The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1861-11-19

from their regiments Tor distance Q
from loo to 200 miles, and concentrat
them at that place. Very extensive pre-
parations have been made there for ,hei
accommodation. and, already, there ar
nearly three thousand sick soldiers in 81
Louis.
While we can but speak in terms o
praise Of the Sanitary Commission, as re
gards the St. Louis hospitals, the imprac
tidaLiEty of their plans will appear, whel
we take into consideration the fact that
most of our troops are at remote distan
ees from that post, and any attempt Il
transport rery sick men to that point
would be hazardous to human life---if moi
very sick, il would be needless expense
and trouble Besides, our sick soldiers
are decidedly opposed to being separated
from their regiments and companions,
(who are ready to stand by them to the
death, )and placed in promiscuous crowd
of strangers in General Hospital
The consequence is, that while large
sums of money are being expended in st.
Louis for hospital purposes, the regiment
hospitals are grossly neglected, and our
sick are left to choose between staying
with their regiments, and suffering the
privations and dangers consequent upon a
lack of suitable hospital stores and nurses,
and of going to St. Louis at the hazard of
their lives. They mostly choose to stay
with the regiments and suffer; and she
depths of anguish and dispair which have
wrung with agony many a noble spirit,
God alone can fathom.
Many of our Surgeons are noble men,
who will do their duty in the camp or in
the field, and are doing all they can for
the comfort of their men but there are
others who will best secure tie interest of
themselves and their men by resigning
their positions Immediately.
1t is painful for me to speak of these
things and l do it only from sense Of du-
ty, an ! for the purpose of showing bow
many difficulties our sick soldiers have to
contend with, and the Importance of Ia
boring for the regiment hospitals.
AS far as my observation extended our,
troops are we'll clothed and we'll fed, and
but for the disabilities under which they
labor with regard to hospital supplies,
dc, &c, the comfort of the men would
be tolerably well secured But the MAS
matte districts in which some of cur regi-
ments have been quartered, has been very
fatal TO their health.
tbs is especially true of the Iowa Cd,
Sd and It'll.
The Second, which has suffered more
severely on account of sickness than any
other, has been brought up from Bird $
Point TO st. Louis to recruit, and the
health of the regiment is improving slow
". There are at this time about goo out
on furlough, 800 to be prescribed for daily,
in camp, and so in the General Hospital
Some of the sckest of the men were left
bshind, in Cairo.
The Third, which has been in Quincy
for the last six weeks recruiting, has been
ordered to St Louis and is now consider
ed fit for duty.
The Seventh Regiment had two hun
dred on their sick-list before the battle of
Belmont; as they suffered severely in tina,
conflict their number has been greatly III
creased.
The health of our other regiments il
comparatively good-being more recent,
called into the field and at Il more favor
able season Of the year, they are not like
y to suffer SO severely
| The articles needed for hospital US.
are
Bed-shrts and drawers, made of Can
ton flannel, bed-sacks, pillow sacks ane
cases, size for cot, sheets and comfortables
size for cots, yarn socks, slippers, or clotl
shoes. towels. lint ban lages, and old liner
or cotton clothes, wines, jellies, dried o
canned fruits, farina, corn starch, &c.
Any one, or all of these articles will b
most acceptable. and If forwarded here
will be taken Immediately on to wher
they are most needed. We are in CORES
pondencc with the various regiments an,
hospitals ,ani y, viii frequent. wis: 90
hospitals and we pledge ourselves that
whatever stores are sent to US will be Ia
bon "a NIL ar.r tha,. IL