Lynchburg Civil War Hospitals
Knight and Miller Tobacco Factories
These tobacco factories, built in 1845, were typical of the nineteen in Lynchburg converted into hospitals during the Civil War. Surgeon J.K. Page supervised Knight’s and Miller’s as divisions of General Hospital No. 2.
The Thirty-two hospitals established in Lynchburg treated 3,000 to 4,000 patients at any given time, a remarkable achievement since Lynchburg’s 1860 population was 6,853. Citizens opened their own homes after major battle such as Gettysburg and the Wilderness when the deluge of casualties arrived by train exceeded 10,000.
Lynchburg’s hospitals made considerable progress during the war in hygiene and the treatment of wounds. Physicians like John J. Terrell and William Otway Owen worked constantly to improve conditions, saving the lives of hundreds of patients who otherwise would have died.
Marker is at the intersection of 12th Street and Dunbar Drive, on the right when traveling south on 12th Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
