Thursday, July 22, 2010

KILLED BY THE CURE: CIVIL WAR MEDICINE, PT. III

Copyright © 2009 by St. Louis Public Library.

VIII. Civil War Nurses

Female nurses were a most uncommon sight in American medicine prior to the Civil War. Men performed most of the duties we commonly associate with nurses. Florence Nightingale and her Corps of Female Nurses, who were employed by the British during the Crimean War in the 1850s, had fired the imaginations of American women, however, many of whom eagerly volunteered their services to the Union Army Medical Corps.

IX. Dorothea Dix

A flood of applications by women to work as volunteer nurses in Union Army hospitals brought about the appointment of Miss Dorothea Dix, who was already well-known for her pre-war work in the reform of insane asylums, as Superintendent of Female Nurses by the Director of the Union Army Medical Corps in 1861.

Miss Dix decreed that volunteer female nurses should be “plain-looking, mature” women who had to dress in simple brown or black dresses. They were not to wear bows or jewelry, have curls in their hair, or wear hoops in their skirts.

X. Appearance of Female Nurses

Most women greatly disliked Miss Dix’s strictures on age, appearance, and dress, and many violations of her rules occurred. One volunteer female nurse noted that “never before have so many American women attempted to appear older than their natural years.” Attractive women did what they could to disguise their looks until appointed, then reverted to their normal appearances.

Many women “felt naked” without the hoop skirts then in fashion, and wore them in spite of Miss Dix’s prohibition. In at least one documented case, a hoop skirt caught in a soldier’s surgical dressing and opened the wound, causing his death due to hemorraging.

Tom Pearson, Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
1301 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 63103

CLASSES AT ST. LOUIS PUBLIC LIBRARY

News about upcoming genealogy/military history classes sponsored or co-sponsored by St. Louis Public Library:

1. SLPL CLASSES

The August Check-It-Out bulletin sent to SLPL patrons lists two classes I am supposedly teaching at Buder Branch Library during that month. The closure of Central Library has forced me to change my class schedule. I just don't have time to prepare any new classes at this point-- I can only offer classes that I have taught previously. The following list includes the ONLY classes I am scheduled to teach at Buder during August-December 2010. Please disregard ANY other listings you may come across. Thanks!

Classes listed are sponsored by St. Louis Public Library, and are free and open to the public.

Thurs August 26 10 a.m.-Noon. Killed by the Cure: Civil War Medicine. Join us as we discuss the injuries and diseases that plagued Civil War soldiers, and the (sometimes fatal) methods Civil War doctors used to try and heal them. Buder Branch. To register or for more information, email me at tpearson@slpl.org.

Sat October 30 10 a.m.-Noon. The Witches of Salem Village. Join us as we discuss witchcraft and witch trials in Europe and North America; the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692; and ways to research ancestors who were accused as witches. Buder Branch. To register or for more information, email me at tpearson@slpl.org.

Thurs November 18 10 a.m.-Noon. Research at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Join us as we discuss the wealth of resources for the genealogist and historian available at this Springfield, Illinois institution. Buder Branch. To register or for more information, email me at tpearson@slpl.org.

Sat December 18 10 a.m.-Noon. He’s a Rebel: Researching Confederate Ancestors. Join us as we discuss various ways that genealogists can find books, microfilms, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, and Internet sites that offer information about Confederate soldier ancestors. Buder Branch. To register or for more information, email me at tpearson@slpl.org.

Buder Branch
4401 Hampton Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63109

Pre-registration is recommended. To register or for more information, please call 539-0381. Parking on the Buder Branch lot is always free.

It’s easy to add you to my programs notification list. Just email me at tpearson@slpl.org and use NOTIFY in the subject line- that’s all you need to do!

2. CLASSES AT OTHER LOCATIONS

I will also be teaching these classes at non-SLPL locations. Maybe there's one near you!

Classes listed are co-sponsored by St. Louis Public Library, and are free and open to the public. Please note that locations for classes vary.

Thurs October 14 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Greatest Generation: Researching WWII Ancestors. Join us as we discuss various ways that genealogists can find books, microfilms, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, and Internet sites that offer information about WWII ancestors. Belleville Public Library, 121 E. Washington, Belleville, IL 62220. To register or for more information, email me at tpearson@slpl.org.

