There is a little known group of distinguished horses that to my
knowledge has never been documented or recognized in any formal
way as a group. That group is the war horses whose remains have
been preserved and are on display. To my knowledge, there are
only four American military horses that belong to this group:
Commanche, Winchester, Old Baldy, and Little Sorrel. Old Baldy,
General George Meade’s Civil War mount at the battle of
Gettysburg and throughout most of the war was recently recovered
and in the news. He will soon be on display again. Only Old
Baldy’s head was preserved after his death. See the story here.
Baldy’s display seems to be somewhat half-hearted and makes me a
bit uncomfortable. Actually, I’m uncomfortable with the whole
idea of perserving the remains of these fine horses. But at
least, if its going to be done it should be done completely as
an honor, not partially, like a trophy. The other three horses
that I know of in this group are displayed with significantly
greater care and honor.