Washington DC hospital records

[KPavia]

I'm searching through NARA hoping to locate hospital records. I was just wondering if anyone here would know where they would be located if there are such records. I'm looking for the records of my ancestor who died of disease in Feb. 1865 in DC and I'm hoping that something would be able to give me more details about that.
Thanks

[Andrew German]

Re: Washington DC hospital records

Kenny,

Have you checked his military service file at the NARA? The contents can be a bit random, but occasionally they include a diagnosis or description of a deceased soldier's illness, a list of the contents of his pockets, and the card that was placed on his bed to identify him.

If his family filed an application for a pension based on his service, that file might also contain some information on his death. Occasionally, when the application was filed by the soldier's parents, a pension file includes letters home from the soldier, which were submitted to prove that the soldier was sending money home for the support of his parents.

If his condition was at all unusual, you might check the multi-volume Medical and Surgical History as well.

Good luck!
Andrew German

[CSchneider]

Re: Washington DC hospital records

Check out the Surgeon General's files at NARA. They should also have a rather extensive index to the Civil War hospital records that was prepared by the Surgeon General's Office in the 1880s. As Andrew said, if his case was in any way unique or interesting (and possibly even if it was fairly typical too), he'll probably be in the Medical and Surgical History. If he is included in the M&SH, his case may have been followed by the Army Medical Museum or the surgeon attending to him may have sent notes, photographs, or specimens to the Army Medical Museum. In that case, the National Museum of Health and Medicine (formerly the Army Medical Museum), may have correspondence from the surgeon, copies of the soldier's Medical Descriptive List, or possibly even preserved bone and tissue samples.

-Craig Schneider

[blu_phx]

Re: Washington DC hospital records

Speaking of hospitals...is there anyone out there that does a good impression? The few sites I have seen are not quite up to authenticity standards : ) I have 2 months of military training (medical) at Andrews coming up and plan on spending quite a bit of time at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and am hoping to find a good Field Hospital to fall in with...if not then I might just have to start one myself : )

Thanks,

Nicolette Sebastian