, 1863-06-10
Ul)ifaqo @ribn,te.
DEFICIENCY OF THE AMBULANCE
STSTEms


provide proper and efficient means of con
veyance for its wounded on the battle
field.
It is notorious that our ambulance de-
partment Is utterly inadequate to the ser.
vice required Of it, not that there is any de-
t1cfgncy in the supp1ies-on the contrary,
these are very freely provided-but there
is no system in the management and ap-
portioning Of them, nor is thereany organ
ization attached to, or connected with the
army, whose special duty it is to look after
the wounded soldiers, administer at once
to their pressing and urgent necessities,
and convey them from the field to the hos.
pital in the shortest possible time. Many
hundreds, nay thousands Of our brave vol
unteers who fell gloriously while fighting
for the Union and the laws, have been lete
to perish on the field in all the agonies Of
pain and thirst helpless, hopeless and des-
olate-not from any intentional neglect, on
the part Of the officers Of the army, but
because there was no drilled and delegated
army in Europe without regularly drilled
corps Of this sort, provided with all the
appliances which humanity can devise for
the relief Of the wounded. tits disgrace
to our arms, and a stigma upon our ciyili-
zation, that during the two years Of the
WAT, with men and money in lavish pro-
fusion at the command of the Government,
no ambulance system at all commensurate
with the demand for it, has been adopted
in the service Of the United States. The
despots OF Europe, !cheaply as they regard
human lite, know the value Of soldier,
and provide the best means that art and
science can furnish, to save him from dying
Of his wounds, But the Government Of q
free people, who are fighting to save the
country from humiliation, cannot afford
either the time, the money, or the men, to
inaugurate system Of relief at once so
necessary and humane.
What may be the reason for this culpa-
ble apathy end neglect, it is not for us to
surmisc. But this We do know, TINT the
Senate Of the United States, under the
leadership Of the chairman Of its Military
Committee honorable Senator from
Observation-Disclosures, q few days before
the late Congress adjourned, to concur in
the passage of bill, previously passed
unanimously hy the House Of Representa-
tiyes. So it has literally come to this:
That the Senate and Government of this
free people, decline to do for its citizen
volunteer soldiers, whit every despot Of
Europe, us We before stated, carefully looks
after, with reference to his conscripts or
his hirelings
There is no good in being mealy-
mouthed in the statement Of fact 50 ap-
palling and disgraceful as this, and far be
it from US to raise a CITY against 1t for any
base purposes Of sensation. 1t is matter
which affects the whole people, and has
alrcady brought tears and lamentations to
thousands and thousands Of homes, which
but for the fearful neglect that we corplain
OF, might in hundreds Of instances, have
rejoiced in the return Of brave fathers and
SONS and brothers. now, alas, amongst the
1ndisc1iminate dead, on many bloody bat
tle-feld.
It is probably too late to attempt any
remedy for these pressing ills during the
present GUNNER campaign. But it is not
too late to take measures for the future;
and the sooner they are taken, the better.
we haVe no plan to otter; We are not 50
nresumptuous as tn think that a c;r;,;on
-. NA4~s ~4'Au1'o
a. NV" suvatsn " l1.s anaars 70 Jus
-.s eusu ~ o oouu,lou. na. 70 every owl
h.on !" lue a'4's 11eie ougn' 10 oe En- ell
sen. auou'aaee eo'ps a'''eneo@a corps
oe11leo toi .1is spe*an pulpose' Win tne
s.'eaeo oeest oe4ot t1e@ .. 1aS1ng care OF
-ue "oana, anu e11ymg .oem as
r o &c pose4'4s nom .ns aeao' oute-
-, epse4a4 o.l's " tns h1no Is as neces-
1ay asA speeAi sul le'ca! CORPS specla1 pay
aases' speeaaI engineer corps' and so
VI .s m41u t4e ies. u 1ne sPecaaia
.n.s ou0' pouuln' enlei fnys1caan 10 the
ol'n'a'y nosplta4 az bon1e, Par1s, has writ
1en t,aht'nleL on Inc ambulance service
Of the French army, in which It annears
that the ambulance division far +o, NV.
s.-. - Wv -..e 49,. e ..' 4seou ~. 'en 1noo-
One surgeon. tu-chief l beaa anofbec,rr
first assistant surgeons. 10 second assfsf.1fs
c1ef executive office, ass;stante nd 10
subordinafe assistants. 40 cssas ~ +ha s-,r w.
gical dispensary, health and erecnti,. M .Is aenar
blanIets 30 blankets " eqtra far ~ eskS: * "a ~
fents holdinr II; men cash and v an,,aears nrMr so
cnshioned nannfers. 1nn1e '1;tte-s H. ID;
AVID 8G4 mnfes o~~'' "39'
~ nan-s;.o, 1>.o.o,.onx
U1. ooHo1'cn' rfo1essof ol Cl1mcA Med
p-;at Die. f,- a., Ar,h'7,a.o. g.
AAs- go ~ AZ ouu17 ossoeu LOT
the United States, in which, after Stating
That the President and the Var no,,,t
Dep1tE
ment had been appealed to in vain On this
.o,;o.:n, a.. o.:... a'
socleues- Commlttees IN New York,
and Boston, have recently asked of Con-
gress, Of Gen. Halleck, and Of Mr. Stanton
" to do oson,ething," and that all efforts have
been hnitleas, he throws out the following
suggestions as to what an Ambulance Corps
should be.
1t should consist Of able-bodied, brave men,
1n1an Ea nei f;inn 10 e. TO me 'front.' to save
1inctivc UNIFORM. Ananrements ] ,Td Tnioht : w. ~
concluded So.s whereby the ambulance corps, in
Of Wa1 usually reeard pickets tbat p IL s ia~s
to Be- Inoleated IN their specific, duties, save
fnch ~ corns s1nnid dJ 4,Sa icaslaaGes, its mssae
neas the battlefield. It should BE-
raise MIC 'ee and carr1 " ~ f. 1edta5ely onnede1 70