Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-11-29
IN CAMP AND FIELD.
4 MEDICAL MANS MEMORY
OF WARTIME


near by; the boats gently swung round
with their prows down stream, then get
ting out into the main channel a full head
of steam was turned on and that heaving
sound characteristic Of a boat under full
Roadway began; and the men raised their
hats and cheered wildly and long.
They seemed more bent on a pleasure
excursion than to give battle and meet a
determined and powerful foe. The writer
remembers looking at them in this jolly
mood and wondering how many of the
merry ones would soon find a grave on a
attle-iield and what number would return
manned and wounded. Not very long was
it when word came that Sherman had been
repulsed at Viclsburg and in little while
after, whole boat loads of wounded SOL
diers came up from below.
About the middle of January, 1868,
comrade of the writer-a warm friend
vas taken seriously sick and had to be re-
moved to the regimental hospital That
he might have special care and be made as
| comfortable as possible, the writer accom-
panied him thither and remained with him
some weeks, till his friends came from the
North and took him home to die.
Becoming acquainted with the surgeons
in charge and liking them, and not liking
the irregular and mixed duties of soldier
life about the city, the writer was induced
to remain and become regular hospital
attache. The building occupied was a
double frame structure, having partition
from front to rear through the center, with
no doors of communication. It was two
stories high and up stairs and down had
wide porches the whole width of the build
ing. On either side of the partition were
two rooms, one in front and one in rear,
and hallway with flight of stairs that
led to the second story, arranged precisely
like the lower.
One side the partition with its four rooms
was occupied by the sick-each room form
ed a separate ward and for three months
during the winter of 1923 these apart
ments were literally crowded with the
sick from one regiment.
The other side the partition was occu-
pied for offices and used as storage rooms.
Back of the main building and adjoining
thereto was long, low structure used as
a kitchen and dining room.
There was great deal of sickness and
many deaths this winter. The most fatal
disease was measles. Quite proportion
of the newly-enlist ted men had never had
measles and among this class that disease
played havoc. A number of great strap
ping fellows in the writer's company
| had never had the disease and were soon
attacked with it, some of whom died, 9TH
erS became permanent invalidS and were
discharged, and few lost their voices or
had defective eye-sight or hearing.
So much for the ravages of a disease in
the army that in civA life is considered
comparative mild malady.
Perhaps no period of like duration was
more discouraging to the Union cause than
the winter of 1923. The Army of the Po-
tomac under Burnside had met with terri
BILE disaster at Fredericksburg, Va, De-
cember 10, 1862; Sherman had been re-
pulsed with severe loss the same month at
Viclzsburg, and December 81, the last day
of the year, was fought the bloody battle
of Stones River or Murfreesboro, between
the Union forces under General Rosecrans,
| and the Confedcrates under General Bragg,
either side losing in killed and wounded
eight to ten thousand men, and neither
winning decisive victory.
An unusual amount of serious sickness
prevailed throughout the armies that win
| ter. One reason possibly was the great
| amount of rainfall, particularly in the
| western and southwestern field of opera
| tons. Another was the very large acces-
| sion of now troops. For six months after
enlistment, a new regiment has to pass
| through sort of winnowing process, in
which the chaff so to speak, is separated
| from the wheat; when the weaklings, the
| SOFT tender, susceptible ones, either die,
| or becoming unfit for duty, are discharged,
| leaving the command with lot of tried
men-as it were a veritabIe survival of the
| fittest.
of peculiar discouragementt to Union people.
Nearly all with whom the writer came in
contact at this period, most of whom were
| soldiers, seemed to feel this.
| In and about Memphis sickness Of a seri-
Gus character prevailed among the troops
| all winter
The regimental hospital was on one of
the main streets, and from its front win
| dows several times daily could be seen a
| slowly moving ambulance within which
| was pine coffin containing the dead body
| of u soldier, preceded by a military band
playing dirge and followed by a company
| of soldiers with reversed arms. Farther
on in the suburbs was the soldiers burying
| ground.
Eryslpelas prevailed as an epidemic and
many suffered terribly from this disease.
When it attacked the face, it's favorite
site, the features were horribly swollen
| and distorted, the eyes closed and when all
was painted over with Iodine, frequent
| local remedy, the sufferers countenance
was as inhuman like as can be imagined.
Erysipelas, measles, rheumatism, typhoid
fever, dysentery and other fatal troubles,
carried off many men during the winter
For time scarce a day passed but one or
| more men died at the regimental hospital.
AS one poor fellow after another was
carried out in his pine coffin the writer re-
members thinking of the sad news the next
outgoing mail would convey to friends
away up North.
Some wife, mother or sister would for a
time lead u salder life and carry a heavier
heart Before death, in the great majority
-