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05-05-2026, 12:12 AM
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Pile of Amputated Feet, 1865
the estimated casualty count of the u.s. civil war has been debated, but sits at anywhere from 616,222 – 1,000,000 (including soldiers, civilians, and enslaved peoples). the types of weaponry used during the civil war caused battlefield amputations to become an everyday occurrence, namely the minie ball ammo typically used. more of a conical bullet than musket-balls, they easily tore through the skin and came out clean the other end, rather than getting lodged in the body. amputations were usually the result of the bullet striking bone, causing it to shatter and fracture. this photo, titled "a morning's work," was taken by surgeon reed b. bontecou in 1865, the final year of the american civil war. · |