Field Hospital Field Trip

Civil War Medical Transport Training

Library of Congress

Theme

The Battle of Gettysburg is well known for its stories of courage and bravery on the battlefield. Lesser known is the story of the medical personnel, Union and Confederate, who, by 1863, had greatly improved their bases of knowledge and organization to save lives and improve living conditions for the sick and wounded.

Goal

This student program seeks to personalize the battle by having each student focus on one individual, whether it be a sick or wounded soldier, a nurse, steward or surgeon. By role-playing these individuals, students will gain a greater understanding of the organization and dedication of military medical personnel, and will be able to place Civil War medicine in the context of medical progress. The students will think about Civil War battles in the context of their aftermaths and consequences. During this program, students will set up a field hospital at a historic farm, coordinate triage and surgical treatment of casualties using roleplay, and discover the problems and progress of a Civil War medical corps.

Objectives:

After participating in the Field Hospital student education program, students will be able to:

-Articulate the role of a Civil War doctor as well as the roles of other medical personnel including nurses, stewards, stretcher bearers and ambulance drivers.

-Identify three common diseases of the Civil War soldier from symptoms.

-Determine the triage category and "diagnose" first-aid treatment for three
types of wounds/injuries.

-Explain and describe the typical treatment of a Civil War soldier, from wound to recovery.

-Place the caring for the wounded at Gettysburg within the context of Civil War medicine.

-Explain three medical improvements made during the course of the war.

Grade Level and Program Options

This program can be tailored to grades 5-12. Please allow 90-120 minutes for this field trip option. 10 Students minimum/35 students maximum per program.

Pre-Visit Activities:

Note to Teachers:

There are two previsit activities to help your students have a more meaningful experience while participating in the Field Hospital Field Trip Program at Gettysburg National Military Park. The first is having them take the Oath of Allegiance and the Hippocratic Oath (the same that were taken by U.S. medical personnel during the Civil War), both of which are posted below.

The second is to assign each student an identity of either medical personnel or of sick or wounded soldiers. Please use the link below to email us for these Field Hospital student identities.


The Oath of Allegiance and The Hippocratic Oath

Now that you have served your "internship", you are qualified and ready to join the Union Army Medical Corps. But before you get your job assignment, you will be administered one oath to join the army, and another to serve in the medical profession. Listen carefully to your promises, as you may be asked to apply these oaths during your field trip to Gettysburg.[Repeat the following Oath of Allegiance, filling in the blanks as necessary].

I, __________ , appointed a medical attendant in the army of the United States, do solemnly swear that I will bear true allegiance to the United States of America, and that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies or opposers whatsoever; and observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the rules and articles/or the government of the armies of the United States.


Additionally, for members of the medical staff, especially doctors, you most likely would have taken the Hippocratic Oath, or some version of it. This oath has been taken by doctors since the year 400 B.C. and a modem version is still administered at many medical schools today.[Repeat the following oath aloud.]

I swear that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath: I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asks for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, and of all mischief. If I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.

Field Hospital Student Program Identities:

Email us to request identity cards for this field trip, or for your classroom.

 

See curriculum standards on the NPS Education Portal

 

Additional Pre-Visit Lessons

 

 

Explore our other Field Trip options