Traveller (horse)

Traveller

Traveller and Robert E. Lee
Other name(s)	Greenbrier
Species	Equus ferus caballus
Breed	American Saddlebred
Sex	Male
Born	1857 Near Blue Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County, Virginia
Died	1871
Resting place	Washington and Lee University
Owner	General Robert E. Lee
Weight	1,100 lb (500 kg)
Height	16 hands (64 in, 163 cm)
Appearance	Gray in color with black points

Traveller (1857–1871) was Confederate General Robert E. Lee's most famous horse during the American Civil War. He was a grey American Saddlebred of 16 hands, notable for speed, strength and courage in combat. Lee acquired him in February 1862, and rode him in many battles. Traveller outlived Lee by only a few months, and had to be shot when he contracted untreatable tetanus. His name is often misspelled with a single ‘L’ in the American style, though Lee actually used the British style double ‘L’, then the more common spelling in the United States.

Traveller, originally named Greenbrier, was born near the Blue Sulphur Springs, in Greenbrier County, Virginia (now West Virginia) and raised by Andrew Johnston. An American Saddlebred, he was of Grey Eagle stock; as a colt, he took the first prize at the Lewisburg, Virginia fairs in 1859 and 1860. As an adult he was a sturdy horse, 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm) high and 1,100 pounds (500 kg), iron gray in color with black points, a long mane and a flowing tail.

In the spring of 1861, a year before achieving fame as a Confederate general, Robert E. Lee was commanding a small force in western Virginia. The quartermaster of the 3rd Regiment, Wise Legion,Captain Joseph M. Broun, was directed to "purchase a good serviceable horse of the best Greenbrier stock for our use during the war." Broun purchased the horse for $175 (approximately $4,545 in 2008) from Andrew Johnston's son, Captain James W. Johnston, and named him Greenbrier. Major Thomas L. Broun, Joseph's brother recalled that Greenbrier:

... was greatly admired in camp for his rapid, springy walk, his high spirit, bold carriage, and muscular strength. He needed neither whip nor spur, and would walk his five or six miles an hour over the rough mountain roads of Western Virginia with his rider sitting firmly in the saddle and holding him in check by a tight rein, such vim and eagerness did he manifest to go right ahead so soon as he was mounted.