Who Is Peg Leg?

Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates is a great American hero. He was born in rural Fountain Inn, South Carolina and raised by his mother, Emma Bates, after his father abandoned them. With no hospital nearby for Black people, his leg was amputated on the table in his mother's kitchen. ...

Is Peg Leg Joe a real person?

Peg Leg Joe was a sailor who led slaves through the Underground Railroad to freedom. He may have been a real person or composite of people but there is no reliable historical evidence of his existence. As his name suggests, he had a prosthesis for his right leg.

How did pirates attach peg legs?

Most artificial legs were connected by a leather cup that fitted over a portion of the stump. These would often be lined with sheepskin, or other material to make the cup more comfortable. Because the methods used to amputate a leg were not as advanced as they are today, the stumps were often tender or even painful.