Civil War Medical General Hospital Register of Sick & Wounded 1860s
Offered here is an original Civil War-era U. Medical Department "Register of Sick and Wounded", a massive, official General Hospital medical ledger produced for use during the 1860s. This is not a narrative book or memoir, but a working administrative volume created to standardize how wartime medical cases were recorded.
It represents the actual framework used by Union medical staff to document the human cost of the war-who was admitted, how they were wounded, what treatment they received, and their ultimate outcome. What elevates this volume far beyond a blank ledger is the inclusion of pre-printed instructional pages and example case entries drawn from real wartime scenarios, including major Civil War battles and field hospitals. These printed examples were intended to train physicians and clerks on exactly how cases should be classified and recorded, using real-world combat injuries as reference models. Within the text you will find.
Detailed classifications of gunshot wounds. Standardized terminology for injuries to limbs, organs, and joints. Example entries referencing specific battles, hospitals, and outcomes.
Instructions on documenting amputations, recoveries, disabilities, and deaths. These printed examples provide direct insight into how Civil War medical records were actually kept, using real cases as templates-making this volume both a procedural manual and a documentary artifact.
The ledger was designed so that medical personnel would handwrite the hospital name and date along the top margin (pre-printed "186_") and then complete patient records in the large tabular pages that follow. While this particular volume does not contain handwritten patient entries, it survives as an exceptionally rare unused or minimally used institutional copy. Examples of this exact register format are today overwhelmingly confined to national archives, libraries, and museum collections. Documented private-market offerings are virtually nonexistent.
Format: Large folio medical register / ledger. : 19.5" H x 14.5" W x 2.5 thick. Binding: Original leather-covered boards with printed title label. Paper: Period ledger stock with printed instructional text and registers. This is a substantial, heavy volume with unmistakable institutional presence.
Condition is consistent with authentic Civil War-era institutional use and age. Covers show heavy wear, surface staining, edge loss, and scuffing. Spine exhibits leather loss, cracking, and separation, but the text block remains intact. Interior pages show age toning, light staining, and edge wear. No handwritten patient records present.
No restoration or repairs attempted. Please review all photographs carefully; they are considered part of the description. Even without handwritten entries, this register is a primary-source artifact that documents how wartime medicine was organized, standardized, and executed.
The inclusion of pre-printed examples from real battles makes it especially significant-it shows not just what was recorded, but how doctors were taught to think about wounds, trauma, and outcomes during the Civil War. This is the kind of object typically encountered behind glass, not on the open market.
Professionally packed due to size and weight.