^em fork ^tate fflollfgie of Agrtrultwrt Mitaca, N. ^. Htbrarjj Cornell University Library E 631.A22 The U.S. sanitary commission in the vail 3 1924 014 087 203 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924014087203 SANITARY COMM4»^IQ^, NO. 96. ■' THE ';J. S. SANITAEY COMMISSION IN THE YALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Dukinct the War of the EBBELLioiir, 1861--1866. FIHAL KEPOBT OF DE. J. S. NEWBERKY, Secretary Western Department. CLEVELAND: FAIRBANKS, BENEDICT & CO., PBINTEES, HERALD OFFICE. 1871. CLEVEnAND, O., September 1, 1866. Ret. H. W. BELLOWS, D. D., President United StaUs Sanitary Commission: Dear Sir— I have the honor to transmit herewith my final Report, as Secretary of the Western Department of the United States Sanitary Commission, in which I have given a brief summary of the operations of the Sanitarj' Commission in the Valley of the Mississippi during the War of the Rebellion. With great respect, Your obedient servant, J. S. NEWBERRY, Secretaru Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission. PREFATORY NOTE. The delay which has occurred in the appearance of this Report seems to require a word of explanation. The Report was written in 1866, and was ready for publication at the date of the accompanying letter to Dr. Bellows. At that time, however, a general history of the work of the Sanitary Commission was in the course of preparation by Dr. H. A. "Warriner, and much of tny material was in his hands. When it came back to me, I was too busy or too much on the wing to be able to devote th e necessary time to the printing of it. I have continued to be equally occupied to the present; and the Report would not now see the light, had not a friend— who was a most efficient co-laborer in the work here described— kindly offered to assume the duty of seeing it through the press. Owing to the serious and prolonged illness of Dr. Warriner— the fruit of hts labors and exposure at Memphis and Vicksburg— the publication of his general history of the Sanitary Commission, later and more detailed than Mr. Stille'e, is indefinitely postponed. The story which fills the succeeding pages may therefore acquire some interest and value beyond its very moderate intrinsic merits from the probability that it will never be told in the better way of which the rare qualifications of Dr. Warriner gave assurance. J. S. N. Clevbland, O., June 1, 1871. CONTENTS, PART I. HISTOEICAL SUMMARY. CHAPTER I. Events of 1861.— Introduction of the Sanitary Commission into the Mississippi Valley. Its Organization. Field Work in 1861. Keport of Dr. Bead. Review of the Tear 17—20 CHAPTER II. Events op 1863.— The Spring Campaign. Fort Donelson. The Wounded. Battle of Pittsburg Landing. The Hospital Boats. A Generous Rivalry. Dr. Murray's Letter. A Good "Work well done. A Change of Base. Occu- pation of "Western Kentucky and "West Tennessee. Report of Dr. Warri- ner. "West Virginia in 1863. Kansas in 1862. Enlistment of Nurses. The Campaign in Kentucky. The Commission at Perryville. Among the "Wounded. Soup Making. Distributing Stores. Needless Suffering. "Where the Fault Lies. A Remedy Suggested. Establishment of the Louisville Office. The Hospital Directory. Expansion of our "Work. Hospital "\'isitors. Hospital Cars. Canvassing Agents. Supply Steamer.. 37—74 CHAPTER III. B"VENTS OF 1863.— A Year of Victory. Battle of Murfreesboro. Testimonials. Military Movements. Scurvy Arrested. Action of the Ohio Legislature. The Vicksburg Campaign. Milliken's Bend. Haines' Bluff. Affairs at Helena. Down the Mississippi. Up the Yazoo. The Steamer " Dunleith." More Testimonials. The Sanitary Reporter. Review of 1863. The Autumn Campaign. Military Changes. "Wayside Relief. Battle of Chickamauga. Sanitary Supply Trains. At Bridgeport. Battle of Chattanooga. Our Chattanooga Agency. Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge. " Bless the Sanitary Commission." Lodges and Feeding Stations. Central Kentucky and East Tennessee in 1863. The Knoxville Agency. Loyalty of East Tennessee. Sanitary Fairs. A Twice Blessed Charity 75—147 CHAPTER IV. Events of 1864.— The Army in Georgia. Effective "Work. Hospital Garden at Chattanooga. Survey of the Field. Increased Efficiency. Refugees in Kansas. Nature of Supplies. Special Relief "Work. East Tennessee. The Fall Campaign. The March to the Sea. To Savannah with Sherman. Battles of Franklin and Nashville. The "Wounded at Franklin. A Timely Supply. Loyal "Women of Franklin. An Incident 148—178 10 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. CHAPTER V. Events of 1865.— Last Days of the War. Relief of Union Prisoners at Vicks- burg. Feeding Station at Vloksburg. Union Prisoners at Cahawba, Ala. Department of the Cumberland in 1865. The Army of the Tennessee at Louisville. Letter of General Meigs. Acknowledgments - 179—194 PART II. THE SUPPLY DEPARTMENT. CHAPTER I. Intjroduction.— Organization of the Department of Material Supplies. The First Wants. Value of Voluntary Co-operation. Prompt Organization. Cash Value of Supplies.' Favors of Transportation. Supply Table. Report of Stores Distributed 197—217 CHAPTER II. Chicari ) Bhanch— Nortli-Western Sanitary Commission 21S— 229 CHAPTER III. MiTjWAUKEe Rh anoh- ^Viseonsin Soldiers' Aid Society 230 — 238 CHAPTER IV. Iowa Branch— Iowa Sanitary Commission 2:W— 241 CHAPTER V. Michigan Rkanch— Detroit Soldiers' Aid Soriety 243—349 CHAPTER VI. CijEveland liHANCH-Suldiers' Aid Society of Noi-thern 01i4o _2.")0— 266 CHAPTER \^II. Cor.uMBUs Branch-.- ...267—269 CHAPTER \' I 1 1 . CiNciNN\Ti Branch - 370— 2S4 CHAPTER IX. Buffalo Branch- General Aid Society for the Army 285—289 C H A P T E It X . Pittsburgh Branch— Pittsburgh Sanitnrv Committee 290—298 CONTENTS. 11 CHAPTER XI. Kentucky Branch— Louisville Sanitary Commission 299—310 CHAPTER XII. New Albany Branch 311—313 CHAPTER XIII. Hospital Gardens -.. 314—333 CHAPTER XIV. Manufacture oe Concentrated Beep 333—335 PART III. SPECIAL EELIBF DEPARTMENT. CHAPTER I. Introduction.— Origin and Organization of tlie Department of Special Relief. First Special Relief Service. Relief Duties 331—336 CHAPTER II. Soldiers' Home— Cleveland, O - - ,.'i;)7— 352 CHAPTER III. Soldiers' Home— Columbus, O. - 353—356 CHAPTER IV Soldiers' Home— Cincinnati, O ' 357—360 CHAPTER V. Soldiers' Home— Louisville, Ky -361-368 CHAPTER VI. Soldiers' Home— Nashville, Tenn.. 369—378 CHAPTER VII. Soldiers' Home— Camp Nelson, Ky 379—386 CHAPTER VIII. Soldiers' Home— Cairo, 111 - 389—395 CHAPTER IX. Soldiers' Lodge— Memphis, Tenn 396—403 12 SAlflTAKT COMMISSION^ — WESTERN DEPAKTMBNT. CHAPTEK X. Soldiers' Home— Paducah, Ky .--. 4M-406 CHAPTBE XI. Soldiers' Home— Detroit, Mich --. -.-- - .-.407-^13 CHAPTER XII. Soldiers' Rest— Buffalo, N. Y - 414-^18 CHAPTER XIII. Soldiers' Home— New Albany, Ind .419-^31 CHAPTER XIV. Soldiers' Home— Jeffersonvllle, Ind 422—13.5 CHAPTER XV. The Hospital Directory 438-^4.5 CHAPTER XVI. HOSPITAL Visitors 446— 47S CHAPTEK XVII. Hospital Cars 474-^^c! CHAPTER XVIII. Hospital Transports _ 4S4— 4!t5 CHAPTER XIX. Feeding Stations .494— .t02 CHAPTER XX. Pension and Claim Agency _ 503—510 CHAPTER XXI. The Employment Agency _ iiU- -ilT CHAPTER XXII. Colored Recruits and Refugees - 518— .1:58 PART IV. FINANCIAL EEPORT. Financial Report.- Summary of Casli Expenditures 541 — 543 PART I HI8T0EICAL SUMMARY. CHAPTER I. E"VEisra?s o Off' issi. INTEODTJCXION' OF THE SAWITAET COMMISSION' INTO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. The outbreak of the rebellion found me at Washington, D. C, in the service of the War Department, with which I had been connected for the five years previous, as Acting Assistant Surgeon and Geologist. On the 14th of June I was elected a member of the United States Sanitaey Commission, and immediately took part in the meeting then being held at Washington. Prom the first I felt that my special function in the Board was to become a medium through which the Sanitary Commission should extend its organization and benefits over the G-reat West; and my first work was to suggest the names of good men in the different Western States, who should be elected Associate Members of the Commission. In furtherance of this object, on the 1st of July I came to the West, joined Rev. Dr. Bellows and Dr. W. H. Mussey at Cincinnati, and went to Cairo, where there was then a garrison of six thousand troops, of which we made an inspection.* It is not, perhaps, generally known that Cairo had been seized, on the 24th of April, by a detachment of men brought down rapidly and secretly by the Illinois Central Railroad Company, just in time to anticipate a plan formed ♦ The results of this first sanitary inspection at the West are given in Document No. 36, Sanitary Commission Series. 18 SAN"ITAEY COMMISSION — WESTEElir DEPAKTMElirT. for its seizure by the rebels. The transaction was an inter- esting and important one, and saved to ns a point Avhich, in strategic value, was second to no other one along our frontier. On the 1st of September I relinquished my position in the War Department, and, at the request of the Board, devoted myself entirely to the work of the Sanitary Com- mission — taking the position of Secretary of the Western Department, and having the supervision of all the work of the Commission in the Valley of the Mississippi. On the 18th of September I established my head-quarters at Cleve- land, 0. — where the Soldiers' Aid Society, organized on the 20th of April, had already attained a vigorous growth — and, by correspondence and visitation, began the work of turning into one great channel the thousand springs of philanthropy and patriotism that were bursting out in hamlet and city all over the land. A Sanitary Commission having been created by General Fremont at St. Louis, I was instructed — at the meeting of the Board on the 18th of September — to visit St. Louis and confer with this Commission relative to a union with our body. On the 23d of September I met the gentlemen composing the St. Louis Sanitary Commission, gave them an exposition of the aims and methods of oiir organization, and submitted a proposition for consolidation. After due consideration they chose to be independent, and assumed the entire responsibility of the c;ire of all the troops quar- tered or on duty west of the Mississippi. From St. Louis I went to Chicago, wliere I invited the gentlemen avIio had been elected ^Vswociate Members of the Sanitary Commission — Hon. J. JST. Arnold, Col. J. W. Foster, E. W. Blatchford, Esq., and Drs. J. G. Isham and H. A. Johnson — to my room at the Sherman House, gave them some account of the organization of the Sanitary ITS OEGANIZATIOIf. 19 Commission, distributed its docnments, and proposed that the movement which had already begun there should be shaped into the formation of a Branch in connection with it. A few days subsequently this was done, and on the 17th of October the Chicago Branch, which was destined to perform so important a part in our work at the West, was organized. On my return to Cleveland, I called a meeting of the Associate Members residing there, who included in their number some of the most esteemed and influential citizens, and secured the formation of a Branch Commission, to co-operate with the Soldiers' Aid Society, which latter was composed of ladies only. Having prepared the way by correspondence, in the latter part of October I went to Columbus, Cincinnati and Louisville, where, by the assistance of my friends. Dr. S. M. Smith, Hon. George Hoadly, Dr. Mussey, Dr. T. S. Bell, and Mr. Heywood, meetings of the Associate Members of the Sanitary Commission were held and Branch Commissions organized, which entered at once with energy upon their work. About the same time, by means of correspondence. Branch Commissions were organized at Detroit and Indian- apolis, of which the latter was subsequently overpowered by State influence. The former continued in prosperity and usefulness to the close of the war. An attempt was also made to organize a Branch at Pittsburgh, Pa., wliich for the time failed. A subsequent eff'ort was more successful, and early in 1863 one of our most active and efficient co-oper- ating societies was formed there. Meantime a constant fire of addresses, circulars, letters and newspaper articles was kept up by my friends and myself, and very soon the greater part of the home fii'ld, in the States west of the AUeghanies and east of the Mississippi, was pledged to co-operation with us. Thus the foundation was laid, upon 20 SAWITAKT COMMISSION' — WESTERN' DEPAETMEN'T. wMcli all the superstructure of our organization for the preparation of hospital supplies 'was subsequently erected. FIELD WORK IN 1861. While the necessary foundation 'was being laid for a supply of hospital stores, by the organization of Branches and auxiliary Soldiers' Aid Societies, the 'wants of the troops, to meet -which this preparation -was made, -were not neglected. During the summer of 1861 active military oper- ations were carried on only in Missouri and West Virginia, yet in all the Western States camps of rendezvous and in- struction were formed, in which large numbers of troops were gathered. These, both officers and men, were generally new to military life, ignorant of the theory and inexperi- enced in the practice of their duties; too frequently also imperfectly equipped and unprovided -with such things as were necessary for their comfort and health. Sickness was soon rife among the new recruits. A hospital was a neces- sary adjunct to every camp, and one which, in its organiza- tion and equipment, frequently needed contributions both of thought and material. To meet these growing wants, visits of inspection were made by our Associate Members — many of whom were experienced surgeons — or by myself, to all the principal points of rendezvous of troops, and by practical suggestions or contributions of material, much was done to improve the condition both of the well and the sick. A corps of Inspectors was also employed, whose duty it was to make thorough examination of the camps and hospitals in the field, and to take cognizance of all material wants and measures for their supply, as well as to convey to commanding officers and surgeons, by oial or docu- mentary instruction, the experience of other wars for their assistance in the performance of the duty which had fallen to their lot. Dr. C. D. Grriswold was appointed Inspector FIELD WORK IN" 1861. 31 for "Western Virginia. He received from General Rosecrans all possible favors and facilities, and made repeated rounds of inspection through all the camps and hospitals in that District. On the 8th of October a depot of supplies vpas established at Wheeling, the first distributing depot at the West. This was placed in charge of a competent store- keeper, and was the source from which the hospitals established at Wheeling, Grafton, Clarksburgh, Parkers- burg, etc., were supplied with a large portion of their equipment, as well as all the articles of extra diet which they received for some months. For the garrison at Cairo Dr. G. Aigner, an accomplished surgeon from the city of New York, was appointed resident Inspector. Through his agency much was done to improve the sanitary condition of the forces stationed in that vicinity, both by the exercise of his well earned influence, and the distribution of a large amount of hospital stores received through Chicago, Cleve- land, and the Woman' s Central Association of New York. In the performance of his duties as Sanitary Inspector, Dr. Aigner enjoyed the cordial sympathy and efficient aid of General U. S. Grant, of whose intelligent appreciation and Unvarying kindness he speaks in the strongest terms. In Missouri the summer and fall of 1861 were periods of great military activity. The attention of the Western Sani- tary Commission being mostly occupied in the establishment and care of hospitals in St. Louis — a duty delegated to them by General Fremont — there was much left to be done by others for troops in the field. Visits were made by our Associate Members — Rev. Robert Collier and E. W. Blatch- ford, Esq. of Chicago — by whom much was done, through personal efforts and the stores they distributed, for the comfort of the sick and wounded. About the same time Dr. W. P. Buell, appointed Inspector for the United States Sanitary Commission in this District, made rounds of 32 SANITARY COMMISSIOIsr — WESTBEN DEPAETMENT. inspection and distributed supplies to all the important hospitals. In the autumn a distinct Sanitary Department was created, including the trans-Mississippi States. This was placed in charge of an Associate Secretary, Dr. J. H. Douglas, assisted by Dr. H. A. Warriner, who, as Inspector, succeeded Dr. Buell. In September the Union forces crossed the Ohio and occupied the State of Kentucky. They were commanded first by Greneral Anderson, afterward by General Sherman with Nelson and Thomas as his chief subordinates. Re- ceiving sad accounts of destitution and suffering among the hastUy, and as yet imperfectly, equipped Kentucky troops and the loyal men of Tennessee who had been driven fi'om their homes by the rebel forces, I felt called to go to their relief I therefore went to Kentucky in the latter part of October, taking with me two experienced surgeons, Drs. W. M. Prentice and A. N. Read, both of Ohio, to act as Inspectors. The Medical Directorship of the Department of the Cumberland was in the hands of Dr. Robert Murray, U. S. A., a gentleman of large views, fully alive to his responsibility, but heavily burdened with his cares and duties. By him we were cordially received and our proffered aid was gratefully accepted. The hospitals at Louisville were at this time greatly crowded by the sick ra|:»idly concentrated there from the different columns of G-eneral Sherman's command; were defective in their construction and wanting many things essential to the well being of their inmates. There, as elsewhere at the West, the absence of suitable buUdinss rendered it impossible that the general hospitals coTild be made all that was to be desired, but the necessary changes and adaptations were as rapidly and thoroiighly effected by the Medical Director as coiild be done with the means at his command: On his requisition and that of the REPORT OF DR. EEAB. 23 President of the Louisville Branch Commission — Dr. T. S. Bell — over two thousand sets of hospital bedding and clothing Avere at once forwarded to this point by the Cleve- land Aid Sot'iety. Having acquainted myself vdth the distribution of the troops iu Kentucky, I sent Dr. Read to examine into the condition and wants of those stationed on the line of the Nash\ille Railroad, and such as were located on the Ohio, west of Louisville and east of Paducah. Dr. Prentice meanwhile was commissioned to inspect the columns of General Thomas, south from Lexington, and that of General Nelson, in the ^''alle}' of the Licliing. Prom these gentlemen requisitions were from time to time received for the supply of the wants discovered in the camps and hospitals which they A'isited. These requisitions were promptly filled. During the month of November more than a hundred boxes of hospital stores were forwarded to Kentucky from Cleve- land alone, and in addition large contributions were made by tlie patriotic ladies of Columbus, 0., and Detroit, Mich. Dr. Read finished his round of inspection in about three weeks, forwarding detailed reports of twenty-four I'egi- mi_'nts, and a general summary of observations, to which were afhxed the following remarks, descriptive of the method in which his inspections were made: It gives me pleasure to state that, in making tliese inspections, I have been received everywhere kindly and courteously. Brigadier General jMcCook gave me an introduction to his brigade surgeons, Drs. Meylert and Chambers, who entered cordially into the object of my mission, accompanied me in my inspections at Camp Nevin, and otherwise rendered me all the aid in their power. They ex- pressed themselves as being greatly aided in their duties by my visit, from my efforts to co-operate with them in a given object. Generals Johnson, Wood, Rousseau and Naglee, of Camp Nevin, and General Hazzard, of Camp Holman, furnished me with an attendant to each of the regiments in their respective brigades, and furthered 34 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPABTMENT. the inquiries and objects of my mission to the utmost of their ability. The manner of my examinations was as follows : After an introduction to the commanding officer and the surgeons, I asked that, if it would in no respect interfere with military duties, the cap- tains of companies might be called and that I might be introduced to them. After the introduction I stated to them, in few words, the object of my visit and asked them to go with me to the tents of their respective companies, then to return and listen to the ques- tions I was required to put. * * * * After asking and answering those which had more particular reference to the duties of captains, I thanked them for the kind manner in which they had given me aid, and detained them no longer. I then with the surgeons visited the sinks, the hospital, the sutler's store and the commissary department. Returning to the colonel's tent, unless, as was frequently the case, he accompanied me in these visits, I made to him and the surgeons such suggestions as seemed necessary. Dr. Prentice found the troops in Ms district much scat- tered, difficult of access, and in constant motion. Yet he succeeded, by persistent effort, in reaching and inspecting every regiment and every hospital vdthin the area assigned to him. The labors of these gentlemen were of the greatest value to the Army of the Cumberland, as by their efforts the attention of both officers and men vs^as for the first time directed to subjects having an important bearing upon their health and comfort, and the lessons then learned vrere never forgotten. A thorough reform was instituted in matters of camp police, cleanliness of persons and quarters, in the preparation of food, and, in many instances, in the habits and manners of the soldiers. Captain Turner, Adjutant on the staff of General Johnson, says : "The visits of Dr. Read were of the greatest value to our brigade. I accompanied him for three days in his rounds of inspection, and can testify to the good effects which followed. A complete reform took place both in the condition of the camps and the appearance of the men themselves." REVIEW OF THE TEAR. 25 Most of the commanding officers entered into the work with earnestness and zeal, and a pleasant emulation sprang np in regard to the police of the camps, the food and habits of the men, and the condition of their quarters, which added greatly to the comfort and self-respect of the soldiers. One of the most thorough and enlightened of the officers whose commands were visited by Dr. Read, was General O. M. Mitchell, who did not rest until the camps of his men were not only quite orderly and wholesome, but as tasteful and attractive in appearance as circumstances would permit them to be made. The following review of the condition of the camps and hospitals at the close of 1861, is taken from my report of December 1st of that year : To give a resume of the condition and wants of the troops in the Valley of the Mississippi, and the duty done and to be done by the Sanitary Commission, we have to congratulate ourselves, first, upon the marked amelioration of the sanitary condition of both camps and hospitals since my last report; second, on the general high character of the medical ofiQcers having the care of the troops, most of them having passed a searching examination by competent Boards appointed by the Governors of the States in which the regiments were recruited ; third, upon the uniformly friendly rela- tions and hearty co-operation existing between the medical and military ofiQcers of the different departments with the Sanitary Commission and its agents, with a general high appreciation of the importance of its aims, and approval of its methods ; fourth, on the active and efficient co-operation of a large number of Associate Members of the Commission, who have formed Branch Commis- sions in the principal cities, which, by their earnest efforts and their moral influence, are affording most important aid in our work; fifth, upon the organization of a large number of Auxiliary Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Societies — busily engaged in the preparation of hos- pital stores — whose bounty so liberally bestowed has alleviated much suffering, saved many lives, and enabled us to accomplish 26 SANITARY COMMISSION" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. good which it would haTe been impossible to effect without their aid ; sixth, on the liberality of the managers of railroad and steam- boat lines and express companies, who have, by the transportation of stores free, or at diminished rates, greatly added to our means of usefulness. On the other hand, we have to deplore the continued operation of avoidable causes of suffering and disease which call for our warmest sympathy and most earnest efforts, and which will, in the future, task our energies to the utmost, and exhaust all our resour- ces in their removal. While the present percentage of sickness and mortality con- tinues among our volunteers, we, as a people, stand convicted of inhumanity, and bad economy, in a wastefulness of the doubly vital element in the present war, human life. We can never consistently suspend our labors till this charge may be truthfully denied. OHAPTEK II. E V IE InT T S OIF 1862. THE SPRING CAMPAIGN. The organization of my Department, which has been described, continiied without important change during the winter of 1861-2, or until the taking of Fort Donelson, in February, opened the spring campaign. In tliis interval the only event of importance was the battle of Mill Spring, on the 19th of January, in which ZoUicoffer was killed and a victory gained which, though soon overshadowed by greater triumphs, filled the country with joy. At the request of Dr. Murray, Drs. Read and Prentice took part in the care of the wounded from this engagement; with much difficulty penetrating to the localities where they were collected, and carrying stores by which their con- dition was greatly ameliorated. By their efforts on this occasion they not only commended themselves to Dr. Murray's favor, but received public expression of his gratitude for the aid they had rendered him. Through the influence of Dr. Read, early in February, 1862, a Soldiers' Home was established at Louisville by the Kentucky Branch Commission, and began the career of use- fulness, whicli made it, through all the years of its continu- ance, a comfort and a blessing to hundreds of thousands of our soldiers. Soon after — in March — a Soldiers' Home was opened at Cairo by Dr. J. H. Douglas and the Chicago Branch Commission. These were tlie first, and among the most 38 SANITAKT COMMISSION — WESTERN' DEPAETMENT. important of the series of Soldiers' Homes established by the Sanitary Commission at the West. On the 16th of February Fort Donelson was captured, with thirteen thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine prisoners, and a victory gained which not only thrilled the entire country with joyful excitement, but proved the precursor of advantages to our arms of still greater mag- nitude. During the three days' fighting which preceded the capture of the fort, one thousand seven hundred and thirty -five of our men were wounded. These, with one thousand and seven wounded Confederates, were left on our hands to be cared for. Knowing that little or nothing existed at that point which could be converted to the use of the wounded, and that the provision made for then- care by the medical authorities must necessarily be inade- quate, measures were promptly taken by the represent- atives of the Sanitary Commission in different localities for their relief. At Cincinnati a steamer was chartered, fitted up as a hospital boat, loaded with a cargo of stores, manned with surgeons and nurses, and dispatched to the scene of sufi'ering, a few hours after the news of the battle was received. Being at Louisville at the time, I joined the Cin- cinnati delegation, and have described the incidents of the trip in Document No. 42 of the Commission' s Series. I found on the steamer some of the most eminent sur- geons and highly respected citizens of Cincinnati, a warm- hearted band of Christian men, all eager to do something toward relieving the suffering known to exist among the poor fellows who had gained for us so great a victory at such a cost. From the high character of these men, and the admirable spirit which animated them, as well as from all the circumstances attending the fitting out of the expe- dition, I could not but regard it as one of the most delight- ful of all the many exhibitions of the patriotism and refined FORT DONELSON. 29 humanity which, this war has called out, and as a most gratifying proof of the vigor and value of our organization, now spread over aU the loyal States. The history of the expedition up to the time when I joined it, is no less interesting and suggestive than that in which I bore part. It was thus repeated to me : ' ' Before hearing of the surrender of Fort Donelson, but knowing that a desperate conflict was impending there, the Secretary called a meeting of the Cincinnati Branch Commis- sion for nine o' clock on Monday morning. At this meeting a committee of gentlemen was appointed who were author- ized to charter a steamer, load it with hospital stores, and engage as many surgeons and nurses as they might think proper. While the committee was engaged in selecting these from the hundreds who tendered their services, the news came that the fort was taken. The city was at once in a blaze of enthusiasm. The citizens, knowing that the Commission was about sending a steamer to the relief of the wounded, vied with each other in helping on the enter- prise. The members of the Commission were accosted in the streets, or called into places of business, and checks for twenty-five or fifty doUars thrust into their hands by men from whom much smaller donations would have been regarded as highly liberal. In two hours, almost without solicitation, three thousand doUars were collected and paid into the treasury, to defray the expenses of the expedition. Had more been required, it would have been as freely given. "From the fact that all the steamers at Cincinnati had been pressed iato the service of the Grovernment for the transport of troops, it was only after many difiiculties and delays that a proper one was found, and the consent of General Buell to its use obtauied by telegraph from Louisville. 30 SANITAKT COMMISSION — WESTEBK' DEPAETME2S"T. "At five o'clock in the afternoon the steamer was secured, and at midnight she started on her way." Our voyage down the Ohio and up the Cumberland was without incident, but in many respects most interesting. Our company, composed of men of intelligence and cultiva- tion, harmonized by their humane and patriotic mission, famished the elements of pleasant social intercourse, in which the hours passed rapidly away ; and at evening the circle of earnest worshipers who gathered in the cabin to listen to the reading of the Scriptures, and to join in prayer for the wounded and dying on the battle field, formed a scene strangely new to the traveler on our Western waters, and one that will long linger in the memories of those present. During the trip our whole force was classified into squads of surgeons and nurses, so that our work might be system- atically, rapidly and thoroughly done. On our arrival at Fort Donelson we found ourselves surrounded by all the realities and many of the horrors of war. The batteries, the entrenchments, the white tents of our victorious araiy which covered the hills for miles around, the battle field with its unburied dead, strewn with arms, clothing and accoutrements, everj'where showing traces of the death storm by which it had been swept ; all these, and a thousand other things that told each its story in the unwritten history of this desperate and all-important conflict, were looked upon with a deep and painful interest. But we had not come to gratify mere curiosity, however natural. The wounded who were being brought in on litters or in ambulances demanded and received our first thought and attention. Our steamer was moored alongside of the ''City of Memphis," on which were, at this time, two hundred and fifty or three hundred of the wounded, while a few paces THE WOUNDED. 31 below us lay the "Fanny Bullitt," on which were nearly as many more. To both these boats we, with some little diffi- culty, obtained access, and were able to make a cursory examination of the inmates. We found the cabin floors thickly crowded with the wounded men, and others were constantly arriving from the various places where they had been deposited when taken from the field of battle. When received they were laid side by side in juxtaposition, part on the floor and part on mattresses. Our examination showed that the individual condition of the wounded men was deplorable. Some were just as they had been left by the fortune of war four days before ; their wounds, as yet undressed, smeared with filth and blood, and all their wants unsupplied. Others had had their wounds dressed one, two or three days before. Others still were under the surgeon's hands, receiving such care as could be given them by men overburdened by the number of their patients, worn out by excessive and long-continued labor, without an ai'ticle of clothing to give to any for a change, or an extra blanket, without bandages or dress- ings, with but two ounces of cerate to three hundred men, with few medicines and no stimulants, and with nothing but cornmeal gruel, hard bread and bacon, to dispense as food. As the condition of the wounded testified, and the frank admission of the surgeons proved, here was an earnest appeal for all our sympathies, all our eff'orts, all our stores ; the very suffering and destitution, indeed, which we had pictured in our minds, and had come so far to relieve. On Friday morning, and even during the evening pre- vious, the surgeons of the regiments encamped near, hearing of our arrival with supplies, began to visit our boat, asking for medical and hospital stores, of which they reported a general and urgent want. It is scarcely necessary to say 32 SANITAEX COMMISSIO}Sr — WESTEEN" DEPAETMBNT. that they were supplied with a liberal hand, greatly to their satisfaction. Application had been made to the Medical Director to permit seventy-five to one hundred wounded to be transferred to the "Allen Collier," to be cared for by the surgeons of our party, and to be transported to Cincinnati, if possible ; or, if that was not permitted, to any place on the banks of the Ohio which might be specified. On Friday the proposi- tion was, with considerable hesitation, accepted, and after noon the removal began. The eighty-one wounded men who were taken on board the "Allen Collier" were sadly in want of immediate surgical attendance, which was thoroughly and systematic- ally given them. Each was placed in a clean and comfortable bed ; his soiled and bloody clothing removed ; washed with warm water throughout, including the feet ; new and clean underclothing put on, with socks, and, when needed, slip- pers were furnished to all. Food, nourishing and palatable, and delicacies to which they had long been strangers, were supplied to them. In short, in all things they were nursed and served as though they had been our brothers and sons. Up to the time of the capture of Fort Donelson the ad- vance of our troops southward had been prevented by the rebel forces stationed at Bowling Green, Ky., Fort Donel- son on the Cumberland, Fort Henry on the Tennessee, and batteries on the Mississippi at Columbus. The fall of Forts Donelson and Henry opened all the South to us, and, since it exposed the rebel armies to attack in the lear, compelled them to beat a rapid retreat to a new base beyond the great bend of the Tennessee. Bowling Green was- evacuated during the siege of Fort Donelson, General Mitchell shelling the enemy as they retreated, and immediately occupying the place. BATTLE OF PITTSBURG LAN"DIN"G. 33 On the 23d of Febrtiary the Union troops, tinder Greneral Nelson, entered Nashville, and General Mitchell pushed on and occupied Huntsville, while, on the 1st of March, Admi- ral Foote' s gunboats went up the Tennessee as far as Pitts- burg Landing. General Grant soon followed with' his army, and establishing himself on the south side of the river at this point, remained there for a month previous to the battle of Shiloh, unfortunately without an effort to fortify his position. The agents of the Sanitai-y Commission, Drs. Read and Prentice, followed our army into Nashville. As this was evidently to be an important military and hospital center, large shipments of stores were made thither from the Branch Commissions at Cincinnati and Cleveland. In the latter part of March I went to NashvLlle with a competent storekeeper, secured tine rooms, opened a distributing depot, offices, etc., and established an Agency, which became one of the most important of all Sanitary Commis- sion stations, east or west. A depot was also opened at Bowling Green, and for many months this continued to be a source of supplementary supply to a number of hospitals located in that vicinity, which at one time contained two thousand five hundred inhabitants. BATTLE OF PITTSBURG LANDING OR SHILOH. The battle of Shiloh began on the morning of the 6th of April, terminating on the 7th, when the army of General Grant was reinforced 1)}' the troops of General Buell, in an overwhelming defeat to the Confederates under Johnston and Beauregard. As soon as we received at NashvUle, by telegraph, news of the battle of Shiloh, I started for that point b}- steamer, taking with me Dr. Prentice and a number of assistants, including several surgeons, with a good supply of stores. 3 34 SANITAET COMMISSIOI^ — WESTEBN DEPAETMBNT. The following extracts from one of my letters, written at Sliiloh. to the General Secretary, will give some idea of the "situation" on onr arrival : ' ' On onr way np the Tennessee we met three transports descending, loaded with wonnded, destined for the hospi- tals at Paducah and Mound City. Arriving at Savannah Saturday night, we found nearly two thousand sick and wounded, crowded into churches, dwelling-houses, and structures of all kinds, filling to repletion every place at all fitted to hold them. The suflFering and destitution here were extreme. The number of surgeons and nurses was entirely inadequate, and the resources of the Medical Department in the way of bedding, clothing, dressings and diet, so exceedingly meager, that it is scarcely too much to say that all things necessary to the proper care of this great mass of suflTering hiimanity were wholly wanting. ' ' Depending upon the large stock of stores forwarded to Pittsburg before the fight, we had little to supply the press- ing wants of the wou.nded at Savannah. We therefore hastened forward on Sunday morning to head-quartei's at Pittsburg Landing. The scene that here met our eyes was one to which no description, though it exhausted all the resources of language, could do anything like justice. "For the space of a mile or more, the bank of the river was lined with steamers, closely packed together, loaded with troops, stores and munitions of war. Each of these steamers was discharging its cargo, living or inanimate, upon the steep and muddy bank. Soldiers, forage, pro- visions, clothing, artillery, army wagons and ambulances— the reinforcejnents and sujiplies of the great army which covered the hills for miles around — poured on to the shore in a noisy, turbulent, chaotic flood. "To one standing on the bluff o\-erlooking the landing, the scene below seemed one of wild and hopelt^ss confusion. THE HOSPITAL BOATS. 35 Soldiers hurrying to and fro in a busy, interweaving crowd; tlie countless throng of army wagons floundering through the mud, now interlocking, now upsetting with their loads ; the wounded, borne on ambulances or on litters to the boats ; the dead, lying stiff and stark on the wet ground, overrun with almost contemptuous indiflference by the living ; the busy squads of grave-diggers rapidly consign- ing the corpses to the shallow trenches — aU this formed a picture new, horrible, and never to be forgotten by the many who here, for the first time, were brought face to face with the dreadful realities of the war in which we are engaged." THE HOSPITAL BOATS. Previous to our arrival and in company vtath us, there had come to the relief of the wounded in the battle of Pitts- burg, quite a fleet of hospital boats, sent by the considerate humanity of our warm-hearted and patriotic people, and embodying the spirit of our beneficent and wide-spread organization. These, each marked with its yellow flag, lay moored among the steamers which lined the shore. They had come freighted vdth stores, surgeons and nurses, and aff'orded commodious and comfortable quarters to thousands who, but for them, must have endured incalculable suffering, and in many cases death itself. The preparation made by the Government for the engage- ment which had been expected to take place a few days later, was, for some reason, far from adequate. Though aid tendered by the Cincinnati Branch had been declined by General HaUeck, at that very time large requisitions were made on the Branch Commissions of Cincinnati and Chicago by the Medical Purveyor of General Grant's division. In answer to these requisitions, and spontaneously, a large 36 SANITARY COilMISSION" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. quantity of hospital stores was sent np the Tennessee from Chicago, Cincinnati and Cleveland, and yet nothing like a sufficient stock was in the hands of the Medical Purveyor to meet the emergency when it arrived. This may be in part accounted for liy the fact that on Sunday a portion of the supplies of our army fell into the hands of the enemy, but there is still reason to believe that the medical or mili- tary authorities failed to act with the promptness, fore- thought and energy which the circumstances required. Much had been done, however, in anticipation of this con- flict, which was in the highest degi-ee ■^^'ise and commend- able. The Government officers had chartered four large steamers, which had been fitted up by the Western Sanitary Commission, and were of incalculable benefit when the fight took place. Immediately on hearing of the battle, the Chicago Branch Commission, with its accustomed promptness, dispatched a special train to Cairo, taking a large quantity of supplies, and a corj)s of surgeons and nurses, all under the care of the Rev. Dr. Patton and Dr. Isham. These reached the scene of action on the "Louisiana" — a Government hos- pital boat — on Friday evening. The good which they accomplished by their services and much needed stores can hardly be overestimated; indeed, tlie arrival of this steamer may be regarded as the sunrise of a glorious day, wliich soon dissipated the darkness, till then brooding o^-er tlie battle field. Dr. Simmons, INIedical Director of General Halleck's army, Dr. Brinton, his efficient aid, and Dr. Douglas, of our Commission, arrived with the Chicago dele- gation on the "Louisiana," and as all acted in harmony and with enthusiasm, their efforts soon gave a new phase to medical affairs at Pittsburg Landing.' Thi' Cinciimati Branch Commission was alsc^ most credit- ably i-epresented. Two first-class steamers, the "Tycoon" A GESTBBOCrS RIVAL UT. 37 and "Monarch," were fitted out as hospital boats by the Commission, furnished with every comfort and even luxury for the wounded, and manned by a large and efficient corps of surgeons and nurses. These boats were under the care, respectively, of Drs. Mendenhall and Comegys. After dis- pensing with liberal hand of their stores to the sufferers at the Landing, they both returned, carrying loads of wounded, all thoroughly and tenderly cared for, to the hospitals on the Ohio. A large number of boats which arrived were sent by the efficient Branches of our Commission throughoiTt the Western States, and nearly all were fitted out from our stores, and were accompanied by our Associate Members. At this time the limited resources of the central treasury of the Sanitary Commission did not enable me to follow the only line of policy which would have averted the inconven- iences and evils experienced in the distribution of supplies and the removal of the sick and wounded, and would have given system, harmony and unity to the eff'orts being made at the West in supplementary aid to the soldiers of our armies. A splendid array of workers was co-operating with us in the home field. Nearly the whole West was occupied by a great and efficient system of production represented by our Branches, each the center and dej3ot of supplies for Aid Societies planted and in vigorous growth in almost every town and hamlet. Materials for distribution were already produced in abundance, but our machinery was not adequate to dispose of them. We had not tlien occupied the field with so large and well trained a corps of ag(-nts that all necessary work could he done b}' them. The con- tributions of the West were mainly in kind, and the mem- bers of our Branch Commissions naturally felt it a part of their duty, in times of emergency, to go themselves to the field of battle, carrying and distributing the supplies of 38 SAWITART COMMISSION" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. which they had such abundance, rather than turn over all their stores, and delegate the labor and responsibility of their distribution to the small number of field agents of an organization of which they were a part, and a part which, in their judgment, must perform locally the work of the whole. Municipal rivalry also came in as an element, if not of discord, at least of independence, and because the work was a great and noble one, each of the States and important cities of the West desired to perform a creditable part of it. Much confusion was, however, a natural consequence of this want of concert of action. AVhile each of the States, cities and Branches of the Sanitary Commission, represented by independent delegations at Shiloh, were actuated by the purest and most generous impulses, and accomplished great good, yet their lack of experience, system and harmonious action was productive of waste of materials and eff'ort, and brought much discredit on the whole cause of supplement- ary relief. To remedy in some degree these evils, after the greater part of the wounded of the ShUoh battle had been provided for and a depot of supplies established at Pittsburg Landing, I telegraphed to New York, asking authority to charter a steamer which should express the catholic spirit of our Commission by disregarding all State lines or local interests, and be managed in full harmony with the necessi- ties of military discipline. Permission was granted at once. The "Lancaster" was chartei-ed and made the trip which is described in the chapter on Hospital Transports. Such was the success of that and the next trip of the "Lancaster" that I received a letter of thanks from the Medical Director of the District of the Ohio, of which a copy is herewith DR. mureat's letter. 39 Head-Quarters District of the Ohio, Camp near Corinth, May 8, 1862. Dr. J. S. Newberry, Secretary TJ. S. Sanitary Commisaion, Western Department : My Dear Sir — It gives me a great deal of pleasure to state to you that, from the first commencement of my service in this Department, the operations of the United States Sanitary Commission under your direction have been conducted to my entire satisfaction. The Inspectors, Drs. Prentice and Read, have attended faithfully and efficiently to their duties.' Without any assumption of authority or seeking personal eclat and credit, they have done much good by exciting a spirit of emulation among the regiments in matters of ciimp police and general sanitary conditions. They have through the worst weather and worst roads traveled through the whole Department of the Ohio, to sight out the points where supplies w'ere needed, and have promptly furnished them. My attention has been particularly directed to the working of the United States Sanitary Commission proper, compared vifith that of local Sanitary Commissions in different cities in the West. In everj' case where operations have been conducted by the United States Commission, there has been order, good management, and apparently but one object in ^iew, that of aiding in providing for the comfort and care of the sick and wounded in an unostentatious manner, and without seeking notoriety and popular applause. This was particularly shown after the battle of Pittsburg Landing. The boats from States and cities, with some creditable exceptions, were eager to take wounded men only, and those from their own State. The boat under the control of the United States Commis- sion was ready to take those of all classes which were most uncomfortable on shore ; sick or wounded, Fedei-al or Confederate, all were received with equal readiness and cared for alike. I ana ready to give my testimony to the great usefulness of the Sanitary Commission. Under the old organiza- tion of the Medical Corps of the army it was indeed indispensable, and without it all the wants and comforts for sick and wounded could not have been met. At the same time I must frankly say I consider it a great injus- tice to the Medical Corps of the army that, at the commencement of the present troubles, steps were not taken to place sufficient power, funds and facilities at the disposal of the medical officers to enable them to provide for all the wants of the sick and wounded under all circumstances that could arise. This, my dear sir, is merely added to my thanks to you, in justice to the corps of which I am a member. I have for the officers of the U. S. Sani- tary Co nmi ission no feeling but that of gratitude for their untiring efforts and energy and the great benefit they have been to the sick and wounded. It is of the want of proper action at the beginning by the proper authorities that I complain. With feelings of great respect for you, I am truly yours, R. Murray, Surgeon U. S. A., Medical Director District of the Ohio. 40 SANITARY COMJIISSION — WESTBEN DEPAETilBNT. The pestilential atmosphere of the country about Shiloh was producing an amount of sickness almost without parallel in the history of the war, and since the sick required to be removed to a healthier locality before recovery could take place, there seemed to be abundant work yet for a hospital steamer to do. As the expense would be heavy and our purse was light, I went to Wash- ington with Dr. Murray' s letter, procured the indorsement of the Surgeon General to my application for a steamer, and thus obtained from the Quartermaster General an order which placed at my disj)osal a boat that continued in the service of the Sanitary Commission as long as the necessity for its employment existed. Dr. Douglas remained some time at Pittsburg Landing, supervising the work done at that point, while Drs. Warri- ner and Read, with a number of assistants, were busily employed to July 1st in meeting the unprecedented wants of the army before Corinth. In the progress of e'S'ents it became necessary to establish a depot at Hamburgh, six miles above Pittsburg Landing. This was placed in charge of Mr. M. C. Read, who then first entered the service of th(^ Commission, to the success of which he afterward contributed so much. Mr. Robert T. Thorne, subsequently Assistant Secretary of the Depart- ment, also made his entree into our i-anks duriiig this campaign. Having come to Savannah on a mission of mercy from a )_)en('vol(^nt association in Brooklyn, N. Y., he proved himself so eai'nest and effi(^ient in the care of the sick and wounded congr(\oated there, that, when the supplies he brought w(n-e exhausted, I was glad to admit him into our corps. In our service he took typhoid fever, from which he liarely (^scaped with his life. It should also be said of all our agents, that they performed their duties during the Coiintli campaign under circumstances of great A GOOD WOEK WELL DONE. 41 discomfort and danger. They were all in snccession prostrated by disease, and some of them fell victims to their faithfulness. I was myself so saturated by camp poisons that I did not fully regain my health for more than a year, and the Messrs. Read have not yet recovered from the effects of their terrible exposure at Hamburgh. The Inspectors of the Sanitary Commission, Drs. Douglas, Warriner, Read and Prentice, were constantly traversing the camps and hospitals of the army before Corinth, and exerting such influence as they could command for the improvement of their condition in all respects. The medical corps was here represented by some of the best surgeons in the service, among whom should be mentioned with special commendation, Dr. Robert Murray, Drs. Meylert, Grold- smith, Yarian, Gay, Pierce and Bryant, who, with many others, labored with indefatigable industry and energy for the amelioration of the condition of those under their charge, and who were ready to co-operate heartily with any intelligent and sincere effort in the same direction. In the preceding pages I have given a hasty sketch of the efforts made, to a certain date, by the Branches of the Sanitary Commission and others, in the removal of the sick and wounded from the vicinity of Pittsburg Landing. These efforts continued as long as there was need of them, and the work was on the whole well done. I had been on the Peninsula during McClellan's campaign before Rich- mond, and went up, as one of the surgeons, with a load of sick from White House to New York, and can testify that the removal of the sick and wounded was effected on the Western rivers, during the campaign of 1862, with far less danger and discomfort to them than at the East^ — mainly for the reason that the open, airy, river steamers made better impromptu hospital transports than the deeper and closer sea-going or river boats used for the same purpose 43 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN" DEPARTMENT. at the East. The cabins of the Western steamers extend from bow to stern, and may be opened at each end, so that when the boat is in motion a constant current of fresh air passes through them. The same is true of the guards and boiler decks ; and, when fully opened, the two decks form wards which, in convenience and ventilation,* are not excelled by those of any model hospital. In addition to this, their equipment was not only amjole, but even luxu- rious, and their personnel almndant and of excellent quality, both as regards surgeons and nurses. Much criticism has been passed upon the great popular movement which I have sketched, by officers holding im- portant commands, who only felt the temporary numerical loss of the seven thousand of their men removed ; but it is not too much to say that the effort saved the army and the country a great number of lives ; and if all the sick of the army before Corinth had been taken from the deadly atmosphere that enveloped camps and hospitals, there would have been more brave men in our lanks in subse- quent battles ; more living, loving fathers and husbands in happy homes at the North ; fewer mounds in the soldiers' cemeteries, and fewer pensions paid to widows and orphans. 'So medical officer, of all who were in the Corinth campaign, will subscribe to the criticism of the military commanders, and none but those actuated by the purely military animus will deny that the removals from Shiloh to hospitals in the purer air of the North was a most wise and beneficent measure. The Avork was hurriedly, and, in *NoTB. — The value of fresli air on these steamers is well illustrated by the incidents mentioned in one of the Reports of M. C. Read. On a boat chartered by the Governor of Ohio, which was returning from Pittsburg Landing;, freighted with sick, canvas was stretched around the front of the boat, so as to exclude the air from those whom it was supposed would be injured by it. Many deaths took place, when, at his request, the awnings were removed, and a magical change for the better was immediately noticed in the condition of all— evidently a consequence of the free admission of fresh air. A CHANGE OF BASE. 43 some instances, nnsystematically done. The State boats came for "their own sick" — sometimes would take no others — and boats dispatched from certain cities only took willingly such as could be transported to those cities for treatment. This was, of course, all wrong, and would not have been permitted if proper supervision of the business had been exercised by those in authority; yet these evils were trilling compared to the good accomplished. Twenty loads of sick were removed on the steamers sent by the Sanitary Commission and its Branches, six of which were taken by the "Lancaster." It is certain that none of the latter were received except by order of the Medical Director; that no discrimination was made among those offered ; and that, in receiving, transporting and delivering those under our charge, all military regulations were complied with. OCCUPATION OF WESTERN KENTUCKY AND WEST TENNESSEE. With the evacuation of Coiinth, May 30th, our armies ceased to have a single objective point, and spread with a wide front, from Huntsville and Decatur, Ala., on the east, to Jackson, Tenn., on the west. The Memphis and Charles- ton Railroad being broken, the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was taken possession of and made the medium of communi- cation with the garrison along its line at Corinth, Jackson, etc.; and Colirmbus, Ky., was chosen as a new base of supplies. Pittsburg Landing having thus lost its import- ance, our corps of agents stationed there took the barge which became our storeship after the departure of the "Polar Star" — our storeship at Pittsburg Landing — and had it towed around to Columbus. On the 15th of July Dr. Warriner established his head-quarters there, with Mr. H. Tone as his chief assistant, and immediately planted local depots at Jackson, Bolivar and Corinth. 44 SANITARY COMIIISSIOIT — WESTERN' DEPARTMENT. There was constant skirmishing along this line during the summer and autumn, and, as the country was very insalubrious, the number of sick and wounded was great, and the amount of work done by our agents proportion- allj' important. On the 19th and 20th of September the battle of luka took place ; on the 3d and 4th of October the battle of Corinth ; and on the 5th the battle of the Hatchie. About this time Holly Springs was made an important military depot, and Dr. Warriner established an Agency of the Commission at that point. He was there taken pris- oner, at the time of the disgraceful surrender of the place by Colonel Murphy, but was immediately released by the rebel leader. The more important events of the continua- tion of the Corinth campaign, with the work of the Sani- tary Commission connected therewith, are described in the foUomng Eeport of Dr. . Warriuer : Columbus, Kt., January 8, 1863. Db. J. 8. Nbwbekbt : My Dear Sir — My report for the past month, will be unavoida- bly meager, as the operations of the Commission in this Department have Ijeen extensively interrupted by the raids of the enemy upon lines of communication, and I had the misfortune to be myself cut off for three weeks from my chief source of supplies and my most important field of labor. General Grant's forces having already moved down the line of the Mississippi Central Eailroad to Holly Springs and beyond, I started early in December to establisli a depot of Sanitary supplies at some point on that line which should seem most eligible and most accessible to the bulk of the army. With little hesitation I selected Holly Springs, Miss. The 31ed- ical Director of General Grant's army had his head-quarters there at the time, and was very busy preparing hospital accommodations for some fifteen hundred or two thousand patients. He had selected as his main building a large structure built by the enemy, since the commencement of the ^\■ar, for an armory. It was in many respects admirably adapted for hospital uses. High ceilings, ventilation REPORT OF DE. WAEEINBK. 