Civil War on Sunday - Field Hospitals

Field hospitals were used a lot in the Civil War. 1 in every 5 men were killed or wounded. The field hospitals were set up in dry fields near the battle field. One field hospital in Virginia took care of over 400 patients. But the busiest time for the hospitals was the battle in Richmond, Kentucky. Over 3,000 nurses helped out with the wounded soldiers during that battle. Before the war only men were allowed to be nurses, but now women are allowed to. The injured soldiers had only a few advantages over the rest of the soldiers. One was they weren't allowed to go back on the battle field until they were half healed. Also they didn't have to sleep on the hard ground. They got to sleep on cots. The wounded soldiers were carried off the battle fields by a horse drawn carriage. More soldiers were killed in this war than any other war.