Adella Grace Scott Scribner Part 1 of 8 -- 1860s

Adella Grace Scott Scribner 1860-1944

daughter of Harvey and Mary Jane Bacon Scott

1860s

Adella Grace Scott Scribner LifeStory from Ancestry

4 February 1860 

Birth

Adella Grace Scott was born in Salisbury, Merrimack County NH.  Below is her birth certificate.  The frustrating thing about New Hampshire vital records is that they rarely filled in anything more than the absolute necessities.  But at least it provides evidence of her date and place of birth, her father's name and place of birth, and her mother's maiden name.

Adella Grace Scott 1860 birth certificate

1860 Census 

19 July 1860, age 4 months, living with her parents, older brother Marshall, and her father's sister, Aunt Lucretia M. Scott.  They all lived in Salisbury NH.  This image is the second part, since Harvey's name starts on the previous page.  You can find the entire thing in a previous post.

Adella Grace Scott 1860 census

Screen shot from Google Maps showing Salisbury NH in relation to some other major areas, including Vermont, New York, Ontario.

Salisbury NH from Google Maps 2019

1861 age 1

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

1861 Abraham Lincoln, 16th President

(Wikipedia -- Lincoln, 2018)

“Lincoln led the nation through the Civil War, its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis.”  In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the Federal government and modernized the economy (Wikipedia -- Lincoln, 2018).  

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."  -- Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln, 2018)

Historical Insight -- Northern Life in the Civil War

Adella Grace Scott was in the North as the United States was torn apart by the American Civil War.

1862. Credit: Kean Collection/Archive Photos/Getty Images  – Ancestry.com Historical Insight

"More than 360,000 Union soldiers lost their lives during the Civil War; a notification of death was usually delivered to families by telegram or a fellow soldier." – Ancestry.com Historical Insight

1862, age 1

sister Silia was born  -- it is difficult to find anything about her.  I'll have to blog about her later, if I can find anything.

(Newspapers.com -- A Mormon's Opinion, 1866)

1864 

Lincoln runs for President with Johnson

1864 Lincoln Johnson campaign poster
(Wikipedia -- Lincoln, 2018)

1865 age 4

Father Harvey Scott died, 30 January 1865 in Hampton Virginia at the age of 39.  You can find my research on his death here.  She was only 4 years old, but her father was gone fighting in the Civil War for much of her life.  How much did she know about him, or remember about him?  What was life like before he died, and how much did their life change afterwards?  She had an older brother and a younger sister.  Harvey had purchased a couple pieces of land before he died, I think the family lived and farmed there.

(Newspapers.com -- clip art, millstones, 1866)

President Lincoln was assasinated.

1865

Andrew Johnson becomes President of the United States

1865 - 1869 Andrew Johnson

(Wikipedia -- Andrew Johnson, 2018)

"Slavery exists.  It is black in the South, and white in the North" -- Andrew Johnson (Johnson, 2018).

1866 

Mitchell Walker was elected as the First Black US official in Massacheusetts.

1868 age 6

Mother marries second husband Amos L. Hamm II on 1 May 1868 at Franklin NH.  You can find my blog on this event here.  I still don't have much primary evidence on this event, and I still wonder how they met?  I surmise that, since Amos also fought in the Civil War, that Amos knew this family from that connection.  Or, perhaps it was because they lived in the same geographical area.  Amos had lost his wife, and had a daughter a couple of years older than Adella, so perhaps it was a marriage of convenience?  Hard to say.  You can find the first of my blogs on Amos Hamm here.  His life was pretty amazing.

(Newspapers.com -- clip art, politcal advertisements, 1866)

1869

Ulysses S. Grant becomes President of the United States

1869 Ulysses S. Grant

(Wikipedia -- Grant, 2018)

"In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins" – Ulysses S. Grant (Grant, 2018).

In other news -- this is the decade in which South Carolina cecedes from the Union, Kansas enters the Union as the 34th state, and Colorado, Nevada, and both Dakotas become territories;  Ku Klux Klan was founded by those who hated the idea of blacks living free in 1865;  Lister invents Disinfection (OurTimelines.com, 2018).

