An Apple for Traveller
by Mort Kunstler

     There are few relationships more appreciated than that of a horse soldier and his mount. During the American Civil War, over a million horses perished in service to their respective causes. Few of them are remembered and revered today as much as Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveller. Buried at Lee Chapel, at the same site as his commander, this dappled grey American Saddlebred was known for his speed, strength and courage in combat. Lee acquired him in 1862, and rode him throughout the War and beyond.
In a letter penned during the War, Lee described his horse to Mrs. Lee’s cousin, Markie Williams, who wished to paint a portrait of Traveller. He wrote:

“If I was an artist like you, I would draw a true picture of Traveller; representing his fine proportions, muscular figure, deep chest, short back, strong haunches, flat legs, small head, broad forehead, delicate ears, quick eye, small feet, and black mane and tail. Such a picture would inspire a poet, whose genius could then depict his worth, and describe his endurance of toil, hunger; thirst, heat and cold; and the dangers and suffering through which he has passed. He could dilate upon his sagacity and affection, and his invariable response to every wish of his rider. He might even imagine his thoughts through the long night-marches and days of the battle through which he has passed.”