Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-09-09
CAMP THOMAS HOSPITALS.
A Reply to Gen. ii. v. BOyntOn
The Division Hospitals at ChickRmauga
AS a STAFF Omcer Has Seen and Dee
scrIbed Them.

ton of such letter from an officer of in
ferior rank would be " unmilitary." 1t is
understood, however to have been written
by civil war veteran, Judge Theodosius
Botkin, late department commander of the
Grand Army of Kansas. The letter con-
sists in the main of an abstract of the
official report of "an eminent surgeon " to
the surgeon general of the army. The
writer of the letter says:
The abstract in possession of the writer
was not made by authority or with the
knowledge of the surgeon in question.
How obtained it is not important. The
surgeon says:
" Imagine, If yOu can, a division hos
pital where there are more than 500
patients, and where for many weeks there
was only one drug clerk on duty at a time.
Oftentmes prescriptions that | wrote at
O'Clock in the morning were not filed til
late in the evening, and the men laid there
all that time neglected and suffering.
There was on hand absolutely nothing
that could be construed by the most fertile
brain as fitted for large number of sick
soldiers then under treatment At no time
was there sufficient room to make the sick
at all comfortable for they had to be
crowded together like sardines in box,
with their heads against the sides of the
tents, where the burning rays would almost
scorch their hair
"1ltCCts were so crowded that there
was no room to stand bet yeen them, and
the physicians and nurses were obliged to
reach the men from the foot OF the cots
At no time were there sufficient cots to
furnish each man with a comfortable bed.
| Every hour in the day men were obliged to
lie either on the ground or on the filters
on which they were brought to the hos
| pital. Men were often obliged to remain
in their dirty camp clothing for hours, and
in some instances longer than days, for the
want Of anything to cover them except
their blankets
There was every day a shortage of milk
and ice. 1t was enough to melt the strong
est heart to hear those poor men asking for
ice cold milk. The character Of the nurs-
ing given the men is blight on the fair
anne of our rich and glorious government.
Ice and fresh milk were not delivered at
the hospital until II and Il \. NJ. Anoth-
er feature which worked hardshps on the
nurses was the fact that they were Obliged
to nurse eight hours in - and then do POI
lice duty three hours each day. There
was not mortar. nor a pin tile, nor a
spatula, nor a syringe, nor a pair of
apothecary scales IN or about the hospital.
Now allow me to say that ! have not
even iutimated half the awful, brutal, care.
less criminal. hr.llsa facts that can be-
produced to show the American people the
damuable record of these he'll holes at
Camp Thomas, misnalncd division hos
piials." Did you kuow-did any one tell
you these truths?
|. That a man OF the Fifth Missouri
sick with the measles was permitted TO lie
on the ground without proper attention
until he died.
>. That one man Ina died and his body
permitted to remain from 80 TO 30 hours
in close proximity to the sick.
3 That another mans body had been
neglected so long that it was in a condi-
ton too dreadful to describe.
(. That another man was discharged
from the hospital and died soon after re-
turning to his quarters.
). That during all the rainy season
there were no floors in the hospital tents
and that sick soldiers were compelled to
stand with bare feet upon the damp
ground while their beds were being chang
ed
g. That disinfectants were, for many
weeks, not to be had at all, or in such
limited quantities as to be almost useless.
= That the location OF the Second divi-
sion hospital, Third army corps, is in the
: immediate vicinity OF the worst malaria
infected spot in the state of Georgia?
$. That regiments, against the protests
of their officers and brigade and division
commanders, were kept encamped upon the
same spos SO long that At last there was no
more fresh ground upon which to dig new
sinks?
-. That for weeks the ranks were SO
terroriZed by the facts-naked, solid, in
4 OH :
that scores and hundreds Of soldiers have
concealed the truth of their own extreme
illness, and have gone on regular duty
rather than be reported i'll, and sent to
what seemed TO them certa II death at the
| hospital? That scores of these remained
on duty until they fell By the waysde un-
conscious?
10. That in disobedience to orders, regi-
mental commanders and surgeons have
kept and protected many of their sick from
the division hospitals by cOncealing the
fact of their illness from higher authority,
and by leaving them in their own tents?
II. That nearly all the proper remedies
and delicacies for the sick were furnished
for many weeks by the Red Cross society
and by private subscription?
y. That very frequently the physicians
in charge have sent their prescriptions tC
cause the most ordinary and useful drugs
Z could not be had at the division hospital.
1t is time the truth were being officially
known The American people should
know at once the dark chapter of damnins
infamy that has made the very name 'di
= vision hospital a source of fear and tremb
ling to the poor soldiers in the line who
cannot, who dare not, complain for them
selves.
No official whitewash shall cover Of
hide the criminal, careless, guilty one from
the wrath of an outraged humanity. TIL,
war was begun on account of the 'recon
centradoas" of Cuba, but those poor, suf
fering people suffered not half as outrage
1 ously as did the brave American voluntee
u soldiers, who, succumbing to disease ant
errors of camp life, became worse THAI
reconcentradoes, in the power of thos
whose duty it was to make our division
hospitals pleasant, comfortable refuge
from the ills incident to the service,