EarlyintheAmericanCivilWar,ConfederategeneralEwellhadoneofhislegsamputatedandreplacedbyawoodenone,ofwhichhebecameveryproud.In1863,atthebattleofGettysburg,hewasridingtogetherwithGeneralJohnGordonwhenabodyofUnionsoldiers,postedbehindsomefencesandbuildingsontheoutskirtsofthetown,suddenlyopenedabriskfire.AnumberofConfederateswerekilledandwounded,andGordonheardtheominousthudofaMinieballasitstruckEwellathisside.Gordonquicklyasked,"Areyouhurt,sir?""No,no,"Ewellreplied,"Iamnothurt.Butsupposetheballhadstruckyou;wewouldhavehadthetroubleofcarryingyouoffthefield,sir.YouseehowmuchbetterfixedforafightIamthanyouare.Itdoesn'thurtabittobeshotinawoodenleg."
美國內戰早期,南軍將領尤厄爾一條腿須鋸掉,換上木腿,常引以為榮。一八六三年,他參與蓋茨堡之戰,和約翰.戈登將軍一起騎馬前行,北軍士兵伏在城郊一些圍欄和建築物之後,突然向他們猛烈開火,南軍死傷不少,戈登聽見一顆米尼子彈打中身旁的尤厄爾,發出不祥的「砰」一聲,連忙問:「你有沒有受傷?」尤厄爾回答說:「沒有,我沒有受傷。但假如那子彈打中你,我們就得花點工夫,送你離開戰場。你看,我參戰準備實在比你好得多。木腿被槍打中,一點事都沒有。」
【附注】Brisk是「快速強勁」的意思,例如abriskpace是「輕快的腳步」,abrisktrade是「興旺的生意」。