Civil War Medicine

Surfing the web for something interesting, I found these fascinating excerpts from the journal of J. S. Billings, a Civil War surgeon who served the men fighting around Petersburg in 1864. Nothing further need be said. His words speak clearly even from 142 years past.

"... The character of the surgery performed in the field hospitals during the campaign has been unprecedently good. The majority of cases have been properly dressed, and operated on, before being sent to the rear, and, for this reason, the number of primary operations has been very great. The great majority of wounds have been caused by the conoidal ball, but a few wounds from grape or canister have been observed. The treatment of flesh wounds has been simple and uniform, consisting of a small piece of wet lint placed on the wound, or wounds, and retained in position by a turn of bandage, or a slip of plaster ..." - Billings, J.S., Asst. Surg., USA, Army of the Potomac, near Petersburg, VA."

"Setting Up A Hospital
Page #1
June 17, 1864
I do not believe that my work at hospitals will ever end. I almost feel the same about this war. I arrived at City Point on an afternoon in mid-June, as the steamers were being unloaded with medical supplies. The General had moved our army yet again, crossing the James River to target Petersburg. Of course, we moved when the army did, and now we worked to get another hospital ready for the soldiers already fighting near the city.

Page #2
Two days later, the first 500 wounded soldiers arrived at the hospital before we were even ready for them. Before that day was over, more than 3,500 patients were seen by the staff. I think I saw a couple hundred myself. So many faces, I can’t recall. The following days were much the same, so there was little time for us to rest.

Page #3
Hardly a day passed, when we did not hear the roar of the cannons from the Petersburg front. Even when there was no report of battle, soldiers arrived at the hospital by the train load. I tried to help the men who poured into the hospital day after day, many suffering terrible wounds. Under the knife, I operated on so many misshapen bodies, knowing that these men would never be the same again. Afterwards, I rested, while watching the nurses wash the blood-stained floors of the operating room. Even after three years of war, I still found it difficult to deal with the horror of it all.

Page #4
I always felt rewarded when I saw a wounded soldier slowly healing from his surgery and gaining their strength. They were fortunate to be in a hospital that was so well supplied. I was pleased to be finally working in a hospital where the patients had a clean bed to lay their head, good food, and experienced doctors and nurses to care for them. This was not the only change I noticed in hospital care by this time in the war. The Medical Department had made some changes to hospital care, and one was the addition of women nurses, who seemed to take great care with the patients, even so far as hanging colored papers over the walls, the windows, and doors to make this depressing place a bit more cheerful for its occupants. Our patients really appreciated these small gestures of kindness.

Field Station
Page #1
The army was planning a big battle near the end of July, so I was one of the surgeons who volunteered to go to the front line for a few days. I had some experience working in the field dressing stations, so I traveled down to the front line with some assistant surgeons. I had no idea what a disastrous day it would be for our men.

Page #2
How many wounded men passed through my shelter that day, I could not possibly recall. The battle had started before daybreak with the sound of a big explosion followed by artillery fire across our lines. Thankfully, I was safely behind the lines, waiting for the confusion to begin. I prepared my station for all of the wounded that would be arriving once the battle began. The image of the wounded still stands out in my mind.

Page #3
The wounded never stopped coming through my tent, located just a few hundred yards behind the Union lines. Equipped with a pile of bandages and some bottles of medicine, the first aid tent was barely more than shelter with blankets scattered on the ground. Men continually carried the soldiers off the battlefield behind our lines to the dressing station. There it was my job to give these men quick care before they were taken on to the Field Depot Hospital near Grant's Headquarters. There were others there to help me, but there were so many wounded that we could not take care of them all.

Page #4
I gave the men who had been shot in the leg, the arm, or the stomach, opium to numb their pain. I tried to clean and wrap as many wounds as I could, before many of the soldiers took their trip to the hospital. There was little I could do to comfort them. Most of the fighting was up the hill on the other side of our trench. We were behind the dirt walls, where we had pretty good protection, though an occasional bullet sometimes whizzed past. As the hours passed, my hands grew tired from the care I gave to hundreds of wounded that day. Fortunately, most of them would make the trip to City Point, where they would get much better care in our hospital. Still, a few breathed their last under my tent that day.

