Civil-war-on-this-date in 1863.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by bigrun

Civil War 150th: On this date in 1863.


LATEST FROM THE NORTH.

THE GREAT BATTLE AT GETTYSBURG.


We have received from Hon. Robert Ould, Commissioner of Exchange, New York papers of the 2d, 3d and 4th insts. The following dispatches in the New York World give an account of the progress of the fighting. The first contains extracts from the official report of Gen. Meade, which was all the War Department would allow to be telegraphed from Washington to the Northern papers:

Washington, July 3d.--An official dispatch was received this afternoon from Major-General Meade, dated headquarters, Army of the Potomac, 11 o’clock P. M., July 2nd, which says:

“The enemy attacked me about 4 P. M. this day, and, after one of the severest contests of the war, was repulsed at all points. We have suffered considerably in killed and wounded. ... We have taken a large number of prisoners.”

Dispatches about the Fighting.

Philadelphia, July 3.--A special dispatch to the Bulletin, from Harrisburg, says:

Nothing is yet known as to results, but the impression prevails that the great decisive battle of the campaign has been fought in the neighborhood of Cashtown, between Gettysburg and Chambersburg.

It is believed that we have suffered heavy losses in officers and men, but Lee is so crippled as to be placed on the defensive.

Yesterday Gen. Meade assumed the offensive. The day before Lee had attacked Meade, and was repulsed with heavy loss.

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Tilford: Gettysburg’s legacy still paying off.


It was a war fought by dirt-poor Southern white farmers on one side and a lot of German and Irish immigrants filling out the ranks of dirt-poor Yankee farmers on the other side. Despite sharing the same race, religion and history, they slaughtered one another with alacrity. What a different country this might have been if, 400 years ago, someone had suggested, “Let’s pick our own cotton.”

On several occasions I visited that place where, 150 years ago, the future of this republic was decided. When I taught at Grove City College in western Pennsylvania, I showed the movie “Gettysburg” to my U.S. military history classes.

It took eight months to bury the dead. More Americans died on each of the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg than have died in the dozen years of the War on Terror.


Half the soldiers killed in all American wars since the 17th century — about a million in all — died in our Civil War. Almost all of the Civil War casualties were of Anglo-Saxon, Scots-Irish or German-Dutch descent. They were mainly Christians and mostly Protestant, with Catholics from Boston and New York City, Savannah and New Orleans thrown in.
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Bryan: The Civil War transformed American medicine.








http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion...9bb30f31a.html

the battle of shiloh was the first that had what they'd now call a 'mash' unit, when albert sidney johnston sent his personal physician out into the field to help the wounded. of course that decision had huge repercussions-had the doctor remained at his side, johnston wouldn't be known to history as the highest ranking army general ever to die in battle. no one thought his wound was serious. in fact, the bullet had hit the artery in his leg, and he bled out.
as for unhealed wounds, at the tn state museum, they had a picture of a soldier from about 15 years after the war-with a stick stuck thru his side to show his unhealed wound. i also know from reading sam houstons bio that his wound he suffered fighting with jackson vs the red sticks that his groin injury never healed.

the soldiers might have been better served staying out of some of the hospitals, as it seemed the treatment could be worse than the cure. i wonder if the earlier wounded fared better than later? the doctors would have less blood and gore on them if they hadn't treated as many patients.
and i think disease such as yellow fever, measles, typhoid and the like probably killed more than battle wounds did.

joshua chamberlain was posthumously promoted....when he awoke weeks later his brother told him the news. he'd been shot thru both hips, and they thought it was a mortal wound-but he survived and kept his promotion. he later earned the name 'bloody chamberlain'. while leading his troops in a later battle (i think the battle of the wilderness) the hero of little round top was seen to have been shot 'clean thru' but kept his saddle and kept fighting. turned out that the bullet that went into his belly rode his rib around to his back and exited....everyone thought the bullet went thru him. he lived to his 90's.