Tag Archives: Civil War medicine

26 December 1863: “IV. Which is the most approved mode of treating uncomplicated Gun Shot Wounds?”

Item description: A circular, dated 26 December 1863, from the Association of Army and Navy Surgeons [Confederate] seeking information on how to deal with aneurysms, hemorrhages, and gunshot wounds. Item transcription: Association of Army and Navy Surgeons, Richmond, Dec. 26, … Continue reading

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25 December 1863: “the Boys have good time to day as it is Christmas I can not enjoy it myself…”

Item description: Letter, dated 25 December 1863, from Dexter S. Cowles to his “Dear Brother,” describing fighting conditions and weather near Vicksburg, Miss. He also discusses his difficulty communicating with family members, and notes the presence of African American regiments … Continue reading

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13 December 1863: “…we all feel a supreme contempt for those who are secure from danger and hardships and employing their time in censoring the conduct of those who have for nearly three years stood as a wall of defense…”

Item Description: Letter, dated 13 December 1863, from W.J. Crook to Miss Hattie Crook at Columbia Female College in Columbia, South Carolina. He advises her how to fight a cold and expresses displeasure at criticisms of Confederate troops. [transcription available … Continue reading

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14 June 1863: “The captain, without hesitation, acknowledged her to be a Confederate vessel and stated his cargo to consist of liquors, medicines, drugs, and provisions, with probably some articles for the rebel Government.”

Item description: “Capture of Confederate steamer Calypso, June 11, 1863. Report of Commander Bankhead, U. S. Navy, commanding U. S. S. Florida.” The report discusses the capture of the Confederate steamer Calypso off the North Carolina coast. The ship was … Continue reading

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11 February 1863: “I find myself disappointed upon inquiring as the the efficiency of the artificial legs, and will have to make up my mind to be a worse cripple than I had hoped for.”

Item description: Letter, 11 February 1863, from Walter Lenoir to his brother Thomas Isaac Lenoir. Item citation: From folder 151 of the Lenoir Family Papers, #426, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Item transcription: [Thos. I. Lenoir] Tucker’s … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on 11 February 1863: “I find myself disappointed upon inquiring as the the efficiency of the artificial legs, and will have to make up my mind to be a worse cripple than I had hoped for.”

1 February 1863: “I have had the itch – and feared to write lest it should be imparted to you from the paper…”

Item description: Letter, 1 February 1863, from Leonard Henderson to his mother Mary Henderson. The letter describes Henderson’s affliction with what many historians colloquially call “camp itch,” a mysterious skin disease that plagued countless soldiers during the war. Many now … Continue reading

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8 January 1863: “We have had several cases of fever lately, occasioned, it is said, by malaria from the lower swamps in the neighborhood.”

Item description: Portions of “Leaves from a Diary Written While Serving in Co. E, 44 Mass., Dep’t of No. Carolina,” an account, written by John Jasper Wyeth of Co. E, of the experiences of the 44th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The book … Continue reading

Posted in North Carolina Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 8 January 1863: “We have had several cases of fever lately, occasioned, it is said, by malaria from the lower swamps in the neighborhood.”

31 October 1862: “there is now an ulcer about the bigness of the palm of my hand, laying the cords of my leg almost bare.”

Item description: Letter, dated 31 October 1862, from Charles H. Little, Company K, 9th New Hampshire Volunteers, to his wife. Little writes from a hospital in Frederick, Maryland, describing the treatment he has been receiving for a wound received at the … Continue reading

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6 September 1862: “I lost my right leg below the knee in the heavy skirmish on Monday 1st inst. and am now at Middleburg…”

Item description: Letter, 6 September 1862, from Walter Waightstill Lenoir, captain of Company A of the 37th North Carolina Infantry Regiment, to his brother Rufus Lenoir. Walter writes to tell his brother that he has been wounded at the Battle of Chantilly (Ox … Continue reading

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