The Confederate Highwheeler Dragoons

Recycle alert: this was originally in my AH newsletter in summer of 2008

The south's early lead in HighWheeler or bicycle technology was doubly ironic, first because the first recognizable bicycle was actually built in Philadelphia in 1854, and second because its inventor, Irving Blanchard, was an ardent Abolitionist.


Blanchard's invention, which he called the "Fast Foot", enjoyed a brief period of popularity in Philadelphia and other northern cities. It also spread to England and France. The period of popularity was brief, and the Fast Foot's nickname 'boneshaker' gives a pretty good indication of why its popularity faded. The Fast Foot was made entirely of wood, including its tires. That made for a very rough ride on the cobblestone or dirt roads of the mid-1850s.


The bicycle fad faded quickly from the northern cities. Blanchard had sunk a great deal of money into building his machines. His company went bankrupt in 1856.


While some southern historians claim that South Carolina inventor Anthony Archer invented his series of bicycles independently, it is almost certain that he was aware of Blanchard's work prior to building his first machine in 1856. Archer started with machines much like the Fast Foot, but he quickly realized that metal construction of the frame was key to a successful machine. Unfortunately, the metal working of the day was not up to the demands of building the designs Archer had in mind. However, Anthony Archer was able to interest his uncle, Robert Archer in the problem. Robert Archer played a major role in the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond Virginia, and he was able to produce the necessary parts for the first metal bicycle in 1859.


Metal bicycles were somewhat lighter, sturdier and more manageable than wooden ones, and Archer's Sumter Bicycle Works was modestly successful, primarily around its headquarters in Charlestown South Carolina. Archer's bicycles still had a very rough ride though, and with their peddles attached directly to the front wheels they were limited in their speed.


Bicycle racing was becoming popular in areas around Charlestown, and other southern cities, especially Richmond. That put a premium on speed. Without a workable chain system, the easiest way to make a bicycle faster was to make the front wheel bigger. Through 1860, Archer and several upstart competitors in the bicycle industry competed to put bigger and bigger front wheels on their bikes, as rear wheels shrank. The big wheels made for a somewhat better ride, and it also increased speed. Public enthusiasm for bicycle racing spread, as did trails designed specially for the new vehicles.


The racing fad spread to France and England, but not to the northern cities of the US with their previous bad experience with the "boneshakers". In the south, bicycles quickly developed to the classic high-wheeler configuration, with front wheels as large as the owners leg length could handle.
 
As the secession crisis became more bitter, the south had a large body of athletic young men used to riding high-wheelers. The north did not. High wheelers were not the ideal military transportation. Riders were vulnerable to rifle fire and unable to fire back without stopping and dismounting. However, lightly armed troops on high-wheelers could move faster than horsed cavalry over long distances if good roads or trails were available. That meant that in the early days of the war of secession the south could move messages and small bodies of lightly armed but highly motivated troops much more quickly than the north.


That ability to move lightly armed troops quickly served the south well in the confused early struggles in border states such as Missouri and Kentucky and border areas such as northwestern Virginia. Confederate Highwheeler Dragoons played a prominent role in both areas. As the war went on though, the importance of the dragoons decreased, and they were for the most part relegated to scouting and raiding.


Other "Bicycle" Uses in the War of Secession: The south used bicycle mechanisms extensively in railroad transportation carts in lieu of scarce locomotives. The Confederate Navy also used variations of that mechanism in their moderately successful harbor defense submersibles. Though the south lost far more submersible crews than the north lost in warships, Confederate submersibles were a deterrent to Union naval operations near the southern coast.


Bicycles for the North: The north was slow to produce their own bicycle troop, partly because of the lack of trained riders and an infrastructure to produce the machines. However, by 1863, the union had formed several high-wheeler units of its own. In late 1863 union bicycle manufacturers introduced the first chain driven bicycles. That allowed them to equal the speed of the high-wheelers without the high learning curve and danger to the riders. By mid-1864 the north's bicycle dragoons were far more numerous than their confederate counterparts and they played a major role in Grant's march to the sea.


In spite of their early triumphs, the Confederate HighWheeler Dragoons, like the rest of the Confederacy, were overwhelmed by the superior manpower and production capability of the north.
 
So what was alternate history about all of that? Well, the bicycle just missed being invented in time for the Civil War. It was actually invented in France in the late 1860s. What was the point of all of this? I just thought that the idea of Confederate troops on high-wheelers somehow fit, so I came up with a scenario where that could happen.

Any other ideas on how this might have played out?
 
Interesting. Possibly, after the war is over, large-scale military use of bicycles will become a reality? The other possibility I see is bicycles getting a stigma as the "rides of the Rebels" and therefore might fall out of popularity quite a bit postwar.
 

Glen

Moderator
Dale, why don't you consider the ramifications of having an alternate means of rapid transportation (relatively speaking) during the war. I know that horses will still be more widespread, but maybe you can think of some scenarios where bicycles would have made a difference, especially in the delivery of messages.
 
Wow, that was pretty interesting. Dont exactly know how it would affect history though. But is it possible that if they cause enough of an impact or lasting memory to Northerner armies that bicycles could be banned after the war?
 
