Existing comment:
James Edward Hanger
Hanger had been a Confederate soldier for one day when a cannon ball tore apart his leg at the battle of Philippi, (West) Virginia in June 1861. Although his life was saved by federal surgeons, his leg could not be, and he became the war's first amputee. During his recovery, Hanger designed and manufactured an improved prosthetic leg with a hinged knee and foot. Other amputees soon demanded the realistic "Hanger limb." |