The Old Gray Mare

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The 112th Field Artillery Regiment (Horse-Drawn) was a New Jersey Army National Guard unit called into active military service in January of 1941. The Old Gray Mare describes life in this unit, the Army’s last horse-drawn field artillery unit, through the eyes of a young lieutenant during the Plattsburg Training Maneuvers in 1939 and during the 112th’s post-activation training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Old Gray Mare provides an insightful picture of the daily routine in garrison and the field of a horse unit during what proved to be the final year of its existence. It describes the close bonds formed between men and their horses, the care and handling required to maintain a well-trained horse artillery unit, the pride and professionalism developed by “serving the guns”, and the archaic, social environment that surrounded this elite formation. It gives witness to the dreaded man and horse-killing stampede of crazed animals as well as the excitement of the polo field that was so much a part of the fabric of the horse artillery. The Old Gray Mare is a light and entertaining book that gives a nostalgic view of a military unit forced out of existence by advances in technology at the beginning of World War II. It is an interesting and unique snapshot of a time and a life-style that no longer exists.