The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-09-10
NOTES OF A SURGEON.
RecOllections of Hospital Services in the
Western Squadron.

NOTES OF A SURGEON.
Recollections of Hospital Services in the
Western Squadron.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: My per-
sonal observation in war time was confined
| chiefly to the period from April, 1862 to
| December, 1863, after which l was In the
Eastern Division of the Western Squadron.
| My first impressions were derived from
scenes at Pittsburg Landing, whittier went
| from St. Louis in the immediate service OF
! the Western Sanitary Commission. For
| many weeks following the battles of Pitts
burg and Corin,h there were immense COM
missary operations at the Landing, where
| all supplies were unshipped and reloaded
for transportation to Corinth. Here, also,
| were the post hospitals. And one impor
| tant work of the Sanitary Commission at
| that time was the removal of the sick and
| wounded to various military hospitals along
| the great rivers. The steamers Imperial and
| Louisiana were constantly loading up with
the disabled, transporting them to Clncin-
natl, St. Louis, Keokuk, or Paducah, accord
| ing to their regimental connection, and as
| medical officer / was brought In contact
| with this very ardnous work.
The complete system of the military hos
| der and a beauty to behold, while the de-
4 voted and organized work of the Sanitary
Commission added unspeakably to their
comfort 1t was with a feeling of amazed
! admiration that I used to visit them while
| engaged in this work of transportation; and
| when we contemplate the benebcence and
utility Of it all, even Aladdins palace sinks
to insignifcance.
Springing up almost in night, everything
| that enthusiasm, benevolence, and energy
conld do was equipped by unstinted album
dance from the peoples giving and was adj
minisered with skill and judgment. No
conditions but those of home, sweet home,
could have been either sweeter or completer
| for the comfort of the wounded, the sick,
the dying.
A chief factor in this magnificent minis
| try OF the West was the Western Sanitary
Commission, of which the inspirational
genius was James E. Yeatman, of St. Louis,
a remarkable patriot and philanthrOpist,
| whose memoirs and eulOgies have been
| written elsewhere.
The emergency calling for the transfer
| ring of the disabled from field hospitals to
the cities soon subsidized to an abiding factor,
rising again to emergency after any import
ant battle; but the demand for this special
the tremendous proportions following Shi-
lob and Cornth. What soon became TO me
an even more interesting work was that of
the floating hospital permanently attached
to the Mississippi Squadron. This was the
long famous hospital steamer Red Rover, of
which the Surgeon-in-charge was DR.. Geo.
H. Bixby, and the writer was assigned as
his First Assistant in the month of June,
| 1862. This hospital steamer was, in the
| Autumn of the same year, turned over in
gift 10 the Navy Department, nearly COIN
Gliding with the passing OF the squadron from
the control of the War Department to that
of the Navy. The siege of Vicksburg was
| at this time the focus of interest for the
upper squadron, the Red Rover lying, gener-
ally, off the mouth of the Yazoo River.
Under the superintendent of DR.. Bixby
the organization was most excellent, while
the modest demeanor and pure, elevated
character of the man himself exerted a most
happy influence on all persons and things
The medical staff was soon increased to
three bv the appointment of DR.. w. F. Nc
Mutt, of Nova Scotia.
During the Summer and early Autumn of
'62 expeditions of one or more of the lighter
gunboats up the Yazoo River resulted in
various episodes. Among them were ro-
nance and tragedy. The romance re-
suited in the marriage of Lieutenant of
the squadron to a young widow whose plan
tation WAS her dowry. The tragedy, en-
tirely disconnected from the romance, was a
particularly sad one, but free from the ele-
ment Of crime. A commanding officer of a
small gunboat had in his employ q bright
, refugee mulatto lad OF IL or IA years, who
was favori:e with everybody, and with has
+ employer especially. There are unaccount-
able moments when our ordinary good sense
forsakes us, and we become su idenly COM
pelent to any downright foolish exploit.
Poor, unhappy Lieut.. -, commanding
must have been thus possessed when, in a
; merry mood, one morning he took down an
: old musket that hung among the bric-a.
brac. aimed it at the boy, and, saying
You are good mark, my little Joe,
pulled the trigger. The proximity was SO
close that, with the unexpected discharge
Joe was almost literally decapitated, frag.
| ments of skull and brains being strewn over
, the cabin floor. The Captain was so awfully
shocked and broken-hearted at the cruel
8 issue of his idle sport that it was pitliul
and almost impossible to entertain any Other
!, feeling than pity for him.
A visit from Gen. Sherman, accompanied
a by Admiral Porter, is recalled as if it were
9 yesterday. have never ceased to lool
back with admiration at the unpretendlne
g manner Of the great soldier, nor the simple
+ and felt sincerity with which he bent ove
the bedsides, pausing moment to speak Il
s one or another, and, soldier-like, especially
|. interested in the wounded.
s A momentous episode with us was tn,
9 arrival " TO stay of Fleet Surgeon Pinckney
). whose functions were not wholly sinecure
< but who was far more momentous in hi
e person than in his office.
t One frequent duty of medical officers il
O the service is that of medical survey il
cases applying for sick leave. On one o
g these occasions three of us from differen
8 ships made our way on seeaM-tug TO tn
n required point, and, on concluding the sur
n yey, we were informed that Gen. Gran
II wished to visit the flagship for call npo
y Admiral Porter, and requested permission t
r accompany us on our return.
If OF course we felt highly honored an,
r slightly awed, and could not think of with
u holding our permission" Accordingly tn
It tug touched at the required point, and tn
V General stepped on board, and, after the in
Q formal salutation, remained standing Of
deck. He was apparently in deep though
l. and not disposed for conversation, but drop
d ping quiet word of reply to any who ad
D dressed him.
d The only words from him that now re