Weds October 20 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Researching Farmers & Other Rural Ancestors. Join us as we discuss various ways that genealogists can find books, microfilms, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, and Internet sites that offer information about ancestors who owned / worked farms or other agricultural ventures. Hayner Public Library, 326 Belle Street, Alton, IL 62002. To register or for more information, email me at tpearson@slpl.org.

Thurs November 4 7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Thirteen Dollars a Month: Recruiting, Enlistment, Conscription, & Desertion in the American Civil War. Join us at this monthly meeting of the St. Clair County Genealogical Society as we discuss how they joined the army during the Civil War; what they got paid for doing so; and how some of them took the money and ran. St. Luke’s Parish Hall, 301 N. Church Street, Belleville, IL 62220. To register or for more information, email me at tpearson@slpl.org.

Sat November 20 Meeting starts 10 a.m.; talk at 10:30 a.m. Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Researching Farmers & Other Rural Ancestors. Join us at this monthly meeting of the St. Louis Genealogical Society as we discuss various ways that genealogists can find books, microfilms, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, and Internet sites that offer information about ancestors who owned / worked farms or other agricultural ventures. St. Louis County Library, 1640 S. Lindbergh, St. Louis, MO 63131. To register or for more information, email me at tpearson@slpl.org.

3. StLGS BOOK FAIR

I will be an exhibitor at the St. Louis Genealogical Society Book Fair on Sunday, December 5th, 1-3 PM. This event takes place at their headquarters (#4 Sunnen Drive, Suite 140, St. Louis, Mo. 63143). Stop by and say hello if you're in the neighborhood- it's a great opportunity to pick up signed books for the genealogists or history buffs on your Christmas list!

Friday, July 16, 2010

KILLED BY THE CURE: CIVIL WAR MEDICINE, PT. II

Copyright © 2009 by St. Louis Public Library. This publication may not be reproduced or republished without prior written permission of the St. Louis Public Library.

V. Civil War Medical Personnel

Civil War medical personnel included:

Military: Surgeons, Assistant Surgeons, & soldiers detailed as Hospital Stewards and Orderlies (during battles, Musicians served as stretcher-bearers)

Civilian: Contract surgeons, nurses, hospital stewards, druggists, matrons, cooks, laundresses, and manual laborers (both sides employed some black persons as cooks, laundresses, and manual laborers)

VI. Training of Doctors at the Time of the Civil War

Doctors of that era trained in one of two ways:

1. By apprenticing themselves to a practicing doctor. Doctors trained in this way could only be as good as the doctor who trained them, as there were no licensing boards to guarantee their medical knowledge and surgical skills.

2. Attend a medical school. This involved two years of schooling. Each year consisted of a six-month course of study- the second year was an exact repeat of the first year’s coursework! Prospective new doctors generally had no surgical experience, beyond observation of operations.

VII. Doctors in the Armies of the U. S. A. and the C. S. A.

When the Civil War began, there were 115 doctors in the regular army who took care of the army’s 15,000 soldiers. 27 of these men resigned their commissions toenter the Army of the C.S.A. Thus, both the U.S.A. and the C.S.A. began the war with fewer than 100 doctors to care for their armies.

By war’s end, the U.S. Army had more than 13,000 doctors in the field and in its general hospitals; the Army of the C.S.A. at its height had approximately 3,300 doctors serving its cause in the field and in general hospitals like Chimborazo in Richmond, Virginia.

Tom Pearson, Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
1301 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 63103

Friday, July 9, 2010

KILLED BY THE CURE: CIVIL WAR MEDICINE, PT. I

Copyright © 2009 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.

I. Civil War Military Hospitals

When the Civil War broke out, there were no official United States military hospitals. Each Army regiment had its own hospital, which was staffed with a surgeon, and two assistant surgeons. Equipment consisted of medical supplies, at least one ambulance, and a number of tents. If a regiment found itself with more sick and wounded men than it had beds for, nearby civilian buildings were temporarily used for that purpose.

It quickly became apparent that larger, more permanent hospitals would be necessary. They were called general hospitals because they could admit men from any regiment in its service region.

II. Hospitals in the North

Once the war began in earnest, both sides had to quickly acquire or build hospitals for the sick and wounded. By 1863, there were 151 general hospitals for soldiers in the North; by 1865 there were 204, which provided beds for 137,000 sick and wounded soldiers. The largest capacity Northern military hospital was Satterlee Hospital in Philadelphia, with a 3,519 bed capacity. Following close on its heels was the hospital at Fort Monroe, Virginia, which had a 3,497 bed capacity.

