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The War of 1812 as well as many other battles cost America the lives of many brave soldiers who were fighting for our freedom; however, what many do not know is that many individuals died not due to battle causes but due to improper health treatments. In fact, Washington himself wrote to Congress on this subject stating that he disagreed on the hospital care and explained how disorderly that it had become. The treatment centers were lacking any sort of direction and had failed to set up any sort of hierarchy between the surgeons that were staffed. Due to this lack of care during the war erupted the first termed “hospital” which was set up in Massachusetts. Among those staffed were a Director-General, four surgeons, an apothecary, as well as a plethora of nurses. Unfortunately, many lives were still lost until the field of medicine could advance their practices and learned to sterilize medical tools and other devices. However, it is an important part of history to reflect on and should make us more appreciative of the care that we receive today. Not only did our soldiers fight for our freedom but they also helped to advance the medical system that we now have today in our country.