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A Gettysburg Puzzle

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thure_de_Thulstrup_-_L._Prang_and_Co._-_Battle_of_Gettysburg_-_Restoration_by_Adam_Cuerden.jpg

This 1867 gunnery manual contains a surprising claim:

https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Course_of_Instruction_in_Ordnance_Gunn/6TN800M3sY8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA341&printsec=frontcover

I don’t know whether it’s accurate. In On Killing (2014), Lt. Col. Dave Grossman writes, “The obvious conclusion is that most soldiers were not trying to kill the enemy,” but that conclusion is disputed. More here.

March 19, 2026March 18, 2026 | History

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