Freebooter
Private
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2011
- Location
- Alabama
Exactly what were the duties of an Assistant-Surgeon in the Civil War? Two of my gr gr grandfathers were Asst surgeons.
Thanks,
FB
Thanks,
FB
When attached to a regiment on a battlefield, the Surgeon would be assigned to the hospital (often for the brigade or division) established far enough in the rear to escape errant artillery shells (at least two miles), while the Assistant Surgeon (typically one but sometimes two per regiment) established himself in a field hospital within close range of the battlefield to render immediate aid to casualties until they could be stabilized and transported further to the rear. The field hospital was exposed to enemy artillery and even infantry overshots. Many surgeons and assistant surgeons on both sides received their medical degree from northern schools before the war, mainly at Jefferson Medical College or at the University of Pennsylvania's Medical Department, both located in Philadelphia, and New York University's Medical College. Notable schools in the South included the University of Louisiana's Medical Department, and Medical Colleges in Virginia and South Carolina. Please identify your ancestors that may lead to additional information.
Assistant Surgeon Carl Hermann Anton Kleinschmidt of the 3rd Arkansas also graduated from Georgetown University; he was born in Petershagen in one of the north German states in 1839. A well known medical school in that vicinity was the Medical Department of Columbian College, in Washington D.C. - the alma mater of a number of doctors serving in both the Union and Confederate armies.
The Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati was previously unknown to me. Thanks for sharing! A historical sketch of this institution is provided in, http://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/bios/bios-emi.html