This stereoview appears to show an amputation scene inside a tent at Fortress Monroe (also known as Fort Monroe), Hampton, Virginia, in 1861. Although realistic, the scene was in fact staged by members of the 5th New York Infantry (Zouaves)—the patient did not have his arm amputated for the photograph, but such a sight would have been all too common in the Trans-Mississippi and other theaters during the Civil War.

Fort Monroe was completed in 1834 and named for President James Monroe. During the Civil War it was used as a base for the Union blockade of the Atlantic coast and a staging area for other army and navy expeditions.

Stereo View by G. W. Thorne, New York, N.Y.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 32288