This is the earliest photograph in the Family Archives; it has been enlarged from the original for ourposes of reproduction.

August Selbstreiter was the youngest son of Justus and Eponia Selbstreiter (nee Morgan, formerly the wife of Horatio Appaloosius). From an early age, August had shown great interest in a military career; and it was no surprise that, upon his graduation from the Chironian Academy in 1840, he entered into the local militia.

There he proved so adept at command, that by the outbreak of the Mexican War August was offered a captain's commission in the Federal Army - one of the first centaurs in the country to be so honored. (There were a couple of others; but they lie outside the scope of this history.) He then set about raising his own troop of volunteers from the surrounding villages, training them in formation drill and battle maneuvers; thus were formed the 1st Centaur Dragoons.

This photograph was taken about that time, and shows August in the uniform he helped to design. A surviving letter to his mother describes his experience:

ŅI went down to the Daguerrean Gallery yesterday to have my Portrait done, & have yet to recover from the ordeal. I was made to stand under a sky-light in blinding sun while the Artist fixed an iron Yoke on my neck. I stood to Attention while he adjusted the device & then consulted his watch, calling out the seconds . Half an Eternity went by, & I was nearly blinded with sweat before being released from his pillory. But the likeness was very good; my tail twiched (sic) once or twice, but otherwise I held my post....

After having distinguished himself in Mexico, August returned to the militia at home. When the Civil War arose, he again offered to lead the Dragoons into combat, this time as a lieutanant-colonel. Due to some confusion at the War Department, his company was not mobilized until late 1863; but they managed to see some action, notably one memorable skirmish with their Rebel counterparts, Blanchart's Taurean Raiders, which ended in that commander's famous suicidal leap.