Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Existence and Location of Copies

Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Stanford E. Chaillé Collection, Ms2008-031, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Stanford E. Chaillé Collection was purchased by Special Collections in 2004.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Stanford E. Chaillé took place in June 2008.

Biographical Note

Stanford E. Chaillé was born on July 9, 1830, in Natchez, Mississippi, the descendant of several patriots of the Revolutionary War. Educated by private tutors until his mother's death, Chaillé eventually graduated from Phillips' Academy in South Andover, Massachusetts, in 1847. Chaillé then received an A. B. (bachelor's degree) in 1851 from Harvard College and later earned his medical degree from the Medical Department of the University of Louisiana (now Tulane) in 1853. Chaillé later returned to Harvard College and received an A. M. (master's degree) in 1854. On February 23, 1857, Dr. Chaillé married Laura E. Montfort. The union produced one child, Mary Laura Chaillé. Laura E. Montfort died on August 18, 1858. Before the American Civil War, Dr. Chaillé worked as a resident student in the New Orleans Charity Hospital and then served as a resident physician at the United States Marine Hospital and at the Circus Street Infirmary.

During the war, Dr. Chaillé rose from being a private in the New Orleans Light Horse Brigade to acting Confederate Surgeon General of Louisiana in 1862. In May, 1862, Dr. Chaillé became the surgeon and medical inspector of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. In July of 1863, Dr. Chaillé took the post of surgeon-in-charge of the Fairground Hospital #2 in Atlanta, Georgia, then transferred to Okmulgee Hospital in Macon, Georgia in December, 1863. While in Georgia, Dr. Chaillé met, and later married, Mary Louisa Napier.

After the Civil War, Dr. Chaillé lectured and demonstrated anatomy and obstetrics in New Orleans. In 1878, Congress selected Dr. Chaillé to study the great yellow fever epidemic, and he later sat on the Havana Yellow Fever Commission. Dr. Chaillé also contributed significantly to medical literature. Among these contributions was his formulation of infant developmental standards in 1887. From 1885 until his retirement in 1908, Dr. Chaillé served as the dean of Tulane's medical school. Dr. Stanford E. Chaillé died in 1911.

Scope and Content

The Stanford E. Chaillé Collection consists of letters, government-issued documents, printed material, and two photo albums containing thirty-six photos. Those pictured in photos include: Dr. Chaillé, Laura Chaillé, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Layton M. D. P., and other friends. Materials date from shortly before the American Civil War to the decades following southern Reconstruction. Salient topics are the occupation of New Orleans by the Union during the Civil War, postwar government elections, the great yellow fever epidemic, and Dr. Chaillé's long career and accolades. Several documents relate to Dr. Chaillé's position as dean of the Tulane Medical School, such as a notable graduation speech welcoming Confederate leader Jefferson Davis. Dr. Chaillé's interest in genealogical research also appears in letters and documents. In one genealogical sketch, Dr. Chaillé traces his family tree to France where it was "very Catholic" before 1540.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by material type. Letters appear chronologically.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Stanford E. Chaillé Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).