A Guide to the Leesburg Hospital Collection, 1861-1862 #SC 0094

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Use Restrictions

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred Citation

Leesburg Hospital Collection, 1861-1862 (SC 0094), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Unknown

Alternative Form Available

None.

Accruals

2011.0257x

Custodial History

NOTES: Formerly filed in Thomas Balch Library Vertical Files.

Processing Information

Shannon Fuller, 3 October 2011

The Leesburg Hospital was created as a result of the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. The hospital was also known as General Hospital and 7th Brigade Hospital, simply because the majority of its patients were Confederate soldiers in Brigadier General Nathan "Shanks" Evans' (February 1824-November 1868) 7th Brigade.

The hospital was housed in the Leesburg Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Its congregation had once been part of the Old Stone Church in Leesburg. In 1848, Old Stone Church's congregation divided over the issue of slavery. Supporters of the Union created Leesburg Methodist Episcopal Church, North and supporters of the Confederacy created Leesburg Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In 1852, the southern congregation purchased property for $700 and established and built a new church building. That church building was refitted and used as a field hospital during the Civil War; it houses what is now known as the Leesburg United Methodist Church.

The hospital was necessary because a heated battle and many skirmishes took place in the surrounding area, including the Battle of Ball's Bluff. The United Methodist Church remained a hospital for the 7th Brigade at least from August 1861 through January 1862, it is unknown if it continued to be a field hospital following this time period.

The Leesburg Hospital was located where the Leesburg United Methodist Church stands today, at 107 West Market Street in downtown Leesburg.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of photocopies of documents relating to Leesburg Hospital, also known as 7th Brigade and General Hospital, which was located in Leesburg, Virginia. They include reports of the sick and wounded and discharges on surgeon's certificates and deaths. Details include names, ranks, regiments, diseases, and dates of death. The reports date from August 1861-January 1862.

Related Material

Old Stone Church and Parsonage Property Research, 1761-2006 (M062), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Ancestry Library Edition, Thomas Balch Library, http://www.ancestrylibrary.com/ (accessed 20 September 2011)
Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park, History, http://www.nvrpa.org/park/ball_s_bluff/content/history.
Leesburg Hospital, August 1861- January 1862, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.
Leesburg United Methodist Church, History, http://leesburgumc.org/about-us/history.
Old Stone Church and Parsonage Property Research, 1761-2006 (M062), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Other Finding Aid

None

Technical Requirements

None