On Wed, Jun 25, 2003 at 03:02:50PM -0700, Deborah Harrell wrote:
> --- Gautam Mukunda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >...Custer's Civil War record is pretty impressive. You don't make > >Major General at 23 by accident. He did that after having _13_ > >horses shot out from under him. I would describe that as "very > >brave" under any circumstances. > > <smart-donkey remark in Mr. Ed's voice> Brave my haunches! It was > those chargers who ran into the hail of bullets! If a horse had 13 > men shot dead off his back, he'd be called a jinx! ;)
If you're in the cavalry, wouldn't shooting your horse (when no one is looking) be the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot to get out of battle? Except in this case, it makes you look brave! (not saying that is what happened, it just occurred to me as a possible explanation from the sketchy data mentioned)
Erik Reuter
I know you aren't joking but I just can't see that ever happening. I don't think cowards go for the cavalry. It wasn't even a conscripted army back then. (err, was it?) What circumstances could it happen in? You'd be on patrol, by yourself, be far enough away from the camp that they wouldn't hear the gunshot, then you'd walk back to camp and say "They killed my horse! But I got away." If the patrol had more people, it'd be tough to fake a gunshot, to say it came from farther away. And the people you were with, you'd hope, would go charging towards your position and you'd have to say "They shot from over there!" and the rest ride out and find...nothing.
It'd be worse in a battle. You are going against some force, large or small, and your going to shoot the one thing that makes you a moving target? Yes a larger moving target, but still.
So how did foot soldiers get away with shooting themselves in the foot? You'd have to be alone, in an area with hostiles, and be reasonably sure that you can get away with it and get to a medic. I would bet there were soldiers who shot themselves, not to kill but for an injury, and died.
Ahh what's it matter?
Kevin T. - VRWC
Not saying I'm anything near an expert. I've never been in a war, but I've been hunting with plenty of bullets being fired. You can hear them a long way off. You can usually tell the direction. And you can hear the difference in how the round traveled, if it hit anything. Putting your foot on the ground and shooting down at it would sound a lot different than laying on the ground, holding your leg up, and shooting your foot.
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