The Louisiana Battalion Hospital

 

The doctor of the regiment in the Civil War was called a surgeon. These men where responsible for treating the sick and wounded of the regiment. Often there were so many wounded that they treated wounded men from many other regiments. Surgeons in the both armies were taxed to the limits of their endurance and treated the most severe cases first. The remaining soldiers languished in the open air; waiting their turn on the surgeon's table.

 

For the wounded, the horrors of the battlefield were only equaled by the horrors they experienced in a field hospital. Most wounds during the Civil War were caused by gunshot. The Minie ball, which was the standard bullet of the war, was made from very soft lead. When it struck human tissue, it would create a very ragged  wounded and could splinter once inside. This led to infection which could be fatal. The large bullets could also shatter bones. Shell fragments from artillery were the next most common cause of wounds. An exploding shell sent large fragments of iron sailing into the air and would cause terrible wounds as well.

 

Even when wounds were treated with great care, infection could easily set in. Medical knowledge in the 1860's  did not understand bacteria and germs and how they could be transmitted. They did not properly sterilize the tools and equipment, and bateria could easily spread from patient to patient during a days worth of operations. This lack of understanding of germs and bacteria led to the spread of disease that killed more soldiers than enemy bullets during the entire war.

 

The Louisiana Battalion Hospital works to show you an "average" Confederate Field Hospital. Anyone with an interest in medical history from a surgeon to a grave digger are welcome to join this unique part of the 1st Louisiana Special Battalion.

 

Positions within the Battalion Hospital include: Chief Surgeon, Assistant Surgeon, Traveling Dentist, Nurses, Laundry and support staff, Steward, Undertaker, Provost Guard, and Gravedigger.