The Mule Train, A Civil War Short Story

While this is written as a short story it is based on actual events that happened during the Civil War in western Virginia. The story is taken from my book, “The Most Hated Man in Clarksburg”

It was mid-June 1861 and Union Captain Charles Leib, the Assistant Quartermaster General from Clarksburg, Virginia was in Parkersburg, Virginia visiting his friend and fellow Quartermaster, Captain Craig. As a new Quartermaster Leib had a number of questions of Captain Craig, an experienced and highly trained Quartermaster; one of those was the high cost of horseflesh that the Army needed to move men and materials to ‘the seat of war’. The cost of horses had skyrocketed, and he was worried that the cost of animals would continue to increase.

“You know Craig, when I was in Iowa and Kansas, we found that the best animals for use in rough terrain were mules. In Clarksburg my waggoneers are constantly complaining about the fact that the miserable roads in western Virginia are killing hundreds of horses every week. I’ve had a difficult time hiring wagons to haul supplies because the men that I’m leasing from complain that they can’t afford the loss of draft animals hauling supplies to some of the more distant locations.

I have a contact in St. Louis, a man that I met during my travels in the west who might be able to assist us in this endeavor. He’s a ‘muleskinner’, goes by the name of Paul Guitar. If anyone can solve my problem with mules it’s Paul – one of the best in the business!”

“Leib, I’ve got a ‘deal’ for you. I’ve got a corral with some of the most vicious animals God ever created on earth – Army Mules! These mules are unbroken, cantankerous, and an absolute nuisance. They’ll eat almost anything. In fact, they are actually gnawing at the fences in the corral! If you want them, I’d be more than happy to send them to you. I’ve heard that they are excellent draft animals once they’re broken. But I’ve had a couple of farm boys hurt badly trying to tame these beasts. If you want them, I’ll be more than pleased to send them to you. But all I can say is ‘May God have mercy on your soul,” he said with a laugh.

About a month later, once the mules had arrived from Parkersburg, a man appeared at the Quartermaster’s office in Clarksburg. He introduced himself as Paul Guitar and demanded to see Captain Leib!

Paul Guitar was slovenly dressed with dark swarthy skin. In his appearance Quartermaster Sergeant Phillip Farnsworth could tell that this was a man that was used to hard work outside. He wasn’t a tall man, about 5’5” from what Farnsworth could surmise. But this man didn’t appear to be a person who lived a life of luxury. He accurately spit his chaw out into the spittoon and slumped into a chair as he awaited his audience with Captain Leib.

Outside the office eight men, similarly dressed, sat on the porch, and waited for their boss to come back out and give them some direction. Each of these was dressed in western garb; big floppy hats, carrying riatas and chaps and other paraphilia of their trade. They sat on the porch chewing large wads of tobacco and covering the ground with the remnants of their chaws. They spoke in a foreign tongue amongst themselves and were unintelligible to any of the locals. They laughed and occasionally got up and walked over to the corral where they talked to the mules and whispered into their large floppy ears. These rugged men were westerners and had come to tame these wild beasts.

“Paul, good to see you, my friend. It’s been a while. I’m glad that you came. We’ve got a real mess here on our hands and I figured that you’re just the right man for this situation. I hope that you and your men agree to the payment sums that we’ve offered.”

“Chas, the pay is excellent. We figured that the Army would pay a lot better than the fur traders in St Louis. To be honest with you the fur market is about washed-up and it’s time for us to move on. The Indians are unfettered out on the plains right now since the Union Army has withdrawn most of the cavalry units and sent them east. The militia cavalry isn’t capable of doing anything as of yet and they are really trying to control the situation in Kansas. I was working with the Third Wisconsin Cavalry out of Topeka, and they are about as green of an outfit as you can get. They’ve got a lot to learn about Indian fighting and these rebels are really stirring them up. I guess that the Cherokee have even raised a couple of regiments down in Oklahoma that are claiming loyalty to the Confederacy. My mule trains out there have become a prime target for raids and fighting. I’ve lost some good men and I’m hoping that things will change here out east.”

“Paul, as I said in my telegram to you, I need your men here to help me move mountains of supplies across these rugged mountain roads. While not like anything out in the western territories these roads are terrible and we’re losing wagons right and left due to busted wheels, axels and failing breaks. The solution is mule trains until the engineers can get these horrible roads up to speed. We’ve only got one macadamized road, and it runs from here east to Winchester, Virginia. The rest of the roads are a mire of mud and muck. I figure we can get maybe one or two months use out of them and then only in the summer when it’s not raining. I’ve got about four hundred mules right now in the corral, but the local farm boys have almost gotten killed trying to tame them to harness or packs. I figure that your men are the real experts and that with your help we can get things organized.

