A tragic accident has a 17-year-old Gettysburg reenactor in the hospital following a shot in the foot by another reenactor. Initially the accident was reported as a self-inflicted wound. Further investigation revealed it to be a case of another young reenactor fooling around and shooting the 17-year-old in the foot.

Here are the details as I understand them:

  • Said 17-year-old said he wanted to be shot while defecting to the Union Army
  • Another reenactor obliged him
  • As the 17-year-old was feigning death, the shooting reenactor fired a glory shot intended to bypass the foot of the “dead soldier
  • The shot missed its aim and hit the 17-year-old’s foot
  • No real bullets were used; rather, the blast came from a blank in a Civil War era musket rifle

Several things strike out at me over this incident. No. 1, youthful reenactors, no matter how well trained they are in the use of their weapons, still need supervision. Secondly, gun safety is important for everyone - even reenactors and the real soldiers they represent. Thirdly, never aim a loaded weapon (even one loaded with blanks) anywhere near another person’s body part. Playing around or not, accidents happen. Don’t be stupid.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 at 9:11 am and is filed under Battlefield Sites, Civil War, Gettysburg. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.