Lafayette Guild facts for kids

Quick facts for kids LaFayette Guild
Born	November 25, 1825 Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Died	July 4, 1870 (aged 44) San Francisco, California
Place of burial	Evergreen Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Allegiance	United States of America  Confederate States of America
Service/branch	United States Army  Confederate States Army
Years of service	1849–61 (USA) 1861–65 (CSA)
Rank	Chief Surgeon and Medical Director of the Army of Northern Virginia
Battles/wars	American Civil War

LaFayette Guild (born November 25, 1825 – died July 4, 1870) was an important doctor, called a surgeon. He worked for the United States Army before the American Civil War. He was also a pioneer, meaning he was one of the first, to study a serious illness called yellow fever. During the Civil War, he became a top medical leader for the Confederate States Army. He worked closely with General Robert E. Lee as the main medical director for the Army of Northern Virginia. He was in charge of medical care for all their big battles, like the Gettysburg Campaign.

Life and Career of LaFayette Guild

Early Life and Medical Training

LaFayette Guild was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on November 25, 1825. He was one of eight children in his family. His father, Dr. James L. Guild, was also a doctor.

LaFayette went to the University of Alabama and graduated in 1845. He then studied medicine at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He finished his medical training in 1848.

Working as an Army Doctor

In 1849, Guild became an assistant surgeon in the U.S. Army. He worked at different army posts. One of his jobs was at the military hospital on Governors Island in New York Harbor.

While there, Guild studied yellow fever, a very serious disease. He noticed that just keeping sick soldiers separate did not stop the disease from spreading. He believed the disease was not only contagious but also "infectious and portable." This means it could be carried from place to place. His ideas helped control a yellow fever outbreak in 1856.

Later, he moved to the West Coast. He became the director of the military hospital in the Presidio of San Francisco. He was working there when the Civil War began.

LaFayette Guild in the Civil War

When the Civil War started in 1861, LaFayette Guild was asked to promise his loyalty to the United States. He refused and was removed from the U.S. Army. He then traveled south and joined the Confederate forces in Richmond, Virginia.

In 1862, he became the chief surgeon and medical director for the Army of Northern Virginia. This was the main Confederate army in the eastern United States. He worked directly under General Robert E. Lee. Guild stayed in this important role until the war ended.

Caring for Wounded Soldiers

After the Battle of Chancellorsville, Guild worked with Dr. Jonathan Letterman. Letterman was the chief surgeon for the Union Army. Together, they arranged a truce, a temporary stop in fighting. This allowed both armies to collect their wounded soldiers from the battlefield.

During Lee's retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, Guild was in charge of moving the wounded Confederate soldiers. He made sure they were protected by cavalry, which are soldiers on horseback.

Guild often faced challenges getting enough medical supplies for the army. It was hard for the Confederate government to send a steady flow of medicine and equipment to the soldiers fighting in the field.

For much of the war, Guild was also General Lee's personal doctor. During the Siege of Petersburg, Guild's wife, Martha Aylette Fitts "Pattie" Guild, moved to Virginia to be closer to him.

After the War

After the Civil War ended, Guild moved to Mobile, Alabama. He continued his work fighting yellow fever. He became the medical inspector for the Port of Mobile. He wrote down many of his observations about the disease. These writings became important for future research on how to stop yellow fever.

LaFayette Guild died in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1870, at the age of 44. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. His wife, Pattie, was buried beside him when she died in 1902.

A medical society chapter at the University of Alabama is named in his honor.