Farmcarts to Fords: A History of the Military Ambulance, 1790-1925 (review)

348CIVIL WAR HISTORY The general reader will welcome the editor's long introduction to the text and shorter ones for each of the seven debates. The questions raised and conclusions offered will, at the same time, give scholars much to ponder. In some ways Douglas "won" the debates: he was better than Lincoln at impromptu address, crowd-pleasing bombast, and natural fluency with language; and, of course, he did gain reelection to the Senate. The advantage lay with Lincoln in other regards. His wit and humor, logical reasoning, and powers of moral suasion came through well in the debates. Other Republicans running at the time did somewhat better in the counties that hosted the debates. And precisely because Lincoln was less effective at extemporaneous speaking, he stood to benefit more than Douglas from the polished version. It surely had considerable impact on his quest for the presidency in i860 and on his more ultimate goal of shaping public sentiment aright on the slavery issue. In retrospect it is remarkable that no one had thought of an unexpurgated text of the debates before. Harold Hölzer and his publisher are to be commended for the effort. Other scholars can now begin to give their assessment of its value. Major L. Wilson Memphis State University Farmcarts to Fords: A History of the Military Ambulance, 1700-1915. By John S. Haller, Jr. (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992. Pp. 285. $32.50.) The title of this book obscures its real value. It is a very detailed study of the management of military wounded through World War One. The first chapter deals with the early history and beginnings of Egyptian and Roman military care, continues through the Crusades, and includes the American Civil War. Particularly detailed and quite interesting is the discussion of the French system and the important contributions of Larrey to military medicine. The second chapter on early ambulance technology reviews such diverse topics as camel litters used by the British in India, hospital ships, and the railway ambulance trains of the American Civil War. The discussion of the last seems a little disjointed. My understanding is that the first regular use of the railway ambulance cars designed by Elisha Harris occurred in Kentucky. This was just after the battle of Perryville in October of 1862 when the Illinois Sanitary Commission agent established an L & N ambulance train between Lebanon and Louisville. The author states that by 1862 these Harris cars were running between Marietta, Georgia (then in Confederate territory), and Louisville, which seems unlikely. The reference offered in support of this has an 1 86 1 publication date. The U.S. Christian Commission, according to the manner of most historians, is given brief mention as to its importance in the care of wounded in the Civil War. It is referred to as the Christian Sanitary Commission, which is new and not the usual or official name. BOOK REVIEWS349 Additional chapters outline very well the medical aspects of the Crimean war, with its importance for American military medicine, and the FrancoPrussian war. The roles of Florence Nightingale and of Jean-Henri Dumont and his Red Cross organization are also reviewed. Hard-to-find material on the medical care for Americans involved in the Phillipine Insurrection, Spanish-American War, and the border conflicts with Mexico in 191 1 provide insight into our medical involvement there and do a real service for the general reader. I think that one of the most valuable contributions of Farmcarts to Fords is the very excellent collection of illustrations and photographs. The many graphic pictures related to transportation of the wounded in World War One bring home the stark reality of the medical problems encountered and the transition between horse-drawn vehicles and modern times. I found this section to be well written and the most fascinating part of the book. I would recommend this publication to readers interested in the development of triage systems for transportation of the wounded. It can certainly serve as a very good textbook for a course in the history of military medicine. Ralph C. Gordon Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies Return to Bull Run: The Campaign and Battle of Second...