Civil War Hospital Newspapers ─ Histories and Excerpts of Nine Union Publications

Of the 192 Union military hospitals during the Civil War, nine circulated newspapers written, edited and printed by convalescents. Editorial policies ranged from defanging copperhead Democrats to providing a record of soldiers’ experiences. The horrors of wound infection and amputation were reported in the words of surgeons, nurses and patients. Sermons cautioned against drink, tobacco and profanity while stressing patriotic sacrifice. Those who experienced the war wrote about it in simple narrative, providing insight into wartime health care and a broader understanding of their struggles. Convalescent life was painful and terrifying. Bed-ridden for months with fever and festering wounds, disabled veterans wondered who would respond to their needs. Who would hire them? Who would marry them? This book covers the founding and development of nine hospital newspapers, each explored by subject matter: patriotism, politics, religion, satire, romance and marriage, battlefield experience and treatment of prisoners of war.

Ira Spar, M.D., is president of the Hartford Medical Society, a board member of the Society of Civil War Surgeons, a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He served as a U.S. Army battalion surgeon in the Vietnam War and lives in Farmington, Connecticut.