The Civil War Surgeon

Winslow Homer Civil War Art:

Civil War Surgeon

Second only to the Sharpshooter, this is the most collected of all Winslow Homer Civil War illustrations.  The image is from the July 12, 1862 edition of Harper's Weekly.  It is captioned "The Surgeon at Work at the Rear During an Engagement." The lower left has Homer's distinctive signature. 

July 12, 1862 - The Civil War Surgeon at Work in the Field

The image is one of Homer's best and most sought after Civil War illustrations.  In back under the tree, a seriously wounded soldier lies.  What appears to be a Union officer is seen helping treat the injured man.  The man with his back to you, we presume, is the surgeon.  He appears to be working carefully on treating the badly injured soldier.  We also see less seriously injured men seeking treatment.  One man, perhaps who has already received treatment, is seen resting on a cot in the background.  Another seriously injured man is seen being carried into camp, while in the background a horse drawn ambulance can be seen rushing to the location, no doubt with more seriously injured soldiers. In addition, men can be seen bringing the injured on stretchers.

In the distant background, you can see the smoke of war.

The amazing thing is that the surgeon appears to be working carefully and methodically in the midst of all the confusion.

This is one of my personal favorites.  Two of my great-grandfathers were surgeons in the Civil War, so this illustration is of personal interest to me.

A Note to our Readers

We acquired the images above for the purpose of digitally persevering them on this site for all to enjoy.  With the digital archive complete, we are making the original, 140 year old illustrations available for purchase.  By selling these original illustrations, we are able to acquire more material to archive on this site.  If you are interested in purchasing one of the original Harper's Weekly leafs on this page, contact paul@sonofthesouth.net The leafs are available for a price of $250 a piece, and the proceeds will go to continue to expand the resources on this site.