Hanover's Wounded

After the first charge of the Battle of Hanover, a lull in the fighting led several Hanover physicians to care for the wounded on the streets and sidewalks, including George Hinkle, Henry Eckert, Horace Alleman, Jacob Smith, John Culbertson, and surgeon dentist William Bange. While Bange and Rev. Zieber were aiding a wounded Confederate soldier at Center Square, a squad of ten men rushed toward them, and after one officer demanded to know what they were doing, Bange answered that they were trying to help the wounded man and would care for him, prompting the officer to thank him and ride away with his troops. Marion Hall behind York and Walnut Streets and Concert Hall on the Center Square soon served as temporary hospitals, while J.P. Flickinger's foundry near Marion Hall was used as a morgue. As treatment continued, the wounded were transferred to a United States Hospital opened by government authority at the Pleasant Hill Hotel at Pleasant and Baltimore Streets, where army surgeon Dr. P. Gardner was placed in charge from July 10, 1863 to August 15, 1863. Pastor Dr. William K. Zieber later recalled going to the Square and the northwest corner of Broadway and Centre Square, where he found a Confederate soldier lying in the street with blood pouring from his head, and, seeing a fellow human being apparently dying, went to his assistance.

Hanover, Pennsylvania · United States