Hopewell, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Depot Field Hospital
Petersburg National Battlefield
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
Across the cove from you, on the site of the modern hospital, stood the largest of the Union hospitals at City Point. The Depot Field Hospital covered 200 acres and could take care for as many as 10,000 patients. When Abraham Lincoln visited the hospital on April 8, 1865, he shook hands with over 6,000 patients, both Union and Confederate.
Throughout the Siege of Petersburg, the Depot Hospital provided excellent care: trained staff, running water, a steam laundry, reading rooms, and other amenities. Of the more than 70,000 men treated there during the war, fewer than three percent died while in the hospital’s care.
“The sick and wounded are as promptly and carefully taken care of as those in a City or Town, and probably much better.”
- Gen. Rufus Ingalls, USA
[Caption:]
Conditions at this hospital were far removed from the crude, often gruesome hospitals that typified the war’s earlier battlefields. Neat tents and wards replaced makeshift shelters and bloodstained farmhouses.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is April 8, 1865.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Supply Hub (a few steps from this marker); General Grant's Headquarters at City Point (within shouting distance of this marker); General Grant's Headquarters (within shouting distance of this marker); Appomattox Manor (within shouting distance of this marker); City Point (within shouting distance of this marker); City Point, Virginia (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Peacemaker (about 300 feet away); Porter House (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hopewell.
Also see . . .
1. City Point. National Park Service. (Submitted on March 24, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
2. Siege of Petersburg. (Submitted on March 24, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007
3. Appomattox Manor
At City Point, Appomattox Manor was the headquarters of Quartermaster Gen. Rufus Ingalls during the siege of Petersburg. The house is located a short distance east of the marker.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007
4. The Depot Field Hospital Marker
This is a previous version of the marker with identical information and different formatting.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007
5. The Depot Field Hospital at City Point
This is a previous version of the marker.
The site of the Depot Field Hospital can be seen on the opposite bank of the Appomattox River.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007
6. Grant's Headquarters
During the siege, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made his headquarters at City Point. This cabin is located east of the marker and Appomattox Manor.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 9, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 24, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,647 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 9, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 24, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
