Howdy folks. Been tied up with a visit from one of my wife's extended family from Chicago. Lots of chatter that I can barely keep up wtih. She's off to the airport so we're going to make something out of the rest of the day.
We're heading over to the National Museum of Medicine and Science, which is about ten miles as the crow flies from where I live, but despite being in this area for 40 years and this particular spot for 23 years I've never visited.
I'm not sure what the museum is like, but one thing I know they have there that I've always wanted to see -- Daniel Sickles' leg that got shot off at Gettysburg. Sickles was a colorful character as some of you may know. Among other things he murdered the nephew of Francis Scott Key of National Anthem fame - the nephew being the US Attorney for DC at the time, and also the adulterous lover of Sickles' wife. The murder happened directly in front of the White House in front of dozens of witnesses, but Sickles got off in the first ever use of 'temporary insanity' defense in America. He went on to become a union general in the Civil War who very nearly lost the crucial battle of Gettysburg, but after having his leg shot off kept the presence of mind to get himself in front of key sympathetic reporters. He was able to turn things around so that he became a hero of the battle, instead of the guy who nearly lost the war.
That's just a couple highlights in the life of a true scoundrel. He donated his leg to the Smithsonian after Gettysburg, and it has made its way to this museum, so I hope to get a glimpse of it -- and maybe some other interesting stuff.
I hope it is an interesting day for all.
