- Joined
- Mar 20, 2010
- Location
- Ohio
William P. Powell, Jr. was one of thirteen African American surgeons who served during the Civil War. Powell, a resident of New York City, received his medical education in England. In May 1863, he was hired as a contract assistant surgeon at Contraband Hospital in Washington, D.C., a medical facility that cared for emancipated slaves known as contraband. Assuming the duties of surgeon-in-charge six months after his appointment, Powell remained at the hospital for one year during which time he hired several black nurses and made requests for camp improvements including perimeter protective fencing.
William P. Powell, Jr., August 1863
Courtesy National Archives, Washington, D.C.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/bindingwounds/exhibition.html
Courtesy National Archives, Washington, D.C.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/bindingwounds/exhibition.html