Matchless Organization:
The Confederate Army Medical Department
By Guy R. Hasegawa
Despite the many obstacles it had to overcome—including a
naval blockade, lack of a strong industrial base, and personnel unaccustomed to
military life—the Richmond-based Confederate Army Medical Department developed
into a robust organization that nimbly adapted to changing circumstances. In
the first book to address the topic, Guy R. Hasegawa describes the organization
and management of the Confederate army’s medical department. At its head was
Surgeon General Samuel Preston Moore, a talented multitasker with the
organizational know-how to put in place qualified medical personnel to care for
sick and wounded Confederate soldiers.
Hasegawa investigates how political considerations, personalities, and, as the
war progressed, the diminishing availability of human and material resources
influenced decision-making in the medical department. Amazingly, the surgeon
general’s office managed not only to provide care but also to offer educational
opportunities to its personnel and collect medical and surgical data for future
use, regardless of constant and growing difficulties.
During and after the war, the medical department of the
Confederate army was consistently praised as being admirably organized and
efficient. Although the department was unable to match its Union counterpart in
manpower and supplies, Moore’s intelligent management enabled it to help
maintain the fighting strength of the Confederate army.
About the Author
Guy R. Hasegawa, a retired pharmacist and editor, is
the author of Villainous Compounds: Chemical Weapons and the American
Civil War and Mending Broken Soldiers: The Union and
Confederate Programs to Supply Artificial Limbs.
ISBN 978-0809338290, Southern Illinois University Press, ©
2021, Paperback, 282 pages, Photographs, Illustrations, Appendixes, End Notes,
Bibliography & Index. $26.50. To purchase this book click HERE.
