U.S. Ambulance Corps

Until August 1862, the lack of trained ambulance drivers meant that the wounded had to wait a long time to receive medical care.

This changed during the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 when his new system allowed the wounded men to be transferred quickly and prevent fewer deaths.

Charles Stuart Tripler, medical director of the Army of the Potomac, requested that an ambulance corps be created in the fall of 1861 but his recommendation was not acted on, leaving the situation unchanged through the early part of 1862.

In Missouri, surgeon John H. Brinton reported that the lack of adequate evacuation capability had caused the abandonment of the wounded, with many subsequently captured.

The United States Sanitary Commission lobbied heavily for the creation of an ambulance regiment and backed the appointment of William A. Hammond as Surgeon General.

Hammond was in favor of an ambulance corps, but this was opposed by General-in-chief Henry Halleck, who worried it would lead to a larger train that would slow down the army.

These orders determined the structure, training and role of the service; and were a blueprint for the creation of subsequent Ambulance Corps later in the war.

Letterman's use of non-physician officers to command ambulance units represented a significant shift in Army Medical Department policy, as it allowed physicians to focus on patient care.

[5][6] Surgeon General Hammon recommended that other Union Army units also adopt Letterman's innovations, although many continued to experience difficulty in battlefield evacuation.

Surgeon Thomas A. McParlin, medical director of the Federal Army of Virginia, submitted Letterman's plan to his commander, Brigadier General John Pope, but there was not enough time to implement it before Second Manassas.

Surgeon Glover Perin, upon becoming medical director of the Army of the Cumberland in February 1863, found an inefficient ambulance service.

They did so on 11 March 1864, passing a law that authorized corps commanders to form ambulance organizations and provided for the examination of candidates to staff it by boards of medical officers.

Although an improvement over previous vehicles, they were still not comfortable to ride in, with the ultimate goal of getting the patient to another form of transport or hospital by the shortest distance possible.