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________________________________
Resources

Ancestry -- Adella Grace Scott Scribner. (2019, November 6). Adella Grace Scott Scribner 1860-1944. Retrieved from Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/14582634/person/145967463/story

Ancestry Historical Insight. (2019). Northern Life in the Civil War. Retrieved from Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/contextux/historicalinsights/civil-war-life-in-the-north/persons/145967463:1030:14582634

Google Maps. (2019). Salisbury New Hampshire. Retrieved from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Salisbury,+NH/@43.4694958,-74.9050557,7.31z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e20fe5e7b2da11:0x31fdd52843021743!8m2!3d43.3800768!4d-71.7170222

Grant, U. S. (2018, December 12). Ulysses S. Grant Quotes. Retrieved from BrainyQuotes: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/ulysses_s_grant

Johnson, A. (2018, December 13). Andrew Johnson Quotes. Retrieved from BrainyQuote: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/andrew_johnson

Lincoln, A. (2018). Abraham Lincoln Quotes. Retrieved from BrainyQuotes: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/abraham_lincoln

Newspapers.com -- A Mormon's Opinion. (1866, January 6). The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) ·  Sat, Jan 6, 1866 ·  Page 1. Retrieved March 18, 2017, from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

Newspapers.com -- clip art, millstones. (1866, June 29). The Courier-Journal. Retrieved from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

Newspapers.com -- clip art, politcal advertisements. (1866, April 7). The Louisville Daily Courier. Retrieved from Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com

OurTimelines.com. (2018). TimeLines. (Timelines courtesy of www.ourtimelines.com. Timeline formatting and technology copyright © 2000-2018 ourtimelines.com, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED under the Pan-American Conventions.) Retrieved from OurTimeLines.com: http://ourtimelines.com/

Scott, J. (2017, November 17). 1860s Mary Jane Bacon Scott Hamm part 3. Retrieved from Scott Family Research: https://scottfamilyresearch.blogspot.com/2017/11/1860s-mary-jane-bacon-scott-hamm-part-3.html

Scott, J. (2017, October 20). Harvey Scott Part 8 Death and Burial. Retrieved from Scott Family Research: https://scottfamilyresearch.blogspot.com/2017/10/harvey-scott-part-8-death-and-burial.html

Scott, J. (2018, February 11). Amos L. Hamm part 1. Retrieved from Scott Family Research: https://scottfamilyresearch.blogspot.com/2018/02/amos-l-hamm-part-1-husband-of-mary-jane.html

Wikipedia -- Andrew Johnson. (2018, December 13). Andrew Johnson. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson

Wikipedia -- Lincoln. (2018). Abraham Lincoln, 16th President. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

Wikipedia -- Grant. (2018, December 12). Ulysses S. Grant. Retrieved from Wikipedia.com: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant

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Lucretia Scott

• 1828-1829 -- Lucretia M. Scott born in Vermont
• 1850 -- Census, Boscawen, Merrimack NH
• 1860 -- Census, Salisbury, Merrimack NH
• 1870 -- Census, Franklin, Merrimack NH

Lucretia Scott mini-pedigree from Ancestry.com

1828

I don't have primary source for her birth, but census records point to this approximate birth year, probably between July 1828 and July 1829.

1850

Census, Boscawen, Merrimack NH

Lucretia Scott 1850 Census
Boscawen, Merrimack, New Hampshire

• Line 5, Lucrectia Scott is age 22, and is living with David Scott age 52 who worked as a Mason.  Living with him is Lucretia's brothers Harvey age 24, Marshall age 18, and Phila age 26, all three of whom are listed as working as Masons.  I think this would be stone masons.  Here, Phila is listed as a male, yet in 1870 there is a housekeeper Phila who is a female.  Is this the same person?
• Is it possible that David Scott is the father of Lucretia and Harvey?  I suspect he is, but until I have the proof, I dare not include this information.  
• In the same house is another family, Alvin and Ednah Quimly, a tailor and his wife.  It is possible that the Quimly family were borders.

1860

Census, Salisbury, Merrimack NH

Lucretia Scott 1860 Census Part 1
Salisbury, Merrimack, New Hampshire

• This is the beginning of the Scott family entry.  See the next image

Lucretia Scott 1860 Census part 2
Salisbury, Merrimack, New Hampshire

• Line 4, Lucretia M. Scott, age 31, born in Vermont, no occupation.  
• She lives with Harvey and Mary Jane Scott and their two children, Marshall W. and Adela G. Scott.  

