Civil War’s impact on the funeral industry

The American Civil War brought great change, but there were differences between the North and South when it came to embalming and funeral services.

Little if any embalming was available to Southerners. Virtually all embalming was done by Northerners. Washington, D.C., was the capital city of the North and became the center for troop concentration.

It is documented that surgeons, who were also trained as embalmers, gathered there to help with the war effort.

They began to embalm during the Civil War so the men who died in battle could be returned home to their loved ones.

At the beginning of the Civil War, as in all previous wars fought by the United States, there was no provision made to return the dead to their homes.

Military dead were simply buried in the field near where they fell.

Things changed dramatically during the Civil War in this regard. For the very first time in American history, it was possible for relatives to have the remains returned to their home for local burial if certain conditions were met.

The family had to make the request in writing. If the military could determine the burial location, the family would send a coffin capable of being hermetically sealed to the place of death where a team would disinter and prepare the body to be shipped back via train. Over 600,000 were killed in the Civil War, and of those 40,000 were embalmed.

It was at this time the war department was forced to issue General Order 39 to ensure only properly licensed embalmers could offer their services. This led to the first establishment for funeral services. Dr. Thomas Holmes opened the doors in Washington, D.C., in 1861.

St. Joseph Funeral Home and Cemetery may be reached at (574) 288-4685 or visit sjfh. net.