Wooden model of Surgeon General McPherson's horse-drawn ambulance, military, probably English(?), 1850-1900

Transporting wounded men away from the battlefield or between different medical units has long proved difficult for the armed forces. Throughout the 1800s a number of vehicles were developed which were designed specifically for transporting the wounded. In this simple horse-drawn ambulance, wounded men would have been placed on stretchers which were then attached to the flat decking. Pulled by two or more horses, the journey would have been uncomfortable, especially over rough terrain – the soldiers may have had to hold on for extra safety.

The ambulance is named after ‘Surgeon-General MacPherson’, who is almost certainly Duncan MacPherson (1812–1867), a military surgeon who served in China and India.