In this picture it shows a man about to get an amputation. Amputations were done quickly by cutting off the limb in a circular cut sawing motion. Chloroform was used to reduce the torture and trauma of an operation. The chloroform was applied to a cloth then held over the soldier's nose and mouth until he was unconscious. Surgeons often let the wound heal by itself, letting new thick tissue form much like a scab. If they had enough time Surgeons might use the ¨fish mouth method" in which they would cut skin flaps and sew them together forming a rounded stump.
Amputation
Many wounded soldiers during the Civil War had an operation called an amputation. An amputation is an operation in which a person has a arm, leg, foot, or hand removed from their body due to an injury or infection.