Chimborazo Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chimborazo Hospital
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Inset of an 1865 map showing Chimborazo Hospital. To the south (bottom) are the tracks of the Richmond and York Railroad
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | Richmond, Virginia |
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| Built | 1862 |
Chimborazo Hospital was a very important hospital during the American Civil War. It was built in Richmond, Virginia. The hospital helped injured soldiers from the Confederate Army. It was open from 1862 to 1865. Today, the land is part of Chimborazo Park.
During the war, Chimborazo Hospital treated over 76,000 injured Confederate soldiers. Nearly 78,000 patients were admitted in total. Between 6,500 and 8,000 patients died there. This means about 8 to 10 out of every 100 patients died. This was a very low death rate for hospitals at that time.
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How Was Chimborazo Hospital Started?
At the start of the Civil War, most people thought the war would end quickly. Because of this, the Confederate government did not build many important things. This included hospitals for soldiers. Many injured soldiers were sent to regular homes for care. This often led to poor care. It also made the people helping them sick.
Most hospitals in Richmond were not built as hospitals. They were often old warehouses, hotels, or stores. These places quickly became too full. Samuel P. Moore, the new main doctor for the Confederacy, needed to find new hospital sites fast.
At the same time, on a hill in eastern Richmond called Chimborazo Hill, workers were building winter homes for soldiers. These included barracks, officer homes, three hospitals, and a bakery. Since most Confederate soldiers would be further north, Dr. Moore decided to turn the barracks into a hospital. He chose Dr. James B. McCaw to be the head surgeon. The hospital's name, Chimborazo, came from Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.
What Was Chimborazo Hospital Like?
Chimborazo Hospital kept very good records. It had ninety hospital wards, which were like large rooms. Each ward had a shingled roof and wood floors. The walls were painted white inside and out. Each ward had three doors and ten windows. White curtains hung at every window. A wood stove kept each ward warm. A single candle lit the room at night. Each ward was about 80 feet long and 20 feet wide. It could hold about forty beds.
Besides the wards, there were many other buildings. These included bakeries, kitchens, and ice houses. There was also a soap house, a stable, and a guard house. The hospital had a chapel, a bathhouse, and shops for carpenters and blacksmiths. There was also a pharmacy and five "dead houses" for those who passed away. Dr. McCaw believed fresh air was important for healing. So, wide paths were built around all the buildings.
How Was the Hospital Organized?
Dr. McCaw created a very strict way to run the hospital. There were different sections of the hospital. There were surgeons, assistant surgeons, and other medical helpers. There were also people called stewards and ward masters. Nurses, pharmacists, cooks, and dentists worked there too. Women called matrons also helped. All surgeons had to have at least five years of medical experience. Other jobs were done by soldiers, free Black people, enslaved people, and white women.
For most of the war, the hospital had enough food. Even when many wounded soldiers arrived from the nearby Seven Days Battles, care was good. Sometimes, tents were needed for extra patients. However, like all hospitals back then, resources were not always enough. Sometimes, the organization broke down. This led to less good care and dirty conditions. Soldiers who died at Chimborazo were buried at Oakwood Cemetery.
What Happened After the War?
When news came that Robert E. Lee's army was leaving Petersburg on April 2, 1865, patients started to leave. Some left on their own, and others were moved. Dr. McCaw gave up control of the hospital the next day. Some Confederate wounded stayed. The Union army then brought their own wounded to the hospital. Union and Confederate soldiers were kept in separate wards. By early summer, all patients had left.
A New Home for Freed People
Soon after the military left, formerly enslaved people began to live at the site. The 13th Amendment had made all enslaved people free. But it did not give them jobs, land, or homes. The Freedmen's Bureau was set up to help with these needs. However, the bureau did not have enough resources. It also faced many challenges. For example, laws called "Black Codes" limited the rights of Black people. The freed people living at Chimborazo were kept separate from other parts of society.
The Chimborazo refugee camp was a big problem for the Richmond city government. White neighbors often complained about the camp. Sometimes, they even started fights. Chimborazo was just outside Richmond's city limits. This meant the people there had little protection from their neighbors. So, a local group was formed to protect them. Richmond soon made its city limits bigger to include Chimborazo.
In March 1866, there were major violent events. Local news first said that Black people were attacking white people. But later, it was found that white men had been bothering and threatening the community. Several people were arrested, but most were released. Because of these events, the Freedmen's Bureau told all able-bodied men to leave the camp by April 1. The City of Richmond slowly bought the land at Chimborazo. They removed all the old hospital buildings. Then, they began to create Chimborazo Park.
Today, the land of Chimborazo Park is owned by both the City of Richmond and the U.S. government. The park has several monuments. These include a smaller version of the Statue of Liberty. There is also a monument about Powhatan and John Smith. The park also has a museum and visitor center. This center is the main office for Richmond National Battlefield Park. It mostly focuses on how doctors helped soldiers during the Civil War. The area around the park is now a nationally recognized historic district called Oakwood–Chimborazo Historic District.
Images for kids
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Misses Cooke's school for freedmen, former Chimborazo Hospital
