Category Archives: Medical

Now Available: Matchless Organization: The Confederate Army Medical Dapartment

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Emerging Civil War

We’re excited to announce the release of the next book in the Engaging the Civil War Series, published by Southern Illinois University Press: Matchless Organization: The Confederate Army Medical Department by Guy Hasegawa. Matchless Organization is “the essential reference about … Continue reading →

Posted in Engaging the Civil War Series, Medical | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Weekly Whitman: “A March in the Ranks Hard-prest, and the Road Unknown”

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Meg Groeling

This particular poem—“A March in the Ranks Hard-prest, and the Road Unknown”—resonates with me because of the work I have done on First Bull Run and the old Sudley Church. Descriptions given by Arthur O’Neil Alcock, of the 11th New … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Medical | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Recruiting The Regiment: Discovering The Doctor In The Ranks Of The 2nd Virginia Infantry

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Sarah Kay Bierle

The young doctor was going back to Virginia when he believed his homestate was threatened. He had done it once before, leading a “secession movement” from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1859, taking over three hundred students with him … Continue reading →

Posted in 160th Anniversary, Medical, Regiments | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

“On the Heights”: The Field Hospital at Brompton in May 1864

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Ryan Quint

The wagons rolling into Fredericksburg never seemed to stop. Mary Caldwell, an inhabitant of the town, wrote in her diary, “The road near the fair grounds seems to be literally covered.”[1] They were filled with broken and bloodied bodies, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Civilian, Common Soldier, Medical | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Swarming with maggots” – Assistant Surgeon Samuel Melcher and the Care of the Wounded at Wilson’s Creek

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Kristen Pawlak

As the first major engagement fought west of the Mississippi River, the 1861 Battle of Wilson’s Creek (fought August 10, 1861) was known for being a particularly desperate, hard-fought battle that resulted in nearly 20% casualties on both sides. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Emerging Civil War, Medical, Personalities, Primary Sources, Trans-Mississippi | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Baby at the Military Hospital

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Sarah Kay Bierle

Phoebe Pember served a hospital matron in one of the wards of Chimborazo Hospital, which was one of the largest medical facilities in Richmond, Virginia. After the war, she wrote a memoir about her experiences at this Confederate hospital, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilian, Medical | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Medical Department of Pennsylvania College, Gettysburg

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Jon Tracey

Nestled away in the northwestern corner of the town, Gettysburg College is a small private liberal arts college (and my alma mater) with a long history. Prior to a name change in the early 1900s, the institution was known as … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Medical | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

ECW Weekender: African Americans and Civil War Medicine (Virtual Exhibit)

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Sarah Kay Bierle

  While looking around for some Civil War medical records this week, I found this online exhibit focusing on African Americans and 1860’s medicine. Presented by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the virtual resources include pages focusing on Black … Continue reading →

Posted in ECW Weekender, Medical | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

David Laird and The Christian Commission at Gettysburg

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Jon Tracey

My ongoing work about Camp Letterman General Hospital and the treatment of the wounded following the battle of Gettysburg tends not to be the most uplifting work. Though stories of resilience and healing are common, so too are stories of … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, Medical, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“On Whose Head Is This Blood?”: Union Colonels In Insane Asylums, Part 2

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Frank Jastrzembski

Part 1 of this article introduced a Union colonel who ended up being institutionalized after the war. He isn’t the only one who suffered this fate. This is a continuation of where it left off. 

Posted in Leadership--Federal, Medical | Tagged , , | 3 Comments