Frederick Law Olmsted - Hospital Transports; A Memoir Of The Embarkation Of The Sick And Wounded From The Peninsula Of Virginia In The Summer Of 1862

In the American Civil War, The United States Sanitary Commission, staffed by volunteers, may be viewed as a precursor to The Red Cross. It supplemented the medical care of the armed services medical corps. Its doctors, nurses, administrators, go-fers, money, and supplies saved thousands of lives, providing medical care to the wounded and solace to the families of the dead. This memoir of one campaign gives a flavor of the challenges faced, frustrations endured, and medical battles lost and won. Explanatory note: “contraband” refers to a black slave, esp. a fugitive or captured slave. Summary by david wales and Oxford English Dictionary.