Shavetails and Bell Sharps

`

Shavetails and Bell Sharps

The History of the U.S. Army Mule

Emmett M. Essin

259 pages
Illus

Paperback

October 2000

978-0-8032-6740-4

$19.95 Add to Cart

About the Book

The last U.S. Army mules were formally mustered out of the service in December 1956, ending 125 years of military reliance on the virtues of this singular animal. Much less glamorous than the cavalryman’s horse, the Army pack mule was a good deal more important: from the Mexican War through World War II, mules were an indispensable adjunct to army movement.
 
The author has exhaustively researched the ubiquitous yet nearly invisible army mule. Through his work we learn a great deal about military procurement, transport, and supply, the bedrock on which military mobility rests.

Author Bio

Emmett M. Essin is a professor of history and the director of Developmental Studies at East Tennessee State University.