Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-11-28
Letters Er0n Dixie.
LETTER NUMBER vi.

l.
Notwithstanding the bulk of the army ol
the Mississippi has departed FROM Corinth'
the hospitals are doing . heavy business
The general hospital is in and around large
building, half mile from town, formerly oc.
cupied as female seminary. The building
itself is filled with sick and wounded, and
there are around it twelve wards, each ward
consisting Of twelve tents, in each of which
are quartered from eight to ten of those need.
ing medical attention. Then the two largest
buildings in the village-the Corinth and
Tishimingo hotels ARE also used for hospi-
tai purposes. sS sssassa~ sat'ase@
The presence Of such great number of
sick will not, however, be oflong continuance,
as they are sent somewhere North as fast as
they get able to travel. As to how well they
are cared for in the main, ! have no means of
knowing, but friend, member of the Fifth
Iowa, who has been in the fifth ward for over
wo weeks, part of that timo very low with
diArrhoea, informs me that the medical atten-
tion he is receiving has been Of the most
msagre and indifferent character. II he
could have had the attention of their own
regimental surgeon, Dr.. P. A Carpenter, Of
West Liberty, he would undoubtedly have
faIed quite differently, and might now be 60
ing about. But the regiment had matching
orders, and there remained no alternative but
to go to the general hospital. ' ''
Passing through the grounds this morning,
we met . soldier carrying large lot of nice,
clean looking sheets for hospital purposes,
and there can be no doubt but the intention
is that all shall be promptly and properly at
tended to, and everything done that will be
likely to conduce to the comfort of the afflict
ed. But it woald be truly wonderful if amid
all the various abuses that creep into the army
the hospital department should entirely es
CAPE The hardness of hospital treatment
has about come to be proverbial. Yet the
fact may have arisen, in great degree, from
the very natural pevishness and fretfulness Of
the disposition of sick men; tho more espe-
cially, as the best3that can possibly be done in
army hospitals is but poor when, compared
with the comforts of home and the endear-
ing and tireless attention of friends. b.
Inoticed in passing the hospital grounds,
some days ago, pile of dozen or more
rough, pine cofins in pain view of the in
mates of some of the tents; so they could lie
on theic cots and look at tho boxes intended
for final receptacle for their bodies Truly
an unpleasant prospect for sick man., 1t
occurred to me that it was eminently calcu-
lated to nerve the will to do its utmost to-
wards the recovery Of the body.
Directly after the battle of the Sd and 4th
of October, the ''bloody" 7th regiment--all
that remained Of it-marched to Renzi, and
from there to place called the "Bone Yard"
distant about twelve miles from here in a
south westerly direction, where they remain.
ed on scouting duty until a day or two since,
when they returned to Corinth. They mum.
Der butlittle over three hundred men. All
appear to be in excellent health, and say they
Jared sumptuously every day, while at the
"Bone Yard" on fresh pork, sweet potatoes,
&C., and would far rather have re-
mained on that dangerous duty, although
such delieacies were getting to be somewhat
scarcein the immediate neighborhood Of their
camp. C. E. rs