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James Edward Hanger (February 25, 1843 – June 9, 1919) was a Confederate States Army veteran of the American Civil War, a prosthetist and a businessman. It is reported that he became the first amputee of the war after being struck in the leg by a cannonball.〔Robert J. Driver, Virginia Regimental History Series, 14th Virginia Cavalry, published 1988 by E. E. Howard Inc., Page 131. ISBN 0-930919-60-2〕 Hanger subsequently designed and created his own prosthesis, then went on to found a prosthetic company that continues in business today.〔Stewart Sifakis, Who Was Who in the Civil War, Facts on File Inc., NY, NY, 1988, Page 280. ISBN 0-8160-1055-2〕 ==Early life and war service== Hanger was born at Mount Hope, his father's plantation near Churchville, Virginia. His parents were William Alexander Hanger and Eliza Hogshed Hanger.〔Edward L. Lach Jr., Mark C. Carnes (editor) American National Biography Supplement 2, Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-19-522202-4〕 He attended local elementary schools and, in 1859, enrolled at Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, to study engineering. He was an 18-year-old sophomore when he decided to leave school and join the newly formed Churchville Cavalry, which was under the command of Captain Franklin Sterrett. Two of Hanger's brothers and four of his cousins were already enlisted with the company, and as he prepared to join them, his mother packed food and clothing to send along for her sons. An ambulance corps carrying supplies for the Confederacy passed through town, and Hanger joined with the group, traveling to Philippi, Virginia (now West Virginia). He arrived on June 2, 1861, and after enlisting, spent the night in a nearby stable with a small group of untrained and badly equipped Confederates. While on guard duty the next morning, Hanger heard gunfire, and ran into the stable to get his horse. At that moment, a Union cannonball ricocheted inside the stable, striking his left leg below the knee. This was the beginning of the Battle of Philippi, also known as "The Philippi Races". Author Robert J. Driver, Jr., in his book ''The 14th Virginia Cavalry'', documents Hanger's firsthand account of this experience: The first two shots were canister and directed at the Cavalry Camps, the third shot was a 6 pound solid shot aimed at a stable in which the Churchville Cavalry Company had slept. This shot struck the ground, richochetted (sic), entering the stable and struck me. I remained in the stable til they came looking for plunder, about four hours after I was wounded. My limb was amputated by Dr. James D. Robinson, 16th Ohio Volunteers. Hanger's shattered leg was amputated about seven inches below the hip bone. This loss of limb is said to have been the first such occurrence of a war that saw more than 50,000 additional amputations performed.〔“He Lost His Leg and Gave it to Thousands,” ''The West Virginia Hillbilly'', May 27, 1961.〕 Hanger remained in Philippi for several weeks and then was sent to Camp Chase in Ohio. In August 1861, he was returned to his family home in Virginia in a prisoner of war exchange. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James Edward Hanger」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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