Veteran of the American Civil War, served in the 145th Penn. Infantry
From the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan------
Kent, Daniel, 1839-1898.
Twenty letters (1862-1863) were written to members of his family. He wrote of illness in camp, the weather, observation balloons, the sound of battle, the battle of Chancellorsville in which he "came out safe" but many men were killed, wounded or taken prisoners. He expressed his opinion of draftees and deserters. He was wounded in the hip July 2, 1863 and spent several months in the Patterson Park Hospital, Baltimore, and U. S. General Hospital, West Philadelphia. He was in Company A, 145th Pennsylvania Infantry. After the war he came to Michigan, becoming a farmer in Wayland and Bellaire.
"Case VI. — Gunshot Wound of Right Thigh; lesions of motion and sensation; reflex paralysis of right arm as to motion. "Daniel Kent, aged 24; Pennsylvanian; farmer. Enlisted August, 1862, company 'B,' 145th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Healthy until wounded. At Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, while charging at a full run, the leg raised up, he was shot in the right thigh 10 1/2 inches above the edge of the patella, directly over the rectus. The ball made its exit on the postero-internal surface of the thigh one inch below the fold of the nates. It seems to have passed inside of the bone and could not have hit the sciatic nerve. He fell at once, quite conscious, and feeling an instant stinging pain all over the right side of his body, and especially in the arm. He lost a great deal of blood, and found that he could not sit up without giddiness. His wound was dressed in six hours, and he was on the field thirty-six hours. The leg lost all motion and some sensation, and the tingling pain in the arm left him within twelve hours. He remained in bed six weeks, and then was able to walk on crutches. The sense of touch changed but little during the time which has since elapsed, and the power of movement in the leg has remained unaltered since August 1, 1863. The wound healed in October, with some previous loss of bone. Since October the wounds have twice reopened to give exit to small pieces of bone. Except an attack of ague in October, his general health has been good. Present condition, December 26, 1863: Nutrition. — The leg is healthy in color; the foot swells when hanging down. The right thigh, eight inches above the patella, measures 19 inches in circumference; the left measures 19 1/4 inches. The right calf measures 14 1/4 inches; the left calf measures 15 inches. Sensation. — No pain anywhere; tactile sensibility entire; sense of locality healthy. Motion. — The thigh is voluntarily flexed very slightly, and only through the agency of the psoas muscle, the anterior thigh muscles refusing to obey the will: abduction and adduction of the thigh normal; extension of the thigh is normal ; extension of leg none. The foot is almost moveless, except that the will can cause feeble flexion of the toes and slight eversion and inversion of the foot. Electric examination. — The rectus muscle has its electro-muscular contractility somewhat lessened; that of the two vasti muscles is lost until the wet conductors reach the upper parts of the muscles (three inches above the wound), where this properly becomes normal. The sartorius has its electric contractility diminished. Below the knee the peroneus longus responds very well, but, with this exception, none of the leg muscles stir under the most powerful induced currents. The short extensor of the toes and the interossi still possess some power to contract under electrical stimulus. Throughout, the electro-muscular sensibility is diminished in all the muscles which have suffered in their contractile power, and the sense of pain seems also to be materially lessened since dry electric conductors, with strong currents, cause no pain when applied to the bones or nails of the foot. The history of the arm, which was reflectively paralyzed, has been reserved for separate detail here. After three days from the date of the wound the right arm, which had remained feeble, became so completely paralyzed that the patient could no longer raise it to his lips; under the use of a stimulating liniment it grew better until he used crutches. Probably owing to their employment he became much worse, but gradually improved again up to this present date of January 6, 1864. The right and left arms measure nearly the same: power of right arm one-fourth that of left. Electric examination — Electromuscular contractility normal; electro-muscular sensibility somewhat lessened. Treatment. — Faradization of arm daily ; alternate hot and cold douche, and active motion. On close examination, soon after admission, some evidence of tubercle was found in the right lung, and the patient was therefore ordered to be discharged January 20, 1864." -- The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. Part III, Volume II. (3rd Surgical volume) by U. S. Army Surgeon General's Office, 1883.