45 readily attainable, rooms very large, sufficiently numerous to admit of the requisite classification of patients, and so of a more service- able distribution of assistants. I had large cisterns filled with wholesome water, and all things conspired to render this one of the most attractive hospital sites hitherto reached inland from the Mississippi river. I should add that Holly Springs itself, standing on a very con- siderable elevation, and with a sandy soil, is regarded as one of the healthiest locations in the State. An adjoining building was filled with a large stock of medical stores and placed in charge of Dr. Q-rinsted, the energetic Sub-Pur- veyor of the Department, who had rendered such invaluable services months before at Pittsburg Landing and Corinth. On the 19th of December the preparations for the reception of patients at this hospital were so nearly completed that the surgeon in charge had resolved to transfer to it the following day all the sick then in town — numbering perhaps five hundred. All manner of hospital supplies that are practicable outside a metropolis, such as furniture, medical and commissary stores, were pi'esent in almost profuse abundance in the hospital and Purveyor's building. Only of supplies more specifically sanitary was there any defi- ciency, and these I had already ordered by telegraph some days before, and was anticipating their arrival on the evening of the 19th. I am happy to add, however, that they did not arrive accord- ing to expectation. On the morning of the 20th, at early dawn, a force of the enemy's cavalry, under General Van Dorn, twenty-five hundred strong, entered the town with scarcely a shadow of resistance, and held mad riot therein the livelong day. That quarterm^ter's, commissary and ordnance stores should be removed or destroyed was to be expected. We hoped, however, that the hospital and its equipments would be spared. Such was not the case. Hospital and Purveyor's offices were burned to the ground. All Government stores, beyond what could be taken away by the mounted assailants, were destroyed, with the exception of a rela- tively small quantity of provisions which the inhabitants of the town had stolen during the jiay's tumult and secreted in their dwellings. 46 SAKITAHT COMMISSION — WESTERN' DEPARTMENT. The sick on hand at the time had been accommodated after a fashion in a moderate-sized hotel building on the public square. Stores and hospital furniture had been but sparingly distributed among them, for the reason that they were so soon to be removed to a place of abundance. Only the very sick were adequately fur- nished. This arrangement obviously increased facilities of removal and seemed reasonable enough. The event proved it to be signally unfortunate. No attempt was made, that I am aware of, to fire any building containing sick. To increase the discomfort of the poor fellows in the hotel on that day, the building containing a very heavy stock of ammunition on the adjacent side of the public square, was set on fire about three o'clock in the afternoon. Fragments of explod- ing shells began to speedily fill the neighborhood with danger. The hospital was thoroughly exposed. ISTo particular damage was done to it, however, and no person was injured until about four o'clock in the afternoon. At that time occurred a general and tremendous explosion of the remaining ammunition, completely demolishing what was left of the burning building and all the other structures in the block. Great numbers of other buildings were irreparably damaged, and the devoted hospital suffered as much as any. All the windows in the front were blown in, and the fragments strewn over our sick. Happily no one was seriously injured by the missiles. I could not learn that any of the patients were made permanently worse by the excitement through which they passed. Let me recur now for a moment to my own experiences on that day. My store-room was on the public square, exactly opposite the hotel hospital. In common Avith others I Mas compelled to accept an unseasonable, early visit from the flushed and triumphant enemy. On opening my door in response- to their somewhat clamorous call- ing, my eye met at a glance the green scarf of a surgeon. The wearer proved to be Van Dorn's Medical Director. I beckoned to him, and he responded promptly and courteously. His manner was at once dignified and friendly. I explained to him my position and function, and showed him the stores I had on hand. He professed to be familiar with the purposes uiid operations of the United States Sanitary Commission, and expressed a frank and hearty com- mendation of the same. Pie assured me that neither myself nor mv stores should be molested. I thanked him and he rode away. I REPORT, CONTINUED. 47 remained standing in the door a few moments, and was presently accosted by an officer, whose name and rank I did not learn. In answer to his question, I repeated what I had just said to the sur- geon. Ee also assured me that neither myself nor my stores could be properly seized. From that time forward I had nothing to apprehend except from riotous soldiers, who knew little and cared less about the usages of civilized warfare. I was visited at intervals by sq^uads of privates during the rest of the day up to the time the explosion of the magazines commenced, but not again by any officer. Only one man of them all treated me otherwise than civilly. That one, already intoxicated, insisted on helping himself to the only liquors I had in sighl^viz., a few bottles of currant wine. He took three bottles. This is the sum total of my losses on that day. I had, to be sure, but few stores on hand, but they proved of exceeding value subsequently. These were turned over at once to Dr. "Weitz, of the hospital. Simultaneously with this success of the enemy, as you have already learned, successful attacks were made along the line of the Mobile and Ohio Eailroad between Jackson, Tenn., and Columbus, Ky., by another force. Several garrisons were captured, and a number of miles of the road destroyed. The Memphis and Charles- ton Eailroad, west of Lagrange, having been closed for months. General Grant's communications with his base were effectually cut off. His head-quarters at the time were at Oxford, Miss., twenty- seven miles south of Holly Springs, and the bulk of his army was massed in the vicinity. He speedily fell back from that position, leaving no troops further south than Abbieville, twelve miles from Holly Springs. From five hundred to six hundred sick had accumulated in the general hospital at Oxford. These were all brought to Holly Springs, so that about the middle of the week succeeding the raid, some twelve hundred sick had been massed at the latter place. Temporary provision was made for their accommo- dation, by taking possession at once of six of the most spacious, elegant and comfortable mansions in the town — a town, by the way, which abounds in such buildings. Meanwhile, foraging parties around and numerically strong, were scouring tlie surrounding country. Others were searching the town. The two explorations combined resulted in procuring ade- quate commissary supplies to bridge the portentous emergency quite 48 SANITABT COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. handsomely. As soon as practicable General Grant sent a train of one hundred wagons, under the escort of an entire division of troops, to Memphis for supplies, taking with them a full cargo of the sick who were able to bear the journey. About four hundred were thus disposed of In the meantime the utmost energy was thrown into the work of opening the railroad to Memphis. This work in a little more than two weeks from the time of the raid was completed. A majority of the remaining sick were at once shipped to Memphis, leaving at Holly Springs less than two hundred. These are now comfortably situated and adequately cared for. At the suggestion of General Grant I retain my storeroom at Holly Springs, though the General assured me that the sick now there in general hospital will be removed to other hospitals as soon as practicable. One division of troops remained there, having their sick in regimental hospitals. * * * ******* To-day we are loading all the stores upon the Sanitary steamer. ] I er cargo will be completed at Cairo, and she will then proceed with all practicable dispatch as far towards Vicksburg as possible. H. A. Waeeinbr. In October, Dr. R. C. Hopkins was detached from the "Lancaster," which had been running under his super- vision, and sent to establish an Agency of the Sanitary Commission at Memphis, then General Sherman's head- quarters, and rapidly becoming an important military center. After three months of service at that point. Dr. Hopkins, having greatly overworked himself, was taken sick and died at Evansville, on his way home, January 26, 1863. Dr. H. was from Cleveland, 0., a man of fine education and abilities, and peculiarly refined and gentlemanlj^ in his manner. His was the first death which occurred in our corps at the West, and was severely felt, not only among his associates in the Commission, by whom he was greatly esteemed, but by a large circle of friends in his place of residence. Mrs. Hopkins was with him during most of his stay in Memphis, taking an active part in the work of the Commission and rendering us important service. She— as WEST VIRGINIA IK 1862. 49 well as o\ir Inspector, Dr. Prentice — was witli hini at tlie time of Ms death. The chief assistant in the depot was Mr. W. T. Carpen- ter. Mrs. Canfield, wife of Colonel Canfield, who died ia the service, and Mrs. L. P. Harvey, widow of the Governor of Wisconsin, who was accidentally drowned at Pittsburg Landing, were active and efficient co-laborers with ns. WEST VIRGINIA IN 1862. I have already noticed the appointment of Dr. C. D. Griswold, Inspector for "West Virginia, in August, 1861, and the opening of a depot of supplies at Wheeling, ia charge of D. S. Fracker. Through the efforts of these gen- tlemen much was done to supply the wants and improve the condition of the hospitals established at "Wheeling, and along the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as far east as Cumberland, INId. During the autumn the Yalley of the Kanawha became the principal iield of military opera- tions in that District, and much of the time of Dr. Griswold was spent in ministering to the wants of the camps and hospitals located there. In the battle of Gauley Bridge General Rosecrans defeated and dispersed the forces of Floyd, and ended active o})erations in the Yalley for the winter. In the spring of 1862 Dr. Griswold was relieved, and Dr. E. Meade, nominated by the Cincinnati Branch Commission, was appointed as Inspector for "West Virginia. Dr. Prentice also, at my request, left his field in Kentucky and made a tour of inspection thi'ough this District. "When I was assigned to duty as Secretary of the West- ern Department of the Sanitary Commission, that Depart- ment was bounded on the east by the AUeghany Mountains, but when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was destroyed at Harper's Ferry and eastward, the hospitals at Cumber- land, Md. were most readily reached and supplied from 50 SAKITAKY COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPAETMBI>rT. the West. From time to time, therefore, the country about Cumberland came into my Department, and agents and supplies were sent there at different periods during the war. The battles fought by Shields and Fremont — at Cross Keys and Port Republic — in June, called for such aid, and Dr. T. G. Cleveland, previouslj" surgeon of the 41st Ohio Regiment, as Inspector, and Captain L. Barney as distributing agent, were sent there with a large supply of stores. It was subsequentl)^ necessary to do much for the Cumberland hospitals. In July Mr. Fracker opened a depot there, and continued to supply the wants of the hospitals in that riciiiity until communication was re-estab- lished with the East. At the time of the in^'asion of Maryland, previous to the battle of Antietam, General Cox, who was in command in West Virginia, was ordered eastward, with a great part of his troops, and little was done in West Virginia, in a mili- tary or sanitary way, during their absence. On the 9th of October General Cox returned and resumed command of this District. Early in November Dr. Henry Parker was appointed Chief Inspector for West Vii'ginia. He con- tinued in supervision of our work there throughout the year ; the depot at Wheeling remaining in charge of Mr. Fracker. KANSAS IN 1862. As previously stated, the care of all troops west of the Mississippi was at one time assumed by the Western Sani- tary Commission ; yet they were so much occupied in the good work they performed for the St. Louis hospitals that it was thought -necessary to keep some representatives of the United States Sanitary Commission on duty in that field. The St. Louis Commission was, however, so fully able to respond to the wants of the troops stationed in Missouri that it was not deemed advisable to continue our KANSAS IN 1862. 51 Agency there, and Drs. Douglas and Warriner were with- drawn. The Western Sanitary Commission did not estab- lish Agencies west of their own State; and when "bleeding Kansas" began to experience the tender mercies of the secessionists, whose wrath had been so long treasured up against her, an amount of suffering was inflicted upon her people which has been nowhere surpassed in the history of the war. Of the scenes of cruelty and blood enacted there, the massacre at Lawrence may be taken as an example. Foremost among the philanthropists who devoted them- selves to the relief of the sufferers, was Mr. J. R. Brown, half-brother of the "martyr" whose "soul is marching on." For some months he, with his wife and daughter, spent their whole time in ministering to the wants of citi- zens, soldiers, refugees and contrabands. In November, 1862, having exhausted all his available means, Mr. Brown appealed to me for assistance. Knowing well his peculiar qualifications for our work, I at once appointed him an agent of the Sanitary Commission, provided means for the establishment of a depot of supplies at Leavenworth, brought him into relation with our Branches at Chicago and Cleveland, and equipped him for his visits of inspec- tion and relief to the various military posts within his field of labor. From that time to the autumn of 1865 Mr. Brown performed the arduous duties which devolved upon him with untiring energy, and accomplished an amount of good work that reflected great credit on the Commission, and won the good vsdll and good word of numbers of offi- cers and civilians who witnessed it. ENLISTMENT OF NUESES. In August, 1862, an order was issued by the War Department, requiring aU able-bodied enlisted men, doing hospital duty, to return to their regiments, and authorizing 53 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPAETMENT. the employment of civilian nurses in their places. In the hospital centers of the Sonth and West much difiicnlty was experienced by medical officers in obtaining the requisite number of civilians to perform this duty, and I was I'equested to co-operate in an effort to secure them. As the enlisted nurses had already been largely withdrawn under the order to which I have referied, the hospitals at Louisville and JSTashville had become very short-handed, and many consequent evils were beginning to be felt. Regarding this duty as legitimate, I responded at once, by issuing circulars and causing notices of the want to be pub- lished in the newspapers of Ohio. We soon had several hundred applications from different parts of the country. From those so applying about one hundred and fifty were engaged and forwarded to Louisville, where they all received employment. Most of these were men over forty- five years of age, and not liable to do military duty, and, I regret to say, many of them died in the service, falling victims to diseases communicated by the patients under their care. THE CAMPAIG>J' IN KENTUCKY IN THE AUTUMN OF 1862. The most exciting military events which took place at the West during the fall of 1862 were connected with Bragg' s invasion of Kentucky. The rebel army which had retired before Buell, on his advance southward in the spring of the same year, and that which escaped from Corintli while General Halleck was creeping toward it, had never been very seriously injured, and having received large additions, were, at the period of which I write, more pow^erful than before the taking of Fort Donelson. When, therefore, nearly all our available force was engaged in the' effort to hold the country about Corintli, and to maintain a front extending from Decatur to Memphis, Bragg took THE CAMPAIG2S- IK KENTUCKY. 53 advantage of the circumstances, and, flanking Buell on the east, started for the Ohio. At the same time Kirby Smith advanced northward from East Tennessee; and these two armies, moving on converging lines, were expected to meet in Kentucky, fall with combined force upon the defenseless cities of Louisville and Cincinnati, and accomplish what Lee was attempting in the East — what had always been the threat and hope of the rebels — the transfer of the seat of war from the Southern to the Northern States. Buell had early notice of the movement, and immediately began a retreat with all the force at his disposal. Too weak, as he considered, to risk a fight with Bragg, he chose the alternative — a foot-race — and pushed his army northward with a degree of energy worthy of all praise, though the severity of the march was such that both officers and men were almost in a state of nudity and mutiny when they arrived at their destination. Fortunately for the country, Buell reached Louisville first, and formed a junction with the forces which had been gathered there — twenty-eight thousand, mostly recruits, under Nelson. Scarcely giving his men time to breathe, he moved again south-easterly, in pursuit of Bragg and Smith, who had begun a retreat on seeing the failure of their plans. On the 8th of October the enemy was overtaken at Perryville, and McCook's corps, making, as Buell says, "an unauthorized attack," was met by the whole force of the rebels and very roughly handled; this corps, thirteen thousand nine hundred strong, losing over three thousand in killed and wounded. The rebels, having suffered scarcely less severely, retreated before day- light the next morning, but the check received by the Union army prevented rapid pursuit, and they escaped into Tennessee. The work performed by the Sanitary Commission, in connection with the battle of Perryville, is so fully described 54 SANITAKY COMMISSION — WESTEEIS' DEPARTMENT. in the reports wliicli follow, that little more need be said in regard to it. Much was done, however, both at Cincinnati and Lonisville, of which no public record exists. When Cincinnati was threatened by the forces of Kirby Smith, many thousands of the citizens of Ohio and Indiana flew to her defense with such arms and equipments as they chanced to possess. In the work of feeding and lodging these "squirrel hunters," as they were called from the rifles with which they were armed, the Cincinnati Branch of the Sanitary Commission performed a conspicuous part; con- tributing freely of their stores, and giving themselves up, almost without exception, to personal and arduous labors. At Louisville the garrison was principally composed of organized troops, yet most of these were entirely new to camp life, untaught in the art of caring for themselves, and in many instances imperfectly equipped. For these the Kentucky Branch of the Sanitary Commission, and Dr. Read, who was present at the time, Avere able to do much, both by personal efforts and material contributions, of which no report has been or can now be made. SANITAEY COMMISSION AT PEEKYVILLE, KT. At the time of the battle of Perryville I was temporai-ily absent from my head-quarters, and received the news of its occurrence while on my way back to Louisville. My place, however, was well supplied by our veteran Inspector, Dr. Read, who acted in the emergency with his usual prompt- ness and wisdom. The measures which he adopted, and the results he accomplished, are simply yet graphically given in the accompanying report which he prepared at my request. On my arrival a few hours after he had left, I found the gentlemen composing the Louisville Branch of our Com- mission busUy engaged in sending forward supplies in the THE COMiriSSION AT PBKEYVILLE. 55 ambulances which had been provided for him, with that view, by the Medical Director. Twenty-one loads went for- ward at that time, including, besides the ordinary supply of hospital stores, kegs of fresh butter, coops of live chickens, and things of that sort, which proved to be of inestimable value to those for whom they were intended. Through the intervention of my friend, Capt. S. Perkins, of the Quartermaster' s Department, therie ambulances were attached to an ammunition train which traveled rapidly day and night, arriving there much sooner than they could have done under any other ckcumstances. Owing to the fact that the most important supply train forwarded by the Medical Purveyor was prevented for many days from reaching its destination, the value of the stores forwarded to Dr. Read was greatly enhanced. Most of these stores were furnished from the depot of the Louisville Branch of the Sanitary Commission, but included large and most valuable contributions from Cincin- nati and Cleveland. Subsequently, still further shipments were made, at my request, from these points, as also from Chicago, all of which went forward, and were distributed by Dr. Read and his corps of assistants. I should also mention that a delegation from the Cincin- nati Branch of our Commission, consisting of several sur- geons and a distributing agent, with stores, accompanied the ambulance train, and rendered important service in the care of the wounded. At a later date a messenger arrived from Chicago, having Sanitary stores in charge, which were also forwarded to the field. I cannot adequately express my high appreciation of the promptness and energy vsdth which the LouisvUle Associates engaged in the work of providing for the wants of the Perryville sufferers, as well as the disinterested and catholic spirit which controlled their action. 56 SANITARY COMMISSION" — WESTERN" DEPARTMENT. It gives me pleasure also to testify to the hearty and efficient co-operation of Dr. Head, Medical Director, and Dr. Meylert, Medical Purveyor, in Louis"\aLle. While fully alive to their responsibilities, zealously and faithfully doing their o"wn duty, they afforded us every possible facility in the discharge of ours. REPORT OF DR. A. N. READ, INSPECTOR U. S. SANITARY COMMISSION, On the Measures of Relief afforded to the Wounded in the Battle at Perryrille, Oct. 8, 1862. Louisville, Kt., October 33, 1862. Dr. J. S. N"ewberrt, Secretary Western Department Sanitary Commission: Dear Sir — Immediately on the reception of the news of the late battle, I took such measures as were in my power for the per- formance of our duty in the relief of the wounded. On application to Dr. Head, Medical Director, I obtained at once three Government wagons, and the promise of twenty-one ambulances, to be ready the day following. The wagons were loaded with stores from the Louisville Commission, and started the same evening for Perryville. I myself hired a buggy, and taking with me Mr. Thomasson, whom I had engaged to go with and assist me, pushed on as rapidly as possible. We found the first ' hospital for the wounded at Max"\ille ; this was a tavern, with sixteen rooms, containing one hundred and fifty wounded, and thirty sick, mostly from a Wisconsin regiment. Twenty-five were oh cots; some on straw; the others on the floor, with blankets. The surgeon in charge — P. P. White, of the 101st Indiana — had authority to purchase all things necessary. Plour was very scarce ; cornmeal, beef, mutton and chickens plenty. There was no coffee, tea, or sugar to be had. The cooking was all done at a fire-place, with two camp-kettles and . a few stew-pans. The ladies of the town, however, were taking articles home, and cooking them there; thus giving great assistance. From this place to Perryville, some ten miles, nearly every house was a hospital. At one log cabin we found twenty of the 10th Ohio, including the major and two captains. At another house AMONG THE WOUNDED. 57 were seTeral of the 92d Ohio ; and the occupants were very poor, but doing all in their power for those in their charge. The mother of the family promised to continue to do so, but said, with tears in her eyes, she feared that she and her children must starve when the winter came. As at the other houses on this road, the sicik had no regular medical attendance. I therefore prescribed for them and left them medicines. We reached Perryville after dark, Mr. Thomasson giving his place in the buggy to a young soldier whom we found lying by the way- side, sick and unable to walk. I saw him placed in hospital and properly cared for. On our arrival we learned that we were the first to bring relief where help was needed more than tongue can tell. Instead of seven hundred, as first reported, at least two thousand five hundred Union men and rebel soldiers were at that time lying in great suffering and destitution about Perryville and Harrodsburg. In addition to these, many had already been removed, and we had met numbers of those whose wounds were less severe walking and begging their way to Louisville, eighty-five miles distant. To these we frequently gave help and comfort by sharing with them the slender stock of food and spirits we had taken with us. There had been almost no preparation for the care of the wounded at Perryville, and as a consequence the suffering from want of help of all kinds, as well as of proper accommodations, food, medicines and hospital stores, was excessive. For this state of things, how- ever, the surgeons are not to blame. Both those in authority and those in attendance had done and were doing all in their power to prevent and mitigate the suffering to which I have alluded. The fault lies higher than they — with the superior military authorities who withheld from the surgeons the information and denied them the resources which alone would have enabled them to meet the emergencies of the case. Dr. Marks, of the 10th Wisconsin, was in charge at Perryville.* He received us kindly, took care of our horse, and gave us shelter. We slept on the floor. In the morning he secured for me two rooms, which were put in order, the three loads of goods taken in and opened, and a United States Sanitary Commission sign placed over the door. Soon after the twenty-one *Dr. James Hatchett, Surgeon U. S. V., soon succeeded Dr. Marks. 58 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. ambulances arrived, loaded with our stores. At the same time came Dr. Goddard and Mr. Posdick of Louisyille, Dr. Dayis, Dr. Walker and Mr. Johnson from Cincinnati, (the latter in charge of supplies,) all of whom rendered efficient service. Surgeons were then notified that stores could be had, and they were rapidly given out. There were, at this time, some eighteen hundred wounded in and about Perryville. They were all very dirty, few had straw or other bedding, some were without blankets, others had no shirts, and even now, five days after the battle, some are being brought in from temporary places of shelter, whose wounds have not yet been dressed. Every house was a hospital, all crowded, with very little to eat. At the Seminary building there was some fresh mutton, and a large kettle in which soup was being made. I left at this house a box of bandages, comfortables, shirts and drawers, and a keg of good butter. Three days after, at this hospital, I found that the surgeons had improvised bedsteads, and had provided comfortable beds for all their patients from the stores of the Sanitary Commission. Leaving Dr. Goddard to superintend the further distribution of supplies, on the 12th I went, with Mr. Thomasson, to Danville. We here found the wants of the sick as urgent as those of the wounded at Perryville. The Court House was literally packed; many had eaten nothing during the day, most of them nothing since morning. I inquired if soup could be made here. The surgeons thought not, but kindly gave me authority to get it if I could. Mr. Thomasson introduced me to some good Union men, through whose assistance I was enabled to succeed in the effort. It was now five o'clock in the afternoon. There was no leef in the city, but the butcher agreed to bring in an animal, kill it, and have it ready in two hours. There was no ivater in the town ; the wells were all dry ; but the same good butcher sent and hauled water in barrels. Then there were no kettles for sale, all having been taken by the rebels ; but at last one was found in a private family; another discovered two miles out of the city, owned by Mr. John J. Craig ; he sent that in, saying that he should not want it until hog-killing time, and would lend it. No pails were to be had for love or money, but I bought some covered firkins with handles, a wash tub and spade, then dug trenches and laid stones with my own hands, and thus set both kettles. I made a fire of some old boards found SOUP MAKING. 59 in the Coui-t House yard, sent a soldier for some pepper and salt, and at half-past ten o'clock I had the satisfaction of seeing two thirty-two-gallon kettles of nutritious and palatable soup ready for distribution. This was given out at once, but by other hands than mine, as by this time I was completely exhausted. The remainder of the beef was brought in next morning, and the kettles were kept boiling. I should not forget to mention-' the very essential services rendered by Mr. Thomasson. He introduced me to the right men, and worked himself at anything and everything, and most efiBciently. While at Perryville, feeling the disgrace of having numbers of the enemy's dead lying yet unburied, he called on Colonel Eead, the commander of the post, and obtained a detail of negroes and secesh citizens, who worked two days, burying several hundred, and completing the task. On the 15th, having with much difiiculty obtained horses and saddles, we rode on to the advance of the army — then at Crab Orchard — reaching General Mitchell's division, in General Gilbert's corps, after dark. On making a hasty inspection of the condition of the troops, I found that the new regiments had suffered much from the severity of the service they had performed, and the exposure to which they had been subjected. The men had made long marches, were without tents, had only one blanket or an overcoat each — some one, some the other ; their food, hard bread and bacon, beef occasionally; no vegetables. For new recruits this had proved rather trying, and over ten per cent, had been disabled by it. I found several of the regimental surgeons with no medicines whatever, and they informed me that they had received strict orders not to take any. Some of them told me they had a few medicines which they carried on their persons. The spirit of the army is not what it should be. Through distrust of the commanding General, they are seriously demoralized. On my return to Danville, I found the number of sick con- siderably increased. As there were many who were without shelter, I looked around to find some building where they might be carried, and, at least, have a roof over thfeir heads. After some search a carriage-shop was found which would answer the pui-pose. This belonged to Mr. J. W. "Welch. At my solicitation he 60 SAN-ITAET COMMISSION — 'WESTERIS" DEPARTMENT. opened it, had the carriages remoTcd, and placed it at my disposal. I then procured two loads of straw, which was spread upon the floor, and two hundred men were brought in and laid upon it. Eetuming to Perryville, I had the satisfaction of seeing the condition of the wounded considerably improved, thanks to the untiring exertions of the surgeons in charge, and the stores we had placed at their disposal. ******** The Government supplies not having arrived, and more stores being needed, on the 18th I returned to Louisville to report to you, and procure further assistance. Ten tons of Sanitary stores, on five large wagons, have left to-day for Perryville, and I shall start to-morrow with Messrs. Thomasson and Butler, to see to their distribution. ********** On Monday, October 23d, our stores arrived at Harrodsburg; a room was procured, and stocked with such a proportion of them as it was thought best to leave. At Danville we obtained from the quartermaster by Dr. Shumard's assistance, nine wagons to be used in the transportation of our stores from Harrodsburg. On their arrival they were loaded up, and such things as were not left at Harrodsburg were sent on to Danville, they and we arriving there again on Monday evening. At this time there were fourteen hundred and fifty sick in Dan- ville; all, like those at Perryville and Harrodsburg, under the general supervision of Dr. G. G. Shumard, Surgeon of Volunteers and Medical Director. Since my first visit much had been accom- plished toward making the greater part comfortable, but their numbers had increased so rapidly, that the strength and resources of the surgeons had never been fully equal to the demand on them ; and the instances of destitution and suffering were scarcely less numerous and aggravated than at the time when I made soup for them. During this interval, either from the detention, or destruction by guerrillas, of the Government supplies intended for this point, comparatively little had been received through that channel, viz: Three hundred and thirty-three blankets, five hundred pillow ticks, four hundred and fifteen bed sacks — no special hospital food, no cooking utensils, very few medicines. As a consequence there was a pressing want of the stores we brought. This was shown by the DISTEIBUTING STORES. 61 active demand which came for them as soon as their arrival was known. Through the kindness of the quartermaster who had furnished the teams to bring our goods, we secured a fine large store room in which they were opened. On our first ride over from Harrodsburg we had notified the surgeons that supplies would arrive the next day, so that as soon as we were ready to distribute them, we had requisitions which would have carried off at once a stock twice as large as ours. ********* Our stores distributed at Danville consisted of comforts, sheets, drawers, pillows and cases, bed ticks, towels, socks, potatoes, eggs, dried apples, butter, medicines, (a fine lot, the stock of the pharmacy of the hospital steamer "Lancaster,") wines and spirits, sponges, bed pans, soap, chocolate, tea, mackerel, green apples, canned fruits, pickles, tinware, stationery, matches, etc. ; all of which was exceed- ingly acceptable, so much so that we could have given out twice as many as we carried, on the requisitions that were made upon us on the day of our arrival. After seeing our depot at Danville in good working order, and the process of distribution going on quietly and well under the management of Mr. Butler, we left him there and returned to Perryville. I here found the condition of the wounded greatly improved. Several shipments of Sanitary goods had been received and distributed, and a fair supply of Government stores had by this time arrived. The surgeons had manifestly been active and faithful, so that the appearance of the hospitals and their inmates presented a strong contrast to the not exaggerated picture which I gave of them when making a report of my first visit. We left at Perryville a portion of the stores which we took with us, but by far the larger part was left where the wants were greater. * * * * At Perryville, as elsewhere, I had frequent opportunities of observing the effect of the distribution of hospital stores — clothing and delicacies — to the sick or wounded of special regiments by special agents, and I am constrained to say that, wherever followed, this system works badly. The surgeons don't like it, and it does not seem wholly acceptable to the recipients of the partial bounty. A case in point, which came under my own eyes, will illustrate this. -Alphonso Jones, of Company D, 10th Wisconsin, lying seriously wounded in one of the 63 SANITARY COMMISSION" — WESTEEN DEPAKTMBN"T. hospitals where the agent of the State had been distributing gifts to the Wisconsin boys only — overhearing some expressions of dis- approbation made to me by the surgeon in charge — spoke up and said, "I don't like it either; it made me feel bad to have things given to me, and not to the boy lying next me ; but I made it all right ; I divided with him." LETTBE OE DR. G. G. SHUMAED, MEDICAL DIKEOTOR DANTILLB DISTRICT. Medical Director's Office, Danville, Ky., December 20, 1862. Dr. J. S. Newberrt, Associate Secretary Sanitary Commission : Dear Sir — Permit me, through you, to acknowledge my obligations to the United States Sanitary Commission for the very efficient aid it has rendered me, in furnishing supplies for the sick and wounded soldiers under my charge at a time when they could not be obtained through any other source. When the hospitals were first established in this District, we were almost entirely destitute of hospital and medical supplies, including almost every article necessary for the comfort of the sick. With an unusually large number of sick and wounded on our hands, \\ e were compelled to see them suffer without the proper means of aftbrding them relief. The condition of things was immediately telegraphed to the Medical Purveyor in Louisville, and that officer, -(vith his usual promptness, at once furnished everything necessary to render our sick comfortable ; but, from some cause, the supplies were detained several weeks on the road, and were not received until long after those arrived that were sent by the Sanitary Commission. Considering the large number of sick and wounded in the District, (between six and seven thousand,) and the almost total absence of every thing necessary to render them comfortable, I liave no doubt that the timely aid afforded by the Commission in this single instance has been the means of preventing much suffering, as well as of saving many valuable lives. I trust that the Commission will be able to continue in its good work, and that it may have, as it certainly deserves, the thanks of every friend of humanity. I am, dear sir, very respectfully, Geo. G. Sitomard, Surgeon U. S. A., Medical Director Danville District. XEEDLBSS SUFFERING. 63 The view Avhich I took, at the time, of tlie causes of the destitution and suffering at Perryville, is given in tlie following extract from a letter written to the Gf-eneral Secretary : Louisville, October 24, 1862. Feed. Law Oljisted, Esq., General Secniary U. S. Saniiari/ Commissinn : Dear Sir— p. ******** Prom a combination of causes, the condition of the wounded in the battle of Perryville was peculiarly distressing. No adequate provision had been made for their care. The stock of medicines and hospital stores in the hands of the surgeons was insignificant. They had almost no ambulances, no tents, no hospital furniture, and no proper food. In addition to this, the small village of Perry- ville afforded but very imperfect means for the care of the great number of wounded concentrated there, either in the way of build- ings to be used as hospitals, or resources and appliances of any other kind. The surrounding country had been overrun and devastated by two great armies, and the inhabitants impoverished in all possible ways. As a consequence, nearly everything necessary to the proper care of the sick or wounded men had to be imported from a con- siderable distance ; and before the requisite assistance in men and means could, through any agencies, reach the battle field, untold suffering, and even deaths had occurred, which might have been prevented, if help and supplies had been jjreseut, or readily accessible. It is true that such sad scenes as those witnessed at Perryville have been recorded among the incidents of nearly all battles of ancient or modern times, so that by many they have come to be regarded as inseparable ingredients of the horror of war. This, however, I contend, is a fatal fallacy. I am no optimist, and have no idea that war can be so softened down and Christianized, as to be otherwise than unutterably hideous in all its aspects; and yet my observation has led me to believe that by far the saddest cases which war presents, the cases of those who lie for days helpless and neglected on the battle field, who perish by the slow oozing of their 64 SAKITAKY COMMISSION" — WESTEEN" DEPARTMENT. life-blood, by cold, by heat, by thirst, by starvation, when the sim- plest succor might restore them to life and health, to the ranks, and their homes — that these, the only cases in which the Tictims of war are now tortured to death, are generally gratuitous and unnecessary exhibitions of individual perversity, or official incompetence, gene- rated and grown under a vicious system of military administration ; and that, being such, they are a disgrace to our civilization, our Christianity, and our cause. The evil to which I refer is a great and sad one, and if, as I believe, it is avoidable, it is one that must be abated if we hope to keep alive the patriotism and enthusiasm of our soldiers, and retain the favor of an all-seeing God. But if these are crimes, not fates or Providences, who are their authors ? The surgeons are known to have the immediate care of the sick and wounded of our armies, and are generally held responsible for their treatment in all respects. It is therefore exceedingly common to hear in conversation, or to see in print, the gravest charges of cruelty, incompetency, or gross neglect of duty made against sur- geons of the regiments, of the divisions, or the department in which these instances of unnecessary suffering have occurred. This I can assure you is, as a general rule, a cruel mistake. From the beginning of the war it has been my special duty to look after the manner in which the surgeons connected with the armies of the West have done their work. Many of them I have known for years in civil life, and of most who have held official positions in this Department since its first organization, I can say that I have had the means of learning with great accuracy whether or not they have been faithful to their trust. And now, with nothing to fear from their displeasure, or to gain from their favor, moved by regard for truth and justice alone, my testimony is, that, as a class, they have been greatly misjudged and misrepresented. It is not true, as seems to be too generally suspected, that when a medical man accepts a military appointment, he thereby and at once sells himself, body and soul, to the devil. On the contrary, I do not hesitate to say that the most hard-working, self-denying, earnest and conscientious officers in the army, are its surgeons. I do not, of course, arrogate to the class any superhuman virtues. They are all simply men, and have men's imperfections. And there are those among them so ignorant, and others so depraved, that WHERE THE FAULT LIES. 65 they are a curse to the serrice, opprobria to the profession and a disgrace to those by whom they were commissioned. Yet such are few. Most are laborious, faithful and meritorious. The greater part have passed a rigid examination before a competent medical board, by whom they were declared well qualified for their duties, and have since, by their services in the field, vindicated the pro- priety of their selection from the great number of candidates for the places which they hold. During the last year all the surgeons have been overworked. None that I know have escaped disease contracted in the discharge of their duties ; many have gone home with their health permanently broken, and not a few have been martyrs to their faithfulness. Nor is it true that the chief medical officers are any exceptions to the rule I have laid down for the corps. It gives me pleasure to state that — after long and thorough experience of the manner in which the duties of their offices have been administered by the venerable Chief of General Halleck's Medical Staff, Dr. McDougal; G-eneral Buell's Medical Director, Dr. Murray ; and those who now hold the most responsible positions at this point, Drs. Head and Meylert, respectively Medical Director and Purveyor — I have found in their manner and measures very much to admire and praise; almost nothing to condemn. I am sure all who know the gentlemen I have enumei-ated, as I do, will unite with me in pronouncing them faithful and efficient officers, high-toned and honorable men. Struggling with various and discouraging impedimenta, they have earnestly and with singleness of purpose striven to do their duty thoroughly and well, and have deplored more than others can, the embarrassments by which their action lias been fettered, their good and wise purpose thwarted. Could the tnith be known, they would receive sympathy and honor from the public, rather than the obloquy so many are disposed to heap upon them. Who, then, is responsible for the facts, that at the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Perryville, no adequate provision was made beforehand for the care of the wounded ; that proper supplies of medicines and hospital stores and an abundance of appropriate food were not on hand or within easy reach ? Whose fault is it that there were so few surgeons and trained assistants; so few ambu- lances, and ambulance attendants; that men must lie two, three, four days on the battle field before they could be taken up, sheltered 5 66 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. from the sun, the frost, the rain ; their hunger and thirst assuaged and their wounds dressed ? Whose fault is it that many a poor fellow, hardy and braye though he might be, unequal to the torture entailed by such neglect — worn out by his long suffering and exposure — has yielded up his life, so precious to his country and his home ? To any one acquainted with the theory of our military organiza • tion, and familiar with the personnel of our army, the question need not be a diflScult one. The fault is, for the most part, incident to the workings of a defective system, in special instances aggra- vated by individual incompetency. The defect in our military system, a defect which bears the sad cases I have described as its natural fruit, is this — that to the Medical Department, on which the responsibility and the care of the sick reposes, no part of the functions of the Quartermaster and Commissary Department are independently entrusted. As a consequence, the sick, having no oflflcial representative in these departments, are constantly the victims of the caprices or necessities of those whose duty is first to do their own work, and then attend to them if they can. When, and not before, the sur- geons are provided with independent means of transportation and subsistence for the sick, we can hold them fully responsible for their care. In theory, the "art of war'' is a game like chess, in which the combinations and movements can only be constantly suc- cessful where the po'i\'ers of the pieces remain unimpaired. To the purely military tactician, therefore, the sick of his command become an embarrassing and vexatious hmdrance. They are i-eally eyesores to him; and, associated with them, the surgeons, their guardians, are too often looked upon as necessary evils, and with no special complacency. If fully inspired with the animus of his pro- fession, and not deterred by considerations of humanity, every military commander would abandon the disabled of his forces with- out care. Having before him the sole object to win the game, he would throw off every incubus at once. Now, humanity forbids that this should be done, but the inducement and the impulse remain, and their influence is felt by all military men. Their impatience under the restraint of a long sick list is shown in various ways. A EE5IEDT StJQGESTED. 67 One General of Division within the last few months, and under my own observation, determined to eradicate sickness from his command by ordering all men under medical treatment to appear daily at dress parade. And so they did, day after day — those able to walk, dragging themselves out under the broiling sun to witness the ceremony ; those unable to help themselves, dragged thither in ambulances. This system, if pursued suflBciently long, would doubt- less have been successful, driving all malingerers back to the ranks ; the really sick rapidly to their graves. Another military chieftain, commander of a great army at a later date, indeed, a very recent date, led his forces, by rapid marches, across a State ; many, if not all, his regimental surgeons being prohibited, by special order, from taking with them any medical supplies whatever. Some of them are to-day, as I know, following their regiments with no other remedial agents than such as they carry, in defiance of orders, about their persons. Was it surprising, then, that when the forces of this General met the enemy, and a bloody battle ensued, there was no adequate preparation for the wounded, and, as a consequence of this want of preparation, there was great suffering, and lives were lost? Nor was it surprising that the chief medical officer of this army, an eminent surgeon, a most efficient officer, a man endeared to all his associates in that army by his kindness and courtesy, after months endurance of what seemed a studied disregard of the claims of his Department, felt compelled to ask to be relieved. This disquisition has perhaps become wearisome, but it includes, as it seems to me, an explanation of the reasons why adequate pro- vision was not made for the care of the wounded at Perryville, and why, in defiance of the lessons taught by the history of our previous engagements, the scenes of suffering and destitution there witnessed were here repeated. In answering these questions, it also points out the mode in which our modern civilization and more refined humanity can improve upon the methods of the past, and mitigate in great measure some of the darkest horrors of war. To enunciate more formally the proposition I have made — not a new one, as I am aware — hy the addition to the medical corps of a lody of trained assistants, whose duty it shall le to gather up and remove the wounded from the tattle field, and perform for them the first necessary offices 68 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. of relief ; and entrusting to that department independent means of transportation and subsistence for the sich, much will le done to economize life, prevent suffering, and improve the health of the army. If this be true, the subject demands our immediate attention, and our most earnest and unwearied eflfbrts. Yours respectfully, J. S. Newberry, Secretary U. S. Sanitary Commission, Western Department. ES'TABLISHMENT OF THE LOUISVILLE OFFICE. With the expansion of our work in 1862 I found myself, at Cleveland, too far from the center of our wide field of operations. Therefore, on the 1st of October — with great regret at being again compelled to leave my family, from whom I had been already so much separated — I transferred my head-quarters to Louisville, Ky. ; a point just then the focus of interest, and destined, as I thought, to be the most important military center at the West. This anticipation proved correct, as the ofRces of the Chief Quartermaster and Assistant Surgeon General weie soon transferred there. Such was the relation of Louisville to the home field at the North, and to the theater of important militarj- operations at the South, that every subsequent day' s experience con- firmed the wisdom of this choice of location for the AVestern Central Office. At this time the Kentucky Branch of the Commission was in vigorous action, doing, as it had been for some months, a great amount of work in the supervision and supply of the twenty-one hospitals located in Louisville, as well as performing all the labor of receiving and shipping Sanitary stores passing through Louisville to the hospitals in the interior of Kentucky, and for the supply of our depots at Bowling Green, Gallatin and Nashville. For a year and more, Messrs. Heywood and Henderson and Dr. T. S. Bell had given almost their entire time to this work, rendering THE LOUISVILLE OITICE. 69 to Dr. Murraj-, the Medical Director, such valuable aid in the location and equipment of hospitals as to receive fre- quent acknowledgments from him. They had also sup- ported and managed a Soldiers' Home which had been opened in the preceding February. By all the members of the Kentucky Branch I was most cordially welcomed, and every possible assistance was given me in the establishment of my head-quarters. And now, after three years' residence with these gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to say that I always found them truly 103-al to the Sanitarj' Commission, among its most efficient and useful representatives, and so cordial in their co-opera- tion with me that no jealousies or discord ever marred the harmony of our intercourse. No language I could use would exaggerate the esteem and affection with which I regard them. So much of the local Sanitary work as they were willing to take upon themselves was left to the members of the Kentucky Branch, while the resjDonsibility of the general operations of the Commission was assumed by myself. A commodious dwelling-house, adjoining that occupied hy the Medical Director, was taken for the Western Central Office, and the large warehouse occupied by the Kentucky Branch was turned over to me, with the exception of one story, -which was retained b.y them as an office and depot of supplies. The building used as a Soldiers' Home was now entirely inadequate to supply the wants of this important station. By the authority of the Board of Commissioners I had a building, one hundred by twenty-five feet in dimensions, put up near the Nashville depot, and fully equipped for the accommodation of one hundred lodgers. This was placed in charge of the Branch Commission, and under this good management was indeed a home to many thousands 70 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. of those who would otherwise have been without friends, food, or shelter. The subsequent history of the Louisville Soldiers' Home, with the details of the good work accom- plished by it, will be found among the Reports of the Special Relief Department. THE HOSPITAL DIRECTORY. Soon after the opening of the Louisville office a branch of the Hospital Directory was established there, and placed under the supervision of Mr. H. S. Holbrook. He proved himself peculiarly qualified for the duty committed to him, and, mainly through his efforts and influence, this soon grew to be one of the most important and useful departments of our work ; as will be seen by reference to the final Report of the Hospital Directory, in the Records of the Special Relief Department. The want of a uniform system of record and report in the Supply Department was early felt, both in the con- tributing and distributing depots ; and, about the time of the establishment of the Louisville office, such forms were devised and were distributed to all the Branches and depots, where they were generally used to the close of the war. EXPANSIOIT OP OUR WORK. In the autumn of 1862 the armies of the West were very largely increased by new levies, and both veterans and recruits were constantly engaged in service of such activity and severity that their powers of endurance were tried to the utmost. As a natural consequence, the number of sick and wounded soon became double what it had been at any previous period, and the demand for all forms of relief afforded by the Sanitary Commission was particularly urgent. To meet this demand, and provide for the results of the important military movements then inaugurated, a BXPAJTSION OF OUR WOEK. 71 thorough reorganization and great expansion of our work were rendered desirable. The increase of our resources, through the splendid contributions of California, enabled the Board to authorize such enlargement of our. operations as the circumstances seemed to requiie. I was empowered to expend a much larger sum monthly than at any time before, and was expected to take such measures as should be necessary to carry on our work at the West on the same liberal scale as that already adopted in the East. Comparatively few words \vill suffice to record the results of the efforts made for the accomplishment of this object, but it is scarcely necessary to say that any description that may be given of this portion of our history will convey but a faint idea of the amount of labor it involved, and the harrassing cares by which it was attended. The concentration of troops on the Mississippi, and the preparations for the impending campaign before Vicksburg, opened a new and wide iield for our efforts. A new Sanitary District was, therefore, created for the country bordering the Mississippi, and furnished with a full corps of agents. The head-quarters of this District were located at Mem- phis. Dr. H. A. Warriner was appointed Chief Inspector; Drs. Bettelheim, Estabrook and Fithian, Inspectors; Mr. H. Tone, Chief Storekeeper ; C. W. Christy, Chief Relief Agent, vdth such subordinate assistants as were required. The Department of the Cumberland — Rosecrans' army — was placed in charge of Dr. A. N". Read, as Chief Inspector, with numerous assistants ; their head-quarters being at Nashville. The West Virginia District remained in charge of Dr. Parker; Kansas, as before, under J. R. Brown. Within a few weeks the number of our agents in the field was more than doubled. In order to secure the services of men qualified for the more responsible positions, it was 73 SANITARY COMMISSION"— WBSTEKK DEPAKTMENT. necessary to search the wliole loyal Northwest and enlist the co-operation of onr friends in every State. New Agen- cies were planted at various points, and for each we were compelled to provide a corps of agents to perform all the different departments of onr work. Soldiers' Homes were established at Memphis and Nashville, and those at Cairo and Louisville were so greatly enlarged that their capacity was many times multiplied. Each of these Homes required to be manned by agents of special and rare qualifications ; and their equipment with bedding, furniture, table service, ranges, cooking utensils, office furniture, record books, etc., involved both a large expenditure and great labor and care. HOSPITAL VISITOES. The new office of Hospital Visitor was now created to meet the wants of individual cases, and to supply the moral and religious element which was felt to be somewhat want- ing in our work. Several earnest clergymen of different denominations were engaged for this duty, whose mission was "to view the hospital in the light of humanity and religion, and carry relief and consolation to all individual cases of want, neglect, or suffering." The duty of the hospital visitors was essentially the same with that sub- sequently performed bj^ the delegates of the Christian Commission. Prom the 1st of Januar_y, 1863, to the close of the war, we always had in service a corps of clergymen who were doing most faithfully that Avork which it was frequently asserted was l\y us entirely neglected. At one time there were thirteen clergymen, of unexceptionable character, in our service in this Department. HOSPITAL CARS. For the transportation of sick and wounded men by water, the Government, stimulated by the experience of HOSPITAL CARS. 73 Pittsburg Landing, had provided fonr hospital boats, which were sufficient for the performance of all duties devolving upon them, except in times of extreme emergency. On land, however, no special provision had been made for transportiag invalids. In October, 1862, the first hospital cars used at the West were fitted up for the transportation to Louisville of the wounded from the battle of Perryville. As our armies progressed southward the lines of communi- cation with them constantly lengthened, and it became necessary to make more ample provision for what was now an important branch of our work. Other cars were pro- vided for the transportation of the sick on the Louisville and ISTashville Railroad. Though subsequently the greater portion of the expense attending the organization of hospital trains was borne by the Government, their supervision and management were left to us for more than a year and a half, and an aggregate expenditure in their equipment and maiu- tenance was made, from the funds of th(^ Sanitary Commis- sion, to the amount of over seven thousand dollars. CAls^VASSING AGENTS. At the same time that our machinery for the work of supply and relief in the field was thus expanded and im- proved, a systematic eff"ort was made to secure the produc- tion and transmission of an increased and regular income of hospital stores from all parts of the Northwest. With this object in view, canvassing agents were employed, who, in co-operation with our Branches, traversed Western New York, Western Pennsjlvania, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. By their efforts a most active and efficient Branch Commission was organized at Pittsburgh, Aid Societies were planted in hundreds of new localities, and the labors of those before existing were enlightened and stimulated. These agents were everywhere 74 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. cordially received by our Brancli Societies, wlio recognized in them a valuable aid to their own Work. SUPPLY STEAMER. Free transportation of stores had been most liberally afforded ns by railroads and steamboat lines throughout the loyal States, and provision was made by orders from the commanding generals of the Departments, or by arrange- ments with their local representatives, which not only secured to us free transportation within the limits of the military Departments, but, in the time and manner of trans- portation, placed us on an equality with the different branches of the military service. Messengers were also appointed to accompany all important shipments of stores, in order to secure their safety and prevent delay, yet, although all our goods shipped by Government on water transports went free of expense, the irregularity of the trips of the Government steameis rendered it necessary for us to seek some other mode of securing a certain and abundant supply of stores for our depots situated upon the already long line of water communication under the control of our armies, and for the large fleet of armed vessels plying upon the Mississippi and its tributaries. A supply steamer was therefore chartered in the latter part of 1862, and, with some intermissions, was kept running till April, 1863, when the expenses of her charter were assumed by the Govern- ment, and she was permanently placed at our disposal by special order from General Grant. When all the measures enumerated above for the increased efficiency of our efforts were brought into action, and not till then, did I feel that we fully occupied the ground, and with proper care were sure of the thorough performance of our work. As the sequel proved, all this preparation was made none too soon. CHAPTER III. EVIEIsrTS O B^ 1863. A TEAR OF VICTORY. Important military movements followed eacli other during 1863 in such rapid succession that all our force was con- stantly and laboriously employed, and our energies were taxed to the utmost in the attempt to keep pace with the march of armies and events. During most of the year over four hundred thousand men were under arms in the West, and of these there were almost constantly over fifty thou- sand in hospital or on sick leave. In all respects this was the most important year of the war. The victories which it brought to the Union arms — beginning with that of Murfreesboro, January 1st, culminating in the capture of Vicksburg, July 4th, and closing with the battle of Chattanooga, November 23d to 25th, in truth, "broke the back of the rebellion." Subse- quent operations consisted mainly in following up the advantages then gained. The enemy had played his best cards and lost. His resources had been all called out, and since they had proved inadequate, the result was only a question of time. The unanimity and desperation of the Southern people had been met by an equal degree of unity and patriotism at the North, which, backed by a firmer fibre and more patient and determined spirit, and by tenfold greater resources, pursued and overwhelmed the rebels in their- own mountain fastnesses, and beside their own hearth- stones, where they had boasted and believed themselves invincible. 