1966-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1966 May Voice RS | Page 74

DESCRIPTION OF TRAVELER
AS DICTATED
By General Robert E. Lee to his daughter, Agnes, at Lexington, Virginia ,
after the War in response to some artist who had asked f0r a
description.
“If I were an artist like you, I would draw a true pic­
ture of Traveler, representing his fine proportions, muscu­
lar figure, deep chest and short back, strong haunches,
flat legs, small feet, and black mane and tail. Such a
picture would inspire a poet, whose genius could then de­
pict his worth and describe his endurance of toil, hunger,
thirst, heat, cold, and the dangers and sufferings through
which he has passed. He could dilate on his sagacity and
affection, and his invariable response to every wish of his
rider. He might imagine his thoughts, through the long
night marches and days of battle through which he has
passed. But I am no artist, I can only say that he is a
Confederate gray. I purchased him in the mountains of
Virginia in the autumn of 1861, and he has been my pa­
tient follower ever since—to Georgia, the Carolinas, and
back to Virginia. He carried me through the Seven Days
battle around Richmond, the ’second Manassas, at Sharps-
burg, Fredericksburg, the last day at Chancellorsville, to
Pennsylvania, at Gettysburg, and back to Rappahannock.
From the commencement of the campaign in 1864, at
Orange ’till its close around Petersburg the saddle was
scarcely off his back, as he passed through the fire of the
Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbour, and across the
Tames River He was almost m daily requisition in the
winter of 1864-65 on the long line of defenses from Chica-
hominy, north of Richmond, to Hatcher s Run, south of
the Aonomattox. In the campaign of 1865, he bore me
from Petersburg to the final days at Appomattox Court
House You must know the comfort he is to me in my
nresent retirement. He is well supplied with equipments.
Two sets have been sent to him from England, one from
the ladies of Baltimore, and one was made for him in
Richmond - but I think his favorite is the American saddle
from St Louis Of all his companions in toil, ‘Richmond,’
‘Brown Roan,’ ‘Ajax,’ and quiet ‘Long,’ he is the only one
that retained his vigor. The first two expired under their
enormous burden, and the last two failed. You can, I am
sure, from what I have said, paint his portrait.
General Robert E. Lee upon his fatuous mount, Traveler Th. ti ,„
, ,
,
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could have all contributed to his making The moneers nf t * ' uoroughbred, Morgan, and the Naraganset V
tributes today to our walking horses from the identical
brouSht much of the Foundation Blood
poise and conformation he resembles the walkina horse n( in? ° Vir9iuia where Traveler ice:
d. In 9e?jerfl
quenl throughout Virginia in many public buildings '
ZS ^eneral^on from the prints and 'paintings that a