Frederick, MD - The National Museum of Civil War Medicine (NMCWM) has acquired an exact full-scale reproduction of a Civil War Wheeling, or “Rosecrans”, ambulance. Developed in 1861 by Union General William S. Rosecrans and Surgeon Jonathan Letterman, it was the most widely used ambulance during the Civil War. The museum will use the reproduction model in educational and living history events during 2024.
 
“It’s incredible to think that when the war began, the U.S. Army did not have a standardized ambulance, and in fact had very few ambulances at all,” said Dana B. Shoaf, NMCWM’s Director of Interpretation. “But battle teaches cruel lessons, and Letterman, considered the ‘Father of Battlefield Medicine’ for his wartime medical reforms, and Rosecrans put their heads together and designed an ambulance wagon that would save countless lives.”
 
Delivered to the museum on December 12, 2023, the newly acquired reproduction Rosecrans was built in the 1990s by a reenactor who precisely followed Civil War plans and diagrams to build it.
 
“The ambulance is in excellent shape,” said NMCWM Executive Director David Price, “and it, along with our 3/4 -scale Rucker style ambulance, a late-war ambulance, provide the museum with powerful teaching tools that help tell the critical story of the evolution of health care in America.”
 
The Rosecrans ambulance was meant to provide U.S. troops with a light 750-pound four-wheeled ambulance that could be pulled by only two horses and was outfitted with wheel springs to reduce the shock of travel over rough roads and fields. The ambulance, the first models of which were built in current Wheeling, W. Va., could be configured to carry 11 to 12 seated casualties or two prone casualties. The interior of the ambulance was outfitted with durable oilcloth-covered seats that could be washed for cleanliness and could be easily reconfigured into a padded platform for prostrate patients.
 
“Prior to the Civil War, most Americans had not even seen an ambulance,” said Shoaf. “The conflict made them commonplace, and after the war major cities developed ambulance forces for their citizens, as well. There is a direct line between the Rosecrans ambulance and the modern health care systems; and there are features in modern ambulances that can be traced to Civil War ambulances.”
 
The Rosecrans and Rucker ambulances are stored at the Pry House Field Hospital Museum on the Antietam National Battlefield, which is open seasonally. For press viewings of the ambulances, please contact our main museum at 301-695-1864 Ext. 1006.
 
“We have plans to fully outfit the ambulance as it would have been seen and used during the Civil War, and yes, that means having it pulled by horses at some events,” said Price. “It will make for a very dramatic hands-on teaching experience.”
 
The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is the premier center for the preservation and research of the legacy of Civil War Medical innovation and humanitarianism. As a living institution, we utilize artifacts, storytelling, and the historic lessons derived from that era to educate the public and define the impact on today’s society. The nonprofit, charitable organization also operates the Clara Barton Missing Soldier’s Office in Washington, D.C., and the Pry House Field Hospital on the Antietam National Battlefield. Learn more at www.civilwarmed.org.