George Augustus Wheeler, MD (July 26, 1837 – January 14, 1923) was a surgeon in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

and a prominent

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

historian. He authored two historical books including ''History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine'', which the

Pejepscot Historical Society The Pejepscot History Center (formerly known as but legally retaining the name of Pejepscot Historical Society), located in Brunswick, is the fourth oldest historical society in the state of Maine. Founded in 1888, the society's mission is to prese ...

states as the "authoritative text on the three towns through ".

Early life

Wheeler was born in Standish, Maine on July 26, 1823, to Minister Amos Dean Wheeler and Louisa Amelia Wheeler. He graduated from Bowdoin College with a Bachelor of Arts and in received his Master's degree from Bowdoin College's Medical School of Maine. He received his doctorate from

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

in . From to Wheeler lived in several different towns of Maine, including Falmouth, Orland and Presque Isle.

Military career

In July of , Wheeler enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and was mustered into the

18th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment was a regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It suffered more casualties in an ill-fated charge during the Siege of Petersburg than any Union regiment lost in a single day of combat througho ...

as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

. He would later become a Sergeant of Company G. The 18th Maine would later have its name changed to the

1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment was a regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It suffered more casualties in an ill-fated charge during the Siege of Petersburg than any Union regiment lost in a single day of combat througho ...

and disbanded after the war. On October 4, , Wheeler was commissioned assistant surgeon, U.S. Volunteers, and soon after he was appointed to take charge of the U.S. General Hospital at

Annapolis Junction, Maryland Annapolis Junction is an unincorporated community in Howard and Anne Arundel counties, Maryland, United States. Demographics The ZIP Code for Annapolis Junction is 20701. The following information is based on the 2000 Census for 20701: *Popula ...

, On March 30, , he was commissioned Surgeon of

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army and the ...

, and ordered to the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

and was placed in charge of the

Depot Field Hospital Depot Field Hospital was one of seven hospitals operated at City Point, Virginia during the Siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War. The largest was the Depot Field Hospital which covered nearly 200 acres (800,000 m2) and could hold u ...

s of the 9th Army Corps. In the summer of Wheeler served as medical director with a division of the 9th Army Corps; Medical Inspector of Hospitals, and later, Surgeon in charge of

Field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

s, and temporarily Medical Director of the Corps. During the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

, Wheeler was put in charge of all the Confederate Army hospitals, but owing to a change in the

military command A command in military terminology is an organisational unit for which a military commander is responsible. Commands, sometimes called units or formations, form the building blocks of a military. A commander is normally specifically appointed to ...

, he was relieved and ordered to Burksville Junction in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and placed in charge of transporting all the wounded to

City Point, Virginia City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia, that was annexed by the independent city of Hopewell in 1923. It served as headquarters of the Union Army during the siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War. History 1613-18 ...

where he went with three railroad trains of the wounded. At the close of the war he was ordered to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, and from there to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where he remained until he was mustered out in July of . On June 1, , he was

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"for faithful and meritorious services" as lieutenant colonel.

Later life

After leaving the Army, Wheeler practiced as a physician for a short time in

Alberton, Maryland Alberton is an unincorporated community in Howard County, Maryland, United States. A postal office operated in the community from 3 February 1854 to 1 March 1943. Alberton was the site of a large cotton mill along the Patapsco River, founded by Ja ...

, then went to Washington, D.C. where he was employed as a surgeon by the Bureau of Refugees and Freedmen, and was in charge of the hospital in

Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

. Wheeler then, was employed at

Campbell General Hospital Campbell General Hospital was a Union Civil War hospital which operated from September 1862 to July 20, 1865, in northwest Washington, D.C. Location The hospital was located on Boundary Street NW (now Florida Avenue NW) between 5th Street NW and 6 ...

as an ass!stant surgeon. In he moved to

Topsham, Maine Topsham () is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,560 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The town is home to the annual Topsh ...

to practice medicine, later moving to

Old Town, Maine Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,431 at the 2020 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on the relatively large Marsh Island, though its boundaries extend beyond that. The island i ...

, where he was in practice until , when he moved to Castine, Maine. While in Castine, he became a Camp Commander for the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

, a Civil War veterans organization, Post No. 76. In Wheeler wrote the book ''The History of Castine, Brooksville and Penobscot, Maine'' and in co-authored with his brother, Henry Warren Wheeler, the book ''History of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell, Maine: Including the Ancient Territory Known as Pejepscot''. Wheeler was on the Board of selectmen for Castine, Maine and in he was chosen as Chairman of the School Committee of Castine to which he was repeatedly elected. In he was elected a member of

Maine Historical Society The Maine Historical Society is the official state historical society of Maine. It is located at 489 Congress Street in downtown Portland. The Society currently operates the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, a National Historic Landmark, Longfellow ...

. Wheeler was prominently connected with the Masonic Fraternity, a part of the Republican Party and a member of the Unitarian church.

Family, legacy and death

February 17, 1864, Wheeler married Mrs. Margaret Lavinia Dorsey, daughter of John F. and Elizabeth Harvercotta of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The same day he legally adopted Elizabeth Dorsey, daughter of John R. and Margaret L. Dorsey, and gave her the name Elizabeth Dorsey Wheeler. Wheeler and Dorsey had four other children: two daughters, Frederic L. Smith, Boyd Bartlett and two sons, George D. Wheeler and C. A. Wheeler. They also had three other children that passed away at young ages: Mary Charlotte (8 months old), Katherine Irene (7 months old) and Harvey Haskell (27 days old). Later in life, as well as an established physician, Wheeler was a well respected historian. His two books, ''The History of Castine, Brooksville and Penobscot, Maine'' and the ''History of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell, Maine'' were heavily researched and well received. Over the years these books have been "considered by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it." The later of the two books is stated by the

to be "considered the authoritative text on the three towns through 1878". George Augustus Wheeler died on January 14, 1923, in Castine, Maine.

Bibliography

Notes

:a. :b. :c.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, George Augustus 1837 births 1923 deaths Bowdoin College alumni Medical School of Maine alumni Harvard Medical School alumni People from Standish, Maine Historians of Maine Union Army surgeons