Civil War Breakthroughs is a podcast that explores how the inventions, ideas, and innovations of the Civil War era defined a new kind of conflict. In our second season, The Medical Renaissance, we'll explore how modern medicine took root during the Civil War.

On this episode, we're joined by Jane Schultz, a professor of English and director of Literature at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis and the author of Women at the Front: Hospital Workers in Civil War America (2004). She talks about the motivations and experiences of the women who volunteered as nurses during the Civil War.

©2026 by The Civil War Monitor. All rights reserved.

Civil War Breakthroughs is a podcast that explores how the inventions, ideas, and innovations of the Civil War era defined a new kind of conflict. In our second season, The Medical Renaissance, we'll explore how modern medicine took root during the Civil War.

On this episode, we're joined by Lindsay Rae Smith Privette, an associate professor of history at Anderson University and author of The Surgeon’s Battle: How Medicine Won the Vicksburg Campaign and Changed the Civil War (2025). She talks about the wartime evolution in military surgeons' training, knowledge, and practices.

©2026 by The Civil War Monitor. All rights reserved.

On the front lines, doctors fought to contain lethal disease alongside battlefield wounds. In field hospitals, volunteer nurses and a new citizen commission helped develop an improved standard of care. And on the home front, returning veterans faced the long aftermath of unseen trauma and addiction.

I’m Terry Johnston, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Civil War Monitor. The Civil War is a story of courage and conflict, but it is also the story of a nation that underwent profound and lasting change. While much has been written about the battles and leaders, we believe the pivotal innovations of the era are just as important.

Welcome to Civil War Breakthroughs, a podcast that explores how the inventions, ideas, and innovations of the era defined a new kind of conflict. In our second season, The Medical Renaissance, host John Heckman explores how modern medicine took root during the conflict. Expert guests help him delve into the role of women as nurses; the massive influence of the Sanitary Commission; the significance of miasma theory; the battle against "invisible wounds"; the postwar opioid crisis; and how a devastating conflict ultimately ushered in the dawn of modern healthcare.

Season 2 of Civil War Breakthroughs premieres October 1. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. I hope you'll join us.

©2026 by The Civil War Monitor. All rights reserved.