Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 20.djvu/118

 112 Southern Historical Society Papers.

Fourth. Titles and copies of all published and unpublished reports relating to military surgery, and to diseases of armies, camps, hos- pitals and prisons.

The object proposed to be accomplished by the Surgeon-General of the United Confederate Veterans, is the collection, classification, preservation and the final publication of all the documents and facts bearing upon the history and labors of the Medical Corps of the Confederates States Army and Navy during the civil war, i86i-'65. Everything which relates to critical period of our national history, which shall illustrate the patriotic, self-sacrificing and scientific labors of the Medical Corps of the Confederate States Army and Navy, and which shall vindicate the truth of history, shall be industriously col- lected, filed and finally published. It is believed that invaluable documents are scattered over the whole land, in the hands of survi- vors of the civil war of i86i-'65, which will form material for the correct delineation of the medical history of the corps which played so important a part in the great historic drama. Death is daily thin- ning our ranks, while time is laying its heavy hands upon the heads of those whose hair is already whitening with the advance of years and the burden of cares. No delay, fellow comrades, should be suffered in the collection and preservation of these precious docu- ments.

To this task of collecting all documents, cases, statistics and facts relating to the medical history of the Confederate Army and Navy, the Surgeon-General of the United Confederate Veterans invites the immediate attention and co-operation of his honored comrades and compatriots throughout the South.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

[Signed] JOSEPH JONES, M. D.

FORMATION OF THE MEDICAL CORPS OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY

AND NAVY.

The entire army of the Confederate States was made up of vol- unteers from every walk of life, and the surgical staff of the army was composed of general practitioners from all parts of the South- ern country whose previous professional life, during the period of unbroken peace which preceded the civil war, i86i-'65, gave them but little surgery, and very seldom presented a gunshot wound. The study of the hygiene of vast armies hastily collected to repel invasion,