“Hospital flags can be seen on every house, church, and barn,” wrote Gilpin, causing him to believe Shepherdstown was “one vast Hospital.”
Kevin Pawlak, in his book Shepherdstown in the Civil War: One Vast Confederate Hospital gives us an account of Third Indiana Cavalry Samuel Gilpin's view right after the battle. He was not alone in his assessment of the town.
Elizabeth Shindler and her daughters especially would have been busy along with the other women in town, gathering food and preparing medical supplies, and simply caring for the wounded. Experienced medical surgeons came in later to deal with amputations and the more serious problems, but the women themselves were largely responsible for much of the medical care being administered throughout the weeks following the battle. |