New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-01
ner cent OF the hospital corps has fallen SICK

fculty whatever in obtaining rnenlcd. 80 go
~ ever character The Red Cross has mao
ub4rsl gifts 10 his hospital ana irleHoS ~
Jinresota. have sent great quah'Illes ~ ~, ..
cacies The hospital fund for July amoun.eu n,,r
SAFE and with that u has been poSslU- IVY '"
ctasA All the milk needed
r-p1ornJNr ARMY SURGEONS
raL,,v ,,o tbe last Of the field hospitals. thst
- ,ha rhira Corns. second Division. under
Major smith tho report states that me NV
,b-,s tents are AT present not MI occupied
,horcb during tho epidemic ~ measles the"
,,orc cro,cdod There were no Fed Cross nurses
and = detail ~ two women from tho Chatte-
nooea association has visited the hospital dali"
~ coot tna lighter food for the sick. When tns
bosri,sl vas CROW ded the number NJ sttendants
vas insufficient. There were also strong com
rlairts OF the failure n get medical and surg'-
csl supplies IN the earlier DAYS before the Gov
eminent had been able 70 furnish hseif, ana
,her {. was impossible ~ avoid delays incident
~ rushing supplies 10 great Army camps ins
,aouis,tion oepers on file however. show thai
the hospital officers made every effort m obtain
fun supplies
leaving the detail. about the hospitals thu
roport proceeds - treat the whole suoiect gen
orally follows
In two Of the hospitals opportunities occurred
for discovery Of what undoubtedly orieina'eu
many of the sensational stories wnlch nav
been printed over the country to the enect ma
paiients IN the hospitals lacked suf0clenV 1oou.
and in many cases had been on the Ne'ee 81
starvation. In the wards where the CONVEX '
cent typhoid fever patients We're fouhn' 'tan s
OF the men were constantly asking TOT 80,
and. as 2 matter Of course, eVervthlns eAcep.
the lighter forms Of food, which can alone re
safely administered 10 recovering typhoi' pa
tients, denied to them. ,.,
This refusal Of food throughout me nosPl'his'
nv which alone. as is perfectly understood. can
thu lives of typhoid conyalescents ne s9Neo' nas
been distorted into the cry when mas ~ y.
spread throughout the country 1hai Pa,a.it,e
we're being starved ir the Government hospitals.
There has been lack Cf proper food IN ,nese
boeritais and competent cooks for preparing II
have been present and the only reason for De
nr,,.inc the PATIENTS NJ what 50 many ~ tnen,
have clamored fer has been me necessary ~
such dieting as the disease demands.
I, VIII he observed that the conditions se'
forth i'm this report mainly present conn'-
tions II has not heretofore fallen "tnln wv
range Of my duties Al this par* 70 , mas 81
,cal observations Of hospital conditions ~
though as Il matter of course, many FEATURES ''
this division Of camp administrator nav ~ ~,
under my notice. am constIaheo W , ~
that there has been no neglect on inc par W
either the medical the quarternaster depart
mems 10 furnish such supplies as have reached
the camp.
REGIMENTAL OFFICERS BLAMED
u will hc observed that the report IN each case
has been made with reference to the maximum"
number of PATIENTS in each hospital, and, so far
as II WAS possible to obtain the conditions theh
existing. they are set forth in this report IN
doubtedy there have been serious inconVeh-
iences and at times of the greatest croWulhs'
,hose lacks of conyenienCes and full attendance
which go to make up that pain1uI cohuilloh ", VI
affairs which, as every veteran knows, are ii'
separable from the field hospitals or great
armies even when all concerned exert thenl-
selves TO secure the comfort or the patish,S'
These are conditions which in times OF rapiu III
crease of disease--a condition which was reacheo
at this camp solely in my judgment from the
filth which too many of the reglmenlai oliice t
allowed 10 dominate their camps IN spi'e vi ,'io
orders which would have prevented al ,niS
trouble from the Surgeon General and from the
commanding officers of this camp-create STU
alton which cannot be Immediately ameilora'eu'
So far from believing as a result OF my on
servationa that medical officers have been heart
less or negligent, l believe that these oniceIs
and the hospital attendants as wnoie a mae
faithfully 1t would seem IA If THIS were sur
fcienty shown by the fact that theE nhNe
worked increasingly until quarter OF the "no '
force has itself been stricken by disease result
ing from their exhaustng labors
My attention was especially directeo IN ths
| order which received TO some remarks credited
| 10 General Terry, Surgecn-General or the state
| of Nev-York in reference to the condition or
the cemp of the Sth NewYork. General Terry
is reported In THE New-York Herald 10 nave
said as he was leaving Camp Thomas:
TERRY's ALLEGED STATEMENTS.
General Terry found the camp in a bad SAM
| tary condition 1t Is situated In an open held IN
| the hot sun. with no water 10 be found within
| five miles The water the men drink Is hauled
| in barrels. and is Of a kind that in New-York
| would be refused as bathing water. This SUIT
! is what the drink daily and is declared TO
| be the chief cause Of the sickness.
| General Terry told mo that it was the most
terrible sight he had ever witnessed ana mat
| found a place filthy ard dirty. He said n"
would insist the Sth Regiment being returned
and the Secretary Of War of the situation.
| III the soldiers not soon taken from
| Chickamauga Park they will soon follow the
twenty-four who died yesterday and nearly as
| many to-day
Camp Thomas hospitals arc unclean and
| badly located Nourishing food Is lacking as
| we'll rs proper medical attention The food is
| Regular Army rations, badly cooked. Nor" than
! two hundHd patients have often been made To
get along with one hundred and ffty narrow
| cots. They are simply laid on filters not six
| inches from the ground. Few. iC any ~ the
| hospital tents have plank floors.
BOyNTON ANSWERS TIE CHARGES,
This camp was removed 70 the open field At
tho special ronuest NJ The officers concerned. as
| they we're inclined to .hnk that their oamr In
the open woods had something 10 10 with the
| sickness Of their men. Here it may be pertinent
| 20 remark in passing that this regiment had at
the time Of it's moving. and had maintained. one
CT the flthest and most disgusting canteens 10
| he found in the entire Army. From personal
| observation Of this canteen some two weeks
| since, 1 am prepared 80 assert that - was little
| better than serving beer 10 the soldiers Of the
Sth New York in hoGper. II IS also true that
| the reports show thst since this regiment moved
| It's health conditions have improved
| Instead Of there bArg 80 water within five miles
OF this regiment, Two Of the largest and finest
| springs Of clear water in this entire country.
| pronounced rY competent medical End Chcmc al
| authority ~ be pure water. are less than tpo
| miles from their camr.
| The Sth New-York had been camped upon the
| grounS where General Terry obscrve1 II less
| than ten days i perfectly clear ground
| when they occupied II, and had rot been previ-
| ously occupied BY any troops. If It had been
| transformed within his brief per. Cd b. IN,
L ccet 10 or Int III liar