Guyton in Effingham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Guyton Confederate General Hospital

Photographed by Mike Stroud, May 2008

1. Guyton Confederate General Hospital Marker

Inscription. In May 1862 the Confederate Government established a General Hospital in Guyton, Georgia. This hospital was located on a nine acre tract of land between Central Railroad, a determining factor in locating hospitals, and current Georgia Highway 119, Lynn Bonds Avenue and Pine Street. The end of May saw five people on the medical staff at this hospital. Five months later the number had reached 46 people including surgeons, assistant surgeons, contract physicians, hospital stewards, ward masters, matrons, ward matrons, assistant matrons, nurses, cooks, and laundry workers. By May 1863, this hospital had a medical staff of 67 people. Confederate documents reveal that this hospital had 270 beds and 46 fireplaces. When the hospital was filled to capacity the Guyton Methodist Church was used to take in patients who could not be placed in the hospital. Surgeon William H. Whitehead was the Surgeon-in-Charge from May 1862 until February 1863, when Surgeon William S. Lawton took charge and served in this capacity until the hospital was abandoned in December 1864, when the 17th Army Corps of General Sherman's Federal Army approached.

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From May 1862 to December 1864, this hospital provided medical care, food, clothing, and lodging for thousands of sick and wounded Confederate soldiers.

Erected 1995 by Georgia Historic Marker. (Marker Number 051-20.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Notable Places • Science & Medicine • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1863.

Location. 32° 19.883′ N, 81° 23.587′ W. Marker is in Guyton, Georgia, in Effingham County. It is at the intersection of Central Boulevard (State Highway 17) and Springfield Avenue (State Highway 119), on the left when traveling north on Central Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Guyton GA 31312, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Coastal Plain and in Greater Savannah.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically,

Guyton Confederate General Hospital Marker looking north on GA 17 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2008

2. Guyton Confederate General Hospital Marker looking north on GA 17

it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Normal and Industrial Institute (approx. 0.9 miles away); Camp Davis, Military Instructional Camp, C.S.A. (approx. 2.6 miles away); Springfield Central High School (approx. 4.8 miles away); Effingham County (approx. 5.4 miles away); Effingham County Veterans Memorial (approx. 5.4 miles away); Sherman's Left Wing (approx. 5.4 miles away); Confederate Memorial (approx. 5½ miles away); Old River Road (approx. 5½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Guyton.

Also see . . . Guyton, Georgia. According to local tradition it took five days for Sherman's army to pass through, with some of his troops looting, burning, and stealing. (Submitted on May 28, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2008

3. Guyton Confederate General Hospital Marker

In the town of Guyton, was a basic training camp for Confederate soldiers, a Confederate hospital and a vital rail junction and depot. None of the Civil War vintage buildings exist in Guyton today

Guyton City Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, May 1, 2008

4. Guyton City Cemetery

Confederate Dead Remembered

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2008

5. Guyton City Cemetery

"In this plot are buried twenty six unknown Confederate soldiers died in Gen Hosp Guyton Ga 1864-1865"

"To The Unknown Confederate Dead" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2008

6. "To The Unknown Confederate Dead"

Guyton City Cemetery, site of 26 Confederate unknown graves image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2008

7. Guyton City Cemetery, site of 26 Confederate unknown graves

Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 4,339 times since then and 109 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on May 28, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.