Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-10-07
A WOman'S View of The HOr-
rOrS of War. >

Sunset Park House, Lookout Mount
ain, Tenn, Sept. H.:
DEAR TRIBUNE: The whole country is
in arms about the tales of disease and
death, suffering and neglect that come
from the various camps, and which now
mostly retere to conditions that are past.
am glad to note that Secretary Alger
rebuked the medical authorities at Camp
Wykoff who had not obeyed his orders
because of some red tape regulations in
the way, reminding them that he was
Secretary of War If only he had taken
In hand earlier the duties that belong to
this office in relation to the medical de-
partment OF the service how much suffer
ing would have been spared,
"Cut the blood red tape to tattcrs,' is
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps latest word to
the American people, and this should be
echoed throughout the country until
such shames as the nation has witnessed
this should be forever rendered impossi'
bic of recurrence.
Quite early in June it began to be evi-
dent that the location of Camp Alger
was pcrilously near the malarial region
of the Potomac, With sinks on the high
land where the regiments were encamped'
and with wells In the low places where
water could be more easily obained, 1t
was not long before typhoid fever pre-
vailed with an alarming per cent OF NOR
tally. Early in the history OF the camp
the reQimental hospitals, to which the
states from which the regiments had
come were contributing supplies, were
ordered broken up, and all the equip
ments with their patients were transfer
red to the division and general hospitals.
Women nurses have not been allowed IN
the division hospitals and their employ
ment in the general hospitals has been
too tardy and too scanty. Until their
advent in Fort Ayer hospital there was
shocking neglect Of the sanitation OF the
hospital. Patients entering were put
in beds unchanged since their occupancy
by other patients, and for ten days at
time the linen was not renewed. Ice, milk,
sugar and other necessaries for the sick
were only obtained by the spasmodic
generosity OF citizens.
II.
The Washington papers exposed this
condition of affairs, the scant supply OF
ill-cooked food for the well, the priva-
tons of the sick, and maintained that
the selection of the camp was = money
making deal. No investigation was or
dered and no attention was paid to the
complaints, although the camp was
within an hours ride Of the seat Of
government, until the general condition
of the camps throughout the nation
caused the removal OF the troops from
this camp as we'll as Others.
Before leaving Washington l was told
by some one behind the scenes, that
Chickamauga Park, which had a news
paper reputation of being very healthy,
was in reality the worst of all for pre-
vaence of typhoid fever. found, as far
as l was able to investigate, that the
per cent of troops here on the sick list
was from twenty to forty. In one regi-
ment it was sevety-five per cent, while
large number Of the men called well had
their systems undermined by the camp
dyscnterv arising from bad water and
badly-cooked food. 1t seems to me that
it would not be eIaggerating the case to
saw that there has scarce been regiment
at the park in months that was fit for
military duty. There have been between
4, 500 and 5000 cases of typhoid fever
in the various hospitals in the park.
There were regimental hospitals here but
these have been scantilv furnished with
medicines and dclicacies. The Govern
ment has furnished an unlimited supply
of few kinds, but very few indeed. Pa-
tents were only allowed to remain twen-
tv-four hours in these hospitals when
they were ordered to the division hospit-
al, and these have been at times, so
crowded that the sick had to be sent
back to the regimental hospitals, to be
again hauled back to the division hospit-
al when there was room for them.
The division hospitals have had only
male nurses and these were mostly ineI-
pericnced and insufficient. The regiment
would be notified that so many men
were needed on the hospital corps and
volunteers called for Usually the men
who were anxious to avoid drill respond
ed, and two cases have come under my
notice where the regimental officers con-
graduated themselves that their least de
sirabe men were thus disposed of.
Under the ignorance of the attendants
and carelessncss of the officers in charge
The hospitals became disease breeders.
The Kitchens were located close to the
hospitals, where all the utensils were Ii
lble to be infected with the germs by the |