July 3, 2026 – Coldwater, MI – In the heart of downtown Coldwater, MI, at the 4-way stop there is a tribute story to a soldier who, under the dark of night, was secretly buried by his comrads who never spoke about their final mission.
Visitors often stop to admire a Civil War cannon standing watch in the town square. Just a few steps away is another memorial that tells the story of a different kind of hero. It isn’t dedicated to a general or a soldier. It honors a horse named Old Sam.
Sam never wore a uniform, yet he faithfully served alongside the men of Michigan’s Light Artillery during one of the nation’s darkest chapters.
According to the plaque, Sam was a 12-year-old horse when he was purchased from Branch County for the newly organized Michigan Light Artillery unit. Before the war, he had worked as an omnibus cart horse and was believed to be of Morgan horse stock. Purchased by O. Clark and S. Sealy, Sam became one of 72 horses selected to pull the heavy wagons and artillery that would follow soldiers into battle.
From 1861 through 1865, Sam endured the hardships of the Civil War.
Like the men he served beside, he often went hungry. He was wounded more than once, yet he continued pulling heavy loads over rough roads, through mud, rain, and smoke. Day after day, mile after mile, Sam never had the choice to quit. He simply kept going.
His finest hour came during the Battle of Chickamauga on Sept. 19, 1863.
As Confederate forces overwhelmed Union positions, Sam was part of a single six-horse team hidden in a wooded area. When the battle turned desperate, those horses were called into action. Sam helped pull one of the battery’s six Parrott cannons to safety.
The other five cannons were captured during the fighting. Eventually, all were recovered before the war ended, including Battery No. 6, Cannon No. 26, which today stands in the Coldwater park as a reminder of both the soldiers and the faithful horses who served beside them.
When the Loomis Battery was mustered out of service on July 28, 1865, Sam’s journey came full circle.
He was one of just two horses purchased by Brevet Brigadier General Cyrus Loomis and brought back home to Coldwater.
The war was finally behind him.
Sam spent his remaining years grazing peacefully on the Clark farm at the south end of Coldwater. But retirement didn’t keep him completely out of the public eye. Each year, he proudly took part in the community’s Decoration Day parade, joining veterans as they remembered those who never returned from the battlefield.
On Nov. 8, 1876, Old Sam died at the age of 27.
The men who had depended on him during the war could not bear to see him forgotten.
Under the cover of darkness, a group of Civil War veterans quietly carried Sam’s body to Oak Grove Cemetery. They buried him along the cemetery’s perimeter near the graves of Civil War soldiers. To protect the resting place of their loyal companion, they concealed the exact location. Only the veterans present that night knew where Sam lay.
More than a century later, that secret remains.
Although his original grave has never been identified, a memorial marker now stands in Oak Grove Cemetery, ensuring visitors remember the horse whose courage matched that of the men he served beside.
The 2026 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.
Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community. Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2026.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.
Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095
Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432