Ambulance
Page #1
From Battlefield to Hospital
A few days after the terrible battle, I received orders to head back to the main hospital at City Point. I made the trip with the latest group of soldiers wounded on the front lines. There was a lot of confusion, as I watched ambulance workers load the wounded onto the horse and carriages that would carry us the short distance to our railroad.

Page #2
Once the ambulance delivered us to the railroad depot, I boarded the railroad train with the wounded, to try to assist them in some way. We were packed very tightly on these railroad cars, so that the bed of hay offered no comfort. Men screamed in pain as their mangled bodies constantly knocked against one another from the jolting of the railroad car. Blood was everywhere, as I sit among the men and the smells were almost unbearable. Thankfully, the trip to the hospital was a short one. I was quite relieved when the train finally pulled up to the center of the hospital tents, and I worked quickly to help the severely wounded to the operation area.

Surgery
Page #1
I worked late into the night performing surgery after surgery on the wounded who streamed into the hospital. There was no end to the trainloads of wounded who continued to arrive at the hospital throughout this long day. I really just wanted a few minutes to sit down and rest, to get away from the depressing scene of thousands of young, wounded soldiers whose lives would never be the same again.

Page #2
My tired hands were getting stiff from the chill in the air as the evening slowly passed. I could hardly look at the faces of these men whose bones were splintered by bullets and whose bandages were soaked with blood. I had to block out the shrieks and moans of those who still lay in the field waiting for their turn to come to the surgeon's table. It was how I got through the horror of it all. ‘

Page #3
I ignored the pile of arms and legs that sat in the corner of the operating room. When I became a doctor, I had never imagined performing so many surgeries at once. The truth be told, before the war, I had only operated on one person who was injured from a gunshot wound. I had to learn quickly how to amputate an arm or leg. On nights such as this, I moved from patient to patient hardly washing my hands and instruments I used to perform the amputations.

Page #4
Finally, the last wounded soldier of the day was brought to my table. He had already been given medicine to put him to sleep for his surgery, and he lay on the table white and still. When I looked down at his young face, I hesitated a moment. He looked so much like my own brother who was somewhere else fighting. As I was about to remove his leg, it made me sad to think this young boy would live his life a shattered wreck. I trembled for a moment to think that he could easily have been my brother, and somewhere a family had no idea what was about to happen to him. I picked up my saw and got to work."

To read more excerpts from journals about medical care and other aspects of life during the war, please click here.

Sincerely:

Randy

Please visit my primary site at www.brotherswar.com

All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved

Sources:

Views of the National Parks.

The Remaining Damage

The pictures included below show some of the remaining damage left to the two as yet unrestored monuments. Although the US National Park Service can likely replace the destroyed sections of each monument, the original pieces are now lost forever.

Above each picture of the damage, I have reposted pictures of each of the monuments prior to their desecration. These sad pictures tell the story all too well.


The 4th New York Artillery Monument and cannons.
Summer of 2005


Closer view of the 4th New York Artillery Monument.
Summer of 2005


The 4th New York monument's pedestal minus the damaged statue.
Notice the hole in the pavement where
the monument landed when toppled by vandals.
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer


National Park Staff examining the headless 4th NY Artillery statue.
Notice also the missing rammer from the statue's right hand.
Courtesy of the Gettysburg National Military Park


The 11th Massachusetts Monument.
Summer of 2005


The 11th MA monument immediately after the vandalism.
Notice the shattered pieces at its base.
Courtesy of the Gettysburg National Military Park


Close up of one destroyed segment of the monument.
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Sincerely:

Randy

Please visit my primary site at www.brotherswar.com

All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved

Pictures courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Gettysburg National Military Park

The Triumphant Return of the 114th Pennsylvania

The remounting of restored 114th PA Monument
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The least damaged of the recently vandalized monuments once again stands proudly back where it belongs. The United States National Park Service, showing their commitment to a quick but thorough restoration, has remounted the bronze statue of a 114th Pennsylvania Infantry Zouave Soldier on its pedestal where it once again will watch over the fields its men helped to defend on July 2, 1863. The 114th Pennsylvania fought with the Union Army's 3rd Corps under the command of Major General Daniel Sickles on the 2nd day of the Battle of Gettysburg. During this struggle, 9 men of the 114th lost their lives with 86 wounded and 60 captured.

