The Virginian-Pilot
©
ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY
It was supposed to be a Civil War re-enactment.
But one of the shots that flew between North and South on Saturday was all-too-real for Thomas R. Lord Sr. of Suffolk.
Lord, who was portraying a Union soldier, was shot in the back of the shoulder. He was released from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and was resting at home Monday, said Don Robertson, Isle of Wight County spokesman.
Investigators at first thought the bullet may have come from squirrel hunters in the rural county, said Isle of Wight Sheriff Charlie Phelps. But further investigation revealed that a .45-caliber musket bullet hit Lord.
"We're not saying it was intentional, and it probably wasn't," the sheriff said. "But we're still investigating. From the size of the bullet, it appears it may have come from a pistol. Some of the re-enactors were carrying pistols, which would have been .45-caliber."
The re-enactors were filming a documentary, Robertson said. The shooting happened during one of the scenes that involved a volley of shots between the North and South.
Re-enactors aren't supposed to be using live ammunition, and, normally, they don't, Phelps said.
"Usually, they use black gun powder and cream of wheat to get the white effect of smoke," he said.
The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information should call Robertson at (757) 617-9243 or the sheriff's office at (757) 357-2151.
Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com
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Oops! Sorry 'Bout that, Yankee! lol..
It sounds like Mr Lords just received a "Confederate Kiss"! Evidently its STILL not safe to go strutting around IOW County in a Union uniform...lol.
44 caliber "cap and ball" revolvers are actually...
0.451-0.457 inches in diameter. A "45" muzzle loading rifle projectile is actually much less than 0.45 inches to allow for a patch. I think Sam Colt called them "44s" to compete with the 44 caliber English made double action Adams revolver.
Sources
44.cal, if you have any information that might help, for you mention "from another source", then you ought to call it in. It could be helpful information. And you're correct: movie shoots do indeed attract all kinds, especially re-enactments for Civil War battles. 99.99% of re-enactors are careful, knowledgable, and know what they are doing. If someone just shows up with a kit and claims they know what they're doing, then to me, that's a big red flag. And the number one rule on any set where gun play will be involved: NO REAL GUNS/NO REAL AMMO!(or at least reproductions that can't fire a round out of the barrel). I don't care what the budget is, there is no excuse. Of course that is just common sense. And I agree with you 100% that there should have been a safety inspection of all participants, regardless of the amount of re enactors. In the Virginia Production Service Directory, a production com
Method actors
...they're a strange bunch.
Law & Order: CI (Criminal Intent) Episode
It's probably just an accident, a foolish mistake, but they did do an episode of "Law and Order: CI" on NBC with a similar "accident." There were re-enactors doing a duel and one person was really killed. At first they thought it was the surviving duelist, but then it turned out to be a sniper in the distance. Sometimes people will try to duplicate a movie/TV plot for "fun." But as I said, it's probably just an accident.
Bang
The Shot heard through Isle of Wight. Glad he is recovering. Someone will probably say it was Bushes fault.
Hmmm
I wonder if anyone told the re-enactors they wern't supposed to use live ammunition? Or were they to just assume that?
44.cal
The person who was shot has the bullet. They showed it on the news last night. It appears to be a .44 cal roundball. Movie shoots attract all kinds of folks some experienced and some just get a kit together and show up. In this kind of case there probably was not an experienced officer in charge of each side since from what I heard many people were constantly switching uniforms and sides if needed. I know they advertised that if you came to bring US and CS uniforms if you had them. From another source I heard there was not a safety inspection of all participants. Absolute NO NO.
VWM
The 58 (not 57) caliber was for rifles. But yeah, that would have taken out a lot of bone because of the slow velocity. The 44 might have been a Colt... lot of them out there and tehy are sweet to shoot. Guess somebody mixed in one of their target range shots with their stock of fakes.
Odd though, a 44 would weigh nearly an ounce so loading the paper-wrapped charge should have felt by a reenactor by weigh alone... unless it was an actor mixed it in from someone's stock and who wouldn't notice. Where was the safety officer for the reenactors to go over this before this gig?
45 cal pistol?
Really? The sheriff says it's a .45 musket bullet, then attributes it to a pistol?
A) No .45 Civil War muskets, they were mostly 58. Some carbines went to 52.
B) No .45 Civil War pistols. They were 38 or 36 caliber and they were round ball.
If someone was on a Civil War movie set, with a 45....shouldn't be hard to find at all!!