Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-05-27
Fhs Wsuodsd'at fFs9erIetsbarsh.

Buoyrus, Crawford County, and is pub
lished for the informstiOn Of the public;
WAsH1EaFOu, D. c., May %.
sn:-At the request Of your State
Agent, Mr.. Wetmore, left Wa hington on |
Saturday the l4th inst, % take to kreder-
icksburg 3 qusntity Of stores for the reliet |
OF the wounded, and returned to this olty |
yesterday
Having been actively engaged durin
my stay there in miuistering 10 the wsnts
Of our wounded heroes, aud having from
observation some understanding Of what
am writing about | deemed it my duty TO
advise you Of the condition Of affairs there.
1 feel no desire to criminste, anybody or
to indulge in reflections implying cen
sure, il therefore should appear to do SO
hope you will attribute it TO my Wish to
be brief and by avoiding details, explsns-
tions and circumloeution, avoid, also, any
serious trespass upon your valuable time
When 1t is remembered that our gov
eminent is strsining every nerve to sup
ply an army Of near quarter Of q million
| Opersting over sixty miles from its base
Of supplies, and that the recent engsge-
meuts have caused a vast collection Of
hospitals requiring special supplies, ct an
unexpected place, the feeling should be
one Of admiration that 50 much has been
done, rather thou OF censure that so muDh
remains TO be accomplished towards max
ing our wounded heroes comfortable.
There are, Judge, over 5000 wounded
at Fredericksburg; they are not lying in
the streets so that our patrol cannot pass.
as We reported, but nearly every house
contains wounded men, sn of the public
buildings are crowded, and very many Of
the privnte ones, especially the large
ones, are crowded from basement to attic,
In the way Of comforts and supplies
gradual improvement is daily evident, but
every thing is still very difficult to get
for some days the commonest necessarles
we're wanting and vast amount OF in
creased suffering was in consequence
added to the terrible aggregate OF human
agony everywhere patent.
For many days, even after my srrlVsl,
which Wss s week after the sick and
wounded had been sent there, there was
no regularity in the feeding OF the wound
ed. and scarcely anything Tor them but
plain hard tack and coffee, poor at that;
no beds, and frequently no blankets, for
upon the setting in Of hot weather the
sands were lying upon the bare floor
For many nights there were no lights in
many Of the hospitals, and the sufferers
had to lie and grosn in torture, through
the terrible darkness, with no possibility
Of being relieved The first fearful duty
Of the morning would be to distinguish
the sleeping from the forever at rest.
One surgeon TO over two hundred men
would be 8 fair estimate. Under these
circumstances, what attention can our
brave citizens obtain who have arrived at |
that terrible crisis in their career, when |
bleeding and dying for us is no longer a
rhetorical ornament Their wounds are |
often undressed for days, and when at |
length dressed-fkeS not by professional |
hands or with the requisite appliances
for on Wednesday heard hospital sur |
geon say there was not pound Of simple |
cerate in the city. AS an instance Of what |
{ have said A brave Ohio boy, to whom
l took tin cup Of beef soup, and who
declared Re was only slightly wounded,
having an arm broken by round shot, |
which had also carried away q 6neer.seid
- IL - 50 LWo squares 10 get B5me one /
to pour cold water upon his arm, which has
not been dressed since yesterday morning,
it being then P n Of the next day.
Opposite to cur State Agency Rooms is
q house filed with wounded many Of
whom, having thrown away their blank
cts, were lying on the bare floor, some
without arms, some without legs, and 9TH
eIs more fesrfully and fatally wounded;
these for twenty four hours had no food
but what the Ohio Agency supplied, and
for many long weary hours, loaded with
pain, not surgeon could be spared to at
Tend to them. When it is remembered
sbat fsaiiza arm unuat Ia Rnnnlied |
at all hazards; & at two weeks ago We
did not possess fredericksburg and that
the collection Of the wounded there has
been sudden g. unexpected, it cannot be
laid to the charge Of the powers that be
that these sad things ard constantly &C.
GU rring, while il can be said that at lesst
3 slight improvement is daily perceptible.
Upon my arrival 1 found several gen.
tlemen already seut forward by Mr.. Wet
more, 10 whom l was instructed to report
and who had already been for many days |
actively at work distributing suol sup
plies IS had been forwarded. The Sani-
tarl and Christian Commissions we're also
making themselves benefcially felt but
he feeling prevailed that the former was
not doing as much as the latter, nor com.
Bg up to the expectations Of those who
themselves capable cfjudgipg.-
Possibly the demand upon the Sanitary
Commission was so very great that it was !
yept constantly drained, but it was very
lifhcult 10 get snything from it; ss an in
tsnce coming under my own experience,
took il up for Mrs. SWisheln, who vas
n charge Of the Theatre Hospital, re-
luisition for six orutohes, three shirts, :
hree pair Of drawers and three bottles of I,
randy, or some other stimulsnt
l took the requisition st her request and
lated that she had almost the entire J,
barge OF hospital in which were very
many armies and legless sufferers, and :
pom the requisition sll could get was :
ingle bottle Of sherry wine. Again its
len came frequently 10 our State Agency A
oOms and we're freely supplied with :,
lsny things, aud instead Of the Sanitary
commission supplying US, we in many ca :,
es supplied them. Considering the !.
Of funds the State Of Ohio through :
er Sanitary Faire, poured into the Treas =,
~ of the Sanitary Commission, l think !
lat it WAS part Of the duty Of the SAM. >
lry Commission to put themselves in :
with the Ohio State Agen-
? and and offer to supply whatever stores "
light be needed, but nothing Of the kind :
as done / think ths State Of Ohio Z
Sd 3 right TO expect this, and that i'
lere was q neglect Of duty some :,
here that ii was not done, it is but .
y own opinion, and your ExoelleDcy may y"
link otherwise. Ii further seemed to n
e t. at the Sanitary people had with Their "
ond extended raanurnas, GO ca
ngleI themselves with routine foImsh =,
ee and red tape that they we're unable to
} ss promptly and effectively useful d s the d,
Sc literally endowed Christian Commits
on.