Veteran of the American Civil War, served in the 145th Penn. Infantry
From the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan------
Kent, Daniel, 1839-1898.
Twenty letters (1862-1863) were written to members of his family. He wrote of illness in camp, the weather, observation balloons, the sound of battle, the battle of Chancellorsville in which he "came out safe" but many men were killed, wounded or taken prisoners. He expressed his opinion of draftees and deserters. He was wounded in the hip July 2, 1863 and spent several months in the Patterson Park Hospital, Baltimore, and U. S. General Hospital, West Philadelphia. He was in Company A, 145th Pennsylvania Infantry. After the war he came to Michigan, becoming a farmer in Wayland and Bellaire.
"Case VI. — Gunshot Wound of Right Thigh; lesions of motion and sensation; reflex paralysis of right arm as to motion. "Daniel Kent, aged 24; Pennsylvanian; farmer. Enlisted August, 1862, company 'B,' 145th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Healthy until wounded. At Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, while charging at a full run, the leg raised up, he was shot in the right thigh 10 1/2 inches above the edge of the patella, directly over the rectus. The ball made its exit on the postero-internal surface of the thigh one inch below the fold of the nates. It seems to have passed inside of the bone and could not have hit the sciatic nerve. He fell at once, quite conscious, and feeling an instant stinging pain all over the right side of his body, and especially in the arm. He lost a great deal of blood, and found that he could not sit up without giddiness. His wound was dressed in six hours, and he was on the field thirty-six hours. The leg lost all motion and some sensation, and the tingling pain in the arm left him within twelve hours. He remained in bed six weeks, and then was able to walk on crutches. The sense of touch changed but little during the time which has since elapsed, and the power of movement in the leg has remained unaltered since August 1, 1863. The wound healed in October, with some previous loss of bone. Since October the wounds have twice reopened to give exit to small pieces of bone. Except an attack of ague in October, his general health has been good. Present condition, December 26, 1863: Nutrition. — The leg is healthy in color; the foot swells when hanging down. The right thigh, eight inches above the patella, measures 19 inches in circumference; the left measures 19 1/4 inches. The right calf measures 14 1/4 inches; the left calf measures 15 inches. Sensation. — No pain anywhere; tactile sensibility entire; sense of locality healthy. Motion. — The thigh is voluntarily flexed very slightly, and only through the agency of the psoas muscle, the anterior thigh muscles refusing to obey the will: abduction and adduction of the thigh normal; extension of the thigh is normal ; extension of leg none. The foot is almost moveless, except that the will can cause feeble flexion of the toes and slight eversion and inversion of the foot. Electric examination. — The rectus muscle has its electro-muscular contractility somewhat lessened; that of the two vasti muscles is lost until the wet conductors reach the upper parts of the muscles (three inches above the wound), where this properly becomes normal. The sartorius has its electric contractility diminished. Below the knee the peroneus longus responds very well, but, with this exception, none of the leg muscles stir under the most powerful induced currents. The short extensor of the toes and the interossi still possess some power to contract under electrical stimulus. Throughout, the electro-muscular sensibility is diminished in all the muscles which have suffered in their contractile power, and the sense of pain seems also to be materially lessened since dry electric conductors, with strong currents, cause no pain when applied to the bones or nails of the foot. The history of the arm, which was reflectively paralyzed, has been reserved for separate detail here. After three days from the date of the wound the right arm, which had remained feeble, became so completely paralyzed that the patient could no longer raise it to his lips; under the use of a stimulating liniment it grew better until he used crutches. Probably owing to their employment he became much worse, but gradually improved again up to this present date of January 6, 1864. The right and left arms measure nearly the same: power of right arm one-fourth that of left. Electric examination — Electromuscular contractility normal; electro-muscular sensibility somewhat lessened. Treatment. — Faradization of arm daily ; alternate hot and cold douche, and active motion. On close examination, soon after admission, some evidence of tubercle was found in the right lung, and the patient was therefore ordered to be discharged January 20, 1864." -- The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. Part III, Volume II. (3rd Surgical volume) by U. S. Army Surgeon General's Office, 1883.
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