Evans' Brigade Medical Department at Leesburg/Ball's Bluff

[hta1970]

With the 150th First Manassas now behind us and the 150th Leesburg/Ball's Bluff fast approaching (less than 3 months away), the units portraying the medical department of Evans' Brigade have been busy preparing for the reenactment.

We have a number of medical officers serving the separate regiments of the brigade, coming from many different unaffiliated reenacting units, many of whom are members of this forum. I look forward to serving with all of them. Some of them are the tops in the medical reenacting hobby.

Pharmaceutical guidance has been prepared based on early war confederate Medical Departmental invoices for field service.

Example paperwork for has been collected for Reports of Sick and Wounded based on originals for the Brigade in October 1861. This example will also being used to prepare sick call at the event for a more accurate portrayal of sick call.

Example Surgeon's Morning Reports have been prepared and used at First Manassas, which will be used again at Leesburg based on original reports from the 4th Alabama, 2nd Mississippi and 11th Mississippi reports from late May/early June 1861.

You don't need to be perfect to join us, just the desire to do the best job possible making an accurate portrayal of the Confederate Medical Department in October 1861, and a willingness to make changes as needed to accurately portray the original cast of the Confederate Medical Department.

We still have some openings in the medical department for those interested in a October 1861 medical department experience.

If this is something that interests you, or if you'd like to serve with us at Leesburg/Ball's Bluff, please contact me.

[NoahBriggs]

I'm out for Leesburg but if anyone wants assistance with research, I am happy to help.

[hta1970]

The 150th Leesburg/Ball's Bluff is fast approaching (2 weeks away), the medical department of Evans' Brigade has been busy preparing for the reenactment.

We have a number of medical officers serving the separate regiments of the brigade, coming from many different unaffiliated reenacting units, many of whom are members of this forum. I look forward to serving with all of them. Some of them are the tops in the medical reenacting hobby.

Pharmaceutical guidance has been prepared and distributed based on early war confederate Medical Departmental invoices for field service.

Example paperwork for has been collected for Reports of Sick and Wounded based on originals for the Brigade in October 1861. This example will also being used to prepare sick call at the event for a more accurate portrayal of sick call. We have reproduced these October 61 forms for use by the Department.

Example Surgeon's Morning Reports have been prepared and reproduced based on originals used in May 61.

You don't need to be perfect to join us, just the desire to do the best job possible making an accurate portrayal of the Confederate Medical Department in October 1861, and a willingness to make changes as needed to accurately portray the original cast of the Confederate Medical Department.

While the deadline for Leesburg registration has passed, if you are intereted in McDowell, Seven Days, or Sharpsburg next year for the 1862 campaigns, we still have some openings in the medical department for those interested in a 1862 medical department experience.

If this is something that interests you, please contact me.

[hta1970]

I want to thank all the members of the Medical Department for their hard work in preparation for and while at the 150th Leesburg / Ball's Bluff event this past weekend.

While we, and for that matter the Confederate Medical Department in October 1861, were not perfect at this point in the war, we are working towards making our department the most authentic and effective medical department in civil war reenacting.

Sick call was conducted by each medical officer serving troops each morning and their morning reports were sent to the adjutants for inclusion in the morning reports.

Casualty numbers and details fron the original casualty reports were prepared by the medical department and sent to the regimental commanders who incorporated them into their unit portrayals on the field for a more accurate portrayal of casualties. This will continue with our future events.

From First Manassas, we have taken the 2'x2' "yellow flag" concept for emergency EMS notification on the battlefield and moved if from being on a pole to being carried in the pocket or haversack. I now ask that anyone buying or already having one, to have a sleeve added down one side to allow it to be placed on a bayonet or sword to create a more effective emergency flagpole. (Ben Tart is making one for myself another member of our department of yellow wool bunting.) The idea of the "bayonet sleeve" was given to us by the Federal Medical Department, and they will be switching to the yellow "bayonet flags" as well for emergency EMS notification as well. These yellow flags will be much less likely to be confused with a unit flag and the fact of them being hidden until being needed will make their appearance clearly indicate a real world EMS incident.

We will be staying in better contact with the Federal Medical Department going forward and have exchanged contact information so that we can both have standardized real emergency SOPs.

I would like each medical officer to send me his AAR for the event. Please cover what worked and what did not work as well as any suggestions for improvement which you might have. I will take them under advisement and make the changes we can to make the department run more efficiently in 1862.

Again, thanks to everyone for their hard work and I hope to see you all at McDowell in May 2012. If you plan to be there or know you cannot be there, please let me know ASAP so that I can make plans. The Confederate Forces will have two brigades with 3 regiments each, so I will need to have 6 medical officers in addition to myself. Surgeon DeSessa, if present will be serving as Senior Surgeon of one of the Brigades in addition to serving as regimental surgeon for one of the regiments as per regulation changes of March 1862. The other Senior Surgeon of Brigade will also be serving as a regimental surgeon in addition to his brigade duties. If you have an interest in taking on this duty for the event, please let me know. And if you have any particular regiment you wish to serve with, please let me know.

In early December, the Southern Division will be having its Annual Meeting at the Museum of the Confederacy. I will be arriving Friday afternoon and conducting research for the Medical Department in the Museum library. Attendance at the meeting is not required, but if you wish to attend or conduct research the day before the meeting, please let me know.

Again, thank you all for making this such a great event.