Last updated: December 31, 2022
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Doctor Jonah Franklin Dyer
Doctor J. Franklin Dyer was born in Eastport, Maine in 1826. In 1849, he graduated from Bowdoin Medical College and was working as a doctor in Boston when the Civil War began. In August of 1861, Dyer enlisted as the regimental surgeon for the 19th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. On December 3rd, 1862, he was appointed surgeon-in-chief of the Second Division, Second Corps, U.S. Army of the Potomac. However, he still quartered with his former regiment and expressed his desire to continue to provide care for them on top of his new duties.
On December 11th, 1862, when fighting in Fredericksburg began, Doctor Dyer treated wounded soldiers on the riverbank below Chatham. The next day, he reported to Chatham, which was turned into a hospital. Dyer oversaw the operation of the hospital and operated on patients. Hundreds of wounded soldiers were brought into the house. According to Dyer, the worst cases were brought to Chatham for treatment. He described the hospital operation there: “I have the house full, men lie on the floors as close as they can be stowed, a little straw here and there; the best we can do for them. Back of the house I have six hospital tents, ten in each tent, with no fire, and the weather is cold.”
During the morning of December 13th, Dyer went into the town of Fredericksburg to treat wounded soldiers being evacuated from the front lines. He then returned to Chatham. In order to lessen the chance of Chatham being targeted by Confederate artillery, Dyer “ordered a red blanket to be hung out as a hospital flag.” Dyer remained at Chatham for over a week after the battle. He and the other surgeons slept in the operating room, which was located at the end of the house. Doctor Dyer’s letters provide a detailed description of the hospital operation at Chatham in 1862. His leadership, fast thinking, and knowledge ensured the survival of many soldiers.
Doctor Dyer eventually became Acting Medical Director of the Second Corps for the Army of the Potomac. He continued to serve as a surgeon until his enlistment ended in August of 1864. At that time, he returned home to his wife, Maria, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was buried in Eastport, Maine.
On December 11th, 1862, when fighting in Fredericksburg began, Doctor Dyer treated wounded soldiers on the riverbank below Chatham. The next day, he reported to Chatham, which was turned into a hospital. Dyer oversaw the operation of the hospital and operated on patients. Hundreds of wounded soldiers were brought into the house. According to Dyer, the worst cases were brought to Chatham for treatment. He described the hospital operation there: “I have the house full, men lie on the floors as close as they can be stowed, a little straw here and there; the best we can do for them. Back of the house I have six hospital tents, ten in each tent, with no fire, and the weather is cold.”
During the morning of December 13th, Dyer went into the town of Fredericksburg to treat wounded soldiers being evacuated from the front lines. He then returned to Chatham. In order to lessen the chance of Chatham being targeted by Confederate artillery, Dyer “ordered a red blanket to be hung out as a hospital flag.” Dyer remained at Chatham for over a week after the battle. He and the other surgeons slept in the operating room, which was located at the end of the house. Doctor Dyer’s letters provide a detailed description of the hospital operation at Chatham in 1862. His leadership, fast thinking, and knowledge ensured the survival of many soldiers.
Doctor Dyer eventually became Acting Medical Director of the Second Corps for the Army of the Potomac. He continued to serve as a surgeon until his enlistment ended in August of 1864. At that time, he returned home to his wife, Maria, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was buried in Eastport, Maine.