Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-01-08
Letter from Ifrs. Harvey-The Hospitals
at Notwithstanding Incidents.
" From the Wisconsin State Journal.

MEMPHIS, Tenn, Dec. ., 1857.
There are times when the meaning of
words seem to fade away; so entirely
does our language fail to express the real
ity. This tact never so fully realized as
when attempting to depict the suffering
both mental and physical. which have
witnessed within the last ten days. The
heroism of our people is not confined to
camp or battle field, as every daily visitor
upon our hospitals can testify. To lie ex-
tended upon narrow Cot day after dag
slowly perishing by disease, surrounded
by the dead and dying, far from friends
aud home, with no hope of seeing either
again on earth, with every sensibilIty tor
tured by sight and sound, requires more
courage, greater power of endurance and
trmness Of purpose to meet and bear un-
complainingly, than to meet the armed foe
in the heat and excitement of battle. The
majority of our soldiers bear all this
cheertully, and meet death maniully with
out murmur, with folded hands and up
ward look, silent prayer to the good
Father who is ever near, and whose
watchful care is over ell His children
There are few exceptions. One came
under my observation yesterday. A lad
only sixteen years of age died most ter
rible death of delirium tremens. His
sufferings were more horrible than pen
can describe. Several have died insane
A few days since, three lads--I believe
they were all young soldiers-bought
pie. Soon after eating it two of them died,
and one was brought into the hospit' |
raving. l saw him. He was bright
looking boy. some mothers darling son.
He became rational little, and we hoped
ne would recover, but ne sunk away and
died last night. They were poisoned.
| wrote you that when | came here the
| idea of interest for any particular State
was not to be thought of. This feeling
was so strong among the authorities al the
hospital, that found that the only way
to reach our own was 10 do for all. There
were between fourteen and fifteen hun-
dred patients. Gould | visit them all was
| thought that kept me awake one night,
but decided IS this was the only way in
which our unfortunate Wisconsin soldiers
could be reached. l would do it. COL
Allen, the medical Inspector of General
Grants army, was here, and told me if
would go through the hospital and take
the name of every man, his company and
regiment, who would never again be fit
for service in my iodgment-of course |
could not judge of disease-he would act
upon them at once. only took the names
OF cripples, consumptives, feeble old men
over sixty years, and boys between the
ages of fifteen and eighteen. do not
remember the, exact number, but they
were hundreds 1t required three hard
days work, from early morning until late
at i1h nd hu / haH
| had become quite well acquainted with
the surgeons, medical director and medi.
cal inspector. | had labored hard for ten
days, doing whatever my hands found to
do. After this lsst work was finished,
then said to them Gentlemen, you are
pleased to say that l have been of some
assistance to you. have certainly tried
to be of service to the poor unfortunates
here. without Partially. | now ask that
those from my own State be attended to
first, so that can leave here and 90 to
Helena.
Col. Allen answered Madam bring
forward your cases and they shall be at
tended to at once" This work | have
been ard am still doing. found one
Wisconsin man that had lain in hospital
nearly five mcHths, he bad no description
roll, he had beer wounded, had typhoid
fever, was just able to crawl about, and
had written time and again for his papers
to his regiment. 1t was Of no use, he
could get no answer and had made up his
mind to die here. When first saw him,
L said friend have courage, you shall go
home within week, but how [ did not
know any better than he did, only kneao
he should. | laid his case before the med.
ical director and told him that the man
never would get his description roll |
knew the situation of his regiment and
asked If there was no way of getting him
home. He said we can discharge him,
but be is POOR man aud how will he get
home. | asked him if be could not pay
him for the time be had been in the nos.
pital. He said he would try. His papers
were made out. l took them and sent
them to Gen. Hurlbut, be signed them but
said, You can get no money | am afraid,
but on may try" | went to the pay
master, got $95 90, and sent the man
home rel oicing.
Another instance, a little boy fourteen
years of age, who had never been mus.
tered into the service, but came as SER
want to one of our surgeons. His employ
er had gone and left him sick. He was
thrown into hospital. l found him and sent
him home at once. He lives in Adams Co.,
Wis. He was worth years hard labor to
see the JOY of the little fellow. The captain
of the steamer Memphis, at my request,
took him to st. Louis free l gave him
letters that think will take him home;
if not, they will pay his transportation at
the Soldiers Home, and | will pay them
when get to st. Louis Discharge pa
pers that | take to Gen. Hurlhut are signed
at once and ssent to me. A boy has just
this moment come in with package Of
discharges which l took to the Generals
Headquarters at four O'Clock this afternoon.
This, you may think, is not very strange;
it does not take man. long to sign his
name: but if package of like papers be
sent by messenger, to get back again
within week or ten days it is considered
rery quick. Packages of discharges, all
perfected, only wanting the commanders
signature, were in General Sherman's
Office, aud had lain there these three
months, when General Hurlbut came in.
So the Medical Director told me.
The 23d regiment are in camp here and
about twenty sick. am going to send
them some supplies. l visited the camp
this afternoon aud carried the sick shirts,
drawers ard socks, but they need more.
| can get anything | wish here at the Q.
5. commission rooms. a gentleman from
the Chicago Commission told me to-day
that | could order anything from them
that l wished, ana it would be forwarded
at once. l am grateful to the Governor
every day tor the position in which he