Historical Guns

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Jim Bowie and the Vidalia Sandbar Fight

Jim Bowie and the Vidalia Sandbar Fight

Depending upon what you read, Bowie was shot either two or three times and received between four and seven separate stab wounds. Colonel Crain, the man who shot him in the first place, helped the injured Bowie off of the field. Bowie supposedly said, “Colonel Crain, I do not think, under the circumstances, you ought to have shot me.” 

SSG Lafayette Pool: The Real War Daddy

SSG Lafayette Pool: The Real War Daddy

Oftentimes truth is more compelling than fiction. Such was the case of the real War Daddy, SSG Lafayette Pool.

The Death of Stonewall Jackson: Lee Loses His Strong Right Arm

The Death of Stonewall Jackson: Lee Loses His Strong Right Arm

Jackson commanded a brigade at the First Battle of Bull Run. At a critical moment in the fight, Jackson beat back a determined Union assault. Barnard Elliot Bee, himself a distinguished Confederate General who ultimately lost his life in combat, referred to Jackson as a “stone wall” in the face of the enemy. The name stuck.

LCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys

LCPL Joshua Leakey: One of the Good Guys

The Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 to recognize acts of exceptional valor during the Crimean war. Since then it has been awarded 1,356 times. LCPL Leakey is only the fifteenth soldier so recognized since the end of WW2. Each physical medal is formed from the bronze of Russian guns captured at the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. In military circles, it’s quite the big deal.

Leo Major: The Québécois Rambo

Leo Major: The Québécois Rambo

In 1945 a one-eyed French Canadian named Leo Major did indeed snatch up a matching pair of Sten guns to shoot the holy heck out of a bunch of Waffen SS troopers defending the Dutch town of Zwolle. His story is one of almost insane bravery spanning two wars.

Fray Bentos: The WW1 British Alamo

Fray Bentos: The WW1 British Alamo

The classic WW2 action epic Fury was based upon the WW1 story of Fray Bentos and her crew.

The Pearl Harbor Ni’ihau Incident: And Origins Of Ruger's .22 Pistol

The Pearl Harbor Ni’ihau Incident: And Origins Of Ruger’s .22 Pistol

On the very first day of American involvement in World War 2, a tragic little conflict played out on an otherwise peaceful remote island in Hawaii.

Pearl Harbor: Dorie Miller and his .50-caliber Browning Machinegun

Pearl Harbor: Dorie Miller and his .50-caliber Browning Machinegun

Doris “Dorie” Miller was supposed to have been a girl. Born October 12, 1919, to sharecroppers Connery and Henrietta Miller, he got the name Doris when the midwife assisting with his delivery became somehow convinced he would be female.

Mitch WerBell: You Couldn’t Make This Stuff Up

Mitch WerBell: You Couldn’t Make This Stuff Up

The son of a Czarist-era Imperial Russian cavalry officer, Mitch WerBell III suffered from a deplorable excess of personality. WerBell’s life reflected the synergistic combination of an audacious will, an insatiable thirst for chaos, a truly gifted mechanical insight, and some fortuitous timing. The cumulative result was adventure beyond the capacity of normal folk to comprehend.

Pablo's Hippos: The Death of the Most Dangerous Man in the World

Pablo’s Hippos: The Death of the Most Dangerous Man in the World

Some people are born with a sweet tooth or a proclivity for sports. Pablo Escobar was born without a conscience.