The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-02-19
The Surgeon and the Sanitary Commis-
sion.

When went into the field in lS6l,-l
found large proportion Of The surgeons ior
some cause which have not learned, orpos-
ed 10 the sanitary commission 1t of course
took me but little while to become strongly
Prejudiced and bitterly opposed. Ey ry
aSen; sent to inspect US was made the sub
ject of not very fattering remark Every
, pamphlet which it issued was criticised. Ore
evening number of surgeons net in nv
tent. The commission soon became our sub
ject; something must be written against il,
and must write it. was full Of the sab
ject, and | threw into my article all the force
which | could command. | had nearly fir
ished 1t when the sound Of artillery came
booming over the country,-heavier and
heavier grew the roar,-a battle was being
fought at Drainsvilie. The surgeons dis
persed to collect app lianoes fcr the wounded.
We had scarcely anything they needed. The
noise OF the battle had reached Washington.
and by the time the wounded were examined,
IN came those sanitary agents with the very
articles of comfort which government had
failed to supply. My article, which had been
hastily thrown aside, now pat away to finish
at " more convenient season."
Tine past on and we found ourselves on
the peninsular. In the haste of moving most
of the appliances of comfort had heen left
behind. After the battle of Lees Mill,
was almost without medicine, or any article
OF diet f the sick, though had been irving
tor weeks to procure then. What should
do? Just then We discovered a number of
" those sanitary chaps who are always pohing
their noses into eyerybndy's business
So rehow or other they had the very things
we needed. That night, after having finish-
ed my labors with the wounded, l went to
my trunk, took out the article "on the sani-
tary," and read few lines. 1t did not read
as well as | thought it would, 50 | raised a
garment and put it under, where it would
not stare me in the face every time | look cd
in. The battle of Williamsburg followed :;
and before the smoke of the battle had blown
away, right al,ngs side of our army lay one OF
those ever-preseat sanitary steamers, freight
ed not only with the necessarits, but with
luxuries for the sick and wounaed. They
had only to be asked for and they were dis
trbuted TO US without limit. Another shir,
was thrown over tina; article
was in charge OF Liberty Hall hosp:,al
at the time of the battle of Hanover Cour,
House. Here both the sick and wounded
were crowded on ME. Five hundred were
piled in at one time. had not a bed, not
dozen blankets, not a cooking utensil, and
nothing to cook. In vain did appeal to the
medical director,-in vain did he appeal to
higher authority. The necessaries of life
were scarcely to be had. begged, l plead,
no use. few days after the battle, on
the breaking up Of other hospitals. the
wounded who could not be moved to great
er distance were sent to me; some of them
in most loathsome condition, their wounds
gangrenous and alive with worms. Again |
appealed for assistance, and with such inpor-
tunity that was threatened with dismissal
from the service. procured a pass TO the
White House. There | found the United
States Sanitary Commission. | told them
the story of the settlers suffering. Hun
dreds of clean sheets, blankets bedsacks.
and pillows were packed in less time than it
needs to tell the story. Boxes os condensed
milk. tarlna, army soup, tea, cofee, sugar,
oranges, and lemons were sent eff with
astonishing ceIerily. When l departed there
was not state represented in my hospital
but found some articles bearing the mark of
home; New York, Pennsylvania, Connecti-
cut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
and Wisconsin were all there, both in their
soldiers and in their gifts. As | led one
poor fellow from Pennsylvania 10 his bed.
and he saw upon the clean white sheet the
name of his family and his home, his copyul-
sive sobs shook the whole building. The
whole hospital wept; and as took my paper