucy Long, at Gettysburg, the general’s
statue on West Confederate Avenue depicts him upon his noble
steed, Traveller. Upon the general’s death in 1870, Traveller
marched in the funeral procession “his step slow and
head bowed” as if he understood the meaning of the occasion.
After his own death two years later, Traveller was buried,
exhumed, mounted for display, and finally reburied in 1971
next to the Lee Chapel on the campus of the University, a
few feet from General Lee’s own burial place. Lee’s
other horses included Brown-Roan, Richmond, and Ajax.
Virginia - ridden by Maj.
Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, commander of Stuart’s Division (Cavalry).
Virginia was credited with preventing Gen. Stuart’s capture
on the day before Gettysburg. Chased by a squad of Yankees
at the Battle of Hanover, Gen. Stuart spurred Virginia who
jumped a 15-foot-wide water-filled ditch, effecting their
escape. Gen. Stuart’s other horses included Highfly,
My Maryland, Skylark, General, Chancellor, Star of the East,
and Bullet.

List
of Gettysburg Segway Tours
and Rides
|