I always thought that the battle field was one of the most dangerous place to be, but after looking over this information I found getting to the battle field could be as dangerous. All the men on this list were injured in some kind of rail road accident.
Second Lieutenant John H. Masterson, Co. E, 100th U. S. C. T., aged 38 years, was thrown from a railroad car and received a severe contusion of the scalp, July 1st, 13(14. He entered the Officers Hospital at Nashville, Tennessee, the following day; recovered, under simple treatment, and was returned to duty July 23th, 1864.
Private John Jenkins, Co. G, 15th U. S. C. T., aired 23 years, fell from a railroad car at Nashville. Tennessee, December 26th, 1864, and received a severe contusion of the head. He was treated at Hospital No. 16, at Nashville, by cold applications, and was returned to duty, well, on January 4th, 1865.
Private Ganin McCoy, Co. C, 16th Veteran Reserve Corps, aged 57 years, received at Petersburg, Virginia, August 14th, 1863, a severe contusion of the forehead and right side of the head, by felling from a car in motion. He was admitted to York, Pennsylvania, Hospital, and discharged from service on January 8th, 1864, on account of persistent pain in
the head.
Sergeant J. C. Williams, Co. B, 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, aged 20 years, received in a railroad collision, on August 19th, 18(54, a contused wound of the scalp. He recovered, under simple dressings, at the hospital at Lexington, Kentucky, and returned to duty August 22d, 1864.
Private L. J. Learned, Co. B, 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, aged 22 years, was similarly injured at the same time and place, but with greater severity. He was transferred to Park Hospital, Milwaukie, Wisconsin, on September 18th, and was discharged from service December 26th, 1861.
Private 8. Croyton, Co. G, 6th Virginia Cavalry, aged 17 years, received near Carlisle, Illinois, June 21st, 1865 several severe contused wounds of the scalp, in a railroad accident. He was treated with cold local applications at the Marine Hospital. St. Louis, Missouri, and recovered, and was discharged from service July 19th, 1865.
The following men also received, in railroad accidents, contusions of the head, of a slight nature, probably, as all were speedily returned to duty:
Private J. Burns, K, 71st New York Volunteers, near Wilmington, Delaware, September 21st, 1864.
Captain D. Cornelius, C, 212th Pennsylvania Volunteers, near Baltimore, September 17th, 1804.
Private Peter Daly, G, 140th New York Volunteers, near York, Pennsylvania, January 7th, 1865.
Private L. P. Daniels, I, 2d Ohio Artillery, near Knoxville, January 29th, 1865.
Private W. Fogarty, A, 21st New York Cavalry, near Grafton, W r est Virginia, July 22d, 1864.
Private J. H. Fritton, A. 33d Illinois Volunteers, New Orleans, March 2d, 1865.
Private J. Jaide, E, 1st Missouri Militia, near St. Louis, April 29th, 1864.
Private D. Jones, A, 145th Ohio Volunteers, near Washington, May 21st, 1864.
Private W. Kennan, E, 14th Veteran Reserve Corps, near Baltimore, March 24th, 1864. .
Private J. N. Moore, C, 100th Pennsylvania Volunteers, near Pittsburg, March 23d, 1864.
Private A. Russell, I, 2d Ohio Heavy Artillery, near Knoxville, January 29th, 1865.
Corporal S. Shipman, F, 88th Illinois Volunteers, near Jeffersonville, Indiana, December 16th, 1864.
J. Slacher, Unassigned Recruit, near Elmira, New York, April 2Gth, 1865.
Sergeant F. Wright, B, 16th New York Cavalry, near York, Pennsylvania, January 7th, 1865.
Corporal C. Zuraff, A, 33d Illinois Volunteers, near New Orleans, Louisiana, March 3d, 1865.
Lacerations of the scalp were produced in the following cases:
Private Philip A. Adams, Co. G, 8th Indiana Cavalry, aged 39 years, received June 30th, 1864, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, a severe lacerated wound of the scalp, by falling from a railroad car. He was admitted to Hospital No. 3, Nashville, Tennessee, on June 30th, and on January llth, 1865, he was transferred to Gallatin, Tennessee. He was discharged the service for disability on June 5th, 1865.
Private Clifford Allen, Co. I, 2d Ohio Heavy Artillery, aged 16 years, received a contused and lacerated wound of the left temporal region on January 29th, 1865, near Knoxville, Tennessee, from a railroad accident. He was admitted to the Asylum Hospital, at Knoxville, and recovered, under simple treatment, and was returned to duty on February 16th, 1865.
Private Richard Bogles, Co. G, 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry, aged 21 years, received on April 11th., 1884, a severe lacerated wound of the right side of the scalp, by falling from a railway car, and was admitted to Grafton Hospital, \Vest Virginia, on the same day. The wound did well under cold water dressings, and he was returned to duty on June 2d, 1864.
