The Surgeon's Battle (Paperback)

Lindsay Rae Smith Privette

ISBN 10: 1469690276 / ISBN 13: 9781469690278

Published by The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 2025

About this Item

Paperback. Between May and May 22, 8 3, Union soldiers marched nearly 2 miles through the hot, humid countryside to assault and capture the fortified city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Upon its arrival, the army laid siege to the city for a grueling forty-seven days. Disease and combat casualties threatened to undermine the army's fighting strength, leaving medical officers to grapple with the battlefield conditions necessary to sustain soldiers' bodies. Medical innovations were vital to the Union victory. When Vicksburg fell on July 4, triumph would have been fleeting if not for the US Army Medical Department and its personnel.By centering soldiers' health and medical care in the Union army's fight to take Vicksburg, Lindsay Rae Smith Privette offers a fresh perspective on the environmental threats, logistical challenges, and interpersonal conflicts that shaped the campaign and siege. In doing so, Privette shines new light on the development of the army's medical systems as officers learned to adapt to their circumstances and prove themselves responsible stewards of soldiers' bodies. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781469690278

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Surgeon's Battle (Paperback)
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1469690276
• ISBN 13: 9781469690278
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Between May 1 and May 22, 1863, Union soldiers marched nearly 200 miles through the hot, humid countryside to assault and capture the fortified city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Upon its arrival, the army laid siege to the city for a grueling forty-seven days. Disease and combat casualties threatened to undermine the army’s fighting strength, leaving medical officers to grapple with the battlefield conditions necessary to sustain soldiers' bodies. Medical innovations were vital to the Union victory. When Vicksburg fell on July 4, triumph would have been fleeting if not for the US Army Medical Department and its personnel.

By centering soldiers' health and medical care in the Union army’s fight to take Vicksburg, Lindsay Rae Smith Privette offers a fresh perspective on the environmental threats, logistical challenges, and interpersonal conflicts that shaped the campaign and siege. In doing so, Privette shines new light on the development of the army’s medical systems as officers learned to adapt to their circumstances and prove themselves responsible stewards of soldiers' bodies.

About the Author

Lindsay Rae Smith Privette is associate professor of history at Anderson University.