This 1866 engraving shows the method of carrying sick and wounded men on mules during the early years of the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865). Both the Union and Confederates forces used this method. The litter, on which men who could not sit up were carried, is shown in the front figure. The so-called 'Cacolet,' in which men wounded in the upper extremities were carried sitting, is seen in the figure behind. When good ambulances came into use, these methods were abandoned or became rare exceptions.