The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-11-30

bearing 10 tucsr ule0 uou eAHsote oSs s'ss'S
c,ncera for their hsalsh, comfort OF clean
illness. Al
We mar not be able to remedy oil OF the |
evils connected with the hospital arrange |
msnis Of our brave Iowa volunteers; but we
have done. and are still doing great deal
To amel,osate their condition, and we hope
that very seon, aided BY the societies
saraagsies the State who are cooperating /
with Us, we vii be able to render their con |
ditien very comfortable.
am requested BY our soldiers to express
to you. ladies. their deep and heartfelt graf
isude for The Substantial testimony you have
given them, in the way OF comforts and DEL |
icacies. Ut your interest IN thflr welfare
and ycar high appreciation ut ihe,r services;
and have been assured that the conscious,
ness that hundreds Of ladies IN toeir own
State were thinking Of them. AMI iabortng
for their comfort. has cheered many SICK
soldier. through dark hours OF pain, suffer-
Jog and neglect. ..
Tae ladies' Of cur State have done nobly
Jet Us continue our eGorts-mach stu -
to he done.
We hope to be able to place in each regs-
ment, at least two good aud efheient female
nurses, who will labor for the comfort o.
our sick, and hare charge aud take care q
our hospital stores. We are fully coOvinc.
cd of tue importance of this measure anc
have secured the services Of some OF our
best ladies for this work. Some OF them
are already in the Geld, others will soon TOT
low. Most OF the nurses heretofore have
been taken from the ranks and are distress
inyiy awkward and rough il their appr oachcs
to the men, and know little or nothing about
taking care Of the sick. woman OF intel
/ ligence and character could do more 10 IN
. spire conf lence aud render the sick com
Portable than half dozen such men, Tor
women are peculiarly adapted to the KIND
aud delicate Offices of a sick room.
Women, weak and dependent as they are,
are the moss Efficient agents for doing good,
either as nurses or risitors among our hos
pitfalls They are received with degree cf
confidence and c,rdiai,ty that no man. b ".
ever great bis military or medical reputa-
ton, can command, and with womanly
hearts and VEN .niy tact, the yoan lay hold
Of influence that men cannot reach.
Several instances OF this kind have recent
" transpred under the supervision OF our
society, demonstrating this fact beyond con-
troversy, and proving to US the Importance
Of having female delegates frequently In the
field. And the Importance of such meas
ure is still more apparent when We reflect
that, the medical and nursing departments
Of our army are fraught with ten. fold in
terest. as regards the saring Of valuable
life, above any other department.
Another very serious difficulty that our
sick soldiers have to contend with, and one
which they feel as bitterly as any other is,
the i,upraeticahlc plans of the Sanitary COM
mission. ST. Louis has been made by them
the great rendezvous Of the sick Of the West
ern division of the army, and it is their plan
to draw away the lick from their regiments
for distance Of from 100 to 200 miles and
concentrate them at this place. Very ex-
tensiye preparations have been made thore
for their accommodation and, already, there
are nearly three thousand sick soldiers in
st. Louis. -
While We can but speak in terms Of praise |
of the Sanitary Commission, as regards the
ST. Lsus hos itals, the impracticab,ity OF
their plans will appear. when We take into
consideration the TACT that, most OF our |
troops are at remote distances from that
post, and any attempt to transport rery I
sick men to that point would be hazardous |
to human iife--if not very Sick. it would
DE "a needless expense and trouble. Besides, |
our sick soldiers are decidedly opposed TO
being separated from their regiments and |
Companies, (who are ready to stand by them
to the dentn,) aud placed IN II prom scuous
crowd of strangers in u General llospi- 4,
tai.
The consequences is, that while large sums
Of money are being expended in St. Louis
for hospital rur posess the regiment haspl. |
tails are grossly nes l'cted, and our sick are
left TO choose between staying with their
regiments, and saF,,rln. the privations and
dangers consequent upn lack ut suitable !
hospital stores and nurses. aud of gong 10 |
ST. Louis at the hazard of their lives. They |
mostly choose To stay with the re.iments and |
suffer; and the depths Of anguish and dis
pair which have wrung with agony many
noble spirit, God alone can fathom.
Many Of our Surgeon are noble men,who |
Will do their duty in the camp or IN the
field, and are dong all they can for the COM
fort of their men; but there are others who
will best secure the iaterest Of themselves
and their men by resigning their positions
Immediately.
1t is painful for me to speak of these
things and do it only from IA sense Of duty,
and for the purpose of showing how MANY I
difficulties our sick soldiers have to contend
with, and the importance Of laborins for the
regiment hospitals.
As far as my observations extend our
troops are well clothed and we'll fed, and but /
for the disabilities under which they labor
with regard TO hospital supplies, &C., &c,
the comfort Of the men would be tolerably
well secured. But the miasmatic districts
in which some Of our regiments have been /
quartered, has been very fatal to their
health. ~ d. -.
This is especially TRUE Of the Iowa %, Sd
and 1th. s-...s. ..a. az sna.ss -.
The Second. which has suffered more Sc
verely On account of sickness than any other,
has been bIou.h up from Bri's Point to |
st. Louis to recruit. aud the health Of the
regiment is ,mpreving 81 ,wlv. There are Mt
this time about 200 nat on furlough. 500 to /
be prescribed for daily, IN camp, and so in |
the General Hospital. Some OF the sckest
Of the men were left beh nd, in Cairo.
The Third, which has been in Quincy for !
the last six weeks recruiting, has been or
dercd to ST. Louis and is now considered Fit !
for duty.
The Seventh Regiment had two hundred !
on their sick list before the battle of Bel !
mont; as they suffered severely in that con.
hlci their number has been greatly increas-
ed
The hea!,h Of our other regiments is CON-
parasively good-being more recently called
into the field and at more favorable sea.
son of the year, they are not likely to SD fer
so severely.
The articles needed for hospital use
are
Bed-shir's and drawers, made Of canton ,
flannel, bed sacks. pillow sacks and cases, |
SIZE Tor cot, sheets and cnmfortables, she |
Tor cots, yarn socks, slippers, or cloth shoes, /
towels. Int, bandages, anl old linnen or c,.- |
on clothes, wines, je'lies, dried or Canned
iruiis,farina, corn starch, &c.
ANY one, or all Of these articles will be |
most acceptable, and if forwarded here will |
be taken immediately on to where they nre
mos needed. We are in correspondence
WITH the various regiments and ho.nitals. /