In the summer of 1864, this area along a busy travel corridor echoed with steam locomotives bringing supplies and the sounds of warhorses, and the land northeast of the railroad line became one of the few places where mounted soldiers fought in the Battle at Kennesaw Mountain. Although both Union and Confederate armies had cavalry units, most of them performed reconnaissance or guarded rail and communications lines instead of fighting in combat. The Union Army provided horses for its cavalry, but Confederate cavalrymen had to provide their own. Life for cavalry horses was harsh, as many were ill-fed, overworked, diseased, or injured, and veterinary care was rarely available. By some estimates, more than a million horses and mules were killed in the Civil War. Maintaining cavalry was expensive, and a typical Union cavalry horse weighed 950 pounds, stood 15 hands or 60 inches high at the shoulders, and needed 10 pounds of hay and 14 pounds of grain each day.