76 SANITAET COMMISSION" — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. Previous to the battle of Murfreesboro we had Agencies at Bowling Gfreeu, Gallatin, and ISTashville ; manned by a sufficient number of agents, and kept as well supplied with stores as the imperfect means of transportation afforded by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad would permit. When the Cumberland river was low, this railroad was the only dependence of our army in Tennessee for supplies. Running through a country really hostile and constantly overrun by guerrillas, it was frequently broken and com- munication with Nashville interrupted. General Rosecrans took command of the Army of the Cumberland on the 10th of November, 1862, and till Christmas it was concentrated at Nashville. Bragg had gone into winter quarters at Murfreesboro, but his army occupied all the country south of Nashville, reaching to the Cumberland above and below the city. Almost nothing, therefore, could be obtained by foraging in Tennessee ; and such were the difficulties in the transportation of supplies that, during the first month of his stay in Nashville, General Rosecrans was only able to accumulate five days' surplus rations for his army. On the 26th of December he had thirty days' provisions in advance, and moved forward, though with an inferior force, to attack Bragg wherever he should find him. On assuming command of the Department, General Rosecrans had declared himself a warm friend of the Sanitary Commission, and he then, as afterward, gave to us every privilege and facilit}^ he could command, for the thorough and pleasant performance of our Avork. Notwithstanding the priceless value of food for the army at this time, and the difficulty in the way of transportation, we were awarded a most liberal share of that transportation for our stores, and so large a supply had been forwarded in December that our depots before mentioned Avere well stocked, and we had then six agents at Nashville who BATTLE OF MUKFEBESBOEO. 77 enjoyed friendly and confidential relations with the Com- manding General. I had supposed it would be necessary for us to provide independent supply trains to accompany the army in its advance; but on applying to General Rosecrans for the necessary protection for our train, he assured us that, no matter what the emergency might be, we should have all the transportation that we required and that he could command, for our stores and agents. This promise was frequently reiterated and faithfully kept. We were thus saved from an immense amount of labor and anxiety, and from an effort which would certainly have been enor- mously expensive and in all probability a failure. THE BATTLE OF MUEFREESBORO. The Army of the Cumberland encountered the enemy on the 31st of December on the banks of Stone River, near Murfreesboro, and thirty miles south-east from Nashville. The fight continued four days — on the first resulting disas- trously to us, but ultimately terminating in the retreat of the Confederates, with a reported loss of fourteen thousand five hundred and sixty. Our own losses in this battle were one thousand five hundred and thirty -three killed, and seven thousand two hundred and forty-five wounded. From the inclemency of the weather, the want of proper hospital accommodations, and limited supplies, the sufferings of the wounded from the battle of Murfreesboro were great. They were, however, ameliorated by all possible efforts on the part of the military and medical authorities, and by the ministrations of the Sanitary Commission. As a part of the rebel tactics, the Louisville and ISTash- ville Railroad was broken by Morgan about the time of the battle of Murfreesboro, and we were thus prevented from forwarding agents and stores with such promptness or in such quantity as was requisite and desirable. Fortunately 78 SANITAKT COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. tlie Cumberland river was in good navigable order, and large shipments were made at once by boat, reaching Nashville promptly and in good condition. Dr. Read and a number of volunteer and employed agents also went by the over- land route in wagons to Munfordsville, taking vsdth them a good supply of the more portable and perishable stores. Both proved exceedingly useful, and contributed much to the success achieved by the Sanitary Commission. An Agency was established at Murfreesboro immediately after the battle. In February it was placed in charge of Mr. M. C. Read, who with characteristic energy made this for the time the most important field-station at the West. The field relief corps was in charge of Dr. A. K. Read, with Dr. A. Castleman, C. Atwater, Rev. J. C. Hoblit, and others, as assistants ; making an aggregate number of fifteen agents. The value of the services rendered to the army upon this occasion, by the Sanitary Commission, may be inferred from the testimonials of Gf-eneral Rosecrans, General Sheridan, Colonel Moody, and others, which follow. testimonial of majoe general rosecrans. Head-Qitaeteks Department of the Cumberland, Mdrfbbesboro, February 2, 1S63. The General Commanding presents his warmest acknowledgments to the friends of the soldiers of this army, whose generous sympathy with the suf- fering of the sick and wounded has induced them to send for their comfort numerous Sanitary supplies, which are continually arriving by the liands of individuals and charitable societies. While he highly appreciates and does not undervalue the charities which have been lavislaed on this army, experi- ence has demonstrated the importance of system and impartiality, as well as judgment and economj^, in the forwarding and distributing of these supplies. In all these respects the United States Sanitary Commission stands uni-i-' valed. Its organization, experience, and large facilities for the work, are such that the General does not hesitate to recommend, in the most urgent manner, all those Avho desire to send Sanitary supplies, to confide them to the care of this Commission. They will thus insure the supplies reaching their destination without wastage or expense of agents or transportation, and their being distributed In a judicious manner, without disorder or inter- ference with the regulations or usages of the service. This Commission acts in full concert with the medical department of the army, and enjoys Its , TESTIMONIALS. 79 confidence. It Is thus enabled with tew agents to do a large amount of good, at the proper time and in the proper way. Hinoe the battle of Stone Eiver it has distributed a surprisingly large amount of clothing, lint, band- ages and bedding, as well as milk, concentrated beef, fruit, and other Sanitary scores essential to the recovery of the sick and wounded. W. si EOSECKASS, Major General Commanding Bepariment. LETTER OF COLONEL MOODY. MURFREESBORO, Tenn., February 5. Dr. a. N. Eead, Inspector United States Sanitary Commission : Sir — I desire to express to you, and through you to the generous and patriotic donors sustaining the Sanitary Commission, my high appreciation of the works of love in which they are engaged. As I have visited the various hospitals in this place, and looked upon the pale faces of the suffer- ers, and marked the failing strength of many a manly form, I have rejoiced in spirit, as I have seen your benevolence embodied in substantial forms of food, delicacies, and clothing, judiciously and systematically distributed by those who are officially connected with the army. We would advise all who wish to extend the hand of their charity so as to reach the suffering officers and soldiers, ^^•ho have stood "between their loved homes and the war's desolation," to commit their oft'erings to the cus- tody of the United States Sanitary Commission, au organization authorized hy the Secretary of "War and the Surgeon General, having the confidence of the entire army, and affording a direct and expeditious medium of commu- nication with the several divisions of the army, free of expense to the donors, and ontirelj' reliable in its character. It is also worthy of special note, that the goods entrusted to the Commission are distributed to those who are actually sick or convalescent, and this is done under the security of the most responsible persons in its employ, and through regularly estab- lished official Agencies in the army. If the patriotic donors of the several States would direct their contributions into this channel, it -would save much expense of Agencies, blend the sympathies of Union men of the several States, and prevent unpatriotic distinctions in the patients in the hospitals, who are from every regiment, from every State. Side by side they fought and were wountled, and side by side they suffer in the hospitals ; and the Commission, through appropriate Agencies, extends its aid alike to the sons of V'ii'ginia and Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, Michigan and Missouri, thus gi^■ing prominence to our cherished national motto—" We are many in one." As an illustration, the other day an agent of a Wisconsin society came to a hospital with sanitary goods for "Wisconsin soldiers, and went along the wards making careful discrimination in behalf of "Wisconsin soldiers, but soon saw that it was an ungracious task, and handed over his goods to the United States Sanitary Commission. Learning this, one of the Wisconsin soldiers said : " I am glad of that, for it made me feel so bad, when my friends gave me those good things the other day, and 80 SANITARY COMMISSIOIS' — WESTEBN DBPAKTMENT. passed by that Illinois boy on the next bed there, who needed them just as much as I did; but I made it square, for I divided what I got with him." Brave, noble fellow ; his was the true spirit of a soldier of the United States. We have a common country, language, religion, interest and destiny; and we should closely weave the web of our unity, so that the genius of liberty may, like Him " who went about doing good," wear a '' seamless garment." We believe in the Constitutional rights of States, but most emphatically believe in our glorious nationality, which, like the sun amidst the stars, has a surpassing glory and is of infinitely greater importance, and should be cherished in every appropriate form of development. Granville Moody, Colonel Commanding Seventy-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteers. LETTER FROM MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND END RSE ME STT OB MAJOR GENERAL SHERIDAN. Head-Quartees Third Division, Twentieth Aemt Corps, Medical Department, May 1, 1863. Sir — Allow me, through you, to return the sincere thanks of the medical oflicers of this Division to the United States Sanitary Commission for their uniform promptness and attention to the wants of the sick and wounded soldiers. It has been my lot to be with this Division, as Medical Director, tlirough two hard-fought battles, (Perry ville and Stone Eiver,) where we had many wounded men, with onlj^ limited means of ministering to their comfort; consequently I have had a good opportunity of judging of the efliciency of your organization, and of the benefits derived from it. Through the prompt- ness of the Commission our wounded were more comfortably situated within iorty-eight hours after the battle than they were eight days after the battle of Shiloh. To your organization we are indebted, also, for many valuable .suggestions which have added much to the comfort of camp life. With the most sincere hope that your organization may receive the continued support it deserves, I am. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, D. V. Grh'I'ith, Surgeon Second Kentucky Volunteers and Medical Director. Dr. Castleman, Inspector United States Sanitary Commission. Endorsed as follows: Head-Quarters Third Division, Twentieth Corps, Near Muefreesboro, Tenn., May 4, 1863. I take great pleasure in endorsing every word of the within letter, and desire to return, through the Medical Inspector, my sincere thanks to the Sanitary Commission for their almost invaluable services to my wounded men at Perryville and Stone River. P. H. Sheridan, Major General. illLITAET MOVEMENTS. 81 After the battle of Murfreesboro, no military event of great importance took place in the Department of the Cum- berland for several months, though a succession of sorties, made into different parts of the enemy' s country — usually severe marches, attended with more or less bloodshed — contributed to keep the army on the qui vive and the hospitals full. From the hospitals established at Murfreesboro, a large part of the wounded were transported, as soon as possible, to I^^ashville, where they could be more comfortably accom- modated and better cared for. A period of comparative rest was, therefore, allowed our agents at Murfreesboro, and this was improved by the establishment of a hospital garden at that place ; the first of a series which the Army of the Cumberland owed to the Sanitary Commission, and which proved great blessings. On the 25th of June Rosecrans again advanced, driving Bragg from his strong position at TuUahoma, and by a series of bloodless victories compelling him to evacuate the passes and strongholds which had been deemed impregna- ble, and to retreat across the Tennessee. By this movement the line of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, as far as Bridgeport, came under our control. Following the army in its advance, the Sanitary Commission established its Agencies successively at TuUahoma, Stevenson and Bridgeport, from which it disseminated an influence that was now not only felt and confessed, but abundantly blessed by the thousands who had experienced its charities. The subsequent operations of the Army of the Cumberland, during 1863, included Rosecrans' celebrated march across the Cumberland mountains, the occupation of Chattanooga, the defeat at Chickamauga, and the glorious victory in the battle of Chattanooga ; events which, from their magnitude and importance, require more exposition than can now be 6 83 SANITAET COMMISSION" — WESTERN DEPAETMENT. given them, and will be referred to again. Some idea of the nature and extent of the work of the Sanitary Commis- sion in the Army of the Cumberland, during the spring and summer campaign of 1863, may be gained from the few quotations given below, taken from our voluminous records of that date. SOUEVT IN THE AEMT AERBSTED BY VEGETABLES ANB PICKLES. [From the Sanitary Reporter, May 15, 1863.] Extract from Official Beport of F. H. Hamilton, Medical Inspector TJ. S. Army. Through the United States Sanitary Commission tlie hospitals are now supplied to a moderate extent with vegetables, especially potatoes and pickled cabbage. I scarcely visited a hospital in which they had not more or less of these articles in small quantities. By direction of Surgeon Perin, and under the especial auspices of the Sanitary Commission, about forty acres of excellent soil lying adjacent to the field hospital are prepared for garden purposes. M. C. Read, Special Agent for the Sanitary Commission, has taken it under his immediate care, and supplied it with a great variety of the best vegetables, garden seeds and cuttings, and a large portion of it is already planted. If the season is favorable, and the garden is not molested, it will prove of inestimable value to the soldiers in this and in other hospitals at Murfreesboro. ,,,,,,,, There were no fresh vegetables furnished to the troops, except what were obtained from the Sanitary Commission for the regimental hospitals. Nearly all the regiments have been without potatoes and onions, as a regu- lar issue, and not a few of these regiments have not had more than one or two issues of these vegetables in eight, ten or t-welve months. It is not surprising, therefore, that scurvy is beginning to manifest itself throughout the army ; a few marked cases of which, perhaps two or three, may be found in most of the regiments. It is to me only a matter of sur- prise that it does not prevail to a much greater extent ; and that the men present, on the whole, so healthy and robust an appearance. I am very much afraid, however, that in a short period those signs of scorbutic taint will increase and extend, and especially if the men are subjected to any extraordinary hardships in marching, on picket duty, or in the trenches ; and that in the event of a battle, the wounds of those w ho now appeal- the most robust would not heal kindly. The season for vegetables and fruit is approaching, but the armj' cannot look to the surrounding country for a supply of these articles, since its numbers are vastly disproportioned to the amount of land which will be cultivated ; and fruit trees do not at this time abound within the lines which SC0EVT AEEESTED. 83 we command. There is, therefore, in my judgment, a pressing demand for large and immediate supplies of potatoes and onions, and this demand will not cease for some months to come. These opinions have been expressed to the Medical Director of the Department, Snrgeon Perin, who informed me that the Commissary was already receiving at the rate of one hundred barrels of potatoes per day, these supplies having commenced to arrive about the 1st of April ; but on the 9th of Apri], the day before I left Mur- freesboro, many of the regiments had not received any potatoes. I am afraid this amount, therefore, will not be much more than suflBcient to supply the demands of the officers, hospitals, etc., connected with the post. On my arrival at Nashville on the 11th, I represented these facts to Dr. A. N. Read, Sanitary Inspector of the Department of the Cumberland, whom I found already advised upon these matters by personal inspection, and who had already written upon the subject to Dr. .J. S. Newberry, Secre- tary, and in charge of the Western Department of the Sanitary Commission, with head-quarters at Louisville. Shipments of vegetables commenced to be made more fi-eely under his order, on the 13th, from Louisville; and on the same date Dr. Newberry writes : "There will be a succession of large shipments of vegetables for Rose- crans' army by railroad and by boat. The General Superintendent of Rail- roads, Mr. Anderson, has been requested by the Commander-in-Chief to forward promptly all the Commission can send ; therefore, let them go to the front as fast as possible." On the 14th of April Drs. Post and Gunn, Special Inspectors for the Sanitary Commission, having returned from Murfreesboro, confirmed the statements Dr. Read had already made, and we sent a joint telegram to Dr. Newberry, requesting that the vegetables be sent forward as copiously as possible. On the same day Dr. Newberry replied by telegram to me : "Large shipments are being made daily. Yesterday I telegraphed Cin- cinnati, Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh for vegetables, and have reply that shipments will be at once made from there." On the 16th Dr. Read was at Murfreesboro, and one hundred and thirty baiTels had just arrived from the Commission. It is my belief that, in respect to vegetables, the wants of the army at Murfreesboro and vicinity will now for a time at least be fully supplied. We do not think, however, that for this reason the Government Commissaries ought to relax their efiforts to obtain potatoes, and in large quantities. As the resources of the Com- mission may soon be exhausted, or their contributions directed into other channels, too much prominence, we think, cannot be given to this matter. We And, in the absence of vegetable diet, a cause for a great part of the mortality of our troops, both after the receipt of wounds and from disease. Indirectly it may account for suppuration, gangrene, pyaemia, erysipelas, diarrhcea, dysentery, fever, rheumatism, etc., and we fully believe that one baiTel of potatoes per annum is to the Government equal to one man. I have omitted to state that in all the regimental hospitals, as well as general hospitals, I found the Sanitary Commission had already furnished them 84 SANITARY COMiriSSION' — WESTERN- DEPARTMENT. with the vegetables they had called for, and which were needed for the sick, so that in the hospitals none were dying from scurvy ; on the contrary, in every instance I found them rapidly recovering. I would respectfully suggest that, for the season of the year when neither fresh potatoes nor onions can he furnished to our armies, they should be supplied with pickled onions and cabbage; also, potatoes cut in slices and packed in molasses, as is the practice with sailors ; the potatoes to be eaten raw. ACTION OF THE OHIO LEGISLATURE. From the moment when a strong wave of popular sym- pathy with the sick and suffering soldier began to rise, sharp and greedy politicians sought to make it subservient to their purposes ; to mount upon its crest, hoping thus to ride into power. From Governors Dennison, of Ohio, Yates, of Illinois, Blair, of Michigan, Harvey and Solomon, of Wisconsin, and Stone, of Iowa — liberal and unselfish men — the Sanitary Commission experienced no opposition, and they on many occasions proved themselves its warm friends. With the subsequent Governors of Ohio, and the Governor of Indiana, we had a different experience. In their efforts to become the almoners of the bounty of their States, and for selfish purposes to direct that bounty to the exclusive benefit of the volunteers of these States, they necessarily came in conflict with an organization so national and catholic in its spirit as ours, and from this cause a hostility was engendered toward the Sanitary Commission, which con-, tinned to the close of the war. To meet the first exhibition of State pride in Ohio, early in the ^^'inter of 1862-3, Dr. Read and myself went to Columbus, and, upon invitation from the Legislature, spent an evening in giving to both Houses, in the Senate Chamber, an exposition of the plan and workings of the Sanitary Commission. In the February following, the question came up in the Ohio Legislature as to what should be done in the way of supplementary aid to the Ohio volunteers then in the field. The committee to which the subject was referred, through its chairman, the ACTION OF THE OHIO LEGISLATURE. 85 Hon. W. P. Sprague, addressed an official letter to me, asking for definite information as to what the Sanitary Commission was doing toward this end. In reply, the letter which forms Sanitary Commission Document ISTo. 64 was written. This contained a brief description of our organiza- tion as it then existed, and some proofs of the success which had attended our efforts. The result of this inquiry may be learned from the following resolutions : EESOLUTIOITS PASSED BY THE OHIO LEGISLATUEE, April 13, 1883. The Committee on Military Affairs, having been requested to examine into and. report upon the manner in which the contributions of the people for the comfort of the sicli and wounded soldiers have been sent to the army, made a thorough investigation of the matter, with a view to see if any legislation was necessary to insure greater promptness and safety in the transmission of these goods. The committee report that, though at first there was delay, and some loss and misapplication of articles sent, there is now no cause for attempting any change, the business being so well done by the Sanitary Commission. The following preambles and resolutions, drawn by Mi\ Sprague, were unanimously adopted: Whereas, The assiduous and uni-emitting efforts of the ladies of this State, in the preparation of clothing, hospital stores and other comforts for the army, have resulted most happily in relieving a vast amount of suffering, and contributed largely to ameliorate the hardships to which our brave soldiers are exposed while in arras, battling for the preservation of the Government; and Whereas, The Sanitary Commission, an organization instituted and designed as an agency for transmitting to the army in a more efficient, economical and direct manner such articles as may be contributed by the benevolent for the comfort of our soldiers, has jjroven to be a valuable auxiliary to llie Government in the accomplishment of this purpose; and Whereas, These kind offices on the part of our people, either in their individual or associate capacity, have been so important to the service as to be altogether indispensable, and are performed voluntarily, generously and without recompense other than that which flows from the consciousness of doing a kind action, and merit at the hands of this body a public recognition ; therefore : Resolved by the General Assembly of the Siaie of Ohio, That the thanks of this body are due and are hereby tendered to- the ladies of our State, as individuals or in their associate capacity as Soldiers' Aid Societies or other- wise, for their laudable and most praiseworthy efforts in relief of the wants and necessities of our patriotic soldiers ; that the energy and self-sacrificing Ob SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. devotion manifested by this class of our citizens are worthy of and do receive our highest admiration ; that the importance of this work is such that we would sincerely deplore any decline in the zeal and determination which have hitherto so eminently distinguished this movement, until the want that exists shall be fully met and satisfied ; and in the name of thousands of noble and patriotic men who are exposed to hardships, tolls and perils, in maiu- taining our cherished institutions, we solicit continued exertions In their behalf. Resolved, That iu the Sanitary Commission we recognize an institution eminently qualified to accomplish the object had in view In its organization, to wit : to be an auxiliary to the Government, supplementing its eftbrts in providing for the comfort of the army, by procuring and transmitting delicacies and medical stores for the sick, clothing and provisions for the need}', and whatever else is calculated to soothe, to comfort and to bless ; which undertakes as a kind friend and companion to follow the soldier in his marches, administering to him, in sickness or health, the bounty of his friends or of a benevolent public ; cheering, consoling and sustaining him when the shook of battle has left him wounded and fainting upon the field ; as an angel of mercy appearing to remove him to a place of shelter, where his wounds may be dressed and remedies applied for his recovery ; or, if death at once should close his sufl'eriiig and existence, to insure him a decent and respectful burial ; if disabled in battle or broken in health, requiring his discharge from the service, far from friends and destitute of means, which volunteers to furnish him advice and assistance, and to provide him, in the Soldiers' Home, a resting place until he can be safely conveyed to his family and friends. "We can but admire the humane and generous spirit which prompted and sustained this movement, and deem it proper to extend to all who co-operate in this noble undertaking the well-earned tribute of the thanks of this General Assembly for the zeal, energy and good results which have attended its prosecution in the past, and most cordially com- mend It to the kind consideration and contidence of the public, in the hope that its good fruits in the future may be even more abundant. Resolved, That the Governor be requested to transmit copies of these preambles and resolutions to the several Soldiers' Aid Societies and Branches of the Sanitary Commission in this State. From various causes, among which, doubtless, the most potent was the intluence and efficiency of the Branches of the Commission located within her borders, the "State Eights" policy had little success in Ohio. At least nine- tenths of her contributions passed through the hands of the Sanitary Commission, and were distributed among the soldiers of our army without other discrimination than this : that the most needy were considered the most worthy. THE VICKSBUEG CAMPAIGN. 87 In Indiana the infltience of the State government was more potent, and most of the contributions of that State were issued by agents of the Governor to Indiana troops. Aside from the theoretical injustice of such partiality, this method of distribution was productive of many practical evUs. Our records show that the troops from Indiana received from the Sanitary Commission as freely as did those from any other State, and requisitions from Indiana surgeons were alwaj's as promptly honored as any others; while the contributions from their own State, held selfishly for the use of Indiana troops, frequently duplicated our issues, and went to men who needed them far less than those from neighboring States, who were fighting under the same flag, for a common cause, and had shared a common fate. THE VICKSBUEG CAMPAIGN. As has been before stated, an Agency of the Sanitary Commission was established at Memphis, Tenn., in October, 1862 ; Dr. R. C. Hopkins in charge. Dr. Warriner was then at Columbus, Ky . , which was the base of supplies for most of our army in West Tennessee. In the latter part of December the [Mobile and Ohio Railroad was destroyed by the rebels, and a change of base became necessary for us, as for the army. The Mississippi District was then organized, Dr. Warriner was placed at the head of it, and about the 1st of January he transferred his head-quarters, his assistants and stock of goods, to Memphis. A large number of troops had, previous to this time, been gathered into this District, under the command of General Sherman. On the 29th of December, the first step in the series of operations which resulted in the capitulation of Vicksburg, was taken in the unsuccessful attack at Chickasaw Bayou. On the 18th of January our forces occupied Youngs' Point OS SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. and Milliken's Bend; following them, the Sanitary Commis- sion soon established itself there on a floating depot formed by a barge assigned by General Grant to Dr. G. L. Andrew, who temporarily took Dr. Warriner' s place when the latter was called to Louisville by the illness and death of his wife. Mrs. Warriner died of small pox, which she took at Memphis, where she had been for some time staying with her husband. She was young, attractive in person and character, and just on the ere of becoming a mother. The blow was a terrible one to Dr. Warriner, and was another sacrifice made by him to the Sanitary Commission ; as, but for her going to Memphis, where the disease was so preva- lent, she would, in all probability, have been now living. I have before referred to the death of Dr. Hopkins, and I should also include in this mortuary record the name of Mr. J. G. Young, of Iowa, one of our agents and an excel- lent man, who during the Vicksburg campaign succumbed to the effects of the poisonous atmosphere from which all our agents on the Mississippi suffered serious illness. The position occupied by our arm}' at Milliken's Bend made the need of supplementary aid as great as at any time during the war. It proved, however, that the interests of the Sanitary Commission were in good hands, and Dr. War- riner displayed, in the performance of the great amount of duty devolving upon the Chief Inspector of the District, wisdom and energy worthy of all praise. This commenda- tion should also be shared, as were the labors and trials of the position, by his corps of able assistants, whose names have been mentioned. Fortunately, supplies could be floated without difficult)' or danger to this point, and fortunately again, by the reorganization of the Chicago Branch Commission its efficiency was gn-atly increased, and large additions were made through its contributions to the resources of Dr. ^^"arrine]■. A supply steamer, furnished millikbn's bend. 89 the Commission by General Q-rant, was kept constantly running. Taking at Cincinnati and Lonisville the contri- butions of Buflfalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Colum- bus and Cincinnati, and receiving at Cairo hundreds of tons supplied by the Chicago Branch, she vs^ent to the army before Vicksburg freighted to the guards. The following quotations from the reports of our agents will illustrate the work done at Youngs' Point and Milliken' s Bend at this period in our history : DE. WAKKINBR'S report. [Prom tlie Sanitary Reporter.] Milliken's Bend, La., May 4, 1863. I have watched with much interest the movement of these troops. It is characterized by most active energy. Most of the tents are left behind, as are also the men who are not strong enough to endure an exhausting and desperate campaign. Supplies in anything approaching sufficient quantity cannot be conveyed to the front by any existing method. Foraging is too precarious, of course, to be relied upon long, and desperate jSghting is inevitable. Yesterday the news of a vigorous battle at Grand Gulf, Miss., on Saburday, came to hand. I see no escape from a series of such, augmenting in fierceness and intensity, until the question is decided as to who shall hold the river through the ensuing summer. This, with the increase of disease that will keep pace with the advancing season, may, and possibly will, develop a great amount of sickness, and the thought that is pressing most upon me is how to meet this suffering with some approximation to an equivalent relief. I beg, therefore, that you consider this letter as chiefly a requisition for stores. * * * * Potatoes may be made useful for a month yet, perhaps, but it would be pre-eminently serviceable to the army and the cause we represent, if all supplies, for a while, could be confined to a few articles, and these to be furnished in abundance. For instance, condensed milk, concentrated beef, soda crackers, green tea, codfish, crushed sugar, dried fruit, canned fruit, lemons (if practicable), farina, barley, and ale. I mention these in the order, as near as I can do it, of their importance, availability, and scarcity in our store-rooms. ******* 90 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Better than fail to haye for the coming emergency — or shall I say the emergency already at hand — an ample supply of the first four articles named, it would be well to invest all spare funds in them to the exclusion of everything else. One after another the agents of the Sanitary Commission give out in their physical vigor. I manage to keep up a moderate condition of health — don't feel quite the normal amount, however ; my assistants here, ditto. * * I have turned over to the Purveyor seven hundred and sixty- eight cans condensed milk for shipment to the front. * * * * There is a universal scarcity of milk and butter here. ' The latter would not remain sweet long. Eggs would be immensely serviceable could they be enveloped in some substance, gum arable, for instance, which would exclude the air. Would it not be possible to have a few barrels put up in this way — or rather a, good many barrels. * * Youngs' Point, La., May 18, 1863. Several hotly contested battles have already occurred. The one that resulted in the capture of Jackscn, Miss., by our forces, was especially severe. Not less than eight hundred were killed. Apply- ing the ordinary rule as to the relative number wounded, there cannot be much less than two thousand of these, besides a large number from the ranks of the enemy. Previous to this battle I had received reports from surgeons at Grand Gulf that five hundred wounded had accumulated there. Yesterday firing was heard here all day, artillery and musketry. It was not incessant, but at times was rapid and heavy. The direction seemed to be southeast from Vicksburg ; distance not exactly calculable. I have just inquired at head-quarters the meaning and upshot of it. No report has yet reached them in regard to it. I learned meantime that the purpose is to bring the wounded here and ship them north as rapidly as possible. An installment of several hundred is expected in to-mor- row. They will be brought on boats to the lower end of the new road — the road running from this point to the river, twelve miles or so below Vicksburg — thence by wagonS and ambulances here. The boats taking them hence will have occasion to make heavy drafts upon us for stores; and I shall make an efi'ort to send to the front by return teams more or less stores for those who will not be favored with immediate transportation. HAINES' BLUFF. 91 The convalescents at Milliken's Bend at my last writing have all, excepting those at Van Buren hospital, been removed to this point. They number nearly five thousand. About ten per cent, are under medical treatment. A heavy percentage of the rest will soon go forward to their regiments, and the remainder be occupied with light duties. All are doing well, and are fully supplied with most of the needful comforts of camp and hospital. Stores for special regiments and individuals continue to arrive, in spite of the express orders of General Grant forbidding it. They all come to me for storage. I do my utmost to avoid being offensive in my refusals, and usually succeed in making some compromise that is satisfactory. Haines' Bluff, May 27, 1863. * * * I have at last reached a point of communication with the main army. Haines' Bluff was abandoned by the enemy when it became certain that Vicksburg would be speedily invested by our enterprising army. Eoads have been opened up, and properly guarded from here to the lines, and supplies of all kinds are pouring along the route with the utmost activity. I had the Sanitary wharf- boat moved to this place from Youngs' Point five days ago. Our ample supplies were already reduced by the convalescents and hospitals, but we have enough left to keep all hands busy. I have been out to the front since arriving here, making a hurried inspection of the general condition of the army and of the wounded. * * * * The condition of the field hospitals is vastly better than I antici- pated. And now that all manner of supplies, or at least such supplies as the army gets at any point, are fairly accessible, there should be no special hardships, so long as they remain in their present condition. This location is remarkably fine and apparently healthy. The whole army occupies the summits and slopes of the steep, high ridges that surround the city in an irregularly crescentic The morale of the army is pronounced, by those who have the best opportunity of knowing, excellent. The same is true as to its sanitary condition. All that I saw or heard during my rapid visit confirmed the general view in both respects. It is indeed not a little remarkable that the health and vigor of the troops should have been kept up to so high a pitch through such adverse circumstances. Scarcely a man in the whole army has a change of clothing with 92 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTBEN DEPAETMENT. him of any description ; and the rations furnished by the Govern- ment during the last five weeks have been confined to hard bread, salt pork, and coffee, and not full rations at that. But this supply of food has been supplemented to no inconsiderable extent with fresh meat, chickens, corn meal, molasses, and small quantities of various luxuries captured on the way. The distribution, mean- while, of this class of stores, has been exceedingly unequal, and instances of great hardship are numerous. The extreme rear of the army continues still to forage with some success. The main force is wholly dependent upon supplies furnished here. All the hospitals lack stimulants very much. Potatoes are still a great rarity in the We have issued about seven hundred barrels of vegetables since my arrival here, and are now completely out of them. All other articles of diet have run low, and we shall soon be destitute, pro- vided, of course, the " Dunleith " does not reach us loaded down. [Three boat loads received afterwards. — Ed.] I trust she will bring us speedily the articles mentioned in a former report, and in great profusion. They are such as the Government furnishes but scantily, and with accustomed tardiness. * * * * * * * AEFAIES AT HELENA. [From the Sanitary Eeporter.] Helena, Aek., June 1, 1863. De. J. S. ISTewbbeet, Secretary Western Department IT. S. Sanitary Commission : SiE — * * * Although constantly threatening this post, the rebels have not yet succeeded in taking possession of it. During the month of May our scouts have three times encountered the enemy. In two instances we suffered serious losses : at one time in killed four, wounded ten, captured thirty ; on the other occasion there were seven killed, twelve wounded and twenty captured. At the present date there are of sick and wounded in the gen- eral and regimental hospitals six hundred and fifty-five patients ; the number of deaths during the month was ninety-eight. The number of patients in the small-pox hospital has been reduced within the last three weeks from thirty to twelve. About the 1st of May the post hospital was converted into a general hospital. I make it a point to visit both the general and regimental hospitals once a AFFAIRS AT HELENA. 93 week, and make informal inspections with reference to their sanitary condition and wants. I also make frequent inspection of the town and its immediate surroundings, reporting to the proper authorities all nuisances which require removal — and their name is legion — adding such suggestions as may be deemed necessary "to promote the health, comfort and efficiency of our army," and I am happy to say that a practical response is generally giyen. In this and other respects the Commission is, I trust, the means of great good to the soldiers here located. A much larger stock of Sanitary stores than has fallen to the share of this post could be very advantageously used. * * * Respectfully, your obedient servant, Wii. Fithiast. On the SOtli of April General Grant crossed the Missis- sippi below Vicksburg, and made Ms famous advance into the interior, fighting the battles of Port Gibson and Cham- pion Hills, severing the communications between Vicksburg and its source of supplies, and closely investing tliat city. On the 19th and 22d of May the Union forces assaulted the fortifications, but were repulsed with heavy loss. The siege then began which terminated in the capitulation on July 4th. The duties required of Grant' s forces during the month of May were of the severest description, and the battles in which they were engaged, though resulting in victory for the Union cause, were attended witli heavy loss. The number of wounded and disabled men resulting from this campaign was so large, and their wants were such, as to call for prompt measures of relief on the part of the Sani- tary Commission and all others who could afford supple- mentary aid to the army. Meetings were held in several of the Western cities, when large contributions, both of money and materials, were called out by the emergency. At such a meeting in Louisville, over six thousand dollars in cash were raised at once and placed in my hands for expenditure. The "Jacob Strader," one of the finest boats 94 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERK DBPAETMENT. on the Ohio, was chartered and loaded with ice, vegetables, fruits, garments, and such other things as were suited to the wants of the sick and wounded, and sent down in charge of Dr. G. L. Andrew, one of our ablest and most experienced Inspectors, assisted by fifteen surgeons and attendants. The other Branches of the Commission acted with equal prompt- ness. The Cincinnati Branch fitted out a fine steamer, the "Alice Dean," with seven hundred packages of stores and a full corps of surgeons and nurses. Cleveland sent five hundred packages ; Pittsburgh five hundred ; and the Chi- cago Branch had a stUl larger contribution ready for the ' ' Strader ' ' on her arrival at Cairo. Buffalo, Detroit, Colum- bus and ISTew Albany each contributed its quota to swell the tide of benevolence which flowed toward Vicksburg. But little was done by this voluntary eff'ort for the removal of the sick and wounded, as the floating hospitals provided by the Government were now sufficient to perform most of this kind of duty reqiiired, but the supplies then carried down were of inestimable value. The casualties of the campaign were less numerous than had been anticipated, but the climate, the season and the local influences which affected the health of our troops were such as to call into requisition every effort we could make in their behalf, and aU the great supply of stores we were able to furnish. On the 1st of June we found that we had transported to the Army of the Tennessee, during the five months preceding, eleven thousand nine hundred and twenty-six packages of stores ; to the Army of the Cumberland in the same time we had sent eight thousand three hundred pack- ages. None but those who received these contributions or those who witnessed their distribution can appreciate their value or estimate the evils they averted. By the capture of Vicksburg the Mississippi was opened, and we were able to send agents and stores below, until they DOWNS' THE MISSISSIPPI. 95 met those forwarded from New Orleans. In our division of this field all points below Natchez were left to be supplied by Dr. Blake, Chief Inspector of the Department of the Gulf, while we planted Agencies at Natchez, Duval' s Bluff, and later at Little Rock, from which stores continued to be issued to the close of the war. When Vicksburg was taken. Dr. Warriner entered with the army, and secured fine rooms, where a depot was established, from which a large amount of supplies con- tinued to be distributed, as long as any portion of the army remained in the vicinity. Aside from our own sick and wounded, who accumulated in large numbers at Vicksburg, all the disabled of the rebel garrison were left on our hands, and their necessities were ministered to as far as our obligations to our own men would permit. There were also gathered at Vicksburg many thousand negroes, who were in circumstances of great destitution, and among whom were so many sick that a large hospital was opened for their care. This also was liberally supplied from the stores of the Sani- tary Commission. Full details of the work at Vicksburg are given in the following quotations from our Reports : Department of the Tennessee, Up the Yazoo, near Vicksburg, June 23, 1863. De. J. S. ISTewbekby, Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission, Louisville: The number of sick in the field in the rear of Vicksburg, including the wounded not yet removed, is a trifle less than three thousand. Not over one-third of these are serious cases. The three corps hospitals are now in operation and fairly fur- nished with the equipments, conveniences and supplies appropriate to general hospitals. There are besides eleven division hospitals, all in good condition relatively; in fact, their condition in all respects is unusually good for the field. Eegimental hospitals are kept up, but the severer cases are chiefly sent to one of the other two classes. The three hospital transports continue active in the removal of patients northward. ***** 96 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTBKN" DEPARTMENT. The steamer "City of Alton" left with me eight half-barrels ale, two casks codfish (one thousand pounds in all), one barrel but- ter, and twenty-eight sacks dried apples (one hundred and thirty pounds to the sack), all in excellent condition and Tery welcome. Since then five hundred barrels of potatoes have arrired from Memphis, brought to that point from Cairo by the " Dunleith." The potatoes arrived four days since. They are all issued to-day. I have given them freely to troops in camp as well as hospital, as I have done by previous lots since being here. It is impossible to preserve large quantities of them for hospital consumption exclusively. Besides, their value to the well is incomputable. No happier hit has been made by the generous North than the sending of a surplus of vegetables to this army. They have done a vast amount of good, and elicited the liveliest expressions of gratitude toward the numer- ous donors and the organization through whose instrumentality they were procured. The service rendered by the Sanitary Com- mission and Western Sanitary Commission since the arrival of the army in its present position, in assistinjc to supply hospitals with needed comforts, has been signally important and more than ordina- rily appreciated. It would be.no ordinary pleasure to me to be able to convey to the givers of these good gifts even a glimpse of the radiantly grateful looks I encounter in the hospitals from day to day, from those whom their gifts have blessed. A thousand times over I hear the expression, "I wonder if they know how much good they are doing." I wonder too. Unquestionably, the wide-spread labors of the Commission, through its numerous Branches and coadjutors, were never so pervasively and thoroughly appreciated as now ; and this, it is not to be overlooked, is partly, perhaps largely, due to' the proximate success of the efforts to combine and systema- tize these labors. I may be regarded as an interested witness in this particular, but I certainly have the best possible opportunity to see and judge of the relative value of the two methods of distribu- ting stores ; which may be designated the systematic and spasmodic. And I find it difiScult to express my appreoiation of the one, and my abhorrence of the other. Not an agent of the spasmodic class has been sent hither but has expressed to me spontaneously, after tarrying a few days, and with some enthusiasm, his convictions of the superiority of system. I spend no more time arguing the question. I point to work and results. They are patent and beginning to be UP THE YAZOO. 97 known of all men. I must mention in this connection the highest official compliment I have hitherto received at the hands of the military authorities. It consists of one hundred tons of Govern- ment ice turned over to me for distribution. I asked General Grant, a few days since, for a barge and towage for the same, pledging him that the Sanitary Commission would load the barge with ice. He promptly acceded to my request. On returning to the landing I found the above cargo just arrived. Thinking perhaps that it would be unnecessary expense on the part of the Commission to purchase more ice immediately, I did nothing further about it. Day before yesterday an order came putting the cargo into my hands. This, together with nearly or quite as large a quantity in the hands of the Purveyor, makes the present supply abundant. Our issues have been very large for the last month in all articles and items. The effect for good has been commensurate with the activity of our issues. Complaints of the misuse of stores grow less frequent and more mythical. I make it a point to follow up every instance of it reported to me, and generally find accusation and accuser vanishing out of reach before the investigation is concluded. And where I find it otherwise, competent authority is prompt in arresting the evil. I am disposed to think that the amount of waste occurring in this manner is too unimportant to deserve farther consideration. I have been occupied for the last week with such inspections as circumstances would permit of the troops engaged in the trenches. They are all clustered in the ravines and on the slopes of the hills descending /ro/a the city. A portion of the line now rests on the very slopes crested by the rebel works. The air in the ravines is most of the time still, hot and stifling. They live half buried in the ground for protection against the missiles of the enemy. The springs on the slopes and toward the summits of the hills begin to flag, and the principal dependence is now upon the water in the bottoms of the ravines. This naturally grows more and more impure frpm the drainage of extensive camping grounds, besides growing gradually less in quantity. In short, the surroundings of a large force thus situated and occupied are decidedly unsanitary. No one expects this state of things to continue many days longer, however, and as the regiments are successively relieved from time to time, no considerable mischief has yet resulted from it. On the 7 98 SANITAEY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. other hand, sickness is increasing slowly, especially intermittent fever and its allied ailments. This increase does not confine itself to troops in the trenches. It is doubtless in part but the consum- mation of effects that have been daily preparing from the com- mencement of the campaign. The excitement which has held the entire army up to such a key of resistance for these many weeks as to enable it to cope with both visible and invisible foes, is slightly on the decline. The men are sure of their prey. ISTobody doubts for a moment the result. No one expresses discontent or discourage- ment. Add to this the fact that an abnormal tension of brain and nerve must of necessity exhaust itself at length, and one almost wonders that the keen edge held so long. Men obey orders now with a patient rather than an exultant courage. An order to storm would change this suddenly enough, but meanwhile malaria and rather unwholesome lodgings and unwholesome water (in many cases) are beginning to show their legitimate effects. I could not but notice that the men in the rifle pits and at work on the entrenchments wore a slightly jaded look, and were stimulated by their momentous and perilous labors barely enough to exercise the necessary caution for their own protection. All the points now worked by our forces are swept by the bullets of the enemy's sharp- shooters. Every step of our advance is along trenches and covered ways. Entire protection is of course impossible. I should judge (although it is partly guessing) that fifty men or so are wounded daily. I went into the fort nearest the enemy's works. It is a trifle less than fifty yards distant. A hurricane of bullets swept over our heads incessantly, but no one at that time had been wounded there. The rebels are throwing shell much of the time from two mortars located so far behind their outer works as to baffle all attempts to dismantle or silence them. These shells do relatively little harm, as they appear to be thrown utterly at random. They fly for the most part completely over our line, into the neighborhood of hospitals and head-quarters. I have heard of but few casualties produced by them, and have witnessed but one. Hospitals that were annoyed by them have been removed to points of safety. Yours truly, H. A. Waeeinee, Sanitary Inxpedor. THE STEAMER DUNLEITH. 99 The kind of duty performed by the Supply Steamer may be inferred from the following report of the supercargo : Sanitary Steamer '-Duni.eith," Cairo. June 12, 1863. De. J. S. Newbeekt : Secretary Western Department TJ. S. Sanitary Commission : Dear Sir — The "Dunleith" left Cairo on Monday, June 1st, at two o'clock in the morning, on her fifth trip in the service of the Sanitary Commission. Arriyed in Memphis early Tuesday morn- ing, stopping only twice between Cairo and Memphis — to report at Columbus, Ky., and to deliver Sanitary stores at Island No. 10. Arrived at Youngs' Point at four o'clock in the afternoon, Friday, the 5th, where I met the " Strader," and communicated with Dr. Andrew. Stopping only a few moments at Youngs' Point, we left for Chickasaw Bayou, where we arrived at dusk. Next morning, taking Dr. Warriner on board, we started on a purveying cruise,* with the intention of visiting all the general hospitals in the vicinity. Our first visit was to the floating hospital "Nashville," which is now lying in the "chute" of Paw Paw Island, about midway between Youngs' Point and Milliken's Bend. This hos- pital, at the time of our visit, had only four hundred and twenty- four patients, but they were expecting to fill up that day to their fullest capacity, which, as you know, is seven hundred and fifty beds. Our arrival there was very timely, as the steward was just starting for Chickasaw Bayou for supplies. We left them seventy- five bushels of potatoes, and a fine lot of lemons, condensed milk, butter, eggs, etc. After finishing our errand at the "Nashville," we started for * Hof pital stores issued by the United States Sanitary Commission at Vicksburg during the months of May, June, July and August, 1863 : Comforts, 2,729; pillow8,'4,357; pillow cases, 6,511; sheets, 9,029; bed sacks, 1,121; shirts, 12,168; drawers, 9,732 pairs ; towels and handkerchiefs, 13,830 ; dressing gowns', 746; socks, 4,218 pairs ; slippers, 1,504 pairs ; groceries, 2,360 pounds ; wine and spirits, 2,833 bottles ; butter, 5,837 pounds ; apple butter, 30 gallons ; eggs, 2,476 dozen ; pickles and krout, 7,941 gallons; potatoes, 7,496 bushels ; onions, 150 bushels ; moIas"eB, 85 gallons ; ale and cider, 3,139 gallons ; ice, 47,367 pounds ; crackers, 26,517 pounds ; codfish, 13,593 pounds ; commeal, 17,041 pounds ; tea, 1,577 pounds ; relishes, 662 bottles ; lemons, 25,500LhgJpit*l/umiture, 2,232 articles ; fans, 4,705 ; crutches, 65 pairs ; cots and mattresses, 199 ; spices, 2,690 papers ; farina and arrowroot, 225 pounds ; sago and pearl barley, 2,022 pounds ; corn sja pounds ; rags and bandages, 12,830 pounds ; canned fruit, 7,380 cans ; driA frli' pounds; concentrated beef, 4,521 pounds; concentrated milk, ]0,282'pounda(— *AefrlTe^f, 1,496 pounds ; and many thousands of minor articles of hospital supplies. 100 SANITARY COMMISSIOiq" — WESTERN DEPARTMJBNT. Milliken's Bend, to supply the Van Buren and other hospitals at that point. AVe had scarcely got a quarter of a mile from the "ISTashTille ' when we were turned back by a courier from Milli- ken's Bend, who informed us of an attack on that point by a considerable force of rebels, with four pieces of artillery. As there was no gunboat there, I concluded not to set up the " Dunleith" as a target for them, and so dropped back to Youngs' Point, and finally returned in the evening to Chickasaw Bayou. There we discharged everything except the supplies for the Van Buren hos- pital, and returned once more to Youngs' Point for coal. Com- menced coaling at daybreak, (Sunday, 7th,) and at ten o'clock in the forenoon were ready to start up the river. Meanwhile, the news from Milliken's Bend was so mixed that we held ofi" until noon. Then the news came that a rebel force was approaching Youngs' Point, and all boats were ordered to leave the landing. So we concluded that, rather than be penned up in the Yazoo for a day or two more, we would run the blockade, and accordingly started up the river. Van Buren hospital is located at the foot of the Bend, about two miles below the scene of the battle. Arriving at the hospital, we landed and found that the gunboats which went up in the morning had driven the rebels back to the woods, and that there was nothing to hinder our passing safely. Van Buren hospital has now seventeen hundred patients, mostly conva- lescents and slightly wounded. We left them a very fine supply of stores, including two hundred and eighty-five bushels of potatoes, two hundred and fifty pounds of condensed milk, three boxes of lemons, four hundred pounds of codfish, two hundred pounds of butter, one hundred and fifty dozen eggs, etc. Eespeotfully yours, H. W. Fogle. SELECTIOSrS FROM TESTIMONIALS Spontaneously awarded to the Sanitary CommisBion, for services rendered in tlie Vicksbarg Campaign. Hospital Fourteenth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps, JTear Aicksburg. June 20, 1S63. Bk. H. a. Warriner, 'Agent U. S. Sanitary Commusion : Sir — In behalJt' of more thau four huiich'ed wounded men treated in this hospit.il since the siege of Vicksburj;', and as many sick men prostrated by exposui-e and fatigue, I hereby expiess their thanlcs and gratitude for the indispensable goods with \\'hich you ha^■e supplied them. When I have told them I have got from you ice, dried and canned fruits, lemons, spirits, MORE TESTIMONIALS. 