Medical Matters Albany and the Civil War: Medicine on the Home and Battle Fronts

On the Civil War home front and on the battlefields, Albany residents played key roles in providing medical care for the sick and wounded. In 1864, the citizens of Albany organized the Albany Relief Bazaar and collected $117,189 for medical supplies to send to Union troops. Two Albany brothers—Dr. Albert Vander Veer, a nationally known surgeon who was dean of Albany Medical College from 1895 to 1904, and Garrett Vander Veer, who was killed in action—wrote first-hand accounts of their experiences on Civil War battlefields. The exhibition includes photographs and manuscripts related to the Albany Relief Bazaar, journals and letters written by the Vander Veers, and materials related to President Abraham Lincoln's two trips to Albany and a painting memorializing his death completed in 1872 by Howard Hill.

This exhibition was supported by Albany Medical Center.