New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-12-21
TIVE ARrsY AT PORT ROYAL.

interesting and important letters from Port
Royal, South Carolina. The first of these COM
munications contains statement of the sani.
tary condition of the troops there which can
not fail to fill the public mind with painful
anxiety and demand the immediate attention Of
the Government. A disagreement, it appears,
has arisen between the medical officers of Gen.
Shermsns expedition and the Surgeon-G General
of the Army. The former are of opinion that
from the nature of the climate Of South Caro-
lima and from the already extensive prevalence
of sickness among the soldiers, a regular hos.
pital is imperatiyely needed, and on the recon-
mendatiOn of the Medical Director Of the
Division an order was issued by Gen. Sherman
capable of accommodating 300 patients. This
order was communicated to Quartermaster-
General Meigs, who, on consulting the Sur
geon-General at Washington, was told by him
that the climate was so mild that hospital
building was not needed, ard the order was
consequently countermanded.
From the facts stated by our correspondent,
with the concurrence of the army surgeons ut
Finlay has made u grave mistake in this
important matter-a mistake involving not
merely the comfort but the lives of our
soldiers. The climate of South Carolina is
only comparatively mild-that is TO say, com
pared with New England, or the other North
ern States, it is mild; but ii is far from being
a region Of perpetual Summer. On the con-
trary, in the Winter months the weather is
generally damp and chilly, the nights almost
invariably uncomfortably cold, and the quality
of the air such that an exposure, which would
be- harmless in the harsher, but healthier
North, is almost sure TO cause serious dis
ease. Gen. Shermans expedition landed at
Port Royal on November Z. Before The
end of he month, out Of 1900 men,
nearly 5000 had been on The SILK list. OF these
"a died i'll November, and at the last adsices
more than 600 were yet seriously i'll. The
diseases which have thus scourged the e1ped.
ton are cOngestiye and remittent ieyers, acute
dysentery, and malarious pneumonia, all of the
most malignant and dangerous type, and all IN
cident to the climate and sure to be produced
by oyer.work and exposure. The climate is
subject to great and sudden changes, which are
peculiarly trying TO the SICK, WHO are not under
proper shelter. The rapid tall in temperature
on December 3 was followed, says our CORE
spondent BY instant increase in the number OF
deaths On that night, three nck men, in
fair way Of recovery, having no sufficient pro-
lection from the weather, were literally frozen
to death-their systems, weakened by Illness,
not being able TO resist a decree of cold that
in good health would have been hardly source
Of discomfort.
The c:lief cause of this unusual amount OF
sickness is clearly shown to be tie exposure
incident to hard work, from the fact that the
officers who are spared such exposure, have in
no case been attacked by the disease, peculiar
to the climate. No stronger indication than
this can be needed OF the value, or rather we
may say, of the necessity of employing the
negroes in working for the army, which they
will do cheeriuly and vigorously for very
moderate wages. With the slightest encourage
ment from General Sherman thousands of stout
and loyal contrabands would have tbronsed his
camp and relieved the soldiers from labors
which unacclimated white men cannot perform
in that part of South Carolina, except at the
risk of their lives. And if the effect of the
climate is thus severely felt in Winter, it is
perfectly evident that in Summer it will be
almost impossible for Northern troops to hold
their ground, except with the assistance of the
blacks. The experience of a hundred years in
similar climates in Asia las shown that the
aid of the black man is indispensable to the
white in performing the drudgery Of war, and
that with that aid in abundance, as the
British have always lad it in India, campaigns
can be made war in the hottest Summer with
out serious detriment to the health Of the troops
But whatever may be thought Of the pro-
pr.ety of using negroes to aid the army, there
can be but one opinion in regard 10 the ques-
ton of n hospital at Port Royal-and that is,
that no paltry notions of economy should be
suffered to doom our soldiers to suffer the tor
ments Of cold in addition 20 those of sickness
slight and inexpensive structure is all that is
required to make them comfortable, aud We
are sure that the attention Of the Government
need only to be called to the facts in the case,
and the requisite orders wil be promptly for
warded for the erection of a hospital at Port
Royal.
uzz-c--=S-s . =zrrsz -rry-zz
a REV. READING.
Nearly year ago, to wit: on the 9th Of
December, 1860, the Hon. }. Il. Hammond,