Discover how the Army of the Potomac’s Medical Department performed without the great innovator – Major Jonathan Letterman
On February 21, 2019 at 7:00 PM at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine (NMCWM) join the Frederick County Civil War Roundtable and NMCWM Director of Interpretation Jake Wynn as he discusses the activities of the Union Medical Department in the Overland Campaign.
After Major Jonathan Letterman’s departure from the Army of the Potomac in early 1864, the army’s medical department faced arguably its greatest test. With the arrival of General Ulysses S. Grant in the Eastern Theater, the war in Virginia escalated. The Union Army’s Overland Campaign led to several of the bloodiest, most savage engagements of the Civil War: The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor. Mr. Wynn will examine the unique challenges this campaign created for the Army of the Potomac’s Medical Department and how the lessons learned by Major Letterman and his subordinates in earlier battles were utilized to quickly and efficiently evacuate soldiers from the bloody battlefields of May-June 1864.
The museum doors open at 6:30 PM and the presentation beings at 7:00 PM. The presentation is free for FCCWRT members and a suggested donation of $5 for non-members.
Jake Wynn is the Director of Interpretation at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. He also writes independently at the Wynning History blog.