My gr-grandfather James G. Board's Confederate Muster Sheets notes that he
was absent at home, wounded in battle at Sharpsburg 14 Sep 1862.

By November he was again present at Muster Roll.  Capt Board appears on a
Register of Chimborazo Hospital No. 4, Richmond VA where his left leg was
amputated.          Confederate Archives Chap 1, file 92 p302, Chap 6 file
74 p 64

According to local legend, the name comes from a volcano in Ecuador. A
Richmonder who had visited South America compared that volcano with this
hill, one of the largest in the area, and the name became widely used in
the city."  It was also called "the hospital on the hill", and was known
for several innovative surgical techniques.   [It was interesting to dine
with a view of the volcano a few years ago.]

Chimborazo is an extremely large hospital facility constructed following
the outbreak of war and first opened 17 Oct 1861. It was on land bound by
the present streets of Clay on the north, 30th on the west, 34th on the
east, and the bottom of the hill on the south. The Richmond National
Battlefield Park building stands in about the middle of the old hospital
grounds.  Named for the hill on which it was located which was named after
Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.  One of the largest of all military hospitals
up to its time. Normal occupancy was about 3,000. It had about 120
buildings in all. Those for patients were divided into five divisions.  It
had its own ice house, soup house, bakery, soap factory, etc., operated its
own farms, beef and goat herds, canal trading boat. Divisions were
designated for Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Maryland, at the
beginning, but names varied at different periods.  Medical staff about
45.  Had natural springs. It claimed to have handled 17,000 wounded cases.

Judith Bailey Gabor

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