The damaged 114th PA monument just 1 month ago.
Courtesy of the Gettysburg National Military Park.

As reported last month, vandals severely damaged three of the parks priceless monuments during a spree of pointless seemingly random destruction. The two other monuments, those to the 11th Massachusetts Infantry and the 4th New York Artillery, may take years to restore. The thoughtless thieves stole the arm and sword from the 11th Massachusetts and the head and rammer from the bronze statue atop the 4th New York. They also dragged artilleryman's statue behind their car some 160 feet causing severe damage.

During the battle's bloodiest day, the 11th Massachusetts lost 23 men killed and 96 men wounded. The 4th New York Artillery suffered 2 men killed and 10 wounded in their defense of the Devil's Den.

A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer noted that, since the monuments were each over 100 years old, the Archeological Resources Protection Act dictates that the criminals, when caught, will face felony charges and possible 10 year prison sentence.

Sincerely:

Randy

Please visit my primary site at www.brotherswar.com

All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved

Pictures courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Gettysburg National Military Park

Letter to the PGCB

A copy of a letter sent to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board concerning the proposed Gettysburg casino project.

"I cannot find the words to adequately describe how incensed I am concerning the proposal to build a casino near the Gettysburg Battlefield. Despite the empty promises, no one doubts for a moment that a casino would both threaten the battlefield and dishonor the memories of our ancestors who fought there. The priceless, irreplaceable monuments located not just on the battlefield but throughout the town, most erected by the soldiers to honor their fallen comrades, often are situated precariously close to the roads. The increase in crime, drunk driving, and traffic in general will without question result in increased damage to these monuments through vandalism, theft, and vehicular accidents.

Even more despicable is the exploitation of the memory of the men who on those fields saved a nation. Despite the protestations, no casino proposal would exist if not for the battlefield and the opportunity to profit through association with the name and honored dead of Gettysburg. The Battlefield grounds are Federal land, preserved for all of the citizens of our country. That anyone would attempt to capitalize on the dead who have served our country for the simple pursuit of profit is disgusting in the extreme.

I was born, raised, and continue to live in Pennsylvania. This is a nearly unbearable embarrassment that I hope will never darken the reputation of our good state. No one with any sense of patriotism, history, or pride in their country would entertain the thought of building a casino next to Arlington National Cemetery or Ground Zero in such a blatant attempt to profit from the unquestioned heroism and catastrophic loss. Likewise, no one should ever be permitted to exploit the honored dead of Gettysburg."

Please see my postings below for more information on this sad issue. And if you can, please write to the Gaming Board or your state and federal representatives to express your opposition. I included e-mail links to the governor, Pennsylvania's Senators, and the PGCB in the article A Casino in Gettysburg: The Danger, The Truth.

Sincerely:

Randy

Please visit my primary site at www.brotherswar.com

All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved

Last Chance to Testify Against Gettysburg Casino

I've written several blog articles about the proposed casino in Gettysburg.

A Vision Place of Souls

A Casino in Gettysburg: The Danger, The Truth

No need to restate what's been said. Those supporting the casinos deny the attempt to exploit the honored name and dead of Gettysburg. But without this Battle, the Battle that saw one nation die so another might live, no one would seek to build a casino so close to Gettysburg.

