Scenes of the U.S. Army in the Punitive Exp. Era

[Pat Holscher]

Note the symbol on the blanket:
http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN01000 ... N01555.JPG
http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN01000 ... N01549.JPG
http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN01000 ... N01548.JPG

These really point out how a long a leg they rode with. I would have thought it would have been shorter with all the cross country riding they did. Was this the norm for the time or did a fully packed saddle require this length?

Jim

Here are the links again.

http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN01000 ... N01555.JPG
http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN01000 ... N01549.JPG
http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN01000 ... N01548.JPG

These appear to be bandsmen, but I think that was the norm for the time depicted. The much shorter stirrups were a post WWI introduction.

I don't think the size of the pack had anything to do with it. The pack remained comparable throughout the McClellan's period of service. Rather, longer stirrups were simply more the norm in the service prior to Caprilli's influence being felt. Even today some rough country riders ride with stirrups longer than the Ftl Riley type of seat would generally provide for. Most Western riders, for example, while not riding a super long stirrup, do not ride a very short one.

This is not to discount the forward seat, or military seat, by any means. But the military seat of this ear is not what it would become after World War One.

[Pat Holscher]

Note also that the middle bandsmen has a shorter stirrup. Part of what we're seeing may simply be because these are bandsmen, but again, the military seat of the 30s isn't what these soldiers would have rode with.

[Pat Holscher]

Tom,
That is a Model 1912 Service Saddle shown in that photo. During the Punitive Expedition, it was in use by many companies within the various cavalry regiments deployed into Mexico and along the border. The regiments seem to be a mixed bag of companies using the Model 1912 equipments and companies using the McClellan equipments.
Best,
Rick T.

Bumped up on this item, given the thread on 1912s.

[Pat Holscher]

Security duty. Note the field boots on the US trooper.

[Pat Holscher]

Interesting photograph of American artillery, from the Yale site Couvi found:

http://brbl-images.library.yale.edu/WAP ... 066087.jpg

Note the details of the rider on the right.

[Pat Holscher]

Truck transported artillery in the really early days:

http://brbl-images.library.yale.edu/WAP ... 066207.jpg

[Pat Holscher]

4th Cav, Cloudcraft NM:

http://brbl-images.library.yale.edu/WAP ... 066455.jpg

[Pat Holscher]

Nice shot of artillery.

http://brbl-images.library.yale.edu/WAP ... 066629.jpg

[Pat Holscher]

Bowing horse.

http://brbl-images.library.yale.edu/WAP ... 066693.jpg

[Couvi]

Interesting photograph of American artillery, from the Yale site Couvi found:

http://brbl-images.library.yale.edu/WAP ... 066087.jpg

Note the details of the rider on the right.

The gun and limber look like a 3” Gun, Model of 1902, but the mules pulling it are an aberration.
The harness looks like escort wagon harness or common plow harness, but the saddle on the lead
mule has a big horn. I cannot see enough of the saddle on the wheeler to tell, but the stirrups
look like McClellan stirrups. There is an odd-looking saddle bag on the near wheeler and on the
out-rider’s saddle.

Note the steel stirrups on the saddle of the rider at right and that odd bridle that is commonly seen
on mules, both riding and pack, of that period.

Note, also, the cap badges of the individuals. These might be US Marine Corps. Didn’t they land at
Vera Cruz?

[Couvi]

Nice shot of artillery.

http://brbl-images.library.yale.edu/WAP ... 066629.jpg

Note the long stirrups Pat mentioned in another post.

[Pat Holscher]

Interesting photograph of American artillery, from the Yale site Couvi found:

http://brbl-images.library.yale.edu/WAP ... 066087.jpg

Note the details of the rider on the right.

The gun and limber look like a 3” Gun, Model of 1902, but the mules pulling it are an aberration.
The harness looks like escort wagon harness or common plow harness, but the saddle on the lead
mule has a big horn. I cannot see enough of the saddle on the wheeler to tell, but the stirrups
look like McClellan stirrups. There is an odd-looking saddle bag on the near wheeler and on the
out-rider’s saddle.

Note the steel stirrups on the saddle of the rider at right and that odd bridle that is commonly seen
on mules, both riding and pack, of that period.

Note, also, the cap badges of the individuals. These might be US Marine Corps. Didn’t they land at
Vera Cruz?

They did land at Vera Cruz. I'll bet these are Marines. I wonder if they're Marines with a locally acquired set of mounts with some improvised tack set ups.

[Pat Holscher]

Also, the rider with the hooded stirrups has the previous pattern of campaign hat. Photos of Marines in this period show that they hadn't all been issued the new campaign hat.

[Pat Holscher]

Bumped up for wagon photographs.

[Pat Holscher]

Interesting photograph of Oklahoma Guardsmen with a locomotive.

http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN02000 ... N02043.JPG

I'm surprised by the apparent vintage of this locomotive. It looks older than this era, although I suppose locomotives had a pretty long shelf life.

[Philip S]

Interesting photograph of Oklahoma Guardsmen with a locomotive.

http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN02000 ... N02043.JPG

I'm surprised by the apparent vintage of this locomotive. It looks older than this era, although I suppose locomotives had a pretty long shelf life.

I have a photo of a similar locomotive made about 1880. The photo appears to be about 1900 so the locomotive would be older but still in the proper period. Smaller locomotives like this were often downgraded in service to lighter duty and lasted for many long years. Some even made it to WWII. The ballon stack was a filter for sparks. It is a nice picture too bad it cannot be enlarged.

[Philip S]

Did you notice the Leg-o-Mutton gun case just to the right of the pole?

[Pat Holscher]

Did you notice the Leg-o-Mutton gun case just to the right of the pole?

No I didn't. Not until you posted the reference to it.

[Pat Holscher]

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675 ... rican-flag

[Pat Holscher]

http://blogs.archives.gov/todaysdocumen ... xpedition/