Facial reconstruction, prosthetics, hypodermic needles and triage may sound like a modern hospital, but all of these were actually used during the Civil War. The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center will host a program that examines medicine during the Civil War and the realities behind it. For this special program, the museum will offer free admission Sat., May 7.
The program will offer an in-depth look into what wounded soldiers during the Civil War experienced as well as the medical instruments and techniques used by doctors and other medical personnel. Each soldier's experience differed depending on the severity of their wounds which impacted their likelihood for survival. Over 600,000 men serving on both sides would suffer some type of wound during the war.
Gary Riggs, a Civil War medical researcher, and Jerry Leggett, a physician assistant, will present a program at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. titled "Civil War Medical Practices and Procedures." Retired Army Lt. Col. Wade Sokolosky will also give a presentation on "North Carolina's Civil War Hospitals during the 1865 Carolinas Campaign" at 1 p.m.
The free admission day at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center is made possible by the generosity of several sponsors: Kinston BBQ Festival, Lenoir Memorial Hospital and CopyPro.
State of the art exhibits at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center invite visitors to learn about the ironclad gunboat that used new technology to combat superior manpower. The Confederate Navy launched the ill-fated Neuse in an attempt to gain control of the lower Neuse River and New Bern. Ultimately, the Confederates blew up the vessel rather than allow it to fall into Union hands.
The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center is located at 100 N. Queen St., Kinston, and open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: adults $5, senior/active military $4, Students (ages 3-12) $3, ages 2 and under free.
For additional information, please call (252) 522-2107. The CSS Neuse Interpretive Center is within the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.