You are willing?”

“Chas, before I came in here me and the boys looked over some of your stock and except for some of the really young ones it looks like you’ve got some good material for us to break. Let me get the guys settled and we’ll get started in the morning. I’ll want to take a look at the gear that the Army is issuing you and we’ll see if we can’t get a pack mule convoy out of here in a couple of days. I’ll need to get with some of your Army boys and train them on proper packing and handling of these mules.”

“Great, Paul. I’ve got six rooms for you at the Walker Hotel just up the street. I’ll have Sergeant Farnsworth move you and your men up there so that you can get settled in. I’ve got rooms there myself and I’ll see you this evening in the bar.”

The following morning Paul Guitar and his men went to work. Paul would select a mule from the corral and he and two others would slowly lower the mules head with their hands, rubbing its nose and scratching its ears. They would talk to the mules in a low whisper as they slowly and carefully put a halter around the animal’s neck. At first the mule would resist but after a few minutes they were able to lead the animal to the fence and feed and water it.

The next step was a bit trickier. Two muleskinners would scratch and talk to the mule as the third man placed a blanket on the back of the animal. There would be some resistance, but they quickly and efficiently calmed the mule and led it around the compound so that it could get adjusted to the weight of the blanket. After rewarding the mule with a couple of sugar cubes the men would then carefully strap on the packsaddle and lead the mule around the compound.

By the end of the day twenty-five animals had been broken to their halters and packs. Not a single muleskinner had been injured. The next day they began working with the mules and slowly loading their pack frames adding a little additional weight each time and rewarding good behavior of each animal with a sugar cube or a piece of sliced apple. While part of Guitar’s crew worked on increasing the pack loads the others continued to ‘break’ the mules to their pack frames.

These men were experts, and the mules responded to their kindness and their respect for each animal. Some of the local boys watched from the fence in awe. They had expected to see a bunch of bloodied, bruised, and broken men to come out of the corral each day. Instead, they came back to the hotel laughing and joking about their day’s experiences. The Army was paying them almost twice as much as if they were a common Army Corporal, feeding them good meals and putting them up in one of the best hotels in the City. Within a week Paul Guitar and his men had over 100 mules ready to form their first pack train to resupply the Army’s garrison in Weston.

This first mule train would be a test. Captain Leib was going to send a wagon train south to Weston along the Good Hope Road, as well as a Mule train, twenty-six miles distant. Each of the ten wagons, pulled by six horses, would be loaded with about one thousand pounds of goods for a total of five tons of materials. Guitar’s 25 mules would also move down the road with each mule carrying a load of 400-pounds. The wagons would take the lead followed by the mule train as they started off.

By the time they reached Davisson Run the wagons made their first stop to repair a broken wagon. The Mule train plodded by them with Guitar leading the mules.

The mule train lumbered along, but not without some issues of their own. As they were approaching the Yochym farm one of the mules was startled by a snake along the road and bolted from the train throwing its cargo out of the pack and onto the ground. This caused a minor disruption with the nearby animals. Juan Benitez calmed his animals and began reloading the pack. While they were stopped Guitar ordered the men and soldiers to recheck their packs and tighten up the load. What he found was totally unsatisfactory. The packs were of very poor quality and the majority of them had loosened to the point of falling off the mules. He made the adjustments that they could before proceeding down the road.

They stopped along the West Fork River and watered and fed their animals and gave the men a well needed break. The wagon train was nowhere to be seen! After their break they once again began their trek. By the time they arrived at the small town of Good Hope they settled into camp for the night along a small stream where they could water and feed their mules and rest for the evening. They had covered over twelve miles that day and that was after a late start waiting for the wagon train to finish loading and for their cavalry escort to form up to protect the convoy. When the mule train had separated from the wagons the cavalry lieutenant had sent a squad along to guard the mule train.

Late that evening the wagon train finally caught up with them and settled in for the night. Most of the waggoneers didn’t get much sleep that night. Before they could bed down, they had to walk and water their animals and provide grain and fodder for their creatures. The mules had been allowed to graze down near the river and the hungry animals feasted on the bushes and grass. A mule, unlike a horse, can digest almost anything while a horse’s digestive system required a balance between grain and fodder. One of the wagons in the convoy carried almost 2,000 pounds of grain and fodder for the 80 horses that were pulling the wagons or being led as replacements. During the first day’s trip six horses had to be unhitched and placed under guard at the rear of the wagons or left along the road because they had come up lame and needed veterinary care.

