Richard, the key wording here is "riding into battle". What I'm saying is if a column of cavalry or a mounted officer was approaching the enemy, and he rode a gray or white horse, he would take on far more than his fair share of fire. The old "stick out like a sore thumb" sydrome. There are numerous examples of this during the war. So one can concluded that any man riding one of these horses knew he had a better chance of being shot at than the man next to him on a bay or sorrel horse. Which would you want to ride? That's why I'm saying the gray or white horse had to be a very good mount, not one that was slow or hard to control or this brave soldier if at all possible would be riding a horse the same color as everyone else. If you read the white horse incident in Leander Stillwell's book that took place east of Jackson, Tn and the Yankees doing the shooting. It was an image that Stillwell one of the yankees never forgot. I think you would see what I'm talking about.