What's sad is the fact that during our Civil War, technology in firearms had advanced far beyond our technology in medicine and how to treat non life threatening wounds, especially those created by the big bore rifled muskets of that era. Many poor soldiers were needlessly mutilated by field doctors who didn't have a clue that flesh could regenerate given time and cleanliness. Not to mention the fact that our "Napoleonic" methods of warfare were appalling to say the least.

BPS