A railroad hospital or wayside hospital wasn't necessarily located at or near civilian population centers. As the name implies, it was a hospital located at the wayside of a railroad track. It could be a permanent structure or a temporary one, such as a tent city, and was sometimes located at railroad waysides near Confederate encampments. In November 1862, the timeframe of Bob's query, Daniel's Texas Battery had just moved into Camp Bayou Metoe, along with several other units.

The railroad hospital could have been at Devalls Bluff, but its location near the large encampment at Bayou Metoe is a distinct possibility, and would account for sick list remarks in muster rolls from those units.