What was the name of Jacksons horse?
View Photo 1 Photo 2 ) In the spring of 1861, while he was in command at Harper’s Ferry, Jackson acquired the horse that he rode throughout the war. Although the horse was originally purchased by Jackson as a gift for his wife and initially named “Fancy,” this name was short-lived. Jackson decided to keep the horse, and it was universally known as “Little Sorrel.” Described as small (approximately 15 hands) and gaunt, but with remarkable powers of endurance, Little Sorrel remained Jackson’s favorite and he was riding this horse when he was mortally wounded at Chancellorsville. After the war, Little Sorrel first returned to North Carolina with Mrs. Jackson, and subsequently was sent to VMI, where he grazed on the VMI Parade Ground and was a favorite of cadets. He died in March 1886, at the age of 36, and his mounted hide is now on display in the VMI Museum in Lexington, Virginia. Little Sorrel’s bones were cremated and interred on the grounds of VMI in 1997.
