All wars cause injury and death, but the Civil War produced especially large numbers of casualties due to the introduction of more lethal weapons.  Mobile hospital and surgery facilities enabled to medical personnel to transport and treat the injured more efficiently than in any previous war.  Special railroad cars were developed to meet these medical needs.

The above sketches from the Official Records Atlas illustrate the interior configurations of hospital cars as used by the Army of the Cumberland.  These hospital cars resembled passenger cars (some were in fact converted passenger rolling stock) but with stacked stretchers instead of bench seats to accommodate the wounded.

Wounded soldiers who used such specialized cars were lucky, because after battles with very large numbers of casualties there usually were not sufficient hospital cars to meet medical needs.  In such cases, converted box cars were drafted for transporting the wounded.  The Confederates, who generally lacked sufficient rolling stock of every kind, suffered even more due to the lack of adequate medical cars.

Several types of surgeons' cars and other similar rail vehicles provided portable facilities for medical personnel to actually examine and treat their numerous patients.  Such cars were chronically in short supply and could not adequately cope with large numbers of wounded associated with major battles.

Railroad Equipment  |  Tennessee Civil War Railroads  |  Civil War Technology & Industry in Tennessee

Last update:  May 10, 2000