Civil Struggle Veteran Survived A long time After Being Shot within the Brow?

The story of Civil Struggle soldier Jacob Miller (spelled “Millar” in some situations), is seemingly miraculous, if nothing else. After struggling a gunshot wound to the brow, the Union Military personal not solely survived battle however lived for many years after to inform the story.   

Now, greater than a century later, his {photograph} and story are nonetheless circulated on social media, examples of which may be seen on Facebook, Reddit and X.

Amazingly, the story is true. 

Snopes discovered soldier details for “Jacob H. Millar” printed by the Nationwide Park Service (NPS), which had initially filed it beneath “Jacob H./Miller.”

In response to NPS information, Miller served as a non-public with the sixth Regiment of the Indiana Infantry within the Union Military. A movie file quantity, “M540 ROLL 51,” was additionally related along with his file. Snopes reached out to NPS for a replica of the file however didn’t obtain a response as of this publication. 

Snopes contacted the Nationwide Archives and Information Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C., for entry to Miller’s information. Juliette Arai, who works within the NARA reference department, confirmed the NPS information, noting that he was additionally a volunteer in Firm Ok.

“NARA workers checked obtainable information regarding Jacob Miller’s service and the wound he acquired through the Civil Struggle. His service file confirms that he was wounded at Chickamauga and was both despatched residence or despatched to the Normal Hospital in Jeffersonville, Indiana,” wrote Arai.

Arai added that her workers situated a number of copies of {a photograph} in his pension file (file quantity SC-34617) that confirmed a youthful man than who’s proven in some social media posts with darker hair. Nonetheless, the facial options and brow wound seem like the identical. Snopes discovered several records for males named Jacob Miller who served within the Civil Struggle, nevertheless it appeared some particular particulars probably change into convoluted over time. It is also doable, we must always notice, that some pictures haven’t been precisely recognized. As such, we now have opted to solely publish the official photograph, beneath, as archived by NARA.

Snopes additionally discovered Miller’s tombstone within the cemetery information database Find a Grave, which famous he died in Nebraska in 1917 on the age of 76.

We additionally discovered an interview with Miller printed on June 14, 1911, within the Illinois newspaper Daily News Joliet titled, “Jacob Miller, A Struggle Scarred Hero.”  (A extra legible model of the article is offered here.) 

The article described Miller as “probably the most outstanding hero survivors of the Civil Struggle.” From Sept. 19, 1863, to his loss of life greater than 5 many years later, Miller “lived with an open wound in his brow.” The article, which additionally said that Miller acquired $40 a month for his pension, continued: 

For quite a lot of years the bullet remained in his head however piece by piece it fell out until now. It’s thought none of it stays within the wound. In the course of the time it was within the head it at occasions would produce a stupor, which typically would final two weeks, it being normally when he caught chilly and produced extra of a stress on the mind. At different occasions delirium would seize him and he would think about himself once more on picket obligation and would tramp forwards and backwards on his beat, a stick on his shoulder for a musket, a pitiful object of the sacrifice for freedom. As these items of lead regularly loosened and fell out he regained his normal well being and is now on the age of 78 years, probably the most, if not probably the most, outstanding survivor of the Civil conflict.

The rest of the article above consists of Miller’s private account of the harrowing ordeal. The veteran mentioned he was “left for lifeless” after being struck by enemy hearth. Under is Miller’s interview as printed within the newspaper (which Snopes has edited barely for grammatical functions): 

Once I got here to my senses someday after, I discovered I used to be within the rear of the Accomplice line. So to not change into a prisoner, I made up my thoughts to make an effort to get round their line and again alone aspect. I acquired up with the assistance of my gun as a workers, then went again a long way, then began parallel with the road of battle. I suppose I used to be so coated with blood that people who I met didn’t discover that I used to be a Yank (a minimum of our Main, my former captain, didn’t acknowledge me once I met him after passing to our personal aspect).

Eventually, I acquired to the tip of the Accomplice line and went to our personal aspect whereas a brigade of Confederates got here as much as their line behind me. There have been not one of the Union forces discovered on that a part of the sector once I handed alongside. I struck an previous by-road and adopted it the very best I might, as by this time my head was swelled so unhealthy it shut my eyes… 

I at size acquired so badly exhausted I needed to lie down by the aspect of the street. Eventually some bearers got here alongside and put me on their stretcher and carried me to the hospital and laid me on the bottom in a tent. A hospital nurse got here and put a moist bandage over my wound and round my head and gave me a canteen of water. I do not know what time of day they examined my wound and determined to place me on the working desk until after darkish a while. The surgeons examined my wound and determined it was finest to not function on me and provides me extra ache as they mentioned I could not reside very lengthy, so the nurse took me again into the tent. I slept some through the evening . The subsequent morning (Sunday), the medical doctors got here round to make an inventory of the wounded and of their firm and regiments and mentioned to ship all of the wounded to Chattanooga that the ambulances would carry and advised me I used to be wounded too unhealthy to be moved, and if the military fell again people who have been left there might afterwards be exchanged.

Miller described his willpower to keep away from changing into a prisoner of conflict. With a lop-sided stroll and a water-filled canteen, he left the hospital tent “with out being seen.” As a result of swelling, Miller might solely see by opening his eye along with his finger “to take my bearings on the street.” An ambulance prepare finally took him on and Miller, after going “clean, awakened in Chattanooga, Tennessee “mendacity with a whole lot of different wounded on the ground nearly as thick as hogs in a inventory automobile.”

Medical doctors throughout a number of hospitals refused to function on Miller, who mentioned he “suffered for 9 months” earlier than receiving a furlough residence to Logansport (presumably Indiana). There, medical doctors have been capable of take away the musket ball — or most of it, at any price. 

“Seventeen years after I used to be wounded a buck shot dropped out of my wound and thirty-one years after two items of lead got here out,” Miller mentioned, including: 

Some ask how it’s I can describe so minutely my getting wounded and getting off the battlefield after so a few years. My reply is I’ve an on a regular basis reminder of it in my wound and fixed ache within the head, by no means freed from it whereas not asleep. The entire scene is imprinted on my mind as with a metal engraving.

I have never written this to complain of anybody being in fault for my misfortune and struggling all these years. The federal government is nice to me and offers me $40.00 per thirty days pension.

Snopes has examined different claims involving the Civil Struggle, which may be seen in our archive.