Indirect Wounds Caused by Artillery

Tom Elmore

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A few wounds attributed to artillery at Gettysburg were not directly inflicted, but rather the result of kinetic energy imparted to another object. Here’s a compiled list that illustrates the variety of incidents:

-Seth Strong, 8th Georgia, killed instantly when a shell struck a rock behind which his head was laying.
-Isaiah G. Baker, Company A, 6th Virginia, wounded by several splinters from a musket stock which flew over his head, the result of an artillery round.
-George McKenzie, 2nd South Carolina, wounded by his own gun that was knocked against his chest by a canister round.
-Spencer A. Meeks, Company F, 48th Georgia, had his skull cracked by a rock fragment thrown by the explosion of a shell.
-James P. Williams, McCarthy’s Battery, a piece of wheel thrown by an exploding shell badly bruised his leg below the knee.
-Charles Barber, Company A, 104th New York, wounded slightly by a piece of rock thrown by a solid shot impact.
-Otis G. Miles, Company B, 13th Vermont, wounded slightly in the back by stone splinters thrown by a bursting shell.
-George W. Kinsman, Company B, 14th Vermont, wounded by a wood fragment from a caisson broken off by a shell.
-Augustus Guild, 14th Connecticut, wounded by a fence rail thrown through the air by a shell.
-Lieutenant Parsons, 108th New York, a rail over his head was thrown against his hip by a shell fragment, but did not cause serious injury.
-W. H. Park, 12th New Jersey, struck in the middle of the back by a stone dislodged from the wall by an incoming artillery round.
-Manley Stacey, 111th New York, a shell striking the stone wall near him threw a stone that struck him in the back and doubled him up. Another man was killed at the same moment, apparently by the kinetic energy imparted to the wall.
-T. Fitzgerald, Company K, 72nd New York, had his testis bruised when a rail upon which he was sitting was struck by a solid shot.
-Lt. Col. James W. Carr, 2nd New Hampshire, had his sword guard forced against his groin by a canister ball that struck the sword in his hand.
-Daniel K. Shackley, 5th Massachusetts Battery, struck on the left wrist by a horseshoe torn from a caisson horse by an incoming shell; his wrist was lame for a week.
-Patrick Gray, Battery L, 1st New York, wounded by a piece of rail struck by a shell.
-James Austin, Battery I, 1st Ohio, wounded by a gun trail thrown against him by a solid shot.

A separate category was unique to the 2nd New Hampshire regiment, which was armed with unique explosive musket shells:
-Thomas Bignall, Company C, 2nd New Hampshire, a shell struck his cartridge box, driving into his body cartridges which then exploded.
-James M. House, Company I, 2nd New Hampshire, a shell fragment exploded his cartridge box, but he was able to tear it off quickly to avoid serious harm.
 
A few wounds attributed to artillery at Gettysburg were not directly inflicted, but rather the result of kinetic energy imparted to another object. Here’s a compiled list that illustrates the variety of incidents:

-Seth Strong, 8th Georgia, killed instantly when a shell struck a rock behind which his head was laying.
-Isaiah G. Baker, Company A, 6th Virginia, wounded by several splinters from a musket stock which flew over his head, the result of an artillery round.
-George McKenzie, 2nd South Carolina, wounded by his own gun that was knocked against his chest by a canister round.
-Spencer A. Meeks, Company F, 48th Georgia, had his skull cracked by a rock fragment thrown by the explosion of a shell.
-James P. Williams, McCarthy’s Battery, a piece of wheel thrown by an exploding shell badly bruised his leg below the knee.
-Charles Barber, Company A, 104th New York, wounded slightly by a piece of rock thrown by a solid shot impact.
-Otis G. Miles, Company B, 13th Vermont, wounded slightly in the back by stone splinters thrown by a bursting shell.
-George W. Kinsman, Company B, 14th Vermont, wounded by a wood fragment from a caisson broken off by a shell.
-Augustus Guild, 14th Connecticut, wounded by a fence rail thrown through the air by a shell.
-Lieutenant Parsons, 108th New York, a rail over his head was thrown against his hip by a shell fragment, but did not cause serious injury.
-W. H. Park, 12th New Jersey, struck in the middle of the back by a stone dislodged from the wall by an incoming artillery round.
-Manley Stacey, 111th New York, a shell striking the stone wall near him threw a stone that struck him in the back and doubled him up. Another man was killed at the same moment, apparently by the kinetic energy imparted to the wall.
-T. Fitzgerald, Company K, 72nd New York, had his testis bruised when a rail upon which he was sitting was struck by a solid shot.
-Lt. Col. James W. Carr, 2nd New Hampshire, had his sword guard forced against his groin by a canister ball that struck the sword in his hand.
-Daniel K. Shackley, 5th Massachusetts Battery, struck on the left wrist by a horseshoe torn from a caisson horse by an incoming shell; his wrist was lame for a week.
-Patrick Gray, Battery L, 1st New York, wounded by a piece of rail struck by a shell.
-James Austin, Battery I, 1st Ohio, wounded by a gun trail thrown against him by a solid shot.

