The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-08-25
WAS MISMANACED.
The Army Suffered Because Ayers
Pets rlade Lazy and Very In
competent Officials.
Sick Men Received Little Attention
and Less Care When They
81 Went To Hospitals.

nOsplIals OF the army for with the pos.
;sibilitles of a courtmartial hanging
over ones head he is pretty apt to re.
main silent. Now that my service in
the Volunteers is a thing of the past, /
propose to say a few words, although
doubt my ability to do the subject jus.
tice. .<
In the first place in every depart
mentof the army politics has cut more
of figure than merit, but nowhere
havesthe results been so disastrous as
in the medical department. Here, as
IN other departments. surgeons were
appointed, not for their efficiency, but
on account of their political ''pull.'
Knowing by what means theirappoint-
ments were secured these men of med
icines(?) have felt secure in their posi-
tionsaand have neglected their duty in
a most shameful manner. AS a glow
ing example of what political ''pull''
can DO I have only to refer to the Sec
ond Division, First Army Corps hospi-
tai, where Lieut.. Col. Huidekooper, a
veterinary surgeon, and by grace Of pol
itics surgeon in, chief, has charge, as
well Jas of other hospitals, instead OF
being in the corral where he belongs.
Why such a man should be appointed
to have charge of the sick is mystery
to all: who have no knowledge of the
power of politics. :
Whenever these learned men have
been taken on the carpet for their
misdeeds they have invariably made
the excuse that their corps of nurses
was insufficient. This excuse might
pass were it not for the fact that com.
pany commanders always stood ready
to detail men to nurse the sick of their
companies in the hospital wheneve,
called upon, and most of Che command
ers have done this without waiting to
be called upon. 10 this watchful care
Of their captains many a man owes his
ifesto-day. ,sS .s.5 ~ 5s.
Ess.W hen the$army first reached Chick.
amauga there was quite an epidemic
of measles. These patients were kept
separate from the others and when
night came the nurses would tie the
flaps OF the tents and seek their
couches to be seen no more until morn
ing. If the patient needed attention
he was forced to depend upon some
convalescent in his. own ward, and if
there happened to be none there his
wants were unattended. -
The greatest suffering from inatten-
tion, however, has come since the
fevers became rampant. Men with
temperatures far above 100 have laid
for days withouta bathso even having
their faces washed. When the at
PENDANTS would finally put in an ap
pearance they would battle the faces of
a dozen men in one small basin of
water, wiping them all on the same
towel. If man was strong enough to
take his medicine unaided he got his
doses at the proper time, but if he hap
pened to be too weak to help himself,
then he got it whenever it struck the
fancy Of his nurse to give it to him.
Under such treatment is it at all won
derful that our boys came home look
ing like living skeletons? =
The nourishment was also INSULT
Gent. Bread would be put in an oven
and a slow fire would dry it to a degree
of hardness equalled only by thing.
One slice Of this and tumblerful. of
weak: cold tea would be given each
patient. By soaking this so-called
toast in the tea it would finally reach
a consistency that would allow it to be
bitten without danger to the teeth but
the tea would be gone and no more
would be given the patient.
Everett Miller, who now lies at home
SO fearfully emaciated that his friends
scarcely recognize him, was for TWEEN
ty-four days in this hospital. There
were at that time two others there,
Corporal Amos Howard and Private
Cole, and they were attended by Cor
.poral Sinclair, which fact alone ac-
counts for the saving Of even small
part Of their hitherto healthy bodies.
] During sMiller's stay there was ter
rife rain storm one night and Corporal
Sinclair not being at the hospital
nights there was no one except the
regular nurses to- look after our men.
Miller Jay whore the rain beat in upon
him and his blankets and cot were
thoroughly soaked before the rain
ceased. It was only a miracle that
saved him from contracting a cold,
which in his condition would have
been fatal. ..sSS !.
My brother has a man in his COM
pany who will die of rheumatism if