military abbreviation

Whoa!  I would like to correct the answer that was printed 17 hours ago.  I realize now what I should have realized that an abbreviation that was used in the 19th century military means something altogether different in the 21st century.

In the 19th century the military abbreviation "mtd" meant "mounted."  I found two books on the Hathi Trust website which can testify to that fact.  The first book is entitled "The Civil War in New Mexico" by F. Stanley.  Although in this book the abbreviation "mtd" is used multiple times, there is no definition given for it.  However, the text is filled with references to mounted troops.  

The second book is entitled "A dictionary of all officers, who have been commissioned, or have been appointed and served in the army of the United States since the inauguration of their first president in 1789, to the first January, 1853" by Charles K Gardner, published in 1853. The Gardner book has a page explaining all the abbreviations that are used.  "Mtd" is included and means "mounted."

In this case, Hathi Trust was more accurate than AI.

Whoa!  I would like to correct the answer that was printed 17 hours ago.  I realize now what I should have realized that an abbreviation that was used in the 19th century military means something altogether different in the 21st century.

In the 19th century the military abbreviation "mtd" meant "mounted."  I found two books on the Hathi Trust website which can testify to that fact.  The first book is entitled "The Civil War in New Mexico" by F. Stanley.  Although in this book the abbreviation "mtd" is used multiple times, there is no definition given for it.  However, the text is filled with references to mounted troops.  

The second book is entitled "A dictionary of all officers, who have been commissioned, or have been appointed and served in the army of the United States since the inauguration of their first president in 1789, to the first January, 1853" by Charles K Gardner, published in 1853. The Gardner book has a page explaining all the abbreviations that are used.  "Mtd" is included and means "mounted."

In this case, Hathi Trust was more accurate than AI.

Thanks so much for your two messages. I had guessed that "mtd" meant "mounted," based on where he was located. But since it was the first time I had seen it in regard to a patient, I wanted to check if it was a usual military abbreviation. Thanks SO MUCH for the Gardner book information! What a treasure that will be for us, since the hospital opened in 1855 as the Government Hospital for the Insane, of the Army, Navy and District of Columbia. We have had MANY soldiers as patients in our care.

Medical Transient Detachment was not a term that would have been used in the 19th century. Bookkeeping for personnel strengths was less refined back then, and they didn't have acronyms for everything.

You probably want to read Mary Gillette's history of the Army Medical Department for a better idea of what the medics were doing back then.

1775-1818: https://achh.army.mil/history/book-rev-gillett1-default 

1818-1865: https://achh.army.mil/history/book-civil-gillett2-gillett 

1865-1917: https://achh.army.mil/history/book-spanam-gillet3-default