Information about General Hospital #21 in Richmond, VA during
the Civil War.
Also called: Gwalthmey Factory Hospital, Gwathmey Factory Hospital, Gwathney
Factory Hospital, Maryland Hospital, C. S. M. Prison Hospital. Probably former
tobacco factory of R. A. Mayo Company, later Gwathmey Tobacco Company. Large
six-storied, brick building. Opened before June 1862. Capacity over 700,
employees 65. Used for smallpox epidemic December 1862, before these sufferers
were moved to Howard’s Grove Hospital. Had 600/700 Union wounded prisoners May
and June 1864. Straw vote for President by these men 9 November 1864: Lincoln
154, McClellan 300. Dr. George William Semple, surgeon-in-charge. Used for a
short time by Federal occupation forces. Location: northwest corner of 25th
and Cary Streets, west of General Hospital #24. (from Confederate
Military Hospitals in Richmond by Robert W. Waitt, Jr., Official Publication
#22 Richmond Civil War Centennial committee, Richmond, Virginia 1964.)
10/24/1861;
details on the
anxiety at the Central depot over the non-arrival of prisoners; too many
prisoners in town; Plans afoot to convert a tobacco factory on 25th into a
prison
10/25/1861;
Enormous
description of arrival of POWs at VA Central depot. Sent to Mayo's Factory,
corner 25th and Cary. Much on 18th & 19th GA as guards. Wm. Harris, future
author, is among the prisoners
1/9/1862; Taylor’s and Mayo’s factories (Cary between
24th and 25th streets) are no longer prisons, and Taylor’s is preparing to
become a hospital for Marylanders. Probably the building that became GH#21
12/13/1862; Dr.
Carrington, CSA, in charge smallpox hospital, corner 25th & Cary, addresses
city council – valuable details on his Hospital & Howard’s Grove
William A. Carrington CSR (M331)
(no. 23)
1/16/1863; Breakdown of variola
cases at City Hospital, Gen. Hospital #21, and Howard's Grove Hospital.
1/17/1863;
1600 prisoners arrive from the western theater; notes the number of
prisoners in the following prisons: Mayo's factory, prison opposite Castle
Thunder, and Libby Prison
1/21/1863; T. P. Turner's report of
an inspection of Mayo's factory (GH#21), in response to complaints of the
owner about the poor condition. Turner's response refutes Mayo's claims
1866; by Edward A. Pollard; this
excerpt reprints the southern Congress' response to the prisoner issue,
written in 1865. Describes Libby Prison, General Hospital #21, and Belle
Isle
In the National Archives:
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 484). 1/4 in.
Letters Sent and Letters, Orders, and Circulars Received, General Hospital
No. 21. 1863. 1 vol. Copies of letters sent by the Surgeon-in-Charge
and letters, orders, and circulars received from the Adjutant and Inspector
General's Department, the Surgeon General's Office, and the Medical
Director's Office in Richmond. Arranged chronologically. This hospital,
known also as Confederate Military Prison Hospital, was formerly the
Gwathmey, or Maryland, Hospital.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 483). 1 in.
Letters and Orders Sent and Received, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-63. 1
vol. The register, dated 1862, and arranged by date of admittance,
shows patient's name, rank, and organization; date admitted; disease;
disposition of case; and remarks. The letters, orders, and circulars, dated
1863 and arranged chronologically, are from the Adjutant and Inspector
General's Department, the Surgeon general's Office, and the Medical
Director's Office in Richmond.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vols. 16, 253). 2 in.
Registers of Patients, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-63. 2 vols.Show
patient's name, rank, and organization; date of admittance; disease;
disposition of case; and remarks. Volume 16 also shows patient's age.
Entries are arranged by date of admittance.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vols. 161, 236, 254). 3 in.
Registers of Patients (Union), General Hospital No. 21. 1864-65. 3 vols.
