The Journal of a Civil War Surgeon

by J. Franklin Dyer

Book Overview

J. Franklin Dyer's journal offers a rare perspective on three years of the Civil War as seen through the eyes of a surgeon at the front. The journal, taken from letters written to his wife, Maria, describes in lengthy and colorful detail the daily life of a doctor who began as a regimental surgeon in the Nineteenth Massachusetts Volunteers and was promoted to acting medical director of the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac. This firsthand account...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803266375
• ISBN13: 9780803266377
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 323 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Interesting viewpoint

A great read for anyone interested in the innerworkings of the Army of the Potomac. Dyer served closely with Gens. Hancock, Gibbon, Hooker, and Howard, giving pesonal insight to these men. He also goes into the lives to the fighing soldier in great detail. Being a top-notch surgeon, the men are always on the forefront of his mind. Dyer works tirelessly for the care and well being of the men. He is especially interested in making sure the men get vegetables, as Dyer is recognized as the first to realize that scurvy is a major problem in the Army. Perfect for anyone interested in how the medical corp oppereated from battlefield care, to the ambulence corp, to division hospitals up to to the large hospitals of the north. Tactfully edited by Chesson.