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Bogue Balls During The Civil War

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Miniè balls, a cylindrical lead bullet and the main source of ammunition during the
Civil War, caused dreadful injuries usually very difficult to be dealt with. The soft lead bullet, capable of killing at over 1,000 yards, caused gaping holes in flesh, crushed bones, and destroyed muscles, arteries, and tissues beyond repair. One confederate surgeon recalls, “The shattering, splintering, and splitting of a long bone by the impact of a minié or Enfield ball were, in many instances, both remarkable and frightful.” With the bullet being relatively large and dense, those hit through the torso or head were not expected to survive; a situation the smoothbore musket usually did not cause. This .58 caliber bullet, besides causing fatal stomach injuries,

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