A Vast Hospital

A Vast Hospital. Fredericksburg: Timeless.. , During the December 13, 1862 battle, thousands of wounded Union soldiers were crowded into Fredericksburg's houses and churches, including the Presbyterian Church across the street from you. During that period, Clara Barton, the future founder of the American Red Cross, tended to patients in this area. Most of the wounded soldiers were evacuated to hospitals in Washington D.C. Those who died were buried in shallow graves., In May 1864, ambulances again carried suffering soldiers through the town's streets. Virtually every public building became a hospital, filled with wounded soldiers from the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House. Again, those who could be evacuated were transferred to Northern hospitals. Those who died were left behind. Many remain, removed from their temporary graves after the war and reinterred in a National Cemetery., [Aside and captions:] , During May and June 1864, hundreds of the wounded men brought to Fredericksburg died here. The burials shown here occurred on what was then the edge of town, between Prince Edward and Winchester Streets. Note the presence of African American grave diggers. Former slaves employed by the Federal government were often called Contrabands, which was a play on their former status on property. Contrabands found work in the army as teamsters, laborers, cooks, and servants., Wounded soldiers were transferred as soon as possible to better hospitals farther north, but the journey required several modes of travel, including ferries (as seen here), railways and wagons to Aquia Landing, and larger vessels to Washington D.C., The National Cemetery established in Fredericksburg contains 15,243 burials from the Civil War, most of them recovered from the surrounding battlefields and most of them unknown. Only 2,473 buried soldiers are identified., Wounded Union soldiers in a Fredericksburg yard, May 1864. This building is still standing, adapted to use as an office.