Hospital Sketches

In honor of the field nurses and hospital steward who run the 4th's Field Hospital, here are some primary sources.

Field Hospital on the Battle Field at Chancellorsville by Edward Forbes (1863)
From the Library of Congress, which has many hospital images in its Civil War Collection.

Here are some first-hand accounts of army hospitals and volunteer nurses:

Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott (1863) is based on the author's experience as a nurse in 1862-3.

Half a Century by Jane Grey Swisshelm includes accounts of the author's volunteer nursing at hospitals in Washington, D.C., and at the frontlines, c. 1863-4.

Crusader and Feminist: The Letters of Jane Grey Swisshelm includes letters written while working in Washington, D.C. hospitals (c.1863-4).

Hospital Transports: A Memoir by Frederick Law Olmstead (1863) is a US Sanitary Commission publication, chronicling events of 1862.

Nurse and Spy in the Union Army by Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmonds (1865) gives an account of the author's work as a field hospital nurse.

The Hospital Steward's Manual by Joseph Janvier Woodward (1863) naturally focuses on the responsibilities of stewards, but also goes into great detail about the organization of military hospitals, including job descriptions and wages for male and female nurses, laundresses, and cooks. This is very useful background information for anyone portraying an army hospital worker.

Ward K, Amory Square Hospital, Washington DC (1865)
Also from the LOC.  There's another ward shown here, including a period wheelchair.

More Resources:

Notes on Nursing (1860) by Florence Nightingale.  Though not about field hospitals, this book was a popular home medical reference during the period, and reflects the knowledge that volunteer nurses would have brought with them; authors such as Mrs. Beeton recommended that every woman have a copy of this book.

Facts Relating to Hospital Nurses (1857) is pre-war, and discusses British customs, but it also gives an interesting view of how contemporary hospitals, and the duties of nurses therein.

A Woman of Valor: Clara Barton in the Civil War by Stephen B. Oates. Before the Red Cross and the even before the Missing Soldiers' Office, Clara Barton acted a field nurse and independent relief worker for the Union Army.  This volume provides lots of interesting detail about how field hospitals were run (or mis-run), and the role of politics in wartime volunteering.

The Museum of Civil War Medicine has a great deal of information--if nothing else, check out the book list on their "Education and Research" page.