A nearly life-size bronze mule stands at Carter Hill Battlefield Park, honoring an animal that helped haul Union artillery during the 1864 Battle of Franklin.

The statue of May-Me, the lead draft mule for the 6th Ohio Independent Light Artillery Battery, was unveiled Friday, Sept. 18, in a ceremony attended by several dozen people in near-100-degree heat. The Battle of Franklin Trust and Franklin Parks Department partnered on the project, which the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved.

"The muscle of the army were these animals that were moving all of this stuff, all of the logistical support needed by an army," Battle of Franklin Trust CEO Eric Jacobson said at the unveiling, as first reported by the Williamson Scene.

The bronze depicts May-Me lying on the ground wearing a felt hat, looking south toward the direction from which Confederate forces deployed about a mile and a half away on Nov. 30, 1864. The mules of the 6th Ohio Battery were trained to lie down during action.

That felt hat is no artistic invention. In a letter dated Nov. 30, 1864, Pvt. Adam J. Weaver of the 104th Ohio Infantry described May-Me as wearing "an old felt hat with holes cut in it for her ears to stick through," according to a letter quoted by the City of Franklin.

Franklin artist Janel Maher created the sculpture over several months. She started with a maquette, then built a full-size clay model before a mold was made and the bronze was fired at a Colorado foundry. The finished piece weighs around 400 pounds.

Maher has worked with the battlefield before. The Battle of Franklin Trust commissioned her to sculpt Harvey, the dog mascot of the 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. That statue is on display at the Carter House Visitor Center.

An equine sculptor whose work appears in collections across the United States, Europe and South America, Maher told the Williamson Scene she hopes visitors who see May-Me "will think about the value of what animals do and more."

Jacobson said horses and mules pulled 800 wagons of supplies and more than 1,600 pieces of artillery during the Civil War, according to the Williamson Herald. An estimated three million horses and mules served during the conflict, the Battle of Franklin Trust said.

May-Me's fate after the battle is not definitively known. Jacobson said historians are "fairly certain" she survived and traveled on to Nashville with the remaining Union soldiers.

The statue was funded through support from Maher, Leah and Peter Van Driest, and Pam Lewis, according to Williamson Source. Franklin Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Clayton said the partnership between the city and the Battle of Franklin Trust is "both unique and deeply valued."

The bronze is permanently installed at Carter Hill Battlefield Park, which is open to the public.