Re: Getting nailed from Way Far Away (tm)

On 29-May-01 at 20:22, Allan Goodall (awg@sympatico.ca) wrote:
> 
> It happened, as I mentioned in another post, to Major General John
> Sedgwick, of the Union Army, VI Corps.

Similar things may have happened more than once, I have seen the
rifle in the Ralph Foster Museum in Arkansas that claimed to have
done a similar shot with a general who stretched every morning
on top of a  hill.  IIRC the range listed was over 1K yards with
perfect conditions and the scope ranged for that distance.  Could
be exaggeration.  FWIW I wouldn't call the weapon a rifle, the
thing was more like a shoulder fired cannon.  I couldn't heft
it but I would guess it would weigh 25 lbs.  (900M+, 11Kg for
those who use standard units :)

> Sedgwick was reassuring his front line troops that they were outside
of
> Confederate range when a musket ball hit him below the eye.

I rather doubt the sharpshooter was using balls, more than likely it
was  a bullet.	:)