Red- Revision before or when handed in
Civil War Medicine Mini Project
By Jacqueline Wong 806
Dear Mother,
How are you, my young sisters and brother faring? I hope work is not too overwhelming between the children and chores. I am fine though there is much work to be done with so many sick or wounded soldiers.
I have to tend to and clean wounds, so there is nothing to infect them and cause illness. It seems everything and anything will cause infection. I try to be very careful with this task although I suppose you can never be too careful- especially since so many soldiers die. It must be a clear sign we are doing something wrong.
I have to feed meals to the soldiers. Many of them are unable to feed themselves. Whether from weakness from disease or just injuries, the duty is very popular.
As I have mentioned, many men die in this hospital. This leads to another task; comforting the dying. It is terrible to watch as the light leaves their eyes or feel their hands become limp in my own. I can only hope God will offer them a good life in Heaven.
Other duties are administering medications, searching for wounded on the battlefields, and assisting the doctors during operations. My least favorite of the operations is amputation. The sight is terrible. Whenever a bullet is in the flesh or bone mainly, I have to hold the patient down as the doctor performs the procedure. The soldiers tend to move given the fact the chloroform is in such small supply.
We usually use it to dull the bodily sensation when it is available. In this way, the patient would fall unconscious, so he may not feel it when a limb is amputated. We apply it to a cloth and hold it over his nose and mouth. At least, there would be less pain, noise, and movement. If the surgeon was distracted, he may be more likely to make a mistake.
Sanitation is very important for when equipment is used, so we have to clean them between operations. Using unclean equipment or used on people with diseases can infect someone else. Therefore we make sure to clean it with cloth or in water.
There are many diseases. Often the soldiers have temperatures or some sort of strange blemishes. Many of these men have never been around people and illness. It makes a less chance of their survival so it would seem, because all of a sudden they are amongst sickness and people.
I prefer talking to the soldiers and writing letters for them. What I like is learning about their stories and families. These men are from different parts of the country- different homes. I love listening to them describe their home states before the war. It reminds me there was a time before this long war at all. It also gives me a taste of all these places I hope to one day see. Besides, every person has a story to tell.
I love listening to what they wish to write to their families. Their words are very heart- felt and filled with the roughness of hard conditions and war. It all makes me think of my own father and two brothers John and William.
It makes me wonder if they are also telling our stories. It makes me wonder how they are. Each day, I pray to God for their safety. Tell me, Mother. Have they written of their own hard conditions and battles they fought?
All families wait for a letter from their loved ones who fight bravely for their country- their Union- whether they are Confederate civilians or our own Union civilians. Do we all wait desperate to hear if our loved ones are dying or well?
The war has taken its toll over all of us. Will our loved ones ever return to us alive? Will the war ever end? I hope it will end soon, so every family may be gathered at their different and beautiful homes in happiness and good health.
Your Hopeful Daughter,
Margaret Hamilton
