Breaking a leg

[wsanto]

Quote:If that is true and he mounted the horse with a broken fibula with no problem - then why was he unable to dismount at Surratts Tavern? Why did he need assistance to dismount at Mudd's and most important - Why could he not mount a horse AFTER the fibula was fixed by Mudd?

In my opinion, the pain from the acute injury would have likely been more like a sprained ankle or a bad bone bruise. This pain could have been masked by adrenaline as he made his initial escape.

As the swelling and throbbing increased in his boot (and this takes time), the pain would have become more like what we imagine a broken bone feels like. It would hurt much worse than an ankle sprain. The swelling would be greatly exagerrated by riding with the foot dependent and working in the stirrup over the next hour. The bone is still not weight-bearing and would not limit his dismount in a mechanical sense but the pain would make it unbearable to want to even attempt.

(11-27-2012 10:58 AM)Gene C Wrote:  Maybe by then the effects of the drink(s) he had just before he shot President Lincoln were starting to wear off.

Great point on the alcohol as well. Alcohol plus adrenaline, each, and in tandem, could really mask the pain from the initial injury.