Changes at White Haven (left panel)
The end of the war brought many changes to the White Haven estate. The previously enslaved African Americans were free and appear to have left the area. Labor was now provided by German and French immigrants. Ulysses S. Grant now owned the property and planned to raise horses. While President he ordered construction of new stables, barns, and other structures. This stable was built to house his thoroughbred horses.
150 Years Ago - Grant's Horses (right panel)
Transportation during the Civil War was primarily done by horseback. A natural horseman from a very young age, Ulysses Grant excelled in the saddle. He was often found moving between and amongst his troops.
Near the end of the war he had three favorite horses, Egypt, Jeff Davis, and Cincinnati. Egypt was a gift from a group of prominent businessmen in the Egypt region of Southern Illinois. Grant used this tall dark bay throughout the Virginia campaign. Jeff Davis, a small horse confiscated from Jefferson Davis' older brother's estate, was the horse Grant rode when fighting in dense forested areas. Cincinnati is probably the best known of Grant's horses. He was a very tall horse at nearly 17 hands or 5 ½ feet at the shoulder. Ulysses S. Grant was mounted on Cincinnati the
day he rode to the Mclean House at Appomattox Court House to accept General Robert E. Lee's surrender.
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