The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-10-10

W nat the SANITARY CommlSlOn - U01nSs
The usefulness might almost say the
necessity-of the Sanitary Commission has
been made evident on the battle fields In
Maryland. Their agents and supplies have
alleviated much suffering and doubtless saw
ed the lives of many of our wounded. DR..
| Agnew writes from Frederick, Nd, on the
22d, to Mr. Olmsted. the Secretary of the as
sociation, as follows
~Dunning and myself went ont with stores
az soon as he arrived, and visited barns and
farm house. within a mile and half from
headquarters and carried relief to nearly two
thousand wounded. Everywhere We were
asked for chloroform and opiates and instru-
ments and bedpsns, and everything, In fact,
required for the wounded, except the ooarser
food furnished " the cGmmiSar,, and the
comforts proved to the extent oftheir ahll
lty by The inh ,h.;snts, who had been p,Si-
ously nearly stripped b. the rebels. Tie
medical supplies sent 10 e the emergency
on Wednesday did not arri,e On the bat
tie field until Saturday afternoon. ard tnsn
in small quantity and entirely iradequa,-ly.
Many Of the same supplies IT. still here lst
Frederick) awaiting transportation, while We
have had at least four wagon trains .,nt 10
the front that left Washington subsequent %
Wednesday afternoon, in addition to two
sent before in anticipation of the battle. Yen
can estimate at your Office The number of
wagons sent forward, including HAYS ,rsins.
which will be on the battle field this after
noon.
The wounded were mainl, clustered a
bout barns, occupying the barnyards and
floors and stables, having plenty of good
srtaw well broken by the pow er thresting
machine. / saw fifteen hundred wounded
men lying upon the straw about two barns
within sight Of each other, Indeed, there
is not barn or farm house, or store, or
church or school house between Boonsboro,
keedysville and Sharpsburg. and the latter
and Smoketown, that is no: gorged with
wounded-rebel and Union. Even the COW
cribs-and in many Instances the COW sta
blss-and in one place the hangers were fill
ed. Several thousands lie in the open air
upon straw, and all are receiving the kind
services of the farmers families and the sur
geons.
"Our plans SO far are working splendidly,
thanks to the vigor with which YOU at WASH
ington have crowded forward supplies. We
have been ahead of every one, and at least
two DAYS ahead of the supplies of the med
ical bureau, the latter fact due to its wait of
independent transportation. A single item
|, will show the value of our supplies: We have
given out over thirty pounds of chloroform
within three DAYS after the battle. The med
ical authorities had Iot one huudredh part
of what was needed, and in many places i'm
portant operations were thus neglect ed and
life lost. Our chloroform saved at least fifty
lives, and saved several hundreds from pain
Of severe operations. The want Of chloro-
form wa. the most serious deficiency in the
regular medical supplies, and as the result,
amputstions which should have been primary
Will now be secondary or impossible. The
mortality from secondary amputations is We
ry much greater than from primary.
I But everything in the way Of medical sup
, plies was deficient; poor fellows with lacerat-
ed snd broken thighs had TO be carried out
of barns into the open fields 10 answer call
of nature men suffering the agony of terri
: ble wounds were without opiaies ;tourniguets
were wanting in many instances; stimulants
entirely wanting; concentrated food also want
ing in fact everything that wounded men
iced, except place 10 lie down, and the at
r tentions ofpersonally devoted surgeons with
ont proper stores, howeverl was deficient.
The deficiency was greater than usual for
two reasons-one tie hurry of the army in
passing from campaign in which everything
:, in the way Of fsupplies was exhausted or lost,
9 the other the obstruction al The MonOcacy
and the want of independent transportation
on the part of the bureau, which would have
Il enabled il 10 go by The turnpike. Some
/. blame for the non-arrival of the medical stores
lies in tie fact that of all the surgeons, forty
or more, sent BY the surgeon-general.n no me
considered himself charged with the function
ofhurrying forward ANYTHING but himself,
the result being that plenty of surgeons got
pom the ground, but almost destitute of nee
essary appliances. l venture 10 say that
nearly every barn, aud hospital, and custer
s of wounded, over The wide extent IF the late
e military operations embrac n a circle pi
J. nearly thir'y miles, were receiving mcst IS
senttal relief from the commission, whiie the
II regular medical stores lay Monocaey Bridge
'e | solennlv lax FIVE hundred deaths al The
- door of those who declined 10 furnish facili-
= ties to the medical bureau for independent
transportation for ihr late battles. Wher
will our rulers learn wisdom and humanity ?