Amputation is the severing of a limb or extremity because of injury or infection. Amputation saved many lives during the Civil War and was the most common surgery performed at that time. Though people now consider it slightly barbaric, it was remarkably effective, considering the lack of medical knowledge during this period. Most amputations were not the result of direct battle wounds, but of the infection from improperly cleaned wounds and instruments or because of the lack of disinfectants. Gangrene, the rotting away of flesh caused by the obstruction of blood flow, was also a major reason for the common practice of amputation. Approximately 17 percent of the wounds to the extremities that were received by Federal troops resulted in amputation; roughly the same proportion occurred in the Confederacy. Contrary to popular belief, most amputees did not experience the surgery without some sort of anesthetic. Ample doses of chloroform were administered beforehand; the screams heard were usually from soldiers just informed that they would lose a limb or had all ready lost one or who were a witness to the sawings to other soldiers.
A surgeon had an operating table made of a couple of boards placed on top of barrels. He would administer the chloroform, which was liberally doused on a rag and held under the soldier's nose. Surgeons of that time period knew enough about the dangers of chloroform to remove the rag or sponge at intervals during the procedure. After a soldier was unconscious, a surgeon would cut off the blood flow with a tourniquet, a piece of cloth or bandage that stops the flow of blood from the heart to a severed limb. Next, he would take a scalpel and slice through the flesh and tissue. Then he would use a hacksaw-like tool, called a capital saw, to saw through the bone. After the bone and flesh were removed, the surgeon would take threads used for medical stitching, called sutures, (made of silk in the North and cotton in the South) and sew the major arteries and veins together. The limb would be deposited on a pile that got thrown out at the end of the day. Time was of the essence, so the soldier would be carried off the platform and replaced with another wounded soldier. This would all take about fifteen minutes.