I'm sure I have said it before but 'back in the day' people were made of tougher stuff, maybe not smarter, but toughter. I've finished reading The Sharpe Companion, the early years by Mark Adkin it had a bunch of examples from the napoleonic wars, here are some.
Defending the kings colors in the Battle of Salamanca Ensign Charles Walsh was wounded by a round shot (cannon ball) that also smashed the Pike it was carried on. Lieutenant Matthew Latham grabbed the colors, he was surrounded by enemy (french) horsemen determined to take the trophy. After a brutal sabre blow across his face, he clung on until his left arm was severed. Dropping his sword he kept clinging to the colors with his right hand until he was ridden down and speared many times with lances. He ripped the colors from the pike and stuff them inside his jacket. Miraculously Latham survived. He was rewarded with a premotion to captain and a gold medal he was uniquely allowed to wear on his uniform (wearable medals started with the VS badge a few years later and the Victoria Cross in 1856). The wound to his face was repair by a leading surgeon at the cost of the Prince Regent He retired in 1820 on a pension of 170 pounds per year.
Major-General Sir David Baird 1st baronet Severely wounded at Conjeveram in 1780 he was taken prisoner and chained for 44 months in Seringapatam, India. When Baird's mother heard captives were chained in pairs she is reputed to have said 'I pity the man who is chained to my davie' After his release the bullet was removed from his wound (44 months or so after). Served the british army in India, south africa 1805-6 and with the attack on Copenhagen 1807. In the British retreat at Corunna 1809 at age 52, Portugal he was hit by grape shot (a bunch of balls the size of grapes fired from a cannon) in the left arm about an inch below the shoulder, and in the side. Stunned by the blow he dismounted his horse, recovering his senses he tried unsuccessfully to remount before consenting to be escorted to the rear of the battle. Notwithstanding the intense pain from his shattered bone he seamed calm. On his walk threw Corunna he acknowledged the salutes of passing officers, none of whom realised he was wounded (he was a red coat keep in mind). Seein his composure, the surgeon initially assumed the wound must be slight, but realized that an amputation was essential. Baird not wanting to lose his arm got a second opinion from the surgeon of HMS Barfleur who confirmed the arm could not be saved. As the bone was broken so close to the joing they decided to remove it from the socket, an uncommon operation at the time, with out anaesthetic. The prolonged agony is almost unimaginable and certainly indescribable. Baird sat, leaning his right arm on a table with out uttering a complaint until the moment the joint was separated when a single cry escaped his lips. Baird was premoted to General in 1814 and lived to age 72.
Sergeant Thomas Mayberry was sentenced to 700 Lashes, for gambling with 200 pounds of public funds. Corporal Morrisson and Private Divine were also implicated. Incredibly Mayberry took his punishment without a murmur. Morrison (300 lashes) yelled and struggled so violently that the Halberds he was tied to collapsed and he had to be held by two men. Divine (100 lashes) looked so frail that the colonel took pity on him and left him off with 25. Mayberry almost won his stripes back at Badajoz His company commander was so impressed by his actions that he was ordered to the rear with the promise of his rank back. Although covered in blood from several wounds, he refused to retire. He was eventually killed by a sword wound to the head.
Cosme Damin de Churruca y Elorza Captain of the Spanish ship San Juan Nepomuceno at the Battle of Trafalgar Churruca was a man of exceptional devotion to duty, he insisted to break off his honeymoon to join his ship at a time when the Spanish government owed him nine years, NINE YEARS back pay. At around 2 pm his ship was surrounded by 3 British Ships and he was hit, his leg almost torn off at the hip. Lying on the deck in a pool of his own blood he is said to have cried out 'It's nothing, go on firing'. Refusing to be carried below (as Admiral Nelson had been an hour before. Churruca ordered his flag be nailed to the mast. It was his last order.
All more or less copied from Mark Adkins book as listed above.
Defending the kings colors in the Battle of Salamanca Ensign Charles Walsh was wounded by a round shot (cannon ball) that also smashed the Pike it was carried on. Lieutenant Matthew Latham grabbed the colors, he was surrounded by enemy (french) horsemen determined to take the trophy. After a brutal sabre blow across his face, he clung on until his left arm was severed. Dropping his sword he kept clinging to the colors with his right hand until he was ridden down and speared many times with lances. He ripped the colors from the pike and stuff them inside his jacket. Miraculously Latham survived. He was rewarded with a premotion to captain and a gold medal he was uniquely allowed to wear on his uniform (wearable medals started with the VS badge a few years later and the Victoria Cross in 1856). The wound to his face was repair by a leading surgeon at the cost of the Prince Regent He retired in 1820 on a pension of 170 pounds per year.
Major-General Sir David Baird 1st baronet Severely wounded at Conjeveram in 1780 he was taken prisoner and chained for 44 months in Seringapatam, India. When Baird's mother heard captives were chained in pairs she is reputed to have said 'I pity the man who is chained to my davie' After his release the bullet was removed from his wound (44 months or so after). Served the british army in India, south africa 1805-6 and with the attack on Copenhagen 1807. In the British retreat at Corunna 1809 at age 52, Portugal he was hit by grape shot (a bunch of balls the size of grapes fired from a cannon) in the left arm about an inch below the shoulder, and in the side. Stunned by the blow he dismounted his horse, recovering his senses he tried unsuccessfully to remount before consenting to be escorted to the rear of the battle. Notwithstanding the intense pain from his shattered bone he seamed calm. On his walk threw Corunna he acknowledged the salutes of passing officers, none of whom realised he was wounded (he was a red coat keep in mind). Seein his composure, the surgeon initially assumed the wound must be slight, but realized that an amputation was essential. Baird not wanting to lose his arm got a second opinion from the surgeon of HMS Barfleur who confirmed the arm could not be saved. As the bone was broken so close to the joing they decided to remove it from the socket, an uncommon operation at the time, with out anaesthetic. The prolonged agony is almost unimaginable and certainly indescribable. Baird sat, leaning his right arm on a table with out uttering a complaint until the moment the joint was separated when a single cry escaped his lips. Baird was premoted to General in 1814 and lived to age 72.
Sergeant Thomas Mayberry was sentenced to 700 Lashes, for gambling with 200 pounds of public funds. Corporal Morrisson and Private Divine were also implicated. Incredibly Mayberry took his punishment without a murmur. Morrison (300 lashes) yelled and struggled so violently that the Halberds he was tied to collapsed and he had to be held by two men. Divine (100 lashes) looked so frail that the colonel took pity on him and left him off with 25. Mayberry almost won his stripes back at Badajoz His company commander was so impressed by his actions that he was ordered to the rear with the promise of his rank back. Although covered in blood from several wounds, he refused to retire. He was eventually killed by a sword wound to the head.
Cosme Damin de Churruca y Elorza Captain of the Spanish ship San Juan Nepomuceno at the Battle of Trafalgar Churruca was a man of exceptional devotion to duty, he insisted to break off his honeymoon to join his ship at a time when the Spanish government owed him nine years, NINE YEARS back pay. At around 2 pm his ship was surrounded by 3 British Ships and he was hit, his leg almost torn off at the hip. Lying on the deck in a pool of his own blood he is said to have cried out 'It's nothing, go on firing'. Refusing to be carried below (as Admiral Nelson had been an hour before. Churruca ordered his flag be nailed to the mast. It was his last order.
All more or less copied from Mark Adkins book as listed above.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
issue_:
i dont think so.... at least based off my friends that are SGs they don't have problems with that... ...and i dont change my pic several times a week, i do it once every couple weeks. 
ahlam:
I'm quite enjoying the song you left on my blog. Thanks for broadening my horizons! 