Ramrods and wiping sticks

Most everyone who went West carried both a ramrod and a wiping stick for their rifles. The ramrod fit into a channel in the forearm of the gun.
The wiping stick was larger in diameter (still small enough to be used for cleaning and wiping, think of a modern day range rod). The wiping stick was often carried IN the barrel
of the rifle. Red streamers were often tied to the end, both to help in pulling the stick out quickly, and as a reminder that the stick was in the barrel.
If you've ever accidentally shot a ramrod down range, you can see how this could be a bad day.

Daniel Potts writes in 1824 :
the River froze to the emmence
thickness of four feet and did not brake up until the fourth of April and we embarked in Canoes
on the 6th and on the 11th I was severely wounded by a wiping stick being shot through both
knees which brought me to the ground this disabled me for the springs hunt and allmost for ever

Meek used a wiping stick while bear hunting:
On entering the cave, which was sixteen or twenty feet square, and high enough to stand erect
in, instead of one, three bears were discovered. They were standing, the largest one in the middle,
with their eyes staring at the entrance, but quite quiet, greeting the hunters only with a low growl.
Finding that there was a bear apiece to be disposed of, the hunters kept close to the wall, and out
of the stream of light from the entrance, while they advanced a little way, cautiously, towards their
game, which, however, seemed to take no notice of them. After maneuvering a few minutes to get
nearer, Meek finally struck the large bear on the head with his wiping-stick, when it immediately
moved off and ran out of the cave. As it came out, Doughty shot, but only wounded it, and it came
rushing back, snorting, and running around in a circle, till the well directed shots from all three
killed it on the spot. Two more bears now remained to be disposed of!

didn't quit explain how the stick got him in the legs

sounds very ND ish to me

"didn't quit explain how the stick got him in the legs"

I have the same question.

Reading further in his letters, there is this statement in a later letter (1826):

In about one day’s travel we discovered where a party of Indians had wintered who were our enemies,
but fortunately had not discovered us. On the 11th, I was severely wounded through both
knees by an accidental discharge of a rifle; whereby I was obliged to be conducted to our establishment
at the mouth of Yellow Stone; here I remained until September.

It sure sounds like the same event. Same injury and same date. The second letter is dated two years later, but to a different person,
So Daniel Potts was likely relating the same story to someone else.

Now that makes sense...thanks for the additional research.