Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-06-25
Letter from EIajor Sterling.

Levi Sterling, of the 2ud Wis Cavalry, to
Capt Whitmore It's reference to the con
dition and wants of our sick and wounded
in the different Hospitals viii be read with
interest. We trust the suggestions GINA
ior Sterling may be brought to the notice
Of Gov. Solomon, and acted upon at an
early day. The State should have men
to visit the Hospitals and attend to the
wants of the soldiers there confined, who
are qualified for the duties required
Many lives might be saved with proper
care and attention, and many noble fell
low would live to thank cur State autl or
ties if the suggestions of Major Sterling
were carried out. Kid gloved pets, and
/ weakly women are not the persons to send
! to look after the wants Of our soldiers
Nurses are good in their places, but there
| should be a thorough, we'll informed, and
influential man at the head Of the depart
ments, to see that nothing was left undone
that would tend to add to the comforts and
save the lives of our disabled soldiers
The letter from which we take the ex-
tracts IS dated St. Louis May 18th:
One would judge by looking into the
Hotels and Steamboats,, at the shoulder
! straps, that there was about as many off
! GERS in the service as soldiers, but when
/ you come to look into To G Hospitals, where
| grief exists, then you will find the poor
| soldiers by thousands During the week
/ visited several Of the Hospitals ia the
! City; in each of them found several of
4 the boys from Wisconsin, some wounded
and others SILK although com fortably sit
uAted as far as circumstances viii permit.
/ they were the most forlorn looking crea-
lures | ever beheld / visited them to see
if we could do anything for the Wisconsin
boys Each patient is known in the Hos
pital by the No of his cot lou 90 to the
General Hospital Regis er and procure the
name Of the patient with the number; the
Steward takes you to the No. and ward
Neither State nor Regiment is kept to
Sether, but placed promiscuously and mum
bered as they are brought in, so that each
patient, although he may have friends in
afliction in the same Hospital with him
self, IS very likely to be thrown into a ward
amongst entire strangers. The first Wis
consin man | approached was wounded IN
the shoulder and was doing well when [
told him that was from Wisconsin he
grasped me with both hands, and was over
joyed in meeting me. | enquired how he
was doing. He answered very we'll and
that he had been treated kindly. | en-
quired if could DO anything for him.
lie answered me by saying he had no des
criptiye roll, and could not get his paw.
that he wanted furlough to 90 home as
soon as he was well enough to travel;
and several other small fayors that he was
not able to attend to, which was outside Of
the duties OF the hospital steward, which
he would like to have some person to do for
him. After leaving him / found quite
number Of the 18th and 18th Wisconsin
boys some few of them were wounded.
but the greater number Of them were pros
trated by sickness Their wants were
about as the first patient visited Their
wants were universally, pay, furIoughs,
clothes and letters written to their friends
| did not meet a man / knew, amongst thee
fifty patients | visited, yet they all greeted
me as an old friend mailing i.om Wiscon-
sin. regret only that | could not relieve
their wants. The Governor of our State
could not do a moro humane act, than to
appoint some competent person that would
take an interest in, and look after the poor
unfortunate soldiers that are sent here. of
which there Is quite ii number, some 800
or 400 now, and accommodating every day
1t should be & man Of industry and perse-
verance, one that would travel constantly
from one hospital to another lie should
have a register Of each patients cot and
visit him as often as his time would al
low, when he found patient well enough
to travel he should acquaint himself with
the different departments in the city RED
tape so that an application could be
made at the proper place for Through,
and send him home, where he could get
we'll In this way. more good could be
done and misery relieved by one man, !
than forty men sent on a flying visit as
nurses to spend day or two in looking
at the miseries OF humanity with slime and
power to relieve them There is already
many deaths from amongst our noble Wis
consin boys, and unless there is something
done to look after the over-crowded hos /
pitfalls here, by our State, we shall have |
numbers more that might be saved at a
comparative very small expense Our own
State furnishes but moiety of the afflic- /
ton here 5000 would not cover the mum /
Der of the sick and wounded that are row
here, and every day adds to the number
The most that are arriving now are the /
sick from the Tennessee River. In Pot I
er's field not far from our camp. since /
December last 200 poor fellows has been
laid low in his last resting place with a
single board at his head, marked with the
number of his cot, his name, the letter of /
his company and his regiment Hundreds I
are taken UP and removed home by their