The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-10-03

AD4Ys
cAxr 3oru Iowa, BLAcx Ravsn DaIDss, nns.,l
oepsombW 9oth. 1853.

EDITOR dAI8 O1IY .@Qoviu& - VII
ferent times occupied so much space
in your paper, am ashamed e write
again, but the subject mentioned = one
ia which al are interested both 1t home
and in the field.
For some time l have been in hopes
that soms Of the ofReers or men Of the
regiment would write you in relation to
sanitary goods sent to the army from
lows. Though all are agreed, none seem
to care to write on the subject. ! shall
not, in this. attempt to give either dates
or figures, rs it is written in hurry.
We frequently hear Of cohplain's
having gone North that the men 90 not
get the sanitary goods sent % them. l
am prepared to say, Is far - the S0th y
concerned, that the complaint 10 false,
and should not have any weight At home.
Friends 1t home should bear in mind
that men writing home are not always 10
good spirits, and that in : spell Of e~~~i
they may write things which. in few
days afterward, they would pronounce
false themselves. l could give instances
of this from personal observation, but do
not think it worth while. Grumblers
may be found in all regiments, and these
men unthinkingly write things which
tend to injure their fellow-soldiers by in
spring the belief that the sanitary stores
are msapplied.
l defy any man to say that this regiment
has ever been without sanitary stores
when they could be brought down the
river to US. We have, at times been
where it was impossible to get such things.
Things of benefit to sick men are withheld
from well men when the supply is short,
and who will deny the right or policy Of
such course. We have shirks in camp
who never do duty when they can avoid
it. Such men seem to have nothing to
do but write spirillsss and disheartening
lettere to their friends. If the matter Of
complaint is investigated, it will be found
originating from such sources in nearly
every case, from this regiment. There is
class of mean, niggardly persons who
seize on these complaints and magnify
them to such an extent that the open,
generoushearted suppose there must be
some truth in it. The persons who are
so oficious in giving currency to these
reports, rarely ever give anything to this
or any other object, and trump up these
complaints as reasons for not giving.
Would it not be well to carefully examine
into these reports, and satisfy yourselves
whether they are true beyond doubt,
before you make up your minds not to
contribute to so worthy an object as fur
nishing sanitary stores to the army?
Let me here say word in relation to
officers using the sanitary goods.
can vouch for this statement: That
the officers Of this regiment never have
had share in such things except on one
occasion. This occurred at the Biggs
Plantation. The articles issued were
potatoes and onions. Three and a-half
pounds of potatoes and one pound of on
ions we're issued to each man, without
regard to rank.
1t is true that all the regiments have
not Jared as we'll as ours. While Mrs.
Wittenmyer was here in August &C.
companied her to some of the hospitals
In one instance Surgeon complained Of
not having some articles. She immedi-
ately told him that it was his own fault,
for the things mentioned had been on
hand for number of days. In this In
stance the men were without sanitary sup
plies through lack of energy in the
Surgeon. BY the way. do not consider
me as one of the number arrayed against
the Surgeons. for ! have good reason to
believe that they are greatly belied. They
often have to refuse things to sick men
who are not in condition to eat them -
These men in return will rail out on the
Surgeon, saying that be keeps these things
for himself. This will be better under
stood when | assure you that quite mum.
Der Of cases of chronic diarrhea have
been cured in our regiment by combining
the men to the hospital. giving them 20
medicine. The treatment consisted in
restricting the patients to certain rules in
regard to diet These men invariably
complain of not receiving the sanitary
stores. Our Surgeon is large man, bat
to hold all that such gormandizers charge
him with eating, he would be among the
giants as Guliivar was among the Lillipu-
tians. Still there is not a sensible man
in the regiment that for moment listens
1 a. IL