#geningallsdog

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General Rufus Ingalls coach dog; City Point, Virginia, March 1865

“I am General Ingalls’s dog; whose pup are you?”

In City Point, Va., U.S. Gen. Rufus Ingalls’s popular dog became the focus of photographers.  U.S. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s and cavalry officer’s horses would pose for pictures.  Fighting units would include their mascots when they were photographed.  The dog would become one of the few pets to be photographed at least five times during the Civil War.  

In the 1860’s Dalmatians were a rare breed in America.  Furthermore, dogs were uncommon in an army camp.  Ingalls had returned from a trip to Washington D.C. with the Dalmatian.  The men enjoyed seeing the popular officer accompanied by his friend in fur.  

When Grant ran into his former West Point classmate Ingalls, he too would remark on the dog.

In Horace Porter’s book, “Campaigning with Grant”, we have a report of Grant-Ingalls interaction that includes the dog.

“One evening, as the general was sitting in front of his quarters, Ingalls came up to have a chat with him, and was followed by the dog, which sat down in the usual place at its master’s feet.

“The animal squatted upon its hind quarters, licked its chops, pricked up its ears, and looked first at one officer and then at the other, as if to say: ‘I am General Ingalls’s dog; whose pup are you?’

“In the course of his remarks General Grant took a look at the animal, and said: ‘Well, Ingalls, what are your real intentions in regard to that dog? Do you expect to take it into Richmond with you?’

“Ingalls, who was noted for his dry humor, replied with mock seriousness and an air of extreme patience: ‘I hope to; it is said to come from a long-lived breed.’

“This retort, coupled with the comical attitude of the dog at the time, turned the laugh upon the general, who joined heartily in the merriment, and seemed to enjoy the joke as much as any of the party.”