Show patient's name, rank, and organization; date of admittance; civilian
occupation; injury or disease; when, where and how received or place of
capture; and remark (usually showing progress of case). Within each volume
entries are arranged by date of admittance.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 166). 1 in.
Register of Patients (Union), General Hospital No. 21. 1865. 1 vol.
Shows name, rank, organization, age, and civilian occupation of patient;
date admitted; when and where captured; and remarks. Arranged roughly by
date of admittance. The remarks show that most of these prisoners died or
were paroled.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 15). 1 in.
Death Register, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-63. 1 vol.Shows name,
rank, and organization of deceased; date of death; sometimes cause of death;
remarks concerning effects; and name of person by whom buried. Entries are
by date of death; a name index is in front of the volume.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vols. 120, 327, 331). 2 in.
Morning Reports of Patients and Attendants, General Hospital No. 21.
1861-63. 3 vols.Daily reports showing the number of patients in
hospital, in private quarters, received, returned to duty, furloughed,
transferred, discharged, deserted, died, and remaining; the number of
medical officers and attendants present for duty; and remarks. Arranged
chronologically and thereunder by State of patient's organization.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 720). 1 in.
Morning Reports of Patients (Union) and Attendants, General Hospital No. 21.
1864-65. 1 vol.Daily reports showing the number of patients in
hospital, received, died, and remaining in hospital; the number of medical
officers and attendants present for duty; and remarks. Arranged
chronologically.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 13). 1 in.
List of Employees, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-64. 1 vol.Shows
name and position of employee. Only a few pages of this volume contain
entries. The names are unarranged.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 14). 1 in.
List of Colored Employees, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-63. 1 vol.Shows name, capacity in which employed, date employed, date discharged,
name of owner, and remarks. Entries are unarranged.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 332). 1/2 in.
Record of Clothing and Equipment Received From and Issued to Patients,
General Hospital No. 21. 1863. 1 vol.Shows date; patient's name; articles received
(presumably when patient was admitted) and the quantity of each article;
articles issued and the quantity of each article; articles and the quantity
of each delivered when patient was returned to duty or on hand at death; and
remarks. Entries are arranged chronologically.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 329). 1/2 in.
Record of Clothing and Linen Issued, General Hospital No. 21. 1864-65. 1
vol.Shows articles of linen and clothing and quantity of each item issued
to the hospital wards and of clothing issued to some medical attendants.
Entries are arranged chronologically.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 326). 1/2 in.
Account Book, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-63. 1 vol.Shows date, amount on hand, amount and source of receipts, and articles
purchased and their cost. Entries are arranged by date.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 413). 1/2 in.
Accounts for Stewards, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-63. 1 vol.Contains accounts of hospital stewards for provisions, accounts of
clothing and supplies issued to hospital stewards, and lists of articles
received from and sent to the laundry. The contents of the volume are
arranged by type of material.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 381). 1/4 in.
Account of Hospital Supplies on Hand and Issued, General Hospital No. 21.
1862. 1 vol.Shows date, items, and quantity of each item on hand and issued.
Entries are arranged chronologically.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 383). 1 in.
Provision Accounts, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-63. 1 vol.Weekly accounts showing date; amount brought forward, received, and
source from which received; and articles purchased, quantity, and cost.
Arranged chronologically.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 380). 1/4 in.
Provision Accounts, General Hospital No. 21. 1862. 1 vol.Under the heading "Way Freight" are shown the date, a list number, the
names of persons and firms, and a car number; and under the heading
"Forwarded" are shown the article, quantity, and cost. Entries are arranged
by date. In the front of the volume are clipped some notations concerning
the receipt, transfer, and discharge of patients.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vols. 160, 229, 328, 330, 382, 382-A, 382-B, 596). 6 in.
Prescription Books, General Hospital No. 21. 1862-64. 8 vols.Generally show date, patient's name, and medicines to be given each
day. Some also show food to be given and disease or wound from which patient
was suffering. Entries are arranged chronologically within each volume.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 12). 1 in.
