The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-04-10
Eror tho Cats cisy1
Tho r.. &. Woed Agatn...L9tser frem
the surgeon.

The r.. &. Wood Agntn...LSsserf rem
the surgeon.
Mr.. Editor: In your issue Of March
l4,h notice an article cmanating from
some Of the sick and sounded soldiers
transferred on this boat TO Keokuk, Iowa.
And as the article Cues IT, ,stice to all on
board, especially to myself, IIpropose to
answer it briefly.
First, your authors are entirely mis-
taken about there being ladies on duty on
this boat. There are but two ladies on
board. Thee are the wives OF the cut
geon., and rs the regulations give sur
geons quarters, the surgeons have right
to have their families occupy them also.
and il certainly is not The business Of any
ono.
There have been no ladies on duty on
this boat for over year. Wa did prior
to that time have two ladies here on duty,
one as matrou and the other in charge
Of the special diet kicker; but i, was the
universal opinion Of all the medical OH
GERS en- board that the wounded were bet
ter of without them.
As regards any lady on board saying
| that the soldiers were q filthy Get, &c..
there 10 not one word of truth in it-not
even the shadow Of truth. The facts
lin tho case of tn painting are these:
Two ladies, one Of them an invited guest
in passing to our dining room, noticed .
soldicr painting. They renal ked that i,
was "pretiy AMI would be highly appre
cia,ed By the friends at home" The i.
all and every word that was said about il.
The Two ladies' and others testify ~ this
statement.
In regard to the doctors eating santa
RI stores, one word is only neeessary-we
| have no sanitary stores, aud have not had
for over . year. We have mess of our
own, and we pay for it. and We have an,
thing we wish, and ! am aot sware OF
there being any law preventing surgeons
from either buying or ealing canned fruit,
| chickens, or any thing else.
| will furtherssy that there is not now,
neither was there ever a lady on board
this boat, that would use such langusge
as is attributed to this lady by your in
formants-on the contrary. che has al
ways treated them With the utmost kind
uess and respect.
These men say the doctors paid no at
tention TO their Wounds. This is quite
probable, from the fact that their wounds
required no attention. Not one Of them
signed TO tho article was patient OF mr.
ward, but in comparing their names With
our record end that with no exception
they weie Ill convslescent and better
fitted for the Geld than for being in the
hoepitsl; in fact, our entire load was 10
the DsjoritY convAlescent, Jet every sur
gcon paid regular call At 81 O'Clock o..
m. and at p. m, and prescribed for
those cnly who required medicine, Of
which there we're very few. The bread
was little sour, but this could not be
avoided. We used the same 1t our own
mess. They had plenty Of bread and
everything else SO tar - l could see. l
often asked the question, sshave you plen
| ~ to Cat I" and was answered general,
10 the affirmative. There vera some Who
did grumble, bat among 20 many there
are always some to be fouDd 70 arumbls,
oven if they we're fed on milk and honey
aad all tho delicscies Of the season. A.
to their sseari0g that there w9s not
/ grain OF coffee put in their coffee, / would
say. boys don't swear, for II yos do yeu
viii never sss hesves. nm assursd ~
the ccmmissasy, : genslsmas II honDs All
integrity, who has served His. oountr,
faith ully and VEN 10 the rants Nv thsse
i years, that he ieeued the reruIaf and IN