III. Hospitals in the South

The South also had to rapidly acquire places to put its sick and wounded men. By 1865, the South had 150 general hospitals for soldiers in operation. The largest by far was Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, Virginia (so-called because of its location on Chimborazo Heights). This sprawling hospital complex had an 8,000 bed capacity, making it the largest military hospital by far in the North or the South.

IV. Hospital Acquisition

The need for more hospital beds was filled in one of four ways:

1. Use of army barracks as hospitals (layout and poor ventilation made most of them unsuitable for long-term use as hospitals).
2. Conversion of existing buildings in the civilian sector into hospitals (layout and poor ventilation also made many of these unsuitable for long-term medical use).
3. Tents could be pitched around hospitals to provide additional temporary bed space.
4. Construction of new buildings designed specifically as military hospitals

Tom Pearson, Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
1301 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 63103

Thursday, July 1, 2010

LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, PART VII

Copyright © 2006 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.

X. SOURCES OF STATISTICS

McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: the Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Taylor, Lenette S. The Supply for Tomorrow Must Not Fail: The Civil War of Captain Simon Perkins Jr., a Union Quartermaster. Kent: Kent State Press, 2004.

United States. Bureau of the Census. 1860 Federal Census of Population.

Wagner, Margaret E, Gallagher, Gary W., and Paul Finkelman. The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.

XI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bacon, Benjamin. Sinews of War: How Technology, Industry, and Transportation Won the Civil War. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1997.

Ball, Douglas B. Financial Failure and Confederate Defeat. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1991.

Black, Robert C. The Railroads of the Confederacy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1952.

Bradlee, Francis B. C. Blockade Running During the Civil War and Effect of Land and Water Transportation on the Confederacy. Salem, MA: Essex Institute, 1925.

Browning, Robert M. Success Is All That Was Expected: the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron During the Civil War. Washington: Brassey's, 2002.

Carse, Robert. Blockade: the Civil War at Sea. New York: Rinehart, 1958.

Clark, John E. Jr. Railroads in the Civil War: the Impact of Management on Victory and Defeat. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001.

Estaville, Lawrence E. Confederate Neckties: Louisiana Railroads in the Civil War. Ruston, LA: McGinty Publications, 1989.

Fiske, John. The Mississippi Valley in the Civil War. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1900.

Forsyth, Michael J. The Red River Campaign of 1864 and the Loss by the Confederacy of the Civil War. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2002.

Gabel, Christopher R. Rails to Oblivion: the Battle of Confederate Railroads in the Civil War. Fort Leavenworth, KS: US Army Command & General Staff Press, 2002.

Gates, Paul Wallace. Agriculture and the Civil War. New York: Knopf, 1965.

Goff, Richard D. Confederate Supply. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1969.

Goff, Richard D. Logistics and Supply Problems of the Confederacy. Ann Arbor,MI: University Microfilms, 1972.

Horner, Dave. The Blockade-Runners: True Tales of Running the Yankee Blockade of the Confederate Coast. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1968.

Johnson, Ludwell H. Red River Campaign: Politics and Cotton in the Civil War. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1958.

Lonn, Ella. Salt as a Factor in the Confederacy. New York: W. Neale, 1933.

Moore, Jerrold Northrop. Confederate Commissary General: Lucius Bellinger Northrop and the Subsistence Bureau of the Southern Army. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Publications, 1996.

Nichols, James Lynn. The Confederate Quartermaster in the Trans-Mississippi. Austin: University of Texas, 1964.

Pratt, Fletcher. Civil War on Western Waters. New York: Holt, 1956.

Shea, William Land and Terrence J. Winschel. Vicksburg is the Key: the Struggle for the Mississippi River. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003.

Surdam, David G. Northern Naval Superiority and the Economics of the American Civil War. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2001.

Titus, David E. The Failure of the Confederate Vicksburg Campaign. Carlisle Barracks, PA: US Army War College, 1996.

Turner, George Edgar. Victory Rode the Rails: the Strategic Place of the Railroads in the Civil War. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1972.

Weber, Thomas. The Northern Railroads in the Civil War, 1861-1865. New York: King's Crown Press, 1952.

Windham, William. Logistics in the Trans-Mississippi Confederacy. University of Alabama Press, 1955.

Wise, Stephen R. Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1988.


Thomas A. Pearson, Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library