Field Hospital Tent (c. 1864)

This photograph shows rows of hospital tents stretching across a field, likely from the Army of the Potomac around 1863. Each tent served as a temporary ward for injured soldiers after major battles. The tents are arranged in orderly lines, reflecting the growing efficiency and organization of Civil War medicine. Early in the war, care for the wounded was chaotic where there was little coordination, sanitation was poor, and supplies were scarce. By mid-war, however, military medical departments began adopting systematic approaches inspired by figures such as Jonathan Letterman, who developed the first modern ambulance and hospital system.

In camps like this, surgeons treated everything from gunshot wounds to typhoid fever. Although conditions were still grim, innovations in hygiene, such as the separation of the wounded from the sick, and the introduction of clean bandages and fresh air marked significant progress. The scale of these hospitals also required massive support from volunteer nurses and sanitary commissions, many being led by women.