 ochoin  | 31 Mar 2015 6:29 p.m. PST |
Probably just a tall tale but a book I'm reading records that a remedy for snake bite in the ACW was to pour a gallon of whisky into the sufferer. As whisky was $45 USD a gallon, a quartermaster was said to have reckoned it was cheaper to replace the man than the whisky. |
| Frederick | 31 Mar 2015 6:45 p.m. PST |
I have also heard that tale about treating snake bite – if you did die at least you wouldn't necessarily feel it |
| badger22 | 31 Mar 2015 7:06 p.m. PST |
That must be some rare imported whiky, most of it was selling for around $4 USD a gallon. owen |
| vtsaogames | 31 Mar 2015 7:27 p.m. PST |
Yeah, Union soldiers got $13 USD a month for getting shot at and common laborers made $300 USD a year. Whiskey that steep must really have been something. |
| nobody3331 | 31 Mar 2015 7:30 p.m. PST |
where i live we use tequila for spider,wasp,scropion stings.
just put a little ( less than 1/8 of a shot) on a paper towl and apply it to the bite or sting for 5 minutes and it gets rid of the poison. I live in florida deep in the woods |
| Mako11 | 31 Mar 2015 7:46 p.m. PST |
$45 USD a gallon, back then? No wonder moonshine was so popular! |
| ochoin | 01 Apr 2015 3:20 a.m. PST |
$45 USD probably represents $4 USD a gallon whisky supplied by government contract. |
| John the Greater | 01 Apr 2015 6:01 a.m. PST |
I'd go with the tall tale explanation. By the latter part of the War soldiers were pretty expensive to replace what with bonuses of as much as $1,000 USD in some states. And pouring a gallon of whiskey into the average sized soldier would probably be a fatal dose anyway. |
| donlowry | 01 Apr 2015 9:06 a.m. PST |
Reminds me of what Lincoln said when the Rebels captured a general and a bunch of horses -- he said he could make generals but he had to buy horses. |
| TKindred | 01 Apr 2015 8:11 p.m. PST |
For the average man, 21 shots of anything 80 proof or higher is enough to result in fatal alcohol poisoning. I'd certainly go with the "tall tale" explanation, especially since whiskey was pretty darned cheap. |
adds artillery to his soft-plastic Union forces.
