General Meade's Old Baldy passes away

The picture is of his equestrian statue in Philadelphia located in Fairmount Park near the Please Touch Museum. The statue in Fairmount Park is notable for being the work of Alexander Milne Calder - who made the statue of William Penn that stands atop City Hall.  ( The son and grandson of Calder have works of art in and around the Phila Museum of Art.)

Meade's equestrian statue in Gettysburg was dedicated on June 5 1896, 125 years ago.  It features the Great General and also his steed named Old Baldy

It is this day that we note the passing of Old Baldy on December 16, 1882 - 140 years ago

 But also that Old Baldy has a new home on Frandkford Avenue where he was moved last month ... soon to be opened to the public

https://garmuslib.org 

From Wikipedia,

Baldy was sent north to Philadelphia and then to the farm of Meade's staff quartermaster, Captain Sam Ringwalt, in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. He was later relocated to the Meadow Bank Farm, owned by a friend of the Meade family, where he remained for several years.

He was moderately active in retirement and Meade rode the horse in several memorial parades. His last parade was as the "riderless horse" in the funeral procession of his master, in November 1872. Baldy lived another 10 years.

He was euthanized on December 16, 1882, at the age of 30, when he became too feeble to stand.

On Christmas Day of that year, two Union Army veterans (Albert C. Johnston and H.W.B. Harvey) disinterred Baldy's remains and decapitated him, sending the head to a taxidermist."

After that, a century later, the tale of Old Baldy is fraught with court cases and the undaunted affections of his followers, in stories too long to post here.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2010/03/fight_over_civil_war_horses_he.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Baldy_(horse)