The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-27
1se1-1s9s-A CONTRAST.
Hardships Experienced by an Indiana
Regiment i'm the Civil War.
Writer in WASHINGTON Post

A great deal is now being written and
said about the casualties that have resulted
in our army since the opening of the war
between the United States and Spain, and
some writer's are engaged in drawing COM
PARSONS between the present war and the
war of the rebellion. In some respects l am
of the opinion that this discussion will be
of benefit to the present generations; not
only to those who are and have been en-
gagged in the present war, but to many of
their friends whom, it seems, disremem-
Der or never knew of the history of the
from the splendid services of many of the
soldiers of the present war, but
Lest we forget
Lest we forget!
in bewailing the misfortunes of the pres
ent. | think it altogether proper that at
tention should be directed occasionally to
some of the sacrifices made in the past.
In the fall of 1861 General Zollicoffer in
vaded Kentucky via Cumberland Gap His
purpose was to take possession of Lexing
ton and the blue grass region. Troops were
hurriedly sent across the Ohio. river, to
but little preparation either i'm equipment
or drilI-much inferior in that respect than
me soldiers We're at the beginning of the
Robinson an organization was effected as
rapidly as possible and was far from being.
Zollicoffer in what is known as the battle
of Wild Cat Oct. 81 1861, which, by the
way. was the first battle fought in Ken
lucky during that war.
After the victory the Confederates fell
back to Cumberland Gap. and the Union
army advanced southwark to London.
About the middle of November an I'M
founded rumor reached General Sherman
that the enemy was about TO make a flank
movement and upon that he ordered the
army to retire to Crab Orchard In the aft
ernoon of the 18th OF that month the troops
began to move, and during the succeeding
SIX DAYS were exposed to an incessant and
merciless rain and had to sleep on the
wet ground without shelter until the wagon
trains had arrived with the camp equipage.
Ihe troops had beer in the field less than
two months, and. unused TO such conditions,
soon became victims of disease. In a very
short time every vacant house in Crab
orchard was converted into a hospital. The
erect of the march had the same dire con-
sequences in each regiment, but it is my
purpose TO treat only of the sunerlngs
OF the Thirty-third Indiana Infantry. rf
winch | was a member. In fortnight
time oil of the regiment were sick and in
the hospitals. of whom sixty died-all the
deaths and sickness being due to this UNI
timely march and exposure. OF course
Governor Morton did everything possible to
have the Indiana soldiers cared for, but the
government in that war, as in the present
was unprepared. Indeed. there were far less
facilities for caring for the sick then than
now. Medical skill had not then attained
the present high standard. and there We're
10 organizations such as the Sanitary Com
mission or Red Cross Society. The nurses
of the sick men We're their own comrades
who were devoted and true, but without
experience. This all occurred within less
than three months from date of regimental
organizatio but the newspapers of the
North did not promulgate the great calam-
ity and demand searching investigation,
though the yellow journals of that period
had a sting quite as pronounced as those
of to-day. And neither did the soldiers
make omplaint--accepting the situation as
one of the results of war
Six days and nights exposure to a cold
November rain sent to the hospitals 81
soldiers. and of whom sixty died Has such
bitter experience parallel in the present
war? That regiment did not demand an in
vestigation or muster-out. IT continued
through its three years enlistment with ad-
ditiOnai suffering in camp and in the battle
incident 10 the life of a soldier and then
re-enlisted for three years more as thou
sands of soldiers did. until to-day they are
paying the penalty in wrecked constitu-
tions-all, too, without a murmur Many
similar instances can be called to mind by
would probably be well for the old com
rades to recite few of them at this time