The Wounded

Surgeon at Work

A word of caution, some readers may find this subject visually offensive. 

As stated in a previous post there were over 650,000 men who died during the Civil War.  Many people do not know that there were a comparable number of men wounded during the four years of the conflict.  Briefly we will discuss here the medical treatment that could be expected.

In the first instance, the surgeon of the Civil War era is often depicted as a man who knew little more than how to amputate a limb and how to do so quickly. In fictional depictions he is shown as sawing off a limb, wiping his knife on a bloody apron and yelling "NEXT!"  The reality is that the surgeon was often capable of much more than that.

Individual surgeons had differing levels of skill, the modern system of training only just beginning to be standardized. What made the surgeon's life difficult after a battle was the high number of casualties he could often expect to see.  Taking the battle of Gettysburg as an example, between both sides there were over fifty thousand (50,000) casualties in just three days. Over eighty percent of them were wounded men. The relative handful of surgeons available had little time to actually work on patients.  Sadly amputations were the most effective way of treating a major injury to the extremity.

This is not to say that a Civil War surgeon lacked the skill to perform surgery on the vital organs. Even as far back as the American Revolution procedures such as re-expanding a collapsed lung were known.  Given the large number of casualties, these procedures were omitted due to lack of time.  Triage focused on the somewhat less wounded (such as limbs) primarily as they could be treated more quickly.  The badly wounded would be set aside, given something for pain and left to their fate.  If the surgeon was able to get the other patients tended to, he might return to these men and work on any still alive.

The reason for the large number of amputations was the nature of the wounds themselves.  The Minnie Ball was the standard style of soft lead bullet used by the rifle musket carried in the Civil War. This projectile would often shatter any bones hit beyond the point of repair.  Talking to modern medical personnel, even today there would be little to do with this kind of injury beyond amputation.

Wounded soldiers from Gunshots

Some soldiers were afraid to see the surgeon if they were wounded.  They might treat themselves in some manner or not go at all if they were hit in the torso or head as they knew they had little chance.  What added to the mental trauma of being wounded was seeing the piles of amputated limbs outside the hospital awaiting burial.  Such a hospital scene is depicted in Gettysburg.  This was disheartening for two reasons. The visual effect of seeing so many limbs and knowing it was possibly your fate was one.  The faith of the time being the other.

As mentioned previously, many men believed that to get to Heaven you had to be bodily intact. If two of the men photographed above believed that, they were never getting into Heaven due to their injuries.  This was one reason why many soldiers would beg to be allowed to keep their offending limb.  Sadly, a high percentage of these soldiers would die. A recent medical study has concluded that more men would have survived the war if even more amputations had been performed.

Stereographic Photograph of Civil War Hospital

This only VERY briefly scratches the surface on medical treatment. I have kept it brief for clarity and to limit the offensiveness to our readers.  I have two books on medical treatment in the Civil War era and could not finish either one. 

Soon we will return to our technical discussions on the weapons that inflicted these wounds, beginning with the artillery.

-Corporal


Homer, Winslow, Artist. The surgeon at work at the rear during an engagement / Homer. United States, 1862. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/97501512/. (Accessed March 01, 2018.)


Surgical photograph ... prepared under the supervision of ...War Department, Surgeon General's Office, Army Medical Museum. United States, None. [Photographed between 1861 and 1865, printed later] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2005696469/. (Accessed March 01, 2018.)



Brady'S National Photographic Portrait Galleries, Gardner, James, photographer. Hospital at Fredericksburg, Va., May. Fredericksburg United States Virginia, 1864. [Hartford, Conn.: The War Photograph & Exhibition Company, No. 21 Linden Place, May, printed later] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2009630187/. (Accessed March 01, 2018.)