Civil War Experts - I need your help!

NYCLAA3

Cadet
Joined
Nov 22, 2019
Hello All,

Although I have been on this site many times this is my first time posting. I was wondering if someone can help me find a picture of my Great- Great- Grandfather, Joseph McCabe, 182nd (69th) co.F -N.Y.N.G.A. He was a part of Corcoran's Irish Legion. He enlisted on 10/1/1862 in NYC. I have been actively researching my ancestor for a very long time picking up where my Grandmother left off. I have been able to find some interesting information about him however there are two things that allude me.
One is the location of a document that has attached a picture of my ancestor. I found a photocopy of this paper with the rest of my Grandmother's files of Joseph. The location of this document and where I can find the original is something that I have not been able to find out despite all my research. It looks like it is a patient transfer form from the medical director's office of Harewood Hospital. It says that Joseph will be transferred from Harewood Hospital to McDougall hospital at Fort Schuyler in NYC. The document is signed by R. B. Bontecou and in the left hand corner, looks to be a very faint picture of Joseph. He looks to be sitting and showing his arm which was amputated.
I contacted the Burns foundation about this photo as Dr. Burns has all or most of Bontecou's war time surgical photos in his private collection. Liz Burns looked to tell me she could not immediately find Joseph's picture, however for a fee, she can do more digging in Bontecou's original albums of photos he kept of his patients. I know that my Grandmother must have found this somewhere that was easily accessible but I haven't been able to find it. I went to the National Archives in DC and asked the Civil War Archivist there and he said he never saw anything like this document before. So, here is where I turn it to you, Civil War experts. Below is a picture of the photocopy of the document I have. Thank you for your help in advance and please feel free to ask me any other questions!

IMG_7557.JPG
 
Last edited:
Hello @NYCLAA3 and welcome to CivilWarTalk - the best place on the internet for Civil War discussion.
That's a very interesting document. Although I cannot see the image in the top left corner, I imagine it is a copy of the photograph taken by Dr. Reed Bontecou to document the case of Joseph McCabe's amputation. Dr. Bontecou's work of documenting medical cases by photography was revolutionary! @RhinehartRoots have you ever seen a patient transfer from Harewood Hospital in Washington DC to McDougall Hospital at Fort Schuyler, NYC at the archives before OR do you know where it might be found?
1574483879832.png

You have likely already located the brief information about Joseph's amputation provided above in The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion, Volume 2, page 790. In that chart, his is included as Case No. 24 of a condensed summary of thirty-seven cases of recovery after secondary amputation in the lower third of the arm. His injury was to the left arm; amputated using the circular method in the lower third; performed on 22 June 1864 by Assistant Surgeon Dr. Samuel H. Orton (of New Jersey; buried CT.) The record indicates that Joseph was discharged 14 October 1865; pensioned; and died 27 December 1867.

Another volume of the Medical and Surgical History that includes information about the McDougall Hospital that may be of interest. Here's a snip and the Link
1574484276895.png

Hopefully @RhinehartRoots will know where to find the document.
 
Hello @NYCLAA3 and welcome to CivilWarTalk - the best place on the internet for Civil War discussion.
That's a very interesting document. Although I cannot see the image in the top left corner, I imagine it is a copy of the photograph taken by Dr. Reed Bontecou to document the case of Joseph McCabe's amputation. Dr. Bontecou's work of documenting medical cases by photography was revolutionary! @RhinehartRoots have you ever seen a patient transfer from Harewood Hospital in Washington DC to McDougall Hospital at Fort Schuyler, NYC at the archives before OR do you know where it might be found?
View attachment 335554
You have likely already located the brief information about Joseph's amputation provided above in The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion, Volume 2, page 790. In that chart, his is included as Case No. 24 of a condensed summary of thirty-seven cases of recovery after secondary amputation in the lower third of the arm. His injury was to the left arm; amputated using the circular method in the lower third; performed on 22 June 1864 by Assistant Surgeon Dr. Samuel H. Orton (of New Jersey; buried CT.) The record indicates that Joseph was discharged 14 October 1865; pensioned; and died 27 December 1867.

Another volume of the Medical and Surgical History that includes information about the McDougall Hospital that may be of interest. Here's a snip and the Link
View attachment 335560
Hopefully @RhinehartRoots will know where to find the document.

Thank you so much @lelliott19! I did find the information about Joseph in The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion,
but I do appreciate you posting the info here. Thank you also for this wonderful information about McDougall Hospital. This is the best descriptive account of McDougall I ever read. I very much appreciate your help! Thank you :smile:
 
It definitely seems to be a copy of the documentary photograph. Unfortunately, copy techniques were crude back when this copy was made and the resulting image is of poor quality. Its possible that the image is clearer on the original document. If I were you, I'd send a private message to @RhinehartRoots He goes to the National archives regularly for research and will likely know - if anyone does - where the original can be found.

The second document is too small for me to read, but that is definitely Dr. Bontecou's signature. Have you transcribed the document? If not, I can give it a shot if you post a larger version.
 
Hi @lelliott19! Thank you for your reply. Yes, the second document is a another request signed by R.B. Bontecou to have McCabe transferred to a hospital in New York City. It's a bit hard to read what the date of this document is but I am guessing it is before the document that's in question.

It reads:

Harewood Hospital
Washington, D.C. (unreadable)
Surgeon R. O. Abbott, U.S.A.
Medical Director
Department of Washington


Sir:

I have the honor to request the transfer to a General Hospital in N.Y. City of Private Joseph McCabe, Co. F. , 69th N.Y.V. He is suffering from resection of ulna and will not be fit for duty with in a period than sixty (60) days.

Very Respectfully,
Your Ole Servant,

R. B. Bontecou
Surgeon U.S.V. in charge.
 
It's a bit hard to read what the date of this document is but I am guessing it is before the document that's in question.
Thanks!
I sent you a private message. Should show up as an alert at the envelope - in the top right hand corner of your screen.
 
Back
Top