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- Dec 19, 2002
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Was reading Dr. James Thatcher's Military Journal of the American Revolution and came across the following passages. Now one tells of a man far braver than myself and the other, less honorable but my spiritual ancestor 
. Enjoy these anecdotes from our nation's "glorious" Revolution:
"A brave soldier received a musket-ball in his forehead, observing that it did not penetrate deep, it was imagined that the ball rebounded and fell out; but after several days, on examination, I detected the ball laying flat on the bone, and spread under the skin, which I removed. No one can doubt but he received his wound while facing the enemy, and it is fortunate for the brave fellow that his skull proved too thick for the ball to penetrate..."
Now that's pretty amazing considering that most musket balls just smash everything in their path. I guess that the musket was fouled or the powder exposed to moisture or perhaps it rebounded off a stone before striking that brave soldier. Here's the next example given by Dr. Thatcher:
"But in another instance, a soldier's wound was not so honorable; he received a ball in the bottom of his foot, which could not have happened unless when in the act of running from the enemy [] This poor fellow is held in derision by his comrades, and is made a subject of their wit for having the mark of a coward..."
. Enjoy these anecdotes from our nation's "glorious" Revolution:"A brave soldier received a musket-ball in his forehead, observing that it did not penetrate deep, it was imagined that the ball rebounded and fell out; but after several days, on examination, I detected the ball laying flat on the bone, and spread under the skin, which I removed. No one can doubt but he received his wound while facing the enemy, and it is fortunate for the brave fellow that his skull proved too thick for the ball to penetrate..."
Now that's pretty amazing considering that most musket balls just smash everything in their path. I guess that the musket was fouled or the powder exposed to moisture or perhaps it rebounded off a stone before striking that brave soldier. Here's the next example given by Dr. Thatcher:
"But in another instance, a soldier's wound was not so honorable; he received a ball in the bottom of his foot, which could not have happened unless when in the act of running from the enemy [
] This poor fellow is held in derision by his comrades, and is made a subject of their wit for having the mark of a coward..."
