Civil War Casualties

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More combatants died during the American Civil War than in all the other American-related wars combined. As a result of the extensive number of deaths and wounded, the inefficient battlefield medical systems for delivery of hospital supplies, inadequate evacuation of the wounded, and wide variations in the quality of the surgical treatment of the wounded who were injured by weapons that were more destructive than the world had witnessed prior to the war, medical systems in existence at the beginning of the war were challenged to improve. Significant and beneficial changes were developed which are utilized today and are reflected in military medicine and civilian medical practices.

My presentation details the status of medicine at that particular time in history, medical information pertaining specifically to the Civil War, and improvements made during that historic war that have been passed down to subsequent generations. For summary information about these improvements and the doctors who implemented them, read my medical synopsis, or you may read a more detailed article. You may also be interested in how researching my ancestors created my interest in Civil War History.

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Painting by Don Troiani depicting July 2, 1863 at “Cemetery Ridge” Gettysburg. Only 47 of 262 members of the 1st Minnesota unit survived their effort that stopped a Confederate advance on the Union’s line. Permission for use of the painting granted …

Painting by Don Troiani depicting July 2, 1863 at “Cemetery Ridge” Gettysburg. Only 47 of 262 members of the 1st Minnesota unit survived their effort that stopped a Confederate advance on the Union’s line. Permission for use of the painting granted by the artist.