Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Surgery During the Civil War

This post is is mostly a reaction to the “Longstreet at Gettysburg” thread, a very interesting one. I thought I’d add a little medical history that was enfolding right along with those famous battles.

One unfortunate aspect of the CW was it occurred just before Lister’s antisepsis discovery (1867) building on Pasteur’s theory of bacteriology. Thus, most surgery was done in the midst of the filth and gore of “field conditions.” The importance of even just clean conditions, let alone that of a sterile one, was just not generally appreciated. Dysentery, lice, and sundry other misery-causing conditions accompanied the battle-weary soldiers in the CW.

It has been estimated that of the 600k- to 700k of soldiers lost, two-thirds died from infection and disease.

The measure of a “good” surgeon at the time, was how fast he could do an amputation, such as a below the knee amp. Niceties aside, he could it in 30 seconds or less, minus a little extra to tidy up a good suture line. This was important so that the soldier didn’t die of shock during the procedure. Sulfuric ether or chloroform were the agents of anesthesia at the time, except in times of shortage, particularly in the south. The unfortunate patient then imbibed ethyl alcohol and was just held down.

Unfortunately, surviving the surgery guaranteed nothing as many died in days to a couple weeks from septicemia from gangrene, or other infections due to the filth and ignorance over bacteria and aseptic technique. So, many with even small peripheral wounds died within a two or third week window.

Still, It has been estimated that of the 30k or so amputations by CW surgeons, mortality was around 25%, pretty good considering conditions. Of course, mid-trunk wounds resulted in a very high mortality rate. Those big, soft lead Minnie balls, though slow, were devastating often carrying pieces of clothing into and through the wound, all the more giving rise to infection, if in fact, the soldier wasn’t killed outright.

Some things were much better in those long past days, but surgery and anesthesia were not among them.

Gettysburg runs a "museum" at the Spangler farm on the battlefield in the summer. They do a nice tour and discussion of the hospitals on the battlefield. You get there via bus from the visitor center. Nice to see that and the Eisenhower farm from the visitor center tours.

https://www.gettysburgfoundation.org/george-spangler-farm

Thank you George, my great, great--, died of Typhoid fever.

Thank you George, my great, great--, died of Typhoid fever.

I found it interesting that sugar was used to stop the bleeding as it causes blood to "clot" in the same way it does when blood bait is made.

The discoveries just after the CW changed the course of war entirely. Throughout history, men were carved up with swords, arrows, and spears. We read about how many died on battlefields but you seldom hear about how many died days, weeks, or months later from infections. The numbers were huge, higher than those killed outright.

Me as well...given current medicine, infection, bacteria, etc you wouldn't think sugar...that's food for that stuff, but stop bleeding first, worry about infection later...

Thanks for this post btw! More like this would be great and informative!

George, if you ever get to San Antonio, Ft. Sam Houston has an army medical museum I bet you’d find interesting.

GG grandad was shot in the hand at cold harbor never did heal he died 102 yrs old

Silly threads like this are what cause the premature flushing of important ones like: "have you ever shat your pants?" or "have you ever seen you father nekkid?"...

The Civil War soldier was unlucky twice over. The rifled musket and advances in artillery and ammunition made him more likely to get hurt than in previous wars.
But medical procedures hadn’t even started to catch up, and the discovery of what caused infection was a few years in the future, so even a neat and clean wound might turn in a couple days.
I’m sure most of the surgeons and care givers did all they could under the circumstances, but a barn yard as an operating room and and old door propped up to make a table makes for an iffy proposition.
Little Mac’s Headquarters house at Antietam also has a pretty good museum/display on Civil War Medicine. It’s been a couple years since I visited, but the last I was there, I thought it was time well spent.
7mm

My great great grandfather was one of four cousins who served in the 5th Regiment, VA infantry in the Stonewall Brigade. He didn't enter the army until November of 1863, undoubtedly after the harvest was over. He was 19 and survived unscathed. One cousin died at 18 of disease, one was killed at the 3rd Battle of Winchester and one was wounded at Gettysburg. He died in 1883, cause of death listed as Nephritis. I have to wonder if his wound didn't start him down that road.

If you’re at Gettysburg and up for quick trip down to Frederick MD there is the museum of civil war medicine that is worth the trip

https://www.civilwarmed.org/nmcwm/

A 58 cal mini ball would blow a hell of a hole out worse than that is buck and ball 72 cal hunk of lead and buckshot in front