1870

Census, Franklin, Merrimack NH

Lucretia Scott, 1870 census
Franklin, Merrimack, New Hampshire

• Line 9. Lucretia Scott, age 41 living with a retired farmer, Daniel Perriman/Penniman.  She has no occupation listed, she was born in Vermont.  Others living in the same household include the 46-year-old housekeeper Phila, David Pierce, the 22 year old druggist, Charles Perriman, the 26 year old house painter, Eliza Perriman age 20, and Isabel Perriman age 1.  These last three are, I think, a family unit with Isabel being the granddaughter.  Also in the same household is Charles Tyler age 30 who works in some sort of mill; Ellen Wise age 30 and Ellen Ham age 13 both of whom work in a woolen mill.  It is possible these last three are borders.  

______________________________________________________________

I posted a message to Ancestry.com message board

Board:
Message Boards > Surnames > Scott 

URL: 
https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.scott/13386/mb.ashx 

Subject: Scott family of Merrimack NH
Author: dayspringacres
Date: Sunday, January 07, 2018
Classification: Census
Surnames: Scott, Penniman/Perriman 

Lucretia Scott born in Vermont about 1829, is age 22 in the 1850 census, living in Boscawen with David Scott age 52, and brothers Harvey age 24, Marshall age 18, Phila age 26, all the males working as Masons. I suspect David Scott is the father of this family.

in 1860, she is 31, living with brother Harvey and his wife Mary Jane and their two children Marshall W. and Adela G.

in 1870, she 41 years old and is living in the same household as David Penniman, a retired farmer. Other members include Phila age 46, housekeeper; David Pierce age 20, druggist; Charles Perriman, age 26, house painter; Eliza Perriman, age 20, Isabel Perriman age 1.

I suspect the 1870 Phila is the same person as the 1850 Phila, although one is listed as male and the other is female. The ages are about the same.

I'm actually interested in Harvey's line, but hit a dead end. I wonder if Lucretia had a mental problem, since she is always living with other family members?

1860s Mary Jane Bacon Scott Hamm part 3 -- 1860s, Civil War

• 1860 Census Salisbury NH
• Northern Women during the Civil War
• 1862 daughter Silia born
• 1865 husband Harvey Scott dies
• 1866 marriage to Amos L. Hamm
• 
  

1860 

Census

Harvey and Mary Jane Bacon Scott Census part 1
Salisbury, Merrimack New Hampshire

Harvey and Mary Jane Bacon Scott Census part 2
Salisbury, Merrimack New Hampshire

They lived in Salisbury, Merrimack, New Hampshire per Census.  She was 28 years old, her husband Harvey was 33.  Children Marshall was 3 years old and Adela G. was 4 months old.  Also living with them is Harvey's sister Lucretia M. Scott, age 31 years old.  It doesn't look like she ever married.  We will try to find out in another blog.

Harvey and Mary Scott purchased some land, to check out the land deed, see Harvey Scott's blog 

Northern Women during the Civil War Historical Insight

1865 Women during the Civil War
Historical Insight from Ancestry.com
Credit: MPI/Archive Photos/Getty Images

The American Civil War presented Northern women with new opportunities outside of the domestic sphere.

1862

third child Silia Scott was born

The Cure for Strong Drink
The Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 December 1886
from Newspapers.com

1864 

second plot of land purchased with Harvey Scott , check the link for information.

1865

Husband Harvey Scott died of Tuberculosis 30 January 1865 at G.H. Fort Monroe, Virginia
Andrew Johnson's Inauguration Historical Insight.  Click on the link to find out more about his death and the circumstances surrounding it.

1866

Mary Jane Bacon married Amos L Ham in Salisbury, New Hampshire, in 1866 when she was 34 years old.  I don't have primary sources for this marriage, yet.  But she had young children, and it was pretty important to have a husband as a partner.  Wonder how they met?  He had also been married before, had a daughter the same age as Marshall.

