Diary entry: Fredrick, Seven Pines and Gaines Mill

Fredrick, Seven Pines and Gaines Mill

9-20-13  Spent a half day revisiting the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Fredrick, Maryland.  Previously had toured the exhibits with a good friend five years ago.   This time I was accompanied by someone with an excellent clinical background that complemented my own, which expanded my appreciation for this history.  The museum is sadly underfunded.

Got a good sense of the conditions facing the medical providers on both sides.  The quality of a physician’s education varied greatly, Students paid the professors by the lecture.  Much of the practical knowledge came from the type of clinical apprenticeship a student was able to negotiate.  The testing rigor to measure skills varied as well.

Found an interesting monograph that listed the number and type of sanctions applied to union physicians during the war.  Came away greatly impressed by the enduring contribution to battlefield medical care that Letterman invented

In 2008 we walked the fields at Gettysburg, Fredricksburg and Antietam. That was a moving experience.  At Gettysburg I imagined Pickett’s view of where he was in the arc of his life.  It wasn’t difficult to put myself on his horse, see the field and sense his frustration with Lee’s folly.

Wrote three new chapters in the second book of the Widow Walk Saga.  In Isthmus, Emmy will meet someone from the Chicahominy River region in Mechanicsville who will have a profound impact on her.

To research all of this, on this trip we explored Gaines Mill and Seven Pines where Pickett was shot off of his horse.  His leadership in the assault against the union lines got the attention of leadership on both sides, particularly George McClellan who commented in an interview after Pickett’s death that he believed Pickett was the best fighting infantry commander in the war.  Quite a distinctive commendation.

Observing many changes in the organization I helped found thirty five years ago.   During the week, my team visited three external businesses that provide services in which TeamHealth is interested including a telemedicine company, a medical education company, and a quality assessment patient safety organization.  Many opportunities to do some creative, wonderful things.