, 1862-03-28

without discrimination to all who wo11d &C.
cept- lhe reason Of our rule is two fold.
First: 1t prevents waste and misapplication,
~ confning the distribution to intelllgentand
articles, and who can be held responsible for
their bestowal. Secondly: It avoids conflict
with the hospital authorities, while it encour-
ages them to use their utmost endeayors to pro-
mote the recovery and comfort Of the patients.
Hence it is pleasant fact, that neither the
Commission nor any Of its..accredited agents,
though faithfully pointing out evils and
abuses, have had any contentious with officers
OF the army, m1itaTy or medical; fact which
contrasts with the frequent difficulties into
Which Others have contrived to plunge. And
surely it is not surprising that surgeons who
arc both morally and officially responsible for
the health Of those under their care, should
object to allowing free range Of the hospitals
10 those who insist upon distributing dainties
to every patient, and think their Judgment
superior to that Of physicians and nurses.
DISTRIBUTION FROM CAIRO.
OF the $50 packages sent from our Chicago
depot, 207 went to various places in Missouri
and Kansas, for the aid Of numerous rcfri-
ments from this and neighboring States,
one to the Army of the Potomac, and
542 to our sub.depot at Cairo, where the
agent (Rev. Mr. Folsom) With an assistant. L
appears from the carefully kept record book
Of the sub-dcpot, that supplies have been seat
from it to the hospitals Of the following regi-
ments, and to some Of them several times and
in large quantities:
8th, 10Th, 18th, 18th, 1Gl 20th. 2lth 18th. aith'
31st 3d. 54th agd Goth Do Of CQrol7v~2d. ath
and 9th; Companies Of 4rt;l1ery- -chicaso, 1st and
"a, ana and -; Company of Sappers and Miners.
Missouri F01untee's-
Ohio Fd!nNteers- seth. :
WISCONSIN lt4untee7s-Sth.
Indiana FolunteeTs-52
The distribution to stationary R,st Hasntto7s
has been to those at Cairo, Paducah and
Mound City, in quantities so large that it is
1mpractlcable to transeribe the details from
our books. The following statistics will give
partial idea Of What has been done by Tie
Chicago Sanitary Commission for tile general
hospital at Mound City. To that hospital
have been sent S99 pairs Of socks, SIS pairs of
slippers, 4G1 pairs Of drawers, $40 shirts, 75
dressing gowns, 81 blankets, 292 coulfortcrs.
4T sheets, 424 towels, 354 pillows. 315 pads
G38 pillow cases, and 100 handerchiels, besides
bardages, bed sacks, dried, canned ind pre-
served fruits, ,je1ics, oysters, ale, porter,
I'M TsneSg 1eaag # ssfe sf hn aTgs s7d cook
Root), for the use Of " Mother Angela," in
preparing delicacies for the sick and Wounded
In large quantities, and q water-bcd, obtained
at considerable expense from Ncw York, for
Dc4-sUlI pAt1EltE.
. By an arrangement between the Commission
liberal President Of the Illinois Central Rail-
road, all the packages, which VIC have forward
60, OF Whatever size or number, have gone to
Cairo IN the baggage car Of the passenger
train, thus reaching their destination with the
hamost haa1 s.:pp promptltnde. These supplies have
4ued. It was with surprise, therefore, that
heard'a returned visitor from Cairo, Of much
intelligence and good will, state that our
sanitary rooms had scarcely any supplies at the
time the wounded were brought down from
Fort Donclson. But his mistake was easily
explained, when ! learned at Cairo, that be
had never been In the main room, where the
boSesare stored, but only in the Office, a little
Shy II affair, in which q few things were
placed, from tho crowded condition Of the
large Et0rehouse.
AID 70 WOUNDED IN BATTLE
The battles at Forts Henry and Done1son
did not take the Chicago Sanitary Co1nmis-
sion by surprise, or find it unprepared to
render efficient aid. Having official informa.
ton that such engagements were impcndinr.
It purposely accumulated, for month before
hand, large stores Of eycry kind at Cairo, send
Ing goods tor several weeks, to the value Of
nearly thousand dollars daily, from which
regimental and post hospitals, and hospital
tSaa. noats 70 ea accompany the army might supply
at all failed to do SO, the fault was their own.
repeated notice having been given the genernL
and surgeons, Of our Willingness and ability to
answer their Iequisitions, and DR.. Simons. the
Medical Director, and DR.. Taggart, the Medical
Furseyor, of the army, having their offices
any moment. The United States SANITARY
Commission have also had for many months q
resident inspector, Dr.. Aigner, lately rein
forced by Drs. Douglass and Warriner, with
whom our agent has invariably co-operated.
In like manner, our Commission provided,
. wssk5 81 BEFORE the great battle, by arrangement
teer surgeons from this city, on RECEIVING
q telegraphic dispatch thai they were needed.
When the dispatch came, the day following the
surrender Of Fort Donelson, we sent down by
the next train seventeen physicians, who, IN
like some sent under other auspices, remained
1oI many days, labored in perfect harmony
vain the army surgeons, and performed ardu-
Gus and important work. As The wounded ct
Fort Donelson were removed as speedily as
posslple on bonrd hospital boats, our agent at
Gairo was able to render important assistance
n ntnng up the steamboats, detailed for that
Of stores, sufficient for the wants of several
hundred wounded men, were thus furnished
to the steamers City Of Memphis, Hazel DeIl
franklin, War Eagle and City Of Louisiana,
These stores, III addition to smaller matters,
sueA 90 utei WILLIS pandaggcs, lht, &C., en-
braced 255 pairs socks, 1SS pairs slippers, 4s1
shirts. SIG comfoH Hablcs, 1872 sheets, T0towele,
StS pillows, 1S2 pads, 431 pillow cases. And.
with reference to the City Of Memphis, 1t
should be kNown that 1t arrived at Fort DoncI-
son scih or Sanitary stores Tuesday morning,
fsornary 18TH, eseo dogs o5orc tie boat sent from
Gtne1naats, Or any other boat from any quarter.
supplies went, and by whom tiev wers IN 1orf vqf
personally applied, IS the United States SAM
tary Inspector at Cairo, on whom we had re-
hcd 70 accompany our articles themoment the
battle saould occur. This he did, and labored
at dressing the wounds Of the soldiers. lay
and night, before assistance arrived from any
direction. I should not deem it necessary to
pc thus specific, had not the attempt been p1b-
nciY and officially made, to claim the merit Of
priority and adequacy Of supplies for the Gin
a cannan y sanitary Commission, even to the ig-
nor1ng OF the efforts Of others. They did well.
We d. doubt not, being backed by contribution
Of IS, GOO from their fellow citizens, thonph
they admit serious quarrel with the acti5p
Medical Director. The Chicago Sanitary CoM.
mission did equally well, and came into coils
sion with no one.
Our agent at Cairo also furnished the c;t;.
zens' Committee Of Chicago, and their agents,
with various articles Of food and clothing. for
olstr1butlon among the sick and wounded.
placing five boxes at the disposal Of one Of
Their number, containing 58 ahirts, 24 pair
ssinppers' 81 60 comforters, s. sheets, 30 pillows,
~ cases, % pair socks, 100 towels, 25 handker.
eb1ete, bottles pickles, 10 sacks dried fruit,
u cans jelly, dozen bottles wine, ginper'
hops, combs, soap, etc, etc.
APPROPRIATENESS OF TIE SUPPLIES.
As to the wisdom Of the preparations Of the
Commission, and the adaptation Of the articles
to: the wants of the sick aud wounded. fhe
following testimony wil be decisive.
Lezer }sozn D4. Austin, Aetsng Medical Direetor