Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-04-01


The Sanitary Argument In fRV0E OF Cetefee
Troops at the s0uth.
Elizur Wright, Of Boston, communicates
to the New York Evening Post some in
teresting and valuable testimony and sta
tisties regarding the comparative mortal
ity among black and white troops in warm
climates, as gathered from the reports of
the troops in the West Indies. Aside from
the facts presented in the extract quoted
below, it is proved by statistics given that
in the days when corporal punishment was
in vogue, the average Of p%unishments per
1000 among the black troops was very
much less than among the whites. For
instance in 1917, 1876 whites to the thOus-
and we're thus punished and Y blacks; in
1918, I54 whites and so blacks.
We quote from Mr.. Wright:
1.-THE sanitary argument in favor 0 fem-
ployihg black troops on the Union side is
by no means 8 merely theoretical one. l
have before me a Statistical Report on
the sickness, mortality and %invaliding
among the troops in the West Indies, pre-
pared from the records Of the Army Medi-
cal Department and War Office returns
presented to both Houses Of Parliament,
by command of her Majesty, London,
1888 prepared by Alexander NJ. Tulloch,
Captain Of the Forty-ffth regiment. This
report embraces all the British troops in
the West Indies, from 1917 to 1886 in
elusive. The mean strength Of the forces
during that period Of twenty years was
1912 white troops and 2,9l4 black ones.
This was equivalent to an army Of l39,-
089 whites for one year, and al army Of
65, 12I blacks for the same time. Out Of
the whites there were 1884 admissions
to the hospital, or nearly two in a year to
a man, and Is, 197deaths, or 94.7 for every
1000 men,. Out Of the blacks there were
only 46, 929 admissions to the hospital, or
less than half as many compared with the
force as Of whites, and 1926 deaths, or
1873 to the 1000 men. OF the deaths
among the white soldiers, $500, Of 64.9
per cent. Of the whole we're by fevers. Of
the deaths Of black soldiers, only 296, or
1872 per cent. we're by fevers. Thus the
white soldier, in a hot climate, is five times
as much exposed to fever as the black.
nLet it be observed that this experiment
was tried while blacks in the West Indies
were not tenderly treated either by the
military or civil authorities. They were
employed as soldiers on purpose to ave
the white troops, were made to g0rrisOn
the worst station and do the worst drug
cries, as prisoners, pickets, etc. It was
chiefly in the days Of slavery, when the
lash was applied to soldiers beth white
and black, and to black ones probably with
very little misgiving, that this experiment
took place; and considering this, and that
the mortality of the black troops was about
One-third greater than that Of the slaves
in the West Indies at that time, we have a
right to infer that a considerable portion
of it was due to neglect, cruelty and un-
necessary exposure. 1t was frightfully
severe for military service in time of
peace, and about three times as great as
of the sepoys in India. Yet it was
not half as great as that of the white
who received all the favors thatth
choice Of localities admitted"