Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-09-28
THE YELLOW SPECTER.
EXPERIENCE OF A STAFF OFFICER
DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
A Tragedy Which Frustrated Five and
Toob Two-A Scientist and Soldier
Closed His Career-Dctails of the Sick
Room.

death of Professor Richard A. Proctor,
the astronomer, from yellow fever, re-
calls wildly q tragedy, every incident of
which. though it occurred twenty six
years ago, is stamped indelibly on my
mind. Ormsby NJ, Mitchell and Richard
A. Proctor were the only men who ever
achieved any great reputation in America
as lecturers on astronomy. Mitchell be-
gan the work of popularizing astronomy
in 1871, at Cincinnati, and Proctor fol-
lowed him more than thirty years later.
In my biographical narrative of Gen.
Mitchel* l touched upon the events am
going to narrate here only so fan as they
concerned the subject Of the narrative.
In that book l refrained from the use of
the lego" SO essential in giving personal
experiences. The following story | will
tell entirely from my own standpoint.
Gen. Mitchell had bsen campaigning
in the west for year during 1861 and
1862. He had about him personal staff
which with himself constituted II singu-
larry united military family. In the fall
Of 1862 when he was placed in command
of the department of the south with head
quarters on Hilton Head Island this
military family consisted of Lieut.. Col.
William =. Prentice, chief of staff; Maj.
Bushrod Burch, Capt James c. Williams
and myself, aides, and Capt. f. w.
Mitchell temporarily acting also as aide.
Williams and | had been playmatcs and
afterward chums at college. Capt. f. w.
Mitchell and myself were both sons of the
general, and being both captains and of
the same name soon came to be called
Capt. Ned and Capt. Fred. Mai. Burch
was near the generals age; the rest of us
were youngsters. Burch was devoted to
to the general and made more OF Il COM
panion for him than Youngsters, none of
whom was far above 90 years Of &c.
Il was about the middle of September
that we arrived at Hilton Head Island.
Almost the first thing reported was sew
eral cases of yellow fever. We found a
long row of frame quarters, roughly con-
structed for the occupancy of the COM
manding general and his staff. Beside
these quarters, men were engaged in con-
structing earthworks fronting on the har-
Dor, every day turning up fresh earth,
dangerous thing to do in fever countries.
Capt. Williams was lodged nearest these
works, Col Prentice next, Capt. Ned
Mitchell next, then Maj. Burch, and next
to the general, myself. This is as near as
can remember the order, and | think it
is correct.
Several Of us rode out one day with the
general to a plantation near by, and l
noticed that Williams, who was with us,
WAS in a burning fever. | urged him to
return to his quarters, but he said he
would rather be in the saddle than in
bf1. Soon after this, upon going into
Col. Prentice's quarters, | found him in
bed, thrashing with fever. Next Capt.
Ned Mitchell was taken down, and then it
came my turn. The fever skipped Mai.
.Burch entirely. He had been taking daily
doses of whisky and quinine.
The general and his medical director
suspected yellow fever | have often
thought what must have been the feelings
of the general at seeing his staff one
by one thus Frustrated. The only time at
which he showed to me how deeply it
affected him was in the middle Of the
night after | was taken. He came into
my room and after speaking to me turned
with an expression of pain he could not
conceal and left the room. Suspccting
too late that the location might be the
cause Of our troubles he determined to
remove us to Beaufort, where the old Hay
mould house, commodious mansion, had
been reserved for Headquarters. He
placed US on a steamer one morning and
that afternoon we were lodged at Beaufort.
Col. Prentice and Capt. Ned were placed
in one room on the second floor, while
Capt. Williams and myself were placed in
another on the opposite side of the hall.
| remember distinctly the evening of
our arrival. a fire had been built in the
great open fireplace in the room occupied
by Williams and myself. The general
was with us and was sitting by the fire
which had just been lighted. Williams
was very i'll; much more so than | then
realized He said to me that he would
rather die than suffer much longer as he
was then suffering. Maj. Burch came in,
and the S,neral said to US: II am either
going to be sick as you boys are, or I'm
going to have one of my sick headaches"
Maj Burch took him by the arm and led
him down stairs.
Williams and Iwere on the same broad
old fashioned bed We were tossing with
the fever and retching continuously. 1
remember lady coming in-she was
doubtless one of the colony at Beaufort
who were attempting to teach the negroes
and fixing musquito net over our bed
She went about it as coolly as Gen. Grant
would have set on his horse and faced a
more tangible enemy. Everybody about
us was perfectly cool, and did not for q
moment suspect the presence of the
dreaded yellow fever. Williams, when
we arrived at Beaufort, was really enter
ing the last stages of the disease. His
lips We're cracked and he had a terrible
flushed and at the same time pinched
look. The day after we We're put on the
same bed together he was seized
with the black vomit. The nurses
took him up and hastily carried
him into an adjoining room. The removal
was quickly done that l should not see
the tale telling black vomit and suspect
the truth. For some time heard sounds
coming from the room where he was
taken, but | was too Ill to fully grasp the
situation. Maj Burch came to my door,
and asked him to go in and see Will
Jams, as feared he was very sick Burch
stammered some excuse which did not
please me, and not realizing how i'll l was
told him that if he did not do as I
wished would get up and go in there
myself. He left me with promise to do
as | asked,
At last | heard no further sounds from
Williams room. l lay day after day