Military Medicine

During the Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, Confederate troops crossed the Monocacy River via a ford onto the Worthington Farm. From the farm fields, the Confederates initiated three advances toward the Union line positioned at the neighboring Thomas Farm. Today visitors may enjoy scenic views and hiking trails.

Was used as Union and Confederate Army headquarters and field hospital during the Battle of Pea Ridge.

During the Civil War, James H. Gambrill owned and operated a flour mill, a sawmill, and a plaster mill on this land. Today only the first two-levels of the flour mill remain. A wheelchair accessible boardwalk provides access to a scenic overlook of the Monocacy River and the road and railroad bridges.

At the eastern base of Fiske Hill, a jagged stone foundation marks the location of the historic Ebenezer Fiske house site. This home constructed in the later portion of the 17th century, formed the nucleus of the prosperous Fiske family farm and included over 70 acres of ground on April 19, 1775. When the sounds of battle echoed through the rolling landscape the Fiske family fled to a safer location while their home bore witness to the brutality of 18th century warfare.

During the battle of Wilson's Creek, John Ray's family hid in the cellar as he watched the battle from the porch. The farmhouse then transformed into a field hospital and the family cared for wounded soldiers. After the battle, soldiers recovered the body of General Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union general to fall in combat during the Civil War. They brought Lyon's body to the Ray home and placed it on a family bed. The "Lyon Bed" now is part of the park's museum collection.

Constructed during the Civil War, the Post Hospital is one of the oldest standing buildings on the Presidio. Later it became Wright General Hospital, the first general hospital on the Presidio.

Assan Beach, the 2,500-yard shoreline stretching between Punta Adilok (Adelup Point) and Punta Assan (Asan Point), which the Marines in World War II called a "pair of devil horns," is a poignant symbol of the Guam's complex history, blending indigenous CHamoru traditions, wartime struggle, and ongoing military presence. In many ways, the story of Guam can be read through the story of Assan Beach. Talk a walk through history at Assan Beach.

We often take for granted everyday conveniences. Half of the things in your medicine cabinet would probably have been considered a medical marvel by a Mexican War era doctor. If you can’t find it in your medicine cabinet, chances are you can easily find something at a nearby supermarket or convenience store that can bring relief to most common ailments.

Wartime NPS Director Newton Drury wrote 'In wartime, the best function of these areas is to prove a place to which members of the armed forces and civilians may retire to restore shattered nerves and to recuperate physically and mentally for the war tasks still ahead of them.' During World War II, parks across the United States supported the morale of troops and sought to become places of healing for those returning from war.

The “U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital Yosemite National Park, California” was commissioned on June 25, 1943. Originally thought of a the perfect recovery spot for those suffering from shell-shock or battle fatigue (now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Treatments at the later-renamed Yosemite Special Hospital experiment focused physical and mental health. It proved to be a watershed event in the development of U.S. military medical rehabilitation techniques.

When the war began, medical practitioners did not know the exact cause of many diseases or the mechanisms of infection, and were only beginning to understand the benefits of cleanliness and good sanitation in disease prevention and healing. As a result, two out of every three deaths in the Civil War were caused by disease rather than injury. Caregivers like Clara Barton, the "Angel of the Battlefield," brought food and supplies to the soldiers and inspired new hope and life to the injured.