The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-13
THE HOspITAL TRAIN.
List OF the Sick Brought HOme-Sto-
rfes of Camp Life.

rfes OF Camp Life.
The hospital train was in charge of Major
Surgeon Thomas c. Stunkard The names
of the sick are as follows: Privates Thomas
Weyman, of Greencastle; Robert Payman,
OF Terre Haute; James Meyers, of Wash
ington; Samuel Wrey, of Brownstown;
Charles Goodman, of New Albany; Will
Schultz, of Columbus; Seth Wyckoff, of
Washington; Harry Soette, of vincennes:
Earl Lane of Greencastle; H. S. Hall, Of
Danville; Melvin Reedy and Louis r. Bailey,
of Vincennes; John Wiltz, of Washington,
and Fred Darby, of Indianapolis. A num-
Der of patients are in a precarious condi-
ton, while others are convalescing and will
be able to be out in short time. Private
Thomas Weyman has a severe attack of
typhoid and malarial fever, and has the
constant attention of nurse. Private w.
J. Osborn, of Company NJ, Evansville, is
suffering from an attack of medulitis Both
men were taken to the City Hospital
The third section, commanded by Major
Lowden, had several men who needed TO
go to the hospital, and they were taken in
the city ambulance. They were: Alva
Brothers, Company F, of Fincastle, not
serious; John Beavers, Company G.
Mooney, quite sick; Lewis Bailey, Company
Company /, Greencastle, probably typhoid
fever, not very serious; Emery .Reedy, Com
pany l., Vincennes, not serious. Spurgeon
A Cain, of Company K, of Hazelton, was
taken from the first section. All of the men.
the City Hospital physicians say, have some
fever Most of them have been i'll but
day or two and their condition is not very
serious.
COMPLAINT OF CAMP ATGEp
Great complaint is heard in regard to
Camp Alger. One of the surgeons stated
that it was not fit place for the troops.
When the regiments arrived there was not
sufficient water for five hundred men, and
consequently great suffering prevailed. Aft
erwards the water supply was improved.
The men suffered from dysentery measles,
typhoid fever and malaria, one hundred men
being down at one time with these various
diseases. The number of men answering
sick call each morning averaged about 150.
Major Surgeon Thomas G. Stunkard says
the Observation-Disclosures fty-ninth Regiment
was equipped with the best medical outfit
that could be procured when it left Indian
apolis, having sufficient supplies to last the
regiment. under ordinary circumstances. for
three months. On several occasions when
the regimental hospital was inspected at
Camp Alger the inspector commented on the
completeness of the medical department.
But as the sickness increased the division
drew largely on the medical supplies. 1t
was next to an impoSSibility to procure
these supplies after the first outfit had been
exhausted. requisition was made on the
brigade, the brigade drew on the division,
but the supplies were not forthcoming. The
division surgeon could not procure the sup
plies from the surgeon general in Washing
ton on account of the great demand from
all sources. When the government COM
menced this campaign no one had the least
idea that such vast amount or medicine
would be required. Major Surgeon Stunkard
says that to fill the needs of his regiment
1t required about fifteen hundred grains of
quinine each day other medicines in pro-
portion. The only source from which the
medicines could be quickly obtained was
Society, but 1T was not often that the regi-
ment was near one of these stations of the
Red Cross.
The officers also say it was serious mis-
take to mass 1,2C0 men in a space of two
blocks, as was done at Camp Alger. and
leave them in the same location for six
weeks. The ground at Camp Alger was
such that in time of rain it would not abb
sorb the water, causing it to stand in shall
low places. One of the causes of sickness
In the regiments at Camp Alger was that
the authorities allowed the fakirS and huck-
sters to sell ices, circus lemonade and
various other nicknacks to the men: These
the camps as though it were a market space
until the thing became so obnoxious to the
health of the men that the fakirs were
driven away. The surgeons state that 1t is
remarkable that Colonel BarnettS regiment
went through the campaign without more
serious losses When the One-hundred-and-
f1fty-ninth Regiment arrived at Camp AL
ger Major Surgeon Stunkard was appointed
brigade surgeon, and his attention was
thereby partly diverted from the regiment.
Dr. Eugene Hawkins, assistant surgeon,
was appointed executive officer of the di
vision hospital and DR.. W. 8. Davis was left
in charge of the regiment, but afterwards
Dr. Davis was taken i'll and DR.. Hawkins,
assistant surgeon, was transferred back to
the regiment.
COMPLAIN OF LONG MARCHES.
The men have much to say about the long
march they were forced to make from
Camp Alger to Thoroughfare Gap The
march began on Aug. 4. The weather was
very warm and dry at the start, but the
following days heavy rains set in. The men
were compelled to march from ten to fiji
teen miles each day. rain or shine. One of
the officers of Company B stated that the
shoes of the men fell apart, the soles fall
ing off as though they consisted of paper.
It is said the acquisitions came in the vari-
Gus departments so heavily for equipments
that the authorities were forced to go into
the open market and buy whatever stock
they could find This officer further stated
that there were over twenty barefooted
men in Company b. The first day of the
march the dust was very thick on the roads
and the rain of the following days made the
roads hard to travel over. The One-hun-
part of the First Brigade, Second Divi-
sion, Second Army Corps The greater part
of the division made this march and the
officers say the men were fed such poor
food that in a number of the other regi-
ments the soldiers became so desperate
that one evening they killed half dozen
cows, a number of hogs and caught all the
fowls in the vicinity, the owners of which
are now sending their claims to the
government for damages. When the
brigadier general was informed of the fact
he stopped these depredations. Some of the
men of Colonel Barnett's regiment state
that they were fed on hard tack and pOta-
toes on the siXty-mile march from Camp
Alger to Thoroughfare Gap and that it was
the fault of the company commissary and
quartermaster officers that they did not re-
ceive better rations. The men say these Of
ficers should have been reminded Of their
duty by the commanding officer. One of the
surgeons states that the men had only two
days rations for six days. When the regi-
ment arrived at Burke station, of the
camps en- route the SiXty-mle march, only
four hundred men answered the roll call.
the others having been left in the rear and
did not arrive until several hours later. But
the men soon recovered from the bad effect
of Camp .Alger and improved notwithstand-
ing the march.
The men crossed Bull Run creek waist
deep. The evening the regiment arrived at
Thoroughfare Gap a heavy rain was fall
ing. All the blankets, tents and other equip
age was wet. The ground was soggy and
unfit for a camping ground. These officers
say 1t is a miracle that more men did not
die.
The One-hundred- -fifty-ninth Regi-
ment camped at the following places: Camp
Alger, May "a until Aug A. Camp Burke,
until Aug 10; Camp Thoroughfare Aug. 10
until Aug. 2S Camp Meade Aug. Is until
Sept. 4.
THE MEN IN HOSPITALS.