TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Amputation of wounded limbs was not new but reached somewhat of a high point in the Civil War. The Minie ball, in particular, was notorious for shattering bone. Doctors soon found that trying to save a limb was counterproductive—it almost always became infected and the patient died. We have all seen gruesome photos of severed […]

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In fact, they can, with modern forensic archeology, be quite eloquent. Case in point comes from the Manassas battlefield, when recent excavations have revealed quite a lot about about wounds and surgical practices. In an article for Smithsonian magazine, recently discovered remains of Union soldiers show a lot about their fate. The bones were discovered […]

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While discussing the rivers going into Mobile Bay with Dan O’Connell I came across a really nice map of the Gulf coast in 1861, covering the area from the Louisiana delta to Pensacola. And…you can zoom in! Just the thing for following Dan’s campaign posts. Fold3 looks at The Curious Case of Adelia who, it […]

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And many other “morbid” things, are going to a new home. The $12 million relocation established a permanent home for an institution that has had 10 addresses since 1862. That’s when Surgeon General William Hammond directed medical officers in the field to collect “specimens of morbid anatomy” for study at the newly founded museum along […]

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Author and fellow blogger Jim Schmidt will be appearing on Civil War Talk Radio this Friday to promote his new book Lincoln’s Labels: America’s Best Known Brand and the Civil War and talking about Civil War medicine as well.  Thiks episode, as usual, will air at 12 pm Pacific (2 pm Central) on Friday afternoon.  […]

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