Collecting Civil War surgeon's images

Civil War period Surgeon’s images/photographs is a collector’s field in itself. Photography during this period employed camera and wet plate emulsion systems which usually required long exposure times. Therefore, most are indoor portrait images utilizing native sunlight. Some outdoor photographs were taken, but at rest/standstill, again due to the inability to ‘stop’ movement.

Most images at this time were made using a wet plate system which generated a single negative. The positive image was printed on albumen paper and pasted onto cardboard. Most often, these were sized to the CDV (carte de visite) or stereo view format. Some larger imperial albumen images were also recorded. CDV’s provided the opportunity for the Surgeon subject to endorse or autograph with sentiments during presentation. In addition, most CDV’s are marked by the photographer and location of the studio.

The CDV format generally replaced the hard image format such as Tintype, Ambrotype, and Daguerrotype. Each of these image systems generated a hard form of negative which was unique to the portrait, and a mirror reversed image of the subject. Each hard image was made into a positive by the colored or dark backing, and each image could not be reproduced. Sizes varied and are listed by the size of the photographic plate used (1/16^th,1/9^th , 1/8^th - CDV size, 1/6^th, ¼, ½, or full plate) and were housed in small book-like cases, some of which were very ornate (a collecting field in itself).

Many studio portraits of Civil War Surgeons were posed in full uniform, complete with Medical Staff (Model 1840) swords and full accoutrements. Rarely, they posed performing pulse checks or with their field instruments, and with their wives/family. Several stereo views are known demonstrating surgical procedures/amputations in progress. Whether these are staged, or actual procedures in progress is subject to opinion and conjecture. However, many clearly demonstrate the instrumentation and surgical procedure which would be identically employed as if the ’real thing’.

