In a recent posting to a list I subscribe to, a lister was seeking info on a soldier that was buried in Memphis. Several years ago, I ran across a document that provided info on hospitals used by sick/dying soldiers during the Civil War in Memphis. To help everyone, I’m posting this to a couple of lists since many people may have had sick/dying soldiers in Memphis. The following document is located in the Mississippi Valley Collection Room of the University of Memphis. “From Saddlebags to Science A Century of Health Care in Memphis 1830-1930” By Patricia M. LaPointe Published by: The Health Sciences Museum Foundation ofMemphis and Shelby County Medical Society Auxiliary Copy 707 Starting on page 17 … General Sherman, who had assumed command of the post at Memphis on August 20, 1862, worked during the fall to organize men and materiel for the attack against Vicksburg, the only remaining fortified Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi. In order to provide hospital facilities to support General Grant’s campaign against Vicksburg, the Federal medical Departat Memphis appropriated a large amount of private property. The City hospital, which had been moved from its Chelsea location to the Navy Yard at the ending of 1861, was taken over by the Federal authorities, and the civilian patients were moved to the Botanico Medical College on Beal(e) Street, which served as the City Hospital for some 18 months. The Federal Hospitals The Federal hospitals were established in large, multi-story mercantile buildings, and in that respect were more like modern hospitals than the wooden, pavilion style structures which were the type most used during the war. The army hospitals in Memphis were the Gayoso, the Adams, the Washington, the Webster, the Jackson, the Union, the Jefferson, and a small Officer’s Hospital on Front Street. The marine hospital at Mound City, Kentucky, used by navel personnel operating on the river, was moved to Memphis and located in theCommercial Hotel on Jefferson. By 1863 military doctors had learned that strict attention to sanitation and the generous use of disinfectants reduced mortality. The Federal hospitals at Memphis made use of these findings and showed some efforts at specialization: the Gayoso and Jefferson Hospitals were designed for the reception of wounded patients only; two hospitals were set aside for contagious diseases—the Smallpox Hospital, which was located in the enlarge state-owned Memphis Hospital, and the Measles Hospital, located in the First Baptist church. Later in July 1863, the First Baptist was reorganized as the Gangrene Hospital.Successful experiments in the use of the bromine treatment of gangrene were carried out there, which greatly reduced the mortality of that dreaded wound complication. Extensive descriptions of several Federal hospitals in the Memphis “Daily Bulletin” provide information on the way these hospitals were organized and staffed. Large hospitals were divided into wards under the supervision of the ward master who directed the nursing staff. Most of the female nurses had been, recruited by the Western Sanitary commission. Some were independent volunteers such as Mary Ann Bickerdyke, better known as “Mother Bickerdyke” of Union fame, whose administrative skill was employed in the organization of the Gayoso and Adams Hospitals. Sisters of Charity of Cincinnatialso served in the Memphis hospitals. >From May through August 1863, the capacity of the Federal hospitals was strained as the sick and wounded poured into the city during and after Grants’ siege of Vicksburg. As the war in the West slowed down, some ofthe Federal hospitals were closed; however, the last major service rendered by the Memphis hospitals was the result of an unexpected tragedy. On April 27,1865, eighteen days after Lee’s surrender at Appomatox, the steamboat “Sultana” exploded in a rush of flames, scalding steam, and crushing timbers that killed some 1, 500 union soldiers. The Memphis hospitals were filled with the survivors, many of whom later died from burns and injuries. By midsummer, the remaining military patients were transferred to the northern hospitals, and the hospital buildings were returned to civilian commercial use. … Ending on page 18 Pam Treme <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A> Land O’ Lakes, Florida