101 shirts, drawers, slippers, sheets, hed ticks, etc., to make them comfortable, some of them have said, "God bless the Commission!" others would say, "good;" and others would use the very expressive phrase, "bully!" I have been in the service nearly two years, and am glad to say our sick were never so well cared for as now ; and it is due to you to say that we are indebted almost exclusively to the United States Sanitary Commis- sion for the means of making them comfortable. I take the liberty of making these observations, because I have been employed by this hospital to procure of you these supplies. May God put it into the hearts of the friends of the soldiers to keep you well supplied. Tours respectfully, H. J. Eddy, Ghaplain Thirty-Third Ilhnois Infantry. McPherson Hospital, Seventeenth Aemy Corps, Department Tennessee, June 18, 1863. Dr. Warriner, Agent U. S. Sanitary Commission: Dear Sir — I have just received six loads of Sanitary supplies for the sick and wounded of this hospital. They were much needed and gratefully received. They supplied a want that could not otherwise have been met. In behalf ot the sick and wounded soldiers, allow me to present to the Commission their heartfelt thanks and high appreciation of their well directed efforts in this noble enterprise. Yours is a noble and patriotic calling. Many a family circle will be made to rejoice, and many a poor soldier will be indebted to the care and great labor bestowed on the army by the Commission, for his life. Many a prayer will be offered in years to come, for blessings to descend upon those now engaged in this good work. May God bless and prosper you in your philanthropic enterprise, and prosper the right, is the wish of those whom you have bountifully supplied. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Geo. E. Weeks, Surgeon U. S. V., In charge. Field Hospital, Third Division, Seventeenth Army Corps, Rear of Vicksburg, June 16, 1863. Dr. Warriner, U. S. Sanitary Commission Boat, Chickasaw Bayou, Miss.: Doctor— Many, many thanks we all send you, and through you to the noble ladies of Ohio— God bless them!— for the liberal supply of sheets, shirts, drawers, pillow slips, comforts, fruits, and everything else you have so freely sent us. Without these 1 know not what we should have done. Crossing the Mississippi, as this whole army did, with transportation cut down, as ours of necessity was, to just enough to carry rations and ammunition, the prospect was anything but a cheering one to the medical officer, looking forward to the time when many of his charge must neces- sarily become sick from long and wearisome marches, and many more get wounded in battle. 102 SANITART COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. The battles of Thompson's Hill, Raymond, Jackson and Champion's Hill more than exhausted the limited supplies of regimental sui-geons, so that, had it not been for the Sanitary Commission, who met our victorious army as we arrived at Haines' Bluff', the suflferings of our wounded at the siege of Vicksburg would have been far greater than they have been. The wounded have been cheered and made contented, and many have been saved, beyond all question. 1 sincerely hope you have plenty of everything on hand still; for, if I do not mistake the signs of the times, it will not be long before you will again have heavy draughts made upon you. Should you have occasion to visit the front, do not fail to call upon us and see for yourself how much good you have done. We think our hospital will compare favorably with any field hospital in the army. I am, doctor, your sincere friend and well-wisher, Edward L. Hill, Surgeon 20th O. V. I., In charge Third Division Field Hospital. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SANITARY REPORTER. During 1862 I had attempted to keep our co-laborers in the home held informed as to the condition and wants of the troops in camp and hospital, and of the work done by the Sanitary Commission in their behalf, by having copies of all important reports received from our agents sent to our Branch Commissions. In the early part of 1863, how- ever, our work had so expanded, and the number of our agents was so much increased, that it became impracticable to make copies by hand of all reports received from them. I therefore asked and received from the Standing Committee permission to reproduce them in type. The lirst number of the "Sanitary Reporter" appeared May 16, 1863. This was in no sense the organ of the Sanitary Commission, but a Sanitary newspapei', and as such it accomplished an amount of good which it would be difficult to ov(n'eHtimate. To this more than to any other cause I must attribute the interest — I may even call it enthusiasm — with which our co-laborc^rs in the home ti(4d continued to sustain us, and the harmony and cordiality which prevaiL^d among all our Associates from this date to the close of the war. Dr. G. L. Andrew assumed the editorship of tlie "Reporter" at its THE SANITARY EEPORTEE. 103 commencement ; a position subsequently held in succession by Dr. AYarriner and Dr. Soule. The first issue was of five thousand copies, and it was subsequently increased to seven thousand five hundred, to supx)ly the demand made upon us for it. The subjoined extracts from the first and last issues of the "Reporter" will convey some idea of its spirit and work : SANITARY REl'ORTER-LouisviLLE, Ky., August 15, 1865. VALEDICTORY. With the present number the issue of the Sanitary Eeporter ceases ; by the progress of events its publication being no longer necessary. The Eeporter was commenced in May, 1863, with what object will be best seen by the following extract from the announcement of its mission : " Intelligence, direct and reliable, from the army, regarding the health of the troops, their condition and their necessities, will be given in each number. We hope thus to allay unnecessary alarm, and to enable the benevolent and patriotic at home to furnish the means in advance of preventing suffering and death. ■ With the reports of the condition and wants of the troops in the different Departments, will be given sketches of the work of the Sanitary Commission, in all its varied efforts to promote the welfare of the soldier, expositions of its aims, and records of its successes. From the home field, where that other great army of mothers and sisters, wives and sweethearts, is working and watching and praying, we shall hope to have frequent good words that shall cheer all loyal hearts, and fire anew the enthusiasm of both soldiers and people. "From the 'Soldiers' Homes/ the 'Hospital Cars,' the 'Sanitary Steamers,' the Hospital Visitors, from the surgeons of hospitals and regiments ; in short, from all the friends of the soldier everywhere, we shall hope to get reports, notices, suggestions, appeals, and testi- monials, by which we shall be instructed and encouraged in our work." How far it has fulfilled its promise, those to whom it has been sent can better tell than we ; but the many kind words that have 104 SANITARY COMJIISSIOlSr — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. come back to us from its readers lead us to believe that the hopes that inspired its inception have not proved altogether vain and fruitless. We have at least the satisfaction of knowing that it has been recognized as a friend and helper by the thousands of warm-hearted and patriotic women who, by their faith and labors, have done so much, not only to sustain the Sanitary Commission, but to bring the war to a close — those women who, while they constitute the highest charm of our free and Christian civilization, have also proved its most potent safeguard. History cannot fail to record in glowing periods the part taken by our American women in the life-struggle through which we have passed; and it is the glory of our pages that they are every where adorned by proofs of the devoted patriotism, the intelligence, and executive capacity of our loyal women. It is a pleasant thought, too, that they themselves will be liberal sharers in the blessings they have done so much to secure to the country. While they have cheered and saved from death thousands of our brave defenders lying torn and bleeding on the battle field, or pining in hospitals, they have won a place for woman in social and civil life such as she has never before held ; and from this war to the end of time woman is destined to be more loved and honored than ever before since the world began. For this, with many other reasons, the peace which has now come — so dearly bought, so long delayed, so earnestly prayed and worked for — is a triumph and a glory for all nations and all times, and we rejoice in it with exceeding great joy. The clouds that s^ lately covered the whole horizon, darkening our eyes and weighing down our hearts, have all been swept away by the breath of Omnipo- tence ; our fears and cares are ended ; our work is done, triumph- antly done, and we have only to rest and be glad. And yet our joy in the grand consummation of our hopes is not altogether unmin- gled with sadness. Our work, though often done with aching hearts and tearful eyes, has had charms that lead us to look back upon it with almost sorrow that it has ended. It has so engrossed every faculty and feeling, has given a zest and pui-pose and value to life; has developed capabilities before undreamed of; has drawn out good in ourselves, our friends, our people, of which we were not only unconscious but incredulous. It has formed ties among its devotees A EEYIE^V OF 1863. 105 whicli cannot be seyered without pain, and fostered friendships that will remain while life lasts. The splendid spectacle of earnest unseMshness, of spontaneous but thoroughly organized charity, presented in the gigantic achieve- ments of the Sanitary Commission, exhibits fallen human nature in a new light, and introduces a new era in the history of benevolent effort. We may be quite sure that the lessons it has taught will not be lost to the world, and that all who have participated in this great work will receive due honor, and always recall with pride as well as pleasure their connection with it. From such a work we cannot retire without some lingering regrets, and while we tender to our noble band of co-laborers our heartfelt congratulations that their work and ours is done — and so well done — it is with real sadness that we bid them Farewell ! The following view of the work of the Sanitary Commis- sion at the West in 1863, is taken from my Report of September 1st of that year : DEPAETMENT OF THE TENNESSEE. A general quiet has prevailed on the Mississippi since the cap- ture of Vicksburg, and we have of late been compelled to do nothing for wounded men. Yet our means have been fully and steadily employed in supplying the wants of the large and constantly increasing number of sick, multiplied by the advance of the season, in all the corps of General Grant's army. From this cause the demand upon our efforts and resources has been no less than at any previous time. Indeed, I may say that our operations in that Department have been, by an irresistible influence, gradually but constantly expanding. The many and great privileges accorded us by the General commanding, and others in authority, have opened new and wide doors of usefulness, and by accepting the responsi- bilities thus laid upon us, our duties have necessarily been increased. All the facilities accorded us by General Grant have been continued to the present time, and such additional favors as we have since felt compelled to ask have been cheerfully granted. By reference to the schedule of disbursements in that Department, it will be seen that our expenditures there are now much greater than ever before. The ability of our agents to meet so fully the demands upon them 106 SAKITAEY COMillSSIOlsr — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. is owing, in a great measure, to the vastly increased efiSciency of the Chicago Branch. Dr. "Warriner still continues at the head of our force on the Mississippi, ably seconded by Dr. Fithian, Mr. Way and Mr. Tone, and every day's experience has given me a higher appreciation of the value of his services. I regret to state that all our employes in that District have sooner or later been prostrated by disease, and have been furloughed home for a longer or shorter time to recuperate. There is no one of them who is not now performing his duty at the peril of life and health, braving the dangers of his position with a degree of devotion for which he should be duly honored. After the opening of the Mississippi, one of our agents Avas dispatched to Port Hudson, to respond to any demand that might be made upon us at that point. But, from the assurance that a large amount of supplies was to be sent up by .the agents of the Commission at New Orleans, no effort has yet l)een mad'e to carry stores below Natchez, where there are many sick not likely to be supplied from other sources, and where we have, in consequence, established a depot. To meet wide-spread and severe malarious disease, the supply of quinine being inadequate, I have sent down with other stores over two hundred ounces in five hundred gallons of whisky, all bottled and properly labeled, to be distributed and used both as a curative and prophylactic. Ice is another article so much needed at Vicksburg that the resources of the Commission have been freely used to sup- plement liberally the supply derived from Government sources. Aside from the ten tons taken, each trip, in the ice-box of the "Dunleith," one barge carrying one hundred tons has been sent down, and another will be dispatched as soon as the barge can be procured. In addition to the demands for the supply of our troops at Vicksburg, urgent appeals have been made for tlie relief of the five thousand rebel sick left in our hands ; appeals Avhicli we liave not felt at liberty wholly to disregard. At Helena we have maintained a depot of greater or less import- ance, as the troops stationed there have varied in numbers. This has been generally under the charge of Dr. Fithian. At Memphis we have at present no Inspector, Dr. Estabrook having been compelled by illness to i-eturn to his home in Iowa. DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLASTD. ' 107 Mr. Christy is there in charge of the Lodge and the Belief Depart- ment ; Mr. Tone of the Department of Supplies, and everything is going "on smoothly under their superyision. Mr. C. K". Shipman, of Chicago, an exceedingly competent and excellent man, has heen engaged to superintend all Sanitary work at Cairn, has entered upon his duties, and has already effected marked changes and improvements. The old Home was always crowded with soldiers undesemng of its charities, thrust into it. by the military authorities, who soon converted it into barracks, having all the disagreeable features common to institutions of that kind. The new Home, partly from the same cause, and partly from faults in its situation and construction, failed to accomplish all we had hoped from it. Hedged about by diflBculties otherwise insur- mountable, I applied to General Grant for assistance in the matter, and by him orders were issued, which, with the expenditure of a moderate sum on our part, will enable us to place both the Relief and the Supply Departments in a condition highly satisfactory. DEPAETITEIJ-T OF THE CUIIBEELAND. Our work in this Department is now, as it has long been, under the immediate supervision of Dr. A. N. Eead, our veteran Inspector, who has continued to exhibit in its management the same energy and wisdom which have characterized his efforts in our behalf for months and years past. He has been ably seconded by Drs. Castle- man and Parker as Inspectors ; M. C. Eead and L. Crane in the Eelief Department, and Mr. Eobinson, Mr. Butler, Mr. Orary, and others in the Department of Supplies. There is no part of the whole army where our business is more systematically and thoroughly done. The credit of this desirable result is not, how- ever, due wholly to the corps of agents who have represented us so faithfully there, but should be equally shared by the military and medical authorities, all of whom have been at all times most cordi- ally co-operative; not only granting cheerfully every reasonable request we have made, but even anticipating our wants; often spontaneously proffering the aid we were about to need. The cata- logue of the oflficers of this army, who have manifested towards the Sanitary Commission cordial and appreciative co-operation, is so long that I have not room to give it, but I may say, in general, that our relations are of the pleasantest character with every one. All 108 SANITARY COIIMISSION — WESTEEN DEPAKTMENT. the regiments comprising this army have received careful special inspections ; the inspection returns having been forwarded from time to time to the Central OfiEice. Their sanitary condition is now and has long been remarkably good. The percentage of sick is as low, if not lower than in any other army, and protective measures, such as the policing of camps, etc., are so thoroughly observed that little is left to desire in 'that respect. The amount of supplies furnished to the Army of the Cum- berland has been very large, (over twenty thousand bushels of vegetables alone since January 1st,) yet since the battle of Stone Eiver no great and unusual emergency has called for extra efforts on our part. The hospital gardens established in this Department have more than justified all anticipations. That at Murfreesboro had, up to August 30th, furnished to the hospitals two hundred and forty-eight barrels of assorted vegetables, and the gardener esti- mates that it will produce, during the balance of the season, eight hundred bushels of tomatoes, twelve hundred bushels of Irish potatoes, twelve hundred bushels of sweet potatoes, twenty-five thousand heads of cabbage, besides large quantities of beans, melons, turnips, etc. From time to time reports have been made of the value of the service rendered by the hospital cars on the Chattanooga, and Louisville and ISTashville Eailroads. Time has only served to increase our estimate of their importance, and as the army has advanced farther and farther from its base of supplies they have been made more and more useful, until they are now recognized as an indispensable institution. The hospital cars have been con- stantly under the supervision of Dr. Barnum. The Home at Nashville, under the wise management of Mr. Crane, has been a complete success, and has proved of inestimable value to several thousands of the poor fellows for whose benefit it was established. DEPAETMENT OF THE OHIO. Such portions of General Burnside's forces as have been stationed in Eastern Kentucky have been carefully inspected by Dr. W. M. Prentice, and tljeir wants supplied from our depot at Lexington, in charge of Mr. Butler. WEST VIKGIXIA AND KANSAS. 109 Prom General Burnside we hare receiTed, as might have been expected, every required facility. He has issued special orders in onr behalf, similar in import to those of General Eosecrans and General Grant. WEST VIRGINIA. The number of troops in this Department has of late been so small, their duties so light, and their casualties so few, that there has been comparatively little for us to do among them; so little, indeed, that three months since I transferred Dr. Parker to the Army of the Cumberland, leaving Mr. Pracker, storekeeper at Wheeling, now well known to all the surgeons and officers in the Department, to supply any want that might arise there, and I have reason to believe that his duty has been well and faithfully done. During the month of August, Dr. Theodore Sterling, temporarily employed for that duty, made a complete round of inspection among the troops stationed in West Virginia. KANSAS. The troops stationed at Leavenworth, Port Scott, and other places in Kansas and the Indian Territory, though they have never been very numerous, have been so situated as to be beyond the reach of many of the Government supplies liberally furnished to those more favorably located. As a consequence, appeals so earnest and urgent have been made to us in their behalf that I have felt compelled to make somewhat liberal appropriations for their relief. Mr. Brown is now, as he has been for several months, acting as our agent, and has been indefatigable in his efforts to reach even the most distant frontier post with his stores. He is now assisted in his labors by Dr. C. C. Slocum. Liberal shipments have recently been made him from Chicago and Cleveland. WESTERN CENTRAL OFFICE. Our office corps consists of the following gentlemen, in addition to myself, all of whom, by their faithfulness in the discharge of their duties, and by their earnestness and unity of purpose, have not only won my personal esteem, but merit all honor and respect from the Commission and its friends : K. T. Thorne, Assistant Secretary; Dr. George L. Andrew, Medical Inspector and Editor of the Eeporter; H. S. Holbrook, Superintendent of Hospital 110 SANITARY COilillSSION — WESTEEN DEPABTMENT. Directory; Dr. IST. E. Soule, Chief Clerk; C. S. Sill, Accountant; W. S. Hanford, Superintendent of Transportation; Eey. F. A. Bushnell, Hospital Visitor and Eelief Agent. We have also in service a carefully-selected and well-trained corps of clerical assistants. THE HOSPITAL DIRECTOET. The Hospital Directory has grown greatly in importance. The number of names of sick and wounded on our books is at this date one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred and thirty-three, representing seven hundred and thirty-seven regiments. The num- ber of inquiries that have been made is five thousand eight hundred and fifty-two; in answer to which the information required has been given in four thousand and sixteen cases. The number of hospitals now reporting regularly to us is one hundred and two ; number which have reported, one hundred and eighty-four. THE SANITAET EEPOETBE. The Sanitary Eeporter, which has reached its eighth number, is accomplishing far more for the cause than I had hoped in its estab- lishment. Its issue has been increased to six thousand, and it is not yet sufficient to meet the urgent demands that are made upon us for it. Though in no sense the official organ of the Commission, and created to supply what was felt to be a pressing want in this Department, we have aimed to make it as catholic and national as possible, and have published all the information in regard to the general operations of the Commission that we have been able to procure. The testimonials which it has elicited from our friends and co-laborers, both East and West, are numerous and flattering. THE HOME FIELD. I have recently visited nearly all parts of the home field in this Department, and have had the pleasure of personal interviews with the noble band of loyal and humane men and women who are devoting themselves to the great work in which we are engaged. This round of visits has afforded me great gratification, and I can not adequately express my admiration of the devotion and efficiency which characterize the great corps of our fellow-laborers. A thorough business system pervades most of our Branch Societies in the Northwest. With great energy and success they have THE HOME *ELD. Ill canvassed their respective fields of labor; uniting in perfect concert' of action the Soldiers' Aid Societies which have sprang up sponta- neously, or as the result of their efforts, in every town and hamlet throughout the land. Admirable forms are now generally adopted for recording and- reporting their business. Great progress has been made within a few months past, and whatever one may have found to approve, heretofore, in the workings of the Supply Department of the West, would be doubly justified by its present condition. Transportation of stores is everywhere gratuitous; messages relating to our business are sent over the telegraph lines free, and the whole work of coll&cting and forwarding supplies, while it has all the soul and enthusiasm of a labor of love, is as thoroughly disciplined and systematized as any of the great enterprises of purely mercenary business. As comparisons are confessedly invidious, and it is necessary that some examples should be given, I shall take the liberty of referring to the work of each of our Branches in succession. CHICAGO. Since the 1st of January, the work of the Chicago Branch has been completely revolutionized, and so greatly expanded that it has become the first in importance in the list of our auxiliaries at the "West. Always loyal and earnest in spirit, and working with a degree of energy and success highly creditable to the small number who took an active part in its operations, yet its ef&ciency has been many times multiplied during the present year. On the first of January the whole number of packages of stores forwarded to the army was four thousand five hundred, while the present number is sixteen thousand three hundred and fifteen. This splendid result is due, in a great degree, to the intelligence and industry of two admi- rable ladies, Mrs. Livermore and Mrs. Hoge, who have instituted a system of correspondence and canvassing, by which the interest of the whole Northwest has been greatly stimulated, as well as drawn to this one focus. Contributions are now made to Chicago from all ISTorthern Illinois, from parts of Iowa, all of "Wisconsin, "Western Michigan, and Northern Indiana ; so that the work of this Society contains the embodiment of the interest in our cause of an immense area. The shipments from Chicago have been, for many reasons, mainly directed down the Mississippi Eiver, and have constituted 112 SANITARY COMMISSroN — WESTERN" DEPARTMENT. two-thirds of all our contributions to the army of General Grant. The Chicago Branch, like that of Cincinnati, now publishes regu- larly a Monthly Bulletin of its operations, for distribution among its auxiliaries. In Central and Southern Illinois, the contributions of Sanitary stores mainly pass through the hands of the Illinois State Sanitary Bureau, but are almost all forwarded to our agents for distribution. "With this Bureau our relations have always been cordial and pleasant, and a spirit of co-operation has been manifested by its officers wliich has contributed to the success of their efforts and ours. IOWA. The patriotism and benevolence of the people of Iowa flow toward the army in two channels: the one represented by the Eev. A. J. Kynett, and the other Associate Members of our Commission who are working in unity with us, and constitute a Branch of our organization ; and the other represented by Mrs. Wittenmeyer, hold- ing an independent position, or in alliance with the Western Sani- tary Commission at St. Louis. The contributions made by tliose who are working with and for us in Iowa are forwarded to Chicago for shipment to the army. WISCONSIN. A wide-spread and active interest in our work has been for a long time exhibited in this State, and there are scattered over all parts of it Aid Societies, whose contributions, forming a large aggregate, pass through Chicago. In fact, all these societies are united in a State organization, of which, however, the extent and the efforts are bounded by no State lines. It is but just that I should also mention that the State officers of Wisconsin, especially the Governor and Surgeon General, have from the first worked in harmony with us, and have manifested a broad and generous spirit, in striking contrast witli that which has actuated the oflQcers of some other Western States. Among those to whom we are indebted for the important part that Wisconsin has taken in our enterprise, I should not fail to mention the name of Mrs. H. L. Colt, Cor- responding Secretary of the Milwaukee Society, a lady who has been herself repeatedly to the army to look after the wants of our soldiers, and by her untiring eff'orts in the home field in their behalf has MICHIGAN AND INDIANA. 113 most richly deserved their gratitude. Our co-laborers in the North- west are planning a grand Fair, to be held in Chicago in October, for the benefit of our cause. 'No efforts will be spared to make it, what it can hardly fail to be, a complete success. MICHIGAN. The people of Michigan have not been behind the inhabitants of other portions of the N'orthwest in their interest or activity in the present war, and they have contributed largely in the aggregate to our resources. But from the want of a general effort to excite interest and concentrate action, many parts of the State have, until recently, done comparatively little for the cause in which we are engaged. The western and southern portions, however, have been forwarding supplies to Chicago for a year or more, and the south- eastern portion has sent something like a thousand boxes to the Soldiers' Aid Society of Detroit since the period of its organization, November 1, 1861. Feeling the necessity of a more thorough exploitation of the State of Michigan, about the 1st of August I visited Detroit in company with Professor Andrews, of Marietta College, for two years lieutenant colonel of the 36th Ohio, who was engaged to act during his vacation as canvassing agent for the Commission. On consultation with the managers of the Aid Society, among whom Miss Valeria Campbell deserves special mention for her unwearied efforts in behalf of the sick soldier, a thorough re-organization of this Society was effected, by which it became formally auxiliary to the Sanitary Commission, and instituted measures for interesting all parts of the State in its work. Since that time it has greatly increased in efficiency, and is now sending us large quantities of the most desirable varieties of stores. INDIANA. The contributions of the people of Indiana to the sick and wounded in the army have mainly passed through the hands of the Governor and a State Sanitary Bureau, acting under his directions. Yet several hundred packages of stores have been forwarded to Chicago from the northern portion of the State, and perhaps an equal number from the southern portion to the Commission of our Auxiliaries organized at New Albany. This latter Society, during 114 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEKK DEPAETMEKT. the first year of the war, nobly sustained the responsibility thrown upon it in the care of the sick in the hospitals of that city. OHIO. The State of Ohio occupies a conspicuous and enviable position among the noble sisterhood who have given so freely of their treas- ures and their blood to save our country from ruin, and to maintain, in purity and permanence, all our free institutions. Among the forms in which her patriotism has exhibited itself, not the least worthy of mention is her general and earnest support of our philan- thropic organization. Aside from all that has been done by indi- viduals, other organizations, or the State Government, Ohio has now furnished to the army, through the agency of the Sanitary Commis- sion, over thirty thousand packages of supplies; in other words, half of all that has been contributed to the Sanitary Commission in the Mississippi Valley. This great efficiency which Ohio has mani- fested in our work is unquestionably due, for the most part, to the early organization of three Branch Commissions within her limits, each of which has been most earnest and untiring ; and two, that of Cincinnati and Cleveland, managed with wonderful energy and skill, have been pre-eminently successful and useful. That of Columbus, though accomplishing less than the others named, has done a noble work, which will compare favorably with that of any other similarly situated in the land. CINCINNATI. The Branch Commission at Cincinnati has now distributed over twelve thousand packages of stores, and is still as active and pros- perous as at any former period of its history. In addition to these contributions of material, the Cincinnati Commission has expended large sums of money and a vast amount of labor, of thought, of sympathy and kindness in the care of the sick in the hospitals of that city ; in the equipment and management of hospital steamers ; in the care of troops passing through or quartered in the city ; and in sustaining its admirable " Home," which has now accommodated forty thousand soldiers. So great and varied are the charities which it has dispensed, that I can do no more here than allude, in a general way, to that which it would take volumes to describe, that which has served to make the Cincinnati Branch of the BEANCH COMMISSION'S OF OHIO. 115 Sanitary Commission known and blessed in STery Department and division of our Western armies. COLUMBUS. From the inland position of this city, and her remoteness from the seat of war, the inhabitants of Colnmbns have not felt, to so great a degree, the varied and pressing demands to which Cincin- nati has so nobly responded; but our representatives there have not been regardless of the responsibilities which have fallen to their share. They have answered promptly and efficiently all appeals which I have made, and have forwarded an aggregate of supplies in the highest degree creditable to them. The territory tributary to Columbus not having been thoroughly canvassed, I have authorized the employment of an excellent man to act, for a limited period, as canvassing agent in this District. In addition to its other work, the Columbus Branch has built a very complete and tasteful " Home " for the accommodation of the sick and discharged soldiers passing through that city, and needing, as they have done sadly, the aid that has been there rendered them. CLEVELAND. The merest justice to the Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio requires that I should at least allude to the energy which has already furnished us, from a limited District, ten thousand packages of stores ; to a skill and wisdom which, with simple, though nicely adjusted machinery, has accomplished so quietly and peacefully this great result ; and to a loyalty to us and our national platform, pure and unqualified from the first. In addition to the work which Cleveland has done in the Supply Department, she has also per- formed her part in the work of special relief. She has, for many months past, kept up a Home and Hospital for sick and discharged soldiers passing through, at which have been lodged over two thousand, and ten thousand have been fed. PITTSBUEGH. Owing to a series of unfortunate circumstances, which it is not necessary now to enumerate, among which, however, is not to be reckoned any want of patriotism or benevolence on the part of the citizens of Pittsburgh, this large and wealthy city has only lately 116 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. become actively interested in our work. Up to the spring of the present year the Sanitary Commission had there no resident repre- sentative. Much had been done, however, by the inhabitants of Pittsburgh in behalf of the sick and wounded in the army. They had sent delegations to the scenes of several of our earlier battles, had chartered and freighted two steamers for the relief of the wounded at Shiloh, and had brought home and carefully nursed in their midst a large number of those who, at that time, could be but imperfectly accommodated in the military hospitals at the "West. In addition to this, a " Subsistence Committee" had been organized for the purpose of supplying food to the troops passing through the city. After the battle of Stone Eiver, Mr. Joseph Shippen, who had been sent "West by G-overnor Curtin to look after the wants of Pennsylvania soldiers, and who, in the prosecution of his mission, had become intimately acquainted with, and very much interested in, our national method, was engaged to canvass "Western Pennsyl- vania in our behalf. At Pittsburgh, he was received most cordially, and, in response to his appeals, a local Commission was organized, consisting of some of the best known and most estimable men and women of the city. From that time to the present our Pittsburgh Associates have exhibited a devotion to the cause in which they are interested which has elicited my warm admiration, and has been the means of contributing largely to our resources. They have already expended several thousand dollars in the purchase of Sani- tary stores, and have forwarded to us some three thousand packages, including a large proportion of the choicest and most valuable articles which we distribute. BUFFALO. Although, in defining the limits of my Department, Buffalo was excluded from it and attached to that of the East, the logic of events has proved stronger than our classification, and whatever may have been her theoretical relations, Buffalo has become practically an important auxiliary in our efforts in behalf of the armies of the "West. It is true that most of the troops from the State of New York have been in service in some of the Eastern or Southern Departments; yet, with a noble generosity and catholic spirit, the Army Aid Society of Buffalo has overlooked all selfish THE KENTUCKY BEANCH. 117 considerations, and has ever manifested a desire to extend her aid to such soldiers of our National Army as most needed help and could be most readily reached. Acting on this plan, she has sent to us over three thousand packages of stores, which hare been distributed in the Departments of the Cumberland and the Tennessee, and I have learned to rely with confidence upon receiving a prompt and vigorous response to any appeal which we might be led by any present emergency to make. In considering how small a territory is tributary to the Buffalo Society, I cannot refrain from awarding high praise to those who have drawn from it so much to comfort and bless those for whom we are laboring. KENTUCKY BEANCH. During the first year of the war, Louisville was at or so near the front, that the earnest and able men who compose the Branch Com- mission at this point were occupied and engrossed in the work of distributing stores, and in various ways meeting the wants of the sick and wounded in their own midst, and in the hospitals scattered at various points through Kentucky and Tennessee. At this time all stores intended for the Army of the Cumberland were forwarded through their Agency, and their depository here had the double character of a contributing and distributing depot. In the works of love and mercy of those days, our Louisville Associates bore a con- spicuous part ; and from that period to the present they have never ceased to devote a large part of their time and thought to the care of the great number of objects of pity and charity which merciless war has thrown upon their hands. When the armies were further removed, and the Central Ofi6.ce was transferred to this point, all the general business of the Sanitary Commission was relinquished to this office, while the members of the Kentucky Branch, by a division of labor, assumed the responsibility of all the local work, the care of the city hospitals, twenty-two in number, and addressed themselves to devise new measures of relief for soldiers passing through the city, who were the proper objects of our charity. Since January 1st, the " Home " has lodged seventeen thousand of those for whom it was especially designed, while a much larger number of passing troops has been fed at the "Soldier's Rest" attached to it. 118 SANITARY COMMISSION" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Before leaving this subject, I cannot refrain from expressing my conviction that one of the most important results attained by the Sanitary Commission is to be found in the home field ; but one in our reports to the present time overlooked. I allude to its influence in inspiring the people in every farm-house and cottage, wherever a good grandmother is knitting a pair of socks, or a child making a pincushion, with a wider, deeper, higher, and purer patriotism. It is due that this truth be recognized and put on record. From all parts of the country we have the testimony of our con- tributors that they are driven by the spirit which pervades their work, to open and desperate antagonism with disloyalty in every form ; and that unwittingly they are everywhere doing missionary work for the national cause. While our Government has one great army in the field, of those who are pouring out their life-blood in its defense, the Sanitary Commission has in the home field another great army, composed of the mothers and sisters, wives and sweet- hearts of our brave soldiers, working scarcely less earnestly and efficiently for the same great end. Very respectfully, J. S. Newberry, Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission. THE AUTUMN CAMPAIGN OF 1863. Except in the Department of the Cumberland, which became the theater of events constantly increasing in interest and importance, the "situation" recorded in the preceding report continued durmg the remainder of the yeav 1863 in all parts of the West without great change. In ^Vest Vii'- ginia there was little activity on the part of the military force stationed there. After a round of inspection made by Dr. Theodore Sterling, the depot at AVheeling, with its resident distributing agent, sufficed to sustain our responsi- bilities in this field. A similar report must be made for Kansas. No great battles occurred in that District, but our excellent agents, Mr. Brown and Dr. Slocuni, were kept constantly busy, and accomplished a great amount and variety of good, of which ample evidence appears in the o THE AUTUMN CAMPAIGK. 119 columns of the "Reporter" and "Bulletin." On the Mississippi, a gradual decline of excitement and interest followed the capture of Vicksbirrg, yet a large army was quartered there, and military movements of some magnitude were carried on in Arkansas ; all of which kept our agents busy. A supply steamer continued fully employed in the transportation of the great quantity of stores with which the liberality of the Northwest supplied us, till the 1st of October. After the battle of Chickamauga, two corps of the Army of the Tennessee were transported to the Depart- ment of the Cumberland, and the interest pertaining to militarj^ operations in the West gradually concentrated there! BATTLES OF CHICKAMAUGA AXD CHATTANOOGA. The military events which took place in the Department of the Cumberland during the autumn of 1863 were of great interest, both as regards the number of troops engaged, the brilliant movements which they performed, the sanguinary battles fought, and the substantial advantages gained to the Union cause. The more important moves on the military chess-board were as follows : After being driven across the Tennessee by General Eosecrans, Bragg betook himself to Chattanooga, the military key of all this region, and this then became the objective point of the Army of the Cum- berland. It was gained, as is well known, witliout a siege or battle, by one of those great flank movements which gave character to the later operations of the war, and which are the natural lesort of a preponderating force diiving the weaker from his natural or artificial defenses. To accomplish this purpose, General Rosecrans abandoned his railroad communication at Stevenson, and, dividing his army into three columns, by marches of almost unequaled severity pushed them over the Cumberland Mountains, through 130 SANITAEY COSIMISSIOls^ — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. different gaps, menacing Bragg in front and at the same time threatening his communications. Taking the alarm, Bragg evacuated Chattanooga, on the 8th of September, and hurried southward to meet the reinforcements coming to his relief. Before Rosecrans could gather his separated corps, and effectually close the door by which Bragg had retreated, he leturned with greatly augmented strength, and attacking our unprepared army, inflicted upon it the defeat of Chickamauga. If this attack had been made a few hours later, the result of the battle would doubtless have been very different. The i osition chosen lij' Rosecrans was good, and the success with which Thomas held his ground proves that if all our forces had been in the places assigned them, and the plan of defense understood by all, so long as the mountains that guarded our flanks held their position, the efforts of the rebels would have been fruitless. From the battle of Chickamauga Rosecrans retreated to Chattanooga, fortified and held the tovra and a segment of a circle of two miles radius running from the river above to the river below. All the territory on the south side of the Tennessee, with this exception, thus again came into possession of the enemy. Then ensued a terrible struggle to maintain the important and dangerous position held by our army. All supplies were transported from Stevenson over the almost impassable "passes" of the Cumberland Mountains. For four months, including the period referred to, the army was on short lations. and, during the time of the greatest scarcity, it received less than a quarter of its nominal subsistence. The want of food among the men was such that they were fain to glean about the feeding troughs for the gi-ains of corn dropped from the meager store doled out to tlie mules, iipon which the transportation of the army depended, and which ///list be kept alive at all hazards. MILITARY CHANGES. 131 Immediately after the battle of Chickamauga, General Grant, who had been placed in command of the Depart- ments of the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee, (of which Burnside, Rosecrans, and Sherman were respectively Department commanders,) relieved Rosecrans, and assigned Thomas to the command of the Army of the Cumberland. At this time two corps of the Army of the Potomac, under Hooker, and two corps of the Army of the Tennessee, under Sherman, were sent to co-operate with Thomas. Grant, going himself to the field, took command in person of these combined forces. On the 27th of October a portion of the garrison at Chattanooga made a night descent of the river, and in co-operation with Hooker's command, recap- tured Lookout Valley, and opened the river from Bridgeport to the base of Lookout Mountain; diminishing the land transportation of supplies from fifty to ten miles — the latter distance being that which separates Chattanooga from Kelly' s Ferry, the point of transhipment. The enemy still held Lookout Mountain, which commanded the river imme- diately below Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, which was crowned with his batteries, and all the area around Chatta- nooga on the south and east. Secure in the natural and artificial defenses of his posi- tion, which seemed to defy assaiilt, Bragg ventured to weaken his army by sending Longstreet' s corps to drive Burnside from Knoxville. Taking advantage of this favor- able moment, Sherman's command was thrown across the Tennessee above Chattanooga, and on the 25th of November the rebels were driven from their position, and a victory achieved which was one of the most brilliant and important of the war. Bragg and the remnants of his army fled into Georgia, and Longstreet, unsuccessful in his assault upon Knoxville, and hard pressed by Sherman, who was sent to its relief, retreated through the mountains to Virginia and 122 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEBUr DEPARTMENT. rejoined Lee. Thus the campaign of 1863 was finished in a blaze of glory. The work of the Sanitary Commission, connected with the movements above sketched, is so fnlly given in the reports which follow, that further illustration of it is scarcely required. It may be said briefl}^, however, that it was pushed with all the vigor possible. Throughout all this arduous campaign, the wanderings of the army were closely followed ; its hardships and privations shared, and its wants and sufferings sensibly mitigated by the agents of the Sanitary Commission. A liberal share of the limited transportation of the army was always granted us by our old friends, the Commanding General, and the officers of the Quarteimastei' and Medical Departments. Our facilities were also increased by the presence and cordial co-operation of General Meigs — the Quartermaster General — who then, as always, proved him- self a cordial friend to the Commission and the soldier. Agencies of tlie Sanitary Commission were established at Stevenson and Bridgeport, to which stores were sent forward in large quantity, and from which the army at Chattanooga was supplied just so far as the terrible difficul- ties in the way of transportation could be overcome. While the river was closed, and all supplies were transported to Chattanooga overland, several Govei-nment trains were destroyed by the enemy, in one of which we lost seventeen wagon loads of stores. The agents who accompanied them were taken prisoners and held until, by the dispersion of their captors, the}' were set at liberty. With this exception none of our stores were ever ca])tured or destroyed by the rebels at the West. When the wounded from the battle of Chickamauga began to be transported in wagons and ambulances to Stevenson, a Lodge and Feeding Station was established in WAYSIDE RELIEF. 133 the mountains near Jasper, by which the sufferings of the poor fellows condemned to this painful journey were mate- rially lessened. As soon as the river was opened to Kelly' s Ferry, this Lodge was transferred to that point, where it afforded great relief to the wounded gathered there for transhipment. A Lodge was also established at Bridge- port, which performed the same kind offices for the same persons, on their transfer from steamboats to the railroad. ^Igents of the Hospital Directory were sent to this Department during the exciting events of the fall campaign. These gathered the statistics of the battles and hospitals ' from day to day, and dispatched them to Louisville. To insure the transmission of these important and intensely interesting documents, the military couriers, riding between Chattanooga and Stevenson, and the Adams Express Com- pany, on the railroad thence to Louisville, burdened themselves with their care, and not only gratuitously transmitted them, but did it with special promptness. Toward the close of 1863 the operations of the Sanitary Commission in the Department of the Cumberland had attained such magnitude that more than fifty agents were busily employed there. At this time Chattanooga became the most important Agency we had in the Valley of the Mississippi. Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville were fully equipped for all duty in eveiy department of our work, and began their ministrations to the great armies quartered near them. This gave character and importance to our operations in the West during the campaign of 1864. BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA. REPORT OF M. u. READ. _ -r r. -.r Stevenson, A LA., September 24, 1863. Dk. J. S. jNewberet, Secretary Wesfer7i Department U. S. Sanitary Oommission, Louisville: Dear Sir — I reached this point on the 1st of September, in company with my brother, Dr. A. N. Eead, who had visited the 124 SANITAKT COMMISSIOK — WESTERN DEPARTMElfT. place repeatedly before, and established a depot of stores here. The immediate demand for supplies was then not large, as much of the army was inaccessible, and was so situated that vegetables and other supplies could, in part, be drawn from the country. All the sick who could be reached from the different stations along the road were liberally supplied with stores, and vegetables were furnished to such regiments as seemed most needy. After our troops commenced crossing the river at different points, it was for a time impossible to follow them with our supplies, on account of the diflSculty of procuring transportation over the rugged mountain roads, and because no one could foresee the points where they would ultimately be required. Arrangements were, however, made with the Medical Director of the Department, by whom we were to be notified by telegraph or courier of any probable engagement with the enemy, the notice to be accompanied by an order for the requisite transportation. As our troops passed further from the river, and began to con- centrate around Chattanooga, it seemed best to have a personal inspection of the wants of the army, and of the routes by which stores could reach the different divisions from Stevenson or Bridge- port. Accordingly, we purchased saddle horses, and on the 8th started for the front, passing through Bridgeport and over Eaccoon or Sandy Mountain by a rocky, difficult mountain road, reaching G-eneral Rosecrans' head-quarters at Trenton, Ga., on the afternoon of the 9th. Here we heard of the evacuation of Chattanooga, and on the morning of the 10th reached that place in company with a part of the General's staff. At Chattanooga we learned that the enemy were steadily falling back, the rumors of the probabilities of an engagement constantly changing and contradictory. Should one occur, it was evident there would be great destitution, and having ascertained by inspec- tion of the routes by which supplies must be brought in, that practically Chattanooga was farther from Bridgeport than the latter place is from Louisville, we made immediate and persistent effoi-ts to procure transportation, so as to forward as many stores as we could at the earliest moment, and finally succeeded in getting through, with the first supply train that reached the place, seven wagon loads of milk, beef, rags, bandages, dried fruits, hospital clothing, &c. Mr. Crary, our storekeeper at Stevenson, came through BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA. 135 with the train, and immediately returned to superintend the forwarding of farther supplies. Dr. Barnum and Messrs. Eedding and Larrabee had all come through to Chattanooga, and other help at Stevenson and Bridgeport was indispensable. We also obtained an order for four more wagons, which was telegraphed to Stevenson, and the wagons were loaded and forwarded before Mr. Crary got through on his return. During the battle he sent forward additional supplies, which were turned back by an order stopping all trains, and did not reach Chattanooga before we left the place, but crossed the river and were taken in charge by the hospital steward of the 93d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a faithful man, who undertook to get them through by the route on this side. Good rooms were secured at Chattanooga, our stores assorted and arranged for rapid delivery, before the battle commenced. Skir- mishing occurred along the line for several days, and a few wounded men were brought to the hospitals in the town. These were supplied with §uch articles as they required from our rooms, and we also sent forward, by every safe means, a limited supply to the tem- porary hospitals at the front. On Saturday, the 19th, the general engagement commenced and continued, suspended at intervals, while changing positions or falling back, throughout Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. During this time, there was no opportunity of making even the briefest memoranda, and the events, of which I am giving you this hurriedly written narrative, may not all be detailed in the order of their occurrence. My brother was severely sick, and had been so for several days. In fact, he was totally unfitted for work, but persisted in doing what he could, and continued the general super- intendence of the works. Not a great many wounded were sent back on Saturday, but on Sunday they came in in numbers far beyond the ability of all of the medical ofiRcers to provide even tolerably for their comfort. At the request of the Medical Director, Dr. Barnum took possession of two large blocks, cleared out the rooms, fitted them up temporarily for the wounded, supplying them with clothing, bandages, and edibles from our rooms, procured and put up stores, dressed the wounds of those most requiring imme- diate assistance, and superintended the providing and cooking of rations for the men. All of the rooms were soon filled, and by his untiring efforts, from fifteen hundred to two thousand were rendered 126 SANITARY COMMISSION — WBSTEEN DBPAETMENT. tolerably comfortable. On Sunday, I visited all the hospitals and temporary resting places for the wounded, notifying the officers in charge of the location of our rooms and the nature of our supplies, asking them to send for everything we had, so far as it was needed. Eeturning late in the evening, I found a large church on Main street where services had been held during the day, and saw that the steps were crowded with wounded men. Entering the church, it was found filled with a congregation from the battle field, crippled with every variety of wounds, with no medical or other officer in charge, without food of any kind, without water, and without even a candle to shed a glimmering light over their destitution ; silent worshipers in the darkness — patient, unmurmuring martyrs in a noble cause, apparently deserted by all except Him in whose sanctuary they had taken refuge. I immediately carried concen- trated beef to the residence of Dr. Simms, near the church, a resident physician of rebel sympathies, but a generous, warm-hearted man, in whose office we had some days before found quarters, and where my brother superintended the preparation of soup, while I bought candles and a box of hard bread, had them carried to the church, and procuring water, distributed it for the thirsty. Never before had I so high an appreciation of "nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep." Two-thirds of the occupants of the church, some with shattered arms, and some with other ghastly wounds, were sleeping quietly upon the seats and the floor, unconscious of their many wounds. The soup was brought and distributed to the wakeful, and my brother and Dr. Simms commenced dressing the wounds, and continued their labors until sheer exhaustion compelled them to desist. The waking men provided for, the sleeping were allowed to sleep in peace. I reported the condition of these men to the Medical Director, and medical officers were put in charge of them, and in the morning a chaplain took charge of vegetables and other eatables which I sent from the rooms, and superintended the preparation of food for the men. At this time, Monday, the streets were completely blockaded for their whole length with army wagons, as an order had been issued on Sunday for the whole train to be sent across the river. This was done apparently to avoid confusion, and to save the train if our forces should be compelled to evacuate the place. The only means of crossing was one narrow pontoon bridge, and SANITAEY SUPPLY TKAINS. 