Only three days remain to register to testify against the casino. If you can be present, please do. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has extended the registration deadline to allow for those opposed to present their points of view. Without sufficient voice against the casino, the project will likely go forward. If you cannot be present, please write to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and express your opposition. A casino in Gettysburg will drain area resources, increase crime, and ultimately prove harmful to the ground reserved for a nation to honor its heroic dead. If the living do not steadfastly guard the memory of these men, no one will.

To Register for Public Hearings

To Contact the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

Respectfully,

Randy

Please visit my primary site at www.brotherswar.com

All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved

A Casino in Gettysburg - The Danger, The Truth

There exists no greater immediate threat to the most treasured battlefield within the United States than the recent proposed casino project. In a February 2006 press release, The Civil War Preservation Trust, America's largest non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields, stated, "Although the park is the most visited battlefield in the country and is the cornerstone of the local economy, the Gettysburg that millions of Americans have come to know and love is threatened by a proposal to build a massive, 3,000-slot gaming facility". I do not write today to criticize gambling but to help save this precious battlefield.

Gambling increases the amount of crime experienced by the communities that host gambling. According to a 2005 study by Aborn and Bennett, two communities in Mississippi experienced dramatic increases in crime from their pre-gambling levels. To quote their report, "Crime increases were seen in every category with murder, rape, robbery, and car theft at least doubling." With the advent of gambling, they experienced a 300% increase in bank robberies in just one year. Alcohol related accidents increased 101%, prostitution related arrests rose 85%, and drug arrests jumped 152%. In the five years previous to gambling, the crime rates had actually decreased by 42%.

A little closer to Pennsylvania, when considering Atlantic City, "In the first ten years the city had casinos, the total crime index rose a staggering 258%…Violent crime rose 199%, and larceny skyrocketed 481%." Atlantic City’s crime rates in 2002 were 3 times the national average and 4 times that of New York City.

A casino brings increased demand for law enforcement, crime-victim advocacy and support, social services, medical services (especially at local hospital emergency departments), emergency services (both ambulance, rescue, and fire), and welfare funding. The need for more social services will include addictions services (both gambling and substance abuse), crisis services, and housing. Housing typically means placement in an area hotel room at the cost of the local tax payers.

I have worked in the social service field, primarily with the mental health and addictions populations, for two decades in two different states including Pennsylvania. Officials predictably promise sufficient funding to address the problems associated with casinos whenever they propose such projects. In my experience, those promises remain broken. I know of no agency or public service entity which reports sufficient funding to meet the existing needs of the people they serve much less the expected expanded needs.

Even if the funds did exist however, by design, the person wishing to access those services must first display a need for those services. This is a key issue. To access the proposed expanded law enforcement services, someone must first be a victim or the intended victim of a crime. To access addiction services, someone must first become addicted. To access victims services, someone must first be victimized. Therefore, by design, people must first suffer in order for the proposed services to begin to address the need. Those who suffer will include people who never set foot in the casino. Since many health insurance providers limit the amount of covered addition services, those with the greatest need will inevitably go without treatment to their and the community‘s detriment. Sadly, since funding will not meet the anticipated expanded need generated by the casino‘s presence, all community members who need law enforcement, medical, or social services may experience decreased access.

Casino advocates have of course spoken of prevention. However, since the casino only profits if the majority of those gambling lose money, talk of prevention seems empty. By definition, in order to survive, the casino must attract a consistent and steady stream of people who lose money. Casino survival is simple mathematics. That loss contributes to the problems that will not receive adequate funding which in turn threatens the community and the battlefield

I say none of the above to disparage or insult the populations needing services or the providers attempting to meet these needs. However, the reality exists that when you introduce gambling, especially on such a large scale as proposed, personal and societal ills always have, and always will, follow. The costs will not be covered and the Gettysburg area as a whole, the town, the people, and the battlefield, will suffer irreparable harm.

Some of those who commit gambling related crimes will do so on the roads and grounds of the battlefield. This will tax already limited park financial and personnel resources. Increased crime means an increased threat to the battlefield. The park, its irreplaceable monuments, and other historic homes and structures will suffer increased damage due to automobile accidents, drunk driving, theft, and vandalism. Resources will be pulled due to under-funding and the battlefield will suffer. Again, simple mathematics. Much of the damage that will occur will be irreversible. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the nation will be poorer for it. This cannot happen. We cannot allow this.

