He fired once, and fired two, and a bullet whistled into the bushes … You shoot like a soldier, - Kamal said, - I'll see how you drive!
("Ballad of West and East", R. Kipling)
What talents the human race is not known for. World cultural history knows thousands of famous poets and musicians, great artists and scientists, renowned "minds" and travelers. But on the pedestal of personalities with unique abilities, those who managed to show their natural abilities by hunting and shooting, that is, by no means traditional types of activity, were not lost. Yes, yes, we are talking about arrows, and not just about all well-aimed arrows, of which, in general, a lot is known. The story will focus on the most famous female shooter in America, whose name is still remembered by even the most uninterested in shooting Americans. Moreover, the majority knew her not even by her name, but by her artistic pseudonym - Baby Sharp Shot!
Ann Oakley.
She was born in 1860 in Dark County, in the family of a farmer, and was christened Phoebe Annie Moses, although she went down in history as Annie Oakley. She was not even 10 years old, but she had already learned to shoot from a revolver and was not at all afraid of a roar or fire. At the age of 12, the family was left without a father, and it was young Annie who undertook to provide the family with hunting. And at the age of 15, in the building of the city opera of the city of Cincinnati, in a competition with the local master of shooting Frank Butler, she won her first official victory. Frank Butler was ambitious, and like any man he immediately wanted to take revenge. But amazed at the girl's skill, having got to know her better, he recognized Annie's victory as well deserved. Well, and then, as happens in such cases very often, sympathy arose between Frank and Annie, and then love. Falling in love with a young girl, Butler offered Annie his hand, heart and … his well-aimed eye. And she agreed without hesitation. Thus began her performances in the traveling circus. This became the main source of income for the spouses. The talented artist made well-aimed shots to the edge of her husband's cigar and knocked the ashes off it. It was then that Phoebe Annie Moses took the stage name Annie Oakley and with him she went down in history. Wearing a cowboy hat, leggings and a pleated skirt, she jumped on a horse and at a gallop shot the colored balls; they were thrown into the air by circus workers. A playing card placed on the edge, before falling on the table, was struck at a distance of 30 meters by several rapid shots, and the artist made 5-6 holes in it. Shot-through cards were snapped up by viewers as "Annie's souvenirs." And these are far from the only tricks from the girl's unique repertoire. She, for example, managed to get on the fly in the center of a dime.
And then Annie and Frank met the famous William Cody - Buffalo Bill and he offered them to work on his Wild West show. And what was not in it! The program of the Bufallo Bill show was distinguished by enchanting and spectacularity, the admiration of the audience reached, literally, trembling in the knees and goosebumps. The impression, especially on immigrants from Europe, who first came to the United States, this show produced, is well described in the first book "Harka - the son of the leader" from the trilogy of the novel by German writer Lieselotte Welskopf Heinrich "Sons of the Big Dipper", where both once there is a description of it. Cowboys galloped around the stage and shot at the target at a gallop, the Indians attacked the post carriage, tied one of the passengers to the board and stuffed its outline with knives on it, well, the copyright numbers, exclusively with marksmanship - all this was there, so even a high fee did not stop anyone for the entrance! They began to work in it in 1885, and immediately with their own program! At the same time, Annie's performance was always the first number. The young artist approached her performances with exceptional seriousness. She built the program of her performances according to the principle “from simple to complex”. A professional artist was always required to pull the intrigue and, most importantly, not to scare children and impressionable adults. Therefore, at the very beginning of the performance, she fired from a 22-caliber revolver, and the very sight of a young pretty girl left pleasant sensations for the “little spectators”. Having captured the attention of the public, the artist switched from a revolver to a more powerful weapon, the shots were made louder, but this did not cause panic in anyone. Well, it is clear that she never had any problems with weapons. In order to advertise their brand, the Colt and Winchester firms could afford to provide Annie with piece materials of their weapons free of charge. Each, recently made sample of weapons, these firms presented to the girl. And her opinion was considered the most objective and authoritative for weapons manufacturers.
After working for 17 years in the troupe of Bufallo Bill, Annie gained wide popularity among the American public. It was here that she met the Sitting Bull, the leader of the Sioux Indian tribe. He was a very famous person in the states. General Custer's detachment near the Little Big Horn River in 1876 was destroyed by the Sioux and Arapaho Indians just under his leadership. In shooting, of course, he was a professional. Fascinated by Annie's talent and skill, Sitting Bull made her an honorary member of the Sioux tribe and gave her the name Little Sharpshot. Since 1887, the Wild West troupe began to travel abroad. The tour included three long trips to Europe. In England, Annie was honored to perform at Buckingham Palace in front of Queen Victoria herself. It was a sensational event for all British newspapers. Initially, by the way, the British public came out with harsh criticism of the provincial manners of the young American woman, but still treated her with understanding, like any true talent.
Britain's acquaintance with the "Wild West" caused the most enthusiastic responses from the population. Among the ladies of the aristocratic circle, it has become fashionable to learn to shoot a gun. And Annie began to conduct "master classes" for noble persons. The girl's innocence was so sympathetic to British women that, soon, the ladies supported everything in her that was not so familiar to them at first. Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich, who was in England at the time, dared to compete with Annie. The prince, perhaps, had the glory of the first-rate shooter, but the young girl-shooter still defeated him, which caused his genuine admiration. Annie Oakley's third European tour lasted four years. This was the last tour to begin in 1902. The future emperor of Germany, Crown Prince Wilhelm, also decided to take part in the performance. Annie shot off the smoking tip of Prince William's lighted cigar in her usual fearless manner. So, the future Kaiser of Germany publicly showed his fearlessness (and he always loved to pose in front of the public!), And Baby Sharp Shot has once again proved her unsurpassed skill in the use of weapons, which has earned admiration from commoners to crowned heads.
Anne in her stage costume.
The story of the magnificent Annie has sunk into the minds and hearts of Americans so much that they even staged a musical in her honor: “Annie, Grab Your Gun!”, Which immediately became very popular. A lot of performances were also staged and several films were shot.
The theme of Annie Oakley's personality was the most suitable for Americans who were not used to living with a gun, and even about the advertising of weapons that used her name, you can not even talk about. Phoebe Annie Moses or Little Sharpshot has lived a happy, cheerful life, the life of an artist and a loving wife, basking in the glory and love of her American fans. Annie passed away in November 1929 at the age of 66. Her husband, Frank Butler, lived for another 18 years after his wife's death. Surprisingly, life "with arms in hand" did not make the young girl either rude or masculine. On the contrary, fans noted a modest and shy character in her. She even blushed when admirers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean pelted her with flowers and called her a champion. Well, one of Annie's guns, manufactured by Parker Brothers Hammer, was auctioned in 2013 for a phenomenal $ 293,000. Isn't this the best recognition of her memory for the Americans ?!