127 for two days the trains filled all the streets. Our stores were needed everywhere, but nobody could get to our quarters. After applying to several head-quarters, I procured an order for three army wagons to report at our rooms for the distribution of stores; and hastily riding to the different hospitals, obtained approximately the capacity of each, the number of the inmates, and the nature of the articles most needed. The usual answer, however, to the question, " What do you need most ? " was, ' Everything," a comprehensive, but almost literally a triithful answer. Returning to the rooms, I gave general directions to Messrs. Eedding and Larrabee, who superin- tended the loading of the wagons, and piloted each one when loaded, through the dense mass of teams to its destination; at first sight, an apparently hopeless undertaking, but the words, " This wagon is loaded with stores for your wounded comrades ; can you make room for it to pass?" operated like magic everywhere, and in no single instance did I find a driver who did not promptly and cheerfully open a way for the supplies, and that, too, through streets where there were three, four, and five parallel trains, the drivers all anxious to reach the pontoon bridge first and secure precedence in crossing. In this way we succeeded in getting a good supply, a full wagon load each to the seminary building and old rebel hospitals on the hill, to the old rebel hospital near the Crutchfield Hotel, (now called No. 3,) to the Crutchfield Hotel, where there were about fifteen hundred wounded, to two churches west of the Crutchfield house, to the Presbyterian Church, and to three blocks of buildings on Main street, and to the officers' hospital, in a large brick building east of Main street. This work left no time for gathering statistics, no time to get the names of the hospitals, or the number of the inmates, even had the surgeons had time to give them names or make out registers. Clerks were busy at the latter task, but in no place had they completed their labors. This work consumed the day and my strength, but I felt that my health was good, and with a few hours' rest could start afi'esh. I determined to remain if the place should be evacuated, and if allowed to do so, make out a register of the wounded who were left behind; but in the night my brother became so much worse that it was evident he must leave at once, and that it was not safe for him to undertake alone the tedious sixty miles ride over the mountains, as he might at any hour be 138 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. compelled to stop by the way. His only son, a lieutenant of the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, had come in wounded, and was going through with his lieutenant colonel, but both so badly crippled as to require assistance instead of being able to afford it. It was, therefore, determined that I should accompany my brother on his return, and on the morning of Tuesday I procured teams, and the residue of our stores was distributed ; also procured an ambulance for the two ofiQcers who were to accompany us. We put into the ambulance a few shirts and drawers, a box of beef, and a few other articles to distribute by the way, as a long train of wounded were taking the same route, and left Chattanooga about noon Tuesday, with arrangements for the others to follow the next day should it be necessary; if not, to remain and distribute such stores as we could get through. After crossing the river, while climbing the mountains and working our way toward the head of the train, we found a soldier shot through the shoulder, but able to sit up, whose only clothing was his pants, socks and hat. Biding back to the ambulance I procured for him a shirt, which was all that could then be done for him. The train camped upon the top of the mountain, and by the time I had made coffee and prepared a soldier's supper for our com- pany, the wounded were ranged in messes around their camp fires, those least crippled preparing supper for themselves and the others. I could not sleep till all it was in our power to do was done for their comfort. So taking that box of beef from the ambulance, I carried it to the camp, and seeking out the messes containing the feeblest men, distributed to each a can, giving instructions how to prepare it, and directions to feed first the weakest and those most needing it. In several cases, I was gratified by the response to my inquiries, " We are all able to get along on our rations ; in that mess (pointing it out) there are men who can eat nothing we have ; give it to them, as they need it more than we do." Such was the i-esponse in one instance when I told the men what I had, and they, for the instant, supposing it was for sale, were eager to buy, but informing them that it was to be given to the most needy, were equally ready to direct me to them, and sought none of it themselves. Many were found so wounded in the face that they could not masticate food, and some so weak that their stomachs would refuse the ordinary AT BRIDGEPORT. 129 rations, who would all have gone supperless to their beds upon the hard ground without this supply. Wednesday night we reached Bridgeport, and found there a supply of stores in charge of John Place, a detailed volunteer of the 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who has rendered us eflBcient service, and was distributing them faithfully and judiciously to those most needing them, but holding the greater part of them for shipment to the front. Here we met Mr. Euo, State agent of Illinois, and Mr. Willard, State agent of Michigan, hard working, judicious men, whose sympathies are bounded by no State lines, and who are ever ready to extend all the aid in their power to all Union soldiers alike. They remain at present at Bridgeport, and are authorized to draw from our supplies such stores as may be required for the wants of any of the soldiery. They have already made arrangements (as they informed us by telegraph) to feed all the wounded, as they reach that plaice from the front, drawing upon our stores for this purpose. The stores most in demand at Chattanooga were of edibles, beef, milk, stimulants and dried fruit. The beef, on account of its intrinsic value, portability, and the readiness with which it can be prepared, is the most valuable of all, and at such a time as this there is no danger of an over-supply; of clothing and dressings, bandages and rags were first in demand, then shirts, drawers, com- forts and blankets. Of the last we had but a few, and there was a great demand for them. Most of the wounded had lost their blankets, the nights were cold, and they suffered greatly on that account. I have mentioned only these few articles of prime neces- sity, but everything usually furnished for the sick and wounded was then, and is now, in great demand. We are able to provide for those who get through to the railroad what is needed in addition to Government supplies, but it is essential that large quantities of all the usual articles be shipped through to Chattanooga as fast as possible. There the destitution and suffering have been, and must for some time be, very great. Yet, you must not construe what I write here, or have written above, as an implied censure of the medical officers of the army. I know how persistently the Medical Director of the army labored to procure transportation for his sup- plies, and how ready he was to aid us in procuring transportation. I know also that war is and must be cruel, and situated as our army 130 SAI^ITART COlIMISSIOISr — WESTEEST DEPAETMEJTT. was before Chattanooga, even mercy to the -wounded required that the army, yes, and the horses should be fed, although the wounded suffered until the battle was over. Over roads the difficulties of which no one will appreciate until he has tried them, supplies had to be carried for men and horses whose strength and endurance alone could save all of the wounded from the hardships and desti- tution which the wounded prisoners would encounter at the hands of rebels. It is now believed that General Eosecrans has been heavily reinforced. If so, Chattanooga will be permanently held, and easier communication established by the river and by rail. The shorter carriage road over Lookout Mountain, which has been blown up to prevent a flank movement will be reopened, and we shall probably be able to send forward additional supplies as fast as you can get them here. Thus far no time has been lost, for we have had all we could get transportation for, and by the time a new shipment can reach us we hope to secure transportation for all you can send us. If, when this reaches you, the telegrams from the front advise you that we still hold Chattanooga, my advice would be to send of all supplies as large quantities as possible, for I believe that already this battle is one of the bloodiest of the war. Our loss must already be greater than it was at Stone River, and I do not believe the rebels will fall back before our reinforced army without another desperate struggle. Among the stores distributed at Chattanooga, especial mention ought to be made of a box of excellent " arm-slings" from the Aid Society in Pittsburgh. Though not as many as the arms needing such a support, they were valued beyond price by every man who secured one, and were in every respect a valuable article. Yours, very respectfully, M. C. Read, Belief Agcni. BATTLE OE CHATTANOOGA. U. S. Sanitary Commission, „ ^ Louisville, Ky., December 7, 1863. Db. J. Poster Jekkins, General Secretary, New York : My Dear Doctor — I have just returned from Chattanooga, where I have passed the last two weeks, and from a tour of inspec- tion through the chain of Agencies of the Commission which BATTLE OF CHATTANOOGA. 131 extends from Louisville to that point. It chanced, luckily enough, that I was at Chattanooga through all the exciting scenes of the recent battles, and was able to contribute something to the success which attended the efforts of the agents of the Commission to relieye the wants and suffering of the wounded. As you are, doubtless, anxious to learn more than you yet know of the recent important events to which I have referred, and more particularly how fully the Commission lias sustained its responsi- bilities, I hasten to make my report as promptly as possible, and shall make it as full as the great pressure of other duties will permit. As a pre-requisite to a clear understanding of the military operations and the work of the Commission in and about Chatta- nooga, and a proper appreciation of the difficulties overcome, it is quite necessary that any one should have gone over the ground himself; and I trust at no distant day you may be able to see with your own eyes some of the enemies, more formidable than rebel hosts, which our noble army have overcome in gaining and holding the positions from which the recent battles were fought and victories won. Until I had been myself at Chattanooga, I had no just appreciation, even with description after description, of the daring and energy which have led General Rosecrans to follow to the very heart of its mountain fastnesses the retreating army of General Bragg, and after overcoming obstacles at first sight insurmountable, to seize and hold the key to all the lines of communication through this great mountain labyrinth. From near Tullahoma to Chattanooga, the whole interval is occupied with mountains of formidable height, terminating later- ally in precipitous escarpments, separated by deep and narrow valleys, over which even a footman finds his way painful and perilous. In justice to those who planned and executed the military movements prior and preparatory to the late victories, I must say that our people of the Korthern States have no proper appreciation of what our army has done and suffered in reaching and holding Chattanooga, and I am sure if all could see what I have seen, of difl&culties overcome, hardships endured, and privations so cheer- fully suffered, there would be much less than there has been, of flippant criticism of the soldiers and the generals of the Army of the Cumberland. 132 SAlflTAKY COMMISSIOIir — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. But if the country is more rough and difficult for military operations than any which our armies have occupied, it is also picturesque and beautiful beyond anything I have seen in the Valley of the Mississippi. Its climate, judging by the specimens we have had of it, is in the highest degree delightful and salubrious. Chat- tanooga itself must have been, before blasted and cursed by the rebellion, one of the most charming places on the continent. It stands in the Valley of the Tennessee, shut in on all sides by picturesque mountains, from a thousand to two thousand feet in height, while the town itself is in part perched on eminences of two or three hundred feet, from which the lowlands, reaching to the base of the mountains, are all clearly visible. When, therefore, I tell you that the late battles were fought in a semicircle around these points of view, in the plain or on the mountain side, never more than three miles distant, you will concede that those of us who were present enjoyed an opjiportunity of witnessing military evolutions, all the varied phases of attack and defense, by artillery and infantry, of assault and repulse, of victory and defeat, such as has fallen to the lot of few since Priam watched the struggle between the Greeks and Trojans from the walls of Troy. My business, liowever, is with the noble spirits "who fell in these glorious charges, and it is with no ordinary satisfaction that I can say that, thanks to the proximity of the battle fields to suitable receptacles for the wounded, and to. the prompt and potent aid that the Sanitary Commission, with its abundant stores and active faith- ful agents, was able to render, none of those cases of neglect or protracted suffering, which have been considered as inseparable attendants upon the carnage and confusion of battle fields, so far as I know, were permitted to occur. I do not exaggerate when I say that the wounded in no considerable battle since the war began have been so well and promptly cared for. And I can say, with equal confidence, that the aid rendered by the Sanitary Commission has never been more prompt and efEicieut, more heartily welcomed, or more highly appreciated. Owing to the difficulties of transportation — difificulties which had prevented the issue of full rations to the army — our stock of stores on hand previous to the battle was not as large as could have been wished, but we were constantly accorded even more than our full share of such facilities for transport as were at command of the OUK CHATTANOOGA AGENCY. 133 Quartermastei-'s Department, and fresh supplies of the most needed articles, including all the staples of battle stores, continued to arrive so that our warehouse was constantly replenished, and every requisition was promptly filled. Of concentrated beef, milk, stimulants of all kinds, compresses, bandages, dried fruit, vege- tables, shirts and drawers, we had a sufficient supply to meet every demand. In order that you may see precisely how our work was done, permit me to take up, in the order of their succession, the principal events connected with it during my stay at Chattanooga : Toward midnight of Saturday, the 30th of !N"ovember, in com- pany with Dr. Soule, I arrived at Kelly's Ferry, ten miles below Chattanooga. Here we were hospitably entertained by Mr. W. A. Sutliffe, our agent. As I shall have occasion to return to this point in the progress of my narrative, I will defer reference to the great good work he has been doing here, for the present. On Sunday morning we started for Chattanooga on foot. Kelly's Ferry was at this time the head of navigation — the river being blockaded above by the rebels — and all supplies were transported from this point to Chattanooga in wagons. As a consequence, we found the road for miles blocked up by trains going and returning, all hurrying to accomplish their almost impossible duty of prevent- ing the army above from perishing by actual starvation. Crossing Eaccoon Mountain, we came into Wills' Valley, where we found Hooker's forces occupying the vantage-ground gained by the night descent of the river, and came into full view of the rebel encamp- ments on the sides, and rebel batteries on the summit of Lookout Mountain. From the latter, from time to time, came a puflf of white smoke, and the sullen boom of the forty-pound Parrotts which had continued day after day to throw shells, fortunately without practical result, sometimes into Chattanooga above, sometimes into "Wills' Valley below their commanding position. Descending the valley, we crossed the river at Brown's Ferry, and traversing an isthmus some two miles in width, recrossed the river to the town of Chattanooga. At this time large detachments of Sherman's and Hooker's forces were leaving their encampments in Wills' Valley, and moving up the river, nobody knew whither. In Chattanooga I found our Agency in charge of M. C. Read, occupying fine rooms which, with characteristic partiality, the 134 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN' DEPARTMENT. authorities had assigned to our use by displacing the Chief of Police, who had previously occupied them. Soon after my arrival, I called on the Medical Director, Dr. Perin, by whom I was most cordially received, and was gratified to hear him express not only a high respect and appreciation for the Commission, but strong testimony to the value of our Agency at this point to him and to the army, as well as to the energy and discretion of our chief representative, Mr. Eead. The corps of agents on duty at Chattanooga was as follows: M. C. Eead, in charge ; Eev. W. F. Loomis, Hospital Visitor ; F. E. Crary, Storekeeper, with two detailed men as assistants ; W. D. Bart- lett. Agent of Hospital Directory; A. H. Sill, Transportation Clerk. With Mr. Eead I called at several of the head-quarters, and from all the ofi&cials heard only kind words for the Commission, and assurances of their high appreciation of its work, and their readiness to co-operate with it by all means in their power. Chattanooga was formerly a town of about four thousand inhab- itants, some fine public buildings, and with many pleasant residences with ornamented grounds and groves of beautiful trees, but now terribly desecrated and defaced ; fences of all enclosures gone, fruit and ornamental trees' alike cut down for fire-wood ; all vacant spaces covered with huts and tents ; the more prominent points crowned with strong fortifications; the whole surrounded by rifle-pits and lines of circumvallation. On Sunday evening a large part of the lltli Army Corps came up from below, passed through town with three days' rations in their haversacks, and took their position, without tents or baggage, in front of the fortifications. On Monday our forces moved out, formed in double line of battle, several miles in length, with reserves posted in the rear, threw out skirmishers, and made a general advance, taking possession of the first line of the enemj^s entrench- ments, aud occupied Orchard Knob, in the center of the valley, on which batteries were planted. This advance was made in excellent order, the ambulances following close in the rear, and though the skirmishing extended along the whole line, the number of wounded was comparatively small, and they were immediately picked up and carried into the hospitals in town. On Tuesday General Sherman, having crossed the river three miles above, advanced without serious opposition and took possession of the north end of Mission Eidge. LOOKOUT AND MISSION EIDGB. 135 On the morning of the same day, General Hooker mored up from Wills' Valley and attacked the rebel forces occupying Lookout Mountain, and by a most daring assault, gained possession of all the northern portion, with the capture of many prisoners, and the loss of but two hundred and fifty killed and wounded. The latter were immediately carried to the hospital established near his head- quarters, where they were well cared for by their own officers — sup- plies being sent to them from our depot at Kelly's Perry, near by. Early the next morning, Mr. Esad and Mr. Sill went down and saw that all the aid which the Commission could render was furnished to them. On Tuesday night, the north end of Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge were aglow with the camp-fires of our forces, and we had the satisfaction of knowing that, by a most brilliant achieye- ment, the blockade of the river was raised, and advantages had been gained which promised important results in the impending struggle of the morrow. Wednesday morning our flag floated from the summit of Lookout, and our forces advanced on the whole stronghold of Mission Ridge from our right, left, and front. After much severe fighting on our left, in which Sherman's forces suffered heavy loss, the rebel entrenchments along the base of Mission Ridge were stormed by our advancing lines, and then began that perilous but glorious ascent of one thousand feet at six different points, which so surprised and appalled the rebel garrison, and has crowned with glory the brave men who dared attempt it. After an hour of suspense, inexpressibly painful to the thousands who were mere powerless spectators, the summit was gained and held, the roar of the forty pieces of artillery which crowned it was silenced, and we knew that a great victory had been won. Two wagons had been secured beforehand with which to transport stores to any point where they might be required, but no part of the battle field being more than three miles distant from head- quarters, and ample provision having been made by the Medical Director for the immediate removal of the wounded to hospital, they were held in readiness to use if needed. M. 0. Read and myself, with a small supply of stores, went over to the middle line of Mission Ridge, while Mr. Loomis went toward its northern end to see if any help were required by the wounded of Sherman's 136 SAN^ITAET COMMISSION^ — WESTERN DEPAKTMENT. corps. By midniglit all the Union wounded men on that point of the field which we visited had been transferred to hospital, and such of the rebels as remained in the houses to which they had been carried had received all the aid we could give them; so at one o'clock we returned to the town. Just as we arrived, Mr. Loomis came in and reported that the wounded of the 15th Army Corps had all been gathered into their division hospitals, but that their expected supplies had not arrived, and they were greatly in need of our assistance. A wagon load of milk, beef, crackers, tea, sugar, stimu- lants, dressings, etc., was immediately dispatched to them, and was, as may be imagined, of priceless value. Early the next morning (Thanksgiving day) Mr. Read and myself visited the hospitals of the 3d, 3d and 4th Divisions of the 15th Army Corps, situated three miles up the river. The 4th, containing the largest number of wounded, (three hundred and ninety-nine,) we found pretty well supplied for the time being with the stores we had sent up the night before, but these were rapidly disappearing, and, at our suggestion, another load was sent for and received during the day. The 2d and 3d Division hospitals, situated on the bank of the river, at the point crossed by Sherman's forces, containing respectively seventy-five and two hundred and thirty patients, had received, up to this time, no other supplies than such as had been carried in their medicine-wagons — sufficient to meet the first wants of the wounded, but by this time almost entirely exhausted. Just as I was offering to Dr. Rogers, the surgeon in charge of the 3d Division hospital, the resources of the Sanitary Commission, one of the assistant surgeons approached and said to him : " Doctor, what shall we do ? Our supplies have not arrived, our men are lying on the ground, with not blankets enough to make them comfortable. We've no stimulants, or dressings, or proper food. Now, if the Sanitary Commission only had an agent here, we should be all right." I was happy to inform him that the spirit he invoked had come at his call, and when I promised him that in an hour's time he should have concentrated beef milk, stimulants, dressings, fruit, vegetables, clothing, bedding, and some ticks stuffed with cotton, his satisfaction shone from every feature, and both he and the surgeon in charge spontaneously ejaculated, "Bless the Sanitary Commission" — an institu.tiou of which they had had abundant experience on the Mississippi, where the kind "BLESS THE SANITAKT COMMISSIOIf." 137 and eflBcient ministrations of Dr. "Warriner were remembered with pleasure and gratitude. In these remarks I would not be understood as implying any neglect on the part of the responsible medical authorities, for I haye only to say that General Sherman's Medical Director is Surgeon John Moore, U. S. A., to give all who know this officer an assurance that his duty was done fully and well ; but, as a consequence of the difficulties of transportation to which I have before referred, and which specially affected the newly-arrived troops, his supplies were delayed, and there was an opportunity for the Commission to render its assistance in the manner I have described. On Thanksgiving afternoon occurred the bloody fight at Ring- gold, in which we lost, in killed and wounded, five hundred men. Most of these wounded were soon brought into Chattanooga, but our stores, which were promptly sent, and in abundance, reached them in good time, and became of priceless value to them. During the week succeeding these battles, through which I remained at Chattanooga, large quantities of stores were daily issued from our rooms to all the hospitals in the vicinity ; timely arrivals of the more important articles compensating for the heavy drafts on our stock. Of the kind and quantity of goods thus issued, you. will in due time get a full account from the storekeeper, Mr. Crary. The subsequent advance of our forces toward Knoxville was accompanied by two of the three steamers plying on the river, both loaded with supplies. By this means our transportation was again reduced to its minimum, and for a few days, in common with all departments of the army, we shall be able to put forward a smaller quantity of supplies than could be advantageously used. We calculate, however, upon a continuance of the cordial co-operation of General Meigs, Dr. Perin, and the other military and medical authorities, and the good work which we have been doing will not be permitted to languish. Before leaving Chattanooga, I must again express my high appreciation of the professional and official merit of the responsible heads of the Medical Department — Dr. Perin,' Medical Director of the Department of the Cumberland, and Dr. Finley, Post Medical Director — as of the earnest and faithful corps of surgeons, by whom their efforts in behalf of the wounded have been so ably seconded. 138 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN' DEPARTMENT. At the risk of seeming to see all the working of the Medical Department at this point en couleur de rose, I must say that no instance of incompetence or unfaithfulness was revealed by my observations; but, on the contrary, I found very much to admire in the zeal and success exhibited by all the corps of surgeons, who, with inadequate accommodations and limited materials, were able to make the wounded more immediately and entirely comfortable than could have been expected or hoped. I am sure it would have quieted some of the fears entertained by our people in regard to the faithfulness of surgeons and nurses, if they could have seen with what sincere gratitude these accepted at our hands the means of ministering to the wants of the poor fellows in their charge; and frequent visits to the hospitals showed me that the wounded soldiers did actually receive and greatly profit by the gifts of our loyal women of the North. Whatever may have occurred at other times and places, I am sure that after the battle of Chattanooga there was neither opportunity nor inclination on the part of sur- geons or nurses to misappropriate stores furnished by the Sanitary Commission; and the Metropolitan Police, who enabled us to dis- tribute to the sufierers the rare and much-prized gifts of sound, fresh lemons; the loyal women who stitched the shirts and drawers, who rolled the bandages and made the arm-slings; the Aid Socie- ties and Branch Commissions who have sent us so liberally of dried and canned fruits, of milk and beef, wine, spirits, ale, butter, tea, sugar, farina, codfish, and other precious articles which we were able to distribute in abundance, may rest assured that here, at least, they have accomplished all the great good which was hoped of them. As you will soon have a full report of the working of the Com- mission in this Department, from the Eev. Dr. Anderson, it seems hardly necessary now for me to do anything further than merely allude to the other stations and Agencies which I have just visited. Kelly's Perry was, until lately, the head of navigation for our steamers on the Tennessee, and is still a very important depot for the transhipment of Government stores. It is ten miles from Chattanooga by land, and about forty miles by the river from Bridgeport. Immediately after the battles at Chickamauga, the Eev. 0. Kennedy established a Lodge here for passing soldiers; and, since he removed to Bridgeport, the work of supplying their wants and of attending to the reception and shipment of goods, has been LODGES AND FEEDING STATIONS. 139 most faithfully and commendably performed by Mr. W. A. Sutliffe. He has been aided in his friendly ofiBces for the sick and wounded (large numbers of whom have been for short periods at this point) by the Eev. Mr. Strong. I take great pleasure, too, in aoknowledg- ing the hearty co-operation of Dr. Pailor, the zealous surgeon of the post, and of Lieutenant Colonel Cahill, of the 16th Illinois, commandant of the post, who has always been ready to aid the agents of the Commission in forwarding goods in every possible way, and especially by detailing men to serve as guards for our wagons, and likewise for the accumulated supplies at the landing. Bridgeport is becoming an important point in our chain of Agencies between ISTashville and Chattanooga, having a large field hospital, most admirably managed by Dr. Wm. Varian, U. S. V. To him we are indebted for most valuable aid in establisliing our depot and Lodge. The warehouse, formed of several large hospital tents, has been carefully arranged by Dr. Coates, Mr. Pierce and Mr. Pococke, conveniently near the railroad station and the field hospital ; while the Lodge, under the care of Mr. Kennedy and two detailed men, is close upon the steamboat landing. At Stevenson we have now no Agency, but it is advisable to re-establish one there soon. The "Alabama House" has been offered to the Commission by the Quartermaster, to be used as a Home, and it is probable that we shall avail ourselves of it, thereby at tha same time creating a blessing and abolishing a nuisance. Stevenson is an important location, and now has no suitable accom- modations for either officers or men, sick or well. Murfreesboro was for a while virtually abandoned, when the army advanced; but large numbers of hospital patients are hence- forth to be placed there. We have, therefore, re-opened an Agency and ocqupy a spacious warehouse, with Mr. E. L. Jones in charge. Yours respectfully, .J. S. IfEWBERET, Secretary Western Department. CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND EAST TENNESSEE IN 1863. It had been, from the commencement of the war, a favorite scheme of President Lincoln to relieve the Union men of East Tennessee from their bondage by opening a 140 SANITARY COMMISSION" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. route from Kentuckj^ to Knoxville, and occupying the Yalley of East Tennessee with an adequate Federal army. The railroad project was not carried out; but, in the summer of 1863, General Burnside, with the 9th Army Corps, was sent to Kentucky, and in the autumn this force moved forward, and became the army of occupation of Knoxville. While gathering for this expedition, the troops were quartered in Central Kentucky', and Camp ISTelson was made the base of supplies. So important a situation did this become, that it was thought best to establish an Agency of the Sanitary Commission there. This was done, and Mr. Thomas Butler, one of our most expe- rienced agents, previously at Lexington, was placed in charge of it. After the occupation of Knoxville by Ceneral Burnside, as it was considered desirable to make this also a Sanitary station, Professor R. N. Strong, a former resident of Knox- ville, was engaged to repi'esent us there, while Mr. Butler, after remaining a time at Camp Nelson, went with a train of wagons loaded with stores, by the road over the moun- tains, to stock that depot. After encountering great diffi- culties, he reached Knoxville on Christmas Day, and from that day to the close of the war Knoxville was one of our first-class Agencies. The experience of Mr. Butler, in his eff'orts to reach Knoxville, is described in the following letter, which well illustrates the trials, hardships and dangers that attended much of our work : Knoxville, East Tenn., December 26, 1863. Dr. J. S. Newberrt, Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission, Louisnlk: Dear Sir — In compliance with instructions received on the eve of your departure for Chattanooga, six thousand pounds of the choicest stores were shipped from Louisville, and duly received and stored at Camp Nelson, to await transportation by the first train for Knoxville, East Tenn. THE KNOXVILLE AGENCY. 141 On my arrival at Camp Nelson 1 found that a large shipment of stores, much more varied in kind, had been sent to my care, for the same destination, by the Cincinnati Branch. Orders for trans- portation for both shipments having been received separately from General Burnside, would have been promptly honored by Captain Hall, Assistant Quartermaster at Camp Nelson, had not the presence of Longstreet's rebels and sundry guerilla forces on the various routes forbidden transportation to Knoxville. Under these circumstances, seven or eight days were unavoidably lost; but the great impediments were finally removed on the second day of the present month. A train of seventy teams was, in the space of one day, prepared for the journey, six of which were ordered to trans- port our stores. Having previously calculated on loading two thousand pounds to each team, the transportation furnished might have been sufficient, but the Assistant Quartermaster, being better advised of the condition of the roads, imperatively restricted each team to twelve hundred pounds, thus making it necessary to leave for the next train some of the less important boxes and barrels. Leaving Camp Nelson on the 3d, we reached the foot of "Big Hill " at noon on the 7th, without trouble or adventure. Notwith- standing that the guerillas had appeared in Mount Sterling, Ky., and were frequently reported in the vicinity of our train, ive did not see them. "We had been so far favored with a good road that we made moderate progress, but now the Big Hill was before us. The ascent, though only one mile, occupied two of the hardest days' work that we had yet known, and involved considerable destruction of mules, harness and teams. From the foot of Big Hill we look in vain for anything but rocks and ruts; consequently a few miles — from three to fifteen — suffice for a day's travel. Stores are ruinously jolted, boxes and barrels unavoidably break, while rarely a day passes without a team being capsized into a creek or river, or down a precipice. We reached Camp Pitman on the 13th, distant from Camp Nelson about eighty-five miles. Through the wagon master of our train I obtained an order from Captain Hall, which made our train independent of the brigade train, and consequently put an end to the annoying delays to which we had been repeatedly subjected. 142 SAWITART COMMISSION — WESTERN" DEPARTMENT. At, Camp Pitman I found the 51st New York regiment, guard- ing the post, and the assistant surgeon, Dr. Burd, was doing good among numberless obstacles. In nearly every house, from the top of Big Hill, I found that soldiers, in every degree of disease, had been left upon the hospi- tality and care of the people. In one house I found six soldiers occupying beds and the constant attention of a widow lady and her two daughters. The poor, sick and weary men were unable to proceed any further, and these patriotic Samaritans, whose brothers were among our soldiers in the field, were, out of their scanty means, administering to their relief and comfort. Having received information of such necessities before leaving Camp Nelson, I had provided a quantity of beef extract, milk, crackers, an assortment of woolen under-wear, and sundry other things which I found were actually required by men sick, hungry and naked. I found Dr. Burd collecting these poor fellows, and affording all aid possible within his power. He had procured a building, which he had made as comfortable as his resources would allow, and he strove arduously to make his miscellaneous hospital as effective as the emergency demanded. I was gratified in being able to furnish him with a variety of stores for his sick patients, for I know him to be one of the kindest and most faithful of men. During the forenoon of the 16th inst. I reached a house on Lincamp's Creek, and saw two men working at a cofiQn. After some enquiries I learned that, twelve days previously, a soldier had stopped at the house, complaining of chronic diarrhoea and rheuma- tism. The people shared their morsel with him, and employed their limited knowledge of medicine for his relief. The poor fellow also suffered with colic, which finally set in as an adjunct to his complicated disorders, and tortured him until he threw his armor down for his long rest in a mountain grave. I desired the sergeant of the guard to ascertain his effects, and finding only ninety cents, I threw the sum over to the poor family as a very small remuneration for their attention to the soldier. Turning one day, a mile from the road, I found a grave, which I was informed contained six soldiers who had died in the neigh- borhood ; but no human scribe was found to register their names ere death made them oblivious to all but God. LOYALTY OF EAST TENNESSEE. 143 While so many soldiers, sick and debilitated, were passing over the mountains towards Camp Nelson, in most cases totally depend- ent on the meager hospitality of the people, I ardently wished that this rude section of the countiy had resources similar to those of more favored people ; for with all their poverty and abject indigence, which nearly every dwelling in some counties presented, I never knew a soldier denied participation in their meal of corn bread and bacon ; vegetables, milk, butter, sugar and coffee being great rarities among them. Dwelling generally in what we would term miserable log houses, squalid women and children live month after month on their very scanty fare, and tell the stranger — soldier or citizen — of the fathers and sons in the Union army. The winter is now upon them, and they are ragged. Their corn is about eaten and they have little or no money to buy more, if perchance one might be found to sell. The alarming alternative is only too visible, and they shrink from it with dread. The neces- sities of the government service had aided very materially in the exhaustion of their staple product, so that now there is almost nothing along the route to Cumberland Gap for either man or beast. That they will need much and suffer extremely, if unaided in their need during the winter, is indisputable, and as they are proverbial for their fidelity to the Government, and have invariably befriended our sick straggling soldiers, they should receive practical sympathy to the extent of our ability and their necessity. A word to philanthropists is sufficient. Before leaving Camp Pitman we obtained a new supply of mules, harness and wagon tongues, also, a large amount of forage. No event, except such as have become of common occurrence, trans- pired until we passed through Cumberland Gap on the 20th inst, when a rumor v/as afloat that no train would be allowed to pass on the direct road to Knoxville, as the rebels were infesting that por- tion of the country. By the advice of the Post Commandant we took the Jacksboro road, though twenty miles further, as it was considered safe. Leaving Cumberland Gap on the evening of the 21st, we made better progress, while the forty guards, who had heretofore been employed in assisting the teams, were ordered by the officer in command to march in advance of the train under arms. 144 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DBPAETMENT. Several encounters had taken place in our Ticinity between Generals Wilcox and Longstreet only a few days previously, and others were pending, while the cannonading was distinctly audible in our train. There was marked anxiety among the guard to protect the train to Knoxyille, as they knew the great need which existed in the hospitals there. On the evening of the 24th inst., we encamped twenty-two miles from Knoxville, and on the following morning I started on horse- back, arriving in the recently besieged city before noon. I soon met with our agent, Mr. K. N. Strong, who was expecting me, and had procured two store rooms adjoining each other. The train arriving on the following evening, the stores were transferred to the building on the morning of the 27th inst. I was surprised to find so little damage done to the stores, a few pounds of crackers and dried apples were the amount of the loss, after so long a journey over such miserable roads. There are in Knoxville five hospitals, having their branches, and containing nearly two thousand patients. While the Commis- sary has been recently well replenished, the supplies of the Medical Department were scanty. Our stores were anxiously expected, and they were joyfully received. On Monday, the 28th inst., Mr. Crary arrived from Chattanooga with three hundred packages of select stores. Other shipments have been arranged for by way of Chattanooga. I am gratified with the intelligence that the river is opened for transportation from Bridgeport to Knoxville, so that our stores may not be subjected again to such delay as on this journey, however unavoidable. Very respectfully, yours, Thomas Butlee. SANITARY FAIBS. Among the measures adopted for piociiriiig hospital supplies for the army, none were more jiotent than the Sanitary Fairs ; and there lia\'e been, perhaps, no more striking exhibitions of the enthusiastic patriotism of our people than th(>se afforded. It is doubtful, indeed, whether any phase of tlic work of the Sanitary Commission will in SANITARY FAIES. 145 the future excite more interest and wonder, or exert greater moral influence than these Fairs, in which whole commu- nities joined with such enthusiasm and unanimity; and where, without distinction of party or sect, the friends of the country and humanity united in efforts productive of contributions of hundreds of thousands — ^ui two cases of more than a million — of dollars to a benevolent fund. Whatever credit is due for the conception of the plan, and the inauguration of the series of Sanitary Fairs which characterized the later years of the war, belongs to the West, and to Chicago, where the first Fair was held, in October, 1863. Seventy-two thousand dollars were the net proceeds of this Fair. The following extract from the history of this pioneer of the Sanitary Faii-s well illustrates the spirit with which all these wonderful exhibitions of charity were conducted : The contributions to the Fair, to be sold for the benefit of our sick and wounded soldiers, were large, were munificent; but it was this tone of deep-seated earnestness which was largest. It was not merely what men and women said and did, but the way the thing was done, which carried with it this impression of wholesale generosity of spirit. Delicately-wrought articles,, such as usually adorn the tables of Fairs — the work of ladies' hands — were not wanting; but then the farmers from miles and miles around kept coming in with their wagons by twenties, and fifties, and hundreds, loaded down with their bulky farm produce ; others came leading horses, or driving before them cows, or oxen, or mules, which they contributed instead of money, of which, perhaps, they had none; others brought live poultry which had been fed for months by the poor man's door; they brought this because they must bring some- thing, and this was all they had. Some wagons were loaded from rich dairies, with butter and cheese by the ton. Then came great loads of hay from some distant farm, followed by others just as large from farms further off. The mechanics brought their machines and gave them in, one after another — mowing machines, reapers, thrash- ing machines, planters, pumps, fanning mills — until a new building, 10 146 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAETMEKT. a great storehouse, had to be erected to receive them; and here were plows, and stoves, and furnaces, and mill stones, and nails by the hundred kegs, and wagons, and carriage springs, and axes, and plate glass, and huge plates of wrought iron (one, the largest that was ever rolled from any rolling mill in the world), block tin, enameled leather, hides, boxes of stationery, cases of boots, cologne by the barrel, native wine in casks, purified coal oil by the thousand gallons, a mountain howitzer, a steel breech-loading cannon, and a steam-engine made by the workingmen in one of the manufactories of engines in Chicago. Then loaded wagons came in long proces- sions, toiling into the city from far-off country places, bearing marks of frontier service, and the horses or mules, together with the drivers themselves, most of them told of wear. Many of them were sun-burnt men, with bard hands and rigid features; and a careless observer would have said that there was surely nothing in those wagons, as they passed, to awaken any sentiment. Yet some thing there was about it all which brought tears to the eyes of hundreds, as the old farmers, with their heavy loads, toiled by. .Among thfi crowd of spectators there was noticed a broad-shoul- dered Dutchman, with a face expressive of anything but thought or feeling. He gazed at this singular procession as it passed — the sun-burnt farmers, and the long, narrow wagons, and the endless variety of vegetables and farm produce; he gazed there as these men, with their sober faces and their homely gifts, passed one by one, until, when finally the last wagon had moved by, this stolid, lethargic-looking man "broke down," with a flood of tears, and could say nothing and do nothing but seize upon the little child whom he held by the hand, and hug her to his heart, trying to hide his manly tears behind her floating curls. Cincinnati followed closely with a Fair of still more gigantic dimensions and more sni'prising resnlts. The Cincinnati Fair opened on Christmas Day, and produced a fnnd of two hundred and thirty -five thousand dollars. Northern Ohio caught the enthusiasm of the hour, and a Fair held in Cleyc4and, during the fortnight succeeding the 22d of February, netted to the Cleveland Branch more than seventy-nine thousand dollars. After visiting the A TWICE BLESSED CHAKITT. 147 Cleveland Fair, the editor of the Sanitary Reporter wrote as follows : We cannot but think that, the good results of such Pairs as have been held in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and other cities, are not to rest with the contributions to the soldiers' comfort alone — are not to be estimated in so many dollars for socks, sour-krout, onions and potatoes. To promote the comfort of our soldiers, to be able to buy these essentials for the army, is an incalculable good; but this charity is " twice blessed." A rich and subtle blessing must lie in the wide sympathies called out, the new relations of acquaint- ance, friendship and intimacy formed, and in the surprising reve- lation of talent and worth in remote and unexplored localities. Neighbors and neighborhoods must come to respect each other more, to depend upon each other more, and wonder that they have missed finding each other out so long. Prejudice must be softened; artificial barriers must give way to a freer intercourse, and tender- ness of feeling and judgment must take the place of sour sus- picion. After so complete a flooding of all the field of life with the resistless tide of a sweet and noble enthusiasm, we cannot but look for a new bloom and unexampled harvests. Among the important Sanitary events of the closing year of the war should be enumerated the second Chicago Fair, known as the North-Westt^rn Sanitary Fair, wliicli opened May 30, 1865, and from wliich was realized a fund of over two hundred thousand dollars. CHAPTEE IV. EA7":E3IsrTS OIF 18 6 4. THE AEMT IS GEOEGIA. DuKixcJ 1864, both interest and effort in our Sanitary work were centered in Tennessee and North Georgia. By far the largest portion of the troops employed in this Department were gathered there, and no military move- ments of magnitnde and importance were attempted in other parts of the field. After the batth^ of Chattanooga, some months were devoted to ri^st, I'eorganization, and the accumnlation of supplies ; and it was not until the spring of 1864 that General Sherman began his advance southward. His army — ninety-eight thousand strong — drove the enemy, ste]) l)y step, from his various points of defense, till the campaign was virtually terminated by the capture of Athmta, on the 2d day of Seirtembei'. The events of this campaign have already become his- torical, and it is not necessary that they should now be recapitulated. Suffice it to say that nearly every mile of the' interval between Chattanooga and Atlanta was fought over, and that some of the engagements, such as those of Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree, etc., were among the most desperate and bloody of tlie war. The severities of tile cami)aign and the number of casualties consequent upon the battles threw \ipon the Medical Department and the Sanitary Commission an amount of labor and res])onsi- bility which tested their capabilities to the utmost. But, EFFECTIVE WOEK. 149 thanks to the slowness of the advance and the vigorous measures that were adopted for the relief of the sick and wounded, they were more eflfectually care'd for, and all their wants more full.y met, than in any previous campaign in tliis Department. Field hospitals were established in the vicinity of every battle field — frequently, indeed, under fire — and into these the wounded were gathered with so great promptness that no cases of suffering from neglect and exposure, such as liave been reported from the battle fields of Fort Donelson and Shiloh, are known to have occurred. At convenient points along the railroad, as at Kingston, Dalton and Marietta, general hospitals were established, which received contributions of sick and wounded from the field hospitals, and gave to their inmates all the relief they could have received under any circum- stances. As these larger hospitals became crowded, the hospital trains, organized for this line of communication, were freighted with such patients as could bear removal, and these were transported, with little suffering or injury, to the great hospitals in Nashville and Louisville. In the good work accomplislied during this campaign, the Sanitary Commission played an important part. A large number of experienced agents closely followed the advancing army; at every stopping-place a depot of supplies was opened, and a corps of field relief agents was constantly occupied in visiting battle fields, camps and field hospitals, aiding in the first care of the wounded, distributing such supplies as they could transport, and gathering full lists of casualties for the Hospital Directory. For the supply of our depots, the military authorities permitted us to transport one and sometimes two car-loads of stores per day from Chattanooga southward, messengers going with each shipment and distributing supplies to the different stations as they were needed. No figures or tables 150 SANITAKT COMMISSION — WESTERN' DEPARTMENT. can give an adequate idea of the amount and variety of work done for the relief of the sick and wounded at the front. And during their transmission to the rear they were never lost sight of, nor permitted to suffer from any cause which could be removed. After lending such assistance as was necessary to give completeness and efficiency to the hospital trains, the Sani- tary Commission established refreshment stations at Kings- ton, Dalton, Resaca and Decherd, where, at convenient intervals, the inmates of the hospital cars received all necessary medical and surgical care, and such food and stimulants as enabled them to accomplish the journey to Chattanooga with comparative ease and comfort. The work which I have thus briefly sketched was dis- tributed among the different departments and agents of the Commission in such a way that, though that number was large, no confusion occurred, and the greatest possible efiiciency was secured. Mr. M. C. Read continued in charge of the base of supplies at Chattanooga, supervising the large amount of work done at that point, and securing the transmission of supplies to the front, with promptness and regularity. He was assisted by a corps of able and efficient men, representing the different departments of our work, who, like himself, displayed an earnestness and ability in the performance of their duty which deserve the highest praise. I have, in the notes previously written, alluded to the hospital garden at Chattanooga, and described that at Mur- freesboro. All these efforts to compensate for the difficulties of transportation of supplies to a country so entirely desti- tute were eminently successful, but that at Chattanooga, from its magnitude and usefulness, deser^-es to be specially commemorated. No one who has not himself heon present with our armies in their cami)aigns at the South, can readily HOSPITAL GAEDBN, CHATTANOOGA. 151 appreciate the circiamstances in wMch. they were placed, and will find it difiicult to realize that in a fertile and previ- ously productive country, our troops should suffer to a serious extent from scurvy, a disease usually confined to those who, by long residence' in the extreme North, on ship- board, or in utterly barren districts, are deprived of the ■ vegetable nutriment necessary to health ; and yet the evi- dence is abundant and conclusive that no armies have ever suffered more seriously from scurvy than did ours during their campaigns in Tennessee. To meet the great want of a vegetable diet, felt by our troops, shipments were made by the Sanitary Commission, from the North, of such quanti- ties of potatoes, onions, sour-krout, pickles, etc. , as in many instances to exhaust the markets from which they were supplied, and such as constituted an aggregate that cannot be looked upon without surprise and admiration, when it is considered as an item in the work of a voluntary organiza- tion. As, from the difficulties in the way of transportation over a long line of imperfect railroad, it was early found that the pressing want of a vegetable diet could not be sup- plied by shipments from the North, hospital gardens were resorted to as a method of supplying, from the soU of the country adjacent to our hospitals, all forms of fresh vegeta- bles so much craved and needed by their inmates. The garden at Chattanooga included an area of one hundred and fifty acres, one hundred acres of which were at one time in cultivation for raisiag garden vegetables. The benefits derived from this garden, by both hospitals and camps, cannot be over-estimated, and it constituted one of the measures of relief to which we can refer with the most unqualified pride and satisfaction. Further details ia regard to the Hospital Gardens will be found ia a chapter devoted to that subject in Part II of this Keport. 152 SANITAEY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAETMENT. In this campaign Dr. A. N. Read had the general super- vision of the work done at the front ; Rer. Mr. Hoblit having charge of the Special Relief and Hospital Directory work, and Mr. Eno of the Feeding Stations along the line of rail- road. Each of the Distributing Stations in the Supply Department was in charge of some one of our experienced agents, who included in their number Mr. Tone, Mr. Crary and Mr. Sutliffe, who had long been in our service. Dr. Barnum, now in the emplo}^ of the Government, was Gen- eral Superintendent of Hospital Transportation. The general features of the work of the Sanitary Com- mission in the Valley of the Mississippi during the summer of 1864, are described in the following report made by the writer in October of that year : Louisville, Kt., October 33, 1864. Dr. J. Poster Jenkins, Getieial Secretary Sanitary Gommission: Dear (Sir — In submitting the detailed reports of the different departments of oi^r work for the three months ending October 1st, I beg leave to preface them by a general summary, presenting in a condensed view all the information derived from this and other sources, which will be of interest, and have a practical bearing on the administration of the Commission. Our attention, as well as that of the public, has in a great degree centered in that great move on the military chess-board, the advance of Sherman's army into the heart of Georgia, and the succession of battles and victories culminating in the capture of Atlanta. Most of the events connected with that campaign occurred in a previous quarter, and, so far as they had a bearing on our work, have been previously reported to you. Although, to a greater or less degree, embarrassed by the inter- ruption of communication with the front, and by the want of trans- portation, which we shared with every branch of the service, up to the time of the capture of Atlanta we were able to keep with the army so large a working force, provided with so generous a supply of stores, that we were at all times prepared to furnish to those needing A SURVEY OF THE FIELD. 153 it such an amount of material and manual aid as to considerably soften the hardships of an arduous campaign, and fully sustain the reputation and responsibilities of the Commission. The number of our agents paralyzed or removed by sickness rendered it necessary to send so large reinforcements to the field that our corps presented a more formidable array of names than ever before ; compelling us to draw more largely on our privileges of passes and transportation than has ever before been necessary. In addition to this, a host of civilians, representing other benevolent organizations, or pursuing individual aims of a philanthropic or mercenary nature, reckoned themselves, or were reckoned by the military authorities — who, since the recall of General Rosecrans, have never been careful to discriminate between the good and bad, the true and the false — in the category of "Sanitary agents," of whom, at one time, eighty per week were receiving passes and trans- portation from Chattanooga to the front. Impelled by a desire to abate this clear and formidable abuse, a step rendered necessary by the diflBculties surrounding the transportation of supplies to the army. General Sherman issued a peremptory order prohibiting, with a few rare exceptions, the access of all civilians to the forces at the front, and limiting the number of our agents in the field. Under this order we were permitted to keep but two resident agents at Atlanta — a smaller number than was desirable to sustain all the departments of our work, and yet, with the detailed help and other facilities cheerfully furnished us, sufficient to prevent serious embar- rassment. The interests of the Commission with Sherman's army, and all along the line of communication with that army, are now in the hands of our most experienced and efiQcient agents, all important absentees having returned to duty; and I have entire confidence that we shall enjoy in the future, as we have done for three years past, all facilities and privileges necessary for the thorough performance of our work. Dr. Read having recovered from the serious illness which com- pelled him to withdraw, has returned to take the supervision of the field work in General Sherman's army. We may be sure that, guided by his wisdom, it will not languish, nor be badly done. At Chattanooga, the Agency is again under the care of M. C. Eead, who, with Mr. Hosford, has recently returned from sick fur- lough. The absence of both these gentlemen has been seriously 154 SANITAET COMMISSIOlir — WESTERN^ DEPARTMENT. felt, and I congratulate myself that they are again at their posts, in the enjoyment of full physical vigor, and the exercise of the rare faculties which they possess. The garden at Chattanooga, under the management of Mr. Wills, has more than accomplished our anticipations of its usefulness. The entire issues from it during the season to October 1st, have been ten thousand and twenty-three bushels of potatoes, tomatoes, beans, &c., and one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four dozen of corn, melons, squashes and cabbage, with a large store of fall crops still remaining. At Knoxville, we have suffered serious loss in the death of Mr. J. H. Milliken, a most estimable and efficient man, who had the superintendence of the Agency after the departure of Dr. Seymour. His place has since been filled by Mr. T. Y. Gardner, who is no less worthy of our respect and esteem. The hospital garden, in charge of Mr. Culbertson, although less extensive than that at Chattanooga, has played a no less important part in the supply of the hospitals there. During the month of September, Mr. Culbertson distributed from the garden two hundred and seventy-seven bushels of toma- toes ; two hundred and sixty-four bushels of beans ; six thousand three hundred and forty-seven dozen cucumbers (mostly pickles); one thousand nine hundred and twenty-nine heads of cabbage, etc. The Feeding Stations at Kingston, Dalton, Decherd, etc., have formed a most important, indeed, indispensable portion of our work, during the last quarter. Under the general supervision of Mr. Eno, and individually managed by Mr. Brundrett, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Sutliffe and Dr. Hillman, they have supplied food and all needed care to nearly every sick or wounded man transported from the front to the rear, extending their benefits to many thousands, and performing a service of incalculable value. The Agency at Nashville has continued under the supei'vision of Judge Root, and has been most wisely conducted, and highly pros- perous. With its business offices, warehouse. Soldiers' Home and agents' quarters, each occupying a distinct building, the Sanitary Commission at Nashville is a very conspicuous institution, yet I am sure it uses to excellent purpose the wide space which it covers. The Nashville Home, under the efficient management of Capt. Brayton, has become an institution so popular as to be constantly filled to overflowing, and has proved so inadequate in capacity to INCKEASBD EFFICIENCY. 