VirtualMuseum

The first major combat west of the Mississippi occurred in Missouri during the summer of 1861. Engagements at Boonville and Carthage, together with the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, produced casualties that overwhelmed the Union army’s medical staff. Then, as tens of thousands of troops entered Missouri, the need to treat disease placed even greater strain on the system. Over the course of the war, however, circumstances improved dramatically. The Union armies in the field raised both the quality and quantity of medical care, while the federal government poured money and resources into establishing hospitals. By mid-war, a comprehensive system of regional hospitals existed throughout the state, with provisions for transferring patients with more acute needs to St. Louis via rail in purpose-built hospital cars. The Union’s greatest accomplishments, however, came on the water. Beginning early in the war boats were either converted or purpose-built to serve as floating hospitals. One, the Red Rover, had operating rooms, steam powered elevators, and ice machines. In this manner St. Louis supported operations throughout the Mississippi River valley and not just the Trans-Mississippi. Wartime necessity served to advance medical innovations and doctors from Europe visited St. Louis to learn the latest techniques. Although they could not match the Union for resources, the Confederates established important hospitals in major cities such as Little Rock, Arkansas, and Shreveport, Louisiana.