1a Very rare CDV of left leg amputation posed in a photographer's studio. The 'patient' appears to be a Major. The surgeon is also a Major who holds a scalpel against the leg ready to make the circumferential initial skin incision. His assistant holds the patient's ankle firmly whilst a boy who appears to be African-American holds a book. The 'anesthetized' patient is lying on a plant placed upon a studio chair and box. The surgeon's capital amputation bone saw is on the plank as is an amputating Liston or Catlin knife, scissor or sequestrum forceps, small forceps, and a glass syringe. No screw tourniquet is employed which is odd. The patient's left pants leg and cotton or linen long under drawers are rolled up, exposing the long underwear's open ankle drawstring. Whilst this may be an odd thing to focus upon, this is apparently the only known Civil War image of long underwear and this draw string. Also, this is an excellent view of an officer's field boots. His unidentified curved sword is partially drawn from the scabbard. It is not clear if this is a foreign import sword or non-regulation sword, but it does not appear to conform to the standard officer's models appropriate for a Major. Photographed by J. A. Sheldon, 101 Canal St., New Orleans.
1b Rare CDV image of an Assistant Surgeon 'operating' on presumably his wife's finger with an open pocket set of surgical instruments. Note his M 1840 Medical Staff Sword and MS for Medical Staff in the center of his shoulder epaulettes. The lady is wearing a pseudo military hoop skirted dress similar to the popular Zouve style of uniform. Photographed by S. J. Thompson, 478 Broadway, Albany, N.Y..
1c Rare signed/autographed CDV of Dr. W. M. Barrett, 1st Asst. Surgeon, 53rd Mass Vol Regt.. He sits with his M1840 Medical Staff sword and is taking the pulse of a 'patient' whilst timing it with his pocket watch. Unknown photographer. The 53rd Mass. was a 9 month regiment seeing action during the assault on Port Hudson, La, during the Mississippi campaigns. The lower image is also of Asst. Surgeon Barrett in which he is cradling his M 1840 Medical Staff sword. This was also taken during the same photograph setting as the 'pulse' image above, but it is undetermined which image was recorded first.
1d Autographed/signed CDV of Surgeon Samuel A. Green, Surgeon 24th Regt, Mass Vols.. Dr. Green saw action with the 1st Mass. Vol. Militia as Asst. Surgeon at 1st Bull Run. With the 24th, he served and cared for wounded members of the 54th Mass Vols. during their famous assault on Ft. Wagner, Charleston, S.C.. CDV by Black, 173 Washington St, Boston
1e 1/6 plate ruby ambrotype of an unknown Asst. Surgeon with his very pretty wife. He is holding his M 1840 Medical Staff sword and, appears to be cross eyed (coaxially visually impaired) under high magnification. Image housed in a pressed paper-leatherette hinged case. Image removed from frame
1f Rare outdoor CDV of an unknown Surgeon (Major), most probably outside his hospital/ward. He is holding his gauntletts, officer's Hardee style hat, and M 1840 Medical Staff Sword. Photographed by r. a. Lord, 158 Chatham St., N.Y.
1g CDV of unknown Asst. Surgeon from unknown photographer. He wears a MS in his Kepi and shows his M 1840 Medical Staff Sword with the rarer double vertical hangers off of his belt. One wonders if the papers he his holding are his Asst. Surgeon's commission?
1h CDV by Brady, N.Y. of John Campbell, Asst. Surgeon, U.S.Vols. He is posed in dress uniform whilst holding his M1840 Medical Staff Sword complete with sword knot/portapee. Note his dress chapeau style hat on Matthew Brady's chair.
1i CDV of unknown Surgeon (Major) in full uniform holding his M1840 Medical Staff Sword. Photographed by Prescott and Gage, Hartford, Conn.
1j Signed/autographed CDV of Dr. George T. Perkins. Dr. Perkins was Assistant Surgeon of the 22nd Mass, 32nd Mass, and rose to Surgeon (Major) of the 26th Mass. Infantry in Jan., 1865. This Asst Surgeon is artfully leaning on his M1840 Medical Staff Sword next to barley twist style furniture. Photographed by Miller and Rowell, 335 Washington St., Boston
1k Signed/autographed CDV seated view of H. W. Carpenter, Surgeon, 117th New York Vols.. This Major/Surgeon cradles his M 1840 Medical Staff Sword against his knee. Photographer is unknown/not signed, but employs an eagle on a US shield motif on the reverse.
1l Portrait CDV signed "Dr. Reagles at close of the Civil War, 1865". Dr. James Reagles was commissioned Assistant Surgeon of the 62nd New York (Anderson's Zouves) in early 1864. He was present at the mortal wounding of Gen. Sedgwick, Commander of the 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac at Spotsylvania, Va., where he was shot by a CS sharpshooter. Dr. Reagles is wearing his silver 6th Corps cross badge and sports what appear to be oak leaves on his shoulders. This is unusual and problematic, since he was not a Surgeon/Major. Perhaps this is an early use of the oak leaf as a symbol for the Medical Corps, as was used by the military in more modern times. Image by Clark and Hamlin, State St., Schenectady, N.Y.. See extended information and an article about Dr.Reagles
