During the Civil War, hundreds of hospitals were established in cities and towns in both the North and the South. Some were specifically designed and built for that purpose, but some were in existing buildings taken over for hospital use. There are at present only a few books that cover the subject of hospitals, but more are being written. One book published by the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, One Vast Hospital: The Civil War Hospital Sites in Frederick, Maryland after Antietam, covers the hospital sites in Frederick, Maryland, after the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. This book includes a patient list for these hospitals, which contains nearly 10,000 names.
The most comprehensive descriptions of individual hospitals is in the Medical and Surgical History of the Civil War, a twelve volume set originally published after the war detailing surgical cases and diseases. Volume VI includes detailed descriptions of many of the larger Union hospitals. The three volumes of the Pictorial Encyclopedia of Civil War Medical Instruments and Equipment contain a few photographs and drawings of hospitals, mainly in Washington, DC. Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War offers a wealth of information on prisons.
The National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC, has some additional information on hospitals, mainly in the form of patient lists for each hospital. For information on these records, call the Old Military and Civil Records Division of the National Archives at (202) 501-5390 or go to www.archives.gov .
If you have a specific question about a hospital or prison, the NMCWM accepts research requests for an initial fee of $10. The fee covers up to 1 hour of research--if more is necessary, an additional fee will be charged. Please send research requests and payment* to:
NMCWM
Attn: Director of Research
P.O. Box 470
Frederick, MD 21705
*All requests require prepayment. Request fee payments may be made in the form of cash, check (made payable to NMCWM), Visa, MasterCard, or Discover (for credit cards, the following are required: credit card number, expiration date, security code located on the back of the card in the signature line, full name of card holder, billing address and phone number).
Be sure to include your mailing address and email address. The Museum does not accept phone requests. Please do not ask for general information-- there is so much available that we cannot comply with such a request.
Most of the books referenced here, plus many others, may be purchased online or directly through the Dispensary Museum Store of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Some titles may be currently unavailable if they are out of print. Students working on school projects should use the Student Resources section of the online Dispensary Museum Store. Questions concerning titles may be directed to 301-695-5225 or email store@civilwarmed.org.
Andersonville: The Southern Perspective; ed. J. H. Segars, 2001
Antietam Hospitals; John W. Schildt, 1987, 1996
Cahaba Prison and the Sultana Disaster; William O. Bryant, 1990
Camp Letterman: the Lost Legacy of Gettysburg' s Hospital Woods July-November 1863; 1993
A Captive of War: Solon Hyde, Hospital Steward, 17 OH, Libby, Pemberton, Danville, Andersonville; Introduction by Neil Thompson, 1997
Civil War Hospitals: Cumberland - Clarysville, Maryland; Harold L. Scott, Sr., 1995
Confederate Hospitals on the Move: Samuel H. Stout and the Army of Tennessee; Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein, 1994
Elmira: Death Camp of the North; Michael Horigan, 2002
Every Kind of... Wound and Disease: Hospital Life in the Confederate Medical Department; 1997, The Museum of the Confederacy Journal, No.75
Grappling With Death: The Union Second Corps Hospital at Gettysburg; Roland R. Maust, 2001
History of the United States Sanitary Commission in the War of the Rebellion; Charles J. Stille,1866, reprinted 1997
The Hospital on Seminary Ridge at the Battle of Gettysburg; Michael A. Dreese, 2002
Hospital Stewards Manual, U.S. Army Medical Department; Joseph Janvier Woodward, M.D., 1862; reprinted 1991
Indiana in the Civil War: Doctors, Hospitals and Medical Care; Nancy Pippen Eckerman, 2001
Medical and Surgical History of the Civil War, prepared by Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes, 1870 (reprinted 1991; originally titled Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion 1861-1865)
Montgomery White Sulfur Springs; Dorothy H. Bodell, 1993
One Vast Hospital: The Civil War Hospital Sites in Frederick, Maryland after Antietam; Terry Reimer, National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Inc., 2001
Pictorial Encyclopedia of Civil War Medical Instruments and Equipment, Volumes I, II, and III; Gordon E. Dammann, D.D.S.,1983, 1988, and 1998
Point Lookout Prison Camp for Confederates; Edwin W. Beitzell, 1983
Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War; Lonnie R. Speer, 1997
A Prototype of a Confederate Hospital Center in Lynchburg, Virginia; Peter W. Houck, M.D., 1986
To Die in Chicago: Confederate Prisoners at Camp Douglas 1862-1865; George Levy, 1999
A Vast Sea Of Misery: A History and Guide to the Union and Confederate Field Hospitals at Gettysburg; Gregory A. Coco, 1988