Record Book, General Hospital No. 21. 1863. 1 vol.Contains lists of names for furlough, transfer, and
discharge and a record of surgical cases. The contents of the volume are
arranged under the above headings.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 170). 1/4 in.
Register of Surgical Cases (Union) in Ward E, Division 1, of General
Hospital No. 21. 1864. 1 vol.Shows patient's name, rank, and organization; date of admittance;
nature and date of wound; description and date of operation performed;
general health; amd remarks showing results of operation and disposition of
case. Entries are arranged by date of admittance.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 163). 1/4 in.
Register of Patients (Union), Division 3, General Hospital No. 21. 1864-65.
1 vol.Shows name, rank, organization, age, and civilian occupation of
patient; nature of wound; remarks; and date admitted. Entries are arranged
by ward (wards 3 and 4 only) and thereunder by date of admittance.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 261). 1/2 in.
Register of Patients (Union), Division 4, General Hospital No. 21. 1864. 1
vol.Shows patient's name, rank, and organization; temporary state of
health; civilian occupation; nature of wound or sickness; where, when, and
how received; and condition of wound. Entries are arranged by date of
diagnosis. The volume contains also a list of detailed men and a list of
deaths.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 168). 1 in.
Register of Surgical Cases (Union) in Wards 1, 2, and 3 of General Hospital
No. 21. 1864. 1 vol.Shows patient's name, rank, and organization; nature and date of wound;
description of operation performed and date of operation; and remarks
showing results of operation and disposition of case. Entries are
unarranged.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 167). 1/2 in.
Book Showing Diagnosis of Cases (Union), Ward 3, General Hospital No. 21.
1864. 1 vol.This volume shows patient's name, rank, organization, age, temperature,
state of health, civilian occupation, and nature of wound or disease; how,
when, and where wound was received; and condition of wound or disease.
Entries are unarranged.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 169). 1/2 in.
Register of Patients (Union), Ward A, General Hospital No. 21. 1864-65. 1
vol.Shows name, rank, organization, age, and civilian occupation of
patient; date admitted; and remarks. Entries are arranged roughly by date of
admittance.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 485). 1/4 in.
Book Showing Diagnosis of Cases (union), Ward A, General Hospital No. 21.
1864-65. 1 vol.This volume shows patient's name, rank, organization, date of
admittance, age, state of health, and civilian occupation; nature of wound
or disease; how, where, and when wound was received; and condition of wound
or disease. Entries are arranged by date. The volume contains also some
histories of wound cases and a list of deaths.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vols. 158, 164). 2 in.
Lists of Patients (Union) Remaining in Ward A, General Hospital No. 21.
1864. 2 vols.Monthly lists showing patient's name, age, rank, organization,
complaint, and occupation; date of admittance; where wounded; and remarks
(generally disposition of case). Arranged chronologically. On the front of
volume 158 there is a notation that it appears to be a copy made by the
federal authorities after the capture of Richmond. Lists in volume 158 and
164 are mainly duplicates.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vols. 162, 165). 2 in.
Register of Patients (Union), Ward D, General Hospital No. 21. 1863-65. 2
vols.Shows date of arrival; name, rank, and organization of patient;
disease; and remarks (generally disposition of case). Entries in each volume
are arranged by date of arrival. The volumes are duplicates; volume 162
bears the notation that it appears to have been copied from the original
(volume 165) in 1867 for use of the Prisoner of War Division, Adjutant
General's Office.
Record Group 109,
(ch. VI, vol. 159). 1 in.
Prescription Book, Ward E (or H), General Hospital No. 21. 1864-65. 1 vol.
Shows name of patient and daily prescriptions, arranged chronologically.
Some entries are for soldiers but many are for civilian hospital attendants.
The outside cover states Hard H and the flyleaf Ward E.
