Jonathan Letterman

Jonathan Letterman

Jonathan Letterman [The [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/lettermn.htm Arlington National Cemetery] website lists his name as "Jonathan K. Letterman," but no other sources list a middle name or initial.] (December 11 1824 – March 15 1872) was an American surgeon credited as being the originator of the modern methods for medical organization in armies. Dr. Letterman is known today as the "Father of Battlefield Medicine." His system enabled thousands of wounded men to be recovered and treated during the American Civil War.

Biograhy

Early life

Letterman was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, the son of a well-known surgeon. [Musto, p. 120.] He graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1849. That same year he was given the position of assistant surgeon in the Army Medical Department.

Letterman served in Florida during military campaigns against the Seminole Indians until 1853. He then spent a year in Fort Ripley, Minnesota. He was then ordered to Fort Defiance in New Mexico Territory to aid the campaign against the Apache. He was transferred to Fort Monroe in Virginia. From 1860 to 1861 he was engaged in California against the Utes.

His younger brother, William Henry Letterman, co-founded the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity in Canonsburg after tending to a sick friend in the winter of 1850-1851. After graduation from Jefferson College, William followed his brother into Jefferson Medical College.

Civil War

At the start of the Civil War, Letterman was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. He was named medical director of the Department of West Virginia in May 1862. A month later he was appointed, with the rank of major, as the medical director of the Army of the Potomac itself. Letterman immediately set to reorganizing the Medical Service of the fledgling army, having obtained from army commander Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan the charter to do whatever was necessary to improve the system. The army reeled from inefficient treatment of casualties in the Seven Days Battles in June, but by the time of the Battle of Antietam in September, Letterman had devised a system of forward first aid stations at the regimental level, where principles of triage were first instituted. He established mobile field hospitals to be located at division and corps headquarters. This was all connected by an efficient ambulance corps, established by Letterman in August 1862, under the control of medical staff instead of the Quartermaster Department. Letterman also arranged an efficient system for the distribution of medical supplies.

Letterman proved the efficiency of his system at the Battle of Fredericksburg, in which the Army of the Potomac suffered 12,000 casualties. After this show of proficiency, his system was adopted by other Union armies and was eventually officially established as the medical procedure for the entirety of the United States' armies by an Act of Congress in March 1864. The greatest casualties for his army were suffered at the three-day Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. To deal with more than 14,000 Union wounded, along with 6,800 Confederate wounded who were left behind, a vast medical encampment was created northeast of Gettysburg off the York Pike on the George Wolf farm, named "Camp Letterman." [Musto, p. 125.]

After a brief period of serving as Inspector of Hospitals in the Department of the Susquehanna, Letterman resigned from the army in December 1864 and relocated to San Francisco, California, where he served as elected coroner from 1867 to 1872. [Musto, p. 127.] He published his memoirs, "Medical Recollections of the Army of the Potomac", in 1866.

Death and legacy

After the death of his wife, Mary Digges Lee Letterman, he became severely depressed. He then came down with several illnesses and eventually died in San Francisco. He was only 48 years old. On November 13, 1911, the Army hospital at the Presidio was named Letterman Army Hospital in his honor. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The inscription on the private memorial that was erected for him reads:

Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac, June 23, 1862 to December 30, 1863, who brought order and efficiency in to the Medical Service and who was the originator of modern methods of medical organization in armies.

His wife was buried at his side. Her inscription reads:

Blessed are the dead that died in the Lord.

References

* Musto, R. J., "The Treatment of the Wounded at Gettysburg: Jonathan Letterman: The Father of Modern Battlefield Medicine," "Gettysburg Magazine", Issue 37, 2007.
* [http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=919 Battle of Antietam biographical profile]
* [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/lettermn.htm Biographical article at Arlington National Cemetery]
* [http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/sidebar/letterman.htm Camp Letterman]

Notes


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Letterman (disambiguation) — Letterman may refer to:* Letterman, a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States * David Letterman, a television talk show host ** Late Show with David Letterman, a talk show airing on CBS since 1993 ** Late Night with… …   Wikipedia

  • Letterman Army Hospital — The Letterman Army Hospital was located on the Presidio of San Francisco and was established around 1898. History The hospital built in 1898, and was named in 1911 for Jonathan Letterman, who was featured in every US foreign conflict in the 20th… …   Wikipedia

  • Letterman Digital Arts Center — The Letterman Digital Arts Center, located in the Presidio, San Francisco, is the new combined home of Industrial Light and Magic, LucasArts, and Lucasfilm s marketing, online, and licensing units.Opening ceremonies were held June 25, 2005. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Jonathan Papelbon — Papelbon pitching for the Red Sox in July 2011 Philadelphia Phillies No. 58 …   Wikipedia

  • Jonathan Ames — is an American author who has written a number of novels and comic memoirs. He was a columnist for the New York Press for several years, and became known for self deprecating tales of his sexual misadventures. He also has a long time interest in… …   Wikipedia

  • Jonathan Collier — is an American television writer, best known for his work on The Simpsons , Monk , and King of the Hill . He worked as an executive producer on Mike Reiss DVD movie, . He also worked on Late Show with David Letterman . He attended and graduated… …   Wikipedia

  • Jonathan Collier — es un escritor estadounidense de televisión. Estudió y se graduó en la Universidad Harvard. Contenido 1 Carrera 2 Filmografía 2.1 Productor 2.2 Escritor …   Wikipedia Español

  • Jonathan Ross — Infobox Actor name = Jonathan Ross caption = Jonathan Ross in 2007 birthname = Jonathan Stephen Ross birthdate = birth date and age|1960|11|17|df=yes birthplace = Camden, UKcite web | url = http://www.speakers.co.uk/csaWeb/speaker,JONROS | title …   Wikipedia

  • Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz — Jon Stewart 2008 Jon Stewart (* 28. November 1962 in New York City, als Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz) ist ein US amerikanischer Komiker, Schauspieler, Schriftsteller und Produzent, bekannt als Gastgeber der Lat …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jonathan Budine — Infobox actor name = Jonathan Budine caption = birthplace = New York, USA deathdate = birthname = Jonathan Budine othername = website = http://www.takeouttheshort.comJonathan Budine (b. 1967 New York) is an American film director, producer and… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”