Transforming Public Opinion of Hospitals: Nashville’s Military Hospital Complex, 1862-1865

In February of 1862, Confederate forces retreated from Nashville toward Chattanooga, allowing the Union to swiftly move in and take over the city, which was at the time crucial for supplying equipment and materials to the rebels in the Western theater. The city was the first state capital in the South to be federally occupied. Once under Union control, President Lincoln appointed Andrew Johnson, who would become President after Lincoln’s assassination, military governor of Tennessee. From there, Confederate sympathizing officials were replaced by Union leaders cementing Union military authority in Nashville. Being an urban area in the vicinity of many Western battles and skirmishes, troops from Union side and Confederate alike were sent into the city to be administered medical treatment for their wounds and illnesses. At least 20 churches, schools, and other large community buildings in town were quickly converted into hospitals to accommodate the massive influx of soldiers. This extensive medical complex was one of the largest during the war, second only to Philadelphia. However, the overwhelming sentiment before the war toward hospitals was a negative one, as they were traditionally meant for the poor who had no means to call a doctor to care for them in their homes. They were places where people went to die, not to be saved. However, the systematic organization of the hospitals in Nashville by dedicated surgeons and nurses, along with positive newspaper coverage of those institutions, helped shift civilian perception of hospitals from a place to die to a place of medical skill and compassion.

The Civil War in general changed the game for hospital care, but Nashville is a prime example of medical innovation during wartime crisis. The industrial hub was heavily fortified and protected by Fort Negley, which protected it throughout the war from recapture by Confederates, but also made Nashville the place to send wounded troops in need of recovery further from battle. Hospitals separately treated Union, Confederate, and African American soldiers, as well as prostitutes. Patients were also separated according to ailment for the purpose of limiting the spread of contagious disease. One of the most important was Hospital No. 11. An article was published on April 12, 1864, by The Nashville Daily Union to recognize the “Smallpox House” (where victims of the disease were sent to be quarantined), for possessing only the best medical staff. Head surgeon, Dr. G. W. France was mentioned along with his educational history and medical skill. Clean bedsheets were provided by the Smallpox House to the sick to encourage good hygiene practices and prevent the spread of disease. A soldier and patient of the so called “Pest House” praised the work of the doctors and nurses that attended to him and others afflicted by disease. His remarks were reported in The Nashville Daily Union on May 11, 1864. These testimonies were reported by the press in a way that clearly shows the positive shifting attitude of the public toward hospitals by the end of the war.

Page 2 of The Nashville Daily Union, April 12, 1864, praising the work at Hospital No. 11. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Good practice did not stop at changing bed sheets. Many, if not most of the hospitals in the city, included outdoor grounds for soldiers to have access to fresh air and exercise, which was considered healing not just physically, but mentally as well. Those with serious afflictions had to stay under the charge of a hospital for often extended periods of time, so being able to walk around or play a game seemed to boost military morale. Providing extra room was especially helpful when dealing with the massive numbers of sick and wounded in Nashville at all times. Such casualties required not just large hospitals but that those hospitals be connected like a network, so that communication between surgeons and staff of different facilities in the city would allow for the quick transfer of patients, supplies, and medical records when necessary. City newspapers spread the word of fresh supplies from the U.S. Sanitary Commission for military hospitals in the area. These announcements welcomed surgeons and their staff to send requests for stores based on their numbers of sick and wounded. Communication that was happening between institutions foreshadows the organization that it takes today to keep modern hospitals running properly. Networking like this had not been seen before in general hospitals before the war, and wartime crisis spurred Confederate and Union intervention into healthcare within the city of Nashville, which is what made that network possible.

The Western Military Institute Building converted to a hospital for Federal officers during Union occupation, becoming Hospital No. 2. (Courtesy of The Library of Congress)

The dedicated nurses of the 25 or more hospitals in the city were crucial to the efficient treatment of soldiers and patients. Nurse Annie Bell was chief matron and served in Hospitals No. 1 and 8 during Union occupation. Previously, she had worked as a volunteer nurse in Harper’s Ferry and then became head matron of the 12^th Corps Hospital but moved with the corps when they were stationed in Tennessee as reinforcements in the Western Theater. Her famous picture was used by the USSC to fundraise for medical supplies for the sick and injured, and it reaped major rewards. This highlighted the humanity and professionalism of the nurses that served not just in Nashville, but military hospitals across the country, and press coverage like this was what helped transform the American attitude.

This image of Annie Bell was sold by the USSC to raise funds for the sick and wounded. She is shown nursing two soldiers in one of the Nashville hospitals during Union occupation. (Courtesy of the American Civil War Museum)

After the Civil War, civilians continued to seek medical treatment in hospitals because their wartime performance gave them a greater reputation for having the tools and skills necessary to provide medical care, and Nashville was a crucial piece in achieving that reputation. Nashville’s military hospital complex, one of the largest of the war, created large scale operational change in the field of medicine, and, equally significant, changed the viewpoint of ordinary citizens.

Sources

[1] National Museum of Civil War Medicine. “Annie Bell.” https://acwm.org/blog/annie-bell/.

[2] Nashville Daily Union. April 12, 1864. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/86537096/.

[3] “Federal Military Hospitals in Nashville, May–June 1863 (Nashville Dispatch).” Civil War Nashville. February 9, 2019. https://civilwarnashville.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/federal-military-hospitals-in-nashville-may-june-1863-nashville-dispatch/.

[4] “Nashville’s Civil War Hospitals.” ArcGIS StoryMaps. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/467d673ff3fb467bb560ac29b1896148.

[5] Nashville Daily Union. May 11, 1864. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/50544381/.

[6] Nashville Daily Union. December 29, 1863. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/50544396/.

About the Author

Elizabeth Cushwa is a Historic Preservation major at Shepherd University, with a minor in Appalachian Studies. Her research interests include 18^th and 19^th century American history, as well as American architecture. She is currently serving as an intern at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and has previously worked with the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education.