Book Talk – Agent of Mercy: The Untold Story of Dr. Archibald S. Maxwell

Civil War medicine goes West!

Author George C. Maxwell will discuss themes from his book about his Civil War Surgeon and Iowa State Sanitary Agent great-great-great grandfather, Dr. Archibald S. Maxwell. The presentation will describe the role that volunteer medical missions from Dr. Archibald S. Maxwell’s hometown of Davenport, Iowa to the front played in addressing the medical emergencies caused by 1862 battles at Fort Donelson and Shiloh.

He will also discuss the importance of state, local, and national sanitary commissions in the Western theater in addressing the shortages of medical supplies and nutritional food for sick and wounded soldiers in the Western Theater with a particular focus on the State of Iowa.

George C. Maxwell is a practicing attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Borene Law Firm. He received his J.D. from the University of Iowa Law School in May 2001, graduating with High Distinction. He was a member of, and a Note and Comment Editor for, the Iowa Law School’s Transnational and Contemporary Problems Journal. Additionally, he is a public speaker and author.   Agent of Mercy: The Untold Story of Dr. Archibald S. Maxwell Civil War Surgeon and Iowa State Sanitary Agent is his first book and is available in The Dispensary store at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.