My ancestors injury and medical abbreviations question.

Podad

First Sergeant
Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Location
NE Georgia
My great grandfather was Pvt. E. C. Jackson. E. is for Evans. Some records show him as Ivins. He served in Company C of the 24th Ga.Infantry.

During the Autumn of 1864 his records indicate he was hospitalized in Richmond with an injury. It appears he may have been at Wayside Hospital first then a disposition to Jackson Hospital . His service card entry from Jackson Hospital lists the "disease" as V.S.L. hand M. B. Past research has led me to believe this to mean an injury to the left hand from a minie ball. Someone please advise if that is incorrect. Pvt. Jackson was admitted Oct. 7, 1864 and returned to duty Oct. 26, 1864.

A few weeks later Nov. 21 & 22 a medical card shows him being at Wayside Hospital. It shows disposition as being Jackson Hospital. In the remarks section the letters. C.S.B. appear. On the next line below there is a singular S. There is no corresponding card from Jackson Hospital for this time frame.

Any thoughts on the meaning of those letters in the remarks section ?
 
Re absence of records from Jackson Hospital, medical records from both the Union and Confederate sides are notoriously incomplete. Without more investigation, you cannot conclude that either he was or was not transferred to Jackson Hospital. What does his service record say after that discharge from Richmond Hospital? Often medical transfers were occasions for desertion, the soldier doesn't show up in the convalescent hospital. However, I have no reason to suspect that result for your ancestor. Is that a possibility?
 
I believe the V.S.L. stands for vulnus sclopeticum which was the Latin term often used for gunshot wound. I'd guess the M.B. is as you suspect: minie ball. Don't know about the C.S.B.

That is what I concluded in the past research. Minie ball injury to left hand.

Podad, I'll do some lookin' around.

I can tell you that in medical terminology a single small "s" is shorthand for "without." At least that's the case today.

The transcriber shows both as a capital S.

Re absence of records from Jackson Hospital, medical records from both the Union and Confederate sides are notoriously incomplete. Without more investigation, you cannot conclude that either he was or was not transferred to Jackson Hospital. What does his service record say after that discharge from Richmond Hospital? Often medical transfers were occasions for desertion, the soldier doesn't show up in the convalescent hospital. However, I have no reason to suspect that result for your ancestor. Is that a possibility?

He continued to serve and was with his company at the Appomattox surrender the following spring.

C.S.B. Do you have some context? How is it used in the sentence?

Could be:
Contaminated small bowel
Cheyne-Stokes Breathing
or something else; I'm still looking.
Context may be helpful.

There is no sentence or anything only those letters are entered in the remarks area. Since he had the injury in October do yall think it may have been a followup visit.??
 
Here's an image of a portion of the medical card for Irvin C Jackson from Jackson Hospital Richmond that shows the wound was indeed a Vuls Schlopt L hand Min B (mini ball) Oct 7 (reported on another card as admitted Oct 4 to Wayside/Receiving Hospital) and return to duty Oct 26, 1864:
upload_2016-12-29_11-55-56.png


And an image of the portion of the card including the CSB and S remark:
upload_2016-12-29_11-51-49.png
 
Last edited:
Here's an image of a portion of the medical card for Irvin C Jackson from Jackson Hospital Richmond that shows the wound was indeed a Vuls Schlopt hand Min B (mini ball) Oct 7 (reported on another card as admitted Oct 4 to Wayside/Receiving Hospital) and return to duty Oct 26, 1864:
View attachment 118453

And an image of the portion of the card including the CSB and S remark:
View attachment 118452
Wow! Thank you, Laura.
 
@lelliott19

If he got this injury during a battle do you think it was in the Shenandoah action that fall? As you know the 24th Ga. and other of Wofford's regiments were bounced all over northern Virginia that fall.
 
By the way, other records in Irvin C Jackson's file show him detailed as teamster as follows: Division Teamster Mar-June 1864 and Brigade Teamster July/Aug 1864. There are no records showing if he was still detailed as teamster in October, but I would guess he was. According to a diary I have, there was an un- named engagement/skirmish near Mt Sidney on Oct 3, 1864 where the Division Commissary train (wagons) came under attack. I am betting this is where Pvt Jackson received the gsw to his hand.
 
