The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-07-05

bring back bic body to her for decent burial !;
and now it seemd 80 hard to 60 back without
bis remains, since they were buried in shallow
trench, without coffin, in his clothes saturated
with his own life's blood-and it would soon be
too late to identify him.
I accompanied him to the captain of one of
the boats, and entreated him to find come means
of shipping him, ~ laborer. fireman, or in some
capacity. The noble old captain, with big tears
starting in his eyes, promised to do the best be
could under the circumstances, and We separa-
ted. In . few hours after our arrival at the
landing, while standing on one of the boats,
was gratified to see my young stranger friend
returning from the battle with the body of bis
brother. What commingled emotions Of Joy
and grief must have filled his heart, ss he bore
in his arms aboard the returning boat the man
gled form Of this hearts treasure of his dear old
mother! May God bless him, and the brave
captain through whose goodness this success was
achieved.
The greatest abuses witnessed in the West
ern army grow out of the carelessness or in
competency of surgeons in charge Of the sick
aud wounded. Some of the surgeons are devo.
ted to their patients, and work faithfully day
and night for their welfare; but too many Of
them are totally unfit for their places Some of
them seemed not to know how to make out
requisition for medicines and stores for the
sick, and hundreds we're consequently suffer-
ing for the most common necessaries, within
an hours drive of supplies that would have
been promptly forwarded on a surgeons requi-
siton.
Seine of these surgeons seemed to me to have
grown hard hearted and Indifferent to human
suffering. In this connection, may mention
one practice adopted by some regimental sur
geons. that made my heart ache almost every
hour in the day; that was compelling the sick
men, pronounced to be hospital cases, to walk
back to the post hospitals and hospital boats,
not unfrequently several miles from the encamp-
ments. l have known many to be ordered to
walk back as far as FIVE or six miles. and seen
them staggering along the road, fainting by the
way, without the slightest assistance from any
one And when I appealed to the officers to
send them in ambrlances, l have received the
reply that it was impossible to spare the few
ambulances at their disposal for that purpose.
Between the Landing and Corinth, frequently
found poor sick soldiers lying by the roadside,
who had been three or four days creeping five
or six miles in search of a hospital, by order of
their surgeons, with nothing to eat but the COM
mon bacon and hard bread which they carried
for themselves in their knapsacks; some Of them
who were unable to carry knapsacks, being to-
tally destitute. In fact, coats. blankets and
we're to be seen everywhere strewn
along the roads, which had been abandoned
bySth sick men who became too feeble to car
~ them.
Much Of the sickness in the Western army is
occasioned, have not the slightest doubt, by
the character of the food on which the soldiers
are compelled to live, the want of tents in which
to sleep, and the incessant hard work which the
men are compelled to perform in erecting
bridges and Notifications, making roads, in a
hot climate to which they have not been accus-
toned. heard more complaining on account
Of the hard bread on which they we're compel
led to live, than any other grievance. Even the
sick, as general thing, were furnished with
nothing better. could not perceive how it was
possible for them to subsist on such food, and
regain their health.
l hope the new corps of medical inspectors
recently appointed by the President, snd the
surgeons and assistant surgeons
asked by the War Department, may be speed
lily sent to the field, and that they may prove
to be efficient and worthy men.
A. E. 81.