James Edward Hanger founded Hanger Orthopedic Group in 1861. He was the first amputee of the Civil War. After losing his leg in the first land battle of the war, Hanger returned to his hometown in Virginia and developed an artificial leg from whittled barrel staves. His success prompted him to make the Hanger Limb, as it became known, for other Confederate amputees in the area. Hanger Orthopedic Group provides orthotic and prosthetic services and products. It offers advanced technology, clinically differentiated programs and customer service. The company owns and operates hundreds of patient care centers throughout the United States. It also has distribution centers and one of the largest orthopedic and prosthetic managed care networks in the U.S. Hanger Orthopedic Group has headquarters in Bethesda, Md.