I'd wager that the demands of combat would lead to a far more rapid evolution of the bicycle. Like you already stated, the whole "boneshaker" design was ill-suited to the realities of combat. As soon as the war starts, I'll bet that inventors will be working on designing better bikes for the front lines. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to imagine the earlier advent of a Safety Bicycle frame using perhaps a chain drive, or a treadle drive for propulsion.

With their lower profile and lower center of gravity, these next generation of "combat bicycles" would be much more suited to operations in the ACW, and allow the south to raise more Bicycle cavalry units. Of course inevitably one of these new combat bikes will be captured by the North allowing them to train their own bicycle troops. I'd be surprised if by 1863 anyone is still using "high-wheelers" except for the south, due to a lack of newer models.

Once you have the whole chain-drive down, it's also not a huge step to move towards multiple gears (like a 10 speed) leading to greater efficiency. Shocks too aren't out of the realm of possibility. Given enough pressure, primitive mountain bikes wouldn't be altogether implausible by the end of the American Civil War...

Following the war, you're going to see a major bicycle surge across the world, though primarily in civilian markets. You might see a boost to early feminism (Susan B. Anthony in OTL called the bicycle a "Freedom Machine") and bike technology would be easily a few decades ahead of what it was in OTL. Militarily though, Europe won't accept the bike's military usage out of distaste for the tactics of the "brutish amateur Americans" just like OTL. World War I however, just might change that...
 
Leather belt?

A chain drive requires a lot of machineing and precision parts. But--early locomotives such as the Tomb Thumb, early motorcucles (Like the Harley Davidson) and many mills used a leather belt drive. Could that work?
 
How about steam powered bicycles? (Do I detect a groan when steam power is mentioned on this site?)

The first succesful 'steambike' is said to be the
Michaux-Perreaux steam-vélocipède made in Paris in 1868. The first manufactured in the US is thought to have been that produce by Sylvester Howard Roper of Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1869.

The dates are not that far removed from the Civil War period. Bring forward the technology a decade or delay the Civil War (or both) and the proposal for military use becomes more feasible (whether succesful or not in the field). Oh yes, Mr Roper would have to be moved south, of course!
 
I'd wager that the demands of combat would lead to a far more rapid evolution of the bicycle. Like you already stated, the whole "boneshaker" design was ill-suited to the realities of combat. As soon as the war starts, I'll bet that inventors will be working on designing better bikes for the front lines. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to imagine the earlier advent of a Safety Bicycle frame using perhaps a chain drive, or a treadle drive for propulsion.

With their lower profile and lower center of gravity, these next generation of "combat bicycles" would be much more suited to operations in the ACW, and allow the south to raise more Bicycle cavalry units. Of course inevitably one of these new combat bikes will be captured by the North allowing them to train their own bicycle troops. I'd be surprised if by 1863 anyone is still using "high-wheelers" except for the south, due to a lack of newer models.

Once you have the whole chain-drive down, it's also not a huge step to move towards multiple gears (like a 10 speed) leading to greater efficiency. Shocks too aren't out of the realm of possibility. Given enough pressure, primitive mountain bikes wouldn't be altogether implausible by the end of the American Civil War...

Following the war, you're going to see a major bicycle surge across the world, though primarily in civilian markets. You might see a boost to early feminism (Susan B. Anthony in OTL called the bicycle a "Freedom Machine") and bike technology would be easily a few decades ahead of what it was in OTL. Militarily though, Europe won't accept the bike's military usage out of distaste for the tactics of the "brutish amateur Americans" just like OTL. World War I however, just might change that...
Looking post-war: Such advancements in bicycles (which i don't find 100% believable, i could see the treadle drive safety but not chain-drive) would have great impact on the development of motorized transport. OTL, bike technology carried over to very early gas powered cars (see especially the deDion Bouton tricycle, also Benz quadracycle). Way i hear it, lessons learned making reliable chains, advancements in bearings, and fabricating frames really helped out with the early cars, especially electric cars. The first pneumatic tires were developed for bikes, Dunlop in 1888. He was preceded by an American inventor in 1847, but that went nowhere. First electric car that could carry a rider was in 1881, the frame was a pedal tricycle. Better frames would make any early attempts at electric cars more successful which would spur development of batteries and such and quicker development of gas engines. I don't think the tech carries over to steam as well, but i would expect steam advocates to be inspired to greater efforts, and they were ahead in that era anyway. I don't think that there'd be a huge advancement over OTL, but a little head start might lead to more infrastructure being in place before gasoline engines become practical, allowing electric vehicles to carve out their niche a little more firmly than OTL. Might also give DC power transmission longer before AC becomes the standard.

How about steam powered bicycles? (Do I detect a groan when steam power is mentioned on this site?)

The first succesful 'steambike' is said to be the Michaux-Perreaux steam-vélocipède made in Paris in 1868. The first manufactured in the US is thought to have been that produce by Sylvester Howard Roper of Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1869.

The dates are not that far removed from the Civil War period. Bring forward the technology a decade or delay the Civil War (or both) and the proposal for military use becomes more feasible (whether succesful or not in the field). Oh yes, Mr Roper would have to be moved south, of course!
I've got a feeling that those wouldn't have much military significance. Heavier weight would mean they couldn't go as many places, sink in mud and stuff like that. They'd be much less maneuverable. Add dependance on fuel supplies and noise and i just don't think they'd do much. Now i could almost believe some used for dispatches on prepared routes.
 
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