This volume assembles selections from writings on the American Civil War in fiction, first-hand accounts and contemporary reportage, all supplemented with photographs. The focus falls on the injuries sustained by participants and on their medical treatment. Writers and poets are included who drew on their experiences as nurses, combatants or observers. The volume focuses thematically on nursing, medical facilities, photography, amputations, battlefield accounts, and the war’s aftermath. The excerpts are supplemented by critical studies by specialists in the different aspects of the Civil War. ... More

This volume assembles selections from writings on the American Civil War in fiction, first-hand accounts and contemporary reportage, all supplemented with photographs. The focus falls on the injuries sustained by participants and on their medical treatment. Writers and poets are included who drew on their experiences as nurses, combatants or observers. The volume focuses thematically on nursing, medical facilities, photography, amputations, battlefield accounts, and the war’s aftermath. The excerpts are supplemented by critical studies by specialists in the different aspects of the Civil War. Each excerpt is introduced by brief editorial commentaries, guiding the reader towards further related material and an overall introduction to the volume addresses the blurring between private and public documents as well as the different methods of recording these events.