By the way, other records in Irvin C Jackson's file show him detailed as teamster as follows: Division Teamster Mar-June 1864 and Brigade Teamster July/Aug 1864. There are no records showing if he was still detailed as teamster in October, but I would guess he was. According to a diary I have, there was an un- named engagement/skirmish near Mt Sidney on Oct 3, 1864 where the Division Commissary train (wagons) came under attack. I am betting this is where Pvt Jackson received the gsw to his hand.

I fully agree. One card earlier that year shows him as detailed as a Division teamster too. I think my Great Grandpa may have been good with horses and mules.

Trivia about my connection to him. He was my grandfathers father. My Grandfather Jesse was born in 1880 when EC was in his forties. My grandpa was about 47 when my mother was born in 1928. I was born in 1955. Most people my age are either GG or GGG grandsons of the veteran. Since both EC and Jesse had children late in life I gained a generation or two in closeness to a Confederate veteran.

Example. my ancester in my current avatar was my GG Grandfather.
 
Being unable to determine with certainty exactly what the abbreviations "CSB" and "S" on Pvt Jackson's card might indicate, I have called upon Dr. F Terry Hambrecht for his assistance.

Dr Hambrecht is the most knowledgeable person I know of regarding CW medical services so if anyone will know what CSB stands for, it will be him. Ill let you know when he replies. :bounce:

EDIT TO ADD: I should have mentioned that Dr Hambrecht co-founded the Museum of Civil War Medicine located at Frederick MD. :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
Being unable to determine with certainty exactly what the abbreviations "CSB" and "S" on Pvt Jackson's card might indicate, I have called upon Dr. F Terry Hambrecht for his assistance.

Dr Hambrecht is the most knowledgeable person I know of regarding CW medical services so if anyone will know what CSB stands for, it will be him. Ill let you know when he replies. :bounce:

Great !! I am thinking it is probably something to do with his October injury. There are no other "sick" cards in his record prior to the injury. However, lots of folks get sick from being in a hospital.
 
Having received the kindest favor of a very speedy reply from Dr Hambrecht, I include it below for @Podad and all interested:

Hi Laura,
Nice to hear from you again. Your card stumped me so I asked Bobby Krick, one of the NPS Rangers at Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond. Here are his thoughts:

" My guess is that it stands for C.S. Barracks--i.e., the patient was transferred there, or transferred into the hospital from there. The C.S. Barracks was a term used for several different buildings around Richmond. Purpose was to house transient soldiers overnight, either individually or in large groups. The barracks were real, but my interpretation of the abbreviation is nothing more than a guess. I don't think I've ever seen that abbreviation used before on a hospital card. Can't even guess what the "S" means."

I checked our register of physicians who served the Confederacy in a medical capacity and found several who served in various barracks in Richmond. Probably more direct is the following reference:
http://antietam.aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=576

I'm not sure that CSB stands for Confederate States Barracks, but it seems like a definite possibility.
Hope you have a healthy and pleasant New Year.
Terry​

And there, almost as quickly as you can blink an eye, you have weighing in, not one ... but TWO of the most esteemed civil war medicine experts! Hurrah for Dr. Hambrecht, who is always generous in sharing his immense knowledge, and for Bobby Krick who favored us with his reply!:bounce::dance::bounce::dance:
 
Last edited:
Laura
Thanks for helping with this!! While we still don't know what he was there for it does give a good explanation of the entry on his card.
And the guy said he never saw that on a medical card !! Cool
 
Thanks for everyone's input on this !!!

Thanks for posting your question in the "Medical Care" forum.

I have volunteered to host this forum for 2017 and encourage everyone to post their medical questions here.

I don't claim to be a medical expert :unsure: but I have contacts who are. I will certainly do everything in my power to obtain an answer to any/all questions.

Thanks again @Podad for posting your question in the Medical Care forum. :smile:
 
Back
Top