Mary Bacon Scott Hamm mini pedigree
from Ancestry.com

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Resources

"New Hampshire Marriage Records 1637–1947." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2011. “New Hampshire Statewide Marriage Records 1637–1947,” database, FamilySearch, 2009. New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records. “Marriage Records.” New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord.  Ancestry.com

• Boscawen, Merrimack, New Hampshire
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boscawen,_New_Hampshire
• Findagrave.com memorial
• https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=77431876&ref=acom
• Salisbury, Merrimack, New Hampshire
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury,_New_Hampshire
• Shaw Corner Cemetery, from MapCarta
• https://mapcarta.com/22530846
• 
  

Mary Jane Bacon Scott Hamm part 2 -- 1850s, young adult and marriage

• 1850 Census Boscawen NH
• Glasworks in NH
• 1855 Marriage to Harvey Scott, Boscawen NH
• 1856 son Marshall Scott born Salisbury NH
• 1860 daughter Adella born Salisbury NH
• 
  

1850 

Census, Boscawen, Merrimack, New Hampshire

Mary Jane Bacon
1850 Census
Boscawen, Merrimack, New Hampshire

Starting with line 12, Henry and Dorcas Bacon, both age 46 are living on the farm with their children David, Charles and Jane Bacon.  Dorcas' parents John and Rachel Carter also live with them.  Here, she seems to go by the name of "Jane."

Boscawen within the county of Merrimack
and the county within New Hampshire
from Wikipedia

Glassworks in New Hampshire

1850 Glassworks in New Hampshire
Historical Insight from Ancestry.com
Credit: Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In New Hampshire, the glass industry began to take shape during the American Revolution, [and] became the heart of the state’s industry. 

1855 

Marriage

Harvey and Mary Jane Bacon Scott Marriage Record

Married Harvey Scott on 2 January 1855 in Boscawen, Merrimack, New Hampshire.  Not much to see in this record.  So much information not written down by what I think of as a lazy clerk.  It must have been a cold wintery wedding.  Again, I wonder how did they meet?  By the way, in the Ancestry.com index, her husband is indexed as "Hanry" Scott.

1856 and 1860

First child, Marshal Winfield Scott born 11 October 1856 in Salisbury, Merrimack, New Hampshire
Second child, first daughter Adella Grace (aka Della) Scott was born 4 February 1860 in Salisbury, Merrimack, New Hampshire

Mary Bacon Scott Hamm mini pedigree
from Ancestry.com

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Resources

"New Hampshire Marriage Records 1637–1947." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2011. “New Hampshire Statewide Marriage Records 1637–1947,” database, FamilySearch, 2009. New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records. “Marriage Records.” New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord.  Ancestry.com

• Boscawen, Merrimack, New Hampshire
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boscawen,_New_Hampshire
• Findagrave.com memorial
• https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=77431876&ref=acom
• Salisbury, Merrimack, New Hampshire
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury,_New_Hampshire
• Shaw Corner Cemetery, from MapCarta
• https://mapcarta.com/22530846
• 
  

Harvey Scott Part 9 Pension Index

• Pension Index

Harvey Scott 1868 Civil War Pension Index
from Ancestry.com

Harvey Scott.  Widow Mary J. Scott.  Curiously, B.E. Badger is written in the "minor" line and is listed as "Gd'n" which, according to Ancestry, the abbreviation "Gdn" means guardian.  Not sure who was guardian for whom.
On an Ancestry Message Board, the abbreviation as it is listed here might mean that Badger is the guardian or decision-maker for Mary Bacon Scott.

On the lower half is some information I should be able to use later on.  1865, April 22, the Widow Mary J. Scott made an application 90531, certificate 99380.

On 1868, October 23, on the Minor line, is application 166.981, certificate 122.800 -- did Badger make another application for Mary?  or what?  He had three children, Marshall born 1856, Adella born 1860, and Silia born 1862.

Another Index, found on Fold3

NARA T289. Pension applications for service in the US Army 

between 1861 and 1900.

So, I wanted to see if I could get some information using the Civil War pension application numbers.  Below is some information to that effect, but I haven't accessed it yet.  It is here for your perusal.

