Jonathan Letterman

With this group portrait, Gardner turned his attention to the medical corps of the Army of the Potomac, spotlighting the importance of Dr. Jonathan Letterman, who was named its medical director, with the rank of major, in June 1862. Letterman is credited with revolutionizing battlefield medicine, and his work as both a physician and manager was essential in bringing care of the wounded up to standard after the early battles exposed the army’s shocking unpreparedness to care for its casualties. Letterman systematized treatment, adopting the triage system for categorizing the severity of wounds. He also made sure that the doctors and medical staff were as close to the battlefield as possible, and he created mobile field hospitals. Letterman’s reforms made a great difference, but the medical staff was always fighting a losing battle against mass casualties on the battlefield and the prevalence of disease in camp.