With 2011 being the Sesquicentennial of the beginning of the American Civil War, events to honor this anniversary have been scheduled all year long. One such event occurred June 10-12 at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield, Ill., with a scene right out of the war.

The event was well attended by youngsters and adults alike who came out to learn from the living history presentations. The main point of this event was showing that for every man who died from a bullet wound, two died from disease. The three top killers in the Civil War were chronic dysentery, chronic diarrhea and typhoid fever; two were caused by eating bad or undercooked food or drinking bad water.

Displays were set up at the reenactment with music, camp tents and medical tents. One tent offered information about nurses during the war. The guide shared that when the war started, the government only accepted plain, single women over the age of 30 who were not looking for husbands. As the war progressed, wives came to assist their wounded spouses and at times, ended up staying on and tending to other sick and dying soldiers.

A brochure about the field hospital added, “Nurses would assist the doctors with patient recovery … (and) monitor and feed the patients. Doctors preferred nuns as nurses over ‘Society Ladies.’ At the beginning of the war nurses had to be plain-dressed, over 30 and homely to qualify for the job.”

The encampment hosted several presentations such as “Meet General Grant,” “Cyclone in Calico: A friend of Mother Bickerdyke,” “President Lincoln discusses the cause and effects of the Civil War” and many more.

Living history demonstrations included surgery as well as embalming and an example of a surgical field hospital and infantry drills. Ted Henry, a reenactor from the Peoria, Ill., area said the infantry volunteers all dress in exactingly re-created uniforms made of unbreathable wool that causes them to lose many a pound during the warm summer days.

Ted’s wife was dressed as a solider. “Several women dressed as soldiers to fight during the war,” he shared.

Part of the medical encampment field hospital was staffed by the 17th Corps Civil War Field Hospital, a not-for-profit corporation that put together some facts about Civil War hospitals: “In the United States, there were different types of hospitals. Approximately 50-100 yards from the firing line was the Regimental First Aid Station. Behind that was the Regimental Hospital, 2-5 miles away.

“More serious cases were taken to the Divisional or Corps Hospital, which consisted of surgeons from multiple regiments operating at a common hospital. Pavilion hospitals were in large metropolitan cities like St. Louis, where patients had long-term recovery.”

During the war there were several different ranking soldiers who took care of the wounded. There were the head surgeons, first assistant surgeons, second assistant surgeons, hospital stewards, medical cadets, nurses, washer women and cooks. They all shared the various jobs.

The first assistant surgeon was either a major or captain and worked at the first aid station behind the firing line. At this location the assistant surgeon bound up the wounded and sent them off by ambulance to the Regimental Hospital. His job included monitoring patients so they would not wake up while the surgeon was amputating an arm or leg.

The second assistant surgeon was a lieutenant and ordered the medical supplies and medicine for the sick. He also hired and supervised the nurses, stewards and medical cadet and kept records for the Regimental/Corps Hospital. The hospital steward monitored the patients, and was in charge of the pharmacy and prepared medicines for patients.

The medical cadet was a second-year medical student who bandaged and cared for the wounded. Sometimes they were allowed to watch or assist in surgery. They helped the doctors for “on the job” training. Some were assigned to Navy hospital ships.

For more information about the 17th Corps Civil Field Hospital, contact Maj. Trevor Steinback by email at dbucher@hotmail.com

There will be a “Spirits of the Civil War” event on Sept. 10 in which costumed interpreters will present personal stories depicting the experience of the Civil War soldier. This will be held at the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site in Springfield. For more information, call 217-782-2717 or email candyknox@illinois.gov

On Sept. 24-25, there will be a Civil War reenactment at the General U.S. Grant Galena State Historic Site, Galena, Ill. For more information, call 815-777-3310 or log onto www.granthome.com

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.