Early Onset Pneumonia Following Pulmonary Contusion: The Case of Stonewall Jackson

Abstract

Confederate Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was wounded by his own men at the Battle of Chancellorsville during the American Civil War. While being removed from the field, Jackson fell from the litter and struck the right side of his chest on a large stone or stump. Four days following the amputation of his left arm, Jackson developed pneumonia in his right lung. His treating physicians believed the infection developed secondary to a pulmonary contusion that occurred when he fell from the litter. Pulmonary contusions are an independent risk factor in the development of post-traumatic pneumonia and an infection that occurs within 72 to 96 hours of injury is termed an early onset pneumonia. The nature and timing of Stonewall Jackson's illness following his wounding is consistent with the modem diagnosis of early onset pneumonia following chest trauma.