The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-06 00:00:00

THE FEDERAL HOSPITALS.

A correspondent of a Federal journal, the St. Louis Re-
publican, writes from the Federal camp opposite Vicksburg
upon the 28th of February in the following words :—" To
ignore longer the terrible condition of our army before
Vicksburg cannot but be fatal. Unless the truth be spread
before the country, before long the brave army of the
Mississippi will be destroyed; and the world will stare to
think that it has been cruelly, shamefully murdered by our
own neglect. You must know that we have much sickness
—too much. The warm, moist, murky atmosphere, the
muddy ground, the worse quarters on board steamboats,
the hard fare, and the swollen river are of themselves suf-
ficient to produce numerous disea,es ; but these unfavour-
able conditions are rendered worse by the wretched in-
efficiency of the surgeons, the actual cruelty of their rssiat •
ants, and in a great measure by the want of suitable food
for the men. Ihe number of sick now here cannot be esti-
mated readily,.as they are so scattered, One-sixth of the
army is on the sick list, The admissions to hospitals are
300 a day. They were greater, but now give signs of de-
creasing. From 30 to 50 a day have died within the last
month. That rate, of course, could not be long endured
without destroying the entire army. The cruelty of our
hospitals (so called) transcends any torture ever devised f r
criminals. The principal hospital for the camp, before the
arrival of the new hospital boats from above, was a collec-
tion of negro quarters, situated at the upper edge of the
camp on a small bayou known as Ballard's Huts. There are
about 40 of them, and in these huts were confined about 400
patients, all huddled together in a noxious, dark, noisome,
filthy atmosphere—the dead, the dying, and the invalid in
one common lot. There is literally nothing anywhere to be
seen which gives an idea of a hospital, unless it be a row of
newly-made graves not far distant. The 'nurses' as they
are called, by a stretch of language, consist of about 70 men
detailed for that purpose from various regiments. They are
without system, without medicine, and seemingly with,,ut
hope or interest in their work. Perhaps this is not entirely
due to a want of heart, but to the apathy and general reck-
lessness of the place, the very bad example of the surgeons,
who go off and remain away as if indifferent to the welfare
of their patients, if, indeed, they had not as soon have
them dead as be troubled with them living. These are
weighty words, but we speak with due caution. In these
same huts a poor man was found, who had been lying on
the hard floor with nothing under him but half of his coarse
blanket for three weeks. During this time the surgeon had
been treating him for typhus fever, but the stranger dis-
covered that the man's back and spine were in a state of
gangrene mortification, unknown to the surgeon. Pass-
ing through the wards one day, a lady overheard this con-
versation between a surgeon and his assistant. A poor
patient in great pain was groaning very loudly and conti-
nuously, when the latter called out at a distance, ' Say,
can't you stop that noise ?' The former, sotto voce, put in,
If he does not stop it soon I'll fix him.' Next morning
the man was dead, although the nature of his wound did
not presage such a fate. The impression lett on my
mind was that which will occur to the reader, un-
natural as it may sound. Let us hope that it is an erro-
neous one, though there are facts leading to the dark, dole-
ful belief that there are men so debased, so fiendish, as to
send the soul of a patient to its eternal home rather than be
annoyed over their cups by the cries frost his pain-racked
body. We have no need to allude to the coarse, brute

profane, and offensive language used by some of the sur-
geons, but kicks are sometimes dealt to the sick. The nurses
take example from them. The neglect is infectious, until

at last all concern for the sick comes to be looked on in the
light of an unmanly and obsolete proceeding. We are asked
who is responsible for these things ? It is difficult to put a
finger on any one responsible for all, for each in turn points
to his neighbour as the culprit, or to the regulations, until
we have come to consider the latter as the cunningest de-
vice for slaughter and torture ever conceived. The massacre
of lives, of hearts, of hopes, the consequent sacrifice of
valuable soldiers and military advantage is enormous. If
possible, it is more damaging to the cause than the blun-
derings of Generals, for it is their greatest, though most
unnoticed blunder. It is a severe battle when 1,000 men
are needlessly killed, but here is a steady drain of thou-

sand, half of whom might be saved. Incredible as it may
seem, it is here a proverb that "It is easier to have
a grave dug than to be troubled with writing de-
scriptive rolls and discharges.' There is a discharge, an

honourable but mournful discharge, which comes to them
too soon. But discharges on earth the men cannot get when

disabled. When this is procured, there is transportation,
then rations, then various papers from one commander to

another. The labour of getting them is a task for a sound

man. llow must it be for a tottering, sinking, helpless
invalid ? Many a man's heart has broken in the attempt.

Many another, after spending days of pain and moments o
insult, finds there is some trifling informality, and it is al;
to go over again. God help these nameless martyrs I"

SJIIPPING—This Day.

LONDON, June G.—Wind this day at noon—South-
Westerly; moderate breeze and cloudy weather, with
rain.

KINGROAD, June s.—Arrived—Ellen, from St. John's,
N. 8., for Gloucester.

SWANSEA, June s.—Wind S.E.—Arrived—San Jose,
from Cuba.

FALMOUTH, June 5. —Wind N.W.—Arrived—Mina,
fr6m Port .au- Prince.

GLOUCESTER, June s.—Arrived—Elizabeth Jenkins;
from St. John's, N.B.

CLYDE, June 5 —Arrived—Southern Chief, from Ma.
tansas.

LONDONDERRY, June 4.—Arrived—Eva, from New
York.

HULL, June s.—Arrived—Contest, screw steamer, from
Mogad ore.