155 the demand upon it, that the military authorities have promised to give us, in exchange for the building now occupied, one of the largest hospital buildings in the city. At Louisville no changes requiring special mention have occurred in^our work or our coi-ps of agents. Each department is moving on smoothly and with steadily increasing importance. The Louisville Home has never before accommodated near so many as within the past three months, having been daily crowded to its utmost capacity. And such has been the throng of furloughed and discharged men passing through the city, that the necessity has been laid upon us for the establishment of a similar institution on the opposite side of the river, of which mention will be made in the notice of the department of Special Relief. The warehouse has never been so much crowded with stores as of late, nor the amount of goods received and shipped daily near so large. The condition of the Hospital Directory will be learned from the report of its Superintendent, and I will only say in regard to it that the value of its register, now so immense, is receiving constant and increasing illustration. Eeports from all the hospitals in this Department come in with regularity, and I have reason to believe that the great importance of this branch of our work is now fully recognized, as well by the military and medical authorities as by the people. The demand for the Reporter has been gradually increasing, and we are now compelled to print au edition of about seven thousand five hundred copies. We have satisfactory evidence that we are far more than compensated for the expenditure by the influence it exerts, in spreading a knowledge of and fostering an interest in our work. The Pension Agency, but recently established here, has been rapidly gaining importance, and has already secured the presenta- tion and acceptance of the claims of very many deserving persons, too ignorant or too poor to prosecute them without its assistance. DISTRICT OF THE MISSISSIPPI. The work of the Commission on the Mississippi, so greatly reduced by the withdrawal of the Army of the Tennessee, has of late claimed more of our attention, from the activity of military movements in that quarter. The Agencies of the Commission at 156 SANITARY COMMISSION^ — WESTEEN DBPARTIIBKT. Cairo, Memphis and Vicksburg have been constantly maintained, it is true, and the first of these has grown rather than diminished in importance, but the garrisons of the posts along the river have been comparatively small, requiring only a limited amount of assist- ance from us ; and the army in Arkansas, mostly qomposed of troops from the Department of the Gulf, has been considered still within the Sanitary jurisdiction of Dr. Blake, of New Orleans, and has been followed by his representatives, who have, as a general rule, looked to him for supplies. The prevalence of a scorbutic taint in this army has, however, created a demand for such a quantity and such kinds of stores as could not be readily supplied from the Atlantic States. In these circumstances. Dr. Blake appealed to me for vegetables and other anti-scorbutics, and, in answer to this, the "Dunleith" was fully freighted and sent down the Mississippi, delivering half her cargo at New Orleans, and distributing the other half at way stations along the route. This shipment was most timely, and was wel- comed with enthusiasm by Dr. Blake and the military authorities. As, however, it furnished but a temporary relief from the wants it was intended to meet, it has seemed to me necessary to forward further supplies by the same means, and the " Dunleith '' has been reloaded and again despatched on the same route. It is scarcely possible that the troops on the lower Mississippi and its tributaries can receive an adequate supply of anti-scorbutics from any other source than the Western States; and should the diflficulties now existing, of procuring adequate transportation through the Quarter- master's Department, continue, it may be desirable to make further shipments by steamers chartered for that purpose. The business of the Agency at Cairo, as I have intimated, has of late been greater than ever, and I cannot speak too highly of the zeal and wisdom with which it has been managed by Mr. Shipman. The Home at this point has been, for weeks and months past, liter- ally inundated with the tide of soldiers that has flowed through it, and there are few who see the crowds fed and sheltered there who fail to ask themselves what would be the fate of these poor fellows, were no such asylum provided for them. In compliance with the request of the Medical Director, Dr. W. K. Danforth, approved by Lieutenant Colonel Allen, Medical Inspector, I have recently established a Home at Paducah, under REFUGEES IN KANSAS. 157 the supervision of Mr. Edward D. Way. A commodious building, and all other needed facilities, have been provided by the military authorities, and I have reason to believe that the Home at this point, though not large, will be complete in its appointments, well managed, and a great blessing to those who may become inmates of it. DISTRICT OF KANSAS. During- the past quarter our work in Kansas has been thor- oughly reorganized, and freed from some incumbrances by which it was formerly clogged. Our efiQcient agent there, Mr. J. E. Brown, embraced in his wide-spread sympathy every object of compassion and charity in any way consequent upon the war, so that the refu- gees and contrabands, as well as the sick and wounded of our soldiery, found in him a most earnest and devoted friend. So untiring and successful was he in his efforts, that he became recog- nized by both the people and the military authorities as the great, if not the sole, medium through which all cases of want and suffer- ing were to be relieved. As a natural consequence, he found himself rapidly involved in duties and responsibilities which made drafts on his strength and resources he was utterly imable to meet. After struggling bravely with accumulating difficulties, finally overburdened and discour- aged, he applied to me for counsel and assistance. At my sugges- tion he accompanied me to New York, and presented the claims of the refugees to the ofiBcers of the societies formed for their care. As I hoped, his appeal was answered at once, and such provisions made for the support of both white and black refugees that Mr. Brown has relieved himself of all but a general supervision of their interests, and has thus been able to give a more undivided atten- tion to our work. The present invasion of Missouri, and threat- ened invasion of Kansas, have given great activity to military operations in this quarter, and I have authorized Mr. Brown to employ additional assistance, if necessary, to meet the increased demand upon him. WEST VIRGI NIA. The concentration of troops in the Valley of the Shenandoah has withdrawn from Western Virginia the larger portion of those for whose care we have been in some degree responsible. Our work 158 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. has, therefore, materially decreased in this District, and I have directed Mr. Fracker to break up the Agency at Marietta and transfer any stores to Wheeling, trusting to be able to meet the demands arising in this District from that one station. All parts of this field have been recently inspected by Dr. Parker, and the change I have designated has been made in accordance with his recommendation. SUPPLY DEPARTMENT. A marked change has taken place in our work in this Depart- ment since the beginning of the war. Then everything was needed, of diet, clothing, or medicine, by well men or sick, that we could furnish. Now, the number and variety of cases of disease in the veteran regiments is comparatively small. The heads of the hydra which formerly devoured at such a fearful rate our newly recruited forces have been, by varioiis influences, scotched, until but two formidable ones remain — scurvy and chronic diarrhcea. The resources and methods of the Medical Department have so far improved, and its officers are now so well trained in their duties, that comparatively little is needed from us of clothing, medicine and delicacies, of which we formerly supplied such large quantities. Our efforts, therefore, of late have been mainly directed to the supply of the universal and pressing demand for vegetables and other anti-scorbutics, which are not, and cannot be^ furnished in sufficient quantities through the regular channel. During the year past the quantity of potatoes, onions and cabbages, fresh and canned tomatoes, krout, pickles, dried apples, etc., which we have forwarded to the army has been unprecedent- edly large. To procure these, our friends all over the JSTorthern States have been actively engaged, and our agents have not only visited all our own markets, but also those of Canada. The season for the production and distribution of these articles had, at the 1st of October, but just commenced ; but our shipmeni of onions, for example, had, up to that time and since the last report, exceeded twenty thousand bushels. In addition to the supplies just enumerated, soft crackers and codfish, not furnished in any considerable quantities by the Com- missary Department, have formed an important part of our ship- ments. Of stimulants, since they are freely supplied through the NATUKE OF SUPPLIES. 159 regular channel, and are, of all stores, most liable to misappropria- tion, we have forwarded as few as possible. Concentrated beef and concentrated milk have been in such constant demand, and are articles so generally and decidedly useful, that we have been in the past, and shall be in the future, compelled to make them prominent items in our supply table. From the statements I have made, it will be seen that we have now relieved ourselves from the most fruitful cause of anxiety and reproach in the administration of our Supply Department; and any one who will examine the invoices of our shipments to the army will soon discover that canned fruits, wines and other domestic delicacies, in regard to the use of which our contributors have had so much concern, form a very insignificant part of them; and we may hereafter effectually silence the criticisms of those who question the purity of our work in this Department, by the asser- tion that scarcely one per cent, of our stores are such as are suscep- tible of misappropriation or unworthy use. In the transportation of supplies, we have had no other diffi- culties than such as were incident to the interruption of communi- cation with the front, and the crowded state of the road when open. We have enjoyed every facility which we could ask at all points, and from the officers in every branch of the service. The recent break in the road has occasioned the accumulation of twelve car-loads of onions at Chattanooga, and six at Nashville, all of which were intended for Atlanta. But since there is now a large force on this side of Tunnel Hill, where the break begins, there is ample demand for all we have to issue. On the Mississippi the interruption of trade has so far dimin- ished the opportunities for shipment that it has been necessary, as I have before stated, to charter a steamer for the supply of our stations in that district. As soon as adequate transportation can be otherwise procured, this source of expenditure will, of course, b.- removed. In our constituency of the home field a cordial and harmoniot. spirit of co-operation prevails. Where large funds have been col- lected by Sanitary Fairs, a disposition has been manifested to rest upon the unusual exertion made in connection with them ; there has been a relaxation in the efforts to collect supplies, and, as a consequence, a diminution in the quantity received. In every 160 SAKTITART COMMISSION — WESTBEN' DEPARTMBSTT. field, howerer, the produce has been precisely proportionate to the thoroughness of the tillage, and there is scarcely a portion of the country from which we derive stores that could not be made doubly productive by a more vigorous and systematic canvass. INSPECTORIAL DEPARTMENT. As the work of Sanitary inspection is in charge of another oflBcer, he alone is capable of reporting fully upon it. I may say, however, in passing, that in this Department the work has been entirely suspended, and the surgeons who were engaged in it have been withdrawn from the field, or have gone into the service of the Government. Of the Chief Inspectors of Departments, whose duties are administrative and general, but two are now in the field — Dr. A. 'N. Read, some time absent on sick leave, has just returned to the supervision of our work with the army of General Sherman, and Dr. Benjamin Woodward, who has lately been appointed to the superintendency of the Mississippi District, an office formerly filled with so much credit to himself and the Commission by Dr. H. A. Warriner. Dr. M. M. Seymour, Chief Inspector of the Department of the Ohio, has been compelled, by the demands of his private affairs, to withdraw from the service of the Commission, and the position which he held is now vacant. Yet, as its importance has been greatly diminished by the changes in the location of General Schofield's command, it will not he necessary for the present that it should be filled. DEPART ME:NT of SPECIAL RELIEF. Our work in this Department has so far increased as to be inferior to no other in magnitude and importance, and there scarcely seems to be a limit to the work of mercy which may be done by the differ- ent oflices and institutions which it includes. The number of Soldiers' Homes under the superintendence of the Sanitary Com- mission in this Department was, at the date of my last report, eleven, namely, those at Nashville, Louisville, Camp Nelson, Mem- phis, Cairo, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Bufi'alo, Detroit, and New Albany. To these I have recently added one at Paducah, and another at Jeflfersouville, Indiana. An enumeration of the lodgings and meals furnished to the inmates of these Homes, during the past SPECIAL RELIEF WORK. 161 quarter, shows an aggregate of ninety- three thousand five hundred and fifty-five lodgings, and three hundred twenty-one thousand and seventy-six meals. While these large numbers will impress any one with the magnitude of the work accomplished by the Homes, they form but an imperfect exponent of the many and varied good oflSces which they perform to the objects of their charities. Only the detailed reports of their superintendents can give anything like a fair presentation of a subject to which space will not now permit me to do justice. HOSPITAL TRAINS. The transportation of sick and wounded, at one time a conspicu- ous portion of our work and expenditure, has now become so far self-sustaining as to require little intervention on our part. The hospital trains organized by the Sanitary Commission, and for eighteen months manned and sustained by it, were turned over to the medical authorities as soon as they were willing to accept the responsibility; and the major part of the expense attending the fitting up of the numerous and complete hospital cars on the road has been borne by the Government, although the contributions made by the Sanitary Commission have, in the aggregate, amounted to some thousands of dollars. In the transfer of the sick in transit to the care of the (iovern- ment, Dr. Barnura, who was in our service, was employed by the Medical Department, and he has since been given the supervision of the whole matter of the transportation of the sick and wounded to the rear, and the superintendence of all the trains upon the road. By his wisdom and energy, the work has been so far systematized as to form one of the best ordered branches of the medical service in this Department. To enable Dr. Barnum to accomplish his purposes fully, he has been authorized to draw freely upon the resources of the Commis- sion, and a small number of his assistants are still to be paid from its funds. HOSPITAL VISITORS. The duty performed by the Hospital Visitors continues to hold the high place in my respect which I have heretofore given it. My only regret, in this connection, is that the number of devoted and faithful men engaged in it cannot be largely increased. The 11 162 SAKITABY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Commission has sustained a serious loss in the resignation of Rev. J. P. T. Ingraham, for the year past our Hospital Visitor at Kash- ville. Greatly to the regret of all with whom he has been asso- ciated, he has felt compelled to return to his pastoral duties. In this connection I ought to refer to two sources of expendi- ture which properly belong to the Department of Special Relief; of these, the first to which I refer is the pre-payment of postage on soldiers' letters, retained in the offices of Chattanooga, Nashville and Louisville. The number of letters, mostly kind words from home, thus made to reach their destination, is something like sixteen thousand per month, forwarded at a cost of about eight hundred dollars. I cannot but think that the present arrangement, useful as it is, should be but temporary, and that if this great and richly deserved blessing cannot be secured to the soldier through the Post Oflice Department, the subject should receive the attention of Congress at the commencement of the nest session. In accordance with permission from the Standing Committee, I have expended two thousand five hundred dollars in the construc- tion of a commodious chapel in the Jeffersonville Hospital. The cost of erecting this building will considerably exceed the sum specified, and the balance will be paid by the Christian Commission. Yours respectfully, J. S. Newberry, Secretary IT. S. Sanitary Commission, We-iteni Depnriment. EAST TENNESSEE. A.fter the retreat of Longstreet and tlie associated events reported in my notes on the fall campaign ot 1863 had taken place, active military operations for a time ceased in tlie vicinity of Knoxville, though a large force, constituting the army of the Ohio, under General Schofield, garrisoned this district for some months, and constant though unimportant skirmishing along the frontiei' kept the military authorities on the qui vii^e. The resources of this country had now become utterly exhausted, and really nothing could> be derived from it for the support of the army. As a conse- quence, the task of furnishing the necessai'y subsistence BAST TENNESSEE. 163 and hospital stoics to that far-off region became a matter of no ordinary difiicnlty. As soon as practicable after the battle of Chattanooga, the railroad was re-opened to Knox- ville, and snpplies for the army were transported from Nashville and Louisville by that route ; yet such was its length — neaily five hundred miles from Louisville — the dilapidated condition of the railroad, and the pressing wants of the greater army south of Chattanooga, that what was derived from this source was necessarily inadequate. The caiises which limited the transportation of stores to Knox- villc also restricted the contributions made for the supply f)f the hospitals at that point, by the Sanitary Commission ; yet, previous to this time, the main dependence of the gar- rison at Knoxville had been upon stores transported by the route from Central Kentucky over the Cumberland moan- tains ; a rough road at best, and in winter, and when cut up by army wagons, almost impassable. Such as it was, how- ever, we were compelled to use this route in the transporta- tion of th^ first Sanitary stores sent to Knoxville, and after the opening of the railroad we felt that the facilities for doing our work at this point were greatly increased. At this time the Agencj' at Knoxville was fully organized ; Dr. M. M. Seymour, Chief Inspector of the Army of the Ohio, in charge. A hospital garden was established here as at Chattanooga, and all departments of our woi k Avere repre- sented. FALL CAMPAIGN OF 1864. The operations of the Sanitary Commission at the West during the autumn of 1864, were briefly as follows : In West Virginia no active military movements were carried on, but the camps and hospitals required a certain amount of effort on our part which necessitated the continuance of our Agency at Wheeling for the distribution of stores, and the 164 SANITARY COJIMISSION — U'ESTEEST DBPAETMEKT. emplo}'ment of one Inspecto)-, who made rounds of visits to all the troops stationed in that Department. Nearly the same may be said of Kansas, where a large aggregate of work was done, and yet no great event disturbed the even tenor of the way of our excellent agent, Mr. Brown, or his assot'iates. In Arkansas active military operations were contmiied, and much was done in the way of supplementary aid to the army, both l\y the agents of the Western Sani- tary Commission and our own. The wish was frequently ex})ress('d l)y the officers of the St. Louis Commission that this field should be left entirely in their hands, but, with an earnest desii-e on m}^ part to accede to the wishes of those who weri^ working so earnestly and efficiently in tlie same cause vnf]\ ourselves, the ari-angement was found to be impracticable. AM the Northern States contributing to our fund of sai)p]i('s had represc^ntatives in the army stationed in ^Irlvausas ; and while urgent appeals for help weie com- ing to us from tliese troops, we could not, injustice to them or theii- friejuls at liome, delegate their relief to any other body, a]id thus sliirk all the responsibility of their care. As a conse(pienc(\ we were compelled to keep one or more ay-cuts constantly in Arkansas, and our shipments to Duvall's Bluff, Grand Ecore, Little Kock and Ftut Smith, during 1864, were in the aggregate very hu-ge. We have ample proof in the ac^viiowledgments of suigeons and com- ]nanding officers, tliat these eflbi-ts and supplies were of great value to the si(dv and wounded. On the Mississippi, our Agencies at Vicksburg, ^Memphis and (iaii-o continued in full activity. Such was the demand for stores — es])ecial]y vegetables — at tlu'se points and at New Orleans, tliat the su})])l}- st(>anu^r was constantly emi)]oyed in tlieir transportation to these places and to the Mississippi lieet. A large aiiuy was still quartered in Ten- ucss('(\ North fleorgia, and .Vlabaraa., which, in its diffi>rent THE MARCH TO THE SEA. 165 camps and lioy})italR, was i^eceiving the ministrations of nearly one hundred of our agents. Louisville, NashvUle, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Huntsville, therefore, continued to be all important and busy centers of Sanitary work. Sherman began his gieat mai-ch to the sea under such circumstances as to forbid an attempt to follow him with supplies, but as far as it ^vas possible to do so, the army was prepared by the Sanitary Commission for its arduous march. Extraordinaiy efforts had been made to furnish (-veiy regi- ment with a liberal supply of vegetable food for some time previous, and wlien the march began, an outfit was furnished to the surgeons as generous as was consistent with the limited transportation at their command. Two of our ageiits accom- panied the expedition — Rev. Mr. Hoblit and JNlr. Johnson — and, aside from such other services as they rendered, they performed an important work in gathering full statistics of the casualties occirrring on the marcli, noting all deaths and places of burial. In this way many valuable records came into our possession which would have had no existence except through the efforts of these agents. The following lettei' from Mr. Hoblit will illustrate the character of the duty wliich he performed : .Savannah, Ga., December 22, 1864. De. J. 8. Newberry : Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission : Dear Sir — On learniDg that General Sherman was about to make a bold move through the State of Georgia to some point on the sea-coast, it was deemed important that some one of the Com- mission's agents should accompany the expedition. That duty fell to my lot, and I now have the honor to report to you the work and observations of my mission. Early in the month of November there was great activity at Atlanta, sending stores and non-combatants to the rear, and preparing the troops \\\t\\ clothing and rations for the pro- spective campaign. By the middle of the month this work was 166 SASriTART COMMISSION — -WESXEBN DEPARTMENT. accomplished, and on the 15th day of Noyember, 1864, the Army of Georgia broke up camp, and commenced its long and unparalleled march toward the land of the palmetto. Officers and men were in excellent spirits, and even jubilant, over the prospective movement. Each division had its hospital department well organized before starting, and had, besides the hospital wagons, a corps of about forty ambulances. All the sick and wounded were to report, or to be reported, to the chief surgeon in charge of the hospital, for trans- portation and treatment. The surgeons of regiments were furnished with cards, admitting the bearer to a place in an ambulance. These cards were given out at the surgeon's call in the morning, to such as could not march. The bearer, perhaps, would start on with the troops, and, when his strength failed, rested by the wayside until the ambulances came up. For the first few days many could not walk, on account of foot-soreness ; but they soon got well, and even cases of fever and men with wounds recovered in these traveling hospi- tals. The plan worked well. Everything was systematized. When the column halted for the night, the hospital tents were speedily put up by a party detailed for that purpose, while others prepared supper. The sick and wounded were taken from the ambulances and made comfortable in the tents. Soon a hot, savory supper was ready and served to them, and then they were made comfortable for the night. Each hospital had its organized foraging party, whose business it was, during the day's march, to gather supplies for the hospital from the abundance in the country; and they seldom failed to bring in at night plenty of sweet pota- toes, chickens, fresh pork and mutton, of which there seemed to be no end; also corn meal, and sometimes flour. Much of the time honey was to be found on the diet list. Milk was to be had in abundance. Scores of cows were driven along, for a supply of that very excellent article of diet in the treatment of the sick and wounded men. In the morning the surgeons examined all the patients, treating as each case required. Breakfast over, the ambulances were loaded again with their human freiglit, the tents struck, and the hospital was ready to move with the column. Thus day after day did we proceed. It is remarkable, but nevertheless true, that there were several divisions that did not lose a man by sickness during their entire TO SAVANNAH WITH SHEEMAN. 167 march of about three hundred and fifty miles. Those of other divisions who died were principally among the new recruits. The general health of the army was better when we halted before Savannah than when we left Atlanta. The generous and even lu-surious living of the soldiers, upon sweet potatoes, turnips, fowls, various kinds of fresh meats, sorghum, molasses, honey, etc., had the good effect to eradicate whatever of scorbutic taint previously existed. The march was of immense value to the army as a sani- tary measure. I have procured and forwarded to the Hospital Directory a correct and complete list of the casualties since leaving Atlanta; of the killed, the time and place; of the deaths in hospital, the date and Avhere buried; of the wounded, the nature and locality of the wound in most cases; those seriously sick; and also the missing and captured. In all cases, when possible, I have given the place and the circumstances. We have spared no labor or pains to get a full report ; and here I wish to make mention of the faithfulness of Mr. Johnston and Mr. Tope, my assistants ; also, the uniform kindness and co-operation of the officers in the different departments and commands in perfecting this work. I am glad to be able to state that, with a veiy few exceptions, all the sick and wounded were brought through with the army. The surgeons in charge of the hospitals deserve much praise for their energetic efforts to bring all the patients through. I had designed to procure a list of Union prisoners buried from rebel prisons, but in this failed. Andersonville, Americus and Macon, where our men had been confined, were left to the right by our army, and .of course these places I could not reach. Millen I visited, where so many of our brave soldiers were shamefully treated. About twelve acres of ground were enclosed by a stockade twenty feet high. This pen was in the midst of a dense forest of pines. A marshy stream ran through the center of it. No build- ings to cover the prisoners were permitted. All the shelter from rain and cold the men in that enclosure could obtain was huts made in the ground, and covered with mud bricks. The dampness must have been killing to the men, for in those swampy plains the water comes very near the surface of the ground. The list of mortality was terrible. The place was occupied twenty-two days by an average of ten or twelve thousand prisoners, and during 168 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. that time seven hundred and five were buried, and I found one unburied dead cavalryman in his mud hut. When I found the graves of those heroic dead, you may imagine my sore indigna- tion at discovering that not one name was on a single head-hoard, although each grave had its separate board. The hospital (I can't help but think by design) vras placed on the bank of the pond below the prison yard, and all the washings and filth of the camp of twelve thousand men were emptied by the stream into this pond, from which the water used at the hospital must have been taken. There is no reason why even an enemy should be used in this manner. It is criminally shameful. Is there no way for our Gov- ernment to secure to her noble soldiers held by the rebels a more humane treatment? After making a most rapid and successful march through Georgia, we invested Savannah on the 10th day of December, and on the 16th stormed and captured Fort McAllister, on the Ogee- chee Eiver. This gave us commvmication with the fleet. On the night of the 20th the enemy evacuated the city, and early the next morning our forces occupied the place. I have procured excellent rooms and quarters. I have sent a copy of this letter to Dr. Jenkins, General Secre- tary, asking that stores be sent immediately. Yours respectfully, J. C. HOBLIT. BATTLES OF FEANKLIX AND NASHVILLE. After the evacaiation of Atlanta by General Sherman, Hood first destroyed the railroad connection between Atlanta and Chattanooga, then moved his army aronnd the mountains of Northern Alabama, crossed the Cumber- land, and pushed northward, in the expectation that Nash- ville would fall an easy prey — garrisoned, as it must be, by only a fraction of the force wliich had confronted him at Atlanta, the remnants left by Sherman when he made the selections that formed the splendid arni}- whicli he led. The posts occupied by our garrisons, Huntsville, Pulaski, BATTLES OF FEANKLIN AND JTASHVILLB. 169 etc., weie necessarilj^ evacuated on the approacli of Hood's army. From all these, except Franklin, our troops were withdrawn without a battle; but at this point, before all our forces could retreat across the river, they were attacked with great fury by Hood, and compelled to make a stand and defend themsebes. This was done with such effect that the enemy, though attacking, in overwhelming num- bers and with desperate courage, that portion of our force which had not been able to make good its retreat, was repulsed with terrible slaughter. After the battle of Franklin, the army of General Thomas wa* concentrated at Nashville, wliere it was liter- ally besieged by Hood. Much surprise and impatience were expressed by our people at the hesitation of General Thomas in giving battle to the besieging army. The dissatisfaction of the Government at Washington with this delay was such that orders were issued relieving this gallant and veteran officer from his command, and assigning another to his position. Those who best knew General Thomas, and the circumstances in which he was placed, had no fear but that the "Old Lion" of the Arm}- of the Cumberland would show his teeth and claws when the proper moment arrived. The cause of the delay was simply this : Sherman had taken all the effective cavalry under his command, and though nominally a large cavalry force — Ewing' s and Long' s Divisions — was left to General Thomas, the men were mostly dismounted ; and, until horses could be procured, this arm of the service, so necessary for pursuit in case of a victory, was completely disabled. Horses were soon procured by impressment, in Tennes- see and Kentucky, and on the 15th of Decemlxn- General Thomas made the attack so long waited for. As is well known. Hood's arm}- was routed at everj" point, and 170 SANITARY COMMISSIOl^ — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. nothing but incessant rain, producing floods in the rivers and impassable roads, saved it from entire annihilation . Much of the battle of Nashville could be overlooked from the Capitol Hill ; the wounded were, therefore, within easy reach, and were promptly cared for. To this care our agents at Nashville contributed their own earnest efforts and a large amount of supplies. Some illustration of the work of the Sanitary Commis- sion, in connection with the battles of Franklin and Nash- ville, is given in the following extracts from the reports of our agents. The best work done for the army of General Thomas, in connection with the battle of NashvUle, was the previous systematic distribution of anti-scorbutics. During the first week in December, aside from other stores, we distributed, to sixty-three thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine men, two thousand and forty-five bushels of potatoes, one thou- sand nine hundred and ninety-four bushels of onions, and seven thousand six hundred and sixty-three gallons of pickles and krout. REPORT OF DR. A. N. READ. Office U. S. Sanitary Commission, _ -r „ ,-r Nashville, Tenn., December 2S, 1864. Dr. J. S. Newberry, Secrdary Wcsl em Department U. S. Sanitari/ Commission: Dear Sir — As we see clonds move before the wind, meet, gather strength, and then by a more powerful current, roll back in the majesty of the storm — so did the forces of Major General Thomas meet before JSTashville, and then scatter those of General Hood, like ch^ff before the whirlwind, on the 15th and 16th of December. Our troops were in good health and in excellent spirits. Since the battle, one thousand seven hundred and eleven wounded have been admitted to the hospitals of Nashville, besides the wounded of the colored troops. The number of the killed I cannot yet ascertain. The wounded were promptly brought from the field, their wounds quickly dressed in the division hospitals on THE WOUNDED AT FRAlS^KLIlf. 171 the field, and within twenty-four hours most of them were sent to the permanent hospitals of the city. The wounded have been better cared for, owing to the little dis- tance from the city, than in any previous battle in this department. Soon Franklin was in our possession, and on the 19 th I tele- graphed Surgeon Geo. E. Cooper, Medical Director, D. C. : If you wish, we will send you seventy barrels of ale, sixty of soft crackers, one hundred and lifty boxes of best whisky, one hundred kegs of pickled cabbage, to be distributed under your directions, providing yo>i give us transportation. Let me know your wishes. The same day I received the following answer : We have not transportation for the articles j'ou ofler. Send to Franklin six barrels of ale. fifteen barrels of soft crackers, twenty boxes of whisky, one hundred cans extract beef, two hundred cans of milk, ten kegs of cab- bage. Send them to Surgeon Wood, in charge, and such other articles as you maj' see fit. There are nearly two thousand wounded there, and over one thousand five hundred rebels, who are in a lamentable condition. They are sinking from suppurating wounds, in consequence of bad nourishment. I will telegraph to General Donaldson to place two box cars at your disposal to Franklin. I also received from Dr. Woods, the senior surgeon of the Post at Franklin, the following letter : „ „ Franklin, December 20, 1864. Dr. Read, ' ' Sanitary Commission : Dear Sir — There are in this place some eighteen hundred soldiers who were wounded in the battle of Franklin. There are no supplies, and our men have suffered terribly. Send clothing, nourishment, dressings and stimulants — almost any amount will be needed. Select such articles as destitute wounded men will need. Most of the goods offered were furnished by the Western Com- mission. Previous to this, two wagon loads had been sent in charge of a competent agent. As General Thomas was not within reach, an order was given by Major General Sherman, through his Chief of Staff, General Webster. The goods dictated by Surgeon Cooper were promptly sent, and in much larger quantities, many articles being added to the list. The sufferings of our wounded prisoners had been greatly alleviated by the constant aid of some five Union families — Mrs. Eliza Jane Courtney, Miss Fanny Courtney, Master John Courtney (aged twelve years), ]Mrs. Hoffman, Mrs. Priest, Mrs. Dr. Cliff, and one or two others. These ladies need no commenda^ tion from me. They are known to every wounded Union man left 17'i SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. in Franklin, and enshrined in their hearts. The blessing of those ready to perish is theirs, and they all speak their gratitude and love. They gave liberally of their substance, preparing and carrying food day eind night. Notwithstanding this aid, supplies were very much needed. As soon as our goods arrived milk and stimulants were freely given out, under the direction of Dr. "Woods, the faithful surgeon in charge, to men who the surgeon said were fast sinking for want of proper food and stimulants. Clothing was also needed, shirts, socks, and drawers, to clothe those who were naked, or to take the places of garments long worn, torn, bloody and saturated with discharges from their wounds. They were carefully and faith- fully distributed by our experienced agents — Mr. H. Tone and Mr. Euggles. At Murfreesboro there are over one thousand men in hospital, five hundred of them wounded. There have been urgent calls from the surgeons in charge for Sanitary stores. They have been cut off from their supplies ; and I am informed by Steward Emory, who brought an order for stores from one of the surgeons, and who referred us to this surgeon for particulars, that for several days our sick had nothing but what was made from corn meal for food, and not always enough of that. Three wagon loads were sent there, and Mr. Sutliflfe has gone there to open a store-room as soon as the railroad is repaired. We have not been able to send stores below Franklin, although we hope to soon. They are wanted at Spring Hill, Columbia and Pulaski. The roads are so bad and transportation so limited that Dr. Cooper informed me they could not furnish transportation. They may not be much needed, as Dr. Cooper is making every effort to hasten forward Government stores. There has been other suffering besides that of the wounded and sick. Men broken down by the two days' fighting of the 15th and 16th, who eonld not march, were left in charge of the baggage of their respective regiments, and sent to barracks or camps of detach- ments. In the confusion of battle many of them had lost their clothing. The weather became cold, the thermometer falling to near zero, and in such weather men were calling upon us for help, without shoes, without socks, pants, coats, blankets, or overcoats. On December 13th 1 telegraphed you as follows: I'leiisc send iis several thoiisniul imirs of srloves iiiicl mittens. A TI.MELl' SUPPLY. 173 On the 32d I telegraphed Mr. Blatchford, of Chicago, Mr. Bur- net, of Cincinnati, and the Aid Society at Cleveland, Ohio, as follows : The weather is very cold ; many of your soldiers shouldering your guns for j'ou are without gloves or mittens. Will you help them, an... January 4,1865. Secretary IT. S. Sanitary Commission^ Western Department : Dear Sir — On the arrival of our forces at Franklin, I was sent to that post with stores for our wounded, who had been in the hands of the enemy, and others who might be left there. I succeeded, after three days' efforts, in getting through two teams loaded with Sanitaries, December 20th, and remained at that post till January 2d; therefore my report will be confined to my experience there. 174 SANITARY COMMISSION" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. I found the place full of wounded men — many of them suffering extremely, particularly our own men — and I at once commenced to issue goods for their relief. Of our own wounded, there were left in the hands of the Confederates after the battle of Franklin, two hundred and twenty-three men, according to their account, with J. Islerton, Assistant Surgeon 129th Indiana, in charge. One hundred and twenty-one of these were placed in the Presb3i;erian church, seventy were at the Commins House, thirty-two were at a small house with two rooms called Parks' Hospital, from a citizen surgeon, who took charge of them. Besides those enumerated above, there were quite a number in private houses whom the Confederates, in their haste, were com- pelled to overlook. Many died while they were prisoners, reducing the number when I arrived to less than one hundred and eighty-five men. Among the deaths were twenty-three whose names or regi- ments could not be ascertained. The lists of both living and dead, so far as it was possible to get them, were copied and forwarded to Nashville by Mr. Tone, the day previous to my arrival. The hos- pitals were in a deplorable condition even after our men had held possession two days. The wounded were mostly lying on the floor with a little straw beneath them, and such things as they could get for covering — most of them with the same clothes on that they wore the day of the battle, November 30th. The Confederates had taken from them many blankets, boots and shoes, and in some cases their money. The Confederates surely were in need of such things, for they robbed the dead of all clothes not spoiled by wounds : and I am told by many witnesses that they stripped the bodies of their own generals, six of whom lay dead on the battle field the day after the fight. When I first looked into the church where most of our wounded were, I found Mrs. Courtney and her daughter, Miss Fannie, endeav- oring to give the men breakfast with what coffee, biscuit and boiled beef they were able to get. Two barrels of our butter crackers added greatly to their repast, and I am sure the pleasantest work I ever performed was to give every man crackers till he said " enough." Every Federal hospital was supplied as fully. And then came the clothing, shirts, drawers and socks. How many blessings were pro- nounced on our dear mothers, wives and sisters up in " ti od's coun- try." Every man got a change, who needed it, so far as the cases LOYAL WOMEN OF FKANKLI^-. 17f) I could be learned. The box of quilts, too, (twenty-seven in number) was soon distributed to the most suffering, and I heartily wish Miss Lizzy Woodham, Secretary Michigan Soldiers' Aid Society, whose name was in the box, could convey to the donors half the thanks our wounded boys expressed. The Christian Commission was in the field with several noble working men. I offered them the free use of any stores of which they might find men in need, and they cordially accepted the offer, and rendered great assistance in seeing that our stores were faith- fully distributed. A large addition of Sanitary goods came Decem- ber 21st, among which were ten barrels of ale, and several boxes of whisky. A good share of the ale was distributed by the Christian Commission, and also much of the whisky, which the ladies put in the form of milk punch and egg-nog. The wants of our own men somewhat relieved, those of the Confederates were not forgotten. There were some fourteen hun- dred of them in this place, and in accordance with the wish of Dr. Hewitt, and advice of Dr. Woods, who had taken charge of all the wounded the day of my arrival, I issued to the Confederate surgeons as many goods as we could spare. They seemed most thankful for all goods given them, which, without a doubt, saved many lives, besides softening the bitter feelings which they had cherished in their hearts for years. The necessities of the case required the issues of stores to be very irregular. Ladies were cooking at their own houses for both Federals and Confederates, therefore. Sanitary goods were given them, as they reached the soldiers easier than by any other method. The day before Christmas the wounded began to ha removed to Nashville, and from that time till I left, the labors and necessities grew gradually less, till there were only some two hundred Confede- rates and thirty of our wounded left. Tliese were the worst cases, and many probably will not recover. Having issued all that was needed to supply present wants, I turned over the remaining Sanitaries to E. A. Keeper, Surgeon 75th Pennsylvania, who relieved Dr. Woods the 1st of January, and who will care for the wounded till they recover or are removed. I should mention here the uniform kindness of Dr. Woods, 99th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who had charge of all the hospitals while I was at Franklin. On the arrival of Sanitary stores lie provided a i-lb SAjSTITAET COJIMISSIOJT — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. store-room adjacent to the church, and rendered every assistance in their distribution. He labored, too, incessantly among the wounded, and one day, under his authority, changed the appearance of the hospitals wonderfully. He provided at once bunks filled with straw, and supplied blankets as soon as they could be procured from Nash- ville. The boys appreciated his kindness, and were sorry to have him leave them. Dr. W. P. King, 124th Indiana, and Dr. A. J. Mills, Assistant Surgeon 43d Hlinois, deserve a great deal of credit. They were present with their wounded men nearly all the time, day and night, after they were assigned to duty, December 19th. More faithful surgeons could not be found. Several citizen surgeons, residents of that place, rendered valuable assistance, and foremost among them is Dr. Eeny, who labored for our wounded both before and after the return of our forces. Too much cannot be said in regard to the untiring exertions of the ladies of Franklin — nearly every family have labored as their inclinations led them, either for Union men or Confederates. I wish to mention those whom I know to have done all in their power for our own men : Mrs. Hoffman (a widow lady with two or three children and dependent on her own exertions for support), and Mrs' Priest, aided by Mr. Eel beck, were the first to visit our wounded. They carried every day pails of soup and coffee, and also biscuit prepared by their own hands, to the battle field, and fed our boys till they Avere removed to hospitals, which was not accomplished for four days. Mrs. Hoffman took three Federals and one Confederate to her oA\-n house, placed them on separate beds, and nursed them herself through the full month of December, still laboring at the hospitals all she was able to till our forces came back. Mrs. Priest cooked for fifty of our wounded all the while the Confederates held the place ; never once giving a morsel to a Confederate soldier, although they came to her house repeatedly and attempted to force her to do so. Her reply was, "Go to your friends, there are plenty of them here who are able to feed you." The Confederates searched her house twice for stores, which they supposed some Federal quarter- master had left in her possession. The colonel who came on this mission asked her if she was a Yankee woman ; her reply was, '• Yes sir, I am, and I am raising recruits for the Yankee army," pointing to her thi'ee boys who clung to her dress. AN INCIDENT. 177 One incident in regard to Mrs. Hoffman will show her spirit : A year ago last June, Forrest dashed into Franklin and held the place for several days. Mrs. Hoffman kept the stars and stripes flying from her window all the time. Forrest rode by her house soon after his entrance to the place, and seeing the flag, sent an aid to get it. Mrs. Hoffman stepped to the window and said she defended that flag, and he (Forrest) could not have it. Mrs. Hoffman warned him not to enter her yard, as she was armed and would defend the flag to the last ; and then she said she would tear the flag in shreds before he should have it. Mrs. Hoffman had an old pistol, but no ammunition. She also had brickbats and clubs to defend herself the best she could. Finding her so determined, Forrest called his aid back, and remarking that Mrs. Hoffman was too fine a lady to defend such a flag, bid her good morning and rode away. The flag was sent to her by friends in Chicago, and she still preserves it with as strong a determination to defend it. Mrs. Eliza Courtney, a widow lady, and her fair daughter. Miss Fannie, have not done less than those mentioned above. They have stood fast by the " old flag " through evil report and good report, and when our boys were in want they were ready to sacrifice their all for their comfort. Aided by one or two servants, these two ladies cooked for and distributed food among near one hundred men for twenty days, much of the time furnishing provision from their own larder. At all hours of the day, till late in the evening, they were in the hospital, either distributing food or ministering to the wants of the men. Mrs. Courtney had her beds brought up to the church for some of the worst cases, and also furnished all the bedding she had not actually in use. Both these ladies used linen from their own wardrobes for rags and bandages. Miss Fannie, when the linen gave out, took her dresses. Nor did their efforts cease when our forces returned ; but during my stay they were every day among the wounded. In fact, Mrs. Courtney's kitchen was used all the time for cooking the rations for all in the Presbyterian church. Many a man who recovers from his wounds at this place will owe his life to the exertions of this untir- ing Union family. Mr. and Mrs. Abner Moss, always known as an abolition family, did much for our wounded; also Mrs. Dr. Cliff, who is so well known that it is useless to mention her deeds. 12 178 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN" DEPARTMENT. There are also many who have labored, hard for the Confederate wounded, using their bedding and provisions freely for their com- fort. The two armies, going through the place twice, hare taken nearly all the provision, and unless aid and comfort come to these people from our overflowing Northern homes, much suffering must occur before harvest. Surely those ought to be supplied who have so heroically stood by our forces in captivity. The season of the year prevented my doing anything with the bodies of our boys buried by the Confederates. I trust at some future day they may be disinterred and decently buried, when, without a doubt, many may be recognized and their bodies forwarded to such as may desire it. The need for an agent at Franklin having ceased with the removal of so many of the wounded, I return to this place to await further orders. Yours respectfully, C. B. EUGGLES, Belief Agent U. 8. Sanitary Commission. CHAPTER V. E-VEIsTTS O IP 1S65. LAST DATS OJ THE WAB. The battle of Nashville was the last important engage- ment of the war at the AYest. The attack of General Thomas upon Hood was so resistless that his army, broken and shattered, was driven beyond the Tennessee, without an effort or thought of making another stand. The next step in the plans of the military authorities was to follow up the advantages thus gained, by an expedition which should penetrate the country south of the Tennessee river, having Mobile for its objective point. For this purpose a lai'ge cavalry force was gathered at Eastport, Mississippi, and while remaining there, as it did for several weeks, there was great suffering among the men, both from the uncomforta- ble nature of their surroundings, and the want of adequate supplies. Receiving information of their wants, stores were at once shipped to them and agents were sent who distri- buted such things as were reqiiired, until the command was divided, part returning down the Tennessee and going to the Department of the Grulf, the other part striking across the country, as originally designed, and going beyond our reach. RELIEF OF UNION PRISONERS AT VICKSBURG. Another important duty devolving upon us in the spring of 1865, was the relief of the wants of a large number of Union prisoners, paroled from the prisons at Andersonville 180 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. and Salisbury, who came into our liands at Vicksburg. Having received notice from the authorities thai they were on tlieir way, I commissioned Mr. Tone to carry supplies around to the point where they would enter oiir lines, and thus as soon as jiossible convey to them tl^^e comforts to which they had so long been strangers. He was provided with an abundant supply of stores of various kinds adapted to their wants, and, as usual, performed his work in a most satisfact(jiy manner. His report of what was done on this occasion is so full and interesting that I venture to quote it nearly entiie : OUR PRISONERS AT VICESBURG — LETTERS OF MR. TONE. -r, T o AT Vicksburg, April 3, 1865. Dr. J. S. Newberry, ' ^ ' Secreiary Western Department Sanllarii Commission : Dear Sir — I arrived here late last night, and find that our stores have not reached here any too soon. There are now in camp, four miles from here, about four thousand prisoners, and more are coming in every day. Those who came in first were from Cahawba, and were in much better condition than those now coming in, who are from Anderson ville. The latter are in a very feeble and dis- tressing condition ; every train containing more or less who have died upon tlie road. Yesterday an ambulance came in which started from Jackson with four sick men, and when it arrived they were all dead. Large trains of ambulances are running between Black Eiver and Jackson, bringing those who are too feeble to walk. The city hospitals are being emptied to make room for them and everything is being done that can be done ; but still many will die, for the succor has come too late. It is expected that between ten and fifteen thousand men will be brought here, and they -will be several weeks coming in. They are neither exchanged nor paroled, but are still under control of a rebel officer (Colonel Henderson, I believe), who is at the camp. 1 visited General ilorguu L. Smith this morning, and he promised me every facility and assistance, placing laborei-s, teams, and a guard at my disposal. The supplies which I have will last OUE PEISOKEES AT TICKSBURG. 181 for some days, but will need large additions, especially of krout and onions, if they can be procured. I would also urge that a large quantity of tobacco be sent, as it will be gi'atefully received. The men have not been and cannot be paid. They are greedy, ravenous for tobacco, and, famished as they are, are willing to trade a part of their rations for it. Several hundred pounds have already been donated by the citizens, but it hardly gave them a day's supply. I think no better expenditure could be made than to purchase three or four thousand pounds of tobacco, both chewing and smoking, and a few boxes of clay pipes. The camp is in the midst of a cane country where plenty of stems can be procured. Mr. Brown tells me there is also a great call for suspenders. None are furnished by Government, and in their weak and emaciated condition the men cannot bear to have their pants buckled tightly about them. I learn also that there is great need of a Feeding Station at Black Eiver Crossing, and shall make an effort to start one there to- morrow, as we have all the necessary appliances. Mr. Johnston is an experienced hand at that business, and will be just the man to take charge of it. I do not think we shall need any more clothing, unless it be socks, of which we have very few. Colonel ISToble, of the 17th Connecticut, delivered a lecture here last evening, in which he stated that there is many a man on his way here who has not had a shirt on his back for more than twelve months, the only article of clothing being a piece of blanket tied about the loins; and their bodies are so dried and blackened by smoke that you cannot tell whether they were originally white or black. Hoping soon to hear from you by way of a supply of krout, onions, tobacco, etc., I remain, very respectfully, „ ^ ' ■> ^ •" H. TOISTB. De. J. S. Newbeeet: Vicksbueg, Miss., April 6, 1865. Bear Sir — I am happy to be able to report that we are making excellent progress in our work with the prisoners here. I am now issuing daily from forty to fifty barrels of potatoes to the men in camp, numbering about four thousand two hundred, with an 182 SANITAET COMMISSION" — WESTEEN DEPAETMENT. occasional additional issue of krout. The men have all received new clothes, are drawing good rations, and if they could only hear from home and get plenty of tobacco, they would be perfectly happy. They have been furnished with considerable quantities of pens and paper both by private individuals and the various Commissions, but heretofore have had so little ink that much of the stationery could not be used. To-day I procured materials and manufactured about two gallons of ink, which I carried to camp in pint bottles and divided so as to make it go as far as possible. To-morrow I shall prepare more, and I hope hereafter no soldier will be prevented from writing home by want of ink. The citizens here have done nobly. Several of them, foremost among whom were Captain Greely and Mr. Poster, have devoted almost their entire time to the matter, collecting funds, purchasing and distributing goods. They expended several thousand dollars for tobacco, towels, combs, shears, razors, paper and envelopes. Here let me urge again the necessity of sending large quantities of tobacco. It is astonishing, the number of people who use the ■weed, and the almost uncontrollable appetite they acquire for it. Men may be filthy, ragged, buttonless, and in a very miserable condition every way, and yet a "comfort bag," containing towel, soap, comb, buttons, needle and thread, will not be half as warmly welcomed as a piece of tobacco. The few pounds that I have, although cut into very small pieces, and made to go as far as possi- ble, have brought more thanks and created a greater sensation than all the potatoes I have issued. I have made arrangements to procure a list of all the men now here, and also, as far as possible, the names of those who died at Andersonville and Oahawba. Enclosed please find a copy of a communication which I addressed to General Morgan L. Smith, with reference to estab- lishing a Feeding Station at Black River, with the endorsement thereon by Captain Pisk, Assistant Adjutant General. He also gave me a note to Major Jliller, commanding tlie camp, requesting him to do all in his po^ver to assist me in carrying out the object of my mission. The articles desired have been procured, and Mr. Johnston will be on the ground, ready to work, to-morrow. FEEDING STATIO]Sr FOR PRISONERS. 183 The remainder of the prisoners, being nearly all men who were unable to walk, will be greatly benefited by such a station. Two days ago the train took out a large load of rebel prisoners, and brought back a load of our own. The contrast in the physical condition of the two squads of men was very striking. The rebels were fat and hearty, well clothed, carrying large rolls of blankets, and loaded down with bread and meat. Our own men were so feeble that they had to be taken from the cars to the hospital in ambulances, were ragged beyond decency, had not a blanket or a crumb of food in the squad, and some were almost in a dying condition. To-day one hundred and ninety men arrived, and these were in even a worse condition. While they were at the depot we gave them milk punch, crackers and wine, and it was enough to make one weep to hear the fervent, but feeble expressions of "thanks, thanks," coming up from throats too weak to utter more. One died while we were feeding him. Poor fellow! he had lived to endure all the sufferings the rebels could impose upon him, only to die at the threshold of his friends at last. Very respectfully, H. Tone. The following is the communication to General Smith, referred to in Mr. Tone' s letter : ViCKSBURG, April 3, 1865. General M. L. Smith, Commanding : The Sanitary Commission propose, with your consent and assist- ance, to establish a Feeding Station at Black Eiver Bridge, for the benefit of prisoners in transit. We have, among our stores, extract of beef for making soup, milk, cups, dippers, etc., and we have a man who has had two months' experience in feeding wounded men at Eesaca, Ga. We have also ale, spirits, tea and soft crackers for the sick. If this proposal meets with your approval, we would respectfully ask for the following articles, to be returned when no longer needed for this purpose, or paid for by the Sanitary Commission : Two tents, and one fly or tarpaulin; twelve large camp kettles; six wooden buckets; two axes; also, an order for procuring from 184 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. the Commissary the necessary hard bread, coffee and sugar, and four detailed men. Very respectfully, ^ ^^^^^ This was endorsed: "This arrangement is most heartily approved." By command of Brigadier General Smith. UNION PRISONERS AT CAHAWBA, ALABAMA. Another appeal was made to our sympathies from the Union prisoners at Cahawba, Ala., who, though still held in confinement, were, as we were assured by the rebel authorities, accessible to any effort we might make for their relief. The resources of the Confederacy beiug so nearly exhausted, they professed to be ready to welcome any effort that would in any degree relieve them from the care of those whose wants they found it so difficult to supply. Stores were therefore sinit to New Orleans and Mobile, with what result will b(^ se(^n by the following letters : New Orleans, January 10, 1865. Secretary U. S. Sanitary Commission : Bear iSir — Since my letter to you of the 28th ult., the Sanitary stores consigned to me for the benefit of Union prisoners at Cahawba have all come to hand, excepting two boxes tea ; the same omission was noted on the invoice I received from Mr. Shipman at Cairo. I had opportunity, through the courtesy of Colonel Dwight, our agent of, exchange, to accompany these stores to Mobile Bay, where I met Major Correll, referred to in the correspondence you forwarded to me. He was very gentlemanly, and was perfectly willing to receive the stores and to forward them to Cahawba. To receive the stores at that time was entirely impracticable — if our steamer would wait until the next day, he would come out and receive them. This was impossible, the steamer could not be delayed, and returned homeward. I intended to leave the stores at Port Morgan in charge of Lieu- tenant Colonel Clarke, 6th Michigan Artillery, but the wind was blowing a gale, which prevented our landing at that point. The stores are now safely deposited in my store-room. Negotiations are UNION PEISONEES AT CAHAWBA. 