-- First serious account of the Battle of Gettysburg's impact on civilians -- An inspiring chronicle of heroism off the battlefield When the battle at Gettysburg ended, over 21,000 Union and Confederate wounded lay helpless in the shattered woods and decimated fields surrounding the small town. As both armies withdrew they left the care of the wounded -- and the burial of the dead -- to a stunned citizenry. Amazingly, an unprecedented number of volunteers from both North and South, including the U.S. Sanitary Commission and ...
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-- First serious account of the Battle of Gettysburg's impact on civilians -- An inspiring chronicle of heroism off the battlefield When the battle at Gettysburg ended, over 21,000 Union and Confederate wounded lay helpless in the shattered woods and decimated fields surrounding the small town. As both armies withdrew they left the care of the wounded -- and the burial of the dead -- to a stunned citizenry. Amazingly, an unprecedented number of volunteers from both North and South, including the U.S. Sanitary Commission and the U.S. Christian Commission, soon descended upon the isolated town, bringing with them much-needed medical attention, supplies, and food. This powerful narrative recounts the courageous acts that continued long after the battlefield was silent, and reveals the often-forgotten costs of war.
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As New in As New dust jacket. 081170498X. This specific hardback book is in like new condition with a hard board cover that has sharp edges and corners and has a tight binding. The pages are clean, crisp, unmarked and uncreased. The dust jacket is in fine condition with little wear if any. We package all books in custom cardboard book boxes for shipment and ship daily with tracking numbers.; "When the battle at Gettysburg ended, over 21, 000 Union and Confederate wounded lay helpless in the shattered woods and decimated fields surrounding the small town. As both armies withdrew they left the care of the wounded--and the burial of the dead--to a stunned citizenry. Amazingly, an unprecedented number of volunteers from both the North and South, including the U.S. Sanitary Commission and the U.S. Christian Commission, soon descended upon the isolated town, bringing with them much-needed medical attention, supplies, and food."; 9.0 X 6.0 X 1.0 inches; 244 pages.
Gerard Patterson's "Debris of Battle" is an excellent, readable book that describes the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), the sufferings of the wounded, and the efforts of many private citizens and organizations to help deal with an unprecedented emergency resulting from three days of ferocious fighting.
Following its repulse on the third day of the Battle, the Confederate Army withdrew leaving approximately 2,000 wounded prisoners in Union hands together with 5000 severely wounded soldiers on the field. There were also over 14,000 wounded Union troops needing medical attention. The three-day Battle resulted in over 7,000 deaths, with the bodies requiring burial.
The situation produced a humanitarian and logistical crisis for the town of Gettysburg (population 2,400). The difficulty was compounded when the Union Army, in its pursuit of the retreating Confederates, took with it virtually all available medical personnel and supplies, leaving behind an inadequate team of surgeons and support personnel to offer treatment. In addition, because of exigencies before the Battle itself, the Union medical trains had been mostly left in the rear, resulting in a delay in getting supplies to the wounded.
Patterson's book details the sufferings and difficulties that followed in the wake of this, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. He praises the relief efforts mounted by many private organizations, particularly the United States Sanitary Commission and the United States Christian Commission. These organizations were rivals, in a sense, but both worked valiantly to bring relief to the wounded of Gettysburg. Catholic relief organizations, such as the Sisters of Mercy, other organizations, and private citizens also contributed immeasurably. Patterson also shows how some individuals behaved less nobly by trying to profiteer from the needs of the wounded and to gather relics from the Battlefield.
The book shows the many difficulties that needed to be addressed in short order. These included housing (many of the wounded were left an intolerably long time on the field), finding adequate medical supplies, providing food, restoring rail service and other transportation, performing necessary surgery, and much else. The military response was inadequate. But by late July, 1863, a camp had been established east of Gettysburg, known as Camp Letterman, which provided organized, centralized care for most of the remaining wounded of both armies. Without the assistance of the private organizations, the suffering would have been immeasurably more severe than it was.
Considerations of health, if nothing else, demanded the prompt burial of the Battle dead. Patterson describes their burial, exhumation, and reburial by details established for this purpose. He explains how the need to provide for the burial of the dead resulted ultimately in the formation of the Gettysburg National Cemetery and Gettysburg National Battlefield and also provided, more immediately, the impetus for Lincoln's Gettysburg address.
Patterson's book makes good use of first-hand sources. It introduces the reader to many of the women and men who provided humanitarian service following the Battle of Gettysburg. Interestingly, the book includes a brief but fascinating epilogue in which Patterson describes the subsequent careers of many who participated in providing medical care at Gettysburg, such as Confederate surgeon Simon Baruch, and Frederick Olmstead, the architect of Central Park.
This book presents in a thorough, convincing way a frequently overlooked aspect of the story of Gettysburg.
