Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-10-31
HospItAla.


me army correspondent Of the Savannah Republican,
IN q hitter written At Winehestsr. and devoted To tho
Hospitals. inprovissd In the rear Of the army Just after .
battle, says:
IA 'posDl,aI a. bsst "a not q desirable place 10 abide In;
bat when filthy and hled with vermin, and crammea
with sick and uouLdsd men, whose WOUNDS are seldom
dressed, and whose necessities require tnem 70 susn1 "
the. most disgusting practices, tails but htue II any
short Of p~urgstory The buildings selected for hosp
tall, instead Of being in 3 quiet, pleasant locality are
almost invariably located In the most noisy, dusty ana
dlrty psrt Of the town. Il was 90 at Corinth, and 81 y
so in Winchester. 10 the former place, they vera iocs'
ted immediatey around the depot, where the cars were
rual lag day and night, and whore the wagons from the
camps we're constantly arriving and departing, Wills:
he houses in the quiet portions Of the town, which the
owners had been required to vacais, we're occupied by
Generals and their butterfly staff officers"
The truth Of tie foregoing statement 10 aoundAnty
csrsoeocAtsd by other persons Of observation who have
been much with the army. Tho duly Of the ~regimsutal
turgsOn ceases when be dresses the wound or anputatss
the limb; for the patient IL then sent to the rear, where
be hIs into the hands Of the hospital surgeons, sent up
from Richmond or other central polntL These Surgeons,
for the mes: part, are young men, inexperienced In the
L&sa1f snsssrys aud dsasssnt In that administrative talea'
so necessary 10 the comfort aud v~ell-being Of the hos
piul patient. They not only lack experience and ind1i,
try, but they are fIequ entity wanting In sympathy and
humanity. Indeed, NO have seldom convsrssd with q
person, Who has visited one of these hospitals, who do,s
not come away with mingled feelings Of horror and in
d~ignatiOu. The h1ildlngs unAlly selected for such Iur'
poses are dsesSea hotds or dirty warehouses, where the
patients are huddled together upon III, door, without
cots aud hSd satkI, or. no. uufreqlsntly, even straw to
lie upon. Toe mors dirty, drsary and dsoAte the
~buldins, the more Ap. ]. Is to be selected, especially II
1t be located in q dis lgreeble and noisy part Of the
town.
We extinct the following paragraph also frpm the Re.
p~ublcans correspondent, who has bosn much with the
army both in Virginia and the Southwest, and who
writes. a. hs assures m not with & view Of fading fault
with the authorities, bu. for the purpose Of pointing on;
euSdng defects in tho hope that they may be corrected
"0oe thirg has impressed mo more painfully than all
others eornec'ed with the army. II u the little concern
which the government, its Gnsoers and surgeons show
for the preservation Of the lives Of their troops. A
great parade Is made over . single piece Of artillery cap
tured from the enemy and yet Whit "a such q trophy
compared with the lie Of an sble-bodied man, even when
considered as to its military vIluel We have none TOO
many men in the South that We should adop: q systNn
50 disregArdful OF lie. The whole country Is i1terestsS
in The life aud bsAth of every man in Il, and II rome
Of the energy SrPlAyed 10 farcing feeble and unhealthy
eonscripts into the service. we're shown IN taking care
OF the SICK and Eouaded, ths army would Do all the bet
ter for Il. planter Who would take As little care Of the
health of his tlAVes As ths government does Of IL sol.
oiers, would soon have none TO care for, while he would
be driven out OF the community by hS indignant neigh
oon
We are forced to accept what this writer tsls %. To-
deed, whatever may be tbs abuses In the QlMssrnAs-
tsts and oouunisary's Departmental, We are assured BY
officers aud men shks that they are Of the most trivial
character compared with the Encouragement In The
Medical Department. They do not hesitAie to pronounce
the AaninisirAIol OF tbs latter dspArtm ,nt TO be I'M
feeling, shameful and brutal An ilus.rauon Of tie
manner Ia which the duties OF the department are per.
formed, is furnished BY the sick aud wounded soldiers
sho we're ttk,n prisoners in haryiAnd and who arrived
below Richmond . few days ago. Will neither the cries
Of the dying, the scOrn Of the IvE,g, nor tbs fears Of
the damned Grouse the nedi,l Ggft.orIties to the per
Torrance Of their dutisss II they will not, then We can
only hope tAt the States viii ja~terpose, and demand oi
the government st lsSs. the sxHciss Of ordinary human
ity in the care and treatment Of the men whom they
have furnished FOR HI oonmnr def roe.