Competent biography about one of the few successful Union military staff members during the bloodiest war in US History. The U S Civil started as many wars do; with poor leadership, old tactics, new weapons, and lots of wounded and dead soldiers. With most of the major battles occurring within an area not far from our nation's Capital; the results of the carnage were highly visible. The care and well-being of soldiers were beyond neglect and mostly incompetent. Amateur levies were rushed to war with little or no thought of providing for their food, shelter, sanitation, or medical requirements.

A little-known military surgeon with very limited and small-scale casualty care experience is put in charge of the Army of the Potomac's medical needs just before the Battle of Antietam. The horrific numbers of casualties, nonexistent medical support, and senior officer indifference provide a scenario where anyone wounded was likely to die before he could receive care. And, far more likely to die of disease or the effects of malnutrition than from battle injuries.

Jonathan Letterman recovers and learns from this first experience to establish and implement a massive and quite successful restructuring of the military medical and nutritional support system. By Gettysburg, the casualties are still enormous but the soldiers involved are healthier and will receive adequate, for these times, enough care to survive. Ironically, Letterman succumbs, as did many Civil War veterans, at an early age due to the lingering effects of living the same lifestyle as did most Civil War soldiers. ( )

With all the Civil War books available, it is odd that so little has been written about the health of the combatants. McGaugh has performed a great service in providing this text about the tribulations of the wounded and the efforts of Letterman to address the issues of medical care under fire. ( )