“Figuratively speaking this city is one vast hospital, and yet hundreds of poor fellows continue to arrive…” – Philadelphia Inquirer, September 25, 1862
In the bloody aftermath of the Maryland Campaign of 1862, thousands of wounded soldiers poured into Frederick, Maryland for medical treatment. To treat the wounded of the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, the medical director of the Army of the Potomac, Major Jonathan Letterman, established dozens of makeshift hospital in the city. Between September 1862 and January 1863, almost 10,000 wounded soldiers were passed through Frederick’s hospitals. These are examples of documents – journals, diaries, letters, newspaper accounts – that document a remarkable series of events that turned Frederick into “one vast hospital.” – Jake Wynn, Director of Interpretation
A Union Army surgeon’s description of the Confederate occupation of Frederick in September 1862