When South Carolina fired the first shot of the Civil War at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, the United States was already deeply divided. Of the 34 existing states, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida would ultimately join forces and form the Confederate States of America. In addition, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri (slave states) would become war torn between separatists and Union loyalists. West of the Mississippi, all organized territories favoring admission to the Union as Free states would ultimately become involved in a catastrophic conflict.
The men of the North and South fought over 10,400 major and minor engagements and suffered over a million casualties. Over 618,000 died in the conflict (360,000 for the North and 258,000 for the South) and countless thousands bore the scars of war, both mentally and physically, for the rest of their lives.
In 1866, only one year after the surrender at Appomattox, the women of Columbus, Mississippi, placed flowers on the graves of a few soldiers who had died in a nearby Union hospital. By the mid 1870’s, veterans from both sides held joint reunions. In 1875, Brigadier General William Bartlett, a Union hero, attracted attention by declaring that he was, ”as proud of the men who charged so bravely with Pickett’s division on our lines at Gettysburg, as I am of the men who so bravely met and repulsed them.”
The world will never see their likes again.
It was the twilight of a new dawn for the North American continent. A young nation, forged in the heat of battle and tested in the hearts of men, became a strong and vigorous nation, indivisible - the United States of America.
To commemorate the heroic effort of the thousands of Americans, especially those that served in the medical field and civilians, including Emmittsburg Catholic nuns that gave assistance to those involved in the War Between the States. The commission work will be given to a nationally recognized historical sculptor after a RFP process that is underway now.
To date, no nationally recognized medical memorial dedicated to those that served in the medical field during the American Civil War has ever been erected. This is a clear opportunity to participate in an exciting project and assist in maintaining our proud American heritage and history of this area.