A separate category was unique to the 2nd New Hampshire regiment, which was armed with unique explosive musket shells:
-Thomas Bignall, Company C, 2nd New Hampshire, a shell struck his cartridge box, driving into his body cartridges which then exploded.
-James M. House, Company I, 2nd New Hampshire, a shell fragment exploded his cartridge box, but he was able to tear it off quickly to avoid serious harm.
More than a few of these made me wince!
 
A few wounds attributed to artillery at Gettysburg were not directly inflicted, but rather the result of kinetic energy imparted to another object. Here’s a compiled list that illustrates the variety of incidents:

-Seth Strong, 8th Georgia, killed instantly when a shell struck a rock behind which his head was laying.
-Isaiah G. Baker, Company A, 6th Virginia, wounded by several splinters from a musket stock which flew over his head, the result of an artillery round.
-George McKenzie, 2nd South Carolina, wounded by his own gun that was knocked against his chest by a canister round.
-Spencer A. Meeks, Company F, 48th Georgia, had his skull cracked by a rock fragment thrown by the explosion of a shell.
-James P. Williams, McCarthy’s Battery, a piece of wheel thrown by an exploding shell badly bruised his leg below the knee.
-Charles Barber, Company A, 104th New York, wounded slightly by a piece of rock thrown by a solid shot impact.
-Otis G. Miles, Company B, 13th Vermont, wounded slightly in the back by stone splinters thrown by a bursting shell.
-George W. Kinsman, Company B, 14th Vermont, wounded by a wood fragment from a caisson broken off by a shell.
-Augustus Guild, 14th Connecticut, wounded by a fence rail thrown through the air by a shell.
-Lieutenant Parsons, 108th New York, a rail over his head was thrown against his hip by a shell fragment, but did not cause serious injury.
-W. H. Park, 12th New Jersey, struck in the middle of the back by a stone dislodged from the wall by an incoming artillery round.
-Manley Stacey, 111th New York, a shell striking the stone wall near him threw a stone that struck him in the back and doubled him up. Another man was killed at the same moment, apparently by the kinetic energy imparted to the wall.
-T. Fitzgerald, Company K, 72nd New York, had his testis bruised when a rail upon which he was sitting was struck by a solid shot.
-Lt. Col. James W. Carr, 2nd New Hampshire, had his sword guard forced against his groin by a canister ball that struck the sword in his hand.
-Daniel K. Shackley, 5th Massachusetts Battery, struck on the left wrist by a horseshoe torn from a caisson horse by an incoming shell; his wrist was lame for a week.
-Patrick Gray, Battery L, 1st New York, wounded by a piece of rail struck by a shell.
-James Austin, Battery I, 1st Ohio, wounded by a gun trail thrown against him by a solid shot.

A separate category was unique to the 2nd New Hampshire regiment, which was armed with unique explosive musket shells:
-Thomas Bignall, Company C, 2nd New Hampshire, a shell struck his cartridge box, driving into his body cartridges which then exploded.
-James M. House, Company I, 2nd New Hampshire, a shell fragment exploded his cartridge box, but he was able to tear it off quickly to avoid serious harm.
Thanks for this interesting list. These are all great examples proving why in his directions to gunners, Hunt strongly advised choosing the ground for positioning a battery with an eye to staying away from objects - fences, structure, rocks, trees - that when struck by counter battery fire could create dangerous "shrapnel". It brings to mind the fact that a lot of casualties among crews of fighting ships in the War of 1812 were caused by solid shot striking the ship itself and masts, etc.
 
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