The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-09-23

HOSPITALS LIKE LAZERETOS
Many Soldiers Died in Camp as Result
of Lack Of Medical Attention.
Corps Surgeon in Charge Of $4,000 Men
Veterinarian, Appointee Of the
President.
The indianapolis Sentinel prints
the following interview with Chap
lain Christensen of the one hundred
and fifty-eighth Indiana regiment.
He is pastor Of st. Pauls Episco-
pal church of that city, and one OF
the leading divines of the country.
He makes sensational charges as
camp at Chicamauga, but his
words, however strong they may
seem, cannot be doubted. He says:
81 am yet in the United States
service and now il not the time tCr
me to tell all know. AS soon as
we are mustered out there are some
things we can say, that we will say,
that we must say and our tongues
are not to be tied by any cry OF
'sensationalism' raised by those
whose interest it is to cover up the
facts.
ExAGGERATIoN Not NECESSARY.
eve of the one hundred and fifty
eighth Indiana regiment did not OBJ
Iiect to ordinary nardships and pri-
vations. We prided ourselves on
not being feather bed soldiers. We
were W Iii lg to leep anySheIeori o
at all, to eat anything or nothing al
all, but we did object to being put
down there and weakened, debilitat-
ed and invalided for life, all on ac-
count of the criminal incompetence
of certain brigade and division quar-
termasters and commissaries.
at was a. bad or worse in the
medical department. When WI
went to Chickamauga we found tha
our corps surgeon, the man who
was the general in-chief of the medi
cal service of 80 900 men, the mar
who was charged with the immense
responsibility clearing for the healtf
and fighting off disease from tina
many men, was a veterinary sur
geon, who had devoted his life tc
doctoring horses and mules and had
never practiced among human be
ings. Who was responsible for his
appointment? President Mckin'
ley appointed him.
"The corps was entirely out Of
medical and surgical supplies
There were net enough surgical in
struments on hand to open boil.
There was no quinile, none OF the
ordinary every day remedies such
as are demanded in the most com
mon cases of sickness. When We
made requisition for them we were
; told bluntly that we would have tC
rustic for them.
\ A PERFECT LAZARETTE.
81 went to the division hospita
every Gay and the sights and sounds
and smells that one came in con
tact with there made it resemble ;
perfect lazaretto. Bah! 1t makes
!, ne sick to think of Camp Thomas
ave did not suffer for want o
T Hood, but our thanks for that arr
due to Colonel Smith, who, wher
he didn't get food any other way
demanded it and followed up hi
demand with such persistence tina
he usually got it. The result Of hi
watchfulness and grit was that ou
regiment lost only four men, while
our neighbors, the ninth Pennsyl
vania. lost thirty-seven, the sixth
'IOhio ten and the first Virgini;
fifteen.
"There has been no desire among
responsible parties to cover up facts
! as they existed at Camp Thomas
! When Chaplain Dooley Of the eight
{ New York was asked by Genera
Boynton, before the latter handed
in his white washing report, if HI
would state the facts as he knew
Them on the witness stand, thu
chaplain said that he was not onl,
willing but anxious to tell all HI
, knew. He never heard from Gen
eral Boynton again.
"Another chaplain-I need no
, mention who he was-waved clul
|over the head of one surgeon ant
, told him that if he didn't do Ger
! tain things that his plain duty de
|, manded he (the chaplain) woul'
| report him publicly to the war de
apartment. In a short time tina
/ surgeon resigned.
j EVEN THE WELL WERE Sick