Sixteen years after the end of our nation’s bloodiest conflict, antiquated Civil War medical techniques led to the death of President James Garfield.

President James Garfield on his deathbed.

When an assassin’s bullet struck James Garfield in July 1881, the battle to save the president’s life began. In the weeks that followed, doctors argued over how to treat the stricken executive. In the end, Dr. D. Willard Bliss took control of Garfield’s recovery and controversy has surrounded his role ever since. Jake Wynn of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine will discuss the history of Garfield’s recovery and how antiquated techniques learned by Dr. Bliss during his Civil War experience played a role in James Garfield’s death in September 1881.

The presentation will take place on June 29 at 1:00 PM at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio.

Jake Wynn is the Director of Interpretation at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. He also writes independently at the Wynning History blog.