185 in progress whereby both parties, Union and rebel, may amply supply the wants of all prisoners. A few weeks since, one thousand two hundred suits of clothing were sent to Cahawba, through the arrangement negotiated by General Washburne and Captain Henderson, 0. S. A., at Memphis, in November last. A portion of the contract made by these two parties was annulled by the officer in command at Mobile, and the Union officer who was appointed to go to Cahawba, by the terms of our contract with Captain Henderson, was stopped and not allowed to proceed beyond the obstructions in the bay. Our officers in the navy say that the boxes of clothing forwarded from this Department were allowed to remain on the wharf unguarded and unprotected from the rain for eight days, before they were sent forward to their destination. I regret exceedingly the failure of my attempt to forward stores consigned to me. I am assured, however, by Colonel Dwight, that every possible facility will be afforded to forward these stores here- after. And I shall avail myself of every opportunity to send to our men in captivity. May 11, 1865. I may as well render an account of myself in regard to the dis- position of the stores you forwarded to me, months ago, for the benefit of our prisoners then confined at Cahawba, Ala. I wrote you January 10th, explanatory of the failure that attended my attempts to forward them at that time. Since then, up to the time when our prisoners were removed from Cahawba, no opportunity was afforded for forwarding them. In the meantime, a demand was created for the stores among soldiers in active service and returned prisoners from Texas, and I appropriated them for special use in this Department, and have accounted for the same in my weekly report of receipts and issues, to the Central Office in Washington. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Geo. a. Blake, Agent Sanitary Commission. DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND IN 1865. While the army of Greneral Thomas remained unbroken in Tennessee, our agents in Nashville vv^ere kept fully 186 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. occupied in the supply of its wants. Our issues from the Nashville depot during January were scarcely less than in the previous month. Early in 1865 this army was greatly reduced by the organization of a cavalry expedition under General Wilson, to which I have referred, and by detach- ments sent to Kew Orleans to reinforce the troops in the Department of the Gulf, in the campaign about to be inau- gurated against Kirby Smith, in Texas. So long as these troops, even though in transitu, were within our reach, their wants continued to be supplied, and each transport, as it left, was, as far as possible, provided with such things- as were necessary for the health and comfort of those on board. By this system of depletion, however, the Army of the Cumberland was soon reduced to comparative insignifi- cance ; while it was necessary to continue our more impor- tant Agencies in the field until the middle of the year, their work was greatly diminished, and after July there was little more to be done, either in Chattanpoga or Nashville, than to properly dispose of the stores and propertj' on hand. THE AKMY OP THE TENNESSEE AT LOUISVILLE. In June, the army under General Logan, which accom- panied General Sherman on his march to Savannah, returned from the East and was quartered for a month or more at Louisville. This interval of rest, though so necessary for the war-worn veterans who had spent the preceding year in almost constant marching or fighting, was, however, endured rather than enjoyed by those who felt that their work Avas done, and who now desired nothing so much as to return to their homes. This opportunity was improved l)y the Sanitary Com- mission to compensate this army, as far as it was possi- ble, for the hardships and privations it had endured, by LETTEK OB GEKEKAL MEIGS. 187 giving the men a more varied diet than was furnished by the army ration, and through liberal issues of vegetables, pickles, etc., to eradicate scurvy, with which they were very generally tainted. In accomplishing this, fifty thou- sand dollars worth of anti-scorbutics were issued at Louis- ville during the month of June, with such marked effect upon the health, spirits and contentment of the troops, as to call out numerous acknowledgments and testimonials from the surgeons and officers. Of these a few of the briefest are given below : LETTER OE GENERAL MEIGS. QUARTBRMiSTEK GENERAL' S OFFICE, Washington, D. C, July 19, 1865. Jno. S. Blatchfokd, Esq., General Secretary U. 8. Sanitary Commission, Washington, D. G.: The Sanitary Commission, organizing sympathy, has given unity and character to the friends and relatives of the soldier, on a gigantic scale, and borne an important part in the wur. It has supplied, without the delays which are inseparable from a complete official pecuniary and personal accountability, much which the regular departments of supply could not so soon, or cpuld not at all, distribute. Its agents have been everywhere, and have aided and assisted the officers, cheered many a weary and wounded man, and saved many a life. When the Secretary of the Commission first called upon me, at the outbreak of the war, I well remember the interview and the joyful expres- sion with which, after comparing our opinions and views as to the manner in which the Commission could best fulfill its objects of usefulness, he said that I had given him new hope and confidence, and that he then, for the first time, felt as though he had "touched bottom," and had found firm ground to stand upon. Since then I have seen the operations of the Commission, not only in this city and the extensive hospitals which surround it, but at the bases of supplies, the temporary depots through which the wounded were passing after great battles I have gratefully recognized the value of its labors to the soldier, to the officer, and to the cause ; and rejoiced that I was early brought into contact with it, and that I had been able to aid it by my own efforts and by those of officers under my direction. This country has many proud memories to mingle with the sadness of the late war, and among the proudest will be the magnificent voluntary sympathj' and charity to its representative soldiers, organized and con- ducted by the Sanitary Commission. 188 SANITAKT COMMISSIOK — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Wishing the members and officers of the Commission health and happi- ness, and long life to enjoy the honor and regard with which their names are crowned hy a free people, I have the honor to he, Very respectfully, your obedient servant, M. C. Meigs, Quartermaster General, Brevet Major General. LETTER OF MAJOR GENERAL A. J. SMITH. Head-Q,tjaetee3 Sixteenth Army Corps, DEPAETMENT OV the GUI/P, MoNTSOMEET, Ala., Jtme 17, 1865. D. B. Carpenter, Belief Agent XT. 8. Sanitary Commission ; Dear Sir — I have had the pleasure of observing the amount of mate- rial and much needed aid which has been extended to the troops of my command by means of your Agency, and I cannot permit you to go from among us without giving you a feeble expression of the deep feelings which we cherish toward the noble society which you have so faithfully repre- sented, and whose benevolent objects you have so ably carried out. The war is over, and thousands of patriot soldiers are returning to their homes, carrying with them reminiscences of the eventful scenes of the past, which, for long years to come, they will rehearse to their children and their children's children, and, among their reminiscences, many will tell how, when they were wounded, and faint and weary, "the agents of the blessed Sanitary Commission" came and cared for them, "lilie ministering spirits," binding up their wounds and uttering words of comfort, and gave to them all the aid which man could render to his suffering fellows. In behalf of the officers and men of this corps, I tender to 3'ou, and the Sanitary Commission, our most heartfelt thanks for the many favors which we have received at your generous hands, and assure you that they will be gratefully remembered by us all. 1 am, yours truly, A. J. Smith, Major General. LETTER OE BREVET MAJOR GENERAL A. F. WILLIAMS. Camp neak Louisville, Ky., July 21, 1865. Dk. J. S. Newberry, Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission. Sir— I take pleasure in bearing testimony to the valuable services of the Sanitary Commission during the late war. In looking back over the four years of the memorable struggle, it is difficult to conceive how our armies could have done without your benefi- cent organization. Tour agents, with necessary supplies, seemed always present where most needed, and always anticipating where the greatest demand was to be. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 189 Government supplies, however abundantly provided, bound to the cautious movements of other army trains in the face of an enemy, and from various causes which need not be mentioned, were not always at hand, and often in but limited quantities, especially during and immediately after a battle. The indefatigable agents of the Sanitary Commission always kept pace with the moving columns, and unloaded their well-chosen supplies upon every battle field. This is, however, but a limited view of the broad operations of your organization, which seemed to cover every want of the soldier, in camp, in hospital, and on the battle field. Every report of your society will show how extensive, how systematic, and how judicious these operations have been. Thousands of sick and wounded soldiers, whose suflerings you have alleviated, and whose wounds often healed as much through your home sympathies and comforts as through professional skill, are scattered all over our country, living witnesses of your noble beneficence. There cannot be a fair-minded officer in the army, who has at all looked into the subject, who will not with grateful pleasure bear testimony to the quiet, efficient, faithful and impartial labors of your agents, and to the incalculable good that your association has done in the great conflict now happily ended. The world will regard your association in its aims, purposes and results, as the noblest benevolent institution that ever alleviated the sufferings and calamities of war. I have the honor to be, Very sincerely and truly, your obedient servant, A. P. Williams, Brevet Major General of Volunteers. LETTEE OE W. C. DANIELS. HEAD-CiUABTBRS PotJRTBENTH AbMT CoEPS, LouiBVtLLE, Kt., July 18, 1865. Dr. J. S. New^beery, Secretary U. 8. Sanitary Commission: Sir — Understanding that the Supply Department of the United States Sanitary Commission is about being closed at this point, and the kindly relationship, as co-A\'orkers, which has so long existed between the medical officers of this corps and the agents of your Commission, is now being rapidly dissolved by the muster-out of our troops and their return home, I take this opportunity of expressing to you, and to the officers and agents of your Commission, and, through you, to the generous friends at home, who have so liberally supported your noble undertaking, the heartfelt thanks of the officers and soldiers of the Fourteenth Army Corps, for the substantial aid and comfort which they have so frequently and gratefully received at your hands, in hospital and in field. From the outset of the war to the present time, on the battle field and in bivouac, from the Ohio river to Atlanta and the sea-coast, and thence to Goldsboro, Raleigh, Washington, and back to our original standing-point, 190 SANITABT COMMISSION — WESTERN" DEPARTMENT. your Commission has kept step with the armj', and has been constantly represented in the front by an able corps of gentlemanly and efficient ■workers, continually engaged in alleviating the sufterings of our soldiers, and providing for the sick and wounded of our command. We cannot but feel that words are inadequate to express our indebtedness to you. But now that we are about to separate, your work being ended, "after four years of labor nobly done," and you about to return to your homes and firesides, wo beg to assure you that you carry with you the hearty thanks and the warmest feelings of gratitude of the ofKcers and soldiers of the 14th Army Corps. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. C. Daniels. Surgeon XT. 8. V., Medical Director Fmirteenih Army Cnrps. LETTER OF DR. GILL. Hbad-Qitaetees Temp. Ditision Fourteenth Army Corps, Office op Surgeon in Chief, I Near Louisville, Kt., July 14, 1S65 Dk. J. S. Newbekry, Secretary Western Department IT. S. Sanitary Commission : Deab Sir — The time has arrived when the material for the history of the "War of the Rebellion " must be collected, and all organizations, asso- ciations, or societies, whose object has been the support of the cause of freedom, union and humanity, and the suppression of slavery and secession, and the amelioration of sufl'ering, should receive their due meed of praise. The Sanitary Commission has borne a most conspicuous part in supply- ing the wants of the soldiers, whether at home or in the field, in health or in sickness. When the demands were greatest, its supplies were most abundant, and furnished at times when it was almost, if not quite, impos- sible to procure them from any other source. 1 have seen the time Mhen nearlj' every patient in a division hospital, after a battle, was clothed with garments prepared by a single Aid Society. The wants of the ^^•ounded have been anticipated iu the preparing of clothing, as to kind, quality and quantity, and at times of battle or siege the efforts of the Commission have always been felt and ajipreciated by those who had the best opportunities of observing. The agents have been ever looking for the soldiers who might be in need of food or raiment. In the West, during the campaign and siege of Viclvsburg, when trans- portation was by water, the supplies of fresh vegetables, ice, canned fruits, dried fruits, jellies and clothing, were enormous in quantity, and, consider- ing the fact that scarcely anything could be purchased with tlie hospital fund, they were of the grealest value. During the campaign and siege of Atlanta the supplies were as large as the limited transportation allowed by railroad could carry. During the latter campaign their agents were stationed at tlie different posts on railroad or river, from the battle fields to the extreme Northern cities, ready to assist the returning sick or wounded soldier with food. TESTIMONIALS. 191 clothing, shelter, writing- mnrerial, monej', if need be, or information to help him on his way to hospital or his home. The Sanitar3- Commission has acted the part of a parent to many a poor, slcl^ soldier, and, by means of the Begister, has given information to quiet the anxiety of many an inquiring parent, family, or friend. The Claim Agency is a most commendable branch of its labors; collect- ing, as it does, without pay or emoluments, the back pay or bountj- of the soldier, or in case of his death, for his family. Taking into consideration the fact that such an organization, as to extent, was a novelty in war, the aggregate results atttained by the several Branches of the Commission have been beyond all expectation, and speak the highest praise of an enlightened and Christian people in a great struggle for freedom and national existence. One of the brightest pages in the history of the war will be that on which sliall be written an account of the humane and Christian efforts of the North to relieve the sufferings of both friend and foe. I do not believe that two per cent, of the aggregate supplies have been diverted from their proper objects. The oflicers and soldiers of the Union armies will ever remember with satisfaction and gratitude tlie United States Sanitary Commission, to whom in many cases they owe, under God, their lives and present health. To its officers, agents and helpers is due the highest measure of praise from a grateful army. I am, sir. with high esteem, H. Z. Gill, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, Surgeon U. 8. V. LETTER OF DR. WM. GRISTSTED. Head-Quarterb Third Division Twentieth Army Corps, Fort Lincoln, near Washington, D. C, June 36, 1866. De. J. S- Kew^beeey, Secreiimi V. H. Sanitary Commission: Deae Sie — On the dissolution of this corps, permit me, in the name of the soldiers of this division, to return to you, and the agents of the United States Sanitary Commission, heartfelt thanks for the energy and liberality displayed in attending to the wants, not only of this Division, but of the whole army. Impossible as it often was for the United States Government (liberal though it has been) to furnish all the sick and wounded required, the Sani- tary Commission, unlocked tor, but most welcome, frequently bestowed many articles of nutriment and clothing, both to the sick and wounded in hospital and to the troops in the field, to the great comfort of the recipients. For nearly four years I have been intimately conversant with the work- ings of the Sanitary Commission, and have, with pleasure, witnessed the promptitude and fidelity with whioli articles have been distributed wherever needed, from Fort Henry to Yicksburg, and during the Tennessee and Georgia campaigns, under Major General Sherman. 193 SANITART COMMISSIOIT — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. Allow me to tender you and the Commission my own and the respects of my immediate medical stafl'; we firmly believing the Commission to be a grand and merciful institution, calculated to mitigate, in some degree, the horrors of wai-. Wishing all concerned in this noble enterprise "God speed," I am, sir, your obliged and obedient servant, "Wm. Grinsted, Surgeon U. S. V., Surgeon in Ohief Third Division Twentieth Army Corps. LETTER OF GEIfERAL LOGAN. Head-Quartbrb Armt op the Tbnnebbeb, Louisville, Kt., July 13, 1865. Db. J. S. Newbeeey, Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commissinn : Dear Sir — Since my arrival here with the Army of the Tennessee, the articles issued to them by the United States Sanitary Commission have certainly had much to do with the health, comfort and content of the men, for which they feel grateful; and I, in their behalf, return you my sincere thanks. Very respectfully, John A. Logan, Major General. LETTERS OE SURGEONS J. B. POTTER AND J. E. NICHOLS. Head-Quabtebs Fifteenth Abmy Cobps, Medical Dieectob's Office, Louisville, Kt., July 17, 1865. De. J. S. Newberry, Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission: Sir — Through you, permit me to tender to the Sanitary Commission my appreciation of its operations. During the winter and spring of 1863, at Youngs' Point, La., and at the siege of Vicksburg, Miss., during the summer, our hospitals were well supplied from your stores, and many, very many valuable lives saved bv the bountiful supplies received from the Com- mission. The same was true at the battle of Mission Ridge, Tenn., iu the autumn of the same year, and in the campaign against .Vthmta, Ga., in 18G4, when our field hospitals were well supplied ^vith all necessary articles. At Savannah and Fort McAllister, Ga., immediately after capture, your stores were at our comm.uid. The same was true at (loldsboro and Raleigh, N. C, Richmond, Va., Washington city. D. ('., and Louisville, Ivy., where not only issues were made to our sick, but \'egetables given twice per week to the entire command, (loth Army Corps.) The Commission is without a parallel in the world's history; its oiHcers a marvel of industry, pi'isevt-rance ami intelligence in discharge of duty. Wherever our troojis marched they followed, ever rear6i /Ww« or not. Thanks to > the prevale]ice of this spirit, the ranks of our army were constantl}^ filled ; the burdens of taxation cheerfuU}^ borne ; millions of dol- lars spontaneously contributed to the one great cause ; and as the result, the war was brought to a successful termina- tion, and our country saved. Probably tliert^ are few who will now deny the reality, or clK^apen the value of the services rendered to the army and tlie country ]iy the spontaneous efforts which it is mj VALUE OF VOLUNTAKT CO-OPEEATIOlf. 301 task to briefly describe in this report ; and tliongh there may be many who regard the circumstances of onr country during our great civil war as altogether exceptional, and who adhere more or less firmly to the theory of a wholly self-sustaining military organization, there are doubtless far more who will assent to the asseition that one great lesson which the world will learn from our war is the value and even the necessity of the voluntarj' co-operation of the peo- ple ; and that no other war will be waged among civilized nations without a Sanitary Commission as an indispensable accompaniment. Our experience at every step has demonstrated the incal- culable utility of the efforts of our people not only to the ai-my but to themselves. The magnitude of the contribu- tions which they made to our common cause introduced a new era in benevolent efforts, and taught us, to an extent never before realized, the truth of the maxim, ' ' It is more blessed to give than to receive." It is not too much to say that every benevolent entei-prise presented to our people will feel the benefit of the great opening of hearts and purses which accompanied and embellished our war ; giving to its cloud, in more senses than one, a silver lining. Military regulations, like civH laws, are necessarily framed for masses and not for individuals, and since in civil life there is a necessity for the efforts of philanthropists in equalizing the bearing of justice upon individuals of different moral statures, in supplementing by the ministrations of mercy the severities of inflexible law, so in war, to a far greater degree, the elements of pity and benevolence are especially necessary if it is to recei^-e the impress of our Christian civilization, and be redeemed from its barbaric and brutal character. In a practical point of view there is no one, at all familiar with the working of our machinery, but will feel convinced that great good follows the holding 303 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTBEN DEPARTMENT. of a special reserve of both efforts and materials, such as may be drawn upon without waiting for the sometimes slow working of a wholesome and necessary routine. And while we know that modiiications of the rigid method adopted in military life cannot be safely attempted, the people, whO' are the source of all power, may, as the event proved, not only safely, but wisely and eflBciently hold in their hands a reserve to be applied instantly and informally in any emer- gency that may arise. In these remarks on the general bearing of the contribu- tions made to our armies through the Sanitary Commission, I ought not to forget one aspect of the subject which has been a source of constant pleasure in the work of oui- peo- ple, both in the army and in the liome field. One of the most palpable and delightful results which has followed the union of good and true men and women throughout our Northern States in this great work for the army, has been the better knowledge of and greater sympathy with each other which the co-workers in this cause have acquired. Members of different sects and circles have met for the first time on common ground, and have been diawn together by a sympathy so strong and pure that it has engendered a mutual respect, and in many cases, an afi^ection that will forbid them to stand in the relation of antagonists or rivals in all their future intercoui'se. This great work of supplementary aid, though ultimately assuming dimensions so grand and becoming so thoroughly systematized, began spontaneously and witliout concert at a thousand different points. From every town and hamlet there went as volunteers those who carried vidth them not only the affection of their relatives, but the sympathy and interest of all patriotic citizens. To their imperfect equipment contributions were made of such things as the communities they represented had to give, and such as an PROMPT OEGANIZATION. 203 imperfect knowledge of army life led them to suppose would be required. In many places tlie value of organization was fully appreciated, and selections were promptly made of such leaders in the movement as were conspicuous for benevo- lence and administrative abUity. In some localities this organization of effort was so prompt and so far-seeing in its plans that it seemed almost the result of inspiration. The first call for troops was issued on the 15th of April, 1861. On the 20th, the Soldiers' Aid Society of Cleveland was organized, with plans of operation and a selection of officers that served, with little change, through all its subsequent wonderful career of usefulness. Though this was perhaps the first of the series of societies organized for similar pur- poses, it was immediately followed by others all over the land, and there was nowhere a camp of instruction or rendezvous of troops that did not feel every hour of every day the benign influence which they exerted. Coming westward in the last days of June, as the repre- sentative of the Sanitary Commission, bringing with me its plan of organization, and aiming to secure co-operative effort throughout tlie West in the great purpose it was formed to subserve, I found the ground more than ready for the seed. In many places the cro}) had sprung up and was already bearing fruit. Of the benevolent societies, pre-existent, or established by my exertions, those located at certain important business centers were chosen as Branches of the Sanitary Commis- sion. The field was distributed between those local centers, and soon, through the exertions of the devoted men and women who composed our Branches, a great army was systematically at work ministering to the wants of that other army which was fighting our battles in the Southern States. 204 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. In the brief sketches which follow, of the organization and history of otir Branches of the West, ^^ill be found some evidence of the important contributions tliat they made to the cause, yet neither there nor here can I do anything like justice to the energy and efficiency of the noble philan- thropists who composed them. I am confident that, if the detailed history of the work of these Branches could be given to the public, it would be found to contain facts and figures which, ia their magnitude and importance, could not fail to impress those who might h(n-eafter read the records of our war as the most surprising as well as honorable achievements of our people. Most of the points where our Branches were located became important military centers, where troops were con- centrated, garrisons or camps of instruction established, and hospitals located ; all of which called for and received unceasing attention from our co-laborers. To such a degree was this true, that in maiij^ cases the chief labor and care necessarj' for the well being of our troops seemed to be thrown upon our representatives. In the aggregate, many thousands were dependent upon them for their comfort, and a large number may be said to have owed to them their lives. At Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, Louisville and elsewhere, the work of our Branches is not only referred to as matter of municipal pride, but as constituting the grandest and noblest public work in whicli those cities have been intei-ested. Aside from tliis local duty, which, in its magnitude, would seem to be sufficient to engross the entire time and thought of those immediately concerned in it, not a camp or hospital throughout the wide field of our military opera- tions but felt, from the first to the last of the war, the benign influence of these benevolent organizations, not only in the generous contributions of supplies whicli were CASH VALUE OF SUPPLIES. 205 furnished, but in the personal eflTorts of the numerous dele- gations of earnest and devoted men who went themselves to the field and ministered with their own h^nds to the wants of the sick and wounded. To say that, but for the estab- lishment of these Branch societies, the work of the Sanitary Commission would have been much less efficient than it was, is but telling half the truth ; for so important were the contributions which they made to the cause represented by the Commission, that we must ascribe to them the greater part of the success which crowned its efforts. By refp]-ence to the brief sketc-hes I have given of the different Branches, it will be seen that their work was of various kinds. In addition to the local duties to which I have referred, and the gathering of supplies for the army, it included the establishment and maintenance of Soldiers' Homes, Claim Agencies, and Agencies for the Employment of Discharged Soldiers. Something of the part they per- formed in the work of the Supply Department may be learned from the following brief sketch of the organization of that Department and summary of the results accom- plished by it, as given in one of my quarterly reports : The hospital stores distributed by the Sanitary Commis- sion in the armies of the West were mostly contributed in kind from the several Branches of the Commission in the Western States. In addition to such contiil^utions, purchases of stores were made by me, from the general fund of the Commission, to the amount of three hundred and thirty-two thousand six hundred and twenty dollars and sixty-nine cents. The supplies distributed by the Sanitary Commission in this Department to September 1, 1865, are estimated to have had a value, at the water bases of the army, Cincinnati, Louisville, Cairo and Memphis, of five million one hundred and twenty-three thousand two hundred and fifty- six dollars and twenty-nine cents. 206 SANITARY COMMISSION' — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. leaving, as the value of the contributions in stores by the Branches, four million seven hundred and ninety thousand six hundred and thirty-five dollars and sixty cents. In the accumulation and distribution of this great aggre- gate of stores, the following system was adopted : The raising of supplies was regarded as the especial work of our Branch and Auxiliary Societies in the home field. The methods pursued were their own, and the responsibility of the entire work was thrown upon them. I assumed no control over it, and took no part further than to furnish, by manuscript or printed reports, or by lec- tures, fresh and full information of the condition and wants of the Western armies, the means taken to meet such wants, and such other matters as had a particular bearing on the home work. From time to time pecuniary aid was needed by the Branch Societies, and it was liber- ally furnished. Canvassing agents, lecturers, messengers, and various other assistants in the work of the Supply Department, were placed at their disposal, and money paid them, from the general fund of the Commission, to the amount of more than seventy thousand dollars. As soon as stores were shipped to me or my repre- sentatives, from the various contributing depots, I became responsible for their proper use, and was vested with the control of them. The stores passing through Ohio and Illinois were transported free by the splendid liberality of the officers of the railroads teiniinating in Cincinnati and Cairo. Throughout the West, as a general rule, the rail- road companies carried our stores free, or made such deductions from their usual rates as to form a most liberal contribution to the funds of the Commission. Of these railroad companies I should designate as especiallj' munifi- cent, in their contribution to this charity by the transporta- tion of stores, the Illinois Ontral ; the Cleveland, Columbus FAVORS OF TRANSPOETATION". 307 and Cincinnati; the Columbus and Xenia, and the Little Miami. To Mr. Osborn, President of the Illinois Central ; Mr. Hubby and Mr. Flint, of the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati ; Mr. Clements and Mr. Woodward, of the Little Miami, we are under obligations for far more than mere gratuitous transportation of stores. By their efforts an expenditure of fully one hundred and fifty thousand dollars was saved to the Commission, and we owe to them especial facilities and favors such as no money could buy. Scarcely less valuable in the work of the Supply Depart- ment was the free use of the telegraph, cheerfully granted us over all the lines of the dififerent companies in the West. To General Anson Stager, the able Superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph Company, we are largely indebted for the privileges we enjoyed in the use of the lines of his own and other companies. During a large part of the war all shipments of Sanitary stores made by the river, on the Cincinnati Mail Boat Line, cost us nothing, through the generosity of the ofiicers of that line. To Captain Shirley, the President, especial acknowledgments are due for his influence in obtaining for us such privileges. During the last three years of the war free transportation was granted us, within the limits of the Military Departments, by special orders from the Quartermaster General, and from the Department Commanding ofiicers. It should be further stated that, from the first to the last, whatever facilities could be consistently granted to us by the Chief Quarter- master, General Meigs, were cheerfully accorded, and it is but justice to say that, both from his official position and personal character, we are as largely indebted to this officer as to any in the service of the Government. On the arrival of stores at Cairo or Louisville by rail- road or river, they were carefully checked off from boats or cars and transferred to (iur warehouses. Missing packages 308 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. were looked up, and necessary repairs and cooperage pro- vided. From tliese points stores were rapidly forwarded, on the theory that any accumulation of supplies should be as near the army as possible. At all important military stations, and in every hospital and distributing center, depots were established and placed in charge of competent business men, who issued stores to those needing them, on personal application or on the requisitions of surgeons of hospitals or regiments ; for all of which receipts were taken and records made. Weekly and monthly leports were sent to the Central Office of all issues from all depots, and from these reports, the tabular statements now or heretofore given of our aggregate issues are compiled. The manner in which the records of the Supply Department were kept, and the credibility of the reports made from them, can hardly be learned without an inspection of our books and methods, yet I think I can safely say that all of the many experienced men who have examined our system were satisfied that the methods pursued were economical of labor and money, and that the results reported are worthy of confidence. By reference to the accompanying financial report, it will be seen that the whole exp(^nditure connected with gathering and distributing hospital stores of the "^-alue of five million one hundred twenty-thi-i^e thousand two hundred fifty-six dollars and twenty-nine cents, was one hundred ninety-six thousand two hundred thirty-seven dollars and eighteen cents. Of this sum ninety-seven thou- sand three hundred forty-two dollars and fifty-one cents was paid for the collection and transportation of supplies ; leaving, as the cost of distribution of supplies valued as above, ninety-eight thousand (-ight hundred ninety-four dollars and sixty-seven cents, or a little less than two per cent, of such value. SUPPLY TABLE. 209 If the transportation furnished us gratuitously were given its cash, value and charged in the expense account of the Su-pply Department, that account would be greatly increased, but in that case it would be fair to reckon such transportation as conferring a corresponding value upon the stores distributed, so that, whUe our transactions would be represented by a more impressive arra^y of figures, the relative magnitude of the expense account would remain about the same. If the work of the Supply Department at the West had been done as a commercial transaction ; the stores all pur- chased, the expenses of transporting and distributing all paid in cash, it is certain it could not have been done, where and as it was done, for a less sum than Ten Millions of Dollars. Leaving out of view the measureless moral good wrought by this work, both to the soldiers and to the people, the cash value of the gifts contributed to the army, through OUT organization, cannot be reckoned at a less sum than I have mentioned. REPORT OF STORES DISTRIBUTED BY THE UNITED STATES SANITAKT COMMISSION", WESTEEB" DBPAKTMENT. BEDDING AND CLOTHING. Bedgowns Bedticks -- Blankets - - Bonnets Boots and Shoes -. Buttons, Shirt-- Calico- — Coats, Pants and Vests . Collars - Comforts and Quilts Crash Drawers, Cotton - - - . Drawers, Flannel .-pairs, ..gross, -yards, .yards, .-pairs, ..pairs. 723 32,371 15,057 U 2,491 223i 377 17,683 555 54,777 100 152,332 75,789 Carried Forward. 102,948 60,228 132 6,228 134 149 53,049 56 323,662 20 304,660 189,472 $1,043,630 14 :ilO SANITAKY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. BEDDING AND CLOTHING— Co)i(ini(C(J. ARTICLES. Brought Forward Dresses -.- --- Dressing Gowns -. Flannel -.- ..yards, Green Hollands yards, Hats and Caps Havelocks Haversacks Linen Thread .lbs., Mittens pairs. Mosquito Bars Muslin yards Napkins Neelities and Comforters. Nightcaps Overalls Pillow Cases Pillows. Rubber Blankets. Rubber Capes Shawls Sheeting yards, Sheets — Shirting .yards. Shirts, Cotton Shirts, Woolen Slippers pairs, Socks.. pairs, Straw.. bales. Suspenders pairs. Tape ...rolls, Tarlton yards. Ticking... - yards. Towels and Handkerchiefs 75 17,864 2,098 36 2,120 2,196 838 309 22,219 3,837 3,357 1,417 2,324 3,940 70 215,259 113,306 6 5 119 439 116,880 1,.569 289,960 97,093 23,718 147,803 264 3,267 988 50 225 439,979 Total. VALUE. $1,043,630 644 71,456 1,049 36 1,590 1,048 468 314 16,665 9,592 1,302 3U 581 1,970 140 161,494 169,959 25 25 238 210 233,760 627 579,920 267,005 17,790 110,851 1,056 1,633 50 30 137 107,495 $3,803,144 HOSPITAL FURNITURE AND SURGEON'S SUPPLIES. Adhesive Plaster Alcohol Alum Arm Rests Bags Bandages, Abdominal Baskets Bath Brick Bath Tubs Batting Bay Rum Bedpans Beds, Feather Beds, Inflated Bedsteads and Cots, Wood. Benches and Lounges Binders' Boards. Bitters... Blackberry Root - . .yards, -gallons, lbs., Carried Forward. lbs. -bottles. lbs. REPOET OF STOEES DISTEIBUTED. 211 HOSPITAL FUENITUBB, Btc— Continued. AETICLES. KTTMBER. VALUE. $19,745 610 25 Blackberry Syrup , Blacking -.. . gallons, hoTPS. 488 170 198 373,131 5,379 39 186 1,087 50 176 112 70 785 3 14 19 3 48 2,135 479 465 83 446 143 10 1,174 921 370 3,324 328 19 8 18 105 26 35 104 58 191 140 9,750 3 725 133 87 675 3 60 1,915 88,952 6,519 30 339 2,055 46 113 44 4 692,900 6,034 29,480 140 69 180 769 23 50 37,213 430 Bread Knives 20 186 Brooms 434 Brushes, Blacking 15 44 Brushes, Stencil 22 56 588 Bureaus _ ., 45 Butchers' Steels 7 10 30 Camp Stools 48 Da.. 640 119 114 Canteens 41 446 179 Cauldrons, Iron 400 Chairs 1,174 460 40 .- . B>s., 332 Chloroform 1fia_. 820 30 Cleavers - 12 144 53 Clothespins. 15 Clothes iVVringers 165 Coffins 1,040 74 Coffee Mills Coffeepots 191 .. . bottles. 70 Combs and Brushes 2,272 450 36 Corks 100 Corkscrews 26 3,375 150 Cruets - . 12 153 22,238 9,777 300 Desks 135 Disinfecting Powders Door Mats _. fts., 1,102 69 Drinking Tubes 10 Dust Pans 36 Egg Beaters ... 2 Envelopes 2,100 1,508 1,474 28 Eye Shades li'aucets leathers. . Tttfi.. 53 27 Einger Stalls 77 Flat Irons 12 Carried Forward $m,648 313 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAETMENT. HOSPITAL FDKNITUBE, 'Etc.— Continued. Brought Forward Flaxseed Fly Brushes Fly Nets Foot Scrapers Foot Warmers Funnels Furnaces. Games Glue Graters - Gridirons Gum Arabic Hatchets and Hammers Hospital Furniture Ice Cream Freezers India Kubber Cloth Ink... Inkstands Ladles Lamp Chimneys Lamp Oil Lamp Shades Lamps Lanterns Lime Lint and Bandages Liquorice Little Usefuls Locks ., Looking Glasses Lumber Lye, Concentrated.. Kettles, Camp Kettles, Cupper Kettles, Iron. Kettles, Tin Knives and Forks Knives, Butcher Mangles Matches Matting Mattresses Medicine.- Medicine Wafers Memorandum Books Mess Pans - Mops, Mugs Nails Needles Oakum .- Oil Silk Pans, Baki ng- Patent Medicine Pencils Pens Pepper Boxes Pincushions and Housewives. Pins Pitchers ., Plates, ( 'rockery Plates, 'I'in Quinine Razors and Strops Salt Cellars Salve .B)S., lbs., .miscellaneous articles, ...yards, -bottles. .gallons, .barrels, lbs., .feet, . ttis. .gross, .yards, .boxes, assorted ft .papers, ft ...yards, .bottles, -dozens, -boxes, 663 171 13 12 12 631 11 196 4 « 113 3,179 7 81 3,646 145 479 18 152 294 45 36!),7:!S 43 98 101 76 323,000 25 90 3 10 16 12,&'>5 93 1 54 266 946 13 5,500 278 64 340 S74 7,161 1,40!) 600 60 134 4;f7 381 II 45,089 123 383 5,731 9,092 317 144 356 239 Carried Forward. $111,648 20 171 36 12 12 5 60 155 6 29 4 40 110 1,589 35 71 265 42 13 22 360 9 76 367 90 73,495 31 24 150 76 190 12 50 32 3,365 9S 40 27 339 3,784 220 35 28 64 168 87 501 140 388 219 168 f.dlS 42 153 673 909 1,268 144 80 35 316,431 EEPOET OF STORES DISTRIBUTED. 313 HOSPITAL FirRNITURE, 'Etc.— ConUnued. ARTICLES. NUMBER. VALUE. $216,431 93 Sauce Pans 93 36 193 153 88 at 57 10,651 20 20 1,857 1,066 34 1,420 443 14,341 2,708 3 997 .61 56 20 17 54 134 145 57 30,879 259 377 26 12 1,338 163 389 30 740 5 1,053 45 24 25 520 28 113 30 29 12 30 4 125 575 36 36 115 Sconces 123 68 Skimmers.- 5 Slates 10 lbs., 3,130 Soft Soap 100 Spectacles Tiflirft. 20 Spit Cups T 1 371 519 Splints hoTP.s. 340 213 443 Spoons 573 8,134 13 Stone Jug:s-- 199 1,830 1,120 10 Stretchers 61 Syrup Cups. 15 Tablecloths _. 303 Tables 1,450 45 Tea Pots Tin Cups 3,070 Tin Pails--- , 259 TinPans 377 Tin "Ware.-- 390 Towel Rollers 6 200 Twine and Rope Urinals-- Bs., 76 116 Vaccine Virus -packages, 90 518 Wardrobes 40 Wash Basins --- 560 13 Wash Boilers, Copper 120 Wash Boilers, Tin 100 Wash Bowls 416 W ash Machines 234 234 Wash Tubs,- 45 Waiters 45 Water Casks 24 160 Water Filters _ 20 White Lead- ma.. 12 Window Curtains .. 1,150 18 Total $343,010 214 SAITITARY COMMISSIOiq" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. ARTICLES OF DIET AND DELICACIES. Ale and Cider Almonds Apples Apple Butter, Arrowroot Barley, Beans. Beef, Concentrated Beef, Corned Beef, Dried Beef, Fresh Beets.. Brandy Bread Broma Butter Cabbage Cakes and Cookies Carrots Catsup Cocoa Codfish Cheese Chicken, Concentrated Chicken Soup Chickens- Chocolate Cigars Cinnamon Citric Acid Clams Clams, Concentrated Cloves Coffee Coffee, Extract Corn, Dried Corn, Green, Corn Meal Corn, Parched Corn Starch Crackers Cranberries Cream Tartar Cucumbers Eggs Farina, Figs Flavoring Extracts Flour Fruit, Dried Fruit, Preserved Gelatine Ginger Ginger, Extract Gooseberries Grapes Groats. Groceries, Assorted Halibut Hams Herbs Herrings Hominy Honey Hops Horse Radish Ice Carried Forward KBPOET OF STOEES DISTEIBUTED. 215 AKTICLES OF DIET, Etc.— Contimted.. Brought Forward - Indigo Isinglass Lard Hickory Nuts Lemons and Oranges Lemon Extract Lemon Syrup Lettuce Lime Juice , Lobsters Macaroni Maclierel Melons Milk, Concentrated Milk, Fresh Mustard Mustard Plant Mutton, Fresh Mutton Tallow. - Nutmegs Oat Meal Oats .- Okra Onions Oysters Parsnips Peaches Peas Pepper Peppers Pepper Sauce Pickles Pie Plant Pies Pigs' Feet Pop Corn Pork, Fresh. Porter Potatoes Pretzels Prunes Pumpkins Radishes Raisins Raspberi*j' Vinegar Rice lbs., -lbs., lbs., .bushels, ...boxes, ..bottles, ..bottles, .bushels, ..bottles, cans, Bs., IV.s., ...quarts, lbs., .bushels, lbs., lbs., oz., .lbs. .bushels, -bushels, .bushels, cans, -bushels, .bushels, -bushels, lbs., .-dozens, --bottles, --gallons, lbs., kegs, -lbs., lbs., ..bottles, -bushels, lbs., lbs., -bushels, lbs., .-bottles, lbs. Sago -- Saleratus Salt Sardines Sausages Shoulders Slippery Elm Soda - Sour-krout-.- -- Spices, Mixed Spinach Split Peas--- Squashes Starch--- Strawberries Sugar---, Sweet Potatoes Syrup and Molasses. Tamarinds lbs., lbs., lbs., boxes, fts., lbs. lbs., lbs., --gallons, -lbs., -bushels, tis.. -lbs. ...quarts, -tt>S., .bushels, ...quarts. 1 31 920 29 1,556 1,420 10,676 3,732 8,856 26 231 1,540 5,491 194,380 15,540 1,852 3,042 1,641 253 1,008 2,425 100 156 83,638 5,787 722 2,131 926 3,.515 962 1,92K 351l,(i77 3,219 ;i,!l7.1 •>» ISi 2,:aH 1,440 208,134i 282 5,717 1,152 1,225 600 1,431 4,481 801 .1,91.1'.) 184 4,858 ;i30 ],1.5K 9,^^iiS nU 28 261,993 865 133 400 12,602 100 792 84,775 .584 904 5,372 Carried Forward. 1 62 184 42 18,560 994 7,473 7,464 4,428 13 72 231 1,098 87,471 1,243 926 6,084 296 50 151 242 75 313 1SK,]H5 5,787 1,083 4,361 3,704 1,758 240 .578 143,871 332 397 145 65 3.32 432 260,168 56 1,713 157 4,900 180 705 672 445 1,197 27 97 1()0 318 1,480 14 7 78,598 4a3 266 60 2,.520 15 114 16,9.54 1,168 271 1,074 ?l,«18,390 216 SAN"ITAET COMMISSION — WESTBEN DEPAKTMENT. ARTICLES OF DIET, Etc.— CoKfiraied. ARTICLES. Brought Forward. Tapioca Tea, Green and Black... Toast Tobacco Tomatoes Tomatoes Tongues Turkeys Turnips Vermicelli Vinegar Wheat, Cracked Whisky Whiteflsh Wine Yeast Cakes Vegetables, Assorted... lis., JDs., fts., lbs., bushels, .large cans. .bushels. ..gallons, t>s., ..bottles, lbs., ..bottles, ..dozens, .bushels, 3,095 26,726i 6,434 lT,607i 3,802 0,600 769 139 413 161 11,205 1,532 40,064 300 68,508 279 33,591i Total. $1,618,390 928 40,090 643 15,254 7,604 6,600 384 210 412 153 40,064 30 51,381 70 55,388 $1,841,0U MISCELLANEOUS. Awnings Baggage Checks Bandage Rollers Bottles, Empty Coal Coal Hods... Cultivators Drills, Seed Flags, Large Flags, Small Fruit Cans Glass.. Hoes Hospital Car Trucks.. Knitting Machines Lampblack Linseed Oil Maps Mule Ambulances Onion Sets Packing Cases... Pictures and Frames.. Pipes Plants, Cabbage Plants, Sweet Potato. Plants, Tomato Plows. Postage Stamps Printing Press Pumps, Iron Pumps, Tin Kakes Refrigerators Rubber Oar Loops .tons, .boxes. .sets, lbs., .gallons. .bushels, 13 504 18 7,640 1,176 50 4 2 13 526 113 165 3 1 36 15 12 8 130i 126,724 137 3,743 35,(K10 35,0iK1 35,000 30 61,438 1 5 2 72 3 4.50 Carried Forward. 45 25 764 8,232 75 80 25 204 79 72 16 165 3,750 45 5 25 48 400 1,305 46,339 150 20 105 75 105 300 1,842 215 .50 10 24 40 460 $6.5,145 REPORT OP STORES DISTRIBUTED. 217 MISCELLANEOUS— Co?itinwe(J. ARTICLES. Brought Forward- Seeds, Flower , Seeds, Garden Sewing Machines Spades Tools, Joiner's Trucks, Warehouse - Turpentine- Uninvoioed Boxes-.. Weighing Scales Window Sash Wood- papers, -packages. -gallons. -cords, $65,145 600 315 2,500 50 35 56 164,100 40 134 3,140 Total. $236,211 RECAPITULATION. VALUE OF STORES DISTRIBUTED. Bedding and Clothing Hospital Furniture and Surgeon's Supplies Articles of Diet and Delicacies Miscellaneous - Gkand Total - $2,803,144 243,010 1,841,0U 236,211 $5,123,376 CHAPTER II. NOETH-WESTERjSr SAWITAKY COMMISSIOX. CHIC^O-O S 12; ^ IsT G H UNITED STATES SANITAET COMMISSION. I APPROACH the task of sketching tlie origin and history of the Chicago Branch of tlie Commission with more hesitation tlian I liave felt in attempting to describe any other portion of our work at tlie AYest. As I I'eview in my mind the career of iisefulness of this organization, during the five years through which it was constantly growing from great to greater in the work it accomjilislied, the impossibility of doing anything like justice to this work in the space at my disposal must render tlie duty as unsatis- factory to others as it cannot fail to l)e to myself. Happily posterity will have other means of learning what -was done by the people of the North-west in the wf)rk foi' vviiich the Sanitary Commission was created, for in the two histories of the North-western Commission — the one, by an individual sharing in and fully identified with that work ; the other, by the historian of the Supply Department of the Sanitary Commission — we may expect that its magnitude and value to the army will be set forth with something like the ampli- tude and detail which it so well deser^-es. I am compelled, by the circumstances under which I write, to depend for my facts mainly upon my own intimate CHICAGO BRANCH. 319 acqiaaintance with the workings of this Commission, and must limit myself to generalities even in reportiag these facts ; leaving to others the amplification and the deductions from them of the important lessons which they so plainly teach. In tlie round of visits which I made in the autumn of 1861 through the AVestern cities, for the purpose of securing co-operation in the work of tlie Sanitary Commission, as I have before stated, I found a wide-spread interest in the objects of my mission, which gave me ready listeners to any communication I had to make. In Missouri our mili- tary operations had already commenced, and the necessity for su})plementary aid to our army had pressed itself upon the citizens of St. Louis so urgently that a system of relief had already been effected there, and the ' ' Western Sanitary Commission" had so far completed its arrangements to supply the needs in that vicinity that it chose to retain its form of organization, and continued as an independent body throughout the war. On my arrival in Chicago in October I learned that some meetings had already been held there, and a movement inaugurated toward the same end, in wliich some of our Associate Members had taken an active part. These gentlemen and other kindred spirits -were invited to my room at the Slierman House, and \^'hen I had explained to them the plans of the Sanitar)- Commission and laid its documents before them, tliey at once saw the benefit of co-operative effort, and united in the organization of the society of which the subsequent history lias been so eventful. At its organization tlie Society was composed as follows : President.... - Hon, MARK SKINNER. „. „ .J , 1 Rev. 0. H. TIFFANY, D. D. Vice Presidenti j„ ,„ „. „ „ „ I Rev. W. W. PATTON, D. D. Recording Secretary and Treasurer Hi. E. SEELYE. Corresponding Secretary and Assistant Treasurer.. Ti. W. BLATCHFORD. 330 SAN-ITAET COMMISSIOJS" — WESTERIf DBPAETMBN'T. Tlie names of these gentlemen were inseparably con- nected wltli all the subsequent work of the Commission; each contributing an amount of industry, intelligence and influence that seemed vital to its success. Before the close of the war, Judge Skinner was forced by ill health to resign the Presidency, and Hon. E. B. McCagg was appointed his successor ; bringing to the position personal influence and qualities that added largely to the already great strength of the Board. Judge Skinner and Mr. McCagg were made full members of the United States Sanitary Commissioa, and from time to time made the long journey to Washington to attend its sessions. On Mr. Blatchford, as Corresponding Secretary and Acting Treas- urer, a vast amount of duty of various kinds naturally devolved, yet, though burdened with the care of a large and increasing business, his time and ability were ever at the service of the Commission, in which they had a value that cannot be over-estimated. In this, as in every other good enterprise, he "pulled the stroke oar," and we might search the country over in vain to find one better qualified in heart, hand and business experience for the important duty he was called to perform. Immediately after the Commission had "a local habitation and a name" in Chicago, Mr. Blatchford went as a volunteer to the relief of the troops in Missoiiri, where, with Rev. Robert Collier, he accomplished much in softening to our soldiers the peculiar rigors of that memorable campaign. Soon after. Dr. Patton and Dr. Isham went as delegates of the Society to Cairo, Mound City, etc., and on their return published an interest- ing report of their work and observations, which appeared in the series of Sanitary Commission documents. In compliance with the request of our agent stationed at Cairo in the winter of 1861-2, the means were furnished by the Chicago Branch for the establishment of the Soldiers' CHICAGO BRANCH. 221 Home at that pomt. This Home, first located in an aban- doned Government hospital, was subsequently transferred to buildings erected especially for it by the co-operation of the North-western Branch, the general Board of the Commission and General Grant. Thus it was made capable of affording comfortable shelter, clothing and subsistence to two hundred thousand sick, disabled or furloughed soldiers, for whom no other asylum was provided. The work of the Chicago Commission gradually ex- panded, until, in addition to all other duties, upon the first of January, 1863, it had forwarded to the army four thousand five hundred packages of stores. This result, creditable as it was to those concerned in it, was far from satisfying them, and feeling the great pressure of the demands, and knowing the resources of the fields in which they were placed, they felt the necessity of a more thorough canvass. To draw forth the needed supplies they recog- nized the fact that woman' s help was indispensable, and in a lucky hour called to their assistance two women, Mrs. Livermore and Mrs. Hoge, who proved to be possessed of unequaled qualifications for the work, and who supplied just the elements necessary for the highest success. These admirable ladies immediately introduced a system of cor- responding and canvassing, by which the interest of the Great West in our cause was greatly stimulated and drawn to this one focus. Contributions began to pour in from Northern Illinois, the greater part of Wisconsin, Western Michigan and JSTorthern Indiana, so that before the end of the year the contributions of the Society had increased fourfold. The following spirited extract from the lately published history of the Chicago Branch will serve as an example of its rapid growth in efiiciency from this period, and of the promptness and energy that pervaded all its operations : 332 SANITARY COMMISSION — WBSTEEN DEPARTMENT. Early in March the Chicago Commission issued an appeal to the North-west for anti-scorbutics to be used in the army of General Grant. It was dated March 4, 1863, was short and very urgent. In addition to this little circular, which was scattered broadcast throughout the North-west, and to articles inserted in the Chicago daily journals, the Commission telegraphed concerning the emer- gency to many of its larger auxiliaries. The following are specimens of despatches thus forwarded : Rush forvvai-d anti-scorbutics for General Grant's ai-my. Mark Skinner. General Grant's array In dan2;er of scurvy. Rush forward anti-soorbutics. .Mark Skinnjsr. These telegrams were sent to Milwaukee, Detroit, Aurora, Ottawa, Mendota, Eock Island, Beloit, Belvidere, Kenosha, Madi- son, Eacine, Freeport, Sheboygan, Whitewater, West Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, Adrian, Battle Creek, Grand Eapids, Galesburg, Hills- dale, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Leroy, Laporte, and many other places. Then ensued a passage in the history of the North-west that was one of tlie most remarkable of the varied experiences of the Aid Societies. It was March, the month of the vernal equinox. Vigorous rains had taken the place of the cloudy, sullen weather of the winter. The rich, black soil of the North-west, saturated and more than ever adhesive, offered an almost impassable barrier to locomotion. But neither rain nor mud was heeded. Wherever the telegrams were sent, wherever the circulars were directed, wherever the newspapers were read, there immediately went abroad commit- tees, begging anti-scorbutics for the soldiers. The towns were divided into districts, and every house was visited ; a central depot of deposit was appointed, to which hum- ble and rich were alike invited to send contributions. In the country, committees went in wagons, begging as they went, and taking possession of what was given, as they labored from house to house. This was done day after day, first in one direction, then in another, through mud and rain, by men and women. These collec- tions were made by the delicate lady, who could ill bear the exposure ; by the farmer's wife, who could ill spare the time ; by the tradesman, who could ill neglect his business; by the clergyman, CHICAGO BRANCH. 323 who could ill foreojo his strength. To remarks deprecating such eifort, the answer was, "Our soldiers do not stop for the weather; neither must we." There were but small quantities of these articles in the North- west, compared to the usual abundance ; for what had escaped a destructive drought which prevailed the preceding summer, had been in a great measure destroyed by the " rot " of the wet winter just closing. Illinois had but few of the desired vegetables; in some localities "not enough for planting;" in others none at all. Michigan was a little better off; Wisconsin was still more fortunate, and so was Iowa. But whatever the supply, whether great or small, it v/as cheerfully divided with the soldier. In quantities descend- ing from bushels to pecks, from pecks to quarts, from quarts, in some instances, to a handful, the precious stores were gathered. The same causes which had destroyed the onion crop had dimin- ished, also, the articles used for pickles, and these were gathered in a similar manner. Cabbage pits were opened, explored and rifled ; horseradish was dug and added to the collection. From Wisconsin, and those localities which had not suffered through the causes mentioned, the consignments came "rushing forward.'" They filled the depot ; they overflowed upon the side- walk ; they encroached even upon the street in front of the Commission rooms. As fast as they arrived they were forwarded, and their places occupied by others. Milwaukee, West Milwaukee, Racine and Whitewater, each large shipping points, hurried to Chicago car load after car load of the precious, homely vegetables, more valuable now than gold. A few farmers of the little towns of Windsor, Bristol and Spring Prairie, Wisconsin, volunteered and forwarded two hundred and twenty-eight bushels. The shipment from Whitewater was the largest and the most remarkable. The Aid Societies gave themselves up to the occasion. Eegular meetings, extra meetings, and canvassing expeditions filled up the time. Begging committees were ordered to report on certain days, and the whole Society, in its anxiety, came together to hear of their success. These gatherings were, with ready tact, seized and made useful for the packing and forwarding of the onions and potatoes, and for the preparation of the sour-krout and horseradish. " Pick- ling meetings," as they were called, became the reigning reunions of the Aid Societies. Barrels and kegs were begged and purchased ; 224 SANITABT COMMISSION — WBSTBEN DBPAETMBNT. sour-krout cutters were borrowed or hired ; men were employed to use them in reducing the cabbage to the requisite fineness; the "aids" packed it with layers of salt between, and vinegar was poured over the whole. Meanwhile the "grating committee," amid much rallying and with many tears, was courageously working at the horseradish. Besides the large quantities of anti-scorbutics so freely given, the Commission purchased all that could be found in Chicago. This resource exhausted. Aid Societies and agents were employed to buy in the surrounding country. On this and on several similar occasions, the Commission thus swept the market, and sensibly affected prices. As rapidly as possible, during the month of March, 1863, were shipped from Chicago to the army of General Grant all the anti- scorbutics that could thus be collected by free-will offering and by purchase. All through the month, potatoes and onions, sour- krout and pickles, rolled across the Central Eailroad, and sailed down the Mississippi. A line of vegetables connected Chicago and Vicksburg. Not less than a hundred barrels a day were shipped, and generally the average was more. In two days, in the middle of the month, were forwarded three hundred and forty-four packages, of which three hundred and fourteen were vegetables. The average of vegetable shipments was a thousand barrels a week, and other Sanitary supplies were not sensibly abated. One delegation alone from the Chicago Branch to Vicksburg, took with it during this month thirty tons of supplies. This movement is more striking from the fact that the Govern- ment had endeavored to obtain these articles and had failed. But for the Sanitary Commission the army would have gone without them. General and medical oflBcers present with the troops at Vicksburg bore testimony to these facts, and to the incalculable value of the shipments made by the Chicago Branch at this time. No exertion, no sacrifice, was considered too great to be made in behalf of the army investing Vicksburg. Nothing could have been devised better calculated to arouse and unite the West, than the claim of the South to the exclusive control of the Mississippi. Had even an appearance of discrimination been made in favor of some Western localities, parties or classes, the Southern sympathizers, who were scattered in every Western State, might have found a fulcrum CHICAGO BRANCH. 