Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1867-10-10
From Galveston-The Horrors
of the Yellow Fever-A Mourn
full Account.
GALVESTON, TEXAS,
Sept. 98th, 1867.

were three families among the mill
tsry, Generals Potter, Griffin and my
who, up to that time, had es
~&ped the dread pestilence that was
scourging this city. 1 am unable tc
say that now. We have all had il
and death has swept us fearfully.
I had hardly mailed that letter be-
fore my wife was taken down. She
had a severe attack but has recover
ed. Five days afterwards my daugh-
ter was taken and four days after
that / was taken-all three of us in
bed at one and the same time, con-
dihon of things blue and discourag-
ing. In the meantime Gen. Potter,
wife, child and nurse were all taken
down within forty eight hours. Gen.
Griffin, son and nurse followed suit.
Gen. PETERS wife and nurse and
Gen. Griffin and son all died, and
myself and family, the only one
among the military, all recovered.
1t seems like miracle to US since
we got up, and we can hardly realize
it. Every one we meet now says it
is remarkable and l assure you we
are deyoutlv thankful. Since my
last Col. Scinclair and his brother
have had the fever, making every
member of that family, and all have
recovered. Col. S. was formerly
Adjutant General on the staff of
Maj. Gen. Stanbery, of the army of
the Cumberland, is now in civil life
and in the Freedman's Bureau.
The same physician (Dr. Haden)
and the same nurses (Mr: Pearce,
and assistant of the Island City He
tel), attended to both our families,
and the result is we are all alive.
They saved my life by three hours
hard, unceasing work even when l
was partially chilled. DR.. Haden
was the chief surgeon in the trans
Mississippi department of the rebel
army, and Mr.. Pearee Major in the
same army, but no brothers or par
ents could have worked harder to
save life than they did in my family,
and with the smile of Providence
were successful. l hope no one will
think I, for a moment, aim to reflect
on our army surgeons. God knows
every last one of them lost their
lives in this epidemie-sacrificed
them from a sense of duty. They
will get their reward in another and
better world, fer they were all of
them good and true men.
l went on the theory that yellow
fever was solely disease peculiar to
this climate, that northern physicians,
no matter how thoroughly they may
have been educated, yet never hav-
ing seen this disease, having no
practical experience in it, could not
be, in the nature of the case, sound
practitioners. On this theory alone
l discarded all away doctors and Sc
leeted physician of experience, one
born and bred in the South and who
had passed through previous epi
denies. Mr.. Pearce kindly velun-
teered to take charge of the nursing,
an old experienced hand, and with
these exceptions every friend and
acquaintance was Kept out of the
house The result is we are all out
of the woods 50 far, though not
wholly free from the danger of re-
lapse, if we should be so foolish as to
be guilty of any imprudence. When
I was taken down / weighed 142
pounds, had the fever on me three
days and nights, and weighed on
getting up 112 pounds. 1t is a pull
ing doaOn fever. This part OF this
letter may sound egotistical, bnt be-
ing too weak to answer all the kind
letters we have received from friends
who read the Journal, 1 have taken
the liberty to embody all the details
in one.
Nearly all the soldiery have had
the fever, and about two thirds of
them have died, fearful mortality.
At least 1900 deaths have occurred
in the. city, since July oath, nearly all
of which have been yellow fever.
The fever will run, in a laiider form
for two months yet, in all prahability,
the deaths averaging about five day.
1t seems small to what 1t has been,
but the material for it to work upon
has become nearly exhausted. The
estimated number of sick in the city
during the prevalence of the epi-
demic is computed at over eight
deaths about one in six.
The deaths among the military will
foot up at least one in two. Pretty
heavy, is it notG
In proportion to the population
the mortality in New Orleans should
be $50 per day, to equal the mortali
ty during the heighth of the epidemic
here. In Houston it is even worse
than it was here; while in Hampstead
seventy per cent of the sick have
died. At all of the interior towns,
reachingj almost to Austin, the cpl |
demic is raging fearfully. Many of