Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1862-12-31

went home. Subsequently they were ,r-
rested as deserters, put in there and can't
get out
Col. Belknap, who was in command,
seemed willing and anxious to mend mat,
ters. lie said he would shrink from no
responsibility or duty, but he had not
full control; he was inlerfered with he
could not compel the surgeons to act; and
two Of them were at loggerheuds, each
claiming to be chief. His requisitions
were not promptly filed, and if he sent to
the Quartermaster General for teams, he
was told they had such a numberand that
was enough while the fact was, many Of
those charged to him had been captured
by the rebels some time ago.
The trouble, think, begins with tho
doctors. Nothing can be done without an
official examinations and they don't exams
inc a quarter fast enough. There should
be halEa dozen examining boards. Yet
slow as they are, The papers will DO gone
two or three weeks to Washington for ap>
proyal. They should examine every man
at once if he is down sick, send him to a
hospital; if we'll to his regiment; if in
durable, discharge him Send them oil
Somewhere, anywhere, but for Gods sake
don [ keep them there to die by inches
Hundreds Of lives, doubt not, have been
uselessly, recklessly sacrificed there alrea-
dy, and hundreds more will be, unless
Congress applies the Iemedy, for the Med
cal Department won't, or it could have
done so lorg ago
Then, mistruSt, there are a set Of
thieying, shiflless middle men and under
officials, who oppress the soldier by their
petty power and flch his food. If he
wants to sell some articles for others his
sickly appetite will relish, which is accorN
ding to army regulations the rations are
stopped. The presumption is that when
soldiers are short, in such place as AleXD
andiia, there is gross neglect of official
duty or thieving officials somewhere, for
the Government is not at fault. No sol.
diers were ever more bountlulIy furnishr
ed as ours are now. And there is not oae
particle of necessity Or excuse for suffer-
ing, or even hard fare in this or any other
camp so easy ofaccess, if officials do their
duty as the men will do theirs.
It's piliful enough to see so many poor,
broken,spirited crippled fellows gather
around man who comes in 10 look up a
friend, and plead With tears and offers of
all their four, or six, or eight months back
pay, for many Of them havn't had a cent
in six months, If he would only help them
out. They have asked, and looked and
waited, month after month 70 be examined,
They think if they have some member OF
Congress, or influential friend, to give in
their names, they will receive attention
and so they will But alone and unaded
they look upon all effort as useless. If
they make complaint OF abuses, they say
they are gyufiiy repulsed aud tod to mind
their own business. This for men living
perhaps in luxury at home, and quite su,
perior iE position and worth TO many ot
their petty tyrants, comes little tough
on true, Ereeborn American citizens. And
, thus the brave, high spirited, enthusiastic
young men who palriotlcally left friends
and luxuries, and all the heart calls .
home, with a glowing enthusiasm to carry
the old flag bravely through the battle
storm, or die beneath its starry folds, be-
becomes the spiritless, detected, ruined
objects of pity, caring little whether h,
lives or dies. Sir it is one OF the saddest
sights Of my life. And the remedy is with
the press and the people. Let them set
their Congressmen at work, for they car
reform these abuses if they will.