Arrow wounds

[gary]

And how to treat them. Useful for frontier army surgeon.

The surgeon mentions how Mexicans wrapped a blanket around their midsection as "armor" so an arrow wouldn't penetrate as deeply. The surgeon then mentions how leather cuirasss could serve the same purpose for soldiers.

I read in one book (caucasian boy captured by Indians and raised as one) how Apaches preferred the leather from a buffalo humps for their shields. They were treated with oil (fat) and dry it slowly over a fire to harden it. It was said it was capable of stopping a lower velocity bullet (round ball). I dunno and would like to see that theory tested.

 

[Pollaco]

Pulling the arrow out usually dislodged the flint arrowhead and left it inside the wound ,didn't it?

 

[limestone1863]

Great informative video.

 

[Old Soldier]

Pulling the arrow out usually dislodged the flint arrowhead and left it inside the wound ,didn't it?

That depends on a number of factors. It does depend on how the arrowhead was attached to to shaft, which glues were used (commonly hide glue) and which bindings and the shape of the lower part of the arrowhead. The next factor is the shape of the point of the arrowhead. A flat bottomed triangle would cause resistance to pull, as would an inverted triangle base. Wood, bone, horn and quartz were also used as arrow points not just flint and chert. (Flint is from chalk and chert from limestone with slightly different characteristics).

Projectile point - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Some tribes could forge copper and bronze too - obtained through trading, as none in the North could smelt those ores.
*North American cold-hammered natural copper artifacts have been dated to approximately 5000 BC, but there is no evidence for smelting, however Central and Southern Amerindians did and used and traded them.

On the other hand the 'bodkin' point is basically a thin iron point, mainly to extend range - or make it cheaper. It did NOT penetrate plate armor particularly.
* The 'Agincourt Myth'. The English longbowmen would not have killed off many of the French knights, but would certainly have killed or incapacitated their horses. The muddy ground would probably have made recovery to a standing position difficult for those heavily armored. The close spacing during the charge - due to constrictions - may also have ensured a number were crushed.

iron was not used by Amerindians until iron artifacts were traded with European incomers.