A brotherhood of veterans: Read about the enduring bond between A.T. Still, MD, DO, and his Civil War colonel

Oct. 25, 1864: The Civil War is nearing its conclusion. Major Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO—who would go on to found osteopathic medicine—orders his soldiers to disarm 140 Confederate prisoners of war as they approach and surrender at the Battle of Mine Creek in Kansas. The prisoners are tired, dehydrated and hungry. They have been fighting for several days without respite. Rather than further harm or humiliation, Major Still offers them a meal. The fighting has ended for the 21st Regiment.

Following the victory at the Battle of Mine Creek, 21st Regiment Col. Sandy Lowe and his executive officer leave Major Still in charge while they venture to Fort Scott for an update on battle plans. They bring back news that the battle-weary 21st Regiment can disband. Major Still brings his men into formation one final time to officially disband the 21st Regiment at DeSoto, Kansas, on Oct. 27, 1864.

The Civil War has ended, but a new chapter has begun for Major Still and Col. Lowe as veterans bound together by an enduring brotherhood.

For those of us who are interested in our profession’s history, early years and origins, we relish the opportunity to learn new details about Major Still, or as he is better known, Dr. Still. The information below about Dr. Still’s friendship with Col. Lowe sheds more light on the character of the man who created osteopathic medicine. It is particularly relevant to revisit as Veterans Day approaches and the profession celebrates its 150th anniversary.

The brotherhood begins

The brotherhood of veterans is as old as the biblical verse from Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Major Still and Col. Lowe were plunged into adversity and forged a brotherhood.

In addition to the bonds they forged during battle, Major Still and Col. Lowe were also bonded by the difficulty they both experienced when trying to claim their pensions for their Civil War service. In 1866, Col. Lowe took steps to reorganize the 21st Regiment in anticipation of the Kansas State Legislature’s approval of commissions and provision of overdue payroll funding. In a handwritten letter dated April 7, 1866, Col. Lowe, anticipating Dr. Still’s departure from military service, tried to keep him on as the 21st regimental surgeon.

Still brothers pressed into service

Dr. Still served as the field officer of the 21st Regiment and the third highest-ranking officer leading the men into the battle. His brother, James M. Still, MD, a credentialed minister and physician, also served as a surgeon in the 21st Regiment. Both men were known to treat those in need from both sides of the conflict throughout their frontier medicine practice.

In his autobiography, Dr. Still described his disappointment with the medical treatment methods of the day. Both before and during the Civil War, he witnessed the massive failure of these “heroic” treatment measures on a wide scale. These unfortunate traumatic outcomes included the addiction of patients to whiskey and opiates, which led to numerous unproductive lives after the war.

Dr. Still quoted Henry Ward Beecher by writing, “The frontier was a good place to get the truth,” and remarked that “[his] science or discovery was born in Kansas under many trying circumstances.” At this point in his life, Dr. Still had already lost his wife in 1859, and then lost his youngest children in succession earlier in 1864 before being pressed into service in October of that year.

Dr. Still a ‘worthy marshal’

In 1866, the Kansas Daily Tribune reported on the veteran brotherhood that had formed and met in Baldwin City to elect officers, including the “worthy marshall [sic], Dr. Still.” (link requires login)

Although his military service appears to have ended after the Civil War, Dr. Still’s hardships continued. The men who fought in the Battle of Big Blue waited until 1870 to acquire their pay and had even more difficulty obtaining Civil War pensions. As a result, these veterans were bound together and battle-tested, forming brotherhoods across the United States. These organizations eventually became the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), and their strength in numbers became a significant force in advancing their causes, which included compensation and pensions.

What is often overlooked is the chaos that followed the Civil War as the economy crumbled. Like many others, the Still family was not immune to these hardships. Dr. Still would go on to “fling the banner of osteopathy to the breeze” in 1874, but not before enduring additional challenges, as the medical community did not embrace his innovative treatment methods.

