The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-04-12
Il had none, till to-day succeeded in getting
barrel Of common whiskey from commits.

II had none, till to-day succeeded in getting
barrel Of common whiskey from a commits
sary."
lido not mean to say that there vas not the
! profusest abundance Of all these things some
where-pcrhsps In purveyors boats not three
miles of-but do say, that after repeated re-
quisitions on the medical director, he left one
entire divisioB, az indicated above, destitute of
the commonest remedies for the three common
est diseases of the campa
As illustration Of the way the Medical Direc-
I tor has been discharging other portions of his
duty, tske the following A "sick leave" WAS
granted to Assistant Surgeon Crane, of the SEQ
ond Illinois Cavalry, and forwarded TO the Medi.
cal Director through the proper channels, for
approval. He indorsed IL, From the within it
| would appear that DIR. Crane is too III to per-
form his duties. Service in the field now requires
| vigor, and therefore recommend DR.. Crane 20
resign"
Another sick-leave was granted to Surgeon
Austin, Of the 23d Indiana, drawn up in precise.
| iy the same terms, giving precisely the samo
reasons for granting the leave, and forwarded
to the same Medical Director. He promptly
approved IL. And more: After remaining at
home some time DR.. Austia retained and ten
dered his resignation, assigning as q reason,
that his diseases would permanently disable
him from dischaging the duties of a Surgeon in
recommended one Surgeon to resign because
he asked for short sick leave, prevailed upon
the other, who had returned from sick-lesve
convinced. that he ought to resign, not to car
ry out his determination, promising him that
he should be relieved from field services and giVsn
some easy place at q post hospital The promise
was fulfilled and DR.. Austin is at PaduGsh,
while has regiments here seihom either surqtn
or assistant.
The secret of the different action in the two
cases is supposed to be that one doctor is q
fayorite with the Medical Director, and the
other is not; but it remains to be decided how
far such extraordinary conduct is in accord
auce with official oaths, common honor or plain
duty to the army.
might fill columns with such details, might
tell of brutality to parents looking for wounded
sons, and and insult to surgeons who earnestly
wanted to do their duty, but surely have
given enough.
Only let me add this Medical Director has
on three or four occasions. each time in the
presenceof numerous witnesses, expressed this
sentiment in almost precisely these words:
"The Union is gone. It can never be recon-
structed, and don't rant a TO Be. l think
and hope that our difficulties will crystalizs into
strong military despotism, instead Of our pres
ent form of Government, and l hope to be for
tuaate enough 10 be one Of the crystals"
There are pictures, studionsly drawn in neu-
tral tlnts, which are all the more effective from
their very lack of coloring. have sought to
make this simple recital such picture. It
were easy to make the facts above presented,
and weave them into the bitterest ofinvectives
against an incompetent, inefficient and unfaith-
ful officer in the most responsible of positions.
have not thought it necessary. The facts
are ample. of themselves. Only let those who
have control in these matters remember that
we are here If not the largest, certainly the
second in size OF all our national armies, with
the enemy's best General and his most formid-
able force hardly two days march from US; and
that at the head of the surgical department
for this army, SO soon expecting to be engaged
in the decisive contest of the war, we have an
officer notorious for stupid blunders, cold
blooded neglect of the wounded, expressed dis
loyalty, and drunkenness when most needed on
the field.
have only to add, that for every statement
made above l hare chapter and verse, date and
place, and names of witnesses. AGATE.