An overview of the disease, injury, and death of Civil War soldiers shows how the misery and tragedy on and off the battlefield ultimately led to milestone advances in medical practices. Conditions linked to poor diet, hygiene, and sanitation, and contagious diseases prevalent in soldiers' abysmal living conditions, played a large part in the human devastation, along with injuries received in battle that often led to deadly infections. Thumbnail descriptions of individual experiences, often including a photograph, give depth to the big picture by offering personal stories of Union and Confederate soldiers, surgeons, stewards, nurses, and volunteers. While a scarcity of existing Confederate records prevented an even coverage of the two armies, there is care given to including accounts of Black soldiers and civilians, as well as ways in which women were involved, especially in a new role as nurses. The final chapter looks at some of the others ways the Civil War advanced medical practices, such as battlefield triage, improved hospital facilities, and support for veterans. Plentiful sidebars, photographs, and archival illustrations support the text. (Age 12 and older)

The science and grisly history of U.S. Civil War medicine, using actual medical cases and first-person accounts by soldiers, doctors, and nurses, is explored in this fascinating nonfiction book for young readers.

The Civil War took the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and left countless others with disabling wounds and chronic illnesses. Bullets and artillery shells shattered soldiers' bodies, while microbes and parasites killed twice as many men as did the battles. Yet from this tragic four-year conflict came innovations that enhanced medical care in the United States. With striking detail, this book by acclaimed writer Gail Jarrow reveals battlefield rescues, surgical techniques, medicines, and patient care, and celebrates the men and women of both the North and South who volunteered to save lives. The first title in the Medical Fiascoes series!