Hopewell, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Depot Field Hospital
Petersburg National Battlefield
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 8, 2020
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. 37° 18.95′ N, 77° 16.656′ W. Marker is in Hopewell, Virginia. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Pecan Avenue and Cedar Lane, on the right when traveling west. The marker is in the City Point Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield, along the water near Appomattox Manor. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1001 Pecan Ave, Hopewell VA 23860, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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 Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 8, 2020
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 1,663 times since then and 69 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.