Letters of William Rockwell Thrall and William Lynn McMillen as a Source for Studying the Participation of American Doctors in the Crimean War

Abstract

The service of American doctors in the Russian army during the Crimean war is one of the most interesting pages in the history of Russian-American relations. In 1854–1855, about 40 American physicians joined the Russian army. In general, more is known about American doctors in the Crimean theatre of military operations. However, American doctors were also present on the northern front in the Baltic area, particularly, in the Russian army in Finland. Four Americans — Drs Thrall, McMillen, Leas, and Smyser — served in Tavastehus temporary military hospital. In Russian and foreign historiography, the question of foreign doctors’ service on the northern front of the Crimean war has not been addressed, and the organization of the medical part of the Russian troops guarding the Baltic coast is under-researched.
The material for this study was the letters of two American doctors, William Rockwell Thrall and William Lynn McMillen, published in the Daily Ohio State Journal and the Ohio Medical and Surgical Journal. For the first time letters from American physicians are introduced into scholarship. They are interesting not only as a historical source describing the condition of the Russian army and society during the Crimean War, but also as an example of positive experience of cooperation between Russia and the United States. This little-known material, enables to reconstruct a partial picture of American doctors’ service in Finland, their circle of acquaintances and their views on Russia.

Keywords:

W. R. Thrall, W. L. McMillen, Crimean war, Finland, Tavastehus temporary military hospital, American doctors, history of medical relations, the US mass media, Russian-American relations