Civil War Washington

CASE 383.—Lieutenant J. Buckley, Regimental Quartermaster of the 140th New York, aged 22 years, was wounded at Spottsylvania​, May 8, 1864, by a minié ball, which fractured the right thigh at the middle third. From the field he was, on May 12th, admitted to hospital at Alexandria, and five days afterwards he was transferred to the Seminary Hospital, Georgetown. Surgeon H. W. Ducachet, U. S. V., in charge of the latter, reported the character of the injury and that the patient remained under treatment until November 12th, when he obtained a leave of absence and departed for his home. On January 13, 1865, Lieutenant Buckley was mustered out of service and pensioned. Dr. T. M. Flandrau, formerly Surgeon 146th New York, who saw this officer at the time of the injury, and also after he left the service, communicated his observations in March, 1870, as follows: "I decided to save the limb, and, aided by Surgeon H. C. Dean, 140th New York, dressed it in Smith's anterior splint, suspending it from the bows of an army wagon, in which, with his servant steadying the foot, he was carried to Belle Plain. When he reached the Georgetown Hospital the thigh was found shortened five inches. During the second, third, and fourth months after the injury he was treated by an extension weight of sixteen pounds, a counter-extending band, and lateral sand bags. On August 20th he had three profuse hæmorrhages, jeopardizing his life, which were controlled without operation. He used crutches when leaving the hospital, but threw them aside five months afterwards. He has since been employed as a bookkeeper. There is two and a half inches shortening, and the knee is somewhat stiffened. A fistulous opening still exists on the back of the thigh and discharges a little. The limb is very useful, and the limp is not conspicuous." The Utica Examining Board reported, January 3, 1872: * * * "There has been extensive exfoliation of bone, leaving several deep cicatrices, and there is still an open sinus extending to the bone and attended with bloody sanious discharge, indicating that there is still disease of the bone," etc. Examiner C. B. Coventry, September 6, 1873, certified to several pieces of bone having been removed, some of them since the previous examination. The pensioner was paid March 4, 1879. FIG. 1 of PLATE LX, opp., is a representation of a photograph of the pensioner, taken in Rome, New York, March, 1870, which was contributed by Dr. Flaudrau, and copied at the Army Medical Museum. (Surg. Phot. Series, No. 266, A. M. M.)