Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-06-04
The Sanitary Commission and
our Wounded.

| uolueT IN INC OnlICu Dlalcs oanltdry NOm-
mission; and being so, feels desirous to
know how The capital of which he or she
furnished part is used Those who helped
to collect million in New York, and six
hundred Thousand dollars in Brooklyn, not
to speak of the other sums gathered in Bos-
ton and elsewhere during the past winter,
are curious to know fthese dollars are really
benefitting our wounded brcthcrn, and
whether the relief and comfort given is in
proportion to the liberality of the public.
This desire is reasonable, and we have taken
some pains to secure from authentic and
Independent sources, the information re-
quired to satisfy it. The particulars which
we print below are substance of reports
made to us by several gentlemen, not Off
cially connected with the Sanitary Com
mission, who have visited Washington,
Belle Plain, and fredericksburg, and have
seen there what is done by the Commission.
1t Is known that there is ut Washington a
Central Depot of the Sanitary Commission.
At this place there Was, before Grant cross
ed the kapidan, "a corps of fifty trained and
skilled men, used to the care of the woun-
ded, experienced in cooking, handling the
wounded, and in all the services which posi-
tion in the field suggests for making the
helpless comfortable. This is the fieldcorps
its members are paid, and are under mill
tary discipline They form a nucleus around
which is gathered larger corps OF volun-
teer attendents and agents, Indies and gentle
men who serve at their own expense, and
who come only at the call of the Commission.
AT the Central Depot, of course, large sup
plies of suitable clothing and food are stored.
Two items, thirty thousand woolen shirts,
and Il ton of condensed milk, will give the
reader some idea of the extent of these stores;
while the following items, picked hastily
and ut random from an inventory now be-
fore US, will show the great variety OF arti-
cles needed; hay for bedding, oakum for
wounds, stockings. shirts, drawers trowsers,
chip hats, pillows for the head and for
stumps of limbs, sings of various sizes,
paper, envelopes, pencils, sponges ring pads
for wounds, towels, brooms, buckets, bed
pans, crutches, drinking-cups, matches, to-
bacco, pipes, liquors of different kinds,
oranges and lemons, spoons, soft bread, oat
meal, cornstarch, tarina, dishes of different
kinds, tents, bed-sticks, shoes. slippers, beef
steak, blackberry cordial canned fruits and
vegetables, dried fruits, picked onions and
cabbage, lanterns, candles, soap, canes, fans.
We have selected from the long list only n
part of the articles-such part as is most
, suggestive of the various wants of the help
less and manned sufferers.
1t will be remembered that the first news
: from the army arrived in Washington on a
Sunday night 1t was then reported that
the wounded were on their way to Alex
andria by way of Culpeper. \ corps of
: men was Immediately sent to Alexandria
with sandwiches, coffee, punch, farina, and
such other food rs could at once he given
to the men as they came up in the cars.
J They waited there all night, but none came.
1t was then thought that the wounded
would come into Fredericksburg On Mon
day morning a steamer of one hundred and
forty tons was loaded with supplies, and q
; barge with horses and wagons, and these
vessels were kept in readiness to set of ut q
moments notice down the river. Finally
they were started off for Belle Plain, where
sixty agents OF the Commission arrived on
, Tuesday evening.
There was at this point no convenience
for landing, except crib dock hastily con-
structed by the Quartermasters Department.
There are no houses, nor any convcnienccs
r whatever. Tents were immediately set up,
, stores landed, and proper places prepared
for the wounded who began to come III at
the same time some IN wagons, others on
foot. convenient spot was chosen, on
the road by which the men arrived, and
: here coffee, sandwiches, punch and. other
, rcstOrativls, were given at once to all as
f they came in. This relieved their first
necessities. Other agents were sent out,
4 with haversacks and canteens, upon the
! road, to meet and help on those who were
tagging behind from weakness or weariness,
tn give u cracker to one, "A swallow ofDrandy
, to another, lemon to Il :hirL, and the news
! that succor was at hand to all. This la
: Dor was continued through the night.
, On Wednesday morning between forty
/. and fifty wagons loaded with supplies Were
| sent of to Fredericksburg, ten miles away,
} with corps Of agents and assistants, who
had to walk the whole distance, the wagons
! being full. At fredericksburg were found
seven tour-horse teams, with fourteen of the
; Commissions field corps, who had accompa-
MED the army with supplies when it crossed
5 the Rapidan. The town was full of our
: wounded. The wagons were un.oaded,
houses taken possession of, the place was at
| once laid oil in districts, u certain number
oi assistant were assigned to each district,
, and the Whole corps, now consisting of one
! hundred and fifty men, went at once To
work, placing the wounded and supplying
them with clothing, pillows, beds, food,
and other necessaries, ms they were required.
The men lie on the floors in hundreds OF
: buildings. Eight tons of hay were sent
t down 10 make them beds. The worst cases
are first looked after; and our informants
speak feclingly of the unseltish spirit OF our
brave wounded, each less anxious for his
own comfort than for that of his comrade.
AS the work is thoroughly systematized,
and each assistant and agent knows and at
tends zealously to his own share, no time is
lost and no confusion results. From the
start everything is conducted regularly, and
this is naturally Of great advantage to the
sufferers, who know their attendants, and
! know that they Will be supplied as
quickly us possible, and with all they need.
In the meantime, the transportation OF sup
plies to Fredericksburg had to be pushed
l vigorously. Thirty-two large wagons were
I u, once put upon the road from Belle Plain,
and two steamboats,, two barges, and two
Z schooners are engaged in the water trans
port from Washnton and Baltimore.
Nothing was found in Fredericksburg
but ice; fortunately Of that Indispensable
and weighty article there are large quanti.
tics IN the place. Twenty tons were dis.
covered in one icc-hOuse.
Day AFTER day the attendance upon the
wounded has continued since the evening
the Commission landed ut Belle Plain.
: Parties are sent out from Fredericksburg to
meet them on the road and feed them
: supplies of all kinds are furnished. The
Army Medical Department. which is tho.