Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-10-10

I WHAT THE SANITARY COMMISSION rs Do
1SG.-The useiuness--we might almost say
the necessity--of the Sanitary Commission
has been made evident on the battle.felds in
Maryland. Their agents and supplies have
alleviated much suffering, and doubtless saw,
ed the lives Of many of our wounded. DR..
Agnow writes from Frederick, Md, to MIR
Olmstead, the Secretary OF the Association,
as follows -
/ Cunning and myself went out with stores
as soon as be arrived, and visited barns and
farm houses within a mile and half from
headquarters aud carried relief to nearly two
thousand wounded Everywhere we were
asked for chloroform and upiates and nstru-
ments and bed-pans, and everything, in fact,
required for the wounded except the courser
| food furnished by the commssary, and the
comforts provided to the extent Of their abil
| ity by the inhabitants, who had been pievi-
ously nearly stripped by the rebels. The
medical supplies sent to meet the emergency
on Wednesday did not begin to arrive on the
battlefield until Saturday afternoon, and then
in small quantities and inadequately. Many
OF the same supplies are still here at FEEDER
/ ick,) awaiting transportation, while we have
had at least four wagon trains sent to the
front that left Washington subsequent to
Wednesday afternoon, in addition TO two
sent before in anticipation Of the battle You
can estimate at your office the number of wa
CONS sent forward, including Hays trains.
which will be- on the battlefield this after
noon.
The wounded were mainly clustered about
barns, occupying the barn yards and floors
and stables having plenty Of straw well bro.
ken by the power threshing machine. | saw
1000 wounded men lying upon the straw
about two barns lying in sight Of each other
Indeed there Is not barn nor farm house, or
store, or church, or school house between
Boonsboro, Keedysville and Sharpsburg, and
the latter and Smoketown, that is not gorged
with wounded-robel and Union. Even the
cow-cribs, and in many instances, the COW
stables, and in one place the managers were
filled. Several thousand lie in the open air
upon the straw, and all are receiving the kind
services Of the farmers families and the sur
geons.
Our plans so far, arc working splendidly,
thanks to the vigor with which YOU at Wash.
/ ington have crowded forward supplies We
have been ahead of every one. and at least
two days ahead Of the supplies of the medical
bureau, the latter fact due to it's want Of in
dependent transportation. single item
will show the value Of our supples--we have
given out over thirty pounds Of chloroform
within three days after the battle, The med
ical authorities had not one-hundredth part
Of what was needed, and in many places I'M
portant operations were allowed to be ne
elected and life lost. Our cbloroform saved
at least fifty lives, and saved several hundreds
from the pain of severe operations. The
want of chloroiorm was the most serious de-
iicency in the regular medical supplies, and
as the result, amputations which should have
been primary will now be secondary or inn
possible. The mortality from secondary am
putations is very much greater than from pri-
mary.
Bat everything in the way Of medical
supplies was deficient poor fellows with
laccerated broken limbs had to be carried out
of barns into the open fields to answer a call
of nature men suffering the agony of terri
bic wounds were without opiates toprniquets
were wanting in many instances stimulants
entirely wanting; concentrated food also
wanting in fact everything that wounded
men need, except place 10 lie down, and the
attentions Of personally devoted surgeons
without proper stores, however,) was defci-
ent. The deficiency was greater than usual
for two reasons--one the hurry Of the army
in passing from a campaign in which every
thing in the way of supplies was exhausted
or lost, the other the obstruction at the Mon
ocacy and tn want of independent transporta-
ton on the part Of the bureau, which would
have enabled it to 90 by the turnpike. Some
blame for the non-arrival Of the medical stores
lies in the fact that Of all the surgeons, forty
or more, sent by the surgeons general, no ono
considered himself charged with the function
of hurrying forward anything but himself, the
result being that plenty Of surgeons got upon
the ground, but almost destitute Of necessary
appliances. venture to say that nearly
every barn, and hospital, and cluster of
wounded, over the wide extent of the late
mi itary operations embracing a circle of near
| ly thirty miles, were receiving most essential
relief from the commission, while the regular
medical stores lay at Monocacy Bridge. I sol
emmy lay five hundred deaths at the door of
those who declined to furnish facilities to the
medical bureau for Independent transporta-
ton for the late battles When will our
rulers learn wisdom and humanity :"