NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than 200,000 people are expected to make the trip to Columbia for the annual Mule Day celebration that goes through April 12. And while much of the focus will be on the role they have played in agriculture, Tennessee mules have been a valued wartime resource for much of the nation's history.
State officials say the British Army prized Columbia's mules so much the Brits purchased them and used them for the Boer War and World War I. For decades, mules have been used in military conflicts. A mule-drawn wagon train is said to have resupplied the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg.
To honor the creatures, the Tennessee State Library and Archives has an online exhibit celebrating the mule.