Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-08-06
HEALTH OF THE BATTALION.

L
chusetts Volunteer Militia, after stopping at
Annapolis till the road to Washington was
opened, landed at Fort McHenry on cold,
rainy, snowy morning, the Sd of May. The
priyates had to make floor out OF wet boards
to cover the brick barn floor, on which to sleep
that night.
The fort was under the command of Major
Norris tough, efficient, but not the most
sensitive of officers, who had spent much of
his life under the hardening influence of
frontier life in Minnesota The hospital and
garrison were under the medical care of
highly educated, gentlemanly physician, who
had been ordered to this place by the govern
meut, and who arrived the same day OF our
battalion. This physician did much TO miti
gate the severity of the discipline of this har-
dy, well meaning old soldier, who saw clearly
the necessity OF mounting those guns, but
cuuld hardly be expected 10 understand how
dangerous to the health il would be to put the
young men from lawyers offices, banking
houses, counting rooms, stores, and mechanics
shops so early in their military lives, on the
same number of hours of fatigue duty as were
given to soldiers old in the regular service.
These patriotic young men worked with a
will and vigor that pleased and surprised the
old veteran He said that he did not believe
the same amount OF work had been done in
tile same length of time by any equal number
of men, as had been done by this battalion, in
That Willie we lind up 10 May 9TH only eight
or nine sick N hospital and in quarters, by
May olst the list was swollen to thirty, aud
by june 26l the figures have Increased to the
tlA..r
I tlnue for several days. One man ont of every
six men was sick. Although the quarters we
thoroughly cleaned, we ind no diminution of
disease Till the excessive fatigue duty is closed.
From May 10th 10 June LIST, we find on the
sick report IA cases reported OF bad colds, II
debility, II diarrh@n, 10 neuralgia, rheumu-
| tism, typhoid fever, 80 or all other diseases,
ia total i'll May.
| From June to July 10 cases bad colds, 8
debility, 90 diarrh@a, 65 typhoid fever, II neu.
ralgia, 8 rheumatism AZ Of all other diseases
Total in June, 204.
From July to July 29-81 cases diarrhoea,
8 dysentery, 81 typhoid fever, 4 rheumatism, 6
debility, inflammation Of the tonsels, GO of all
| other diseases. Total in July, 1853. Making
in all AIT cases of disease prescribed for in
less than three months from force of but a
tride over three hundred men. In three
months we find put down among the diseases
81 cases of typhoid fever Two of these died,
one from bleeding from the bowels in Il consti.
tuition so broken down with disease that the
blood would not coagulate, and of course could
not be stopped; the other from uncomfortable
diarrhea.
We find. also, q cases of debility from IA
tigue, that only wanted time to cure, and
many others whose developments it was neces.
sary to await before any scientific treatment
could be adopted. As treatment and medicine
cost nothing to the SICK it would not be
strange that inexperienced young men should
desire more than was for their good.
On our arrival the wells were stagnant for
want OF use. The fort is enclosed on three
sides by water, containing the wash and filth
OF the city of over 100000 inhabitants. The
militia have not been called out since 1872.
and much coniusior and difficulty arose from
there being commander and surgeon Of the
fort, who took precedence of those of the bat
talon. The surgeon of the third battalion
had no rights while within the garrison save
those conceded him By courtesy, which Inn.
lied his powers and his responsibility, and
many things occurred, unavoidably, that he
would have wished differently.
But the curse OF military life is whiskey-
not poor whiskey, or poisoned whiskey,-but
alcohol in some form. And 1t kills more than
rifles, cannon, sabres The regiment that
would prohibit it, both among its officers and
its men, would save vast amount of annoyance
and disease. o. MARTIN, Surgeon,
Sd Battalion Rifles, M. IN.
Z. S.-Thermometer at Fort McHenry some
OF the hottest aud coolest days during the stay
of the third battalion rifles -