The National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Frederick, Maryland

The city of Frederick in the U.S. state of Maryland is a town that many people do not hear about.  A suburb of Washington D.C., this town is rich with history.  The town is on the National Road, and it played a role in the American Civil War with the Battle of the Monocacy River which took place south of the town, and it was a critical war in protecting the Nation’s Capital, and it was a major crossroads to the battles of Gettysburg, South Mountain, and Antietam.  As for the city itself, the city of full of historic sites to include the Barbara Fritchie House (not open to the public), Rose Hill Manor, and Schifferstadt.  Then you have the museums.  Among them is the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.  Here, you will get a glimpse of how soldiers during the American Civil War were cared for.  The museum is truly a must see whenever you are visiting the city of Frederick, Maryland.

Some of you are saying, “Interesting.  They have a museum totally dedicated the Civil War medicine.  However, this museum has nothing to do with the railroad.  Therefore, I will not make it my duty to visit this place.”

Yes.  The museum is dedicated to medical procedures done during the American Civil War.  As you walk through the museum, you will see how the soldiers were cared for.  You see displays of the physicians working on the soldiers bandaging the wounds.  You see wounded soldiers being transported by stretcher onto a cart.  You come upon a particular exhibit.  What is this exhibit?

As some soldiers were treated on the battlefield or in makeshift hospitals, some needed extra care.  They had to be transported to larger hospitals in the big cities.  After the Battle of Wilson Creek in Missouri in 1863, the Philadelphia Railroad Company built hospital cars to transport the wounded from the battlefields to the big hospitals in the cities.  The cars were designed to where the wounded were brought onto the train and hung by ring from poles on the train.

As you walk through the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, you will not see any model train displays or a railroad car.  You will walk down a hallway with murals of the wounded soldiers on the stretchers on the walls on each side.  It gives you the feeling of being in a hospital car with the sounds enhancing the feeling.

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine tells the story of many of the wounded soldiers and the men and women who cared for them.  Please note that some of the displays show soldiers bleeding and with amputations and may be disturbing.

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is located at 48 East Patrick Street in Frederick, Maryland.  It is open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm and on Sunday from 11:00am to 5:00pm.  Admission is required to enter the museum.  The museum does not have its own parking.  Parking is either street parking or at one of the nearby parking garages.  The museum is wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information about admission and on their upcoming events at https://www.civilwarmed.org/.

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is about the medical history of the American Civil War.  It tells the story of those wounded in battle and those who cared for them.