1m CDV (autographed/signed) image of Surgeon Stephen F. Elliott. Dr. Elliott was a 1848 graduate of Harvard Medical School. He relocated to California during the gold rush of 1849. He was commissioned Surgeon of the 4th Battalion California Mountaineers and served to March, 1862. He was commissioned Brigade Surgeon by President Lincoln, April, 1862 and served as Brigade Surgeon for Brig. Gen. George Crockett Strong and, in fact, treated him when Gen Strong received his ultimately fatal wounding during the assault on Fort Wagner, Charleston Harbor, S.C., which included the attack of the 54th Mass. Vol. Regiment. Dr. Elliott was court-martialed during this engagement for charges, amongst which were not following his superior's orders in placing his field hospital/aid stations too close to the field of battle (Ft. Wagner). The full story remains to be found, but he resigned his commission in 1864. Unknown photographer.
1n CDV of Brigade Surgeon Edwin Bentley (Bvt. Lieut. Col.). Dr. Bentley was commissioned Assistant Surgeon of the 1st Conn. Heavy Artillery, and then Brigade Surgeon of U.S. Vols. in Oct. of 1861. He saw much action during the McClellan's Peninsular Campaign of 1862 as Gen. Porter's Brigade Surgeon. After the battle of Gaines Mill, "the number of casualties at the different depots to which I was attached was nearly fifteen hundred. The operations were amputations, excisions, and ligations of the femoral artery. The only anesthetic was chloroform, which was used with no unfavorable results. After ten days, when all suitable operations had been performed, and the men cared for, I was taken to Richmond, for the purpose of communicating with the Confederate government, in order to obtain supplies for our wounded. I was sent under guard to Libby prison, and put on duty in a room containing a hundred wounded officers, where I remained until the 22d of July, 1862, when we were exchanged". Dr. Bentley later was placed in command of the 3 divisions of the hospitals in Alexandria, Virginia. He has very many citations in the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. Dr. Bentley was a career Army Surgeon, and is credited with attending the birth and delivering Douglas MacArthur at a later Army Post! Dr. Bentley is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Unknown photographer. Also see Bentley's transfusion story.
1o CDV of Dr. Eugene F. Sanger, signed/autographed as Surgeon of U.S. Volunteers. Dr. Sanger was commissioned and ultimately served at Elmira prison, New York. In many ways, this U.S. prison camp for C.S.A. soldiers was a mirror image of the infamous Andersonville. Many C.S. prisoners died from disease and exposure/hunger. Image courtesy of Jeff Kowalis.
1p Sobering CDV of George W. Warner, 20th Conn. Vols.. A double 'empty sleeve', Warner was evidently hit by friendly fire whilst advancing down Culp's Hill, Gettysburg. It was later told that the Commander of the 20th recognized that the artillery round was fired from the battery on Steven's Knoll. He reportedly halted his regiment, and sent a runner back to this artillery commander stating that if this errant fire was not checked, he would reverse his regiment, charge, and take those 'friendly' cannons. His fellow mates of the 20th thought very highly of George Warner and gave him the honor of pulling the cord which dropped the covering of the regimental monument at Gettysburg. To do this, the rope/cord was tied around his waist and he walked away from the monument, which pulled the trip mechanism. Photographed by Henry Peck, New Haven, Conn..
1q Very rare CDV of Lt. Thomas W. Chandler, 65th and 67th New York. This view clearly demonstrates the scar left by a bullet which wounded him at Ft. Fisher, Va., March 25th, 1865. Notation (which has partially been trimmed to fit an album) reads: "Minie ball weighed 1 1/4 oz imbedded in his brain for six weeks. It was successfully removed (by John G. Johnson, M.D., died march 19th, 1882. Congestion of brain from above wound 17 years after close of war". Unknown photographer
1r Rare outdoor ablumen view of four 3rd Corps Brigade and Divisional Surgeons of the Army of the Potomac. Dr. John Wiley, 6th New Jersey sits to the right. He was promoted to Surgeon in Chief, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps. Interestingly, it is possible that this view was taken in front of his campaign tent, which is in the collection of Dr. Gordon Dammann an on display at the Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland. The Lieutenant standing behind Surgeon Wiley and to his left is Dr. James Theodore Calhoun. He is wearing an Austrian style uniform and is Surgeon in Chief, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps. Dr. C. K. Irwine (standing in front of tent pole) was initially surgeon of the 72nd N.Y. (3rd Excelsior) prior to becoming Surgeon in Chief of the Excelsior Brigade, 3rd Corps. Dr. Calhoun assisted Dr. Thomas Sim (Medical Director-3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac in amputating Gen. Daniel Sickles leg at Gettysburg. Dr. Calhoun would lose life in 1866 whilst treating the victims of a cholera outbreak in New York Harbor Hospital. Unfortunately, the identity of the final officer (seated) is unknown. He appears to be a major or Lt. Col., and is also presumed to be a surgeon. He was originally thought to be Dr. Thomas Sim, Medical Director of the 3rd Corps, but now it is felt that he was absent from the Army of the Potomac (attending Gen. Sickles in N.Y.) at the time this photograph was exposed. It is possible he is Surgeon Ridgway? This view was taken by Alexander Gardner, at Culpepper, Va., most probably in the late summer or early fall of 1863, after the battle of Gettysburg, but prior to the remnants of the 3rd Corps being reassigned to other regiments/Corps due to losses suffered in action. Note: there is some bubbling of the albumen matrix due to water/condensation. Photograph courtesy Jeff Kowalis.

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American Civil War Medical & Surgical Antiques