The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-12-05
Shocking Abuses of Sick and
Wounded Soldiers.

A vigorous, piquant war correspondent
ia woman) of the Springfield Republican
gives the following terrible record:
CAMP Hill, HARPER's FERRY. Nov. 8.
I The ways of cred tape" are past finding
out. Why our sick and wounded soldiers
have so much unnecessary suffering entailed
upon them, one who beholds it from the out
side of complicated " army regulations can
not possibly say. But it is very easy to see
that if half of the entire corps of quarter
masters, army surgeons and hospital stewards
were making every effort how not to care for
these victims of war, they coul / not succeed
more perfectly than they do. During the
summer months the government buildings
on the hill opposite, and the mansions of the
old armory paymaster and Of other officials
were used as hospitals. Then the number
of our sick was very small, compared with
what it now is. Every patient received at
least the benson of light, air and sunshine.
Suddenly there ceme an order" The sick
rere all to be carried to Frederick. They
~ee all carried Frederick. They were drag
ged from their beds twenty-seven miles, and
reached their new quarters just in time to be
driven out at midnight by the arrival of
jackson. Ii there is pitiful sight under the
sun. it is a retreatng army of the sick and
wounded. Hearing for certainty of the arri-
val of the rebel hosts, they crept from the
hard cots on which they had just been laid
out under the cover of the protecting night,
TO 90 they knew nol whether. Some of the
stronger conyaescents were able to reach
Hagerstown, just before the rebels, again to
be driven away. Many overcome by disease,
exposure and suffering, dragged themselves to
some shelterng spot 10 die; others sooner
worn out sank down and died by the road
side After It's shameful surrender when the
grand army of the republic once more march
ed into iIarper's Ferry, the airy spacious
rooms of the Norphy mansion were once
more filled with our wounded and sick
Through the broad emhrasures of its win
dows their weary eyes could gaze upon the
Potomac and Shenandoah; upon the nights
of Louden and Maryland; upon the valley
and village below; upon panorama of ma
ture ever changing and ever glorious. 1t
was grand and gracious spot. SO thought
Gen -. 1t was Just what he wanted for
his headquarters. The lesser mansions,
crowning the hill, would make such pleasant
rendezvous for his dashing staff officers
Again the sick were taken from their beds !;
from these houses so commodious and so
comfortable for all hospital purposes. And
this time where were they carried? Across
the street, to low. dilapidated houses, into
houses without chimneys, without windows,
without doors. Here, in low, narrow rooms,
blazing with the sun through the day, damp
and chill with dew and frost at night, their
knapsack for pillow, their blanket for bed,
they were laid on the floor to die They did
die. y plague-like fever swept them off like
chaf. No comfort, little care, was vouch
safed to them in their last hours. Often
with the name of wife, or child, or mother
upon their lips they gave back their breath
to God. And the on ly note taken of their
departure was that there was one less name
to call, one cup less to Fill with the wretched
coffee which they could not drink. There
was no one to make a coffin, no one to cry
above their outcast graves, 81 am the Res
direction and the Life" On the hillside
across the way. closer than in life, with the
stones piled high upon their breasts, they
"sleep for the flag" these martyrs of the re-
public. Thank God that those who love
them best cannot see how they die, or how
they are buried From the crest of the hill
far down It's sides they reach, these ever
lengthening rows Of saddest graves. There
is one marked from the rest by few green
sods laid upon the top of its stones, and by
the neat wooden head-board on which in dis
tinct characters some tender hand has writ
en-: "Our beloved comrade has gone home
One rainy evening two weeks ago, they
regiment from house opposite. 1t was a
dismal sight to see them carry the poor fel-
lows ont and thrust them into the shivering
ambulances waiting in the rain before the
door There were two brothers. suffering
with a hopeless disease in the head, beside
being distorted with rheumatism, who more
than once in piteous accents. had expressed
to me the wish TO see their wives. who were
always so kind. at would do them 50
much good they said. "Oh. if they could
only be at home if but for single day.
With feeling OF painful sclicitude, watch.
ed them carry these poor men away, | sadly
wondered where | found out this morning
The snow lies deep upon the ground, the all
is bitter cold; (such weather thus early in
November has not been known in Virgins
for many years)-yet in passing through the
tent-wards of the general hospital, l found
hundreds upon hundreds of sick men, some
in the last stages of consumption, dysentery
and fevers, lying crowded upon the ground
with nothing but single blanket between
them and its icy dampness. One lifted W
the end of his, and showed the under side
soaking wet. What couch for a mar
drawn I'M in apany with rheumatism Ir