The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-04-07
aen. Gran t,s rledlcal plreetor.


GEN. Grants M edical Director.
The Medical Director of the army on the
Tennessee River is about the most unfit for
his position of any officer in the service, if
the correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette
is to be credited, and he proposes to sub
stantiate his statements, by witnesses, if
they are denied. We copy a portion of his
letter to the Gazette, simply remarking
that such cold-blooded inhumanity exceeds
Russells descriptions. of the medical de-
partment in the Crimea. Gen. Halleck
ought to try the scoundrel by drum-head
court-martial, and if the following charges
are substantiAted, order him to be shot:
A private of the Ninth Illinois, who had
been shot through the shoulder, on one of
the accommodating expeditions from Padu-
cab, was brought into the hospital, four
days after the wound had been received
Examination showed that the bali had
passed through the pectoral muscle, shat
tered the bo"e, aud injured the main artery
of the arm !l,. parts were very much
swollen and infamed. DIR. Hewitt began
by passing his fingers, unoiled, entirely
through the wound, thus causing the most
exquisite pain, and almost throwing the
unfortunate soldier into .spasms. Subse-
quently, the artery began bleeding very CO.
piously. DR.. Hewitt then undertook to tie
it mp, and instead of the artery, succeeded
IN tieing up the neTVe. Fifteen minutes af-
terward the soldier was dead. The Doctor
then got drunk, went reeling through the
streets of Paducah in a state of beastly in
toxication, finally fell into a mud hole in
the main thOroughfare of the city, lost his
spectacles, covered himself with filth, and
wound up by being placed under arrest by
Gen. Smith. H
At Fort Henry, his courtesy to the cap
tured rebel surgeons was in sueh marked
| contrast with his rudeness to those in our
own army, as to provoke some comment.
| Offended at this, he denounced everybody
that objected to his course as a id mob
| bite and no gentleman, and declared with
emphasis--directing his remarks to Division
Surgeon Fry, brother of the gallant Col.
Fry of Kentucky, who distinguished him
self in Zollcoffer's defeat at Cliff Creek
that IF any man there dared to doubt the
honor and chiValry of TFLghmGn and his
companions, he would challenge him to fight
a duel" Alteration followed, which end
ed in his calling DIR. Fry liar, and in DR..
Fry's promptly knocking him down.
No official notice was taken of the affair,
except that DR.. Hewitt, without giving DIR.
Fry any notice, selected military COM
mission, composed of one Missouri and two
| Illinois Oolonels to investigate it. He had
the witnesses summoned himself, and OF
course made the best showing be could
The Missouri member of this selfselected
| jury of his at once gave verdict that the
Medical Director should be stripped, and
required to endure thirty blows from DR..
Fry's cane The others agreed that Dr.
| Fry had only erred in waiting too long be-
fore resenting the insults; but finally de-
cided that DR.. Hewitt should present q
written apology to Dr. Fry for insulting
written apology for striking a superior
officer. DR.. Fry refused to do anything of
the kind, and there the matter rested.
may as well add the fact-of little i'm
portance in ITSELF but showing the nature of
the man-that some weeks afterward the
Medical Director of our "grand army" was
again knocked down, this time by Second
Lieutenant, for claiming some forage that
he had no manner of claim to, and trying
to interfere with the rlghtful owner il. talSSf
I iiFsfss a taicffrrr OF It.
At Fort Donelson, the Medical Director
| ordered surgeons to accompany their regi-
ments into the midst of the battle, and yet
forbid them to perform day operations on the
field Some surgeons having violated his
orders, and by timely operations saved the
lives of wounded soldiers, he rebuked them
bitterly for their disobedience, telling them
| it was their duty to send back their wound
ed to him. What other object he had in
breaking the custom by sending his sur
geons into the fight, is not apparent.
Out of the numerous just causes for COM
plant, after the BATTLE one or two may be
selected.
The day of the surrender, when his service
es were more urgently needed than at any
other time, he again got drunk--so drunk
as to be unable to walk without staggering,
much less to perform surgical operations.
He was seen in this condition by hundreds
of soldiers and officers, including the least
one Major General.
A large number of the wounded, together
with many who had become sick from the
effects of the terrible exposure and excite
ment, were put aboard the steamer, Thomas
H. Tut This steamer the Medical Direc-
tor sent down to Mound City, without a
Surgeon or Assistant on board, and with the
sick and wounded absolutely dependent on
the charity of accidental passengers for
| nursing and medical attendance. s-s-.-5
After the present expedition of the Ten
nessee had begun, there was a great deal of
| sickness among the men, caused by their
privations, lack of air, exercise, opportuni-
ties for bathing, cooking and the like on