Albumen CDV interior view of a hospital ward. York, Pennsylvania: Chas. E. Wallin & Co., n.d. Photographer's imprint to mount verso alongside red 2-cent revenue stamp and ink inscription reading "2 Ward Hospital York Pa".

A fascinating photograph showing a multitude of recuperating Civil War soldiers inside Ward #2 of the York General Hospital. The photographer has positioned themselves in the middle of the central aisle. There are rows of beds against each wall, made with white linens. Soldiers, in uniform, are seated at the end of most beds; the man closest to view makes eye contact with the lens.

This view allows a rare look into the hospital wards that many soldiers spent time in. The walls and ceiling are whitewashed, and there appear to be mementos and personalized decorations above some of the beds.

The York U.S. Army Hospital was established in July 1862 and some of its earliest patients were the wounded from the Battle of Antietam. When Confederate forces began invading in 1863, the hospital and surrounding area were occupied by Colonel Avery's North Carolina brigade. After the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, the hospital received a huge influx of soldiers, estimated as high as 2,600 wounded. By the end of the war, more than 14,000 soldier had been treated at the hospital.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Early Photography, Historic Photography, CDV, Carte de Visite, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-Visite, Albumen, Medical History, Medical Photography]