In this hospital there were a usually large number of amputations, the amputated stumps lying directly on the ground except when now and then elevated a little upon a handful of straw or a bunch of all rags. They lay upon the damp ground, many of them with nothing under them. An observer from the Christian Commission in Gettysburg remembered one of the many hospitals in town, a Federal hospital along Rock Creek, that reflected the typical state of the hospitals throughout town: Two years later, a similar experience happened at Gettysburg. It was raining but not heavily, and wandering in the dark, I was attracted by a fire under one of the trees in the Pringle yard… There was no place under shelter for a well man, and my only hope was to find the sheltering arms of a friendly tree. I next thought of getting a little rest, and sleep if possible, knowing there was a strenuous day ahead of me next day. I had not a mouthful since breakfast and tried to find something to eat, at which I was not successful. I attended to my wounded, making them as comfortable as I could. Edward Craighill, who worked in the Pringle House Hospital after first Manassas: Many medical personnel worked themselves to exhaustion. Many of these hospitals were understaffed so surgeons and nurses worked tirelessly to treat patients, sometimes to the detriment of their own health. Blood runs on the floor, the smell is dreadful, but no language can describe it… His father is with him… Downstairs there are some forty men in various stages of death or possible recovery. In another room are five Carolinians, one dying, son of Henry S. Next to us are three, one with a gangrenous thigh where it is amputated. At the foot of the stairs two bloody legs lay and through all I went to I went to my husband…In the opposite room are ten dying or wounded men. On a table in the open hall a man was undergoing amputation of the leg. Two men dead and covered with blood are carried down the stairs as I waited to let them pass. A visitor to Portici, Fannie Ricketts described the scene: One house called Portici was on the battlefield and converted into a hospital early on the afternoon of the 21 st. Homes close to the battlefield were also converted into hospitals. William Croffut, a local reporter who was present at the battle recorded “it was a sickening spectacle… pulpit had the appearance of a drug store…the church floors were so overcrowded with wounded that it was difficult to get across by stepping carefully”. Blankets and straw were laid down on the church floor for bedding. The pulpit was turned into an operating table and pews removed to make room for the wounded. The experiences for many soldiers in field hospitals were chaotic and frightening, like after the first major engagement at First Manassas or after battles with large amounts of wounded like Gettysburg or Antietam.ĭuring the First Battle of Manassas, Sudley Church was converted by Union forces into a field hospital. Surgeons often had limited amounts of supplies and had to try to treat as many patients as possible. Often in homes, churches, barns, and other local buildings that were taken over to be converted into rudimentary hospitals, surgeries took place on dining tables or doors removed from hinges. Photo of soldiers convalescing outside a hospital in Fredericksburg, VA in May 1864.įield hospitals were located near the front lines and served as an initial treatment center for those soldiers evacuated from the battlefield. In 1861, there were two types of hospitals that surgeons operated in: field hospitals and general hospitals. At the beginning of the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederate Medical Departments were unprepared for the number of causalities unleashed. Soldiers’ experiences in a Civil War hospital varied depending on its location and what kind of hospital they were treated in.
While the traditional focus has often been about the battles, often overlooked is the daily life in hospitals where soldiers spent weeks, and sometimes even months, recovering. The vast majority of these men were treated in hospitals scattered throughout both sections of the country. Over the course of the Civil War, at least 600,000 soldiers died from wounds or sickness. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaigns.Help Save 52 Hallowed Acres at Three Virginia Battlefields.Help Protect 52 Threatened Acres in Virginia, Georgia and Mississippi.Phase Three of Gaines’ Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign.Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields – Your Gift Tripled!.Preserve 128 Sacred Acres at Antietam and Shepherdstown.For Sale: Three Battlefield Tracts Spanning Three Wars.Virtual Tours View All See Antietam now!.National Teacher Institute July 21 - 24, 2022 Learn More.USS Constitution In 4 Minutes Watch Video.African Americans During the Revolutionary War.The First American President: Setting the Precedent.
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