Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-16


On April 10, 1861, appeared the proc
lamation d tho newly inaugurated
President calling for 10000 men "to
cause the laws to be duly executed.
and to reposscss the forts. pl,ccs. and
property which had been seized from
the Union"
On june IL. 1861. the United States
Sanitary Commission was organized,
and orders for its recognition were is
sued at once by the War Department.
a, this time the Medical Depart
mcnt of the United States was bu-
reau simply, caring for 1900 men on
peace establishment, aud nothing to-
ward its organization for war purposes
had been done beyond the appointment
OF u Surgeon General.
Meanwhile, in furthcrance of its
proposed aims, the Commission had is
sued and distributed many short, prac-
tical trcaiiscs upon military hygiene
and army medicine and surgery. Under
its direction sixty of the most skllful
surgeons and physicians in the nation
had been engaged in n systematic and
scientific survey of all the general hos
pitals. They inspected 700 0 beds
and saw 100000 patients. The por-
manent and rcgimcntal hospitals in the
summer of 1862 contained more than
100 600 sick and wounded, and the
ratio of sickness had more than dou-
blcd in two months.
One of the ends proposed by the
commission was to systcmatizc this
work, in other words, to organize n
Department of Relief. When General
| th L.,
at its back $1,000 auxiliary societies,
and embraced series of homes, lodges.
hospital trains, hospital directory,
and back claim and pension agency,
supported wholly by volunteer contri-
buttons Homes were established at
Boston, Hartford, New York, Phila-
delphia, Cairo. and other pllccs--
twenty-five in all. ,of which thirteen
were in the Western Department The
supply department OF the Western
branch distributed during the war
S2,SO3, l4i worth of bedding and cloth
ing; hospital furniture and surgeons
supplies to the amount of S2i3, 900;
articles of diet and other supplies to
the value of 81. 77,Oll--in all, a total
of over 100000 This merely rep
resents supplies furnished, and but u
part Of what was done.
In March, 1868, Judge Skinner,
president of the Chicago branch. issued
a circular, supplemented by kilograms
to important points, asking for anti
scOrbuticS for General Grants army,
then before Vicksburg and threatened
with scurvy. Tho average of vegeta-
bic shipments in response to this call
was 1000 barrels week. In the fol-
lowing month ii became necessary to
renew the struggle on behalf of the
Army of the Cumberland. From Jan
uary to July, 1868, the Chicago branch
shipped Is, 46S bushels Of Vegetables,
and of other anti-scorbutics it forward
ed 81 ,O56 pounds of dried fruits, 3. Cos
cans OF fruit. and 3S7 packages of
pickles. The Commission undertook
the gratuitous collection of these
claims--establishing claim agency
to give totals, and am not trying to
sound its praises, but to Indicate its
necessity. its aims and its methods, II
few details will give fair idea OF re-
suits. The agent at Cairo reported
back pay drawn and paid over from
Nov. |, 1868, to July 81, nine months,
$l2O,OO5. 80. The one at Washington,
for the nine months from Jan. l to
October |, 1868. a total of Sl30, 159.
The Commission established hospital
directories at Washington, Louisville,
and one at Philadelphia. The first
named at the close of the war had u
record of l.5l7 regiments, and includ-
ed $50, jO2 names; its roll of deaths
was 1887, At Washington 100000
and ut PniIaiel phia there was Il regis
try of 20, $50 names.