# Private John Mackay



## hardheadjarhead (Jun 26, 2004)

In the nineteenth century Private John Mackay, a slightly built member of the 93rd Royal Highlander Regiment, was the first Scot in his unit to master the art of boxing, which he learned from an Irishman.

During the battle of New Orleans in 1815, an American musket ball shattered Mackays elbow.  The arm was amputated without anesthetic, which was par for the course in those days.  Mackay underwent the procedure without making a sound.

When it was over, one of his comrades made a flip comment from the cot next to him:  Well, John, I guess you wont be strikin anybody with THAT hand again.

MacKay didnt reply.  He politely, if not sadly, asked the surgeon, May I just have a last look at that hand which has served me so long and so well?  

After receiving the limb he gave the arm a long, last look.  

He then reached across and smacked his neighbor a sharp blow to the head with it, saying, You will be the last.


Regards,


Steve


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## Ceicei (Jun 27, 2004)

Very appropos in an ironic way.  Is that a true story?

- Ceicei


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## hardheadjarhead (Jun 27, 2004)

Ceicei,

You can't make up something like that.  Well, maybe.

I took it from a book I'm reading, "The Scottish Highlanders and their Regiments".  Given the age of the story, it might be myth.  

There is another story in there of a huge Sergeant, at six feet ten inches he was a guy who clearly suffered from gigantism.  While the description of his proportions seem accurate, the stories accompanying his legend seem spurious.  Still...one never really knows, I suppose.  At one point several medical students attempt to get him drunk and jumped on him in order to rip his clothes off so they could "examine him".  Sounds a little like male gang rape...but in those days you didn't get a body like that too often.  Seeing what it looked like must have been intriguing.

In any case he beat them all bloody, using one of them as a club to hit the others.  Hard to visualize.  

Those Highlanders were certainly a martial breed.  The book is well worth reading for those that want to understand the Gaelic warrior.  They were a bunch of bada***s, for sure.  It would have been fun training these guys.

Regards,



Steve


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## OUMoose (Jun 30, 2004)

HA!

Now that's a tough SoB...


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