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Rare Civil War hospital newspaper... The Gray Beard Brigade...
Rare Civil War hospital newspaper... The Gray Beard Brigade...
Item # 605197
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August 25, 1863
HAMMOND GAZETTE, Point Lookout, Maryland, Aug. 25, 1863 A very rare newspaper which was printed: "For the Benefit of the Sick and Wounded in Hammond General Hospital" as printed in the masthead. This was one of just 19 hospital newspapers which existed during the Civil War. At some point in 1863 Confederate prisoners began to be held at the hospital as well. This is the volume 1 number 41 issue.
This small-size newspaper printed as a weekly from Nov. 17, 1862 until sometime in 1864. Only a few institutions have some scattered holdings of this title. Content includes: "The News" with the latest Civil War reports; "Local Items" concerning items from the hospital as well as the war; "Telegrams" which has various Civil War reports. The ftpg. has an interesting item noting in part: "The 37th Iowa regiment--the 'Gray Beard Brigade'--is one of the curiosities of the war. It is composed entirely of old men, the average age of membership being 57 years. One man is 81 years of age & has 21 children--15 of them in the army...They claim that if brought into action they would have no alternative but to fight, as they could not run." with a bit more.
Perhaps of interest for genealogical purposes, the back page is taken up with a: "List of Officers And Patients", being the officers in charge of the hospital with a list of the soldier-patients by name and regiment.
Four pages, never-trimmed margins, 8 1/4 by 11 1/2 inches, nice condition.
Wikipedia notes: The Civil War completely transformed the Point. First, the Hammond General Hospital was built in 1862 to care for Union wounded. In 1863, Confederate prisoners began to be held at the hospital; and soon Camp Hoffman, a vast prison camp, was built, eventually holding 20,000 prisoners, of whom more than 3,000 died due to the harsh conditions, limited food rations and poor shelter from the elements.
Category: Yankee
No Longer Available
