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Aragorn243
Ephrata, PA, USA
Posts: 1237
 | | Caltrops at Gettysburg | | Posted on: 7/25/2010 10:29:35 PM | Recently I came across a fellow selling caltrops which he claimed came from the Gettysburg area. I was intrigued by these but made no effort to purchase one as I question the authenticity of the items. I've never seen mention of them being used in the Civil War, let alone Gettysburg. Most were small, about the size of a ping pong ball or less but not as small as childrens jacks.
There was plenty of cavalry around but I also wonder about the effectiveness of the devices on dirt roads, especially with things so small that with a shod horse, it would probably not hit the horses foot anyway.
Anyone know anything about these?
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| Larry Purtell
Little Meadows, PA, USA
Posts: 722
| | Re: Caltrops at Gettysburg | | Posted on: 7/26/2010 7:58:19 AM | A caltrop the size of a ping pong ball would most definetly be a hazard to a horse. The shoe a horse wears only protects the out side edge of their foot. I have never heard of them being used at at Gettysburg or in the war itself.
Larry
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"My goal is to live forever. So far, so good.
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| Aragorn243
Ephrata, PA, USA
Posts: 1237
| | Re: Caltrops at Gettysburg | | Posted on: 7/26/2010 5:45:55 PM | I did some web surfing and found a few instances where people claim they found "boxes of them in the barn attic" or digging at this battlefield or that.
I'm wondering if they aren't finding some rather common thing that had another purpose and are applying the "caltrop" label to them.
Some guys say if they were used, why is there not mention in any orders, any requisitions, any contracts with manufacturers, etc.
I guess another possibility is that they were used in the Revolutionary War and are just dug up in areas which also had a Civil War battle nearby.
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