Whether you are a Pennsylvania resident, a tourist from out of state, or you simply love our history, please contact any or all of the Government officials below and let them know that you consider the mere thought of a casino near Gettysburg completely unacceptable. Take time to write a few words and you will help save these grounds for our current generation and all those yet to come.

Governor Ed Rendell

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum

Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Candidate Lynn Swann

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

Respectfully,

Randy

Please visit my primary site at www.brotherswar.com

All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved

Sources:

Civil War Preservation Trust
The Connection Between Gambling and Crime
(PDF File. Adobe Acrobat required.)

The Bare Necessities

Early in 1861, Confederate Brigadier General Joseph Eggleston Johnston had overall command of the newly assembled southern force in the Shenandoah Valley. Days before the first major battle of the Civil War, Johnston’s troops successfully eluded Union Major General Robert Patterson’s forces to join Brigadier General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard near Manassas Virginia. Lt. General Winfield Scott had ordered Patterson to keep Johnston away from Beauregard so that Union Brigadier General Irvin McDowell’s green and as yet undisciplined troops could attack Beauregard’s unsupported, equally green men.

The Confederates earned a hard fought victory that day which saw casualties which would shock the citizens of both nations. On those fields, five regiments from Virginia and their commander would earn their immortal name as, after the victory, many recalled Confederate General Barnard Bee saying, "Yonder stands Jackson like a stone wall. Rally behind the Virginians".

Even the newest of Civil War enthusiasts finds familiar the stories of the valorous efforts of the Virginians on those fields. Jackson’s timely arrival, marching his troops to the battlefield over an old farmer’s lane, formally christened the bloodiest war in United States history. But days earlier, less dramatic factors played a small role in allowing Jackson’s men to join their comrades on the fields near Bull Run.

Many of General Patterson’s men had enlisted for only 3 months. All but a few believed 90 days a sufficient amount of time for the powerful North to subdue the pesky southern rebels. Despite resources that would eventually prove overwhelming, this early in the conflict, organizational and logistical concerns proved fatal as the Northern government had no efficient system for linking the men who fought with the crucial supplies they needed.

In his book entitled "Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War" Lieutenant Colonel G.F.R. Henderson writes about the impact of such seemingly minor problems. Although General Patterson tended towards more cautious approach to war, some of his men had ideas of their own. Henderson notes, as Johnston slipped away, "Even in that day of raw soldiers and inexperienced leaders his (Patterson’s) troops had an unenviable reputation. They enlisted for three months, and their term of service was nearly up. Their commander had no influence with them; and, turning a deaf ear to his appeals, they stubbornly refused to remain with the colours even for a few days over their term of service."

Up until this point, nothing of this story stands as remarkable. The new soldiers hardly had acclimated themselves to the discipline and expectations of an army fighting brutal war. But Henderson continued by offering some of the factors contributing to the men’s dissatisfaction. "They were possibly disgusted with the treatment they had received from the Government. The men had received no pay. Many were without shoes, and others, according to their general, were ‘without pants!’ ‘They cannot march,’ he adds, ‘and, unless a paymaster goes with them, they will be indecently clad and have just cause of complaint.’

Had he known, perhaps General Bee would have altered his famous declaration, "There stands Jackson like a stonewall! And there stand Patterson’s men, hiding behind one."

Respectfully,

Randy

Please visit my primary site at www.brotherswar.com.

All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved

Vandalism Update Information

The Civil War Interactive, an outstanding on-line Civil War newspaper, has posted a page dedicated to the recent outrageous vandalism suffered by several of the parks revered monuments on the Gettysburg Battlefield. This page includes a variety of information including a video of park service personnel discussing the damage and some very sad views of the monuments themselves.

Civil War Interactive

Sincerely;

Randy

Please visit my primary site at www.brotherswar.com

All original material Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved