New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-18
SICKNESS N THE CIVIL WAX.
DID THE VETERANS OF 1861 SUFFER- AS
MUCH AS THE SOLDIERS IN THE
RECENT CONFLICT


To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: I have talked with many veterans OF the
Civil War and others touching the treatment or
our soldiers during the conflict Just endeo anu
their losses In battle and from the fever ana SICK
ness inseparab.e from warfare. and nave louhu
that the opinion has almost invariably been nrs'
that the death rate has not been extreme. consid-
ering the hurried assembling OF an immense army
of new soldiers and their necessary changes n con-
d,tion and climate and. second. that great pro-
portion OF the sickness In home camps must nat
urally be traced to indiscretons and carelessness
on the part OF the soldiers themselves ana 10 'he
failure OF inexperienced regmen;al officers prop
erly 10 care for the welfare Of their charges IL is
gratifying therefore. to learn, in recent issue OF
Tn. Tribune that the Secretary OF War intends TO
hold reKimental officers strictly accountable FOR
the welfare OF their men. Particularly, Also are
his remarks pertinent when ne says that the
American people should try 10 brace up the men,
10 encourage them to remember that they are so'-
ders and are expected to meet soldiers duties
II Is apparent that the public have in meas
ure been unauly Influenced by the exaggegations
Of sensational newspapers that have been at
loss for scare heads' since the close Of hostli-
ties. and that have. moreover, been using the I'M
fortunate soldier for political capital
No class OF our citizens have been more patriotic
during the last few months than the veterans OF the
rar both AZ the North and the South. Thousands OF
them have sent their sons TO cuba. Porto Rico and
Manila and have followed their journeyings with
loving and sympathe,ic wishes but these veterans
could tell their OF hundreds OF days ana
nights Of suffering and privation during the long
war nv the side OF which the experiences or the
last few months would appear of small Importance
For instance there are thousands OF Union vet
Grams now living who wildly recall the vlclss!-
.udes OF the Chickahomny campaign when inc
splendid Army OF the Potomac camped and dug ana
fought In the swamps OF the fatal river FOR weeks,
then fought and marched during the memorable
seven DAYS and nights and died by hundreds after
reaching Tho James River from the terrible fevers
and camp sickness contracted In the male-ious re-
gion which they had left. These young men VINO
gave UP their lives along the muddy roacs and IN
the hospital tents at Harrison Landing were the
best blood OF the North. the volunteers OF 1851 The
writer was one Of those who suffered and lived and
no does not recall that any OF his comrades com
nIoined of their lot or that the Government or
even any official blamed for the deaths in
camp the lack Of delicaces or ice. or the want or
nrst-cass transports to convey the SICK aho
wounded soldiers on the long and hot Journey 10
Washington other parts OF Gods country.
And the experiences here referred to were repeated
many times during the four years OF war.
Permit me to quote the following from Colonel
W f. Fcx's valuable work. "Reginental Losses In
the Civil War" 1t Will perhaps prove interesting
to our younger soldiers of the Republic ana soda
tive to thousands citizens who have read for
many DAYS of the trials OF the Army and of the
neglect on the part of officials properly to care
for II:
Reduced to three years standard OF enlistment
the total enrolment Of the Union Army would equal
2326.l6 men.
Killed or MORALLY wounded .llOOiV
Died OF disease including deaths in PRISON. 10
The number OF deaths from disease remark
able. Part Of this extraordinary Loss was que
TO the severity Of the campaign. The extent OK
territory marched over was immense some OF the
some OF the battles were fought amid the SHOWS
of winter The Ninth Corps fought on the Carolina
coast and then moved thousand miles westward
to the fever-smitten CAMPS al NekSourg IN v Te
ginja moved TO Tennessee. whence II fought
through Georgia to Atlanta, marched from At
lanta to the sea. and thence n0rth"aru 10 us oie
backgrounds having encrcled haf a continent,
Men from the woods of Maine encamped two thou
sand miles distant along the bayous OF louisiana
bottlei among the everglades OF Florida and along
the Gulf. Human endurance was often tested to
Its utmost and the restless MOVING armies iei' III
And set some OF the greatest losses Dy disease
occurred In regiments that were not subjected TO
the exposure OF active sro wed
with comfortable quarters and good food. The
most striking feature OF the inortuary statistics Is
that the regiments which incurred the greatest
loss I'm battle are the which suffered least
from disease While throughout the whole Army
the deaths from disease were double those from
bullets the hard fighting regiments seldom lost
even a like number One-hfth OF the deaths from
disease occurred In regiments that never were In
battle.
These few statistics are worthy OF study at this
time and some Of them significant. Let our
Young and brav. volunteers OF the American
Spanish War, now themselves veterans. gather adj
ditional courage and manlness from the expert
ences OF past generation OF patriots, and let them
sometimes hesitate to be the recipients OF the