Jonathan Letterman-- Part 3: It Was His Way for the Casualties

After the Seven Days Battles, Letterman essentially lost his job when his supporter, McClellan was dismissed and Pope installed as leader of the Army of the Potomac.  But after Second Bull Run, McClellan was brought back as was Letterman and they hurriedly put things back in order on their way to Antietam.

It was at Antietam that Jonathan Letterman shone in taking care of casualties.  he had a system of first aid stations at the regimental level where principles of triage (who gets treated first) were first instituted.

Basically, Letterman instituted standing operation procedure for the intake and subsequent treatment of war casualties and for the first time applied management principles to battlefield medicine.

He established mobile field hospitals at the division and corps headquarters.  They were all connected by an efficient ambulance corps under control of medical staff instead of the Quartermaster Department.  he also arranged for an efficient  system for the distribution of medical supplies.

His system worked at the Battle of Fredericksburg as well, but was compromised at the Battle of Gettysburg.  But later his ideas were adopted by the Army of the Potomac and all Union armies, officially by an Act of Congress in March 1964.

--Old Secesh