The value of pets in the Civil War

[LincolnMan]

I found this entry in the November/December 2012 issue of History Magazine:

"Nearly every company, certainly every regiment, in the service,, has a pet of some kind or other. It matters not whether the object of their affection be dog, cat, possum, cow or horse, whatever it be, the brute is loved by all, and woe be to the outsider who dares to insult or injure one of these pets. More personal encounters have been brought on between soldiers about some pet or animal, than in any other way. Occasionally these pets become great heroes, in their way, and then they become general favorites with the whole army."

Then there is this touching account:

"Many canine companions risked their lives to locate soldiers or simply comfort them as they lay dying. After the battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, a dog belonging to a fallen Union soldier of the 3rd Illinios Infantry, Lt. Louis Pfeiff, stayed by his side, licking his mortal wounds until he was buried. Shortly afterward, the lieutenant's wife, Elizabeth, was informed that her husband had been killed in the battle and buried on the battlefield. She went to find the body to take it back to a family plot in Chicago, but when she arrived on the battlefield, no one could direct her to his grave. After searching among the thousands of burial sites for over a day, she was about to give up when she saw a large dog running towards her. The dog led her to a distant part of the battlefield and stopped before a single grave. A soldier opened the grave and sure enough, it contained the body of Pfeif. The dog had remained by his slain master's grave for 12 days, leaving his post only long enough to satisfy his need for food and water-a true soldier indeed."