NORTH MISSISSIPPI 443 May, with wounded pouring into the same Mississippi Central depot that saw the triumphant departure of Lafayette County’s bravest and most chivalrous youths. Committees of citizens met the arriving trains, but the 1,500 to 2,000 wounded and sick from Shiloh quickly overwhelmed the hospital and medical staff. One physician wrote Pettus of the appalling scenes: “No room. Crowded 730 sick in the Hospital. 280 sick and wounded left here last night on the cars—against my earnest remonstrance.” Dr. Thomas Isom, who was serving as a Confederate army surgeon, arrived to take command and worked tirelessly to bring some order out of the chaos. Tents sprang up across the campus, and all the available university buildings were quickly filled. The university chapel was converted into a makeshift hospital. Dr. Isom then converted the Lyceum into a dispensary. Private citizens opened their homes. The fourteen physicians, including local doctor Henry B. Branham, depended heavily on civilian volunteers. Isom gave local women minimal training as nurses, and families scraped lint to make bandage, and stripped homes of blankets, linens, and cooking gear to ease the suffering of the wounded. The horrors the volunteer nurses faced in the hospitals were beyond description. Early in the conflict, surgeons learned that amputation was the only way to save the lives of soldiers wounded in the limbs. The heavy soft-lead “mini balls” inflicted dreadful damage, splintering bones beyond repair. Shortages of medicines such as morphine and chloroform increased the suffering; patients were dosed with whiskey and bit down on sticks or leather straps as the surgeon sawed away wounded limbs. One volunteer remembered wheelbarrows of discarded amputated limbs being carted away from the Lyceum and dumped unceremoniously in a hastily dug nearby hole. The Magnetic Observatory served as the final destination, TAILGATING IN THE GROVE The Grove, known for an elaborate tailgating experience, is used to pep up Ole Miss fans before each football game. Whether routing for Ole Miss, the opposing team, or in attendance to enjoy the atmosphere, football fans of every background pack the Grove on Saturdays during the fall. PHOTO BY GREG CAMPBELL