The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1862-07-17
LETTER FROM MRS. HARLAN.


The subjoined communication, we take
the liberty Of saying, is from a lady, the
wife of Senator Harlan, who left here
Immediately after the battle of Pittsburgh
Landing aud remained two months in
personal attendance upon the sick and
wounded soldiers of the army engaged in
that terrible struggle. The same active
bencvolcucc which carried her to that
distant field of painful duty, is manifest
ed in this exposure of abuses, with view
to their correction
MEssRs EDlTors In passing thro'
the cncampmeuts and hospitals of the
Western army near Corinth, som" things
which witnessed daily, and almost hour
ly, struck me as very unwisc III the man
ogcment Of our army affairs, which could
be and ought to be corrected.
Hundreds Of our brave soldiers are dy-
ing daily for the want of proper nursing
and care and suitable food and clothing.
| Civilians, not officially connected with
! the service, are, az general thing, care
| fully excluded from the lines and wien
volunteer nurses and surgeons are admit
ted on the solicitation Of ard societies,
frequently or large pay, very few of them
will perform the unpleasant drudscry in
cidont to camp life among the sick in the
field or in hospitals or, if they attempt
its faithful performance, they soon weary
Of such toIl and leave for their distant
. homcs-so that the regular surgeons are
compelled t. fall back on the old army
regulation, Of demanding detail Of men
from the ranks for nurses: but for some
time past the army has been so reduced
by sickness and death, that the officers
have not hccn able to furnish the rcQui-
site number Of we'll men; and this labor
ha, consequently dcvoved on the conyal
cscinr-thc sick and wounded, in the
meantime, suffering extremely for the
most ordinary attentions. And, although
our patriotic ladies all over the land are
plying their fingers day and night to keep
up hospital supplies Of clothing, WAGON
loads Of these goods, after being used
once, lie on the ground in the rains for
weeks. and rot for the want of persons
to wash them. have seen hundreds of
wounded men lying in their bloody gar
mcnts in which they were shot down in
battle or on picket duty, for weeks, with.
out the possibility of a change, occas.
sloning q stencil almost unendurablc, in
which the poor fellows were compelled tc
live day and night, until removed to thcil
, distant homes, or until they were to Be
= carried to a soldier grave, which was too
frequent
Now, why not employ the contraband,
who swarm around our lines, whenever
= permitted by our Generals to escape from
} rebel masters, in the hot and unhealthy
I climate OF Tennessee and Mississippi, 10
. asssst the nurses and to serve as cooks
and washers for our sick and wounded
men They are acclmatcd they are ac-
customed to the heat and out door life,
and would gladly serve for their subsist.
ence alone. The washing for the ncccs-
sary changes of clothing for our sick and
wounded would more than compensate for
the expense incurred, to say nothing of
the incaculablc service they could ren.
der soldiers able to bear arms, in perform
ing the labor and drud-cry, often menial
in its nature, which is now breaking them
down and carrying them to their graves
by the thousands.
Some of our commanding Generals in
the field are 50 very delicate in their sen
slbIltlcs towards secession sympathizcrs,
aud so careful of the rights of the rebels
as to induce them to impose great hard
ships on our troops. | have been panied
to see our poor soldiers, often really ia
able for duty, standing guard around tho
houses and property of southern people,
who were jnst Us disloyal to the Union as
Jefferson Davis, and far less patriotic in
their impulses, being too cowardly to risk
anything in the rebel cause. They pro-
fess Union sentiments to save their prop.
crty and our poor Union soldiers, pale
and cmaciatec by sickness and hard fare,
are required, OH account Of this hollow
profession Of loyalty, to stand guard over
their premises, without shelter, sleeping
on the ground or in the wet grass, expos
cd to rains, heavy night dcws and mias.
matte atmosphere, which, in many cases,
develops malignant fcvcrs, that require
them to be returned to the hospitals, from
which too many of them arc never re-
moved, until the poor, brave, uncomplain-
ing, noble fellows are wrapped in sol
der 5 blanket, and without SO much as
rough coffin, carried by their comrades to
Il shallow trench, which answers the pur-
pose Of burryng place for the defend,
crs Of our liberties and all we hold dear as
nation. And while our brave Union
troops are thus contracting their death
sickness in this loaths0mc service, aud
dying by the thousands without the most
common coarse nursing, the hypocritica
rebels are enjoying all the comforts of
. home, under the protection Of our sol.
dicTs, whom they curse and spi: upon and
bctray, and openly rejoice at their sick
ness, suffering, and death. And when
loyal negroes escape to cur lines, who
would gladly serve in the most menial ca
pacity for their subsistence alone, our
Generals, under the Influence Of a kind
Of negro insanity, send them back to their
lreachcrous rebel masters, to be whipped
and tortured on account Of their loyal
proclivitics.
Why should tie dead Of the army b.
buried without ccflins? 1t paincd me to
the heart to witness such intcrments-
The burial of those killed in battle, in
their blankets alone, whore TIE number Is
large and danger is great, may be excus-
able. But cannot excuse it in relation
to those who die in hospitals. When
officers are asked why some kind Of cof5n
or box is not made, in which to bury the
remains Of the dead, their reply usually
was the lack Of transportation Of lumber,