Bernard John Dowling Irwin correspondence and diary
Scope and Contents
Handwritten and signed letter and diary. The letter is addressed to Captain Edward L. Hartz and is dated April 17, 1856. It discusses a military march through the Rio Grande Valley and life in and around Fort Union, New Mexico. The diary, kept from 1855-1856, records Irwin's journey from New York to Corpus Christi, Texas aboard the steamship Prometheus and his overland march to Fort Filmore via a number of military forts.
Dates
- 1855-1856
Creator
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for public research.
Conditions Governing Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from Bernard John Dowling Irwin correspondence and diary must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the Special Collections Board of Curators.
Biographical History
Bernard John Dowling Irwin (1830-1917) was a surgeon in the United States Army. He is best known for beginning the first military hospitals in the field of combat.
Dr. Bernard John Dowling Irwin is credited with establishing the first tent field hospital at the battle of Shiloh, during the Civil War. However, controversy regarding this claim exists because of the confusing practice of using the term
field hospital
to refer to facilities with different capabilities. Irwin's hospital was said to be the first practical demonstration that sufficient inpatient care could be provided on the battlefield, eliminating the need to evacuate unstable patients.
Extent
2 items (10 pages)
Abstract
Handwritten and signed letter and diary. This letter is addressed to Captain Edward L. Hartz and is dated April 17, 1856. It discusses a military march through the Rio Grande Valley and life in and around Fort Union, New Mexico. The diary, kept from 1855-1856, records Irwin's journey from New York to Corpus Christi, Texas, abroad the steamship Prometheus and his overland march to Fort Filmore via a number of military forts.
Custodial History
Donated.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Not indicated in collection.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated.
Appraisal
19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts.
Processing Information
Processed; 2007.
- Title
- Register of the Bernard John Dowling Irwin correspondence and diary
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Elisa Visick
- Date
- 2010 August 3
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English in Latin script.
Repository Details
Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States