Hey E D, the desire to be a "hard man" impervious to bullets has been around since the Thirty Year's War. You'll find mention of it in "Adventures of a Simpleton," a hugely entertaining 17th century German novel about a mercenary named "Simplicius Simplicissimus." But some crazy-as-a-bedbug Yankee inventor has to get a little credit to inventing something that was way ahead of its time and almost worked.

WBTS soldiers may have been considered cowardly to wear such a device, but today it's considered a necessity. Imagine those massed formations charging rifled weaponry, coupled with primitive medical care. No thanks.

Hey, the British held a similar view about the colonial sharpshooters using rifles during the Revolution. I read where Dan Morgan's riflemen was facing a death sentence if captured.

The guy who comes up with a tactical advantage, especially one that works (cf, that damnyankee gun you load on Sunday and fire all week) will be vilified. Meantime, behind the scenes, everyone's scrambling like hell to come up with one of their own.