Soldiers who survived being hit by a Civil War bullet described the moment in remarkably consistent terms. The impact felt less like a blow than a hard push — a man might not realize at first whether he had been shot or merely struck by a clod of dirt. The pain came seconds later. The body's instinctive response was to throw the arms out, drop whatever was being held, and either pitch forward or arch backward depending on the angle of impact and what bone the bullet had hit. A soldier hit in the torso usually fell within three seconds. A soldier hit in a limb might keep moving for several more steps before recognizing the injury. The figure in this set captures the half-second between the bullet and the fall.

This W. Britain figure depicts a Confederate infantryman at the moment of being struck — body arched backward from the impact, arms thrown out, rifle dropping from his hands, the slouch hat tipping off his head from the recoil. He wears the regulation Confederate kit: gray shell jacket, light blue trousers, the broad-brimmed slouch hat, knapsack on his back. The dynamic pose captures the half-second between bullet impact and ground impact. The figure is the kind of close-observed casualty sculpting that adds authentic context to any Confederate battle-line diorama. Pair this figure with Rebel Steel Confederate Charging for an attack-and-impact sequence; with Confederate Casualty for the fallen aftermath; or with Iron Brigade Standing Firing in Gaiters for the Federal soldiers whose volley brought him down.

Scale: 1/30 (60mm). Matte-painted metal. W. Britain model 31334. From the American Civil War range. Single foot figure, supplied painted and ready for display.