Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-01-09
W1Ottester Daily SPY.

III VNNNNNN , Nv I'7F' -
STuRGEs' FIELD HOSPITAL, }
% DIVISION 9rH ARMY CORPS, :
=, OFT 1000

December 3lst, 1862.
To Surgeon Jonathan Letteyman, Medical
Director Aymy Of the Potomac;-
S1R.-I respectfully submit the following
brief history and report of the Sturges field
hospital ID division 9th army corps as organ
lied and operated under my supervision as
'.surgcon in chief" agreeably to the order Of
surgeon A. I. Watson, medical director I'd
division 9th army corps, Nov. 10th, 1862.
Dec. In, lSG2,-by order of surgeon
Watson, ! selected the site for the hospital
put up eighteen hospital tents, established n
cookery, provided food, straw, blankets, med
icine, surgical dressings, and received some
twenty wounded soldiers.
Dec. 12h, 1862, | was ordered by surgeon
Watson to cross the Rappahannocl1 river into
Fredericksburg to secure suitable place for
a hospital for the % division 9th army corps.
This | did by selecting the spacious Baptist
church and adjacent capacious private resi-
dences, hanging out red hospital flag and
placing guard over the buildings.
During The night Of December 10Th l
placed in the hospital buildings in Fredericks-
burg, subsistence for the sick, blankets, sur
gical dressings, medicines, two operating sur
geons. four assistant surgeons, two cooks,
twenty nurses, and hospital guard, so that
at dawn Of day on the morning of Dec. 18th
we were prepared to receive and care for the
wounded. Our hospital flag, large red ar
tillery blanket, Aoated from the belfry of the
Baptist church. About midday OF Dec. 18th
medical director Watson, surgeon VIM. II.
Leonard and several assistant surgeons of the
% division joined us in Fredericksburg.
During the action Of Dec. 18th and the sub
sequent twenty hours, we filled with
wounded officers and soldiers the two floors of
the church and eight large private houses.
The exact number received do not know, as
no full record could be made with the limited
assistance at my command; this is matter
of regret to me. We have the Names COM
pany and regiment of over 400 wounded Off
GERS and soldiers, and the steward thinks that
one half as many more were received but
not registered. All that were received into
our hospital at Fredericksburg, had their
wounds dressed, and we're supplied with
food, stimulants and medicines. The only
suffering that could have been averted, so far
as | know, was that resulting from the order
OF Major General Couch, to extiDguish all the
lights in our hospital buildings, so that the
needful operations, dressings, and tolls Of the
surgeons were not alone suspended, but the
nurses could not carry water to the thirsty,
suffering wounded, so densely packed were
our rooms.
During the latter part of the night of De-
cenlber 18th, by order of medical director
Watson, (who acted with the advice of. his
surgeons present. l commenced the removal
of the wounded to the north side of the river.
All the wounded were removed during the
night and the following day, (Dec. l5) togeth-
er with our medical supplies, SO that no
wounded man in our hospital was captured,
or hospital stores lost.
Summary Of Hospital at Fredericksburg.
We received and cared for more than five
hundred wounded. The surgeons, in addi-
ton to dressing the wounds of ALL performed
thirty primary capital operations, as follows