Civil War Amputations Essay

While the stories of the Civil War are often dominated by those of courageous soldiers and their harsh conditions, often the history of those serving the soldiers is forgotten. While medical staff had been prominent in armies for hundreds of years, the American Civil War brought a new era of medical treatment and personnel to the world and future of warfare. Mass amputations and an almost organized chaos characterized both the Confederate and Union medical staffs. Out of the hundreds of thousands of deaths, more than half were caused by disease, rather than combat injuries. Unsanitary conditions and food with poor nutrients took the lives of many soldiers, with many other soldiers dying before they could reach a treatment center. Many surgeons

wrote about their experiences throughout the war, and while some were able to commit heroic feats, and act upon the disorganization, others could only watch the giant tragedy take place. While it may seem that inexperienced surgeons were a major reason for the huge death toll, in reality the shear disorganization of both sides resulted in 750,000 dead soldiers.
Dr. E.W.H Beck was a Union surgeon who recounted his experiences in the fields of battle across the country in his letters. Although Dr. Beck was very experienced from his service in the Mexican American war, the shear disorganization and clutter of the Union made it hard for him to fulfill his role as a physician with the mass amount of illness and poor hygiene that had spread throughout the camps. He explained how frequent rain showers and muddy conditions made soldiers very susceptible to disease, saying to his wife that “the men have no tents,” and are “right out in open fields.” Although surgeons, such as Dr. Beck, were experienced in their practice, they had no control of making sure soldiers had proper protection from the elements. In the beginning of the war, regulations focused on maintaining the cleanliness of camps were put in place, but they were quickly disregarded and not enforced. In a later letter to his wife, Dr. Beck wrote disgustedly about the filthy conditions in the camp. He noted that “hundreds of horses,” lay “unburied and several thousand dead bodies only just under the surface, the air is putrid.” On account of these terrible conditions, he observed that their “sick list is rapidly increasing.” Surgeons often did not have proper technology and medicine to treat these field illnesses. Most medication was used for combat injuries, but the few that were reserved for non-combat illnesses resulted in harsh side effects. While it may seem the deaths of soldiers throughout the Civil War were the result of bloody and gruesome battles, most died in less glorified circumstances.
While the dirty conditions of military camps killed numerous soldiers throughout the war, other soldiers with treatable combat injuries often died before receiving treatment. Both armies did not have the capability of efficient and swift movement of the wounded off the battlefields to medical attention. Many soldiers with minor injuries could have been saved, if not for the lack of an organized ambulance system. On July 2, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg, after witnessing numerous soldiers die on route to care, Dr. Zabdiel Boylston Adams took control of the situation and risked he life in order to save his fellow service men. Dr. Adams constructed a simple, yet effective medical facility near the lines of battle. Adams worked valiantly for three straight days, and saved the lives of many, who without him, would have died. As Dr. Adams’ experience demonstrated, it was not necessarily a lack of experience which led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, but lack of organization. Many surgeons during battle had dead patients delivered to them, without having the chance to treat soldiers recently injured. This poor system was made evident in the Battle of Bull Run. The Union did not have a military controlled ambulance system and instead civilians were put in charge of moving wounded out of the line of battle and to treatment. In most cases, these civilians had no military experience and fled when the first shots were fired. This chaos resulted in hundreds of wounded being left on the battlefield for days without attention. Terrible organization, far from the common surgeon's control, resulted in the deaths of many, that may have stood a chance for survival.
Throughout the Civil War a staggering 60,000 amputations were conducted on wounded soldiers.

Although a significant number, these amputations were often necessary. Antibiotics had not yet been discovered and infection quickly set in on field wounds. Amputations were far more controlled and thought out than what is now in the public belief. After months at war, it was discovered that amputation within the first 24 hours of injury produced a far lower mortality rate than in the first 48 hours. Furthermore, amputations were only conducted by the most experienced and qualified surgeons. Only one in fifteen surgeons were qualified for amputation, and the procedure was often not taken with ease. William Child, a surgeon with Fifth Regiment of the New Hampshire volunteers, wrote to his wife about the atrocities of the war. He was horrified to see “the poor wounded and mutilated soldiers” and prayed that “God may stop this infernal work.” It is a common misconception that a surgeon would see a line of wounded patients, and with each, rudely amputate limbs. While a huge amount of amputations were performed by both armies, they were most often conducted in a controlled environment, and performed by the most skilled and qualified

surgeons.
It is often now thought that surgeons and other medical staff during the Civil War were untrained, prone to amputate, and not motivated. Surgeons, in reality, were often very dedicated to their work, extremely qualified, and ready to risk their own lives to save others. One cannot only blame the surgeons when there are other factors which caused the deaths of many. Surgeons could not perform their job properly with the lack organization of both sides. The logistics of treating and transporting the wounded were not capable of withstanding the size and complexity of the massive war, which was taking place. The infrastructure for the wounded was a disaster, with both armies lacking cleanliness in military camps, proper ambulance services, and medication. Even though the common surgeon could not fix the huge flaws in his respective side, he did the best that he could to make sure that his fellow soldiers stayed alive.