Civil War soldiers often brought their dogs along to battle, mostly as companions. Typically, each company had its own canine mascot, and each unit thought its dog was the most talented and the most loyal. Soldiers formed strong bonds with their canine friends, who in turn provided their owners with inspiration and love. These dogs were not formally trained to participate in fighting, but that didn't stop the following canines from leaving their very spe­cial paw prints on the battlefields of history.

• In October 1859, John Brown took nine Harpers Ferry, Virginia, citizens hostage. But Brown wasn't counting on Bob, the dog who belonged to the hostage Lewis W. Washington. When Washington was abducted, Bob followed his master doggedly; not even John Brown could elude him. Bob stayed with Washington until all the hostages were released one day later.

• Sallie was a mascot of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Infantry when the battle of Gettysburg broke out. As the Union soldiers were forced to retreat, Sallie became separated from her beloved friends. She was eventually discovered, exhausted and starving, lying among the dead on the battlefield, Sallie was returned to her troops and, a true hero, served with them until February 1865, when she was shot through the head during the battle of Hunter's Run, Virginia. A statue of Sallie stands in Gettysburg today, directly in front of the monu­ment that commemorates the Eleventh Pennsylvania Infantry.

• Major, the mixed breed who "fought" with the Twenty-ninth Marine Infantry, was said to snap at - and catch - deadly airborne bullets (called minie balls! before they reached their mark.

• Stonewall Jackson was a little mixed breed who was found on a battlefield near Richmond, Virginia, in 1862. He became a "trained" member of the Richmond Howitzer Battalion and a constant companion of the chief of the gun crew, Sergeant Van. Van taught Stonewall Jackson some tricks of soldiering, including how to stand at attention during roll call.

• A Bull Terrier named Jack was a well-known, dependable member of the volunteer firemen of Niagara, Pennsylvania, He searched out dead and wounded soldiers after battles in Virginia and Maryland. Jack's remarkable life is well docu­mented, most notably in the book Dog Jack, by Flor­ence Biros. Jack escaped capture by Confederate soldiers and survived the battle of Antietam in 1862, in which 23,000 soldiers were killed and wounded. When Jack was eventually captured by Confederate soldiers, he was exchanged, accord­ing to wartime protocol, for a Confederate pris­oner and returned to his regiment.

• Captain Werner von Bachelle of the Sixth Wisconsin Brigade brought his dog with him to battle and taught him how to do clever tricks, including performing a military salute. The captain was mortally wounded in the battle of Antietam, but it wasn't until the next day, when soldiers hunted for the dead and wounded, that Bachelle's little dog was discovered on the battlefield, guarding his owner's body.

• Harvey was the mascot of the 104th Ohio Infantry, beloved for the companionship and humor he provided the troops. Harry showed his love for music by swaying from side to side as the soldiers sang campfire songs in the evening. Harvey was wounded in two different battles but survived each time. Today, Harvey is remembered by the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, where a portrait of the troop features a proud Harvey posing with his fellow soldiers.