On September 3, 1863, Barnes was by a special order of the War Department "empowered to take charge of the bureau of the Medical Department of the army and to perform the duties of Surgeon General during the absence of that officer."  He held the position of Acting Surgeon General until August 22, 1864, when he became the Surgeon General of the Army and the 12^th Surgeon General in US History.

This order was written on lined, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of Surgeon General stationery, but Barnes corrects that in the first lines which read, “Washington 8 A.M. May 8”. The order itself is simple and direct – “Send me ten surgeons for active field duty equipped for ten days.”  He signs his name as J.K. Barnes, Acting Surgeon General (abbreviated).

The dimensions are of the paper are 5” x 8” and it appears to be mounted to a gray card measuring 10.75” x 12.6”. The card and order are displayed in a deeply-set period frame that measures 12.4” x 14.35.”  The frame is backed by the same card material as the mounting board and has been glued to the reverse.  The frame is trimmed in gold at the inset (2” depth), with alternating tiers of black paint and stained wood.

Surgeon General Barnes held the rank/office during one of the position’s most tumultuous terms, tended to President Lincoln on his death bed, supervised his autopsy on April 15^th, and advised some members of the controversial medical team that “treated” President Garfield in the wake of his lengthy assassination.

A rare and important document for the collector of Civil War and general medical history.  [cm][ph:L]

May require extra shipping charge.

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