The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-08 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG,

The Medical 7 Imes publishes an interesting letter
on this subject, from its special correspondent with
the Federal army. The following is an extract:
The Gettysburg wounded were left to the care of
the country, and nobly did the country respond to
the call ; but it took time for the wants of the
wounded to be known, and for them to be supplied.
The immediate neighbourhood o f the scene of con-
flict was unable to do anything, however charitably
inclined, since the contending armies previous to and
immediately after the fight, had used up everything
eatable for miles around. A large force of volun-
teer and contract surgeons was the first asaistance
that arrived, and, having had certain of the
wounded placed under t heir charge, were soon
made useful; but the lint, bandages, chloroform,
left with us began to fail. 'What was to be done?

We looked at each other in dismay, when, lo!
relief was at hand. The supplies of all the different
associations in the country poured in en masse, and
in a trice we found ourselves elevated from a state
of destitution to one of luxury. Everything we
could wish for the wounded was now at our dis-
posal. We now had a sufficiency of dressing ; we
had blankets, shirts, drawers, socks, soft pillars for
stumps to rest upon, fans to keep the flies away from
those who had strength enough to use them,
and mosquito-bars for those incapable of doing
so. Food we now had fit for sick and
wounded men, and brandy, wines, and fruits. Nor
was even tobacco forgotten by these kindly associa-
tions. A number of ladies connected with them
enliven our camps, and do more good as nurses,
each of them, than a dozen men detailed for that
purpose. The wounded, the government, the coun-
try can never sufficiently thank the Sanitary Com-
mission, the Christian Commission, Adams' Express
Hospital Corps, and the many other associations
which transformed the scene of misery here to one
of homelike comfort.

The rebel wounded in our charge have fared, so
far as comforts and attention went, as our own men
fared. Before our supplies came up they made no
complaints, after their arrival they declared they
had not had such a gay time since the Confederacy
commenced to exist. The surgeons, in bringing
their cases to the table never examined previously
if a man wore blue pants or grey, but looked simply
at the nature of the wound. Had they been within
their own ;fines they could not have been so well
attended to. I have seen now Confederate wounded
in the hands of the Federals, and Federal wounded
in the hands of the rebels, and I cannot but say that
in acting the good Samaritan the North bears off
the palm. At Chancellorsville battle the rebels re-
moved their wounded to be cared for at Richmond,
leaving the 1,200 Northern wounded to lie upon the
ground. The rebel soldiers near them gave them
what help they could, but the rebel government did
nothing but confiscate the captured surgeons' cases
and hospital knapsacks, looking on them as govern-
ment property. On the misery being represented
to those in authority, sugar, flour, bacon, and bard
bread were plentifully issued to the wound,3d. This
was all, they said, they could give,
because it was
all they had. Still, they could have done more ;
they could have removed these 1,200 men to Rich-
mond along with their own wounded, to fare as they
fared ; they could have sent a detail of surgeons
from their army at Fredericksburg to attend to
them ; and from Richmond—only a couple of hours
away by rail—straw at least might have been sent
for them to lie upon. What would have been said
had the Unionists acted similarly at Gettysburg_
had they removed their own wounded by rail and
left 10,000 rebels to lie upon the field with sim-
ply hard bread, bacon, sugar, and flour to sustain
them, and with no surgical assistance, save the
dozen men whom Lee sent over to take care of
them ? Had this been done, God help the Yankees
we should never have heard the end of it.