From a Rootsweb threadThe numbers are the application numbers. If you send to NARA for the pensionfile, you will use at least one of these numbers.

http://www.pacivilwar.com/cwpahelp.html 

This page should help you out; even though, it is Pennsylvania.

http://www.searchforancestors.

com/genhelp/military/nara.html 

This pagewill help, as well.

http://www.archives.gov/research

_room/obtain_copies/military_and

_genealogy_order_forms.html 

This page is where you can order the forms that you will need to order records from NARA.

[UPDATE] I searched on Google and found (again) Fold3.  I have a premium account there, and they've provided me with most of those documents I wanted from NARA!  yay!

Widow's Application

Below is a Widow's Pension application for Mary and her three children.  It looks like she made this application with the help of B.E. Badger of Concord NH.

Widow's Pension listing all three children
found on Fold3
Approved pension applications of widows
and other dependents of Civil War veterans

No 99.380; New Hampshire; Mary J. Scott
Widow of Harvey Scott; Private, Company E, 10th Regiment NH Volunteers
Concord (NH) Agency; Rate per month -- $8 starting 31 January 1865
Additional sum of $2 per Month for each of the following children until arriving at the age of 16 years, commencing July 25 1866 wiz:
Marshall W., 10 October 1872
Adella G., 3 July 1876
Lilla E. 12 March 1878
Certificate dated 12 September 1867; Sent to B.E. Badger, Concord NH
Act 14th July 1862
Book C, Volume 9, Page 289

Claim for Widow's Pension, with Minor Children

Here is another application with more detail.  The quality of the image is not very good, but it is still readable.

Another Pension application
found on Fold3
Approved pension applications of widows
and other dependents of Civil War veterans

Concord
War of 1861, claim 99.380
Brief in the case of Mary J. Scott, Widow of Harvey Scott, Private, Co E, 10th NH Volunteers
Post office address Salisbury NH
Proofs Exhibited
Service -- Adjt. Genl (Adjutant General) Reports Harvey Scott musterd into Service September 14, 1862.  and died in US Hospital Jany 30, 1865, of Phthisis.
Death -- Surg. Genl. Reports Harvey Scott as having died Jany 30th 1865 at Hampton Genl. Hospital, Fort Monroe, VA, of Phthisis.  Lient. Tucker certifies that Harvey Scott died of Consumption got by exposure in the US Service and in the line of his duty.
Marriage -- Records shows that Harvey Scott and Mary Jane Bacon were married Jany 2, 1855
Names and dates of birth of children

• Marshall W. Scott, born Oct 11th 1856, who will be 16 years old Oct. 10th, 1872

• Adella G., born Feby 4th, 1860, who will be 16 years old Feby 5th, 1876

• Lilla C, born March 13th 1862, who will be 16 years old March 12th 1878

Proof of ages -- Affidavit of Persons present
Loyalty -- Shown
Agent and his PO address -- B.E. Badger, Concord, NH
Issue certificate for Eight dollars per month, commencing January 31st, 1865, and two dollars per month additional for each of the above-named children, commencing July 25, 1866
Signed C.M. Tompkins, Examiner; Passed September 2nd, 1867
Approved S.F.S.; I.B.M

My thoughts about this document:  It looks well preserved, but I'm looking at photos of scans of photos -- you get the idea.  The writer who filled this document out has wonderful handwriting, and it looks like Spencerian penmanship.  You can get the similar books and improve your own handwriting!

Shared by CatBird Loveon Pinterest

In the proof of death, we find the connection between Phthisis and consumption, another term for pulmonary tuberculosis.  Also we notice that this disease is spelled differently.  We also find written down how he contracted this, and that it was in the line of duty.

We find a secondary proof of marriage date.  It is secondary, in that it isn't the original marriage document, but the writer looked at and obtained the date from that primary source.

We have the exact dates of birth for each of the children.  The third child I've always seen spelled as Silla.  This may have been an error in deciphering Spencerian handwriting, but it is Lilla.

We find that Harvey Scott was a loyal soldier.

And, finally, we find the name B.E. Badger again.  He seems to have acted as Mary Jane's liason, helping her with the government forms, endless forms.  Did he act free of charge?  Or did he charge a commission to help families out?  Perhaps this is a subject for another search, when I run out of ideas.

