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Combat casualty care in the American Revolution: Perils of a fragmented medical command structure
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Combat casualty care in the American Revolution: Perils of a fragmented medical command structure

Karina M. Hiroshige, Jonathan Y. Stein, Benjamin J. Stewart, Justin Barr, Jeremy W. Cannon and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The journal of trauma and acute care surgery, v 101(2 Military Suppl 2026), pp S1-S6
Aug 2026
PMID: 42283418
Featured in Collection :   Drexel's Newest Publications
url
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42283418/View
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Abstract

Current Opinion
In 1775, American medicine faced its first and arguably greatest test: building a military medical system while actively fighting a superior enemy. In the wake of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Continental Congress hastily passed a perfunctory resolution creating the Continental Army Medical Department. Leaders of this fledgling department struggled to manage bitterly divided and inexperienced teams, critical supply shortages, and overwhelming patient numbers. With varying degrees of success, they worked to overcome these daunting challenges to care for America’s army. This article explores leadership lessons from America’s inaugural military medical system, offering actionable insights for modern surgical leaders striving to restore and sustain military medical readiness today. (J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2026;101: S1–S6. Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.

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