Hospital ledger tied to KY Civil War battle sold on eBay. Buyer donates it to historical society

It’s not every day that a Kentucky Civil War artifact turns up on eBay.

But that’s just what happened when a historian group discovered that someone was selling a hospital ledger tied to the Battle of Perryville online. After a $3,000 purchase, a Kentucky historian studied the ledger, revealed some new Civil War mysteries, and donated the ledger to the Harrodsburg Historical Society.

The ledger is attributed to Dr. Robert Wilson Thrift, the surgeon of the 49th Ohio Regiment of the Civil War. The ledger has ties to Harrodsburg and the Battle of Perryville, one of the bloodiest battles Kentucky experienced during the Civil War, according to the Harrodsburg Historical Society.

Joni House, a historian who is associated with the non-profit organization Friends of Perryville Battlefield, said they became aware of the ledger when an antique dealer from New York put it up for sale on Ebay. They paid $3,000 for the artifact before donating it.

“To be able to return that particular piece of history to Kentucky was very important,” House said.

After the Battle of Perryville, thousands of wounded soldiers crowded nearby buildings seeking medical treatment, according to Friends of Perryville Battlefield. Harrodsburg facilities treated a many of the wounded soldiers.

The ledger from Dr. Thrift contained historical records, including the names of the wounded soldiers who were treated in one of the Harrodsburg hospitals and regimental information of the 49th Ohio Regiment.

‘Out of the blue’

House said it’s rare to find hospital ledgers from Civil War battles in general, but to find a ledger associated with the Battle of Perryville is especially rare.

“To find that primary resource just out of the blue with all those names in it, it’s pretty remarkable that we found it and it survived,” House said.

House transcribed the ledger, which actually led to more mysteries about the Battle of Perryville. Preliminary research revealed there were discrepancies regarding information on the regiments from Georgia. Additionally, it’s not clear which Harrodsburg hospital treated the wounded soldiers.

“It just could be that the Georgia boys just lied about their regiments. There are now more questions than answers and that’s what makes history so cool,” House said in a news release.

After the ledger was transcribed, it was donated to the Harrodsburg Historical Society on March 14.