Battle of Bristoe Station Medical Department

[hta1970]

For those who didn't make it to the Battle of Bristoe Station, I thought I'd give a little information.

I was assigned as Assistant Surgeon to the 27th North Carolina Infantry. These were boys from Stonewal Brigade and the Liberty Rifles. The Liberty Hall Fife and Drum served as the Regimental Music.

The regimental music provided the litter bearers for the Regiment. They also made their own ambulance corps badges and two halstesd litters using hand tools. These were really amazing litters and very well made.

Phil Maddox was serving as my orderly for the weekend. This was his first time serving as an orderly and he did a great job. Hats off to him for his fine work in preparing for the event and serving during the event.

We took to the field following the regiment as the marched towards Bristoe station establishing our aid station as we heard federal artillery open fire. The regiment moved forward cresting a hill and going out of sight, causing me to move the dressing staion forward to stay within sight of the regiment so the wounded could find us.

As the battle opened, walking wounded found their way to the dressing station. The ambulance corps removed those who could not walk from the field at to the dressing station. As the regiment fell back, we were forced to move the dressing station once again, this time to the rear to ensure the wounded were not captured.

Wounded reaching the dressing station had their names and units recorded and were checked for wounds. Opium Pills were dispensed for pain. Walking wounded were directed to the field hospital established 1/4 mile or more from the site of the engagement. Those unable to walk were moved by litter or assisted by other wounded men.

As the battle ended, pickets were established and the ambulance corps continued to remove wounded from the field. Later that evening burial details attended to those remaining on the field.

As the number of wounded reaching the dressing station decreased. I relocated myself to the field hospital closing the dressing station. (The dressing station was nothing more than me, my orderly, my marker flag, and a haversack of dressings and drugs.)

Once reaching the dressing station, I commenced attending to the wounded. They were treated for shock with a watered down dose of whiskey. Wounds were once again examined. Those with no bullet in the wound were given simple cold water dressings. Those with a bullet still remaining in the body had them extracted and a cold water dressing applied. If a fracture was the result of the wound, binders boards were used to splint the limb.

The total wounded reaching my dressing station and hospital was 20. Here is a list of wounded treated.

Company B
4th Sergeant Steiner
gunshot wound (lower right arm, no fracture)
cold water dressing
1 opium pill
laudanum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Charlottesville General Hospital

1st Corporal Forbis
gunshot wound to hip (minnie ball)
1 opium pill
bullet removed
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

3rd Corporal Stratford
gunshot wound (lower left arm, no fracture)
1 opium pill
bullet removed
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Charlottesville General Hospital

Private Shuler
gunshot wound involving left hip joint
cold water dressing
1 opium pill
bullet removed
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private Rankin
gunshot wound through lungs (minne ball)
2 opium pills
laudnum 30 minums every 4 hours for pain
cold water dressing
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private McNairy
gunshot wound to middle third left thigh
1 opium pill
bullet removed
splint and cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private Isley
gunshot wound through upper third of both thighs (flesh)
1 opium pill
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private Orrell
gunshot wound (lower left arm, no fracture)
1 opium pill
bullet removed
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Charlottesville General Hospital

Private Dennis
gunshot wound to face
no fracture bullet traverses face and escapes
1 opium pill
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Charlottesville General Hospital

Private Hunter
gunshot wound to thigh and right arm
1 opium pill
bullet removed
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private May
gunshot wound right side
1 opium pill
bullet removed
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Charlottesville General Hospital

Private Summers
gunshot wound forehead and right elbow (grazing wound)
cold water dressing
paregoric 1 fluid dram
returned to duty

Company G
Captain Dickson
gunshot wound right lung
2 opium pills
laudnum 30 minums every 4 hours for pain
cold water dressing
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

1st Lieutenant Graham
gunshot wound knee (grazing wound)
cold water dressing
paregoric 1 fluid dram
returned to duty

Private Haley
gunshot wound left hand
1 opium pill
splint and cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private Woods
gunshot wound left thigh
1 opium pill
bullet removed
splint and cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private Pickett
gunshot wound right shin
1 opium pill
splint and cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
right leg amputated 6” below knee next morning by brigade surgeon
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private Faucett
gunshot wound thigh
1 opium pill
bullet removed
splint and cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private Thompson
gunshot wound (lower left arm, no fracture)
1 opium pill
cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

Private Woods
gunshot wound left hip and knee
1 opium pill
bullet removed
splint cold water dressing
laudnum 10 minums every 4 hours for pain
forwarded to Receiving Hospital Richmond

The men were fed a light hospital diet of corn meal gruel and bread for an evening and morning meal.

By morning the wounded were being moved on to Gordonsville and we closed down the field hospital and moved along with the regiment.

For medical supplies we had my haversack with a few drugs, paperwork and my instrument case. Phil carried a medical canteen and the marker flag. We had a fly tent for our field hopspital under which some patient spent the night.

Here are some photos of the field hospital

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=891532&l=59859&id=719013214

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=891540&l=d045e&id=719013214

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=891548&l=65513&id=719013214

[Regular DOC]

Ahh wish I could have made it. Sounds like a good time had by all.

Brian Schwatka
Surgeon
3RD US Regular Infantry Co D+K

["Doc" Nelson]

Bravo Harry :-D . Sounds like it all went very well. Thanks for the pics. As for meds, would you mind sharing what you choose? it looks like you mostly used opium and laudanum.

I like the stretchers. Hmmmm . . I have to know where to find some :cool: .

[hta1970]

Jimmy,

In my haversack I had Opium Pills, Morphine Sulphate, Compound Cathartic Pills and Fused Silver Nitrate. At the field hospital I also had laudanum, paregoric, chloroform, tincture of ferric chloride and powdered alum.

On the battlefield, Opium Pills are about all I can does quickly and uniformly given the casualty numbers. At hospital I can then work with laudanum for the more severe pain cases and paregoric for the lighter grazing wounds if the continue to complain of pain. Chloroform for anesthesia. Ferric chloride to stop hemorage. CC Pills for sick call constipation cases.

The litters were made by hand using hand tools by the Liberty Hall Fife and Drum. I am sure they could assist in making them for you but I already know they are not in expensive.

[Pvt Schnapps]

I enjoyed meeting you, Harry, and have already put in an order for Orrell's beaten biscuits :)

Posted my AAR at: http://commonground.aceboard.com/249612-4910-6268-0-Bristoe-Station.htm

See you in the field!

YOS

["Doc" Nelson]

Thanks Harry! I was just curious. Man! maybe next year I'll be out that way and hit a couple of events.

[David Meister]

What do you use for your marker flag?

[hta1970]

David,

I use a red field hospital flag from Ben Tart. He did a great job! It is made of red bunting and is made of three pieces of bunting just like the original at the Museum of the Confederacy.

The Museum of the Confederacy has at least four hospital flags, all a simple red field. They vary slightly in size and were captured at the Battle of Waynesboro in March 1865. One of these can be seen in Echos of Glory (Confederate) page 276, which is 39"x 55" in size.

I have it attached to a pole which I tied to one of the poles keeping up my fly tent. When it was time to take to the field. I removed it and my orderly carried it onto the battlefield to mark the dressing station. When we relocated to the field hospital site. I simply put the flag back up where it had been on the fly tent pole. Ideally I would have two separate flags, one for the field hospital and one as my marker flag for the dressing station. I expect at some point over the winter I will get an additional flag. I am currently using a reproduction of one of the larger flags captured in '65 and the additional one I will choose to have a smaller hospital flag reproduced.

[David Meister]

thanks for the info

I am going to look in my copy of eog now just for shites and giggles