Maryland Civil War Museum Gives Severed Arm a Good Look

Soldier’s arm donated this year

A well-preserved human arm said to have been found on a Maryland Civil War battlefield is getting a close inspection by experts.

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick said it received the grisly gift from an anonymous donor earlier this year.

Now museum officials are trying to verify that it's a relic of the 1862 Battle of Antietam. It's the right forearm of a young man with skin and hand attached.

They also hope to learn as much as possible about the arm's owner. But Executive Director George Wunderlich said he has little hope of identifying him.

The arm was displayed for several decades at a private museum in Sharpsburg. It was reportedly found two weeks after the battle by a farmer who preserved it in brine.   

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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