The muleskinners carried a thirty-pound feed sack for each animal slung around the pack’s saddle horn. After the animals had grazed, they were fed a few pounds of grain to top off their meal.

At 3 a.m. the bugler sounded ‘Boots and Saddles’ and the wagon train once again headed out along the road. Paul Guitar’s men slept in until daylight. As they were getting up and fixing their breakfast the last of the wagons pulled out ahead of them. About an hour later the mule train was loaded and headed south along the Good Hope Pike.

It didn’t take them long to pass up the wagon train once again. One of the wagons had crashed into the side of the bridge crossing Hackers Creek about five miles from the start. The wagon was blocking the bridge, and the wagon masters were busy clearing the wagon from the bridge and loading its cargo into other wagons. The wagon’s damage was unrepairable along the road, so it was unhitched and abandoned. One of the animals had been badly hurt and had to be put down. The other seven were tied to the back of the surviving wagons.

When the mule-train came across the damaged wagon and blocked bridge they simply forded the small creek and continued along the roadway. About two miles later they pulled into the little village of Jane Lew and rested the animals along the creek. Each muleskinner opened their bag of grain and fed his animals and rechecked the loads and the pack saddles. Paul was still unhappy. During this short trip it was evident that the Union Army had been supplied with poor quality pack saddles. He and his experienced men made obvious repairs to their equipment. They retightened the packs and checked out their animals.

They stayed for an hour waiting for the wagon train to appear. Finally, after the wagons still hadn’t arrived, the muleskinners loaded up and headed towards Weston. Around noon they made a final stop along Maxwell Run on the outskirts of the town and made sure that everything was neat and orderly. They wanted to make a good impression on the townspeople and the military officers garrisoned there.

By two o’clock they arrived at the Quartermaster’s warehouse and delivered their supplies. It took the Quartermaster’s detail about an hour to offload the mules, sign the proper receipts and water and feed the animals. By three o’clock the mule train was heading north back to Clarksburg. Each muleskinner rode an animal and pulled the others behind as they headed back to Clarksburg. As they approached Jane Lew, they finally found the wagon train resting along the road. The wagon train was minus two additional wagons that had been left along the pike.

They spent the night in Jane Lew and took advantage of a large flat area along Hacker’s Creek to camp for the night and rest their animals. In the morning, they awoke, took a leisurely break for breakfast and by 8 o’clock they were back on the road to Clarksburg. By noon they arrived in the small town of Good Hope where they took a siesta, fed the last of the grain to their animals and rechecked their equipment. By 7 o’clock that evening Paul Guitar and his men reported into the Quartermaster’s office and gave Captain Leib a report of their journey.

“Well Chas, the mule train went well. I would expect that the wagon train, what will be left of it, will get back here sometime tomorrow afternoon if they’re lucky. However, these packs that they US Army has been issued are terrible. One of my mules back is pretty badly torn up. There’s no padding on the packs and the belly belts are of inferior quality. I’m going to take some time and redesign the packs and the pads so that we don’t have the same issues that we had going to Weston. A longer trip would have really been tough on the animals and my men. We know of at least two wagons that had to be abandoned along the road down to Weston and I imagine that more will be lost on the return trip. They had a number of horses that went lame and at least one had to be put down.

One thing that I know from my experiences out west is that it’s hard to hide a wagon. Those big white tops are a giveaway. If the rebel bushwhackers had wanted to they could have easily stopped that Wagon train. However, we can take the mules single file into the woods and not present as easy a target for these raiders. Had to do that a number of times to avoid the Indians while bringing Mr. Astor’s furs in from the hills. That wagon train also wasted one whole wagon just carrying enough feed and fodder for the teams. My mules only needed a few cups of grain every day and they would graze and browse on anything they wanted to eat when we stopped. They seemed to really like the cattails that we found in one stream that we crossed. One of my men can lead up to four mules which means that we’ll have one man for every 1,600 pounds of goods. A wagon required a driver and an assistant for about 1,000 pounds. Once I get some more men trained to pack and care for our mules I think we’ll have a more efficient means of transporting goods to the troops in the field at a far less cost per ton.”

Captain Leib had found the solution to his problem. By using mule trains in the mountainous terrain, he was able to adequately resupply distant Union camps and minimize the loss of transport wagons and horses. He was able to use horses for better purposes than hauling heavy supplies. Over the next few months mule trains became familiar sights on the miserable roads in Western Virginia. Eventually Paul Guitar and his muleskinners would train Leib’s men to gently break new mounts and carefully care for these once feared animals. Once he was satisfied Guitar and his men moved further east to Cumberland to perform the same ‘miracle’ in other Union camps.

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