Seward Attack

[Claudine]

(08-26-2012 06:54 AM)BettyO Wrote:  

(08-26-2012 04:54 AM)Claudine Wrote:  

(08-25-2012 07:27 AM)BettyO Wrote:  [...] The room was dimly lit - Powell was panic stricken and didn't think. He had more or less never used a knife before and simply tried to cut Seward's throat [...]

Betty, I remember that you wrote on another thread (I don't remember where exactly, sorry!) that Powell was not much experienced in close combat. How is that possible after he had been a soldier for four years?

Hey, Claudine!

He was a foot soldier and then a cavalry soldier, meaning that he had not been in "hand to hand" combat. More or less as he told Dr. Gillette, he had stated that his army experience was simply shooting "rank and file" - i.e. from a distance, behind rocks, trees, buildings, fences, etc. No hand to hand up close and personal combat. Apparently also the same with Mosby in as much although he was mounted, they were shooting with pistols (Mosby did NOT use swords, although he carried one from time to time.) Powell had one or two engagements where they were chasing Union soldiers on horseback and another soldier (Syd Ferguson) managed to club the Union officer over the head with his pistol and knock him to the ground. So Powell was not used to close combat other than in that respect. He was not fighting hand to hand as he was at Seward's. Powell did not think that he would have to resort to using his knife at Seward's and that further confused and panicked him, I feel.

Thank you Betty! For your quick answer. I guess, that's why the Civil War is called the first modern war. You could simply shoot the enemy from a far distance.