7tncav

While Walter Jenifer's attempt to merge several
saddle designs into one proved inauspicious, the
effort to do the same by Captain George McClellan
proved quite successful. The experiments on the
Hope, Grimsley, Campbell, and Jones saddles were
well under way when McClellan submitted his
recommendations for a cavalry saddle in early 1857.
He had been sent on a tour of Europe to observe the
tactics and equipment used by the European armies,
but upon his return, he was more impressed with the
American saddle designs under consideration.
McClellan's saddle was a merger of the other
experimental saddles, incorporating the cantle and
sidebars of the Hope and blending the
characteristics of the Campbell and Grimsley
Dragoon pommels. The rigging bore traits of the
Grimsley Dragoon and the Hope. One modification
was made after the test, which was the addition of a
rawhide cover that had made the Spanish and Hope
saddles so durable.

McClellan retired from the military in 1857 to become
vice-president of the Illinois Central Railroad, a
position that was believed to be influential, from a
financial and political standpoint, in assisting his
saddle's acceptance by the review board. The
McClellan was adopted in 1859 as the official saddle
for U.S. troops, but whether or not his influence
determined the decision, the saddle proved to be
exceptional. Its simplicity, durability and light weight
made it ideal for cavalry use. The large open slot in
the tree and its deep gullet allowed the saddle to
settle on a horse's back without abusing it- even
when the animal lost considerable weight. The
Confederates considered it quite a prize when
captured.

By the second year of the war, Confederate saddlers
were manufacturing copies of the McClellan with
russet leather or even tarred linen rigging with varying
degrees of quality. Although these were usually
better than other Confederate "issue" saddles at the
time, the U.S. models were almost always superior
and it was a proud Confederate trooper who could
boast of having a full set of Yankee tack and
equipment. With slight modifications, the McClellan
saddle saw service well into the 20th century, making
it one of the longest issued pieces of equipment in
American military history.versions of this saddle,
including a hybrid of the Spanish and English
saddles.

After the war with Mexico the term "Spanish" was
dropped from usage and the saddle acquired
regional names such as the Texas, California or
Missouri saddles. By the 1840's several firms in
Texas became notable for making this style of
saddle, which the Texans called the Hope. Prominent
among these saddlers was Rice and Childress of
San Antonio, Texas. In 1855, when the War
Department began trials on equestrian equipment for
the purpose of establishing a regulation saddle for
mounted troops, Rice and Chidress submitted their
design among four types of saddles to be tested.
Several hundred sets of Hope saddles were issued
to the 2nd U.S. Cavalry with positive results. Although
the McClellan saddle was finally accepted in 1859,
the excellent reputation of the Hope endured.

At the outbreak of hostilities between the North and
South in 1861, many former officers brought their
Hope saddles into Confederate service. The Hope
was popular with new recruits along the Mississippi
valley as well as Texas. John Johnston, who joined
the 7th Tennessee Cavalry in the winter of 1863,
attested to the Hope's popularity among his fellow
troopers in his memoirs. By 1863, Confederate
saddlers were manufacturing versions of the Hope
as well as the McClellan to replace the unpopular
Jenifer as the regulation saddle for mounted troops.

Cris Malone