Col. Lowe’s resignation

Col. Lowe was a committed warrior to the Union cause throughout the Civil War. The colonel is credited with 40 enemy kills during many battles, and his peers nominated him for promotion to Brigadier General in the Kansas State Militia in February of 1865.

Ultimately, he resigned on Aug. 26, 1866, and returned to his Missouri farm near Wadesburg. His relationship with Dr. Still did not end after the war, as the two reunited more than a decade later.

Reunited at the Lowe home

In the winter of 1878, a pneumonia epidemic occurred, and Dr. Still was treating an old family friend in Baldwin, Kansas. While returning from that trip to Missouri, he received a telegram summoning his services to Col. Lowe’s home in Wadesburg, Missouri. Col. Lowe’s wife was sick with “double pneumonia,” which was generally fatal in adults at that time.

After successfully treating Col. Lowe’s wife, Dr. Still was asked to stay and use the Lowe home as a base of practice until the summer of 1879. The retired colonel demonstrated the trust he placed in Dr. Still and his practice methods. This act of hospitality shows the depth of the relationship between these two men in the post-war years and must have been a great comfort for both vets through many trying times.

They had served together in previous skirmishes in and around Harrisonville, Missouri, in 1861-62. They mustered out of their first tour of duty on Feb. 28, 1862. They both served in the Cass County, Missouri, Home Guard (Mounted), during which Col. Lowe was a company commander, and Dr. Still was a private who was quickly promoted to hospital steward.

Indeed, these two men reminisced about their days of service like all old veterans do. Dr. Still’s eventual obituary proudly mentioned his Civil War service with Col. Lowe as his commander in the 21st Regiment.

The brothers 3 are veterans

Dr. Still had two older brothers who were also veterans of the Civil War. Dr. James Still served with Dr. Still in the Kansas State Militia in 1864 and their oldest sibling, Edward Still, MD, DO, remained in Missouri, where he practiced medicine in Macon, later serving in the Civil War as a physician and surgeon.

Dr. Edward Still found out firsthand that Dr. A.T. Still’s osteopathic treatment methods were beneficial, as his brother helped him overcome his post-war maladies, including his dependence on opiates. Dr. Edward Still later graduated in the first class from the American School of Osteopathy (ASO) in 1892.

Of the two older brothers, Dr. James Still was less likely to join Dr. Still in this new way of practicing medicine. After years of philosophical differences, Dr. James Still openly questioned his younger brother’s sanity in the post-war years. The unorthodox changes Dr. Still had developed and incorporated into his practice of medicine proved divisive to the brothers.

Dr. James Still would remain in Kansas and practice in Eudora as a physician for more than two decades. Dr. James Still would later reconcile with Dr. A.T. Still after 19 years of not speaking. In fact, after reconciling with his brother, Dr. James Still even joined the second class of ASO in 1895 and then practiced as an osteopathic physician with his sons.

Tears for the veterans

E.E. Tucker, DO, was an osteopathic physician who knew Dr. A.T. Still well. While reminiscing about Dr. A.T. Still, Dr. Tucker noted that he saw Dr. Still in tears when thinking of the Civil War and the many deaths of soldiers he had witnessed.

“His breath suddenly began to come in short trembly gasps; and tears poured from his eyes,” Dr. Tucker said.

Brotherhood and osteopathic medicine

The lives of Dr. Still and Col. Lowe are a testament to the deep bond forged between soldiers: A brotherhood built on shared hardship and resilience. Even in the chaos of the Civil War and its aftermath, their friendship not only endured, but also became stronger.

As we continue to celebrate 150 years of osteopathic medicine and honor Veterans Day, we should also reflect on the inextricable links between these two observations. Dr. Still’s story serves as a testament to the values that remain at osteopathic medicine’s core: empathy, resilience and a profound commitment to service.

Related reading:

New documents illuminate the Civil War legacy of A.T. Still, MD, DO

150 years of osteopathic medicine: How a DO civil rights leader and a trailblazing DO military physician helped shape osteopathic history