Private Robert Boyd, Co. F, 8th New Jersey Volunteers, fell from a railway car near Wilmington, Delaware, on June 21st, 1864, and received a lacerated wound of the scalp. He was immediately conveyed to the Tilton Hospital. Simple dressings were applied, and he was returned to duty July 8th, 1864.
Private Albert Edgar, Co. G, 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry, aged 18 years, was wounded on the same occasion, and the preceding history applies to his case.
Private L. J. Frence, Co. I, 2d Ohio Heavy Artillery, aged 21 years, received a severe contusion, with a lacerated wound of the scalp, on the same occasion as the preceding, and returned to duty at the same date.
Private John B. Glynn, Co. H, 24th Missouri Volunteers, received a severe scalp wound by a fall from a rail way car, on March 1st, 1883. He was admitted to Lawson Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, and returned to duty June 1st, 1863.
Private G. W. Haines, Co. I, 2d Ohio Heavy Artillery, aged 36 years, was wounded in the same accident, and was treated in the same hospital. He had a wound of the scalp, with a very severe contusion, and recovered slowly. He was discharged from service on May 21st, 1865. Surgeon F. Meacham, U. S. V., reports the case.
Private G. W. Marvin, Co. I, 2d Ohio Heavy Artillery, aged 20 years, was wounded at the same time and place, receiving a laceration of the scalp, extending from behind the left ear to the occipital protuberance. He recovered, under simple treatment, and was discharged from service May 24th, 1865. Surgeon F. Meacham reports the case.
FRACTURES OF THE SKULL FROM RAILROAD ACCIDENTS.
Private A. Mitchell. Co. E, Gth Indiana Cavalry, aged 28 years, received, in a railway accident, near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on October 30th, 1804, a severe lacerated wound of the head, with fracture of the right parietal bone. He also had a compound fracture of the right fore- arm. He was conveyed to Nashville, and subsequently was transferred to Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, on December 6th, 1864. There had not been, at any time, signs of compression, and, on his arrival at St. Louis, the cerebral symptoms had disappeared. After undergoing an amputation at the arm, he recovered, and was discharged from service, well, on April 5th, 1865.
Private G. Spancell, Co. A, 105th Illinois Volunteers, in a railroad accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, September 10th, 1863, received a compound fracture of the skull. He was placed in hospital under the care of Surgeon W. Threlkeld, U. S. V. The case was complicated by laceration of the brain, and extravasation of blood within the cranium, and death took place within a few hours after the accident. September 10th, 1863.
Private Zachariah Ward, Co. II, 139th Indiana Volunteers, aged 17 years, fell from the cars in motion, near Mumfordsville, Kentucky, July 4th, 1864. He was taken to the military hospital at Mumfonlsville, where a simple linear fracture of the frontal bone was diagnosticated. There were no symptoms of compression, and the treatment was of the expectant nature. On August 14th, he was transferred to Clay Hospital, at Louisville, Kentucky, and again, on September 10th. to the City Hospital, at Indianapolis. Indiana. "With the exception of slight vertigo and headache, he had quite recovered at this date, and two weeks subsequently, September 24th, 1864, he was returned to duty with his regiment.
Private Matthew Young, Co I, 1st Ohio Artillery, aged "9 years, received a compound fracture of the left parietal bone, with a terrible laceration of the scrotum, on November 29th, 1864, in a railroad accident, near Knoxville, Tennessee. He was taken to the Asylum Hospital, at Knoxville. It was found that the symptoms did not justify operative interference. The testes had been quite torn away, and the constitutional depression was great. The patient lingered in great suffering until December 16th, when he died. The case is reported by Surgeon B. Barnum, 25th Michigan Volunteers.
Private Joseph Weber, Co. C, 6th New York Cavalry, fell, or jumped, from a railroad car in motion, near Newark. New Jersey, on January 11th, 1865. He was carried to the Centre Street Branch of the Ward Hospital, at Newark. It was found that there was a compound comminuted fracture of the frontal bone. He was sensible, and conversed with readiness, and walked up stairs to his bed. Meningitis soon supervened, indicated by nausea, rigors, contracted pupils, with intolerance of light, and severe headache. These symptoms were unavailingly combatted. by cold applications to the head, purgatives and revulsives. The case terminated fatally on January 15th, 1865 At the autopsy, it was found, on removing the scalp, that the frontal bone was badly fractured, being comminuted near the right frontal eminence, while fissures, penetrating both tables, extended backwards, nearly to the coronal suture, and downwards, quite into the right orbit. On removing the calvarium, a large clot was found on the dura mater, below the right frontal eminence. The membranes were much congested, and were covered in places with fibrinous exudations, and elsewhere were strongly adherent to the calvarium. The cerebrum, and particularly the right hemisphere, was found in the same highly congested state. The removal of the encephalon disclosed a second simple fracture, of the base of the cranium, extending through the basilar process of the occipital bone, nearly to the
foramen magnum. The case is reported by the late Assistant Surgeon J. T. Calhouu, U. S. A., the report of the post mortem examination being furnished by Acting Assistant Surgeon W. S. Ward.