On September 19, 1863, Private Jacob Miller was shot in the head at the Battle of Chickamauga, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. In terms of the number of victims, this event ranks second in the Civil War after the Battle of Gittisburg. Everyone in the unit believed Miller was one of those victims.
However, after the event, Jacob lived for another 54 years. It was a miracle that he survived. In 1911, Miller told a local newspaper:
“After the shot I was left for dead when our troops retreated from the position. I came to my senses and, some time later, I found myself in the rear of the Confederation."
Determined not to surrender, Jacob got to his feet, using his gun as a cane and passed through the Confederate troops, leaving the battlefield. "I was so covered in blood that those who came my way did not notice that I was a Yankee."
Miller spent nine months in a military hospital, but the doctors were unable to remove the bullet from the skull. Only 17 years later, buckshot fell out of the hole, and after 31 years - the remaining two lead fragments. All these years, the man suffered from a severe headache.
Jacob Miller was awarded the Medal of Honor and, as a veteran, received a monthly stipend of $ 40 - a large sum at the time.