Scotland in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Hammond General Hospital
Point Lookout State Park
| | Maryland Park Service; Friends of Point Lookout, Inc. | |
The Daughters of Charity (left) was a Catholic religious order that provided volunteer nurses as they came to prominence during the Civil War. Several hundred volunteers served both the Union and the Confederate Armies. These nurses staffed Hammond General Hospital.
Abigail Gibbons (right), a nurse and staunch abolitionist, competed against Dorothea Dix (Union Superintendent for Nurses) for control of an early version of Hammond General. She was appointed head matron, but left in 1863 as the peninsula was adapted for use as a Confederate prison.
Dr Anthony Heger (far left) succeeded Dr. Clinton Wagner as Chief Surgeon at Hammond General and oversaw its operation during the war. Dr. Heger was in regular correspondence with Abigail Gibbons about her positive influence on the Hospital and its progress.
More than 25,000 soldiers were treated at Hammond General Hospital during its three and a half years of operation. Originally intended to treat Union soldiers, records show that 11,872 of the more than 52,000 Confederate prisoners of war held at Point Lookout were transferred from the camp hospital to Hammond General
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The regulation to establish a new flag for field and general hospitals was adopted in January 1864. The flag above represents the flag that would have flown over Hammong General.
Erected by Maryland Park Service; Maryland Department of Natural Resources; Friends of Point Lookout, Inc.; Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Science & Medicine • War, US Civil • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1864.
Location. 38° 2.424′ N, 76° 19.327′ W. Marker is in Scotland, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It is on Point Lookout Road (Maryland Route 5) 2.2 miles south of 3rd Way, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10380 Point Lookout Rd, Scotland MD 20687, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Maryland. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally,
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Point Lookout-Hammond Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Hammond General Hospital (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Point Lookout (about 500 feet away); Light's On at Point Lookout (about 500 feet away); The Wharf (about 600 feet away); Treacherous Waters (about 600 feet away); The Buoy & Coal Sheds (about 600 feet away); Point Lookout Radio Room (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scotland.
Other markers no longer nearby. Defense Strategies (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); A Bustling Civil War Community (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); John Wilkes Booth (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Point Lookout State Park (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); A Place of History (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Let There Be Light (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on April 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 20 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 15, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
