The Portland daily press., 1864-06-06
The Sanitary Commission.

Agnew to DIR. Foster Jenkins, General Secre-
charitable institution. The writer personally
examined the workings of the commission for
the aid, and relief of wounded Soldiers who
were in the battles of the Wilderness and Spot
tsylvania. Fredericksburg is about. ten miles
from Belle Plain, and large numbers Of the
wounded had been sent there. "A temporary
dock has been made at Belle Plain upon
which the wounded were landed. Here DIR.
Cuyelr, acting medical InspectorGeneral stood
receiving the wounded and superintended
their removal from the wagons to the dock Of
the transport, preparatory to their transfer to
the hospital steamboats, as such wagon had
deposited its living freight it passed round the
end of the dock. Crowding along the narrow
margin of the dock were continuous lines Of
men carrying letters and stretchers on which
were such of the more severely wounded as
had been removed from the wagons of the
hospital tents on the hill side above the plain.
Hour after hour, for several days, was this
fearful procession kept up. Thousands upon
Cuyler who performed his duties with great
zeal and selfdevotion, DIR. Benton medical
purveyor Of the army, was also there working
with signal efficiency and vigor in forwarding
medical supplies to Fredericksburg and the
front. Capt. J. NJ. Clark of the Quartermas-
tiers Department and Capt. Surrey, of the 10Th
Reg't. N. Y. Engineers Corps, gave them
prompt and cheerful aid in the great work.
The writer says we are oftentimes loud
in our praises Of military commanders for
.. a., seidom give due credit
TO the Quartermasters who wofK WIN sl..Ivsv
superhuman energy at some base of supplies.
No one at home can form any Idea Of the labors
oil the officers In these departments, day after
day and night after night, ofteniinhes living on
the scantiest subsistence.
1t will be interesting to note the fact here,
that the relief service Of the commission has
employed, since Gen. Grant crossed the Rapi.
dan, and Gen. Butler went up the James
River, the use OF four steamboats,, three
barges and two schooners, for the transporta-
ton of Its stores from Washington TO Belle
Plain, and from Baltimore to Norfolk the
latter being the commissions base of supplies
for Butler's army.
At Belle Plain, In addition TO q relief sta
ton on the barge by the wharf, the commits
sion has maintained corps OF relief agents at
feeding station near the hospital depot,
providing food for the thousands of weary
and hungry men who arrive there ia ambulances
and wagons, and another at White Oak
Church, halfway from Belle Plain to Freder-
icksburg, where hot coffee, soft crackers ane
beef soup have been issued to wounded and
disabled men on their way to hospital, many
Of whom had not tasted food or received
attentin for forty-eight hours.
The operations OF the commission at Belle
Plain, including the movements Of trains of
supply wagons have been conducted by Mr..
f. N. Knapp. whose experience in every
branch Of relief such has made his name the
synonom Of energy and benifcience wherever
the commission is known.
At Fredericksburg the commissions work I'M
der the able care ofDr. Douglas Chief Inspec-
tor is three fold. First, there is a large store
house under the care of Mr.. johnson from
which since the 9th Of May, about 200 tons
Of Sanitary stores have been issued to hospi-
tails. Second, corps OF relief agents num-
bering from 100 to 225 under the leadership
Of Mr.. Fay, are divided into squads and as
signed to the various division hospitals. They
report the wants Of the hospitals to Mr.. Fay,
perform the duties OF nurses, and do any ne
cessary work.
Thirdly: special diet kitchens under the
care of Mrs. Woolsey, Mrs. Gen. Barlow, Miss
ellison, while Mrs, Gibbons and daughter and
Mrs. Husband lend their services to the hos
pitfalls. These diet kitchens are tents with am
pie cooking arrangements, pitched on the
roads from the front to Fredericksburfi or
Belle Plain. From these are drawn SCUM.
coffee, and all necessary food for thousands
OF passing wounded soldiers. With the army
seven four-horse wagons, carrying food, slim
ulants, uuder-clothing and surgical dressings.
constantly move under the direction of DIR.
Steiner, Commission Inspector for the army
of the Potomac; and Mr.. johnson, whose SER
vices at Gettysburg, and now at Fredericks.
burg form bright page in the special re-
lief work Of the Commission.i
These wagons moved with the army from
Brandy Station, dispensing stores during the
battles Of the Wilderness, and then passing
with the wounded to Fredericksburg, went on
to Belle Plain TO reload. The Commission
has now forty odd four-horse wagons of its
own, carrying Sanitary stores from Belle
Plain to Fredericksburg. There are several
steamboats, also constantly employed. All
these operations are in addition to what is be-
ing done at Washington by the commission
for Gen. Sherman's army and those at New
Orleans and Red River. The outlay for the
month of May has been over 100000 for the
army Of the Potomac alone. 1t will be seen
by the above facts shat the commission are
engaged in great work, and at no time dur
Ing the war has such work been more needed
or more skilfully and industriously performed.
Mr.. Agnew closes his very interesting COM
munication in the following language :-"I
should say that at Fredericksburg the medi-
cal affairs are under the able management of
DIR. Dalton, while large numbers from Bos-
ton, New York, Philadelphia, and elsewhere