Summary Of Angels On The Battlefield

Angels on the Battlefield
In the Battle of Gettysburg that took place on July 1, 1863, and ended on July 3, many casualties and injuries resulted from the fighting between those few days, leading to the victory of the Union Army. It is roughly estimated that 620,000 men lost their lives fighting, many for liberty and freedom, others for new opportunities. The Civil War was considered the deadliest and bloodiest battle. Medicine has come a long way now, in comparison to the 19th century, although many lives were lost on the way. As mentioned in the Killer Angels, the hospitals were tents where soldiers were treated for their wounds on the battlefield, in the view of anyone and everyone. Amputations were almost every physician’s immediate response

The three characters in the book whose bullet wound injuries were the most crucial and important in describing medicine back in a time where it was practiced differently, are the following : Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Private Kilrain, and the African American man who was shot in town by a white woman.
Firstly, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, at the age of 34, is colonel of the Twentieth Maine. One week before the battle at Gettysburg takes place, he is given command of the disbanded regiment from Maine. As mentioned on p. 219, during the Battle of Little Round Top on July 2, 1863, the Confederates attacked twice, and as Chamberlain was trying to get a better view of what was happening in their front, he, “... slipped on a rock, nearly fell, hopped to another boulder, felt an explosion under his right foot, blow knocked his leg away, twirled, fell, caught by Nicholas… Blood? No. But the hip, oh my. Damn, damn.” ( p.219). Chamberlain’s foot kept bleeding, but did not

The same day as Chamberlain is injured on July 2, 1863, p.218 explains, “[Kilrain] turned, showed his side. Tear just under the right shoulder, blood filling the armpit. Kilrain stuffed the white cloth into the hole… He sat down abruptly. Weak from loss of blood.” P. 230 mentions that Kilrain was not only shot once, but twice in his armpit. He eventually received first aid, and the following day, as Chamberlain and his regiment enter Cemetery Ridge, Tom informs Chamberlain on p.307 and p.308 that Kilrain died not because of his wounds, but because his heart gave out. According to muttermuseum.org, the Minie Ball would tear through and destroy tissue, and it rarely left a “clean wound.” The surgeon would first begin by probing the wound with his finger to check for any remnants, as mentioned earlier, and then decide on further treatment. As stated by ehistory.edu, “The ones wounded through the head, belly, or chest were left to one side because they would most likely die. This may sound somewhat cruel or heartless, but it allowed the doctors to save precious time and to operate on those that could be saved with prompt attention.” However, regarding the treatment for Kilrain, although the bullet wound did not shatter any bones, it did tear through tissue, and as also stated by ehistory.osu.edu, “The injuries to be dealt with were dreadful and the