Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-06-01
Communications.
Letter From New York.


FRIEND HIIDRETH A short time
ago, in company with a military ac-
quaintance, your correspondent visit
ed the government hospitals on Da
vid's Island. The rural scenery of
Long Island | only knew in poetry
and descriptive prose. having never
travelled on the waters of the East
river. The day | made this trip was
one Of the loveliest in May. There
were the balmy tropical breczes of
May air; sweetness of May flowers !;
richness of May vegetation war
bling music of May birds. In brief,
the grand natural beauty that met
my eye, both on the Manhattan and
Long Island shores. as | sailed up the
classic waters Of the East river, can
be excelled in splendor only by the
bow that sets in our national heavens,
jotted with its millions of starry gems
of peace. ... .......-....
Our good vessel, Silver Grove, hav-
ing landed us safely on shore, COM
menced looking around. The first Oh
jects that engaged my attention were
the wounded soldiers scattered in
groups over the Island. Some were
reading books and newspapers, 9TH
ers writing TO their friends, while ma
ny were engaged in conversation
about battles and campaigns. These
men were manned with all manner Of
wounds. Some were hobbling about
Oh crntclies, no legs or feet some
had lost a hand aud arm some had
been bayoneted through the body and
their persons were bent far forward.
crippled for life; some had portions Of
their faces torn off by shells some
were shot through the head some
had no eyes some had lost their
hearing some had their features
drawn out of all human shape by dis
ease. In fact. | thought il would tax
to the utmost the most skillful surge
ry TO discover any physical wound or
fracture that was not already inflicted
upon the persons Of these SCARED he
roes Of many battles. ft E
] next took look at the hospital
buildings. They are one story high ;
from sixty to one hundred feet long ;
substantially constructed cleanly
whitewashed and present the ap-
pearance of neatness and comfort
The rooms are divided into ward sec-
tions and are filled with single hunks
about three feet apart On these rest.
ing places lie the wasted forms OF
men Frustrated by too many kinds oi
disease TO be mentioned in a newspa.
per article. The feelings which their
piteous condition excite against the
monstrous authors of their misfor.
| tunes are not to be expressed in
prayers for tho souls of traitors. ,aa
But wish to call the attention oi
the readers of the Hteihgenoer paiticn'
larly to class of soldiers in the hos
pitals known as the footless sol
dicrs." | have heard much of the
cruelties, atrocities aud cannibal bar
barism inflicted upon the prisoners
of war by the wayward sisters" o
the South, but have never met viii
such an occular demonstration o
them all as is presented in the condi
tion Of these "footless soldiers now
on David's Island. There they ART
to be seen and heard, hut not describ
ed. Some of them with half Of ont
foot gone some half of both feet
some a partial, and others total los,
of their toes some, their feet gon,
just above the ankles some had los
both feet and legs up to their knees
while the men are reduced to mer,
skeletons, mere shadows of men
Col. j. j, Gecr. late Chaplain of tn,
lS3d Ohio volunteers, cut five pair O
these men's feet off with a pair Of seas
sors. ~