Civil War Medicine - Montgomery, Alabama
Posted by: xptwo
N 32° 23.054 W 086° 17.789
16S E 566173 N 3583243
Marker in the old part of Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Alabama, telling the problems of medical care during the Civil War.
Waymark Code: WMD8HH
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 12/05/2011
Views: 6
From the beginning of the history of Montgomery, Oakwood Cemetery was the primary burial place for the city. During the Civil War, it became the place where several hundred Confederate soldiers were buried. Some of these were casualties from major battles who did not recover in hospitals set up in the city, but far too many died from other causes such as diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, malaria and pneumonia. The marker is located by many of the graves of Confederate soldiers. The other side of the marker tells the story of Montgomery's Confederate Hospitals.
Marker Name: Civil War Medicine
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information:: The text of the marker reads:
Civil War Medicine
During the War Between the States medical knowledge was primitive. As a result, twice as many men died of disease than in battle from wounds. Early in the War, childhood diseases such as measles, mumps and chicken pox decimated entire camps. Later, the greatest killers were diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, malaria and pneumonia. Many of those who survived battlefield wounds and amputations later died from infection. Scarcity of medical supplies in the beleaguered South added to the suffering and high death rate. For generations maimed veterans served as reminders of the horrors of wartime medicine.
Sponsored by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce
Historical Preservation and Promotion Foundation
Alabam Historical Association
2007
Date Dedicated / Placed: 2007
Marker Number: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
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