The Surgeon's Battle - (Civil War America) by Lindsay Rae Smith Privette

About the Book

"Between May 1 and May 22, 1863, Union soldiers marched nearly 200 miles through the hot, humid countryside to assault and capture the fortified city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Upon its arrival, the army laid siege to the city for a grueling forty-seven days. Disease and combat casualties threatened to undermine the army's fighting strength, leaving medical officers to grapple with the battlefield conditions necessary to sustain soldiers' bodies. Medical innovations were vital to the Union victory. When Vicksburg fell on July 4, triumph would have been fleeting if not for the US Army Medical Department and its personnel. By centering soldiers' health and medical care in the Union army's fight to take Vicksburg, Lindsay Rae Smith Privette offers a fresh perspective on the environmental threats, logistical challenges, and interpersonal conflicts that shaped the campaign and siege. In doing so, Privette shines new light on the development of the army's medical systems as officers learned to adapt to their circumstances and prove themselves responsible stewards of soldiers' bodies"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Between May 1 and May 22, 1863, Union soldiers marched nearly 200 miles through the hot, humid countryside to assault and capture the fortified city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Upon its arrival, the army laid siege to the city for a grueling forty-seven days. Disease and combat casualties threatened to undermine the army's fighting strength, leaving medical officers to grapple with the battlefield conditions necessary to sustain soldiers' bodies. Medical innovations were vital to the Union victory. When Vicksburg fell on July 4, triumph would have been fleeting if not for the US Army Medical Department and its personnel.

By centering soldiers' health and medical care in the Union army's fight to take Vicksburg, Lindsay Rae Smith Privette offers a fresh perspective on the environmental threats, logistical challenges, and interpersonal conflicts that shaped the campaign and siege. In doing so, Privette shines new light on the development of the army's medical systems as officers learned to adapt to their circumstances and prove themselves responsible stewards of soldiers' bodies.

Review Quotes

"The debut of a promising new author. . . . [A] timely reminder that politics can include the art of uniting as well as dividing."--Civil War Monitor's Best Civil War Books of 2025

"Privette applies a multi-disciplinary approach to her own study. . . . The result is a complex portrait that strongly challenges older claims that Civil War medicine was an 'abject failure' when it came to addressing the conflict's stunning death toll from disease (pg. 7)."

"This excellent book integrates medical history with environmental history, soldier studies, and military history. . . . Based on a wide range of military correspondence, surgeons' reports, and other records, this concise book will fascinate and educate readers interested in the U.S. Civil War and medical history."--Library Journal, STARRED review

"This is the best account of the Vicksburg Campaign that I have read. Privette provides a much-needed reinterpretation of this critical Civil War battle."--Timothy Silver, author of Death in Briar Bottom

About the Author

Lindsay Rae Smith Privette is associate professor of history at Anderson University.