Harvey Scott mini pedigree
from Ancestry.com

Harvey Scott Part 8 Death and Burial

• 30 January 1865 Harvey Scott Death 
• Phthisis
• Burial
• Cemetery
• Historical Insights -- Medicine during the Civil War

This is only three months before the end of the Civil War.

January 1865

Harvey Scott January 1865 Death Register

This is the handwritten register which includes Harvey Scott's death.  He was a Private of Company E, 10th NH Infantry, died 30 January 1865.  He died at G.H. Ft. Monroe, Virginia.  He died of Phthisis.  I've never heard of this, I'll get back to it.  Comments says E. McClellan AF?A.

Phthisis

from Medicine Civil War -- Nurses

Phthisis is a progressively wasting or consumptive condition; especially :  pulmonary tuberculosis, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.  He died of tuberculosis. If you look at the register, you'll see several men died the same day.  

Civil War Diseases: Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis killed about 14,000 soldiers during the war. There was no known cure for it during the war. Even today there is no real cure, it can be treated but never cured. Once you get this disease you get it for life. -- Civil War Academy

From Pinterest

Harvey Scott 1865 Veterans' Gravesites
from Ancestry.com

This is an index from National Cemetery Administration's US Veterans' Gravesites list.  Harvey Scott was in the US Army, died and was buried the same day, 30 Jan 1865.  He is buried at Hampton National Cemetery, Cemetery Road at Marshall Avenue, Hampton VA.  Section E, Site 944.



This is the entrance to the Cemetery

Harvey Scott Cemetery Entrance
Find A Grave Memorial# 118519019

This is a photo of the gravestone.  USA.  Harvey Scott.  N.H.  Pretty worn down.

Harvey Scott gravestone
Find A Grave Memorial# 118519019

Harvey Scott mini pedigree
from Ancestry.com

**********************************

below information from Ancestry.com's 

Historical Insights: Medicine during the American Civil War

Credit: Buyenlarge/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesHarvey Scott

HISTORICAL INSIGHTSMedicine during the American Civil War

Medicine during the American Civil War

Ambulance wagon trains lined up near battlefields in
preparation for the wounded soldiers who would
inevitably require their assistance. 1863, City Point, Virginia. Credit: Buyenlarge/Archive Photos/Getty Images

During the American Civil War, the sheer volume of wounded soldiers forced doctors and nurses to develop life-saving medical techniques.

The vast majority of deaths during the American Civil War were not on the battlefield; they were caused by disease. In 1861 germ theory did not exist, the root of infection remained a mystery, and medical training was crude. Little advancements had been made in the field since the American Revolution; some physicians still championed medieval methods of bloodletting, purging, and blistering to rebalance the body’s humors. However, development in weaponry, namely faster, more accurate rifles and shells killed hundreds of thousands and left many more badly wounded. Thus the war forced doctors and nurses to rethink medical treatments, as tens of thousands of soldiers flooded the ill-equipped field hospitals. The sheer volume of injured men prompted rapid amputations. By 1865, a surgeon could remove a limb in six minutes flat. Anesthetics were common—chloroform and ether were given to patients, along with morphine for the pain. Ambulance service also was born during the Civil War. The fallen were gathered from the field, their wounds wrapped up, and they were shuttled to battle-side hospitals. But for many, these advancements in techniques and sanitation came too little too late—upwards of 500,000 Americans died from disease and infection before the war’s end.

Media Gallery

 

Army doctors were unprepared for the scale and type of injuries that flooded the field hospitals. At the time of the Civil War, there was little understanding of sanitation—infections were common and often required the amputation of limbs. 1863, USA. Credit: Buyenlarge/Archive Photos/Getty Images

 

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Many hospitals were at capacity because of the immense number of wounded soldiers. Makeshift infirmaries were set up in tents in all major cities, including the nation’s capital at Washington, D.C. May 1864, Washington, D.C.. Credit: Buyenlarge/Archive Photos/Getty Images

 

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For amputees the recovery process was long and difficult. Many had to relearn to walk, while some remained wheelchair-bound. 1865, Washington, D.C.. Credit: MPI/Archive Photos/Getty Images

 

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In hospitals, disease spread quickly. With little knowledge of hygiene, doctors and nurses put their lives at risk to treat the flood of incoming wounded soldiers. About 1862, USA. Credit: MPI/Archive Photos/Getty Images