This is a panoramic photograph that has been cut into 5 parts. It depicts an outdoor scene located at Fort Des Moines, with a large group of people sitting including” Doctors, Nurses, Support Personnel, Medics, Wounded – Soldiers. Some people are seated holding crutches. The group is comprised largely of White people, but Black men and women can be seen interspersed and two Black men are especially visible at the right side of the photograph. The caption reads “Personnel of U.S. General Hospital No 26 Ft Des Moines Iowa June 17.” A caption with an “X” points out “Col Geo F. Jeuneman-C.O.”
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Fort Des Moines is a military installation in Des Moines, Iowa. During World War I, the fort served as the first and only training site for African American officers.
In August 1918, Fort Des Moines converted into a hospital to provide treatment to bedridden soldiers. It became a general hospital on September 21, 1918. The hospital received a wave of patients after the Armistice on November 11, 1918, and stretched its 1,500 bed capacity to welcome 1,829 soldiers. The hospital’s primary specialty was providing orthopedic treatment to casualties from Europe, including many soldiers who received amputations in Europe. Facing a shortage of supplies, the fort’s orthopedics workshop invented innovative prosthetic designs. The “Fort Des Moines Leg” was quicker to produce, more durable, cheaper, and easier to fit than the government provisional leg.
The Red Cross also held classes for patients at the fort. Class topics included animal husbandry, auto repair, reading, typing, arithmetic, stenography. These classes intended to provide amusement for patients, but also to hone occupational skills and prepare for life after the war.
The dealer provided this information:
“In October 1919, the hospital was placed under a quarantine order due to the outbreak of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. Around 300 cases of the flu were reported at Fort Des Moines. The number of patients declined in the fall of 1919, and the Surgeon General decided to close the hospital. During the interwar years, it returned to its previous occupation of a cavalry post.”