In the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, a thousand surgeons faced an unprecedented medical catastrophe: 25,000 wounded soldiers needing immediate care with only primitive tools and their own determination to save lives.
At Gettysburg's makeshift hospitals—set up in barns, churches, and blood-soaked fields—military and civilian surgeons from both North and South worked around the clock performing life-saving operations under fire. Drawing from a decade of meticulous research, historian Barbara Franco reveals how these courageous medical professionals revolutionized battlefield medicine and established principles still saving lives today.
Through vivid accounts and previously untold stories, readers will discover:
“[Gettysburg Surgeons] is highly readable and approachable, attempting to show the personalities of the medics and the reality of their situations. A fascinating and intriguing read that’s a great niche history for Civil War buffs and a fine addition to Civil War collections.”
"…deserves a spot on any shelf dedicated to America’s most dissected war. Franco does more than raise up the narrative of the beleaguered surgeons and assistant surgeons who probed and sawed their way through the conflict, she opens a perspective rarely seen in histories of the period."
"Gettysburg Surgeons is a deeply researched and powerful tribute to the medical officers who served at Gettysburg. It will stand alongside Gregory Coco’s A Vast Sea of Misery (1996) in helping readers understand the medical response to the human tragedy at Gettysburg. In shining a light on the humanity and professionalism of Civil War surgeons, Barbara Franco adds a vital chapter to the story of Gettysburg.”
"Using primary material from medical records, diaries, letters, army reports, and the like, Barbara Franco expertly tells the story of the challenges the surgeons faced in treating tens of thousands of casualties in a town with limited medical facilities… well-written and useful new addition to the burgeoning Gettysburg historiography”
