The origins of casualty evacuation and echelons of care: lessons learned from the American Civil War

Abstract

The American Civil War produced many victims of battle who challenged the medical community. Not long after the war started the medical community was forced to make rapid, significant changes in how soldiers were evacuated, how they were cared for both immediately and long-term, and how the spread of fatal infectious diseases was controlled. This was the era in which nurses proved their importance and became a permanent segment of trauma care.