235 whereon to plant a lever. But one unanswerable reply, when all others failed, closed every mouth ; and that consisted in a scornful reference to the possibility of submitting to the 'deadly affront offered the West through its great river, its noble highway, its pride, and its inalienable heritage. ' And so you would give up the Mississippi, would you ? "' withered all discussion, and neutralized all antagonism. The same struggle that had been instituted during March against scurvy in the Army of the Mississippi, commenced in April on behalf of the Army of the Cumberland. Beginning on April 18th, the Chicago Commission sent a car load, or about one hundred and twenty-five barrels, daily, for several successive days, to the army of General Eosecrans. Two car loads were sent on two successive nights to Louisville, for the hospital in charge of Dr. Woodward, near Murfreesboro. For a time the great press of vege- table shipments for Murfreesboro crowded out all other supplies. * * * * It may not be uninteresting to state here that, from January to July, the Chicago Branch had thus shipped eighteen thousand four hundred and sixty-eight bushels of vegetables. Of other anti-scorbutics, it for'i\arded in that time sixty-one thousand and fifty-six pounds dried fruit, three thousand six hundred and fifty-eight cans of fruit, and three hundred and eighty-seven packages of pickles. In the month of June alone, it shipped two thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven packages, of which two thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine were for the army investing Vicksburg, leaving sixty-eight packages only for other localities during that month. One of these shipments filled eight cars. In the first six months of this same year, viz., from January to July, 1863, the Commission had received into its treasury contribu- tions amounting to forty-two thousand one hundred and fifty-eight dollars and fourteen cents. ***** To estimate aright the liberality of the North-west in the Sanitary cause, it should be kept in mind that this section, however rich in prospects and resources, was as yet poor compared with other portions of our common country. It had no class of retired merchant princes ; of professional gentlemen receiving large emolu- ments from sinecures, which left them time, as well as money, to bestow at pleasure ; of families enjoying long established and hereditary wealth ; of gentlemen and ladies born to a fortune. If 15 326 SANITARY COMMISSIOBT — WESTERN" DEPARTMENT. time was given, it was taken from the calls of a profession or the duties of a business to which time was emphatically money; if money was given, it was taken from an income none too large, or from a capital every dollar of which had its use. If women attended to the requirements of the Aid Society, it was to intermit the needful watch and ward that prevented household waste, and that could ill be dispensed with. The population, too, was sparse, which added to the labor. Not satisfied with this great result, these ladies conceived the idea of holding, for the benefit of the Sanitary Commis- sion, a Fair upon a scale up to that time not imagined possible. By a system of correspondence and visitation all parts of the great field tributary to Chicago were canvassed, and on the last week of October the Pair was opened. In boldness and symmetry of plan, in the many points of interest included, and in the enthusiasm Avhich inspired all classes and conditions, all sects and sections, in their contri- butions to and enjoyment of the Fair, it was altogether beyond precedent. In the inception of the enterprise it was boldly claimed by its lady patronesses that twenty-five thousand dollars might be raised by the eff'ort. In fact nearly eighty thousand dollars were realized by the Fair and paid into the treasury of the society. This result, so gratifying to those immediately concerned in the enterprise, and surprising to the whole country, forms but a smaU part of the good fruit which it bore ; for, stimulated by the example set by Chicago, at a later period, Cincinnati, Cleve- land and Pittsburgh, at the West, and Philadelphia, New York, Brooklyn, Boston and all the other great cities at the East, held in succession their Sanitary Fairs, by which several millions of dollars were made available for the pur- poses of pure benevolence. Among the many great events crowded into our five years' war there is perhaps nothing of which we, as a people, can be more justly proud than this CHICAGO BEANCH. 337 series of Sanitary Fairs ; considered either in relation to the grand scale on wMcli they were planned, the beauty and good taste that characterized their embellishment, the harmony and enthusiasm that reigned among the thousands who attended them, or the unparalleled pecuniary results which followed. For all this chaia of surprising results we must give the praise in large part to those ladies who planned and carried to successful execution the first and confessedly the most difficult step. In the spring of 1865, another Fair was held by the Chicago Commission, on a grander scale and with much larger pecuniary results than the first. The sum realized from this Fair was two hundred and twenty thousand dollars, which, by the close of the war, was fortunately not all needed for the pur^iose designed in its accumulation. The unexhausted balance was appropriated as follows : Soldiers' Home 180,008 25 Christian Commission 50,000 00 By the North-western Commission, as by that of Cincin- nati, a monthly bulletin was published for the information of its contributors, and a great number of appeals and circulars issued, all of which had a bearing upon the sup- plies received, and consequently upon our work. It was also true that at Chicago, as at all other points where our Agencies were established, they became the center of benevolent effort of various kinds ; the places of ren- dezvous of all cases of destitution or suffering in any way consequent upon the war ; and it may be safely said that, of all these thousands of applications for aid, none really deserving were turned empty away. The Soldiers' Home at Chicago did not depend exclu- sively upon the Sanitary Commission for its management, but drew largely upon it for its support. The Pension Agency at this point was sustained from the general fund 238 SANITAKT COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAETMBNT. of the Commission, but our agent received all possible assistance in his work from the gentlemen of the Branch Commission, andc whatever he did at this point may be considered as an integral portion of their work. A brilliant summary of the work of the Chicago Branch is given in the following extract from the final pages of its published history: On the thirtieth day of November, 1865, the last entry was made on the Eecord Book of the North-western Branch. On that day a meeting of the Commission was held, and the office was closed immediately thereafter. Over THEEE THOUSAND Aid Societies were tributary to this Branch. Allowing them an average of ten members, there were thirty thousand patriotic women in the North-west belonging to these organizations. This was the army at home which was mar- shaled by the North-western Sanitary Commission. Add the num- bers of other women who came forward on occasion, as, after a battle, and in behalf of the Fairs; add the numbers of generous men who kept its coffers replenished, or who gave their gifts in kind ; add the " little ones," who were constantly seeking to assist the work ; add the clergymen who constantly sustained, and the editors who constantly advocated it ; and it will be seen what a wide-spread, deep-seated hold the Sanitary Commission had on the affections of the North-west. ***** In the four years of its existence, the North-western Commis- sion disbursed seventy-seven thousand six hundred and sixty pack- ages from its storehouse, and four hundred and five thousand seven hundred and ninety-two dollars and sixty-six cents from its treasury. It received thirty-one thousand nine hundred and sixty-nine of these packages from its tributaries, and the remainder it purchased. The first Sanitary Fair brought to this Branch the sum of seventy-two thousand six hundred and forty-live dollars and eight cents, and the Dubucpie Fair fifty thousand three hundred and forty-eight dollars, which are included in tiie above estimate. The second Sanitary Fair brought it the sum of eighty-four thousand three hundred and sixty-four dollars and sixty-seven cents. From other sources, seventy-four thousand six hundred and sixtv-five CHICAGO BRANCH. 329 dollars and fifty-one cents. These, added to the above, make the whole money receipts of this Branch amount to four hundred and eleven thousand and twenty-seven dollars and thirty-five cents. Of packages it received, as stated, thirty-one thousand nine hundred and sixty-nine, and disbursed seventy-seven thousand six hundred and sixty. The value of the whole disbursements amounted to one million fifty-six thousand one hundred and ninety-two dollars and sixteen cents. This is the Sanitary work which was accomplished during the war by the Aid Societies of the North-west. This is what they achieved by their devotion, enthusiasm and patriotism. This is the brilliant result of their self-denying, tireless, abundant labors. This is what they did for their country in its hour of need. This is their record and their monument. This Branch did, also, the M^ork of the Union and of the Freed- men's Commission, before either of these organizations found existence. This is a part of its unrecorded labor, which has never had an accurate estimate. But so much is on record, viz., that it furnished transportation for the supplies raised on behalf of these interests, and disbursed for them, in money and goods, over fifty thousand dollars. For the North-western Christian Commission, it furnished largely the transportation and traveling passes needed by its supplies and agents. And from the proceeds of the last Sanitary Pair, it voted to give the Christian Commission the sum of fifty thousand dollars, and faithfully executed the agreement. CHAPTER III. ■WISCONSIN SOLDIERS' AID SOCIETY. DynirjV7-.A."a"icB:E3 siajLOsrcKC OF THE UNITED STATES SANITARY COMMISSION. Though sending its contributions through, the North- western Branch of the Sanitary Commission, and thereby, to a certain extent, sinking its identity in the great propor- tions of that noble organization ; still, as the exponent of the benevolence of the great and growing State of Wiscon- sin, and in virtue of the grand work it accomplished, the Wisconsin Soldiers' Aid Society richly deserves not only specific mention, but a far fuller history than my space will permit me to give of it. As is known to all, Wisconsta is rapidly becoming not only the theater of great industrial enterprise, but the home of a civilization as refined and advanced as can be found in our country. The record of the State in the war is in all respects most creditable. The number of troops which she furnished was large, and these of a high character, both officers and men, as the part they performed on every important battle field will testify. Among such a people it was inevitable that a deep interest should be felt in the extraneous and benevolent efforts made for the amelioration of the condition of our troops, and, as a consequence, we find that they were not only among the first to co-operate with the Sanitary Commis- sion, but throughout the war the contributions which they MILWAUKEE BKANOH. 331 made to the work were, perhaps, even beyond their propor- tion, as regards population and wealth. Milwaukee, as the largest city of the State, was the focus of business and intelligence, and therefore naturally became the center of the philanthropic movement to which I have referred. There, on the 19th of October, 1861, was formed the Ladies' Association of Milwaukee, the first and most powerful of the series of Soldiers' Aid Societies which subsequently covered nearly the whole area of the State. By that for- tune or Providence which presided over the initiatory steps of this great movement at various points, the responsibility of the management of this enterprise was committed to ladies who proved themselves peculiarly qualified for the task, and who, with little change, retained their relations to the Society from first to last. Every year of their adminis- tration served only to afford fresh proofs of their rare fitness for their positions, and give them new claims upon our respect and admiration. The officers elected in the first organization of the Society were as follows : President _ Mrs. C. A. KBELER. ,,. „ .^ , 1 Mrs. ALEX. MITCHELL. I Mrs. W. B. HIBBARD. Recording Secretary Mrs. WILLIAM JACKSON. Corresponding Secretm-y . MRe. JOSEPH S. COLT. Treasurer Mrs. JOHN NAZBO. Subsequently Mrs. Henry L. Ogden and Mrs. Dr. Densi- man, as Assistant Secretaries, were added to the corps of oificers, and the Vice Pr(?sidents who have been named were succeeded by others. With these exceptions, the organization experienced little change to the close of the war. The spirit and method which characterized the operations of this Society will be, perhaps, best learned from the following extracts from their first annual report: When the call to arms summoned husbands, fathers, sons and brothers from their peaceful homes to the battle field, in defense of 232 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. our beloved country, the women of Milwaukee, in common with their sisters throughout the whole North, were not content to remain passive spectators of their noble patriotism. Their sympa- thies were at once enlisted, and they felt that they, too, had a work to do in the coming struggle. Little comprehending what might become the extent and importance of this work in which they desired to have a share, they began, with willing hearts and busy hands, to follow out their generous impulses by preparing garments for the volunteers, who, all unaccustomed to camp life, were poorly prepared with suitable clothing, and were awaiting the arrival of Government stores. In the course of the summer, information came to us from camp and hospital and from those whose kindred impulses had given a more permanent direction to their efforts: "Men taken from various in-door avocations were suddenly exposed to the vicissi- tudes of camp life, compelled often to make rapid and fatiguing marches, to bivouac in malarious regions, to drink water frequently impure and stagnant, and to eat badly-prepared food." Its dire effects soon manifested itself in the sickness which called for post and general hospitals, and it was determined to organize an associa- tion in Milwaukee for their aid. Accordingly, on the 19th of October, 1861, a large meeting of ladies assembled for the purpose in the school-room of Messrs. Kursteiner & Shepard. They adopted the name of "Ladies' Association of Milwaukee for the Aid of Military Hospitals," chose their oflQcers, and appointed a committee to solicit contributions. Their application met with a ready response, the use of eligible rooms was generously proffered, and the ladies vigorously set to work in the preparation of such articles as might be useful to the sick in hospitals. A correspondence was opened with surgeons of regiments and members of Sanitary Commissions, for the gatliering up of such information as might enable us intelligently to pursue our work. Our first donations abroad were sent in large and well-filled boxes to St. Louis, whose numerous well-appointed hospitals challenge the admiration of the whole nation. Our own sick and wounded are indebted to them for nursing care, comforts, and even life itself Some of our earlier boxes were sent to regiments on the Poto- mac, from the very natural desire of those who had friends in that MILWAUKEE BEANCH. 233 distant field that their donations should be applied directly to their comfort. Subsequent investigations, however, confirmed by the advice of those who have had opportunities of forming intelligent judgment on this subject, have determined us against this practice. "More losses," we are assured, "have occurred to the few boxes sent to specified regiments than to all others combined." Their often remote positions, the diflBculty and expense of transportation, the uncertainty of communication by letter, and their frequent changes, all conspire to deter us from thus risking the precious fruits of the labor of love committed to us. These considerations, with the sense of responsibihty resting upon them, induced the officers of the Society to avail tnemselves of the Chicago and St. Louis Sanitary Commissions, as the safest channels for the distribution of their stores, and the most effectual mode of guard- ing against their waste and misapplicijtion. These vigorous and efficient arms of the volunteer service employ trusty agents for visiting hospitals and seeing that the gifts committed to them are wisely and economically applied. To those disabled returning soldiers who occasionally pass through this city to their homes, this Society desires to prove the good Samaritan. As the number is not sufficient to call for the establishment of a " Soldiers' Home," that beautiful feature in the charities of many cities of our land, we have adopted the best means we could devise for meeting them with kindhess and refresh- ment on their homeward journey. Tickets have been placed in the hands of trusty employes on the Milwaukee and Chicago Railroad and the steamboats, to give to those who may need them, entitling them to meals and lodging at the Lake House, which is near the depot, and where, we are persuaded, every attention is extended to them. ******* We are compelled to appear before the public with an empty treasury. Let this fact, united with the pleading voice which comes to us from hospital, steamer and battle field, rouse the ener- gies which, from any cause, may have become dormant, and stimu- late us all to enter upon another year with renewed exertions. Let us blush to say that, because our brave soldiers may somewhere, and at some time, have been defrauded of what was intended for their succor, we will make no further effort on their behalf; or, because our own regiments cannot be reached by our offerings, 234 SANITABT COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. others of our brave defenders, belonging to the one great Union army, shall not be benefited by them. Enough for us ±hat, from any portion of it, "the blessing of him that was ready to perish" descend upon us. We rejoice that woman can do something for our imperiled country, and that the work needed is one in which all may engage, whatever their position, whatever their opinions. Labor and sym- pathy have been freely poured out, and yet there is another work, appropriate for us in our quieter life, to which we hope we may be permitted to allude. It is for us, because we are so weak and know our weakness, to cry to our Heavenly Father for pardon and deliver- ance from the fearful judgments which sin has brought upon our country; for us to invoke the "wisdom from above," never more needed than now, for those who, in these dark days, have the perilous responsibility of guiding the ship of state;' for us to entreat that an Almighty shield may be around those who have gone forth to battle; and while we pray that the end of all this strife and bloodshed may be nigh, it is for us likewise to remember that loe have enlisted for the war, and press onward surely and steadily with our labors and our prayers, until the angel of peace shall again spread her wings over our beloved country. During the course of the war, visits to the front were made by more than one of the offit'ers of this Society, and Mrs. Colt spent some time in both the great armies of tlie West, not simply to learn from observation the wants of the soldiers and the best means of supplying them, but to take part with her own hands in relieving the suffering of the sick and wounded. Nearly all the liosiutals of the South-west- felt the benign intiuence of hei- presence and efforts ; and wherever she went, with lier intense iwitriotism, rare powers of pleasing and dec^p sympatliy with suffering, she carried light, oht^-rfulness and comfort. It was my good fortune to enjoy much of the society of botli Mrs. Colt and Mrs. Jackson during the war, and I can hardly express, without seeming exaggeration, the respect and esteem with which both these noble women insi)ired me. MILWAUKEE BRANCH. 335 There was one lady of Wisconsin who, though not an officer of this Society, was an active and efficient co-laborer in its wort. I refer to Mrs. Harvey, the wife of the Governor of the State. It will be remembered that Gover- nor Harvey was drowned at Pittsbnrg Landing, where he had gone, led by his interest in the fate of the Wisconsia troops. I was on the spot at the time, and deeply sympa- thized wich his relatives and the people of his State in their bereavement. Governor Harvey had been a schoolmate of mine, and I conld fully appreciate the loss which they sustained. From that time Mrs. Harvey devoted herself with unceasing industry to the cause of the sick and wounded in our army, and spent the larger part of the years of the war at one or the other of the military hospi- tals of the South-west. At the cessation of hostilities her unquenchable interest in the work which had so long occu- pied her time and thought, led her to charge herself with the establishment of an asylum for soldiers' orphans. Contributions were made by the Wisconsin Ladies' Aid Society of about six thousand boxes, of the value of two hundred thousand dollars. This is the only item in the work of the Society which properly receives notice in this sketch of the Supply Department, but, as proved by the following quotation from the final report of the Society, its work ran into the various channels which the wants of the soldiers everywhere opened to us, so that this Society, in addition to its contributions of stores, had its Pension and Employment Agencies, and care of soldiers' families; all of which received a share of its efforts, and go to swell the aggregate of the good work it accomplished. Again we come before the public with the report of our labors, hoping tha,t, after nearly four years of experience, we have gained the confidence of the people, as the proper and safe medium of supplies. 236 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTBEN DEPAETMBNT. Our rooms are the place of resort of the widow for news of her dead ; of the anxious-hearted mother for news of her wounded ; of the broken-down and "worn-out soldier for help ; of the wives and mothers of soldiers for work ; of constant appeals from battle field and camp, from hospital and loathsome prison, for relief. All these different inquiries, by our connection with the Sanitary Commis- sion, we are able to answer. By our connection with and recog- nition by the Government, we can give work. By the generosity of our auxiliaries and the help of our prir^cely citizens, we can promptly help the prisoner, the dying and the wounded. We have sent to the front, in money and supplies, more than twenty-five thousand dollars in five months, and more than eleven thousand dollars worth of pickles alone; in the whole year about fifty thou- sand seven hundred dollars, and of that nineteen tliousand four hundred and ten dollars was in pickles. We are a Society for the relief of our sick and wounded soldiers, but we have added to our old work many other bureaus that seemed imperatively our duty. What can better nerve the arm of a soldier than care for his family ? More than two hundred women are on our list, whom we visit, encourage, teach and help. All this work must go on, or great distress will ensue. We trust to our ever generous public to sustain us. We could not have worked thus laboriously, successfully and harmoniously in your midst without your confidence and co-operation. It is for that we yet ask. And trusting that He who rules the hearts of men and the destinies of nations may soon bring our labors to a close, we work on, and shall continue to do so as long as there are wounded to help, prisoners to relieve, suffering to alleviate, or sorrows to lighten. EBPOET OE THE IKDUSTEIAL AID DBPAETJIENT. Brought much into contact with soldiers' families, the ladies of the Soldiers' Aid Society could not resist the conviction that proper consideration for their own sex called upon them to devise some means whereby they might benefit those who have given their husbands and sons to fight the battles of our country. They felt, too, that by doing this they would most efiectually encourage and comfort the hearts of the soldiers themselves. MILWAUKEE BRANCH. 23'i' Believing that the wisest charity would be to furnish work, preserving those whom they would aid, as much as possible, from the humiliation of receiving alms, and feeling that we were not authorized to trench upon funds placed in our hands for men in hospital and on battle field, it was determined that our Correspond- ing Secretary should proceed to Washington and solicit from the heads of Departments a share of army work. Successful in her appeal, the work was commenced six weeks ago, immediately on the arrival of the material. "We have on our books two hundred and thirty women, and the number is constantly increasing; and though, with our grant of twelve thousand garments, we cannot give them all the work they wish, yet we hope, by its judicious distribution, materially to aid them through the severity of the approaching season. The object of this Department is to aid those who are most needy and deserving, those who cannot do or obtain much other work, and those who have the least assistance from other sources. With all the noble liberality of the G-eneral and State Govern- ments, as well as that of the county, there are still many cases of hardship which appeal strongly to every feeling heart. Such as the sick and infirm ; those who, with large families, have been written widows by this cruel war, and have not yet obtained pensions; those whose husbands are in the regular army or navy, or from other causes do not receive State or county pay; and those who, we are grieved to say it, get nothing from their husbands. The more effectually to carry out their object, the managers have formed themselves into committees for visiting every appli- cant, ascertaining as far as possible their situation and circum- stances, manifesting a friendly interest in them, and endeavoring, by all the means in their power, to promote their comfort and well being. Were the aim simply to get the work well done, it might easily be accomplished without a tenth of the labor now expended upon it. There are many younger soldiers' wives, with sewing machines, and few, if any, incumbrances, who understand the work and would gladly undertake it; but the ladies prefer to give their time and trouble that they may furnish facilities, and improve in neat- ness and ability to support their families those who, having young children depending upon them, really need the assistance. What 238 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. that labor is can scarcely be imagined by those who have not visited our rooms. From half past nine o'clock in the morning till dark, every day, the cutting and folding are going on. We employ a very efficient soldier's wife as cutter, while one set of ladies is occupied in assisting her or in folding and properly preparing the work all the morning, and another set in the afternoon, thus calling into requisition the services of about sixty ladies a week. The managers gratefully acknowledge the kindness of many ladies who have rendered them valuable aid in this work. The managers of the Soldiers' Aid Society likewise give all their services to this Department which are not required for their other operations. We have every confidence that a community which has never manifested a disposition to forget the poor, or the soldier, will so approve our work as to enable us to carry it on till the rigor of the approaching season shall have passed away. CHAPTER IV. IOWA SANITARY COMMISSION. or THE UNITED STATES SANITARY COMMISSION. Contributions made by the people of Iowa to the sick and wounded of the army for a long time reached the frontier in two channels ; the one represented by the Eev. A. J. Kynett and other Associate Members of onr organiza- tion who were working in nnison with ns, the other by Mrs. Wittenmeyer, for a time the agent of the State, holding an independent position, but in alliance with the Western Sanitary Commission of St. Louis. During the last two years of the war, however, most of the contributions of Iowa were made through the Sanitary Commission, and were forwarded, like those of Wisconsin, to the Chicago Branch. In November, 1863, a Sanitary Convention was held at the State capitol, of which Hon. James Harlan, State Senator, was made President. At this meeting a new "Iowa Sanitary Commission" was organized, and a con- stitution was adopted, in which it was resolved to co-operate as far as possible with the United States Sanitary Commis- sion. On the adoption of this constitution the Rev. Mr. Kynett relinquished the organization of the Iowa Sanitary Commission, which he represented, and Mrs. Wittenmeyer, who stood at the head of the State organization, resigned to the new Commission the position which she held. On the 240 SANITAEY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAETMENT. 20th of January, 1864, the new Sanitary Board met at Des Moines— composed of the following officers and members : President ..Hon. JOHN F. DILLON, (Judge Supreme Court,) Davenport. -Mrs. Gen. CURTIS, Keokuk First District. Mrs. D. T. NEWCOMB, Davenport ..Second District. Vice Presidents ..- . J ^^^- ^- ^- CONGER, Dubuque Third District. "" ' I Mrs. Col. WM. M. STONE, Knoxville Fourth District. ■, Mrs. W. W. MAYNARD, Council Bluffs Fifth District. Imhs. J. B. TAYLOR, Marshalltown.... Sixth District. Secretary Rev. C. G. TRUSDBLL, Davenport. Treasurer Hon. BZEKIEL CLARK, Iowa City. Corresponding Secretari/--'R'erf. E. SKINNER, De 'Witt. C G. W. EDWARDS, Mt. Pleasant First District. I Mrs. Dr. ELY, Cedar Rapids Second District. Bow,-dof Control J Hon. F. E. BISSBLL, Dubuque Third District. I N. H. BRAINAED, Iowa City Fourth District. j Hon. JAMES WRIGHT, Des Moines ..Fifth District. Imrs. W. H. plumb, Fort Dodge Sixth District. The state was then divided into Districts, and agents appointed for each District, viz. : Rev. E. S. Norris, Mrs. ,J. Hager and Miss Simmons. Of these the Rev. Mr. IS" orris and Mrs. Hager were paid from the funds of the United States Sanitary Commission. On the 1st of June, 1864, a second meeting of the Iowa Sanitar}* Commission took place, in which the foUowiiig preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted ; "Whereas, The Western Sanitary Commission is limited in its field of labor, and does not reach all the Iowa soldiers, although effective within its reach, and has under its more immediate charge the relief of the freedmen in the Valley of the Mississippi ; and Whereas, The United States Christian Commission, in its organization, is designed to attend particularly to the spiritual wants of the soldiers, and is accomplishing a glorious work in this respect; and Whereas, The United States Sanitary Commission has, within the field of its usefulness, all the soldiers in the Union Army, and has its agents in every department wherever suffering soldiers are found, ready to afford relief, and distribute supplies to them; therefore, Kesolved, That this Commission, endorsing all and detracting from no organization that contemplates the comfort of our soldiers. IOWA BRANCH. 341 recommends the citizens of Iowa and all organizations for affording Sanitary relief to send their contributions to the United States Sanitary Commission for distribution, on account of their superior facilities for attending to every department of this work, in every part of the country where our troops are to be found. In the spring of 1864, the people of the northern part of the State, encouraged by the success that had attended the great Fairs in the Eastern States, decided to hold the "Northern Iowa Sanitary Fair," which was opened in the city of Dubnqne on the 1st of June, 1864. The receipts of the Fair, in money and stores, amounted in value to nearly ninety thousand dollars. Over fifty thousand dollars in cash, and one thousand nine hundred and sixty packages of hospital supplies were sent by the Fair to the North- western Branch of the Sanitary Commission at Chicago. On the 26th of September, 1864, another successful Sanitary Fair was held at Burlington. The total contributions and receipts amounted to twenty-five thousand dollars. The net proceeds of the Fair were devoted partly to the Christian Commission and partly to the Noi-th-western Sanitary Com- mission, and the balance was expended under the auspices of the Sanitary Commission at Burlington. 16 CHAPTER V. DETROIT S L U I K R S AID SOCIETY ivciciixo^isr EiaA-isrcH TJNITED STATES SAKITAET COMMISSION. The first movement in Michigan towards tlie contribu- tion of supplies to our soldiers originated in some earnest appeals, published in the Detroit papers, wiitten by Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Geo. Duffield, of that city. In answer to those appeals a number of boxes of stores werc^ sent to Mrs. DufReld, and by her forwarded to such Michigan troops as seemed to need them most. At a later period, when it was evident that a great work was to be done in that direction, Mrs. DufBeld felt herself physically unable to take the bur- den of its superintendence, and delegated it to others. A Detroit lady, describing the first efforts made there in behalf of the soldiers, says of the measures resorted to : " The first in point of importa^nce were those of Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Duffield. Their ])ersonal friendship with ]\Iiss Dix and Mrs. R. N. Blatchford, of New York, and tlic-ir cor- respondence with Mrs. George Schuyler and others, of the Woman's Central Association, gave them the means of knowing what was best to do, and this they communicated to their wide circle of acquaintances in the State. I believe the correspondence to which I refer did not result from old MICHIGAK BBANCH. 243 acquaintance, but led to its renewal, and also to the dis- covery that this Sanitary Commission work had brought together the children of old associates in charitable enter- prises. Mrs. Duffield is the daughter of Mrs. Bethune, and grand-daughter of Mrs. Isabella Graham ; Mrs. Bethune and Mrs. Hamilton, the mother of Mrs. Schuyler and Mrs. Blatchford, were associated in establishing the first Orphan Asylum in New York." At Detroit, as in most of the Western cities, certain of the inhabitants, conspicuous for their influence and philan- thropy, were, as early as June, 1861, appointed Associate Members of the Sanitary Commission, and to their influence we are in most instances indebted for the first organization of our Branch Societies. In the lake cities, however — Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit — our work was mainly done by ladies who interested themselves in it. In Detroit the first organization was distinctly a woman's society, and it was so continued to the close of the war, though Dr. Zina Pitcher, an Associate Member of the Sanitary Commission, acted as counselor to the society of ladies, and was able, from his experience in the army, to afford them valuable information. On the organization of this Society its officers were as follows : President Mrs. JOHN PALMER. Vice President Mrs. M. ADAMS. Treamrer Mrs. W. N. CABPBNTBE. Auditor... - Mrs. D. P. BUSHMAN. Bemrding Secretary Miss SAEAH BIGGBBB. CorreapondingSeCT-etarj/.. Miss VALBBIA CAMPBELL. In the corps of officers several changes were made during the five years of the Society' s existence ; but, through all these changes, the Corresponding Secretary, Miss CampbeU, remained not only as an element of identity and vitality, but as the most responsible and unwearied of all embraced 244 SAN"ITAEY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAETMBNT. in its organization. At a later date the roll of ofRcers of the Society included the following names : President Hon. JOHN OWEN.* r B. VERNOE.* Hon. J. V. CAMPBELL.* r,-« PresidenU , P- ^- DBMILL.* 1 Miss S. A. SIBLEY. Mrs. H. L. CHIPMAN. . Mrs. N. ADAMS. Treasurer WM. A. BUTLER. AKxistant Treasurer Mrs. GEORGE ANDREWS. Auditor ...Mrs. WM. A. BUTLER. Rcciirdiiw Secreta/ry Miss LIZZIE WOODHAMS. Correspondiny Secretary. .Miss VALERIA CAMPBELL. In this list it will be seen that Mrs. Adams and Miss Campbell are the only representatives of the old board. And it may be said that, but for the persistence and indom- itable resolution of two or three of the founders of the Society, its existence would have early terminated and its usefulness been far less than it was. A large part of the contributions of Michigan to the Sanitary Commission were forwarded to the Chicago Branch, and appear in the reports of that powerful Society. For this reason the work done in Michigan is liable to be under-estimated. Yet from the time of the establishment of the Western Central Office at Louisville, I was constantly in the receipt of shipments of valuable stores made from Detroit through the Chicago, Cleveland or Cincinnati Branches. Remote from the seat of war as Detroit was, it was impossible to excite there the degree of enthusiasm in GUI' work such as converted whole communities further south into contributors. But the record of Michigan in the war is as creditable as that of any other State, and her intelligent and patriotic populaticjii was behind that of no other in the peiformance of any duty which seemed to * Associate Members United States Sanitary Commission. MICHIGAN BRANCH. 345 promise success to the Union anus. Aside from the remoteness from our Southern battle tields, to which I have referred, another cause contributed to render the work of our co-laborers at Detroit difficult and discouraging. I refer to the proximity of the Canadian frontier, from which emanated an influence tliat in a marked degree qualified the patriotism of those living on the immediate border within our territory. That, in the face of such influences, our Detroit Associates were able to accomplish so much renders them worthy of the highest honor and praise; and those who witnessed, as I did, their constancy of purpose and earnest devotion to the work will not fail to remember with gratitude and admiration the part tht-y played in our great drama. From manusciipt notes furnished me by an officer of the Michigan Aid Society, I quote some passages which will be of inteiest, as showing some of the peculiar features in this work and experience. Of their methods of accumu- lating supplies she gives the following account: Of circulars and newspaper appeals we published many, besides reports in the papers and several in pamphlet form. In these we made use of such letters and documents as contained matter of interest or information. Dr. Newberry's kindness supplied many of them. For others we were indebted to the Societies at Cleveland, Chicago and elsewhere, to our State agents, to officers and soldiers in the army, and to others. The " Eeporter " and " Bulletin " did much, both in calling out contributions and in giving information of what was most wanted. We did not make many personal applications for subscriptions or donations. Those we did make were considered ]Dretty successful. In March and April, 1862, we raised over six hundred dollars by small weekly subscriptions. We depended for the most part on such donations as were made without direct application. Church collections on thanksgiving or fast days made a considerable part of our receipts. 246 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTEEK DEPAKTMENT. Of personal efforts otherwise than in raising money it would be diflRcnlt to give account. Some of us fell into the error of giving up visiting, and, while laboring hard ourselves, lost the opportuni- ties of influencing others. It was hard, perhaps impossible, how- ever, to do otherwise. Besides, it was so disagreeable to be talked to as if we were " women with a mission " that I, for one, preferred to stay at home or in our rooms, where business was business, and ridicule and compliment were alike shut out. Concerts, lectures and other entertainments were not very numerous in Detroit nor very successful. The most money was raised by a party for the benefit of the Soldiers' Home, where an invitation was necessary to the purchase of a ticket. This secured a large and brilliant company, and left behind it many misunder- standings. No Fair for the whole State was originated by us. The first North-western Pair received a good deal from Michigan ; but, as we had no share of the profits, it was rather a disadvantage to us than otherwise, as those who contributed to it could not see the necessity of giving again immediately. On the other hand it brought together many representatives of Michigan Societies, who learned to know and esteem each other, and worked faithfully together to the end. The State Fair, at Kalamazoo, in 1864, was intended, I suppose, to benefit equally the Kalamazoo Soldiers' Aid Society and the Michigan Branches of the Christian and Sanitary Commissions. The Michigan Soldiers' Eelief Committee, however, was substituted for the latter. The three organizations gave up to us, on Mrs. Sheldon's application, about nine hundred dollars received from sales of articles left from the Fair, and we received from the Kalamazoo Society about five hundred dollars, besides the stores purchased by them. So that, while there was seemingly presented the anomaly of a Sanitary Fair from which the Sanitary Commission was excluded, the latter really received more than either the Eelief Committee or the Christian Commission. In the second North-western Fair, we succeeded in securing the proceeds of Michigan contributions, though not till after delays and difficulties which detracted much from its then value. The net proceeds of the Michigan Department of this Fair were nearly ten thousand dollars — other receipts for the year about five thou- sand dollars. MICHIGAN BRAKCH. 347 In 1863 Prof. Andrews, of Marietta, employed by Dr. Newberry, canvassed a part of Michigan with great success to the Sanitary Commission. The Societies of Kalamazoo and Flint, especially, were among our most faithful and energetic supporters. In the fall and winter of 1863, Mr. Wilkinson, of Kalamazoo, was employed by us for two months, and again for a short time in 1864. His experience of the benefits of the Sanitary Commission, in the Peninsula and at Vicksburg, while a member of one of our regi- ments, was used to good effect, and a large amount of stores was the result of his solicitations. The want of a suflBcient number of well-informed and influen- tial agents was a great drawback to our success. The i-esults produced by Prof. Andrews and Lieut. Wilkinson show what might have-been done if we could have found the right men, and had the means — and the wisdom — to employ them. For I do not forget that Dr. Newberry (in the winter of 1862-3, I think) offered to send an agent to canvass the State, and we declined. The collections made and work done in schools and by children ought not to pass without mention. Tableaux, fairs, concerts and other means were employed by them, from the little table of refresh- ments, on the sidewalk or the church steps, to tempt the passer-by, to the concert of hundreds of children, such as Mr. Philbrick got up, when the labor of weeks was spent in preparation, and lights, decorations and dress heightened the effect of the pretty faces and sweet voices of the earnest little performers. The very babies worked for the "poor toler," and gave up, unasked, their fire- crackers and rockets for the wounded at Gettysburg. WHAT WB DID WITH THE MONET AND STORES GIVEN US. The money was spent in purchasing stores and materials for work; payment of transportation charges; office expenses — rent, fuel, stationery, pay of clerk, etc. ; expenses of agents ; expenses of fairs, concerts, etc.; printing; expenses of Soldiers' Home; extra expenses of United States Sanitary Commission Claim Agency. The stores were given to regiments leaving the State ; regiments with the army; hospitals at home ; soldiers at home ; soldiers' fami- lies ; the Soldiers' Home ; depots of United States Sanitary Commis- sion ; State agents and Societies, and Western Sanitary Commission. 348 SANITARY COMMISSION" — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. All expenses, except purchases, were made as small as possible. A larger expenditure for pay of agents and clerks, and for printing, would have been wiser. It must be said, in vindication of our narrow economy, that if we did not spend much, we had not much to spend, nor had any of our active members much at their own disposal. Transportation would have cost us much more had not most of the transportation companies carried our goods free. The express companies occasionally took things free, and usually at reduced rates. The Michigan Central Eailroad took them free at first, and afterwards at half price. The Michigan Southern, and Detroit and Milwaukee railroads, and the Cleveland boats made no charges. The alacrity with which our worse than unprofitable shipments were received ought to be gratefully remembered. For the expenses of the Soldiers' Home we received one thou- sand dollars from the United States Sanitary Commission, and over five hundred dollars from the Michigan Soldiers' Relief Committee. The Sanitary Commission also paid the Superintendent for some months. The military authorities furnished rations and wood, and detailed men for duty there. What further was needed, either for the care of the house or for medicines, food, transportation, etc., we supplied. Medical attendance was for the most j)art gratuitous. The assistant surgeon at the Barracks hospital attended part of the time. The Employment Agency opened in August, 1865, and closed in December of the same year, cost us nothing excei>t advertising and the services of our very capal)le and energetic clerk. Miss Macklin, who either went herself or sent the men where work was likely to be got. There were over two hundred applicants, of whom about two-thirds are registered as having found employment, and about half the rest as having left the city. Provision for soldiers' families was the first measure of relief thought of on the breaking out of the war. Of the private contri- butions and loans for equipping the soldiers, before the State could raise njoney, all below a certain amount was set apart for their families. Some Michigan residents in California sent Mr. Owen five hundred and fifty-five dollars for widows and orphans. JIadame Oentemeri, assisted by the riiilharmonic Society and others, gave two concerts for volunteers' families. The Legislature voted a cer- tain allowance for their support. Money remaining from holiday MICHIGAN BBANCH. 249 dinners for the soldiers was used for this pm-pose. When these resources have been insufficient we have furnished aid from our own funds. Eefugees, and women and children from other States, have also been aided, but these have been few. We have not spared much money for these purposes, but the ladies who have acted for us have done what they could to get employment for those who could work, so that the benefit has been greater than the mere gift of more money would have been. Of these ladies none have been more faithful and judicious than Mrs. A. E. Howard, our principal agent for the last two years. We paid such expenses of the Claim Agency of the United States Sanitary Commission as were not provided for in the agree- ment between Mr. Bascom and the Detroit agent, Mr. Jennison, and have since employed Mr. Jennison to attend to the business left unfinished on the closing of the office in January, 1866. Tlie notes, from which the preceding quotations have been made, close with the following tribute to the Sanitary Commission : It vexes me to hear the women's work cried up, as if to it the army owed everything. But for the Sanitary Commission it would all have gone, as too much of it did go, in relieving much individual suffering, no doubt, but in results no more to be compared with what was actually done, than the kindness, which merely gives money and food to the beggar at the door, is to be compared with that which also patiently trains him into a skillful and prosperous workman. I cannot think of any mere human and voluntary institution to be named with the Sanitary Commission. Cramped and fettered in its powers at the outset, opposed alike by the unyielding etiquette of the Medical Department and the lawless benevolence of the populace; the object of slanders combining the venom of political and theological rancor ; undermined by insidious rivals, and having among its members, contributors and agents, varieties of character and opinion difficult to harmonize, the mag- nitude and success of its efforts are wonderful — only to be accounted for as the result of God's goodness watching over its inception and its work. May the same goodness guide and bless all who had part in its work. OHAPTEE VI. soldiers' aid society of northern 0I[I0. aXjEVEiij^israD Bia^A-isrcs: OP THE UNITED STATES SANITARY COMMISSION. As I have elsewhere said, the Soldiers' Aid Society of Cleveland was first, in point of. time, of all associations organized for the purpose of carrying popular and extra- neous aid to the soldiers of our armies. The spirit which prompted this early organization was but a fair exponent of the patriotism and intelligence of the community in which it was located, and was the natural and fitting intro- duction to the wonderful career upon which the Society then entered. On the 15th of April, 1861, the first call to arms was made by President Lincoln, and on the 20th the Soldiers' Aid Society was organized, and the responsibility of its work placed in the hands of those who directed its affairs till the close of the war. With an inspiration which I have called Providential, a selection was made of those who were to have the management of the Society such as no time for deliberation or subsequent experience could possibly have improved, and a plan of operations adopted which required little modification to the close of its history. With no insight into our then dark future, other than that possessed by all, yet, guided by their deep womanly sympathy and a faith that no reverses could extinguish, CLEVELAND BEANCH. 251 they went on witli unflagging energy in the prosecution and expansion of their work, constantly developing new resources in their own capabilities and in the patriotism of their constituents, until they had accomplished results in many respects beyond a parallel in the history of benevo- lent effort, and formed a record of which any individual or community might be justly proud. Although tilling but a narrow field (about eighteen counties) in the great area of the loyal North, this was so thoroughly and wisely culti- vated that material contributions were derived from it which in value amounted to more than a million dollars ; a fifth part of the whole of the contributions made to the Western army through the hands of the Sanitary Commis- sion, and a sixth of all made in the West ; a fund which formed not only one of the main sources from which we derived the means to supply the needs of our army, but at times our only dependence. This result, grand and sur- prising as it is, can be regarded as only a fraction of the good work accomplished by this Society, for in its local charities its wisdom and eificiency were no less conspicuous than in its contributions to the Supply Department. In other portions of this report will be found some notice of the Soldiers' Home, the Pension and Claim Agency, the Employment Agency, and other branches of the Society's work, in all of which its zeal and success were equally manifest. In the numerical summary, where the results accomplished by this Society, in the different departments of its work, are expressed, so far as figures can express them, will be found the means of comparison between what was done by it and others ; but to gain a just appreciation of the reach and magnitude of this work, the kind and sympathetic spirit that pervaded it, and the quiet, unosten- tatious manner in which it was performed, it is indispensa- ble that one should have been a constant and appreciative 352 SANITAEY COMMISSION— WESTEE2Sr DEPARTMENT. witness of it. It was my good fortune to enjoy such oppor- tunity, and the interest of my report would doubtless be greatly enhanced, and the claims of this Society more fully met, if I were to give the details, as they are known to me, of the inception, progress and results of its efforts. Such a course would, however, carry me beyond my prescribed limits, and be scarcely just to the thousand others of our so worthy co-laborers, whose important contributions to our cause I have epitomized rather than described. I must be compelled to leave all details in the history of the Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio to those who have charged themselves with the duty of recording them ; remarking only that, though none but those actively engaged in its work are capable of fitly describing it, it is quite certain that any history they may write will be so largely tinctured with the modesty that characterized the work itself as to be far short of a reproduction of the reality. It has been erroneouslj^ stated that the Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio was first organized simply for the relief of soldiers' families ; but, to my certain knowledge, though this was the item of business whicli claimed atten- tion on the first day of organization, the scope and plan of , operations was then so comprehensive as to include all the objects of charity consequent upon the war. On the second day of its existence the Society proved the truth of this assertion ,by the efl'ort, to which I have referred, of supplying new regiments with blankets, and fully accom- plishing the purpose by placing over seven hundred at their disposal. At this time no Sanitary Commission existed, and the Society worked independently, because it was alone. But when, early in the summer of 1861, as a member of the Sanitary Commission, I came AVest to solicit co-operation with that body, I found this Society inspired CLEVELANB BRANCH. 253 with the most cordial and catholic spirit, and both ready and desirous to contribute, by all the means in its power, to the end we had in view. Western Virginia was then the only field of active military operations within my Depart- ment, and from this Society I received not only the hospital stores placed in the hands of our agent sent to this field, but their contributions were my main dependence for this supply for months after. The second Agency which we established was at Cairo, 111., and there, as in Western Virginia, our first receipts of hospital stores were from the Cleveland Society. On the 15th of October, at the request of the officers of the Society, it was formally resolved by the Sanitary Com- mission, "that the Soldiers' Aid Society of Cleveland is hereby constituted a corresponding Branch of the Sanitary Commission, and that the Secretary notify the Society of the action of the Commission, with an expression of the sense entertained by the Commission of the importance and value of its services." At the first meeting of the Society the following ofiicers were elected : President ....Mrs. B. EOUSB. „ „ .^ , ( Mrs. JOHN SHELLEY. Twe Presidents ---■!,, ■„,,, utit ttt-»t/-.ii 1 Mrs. WM. MELHINCH. SecreUwy- ..MAKY CLAEK BRAYTON. Treasurer ELLEN P. TEKEY. With the exception of the substitution of Mrs. J. A. Harris for Mrs. Shelley, (a change required by the removal of Mrs. Shelley from the city,) these officers remained in charge of the affairs of the Society to the close of its exist- ence. The President, Mrs. Rouse, a lady who combined in her character more than ordinary intelligence and force with true feminine purity and tenderness, was a born philanthropist, and had been a leading spirit in every benevolent enterprise of her city for more than a quarter 254 SANITABY COMMISSIOIS^ — WESTER2jr DEPARTMENT. of a century. She was placed by acclamation at the head of the Society at its first inception, and during the years of its subsequent existence not only was no question ever raised of the desirableness of appointing a successor, but every day of her administration developed new evidence of her remarkable fitness for, the place. The choice of Vice Presidents proved to have been wisely made, these ladies devoting themselves with unwearied fidelity, during the long years of the war, to the routine of duty at the Aid Rooms, where tlie supervision of the various committees and the charge of the incoming stores involved a degree of mental and manual labor such as few women are capable of performing. The Secretary and Treasurer seemed equally well chosen. Miss Brayton, well known as a ready and eloquent writer, developed a business capacity which con- tributed largely to the success of the Society in the manage- ment of its business affairs, which assumed dimensions reached only in the transactions of the largest commercial houses, and won for her the sincere respect of all the busi- ness experts with whom she came in contact. Miss Terry was an equally marked instance of natural selection. Like Miss Brayton, she had enjoyed all the benefits of refined intellectual culture, and, by her mathematical education, was especially qualified to take charge of the financial department. This position, though it involved unlooked- for responsibilities, she sustained with great credit; and her books, in neatness and accuracy, vrSl compare with those of any business house. With these officers were united a corps of assistants who included nearly all the most intelligent and estimable women of the city ; a number of whom devoted themselves to the work of the Society with scarcely less earnestness than the officers I have mentioned. Upon them devolved a large part of the work which it accomplished, and CLEVELAND BRANCH. 355 the}- deserve a liberal share of the honor it has earned. Throughout the whole history of the Societ}- the remark- able harmony and concert of action which prevailed among its members was not only delightful to behold, but one of the most potent elements of its success. The first report of the Society was published by the Sanitary Commission in November, 1861, as one of its series of documents, and from this and the second report, published in July, 1862, I extract the following, which will sulRce to convey an idea of the spirit which animated the first eff"orts of the Society, as well as recall the circum- stances under which they were put forth, more accurately than can be done by any other means : Not more eagerly did seventy-five thousand brave men spring to the defense of our beloved country and its insulted flag, when, on the 15th of April, 1861, the call "to arms" flashed, along the electric wires of this broad land, than did the women of the North arise in their holy purpose to strengthen and sustain the patriot soldiers thus summoned from their peaceful homes to the untried duties of the battle field. Under this sacred impulse the women of our city gathered at Chapin Hall, on the 20th of April, and a Soldiers' Aid Society was organized, its officers chosen, and a small fund raised for the tempo- rary support of the families of those who had gone forth on the three months' service. There were flushed faces, aglow with exalted feeling ; troubled brows, shaded by vague apprehension; grave countenances, pale with nameless forebodings; eyes that sparkled with excitement, and eyes with a startled outlook or dim with gathering tears. What this strange cloud, suddenly threatening the far-off bor- ders of the land, might portend, happily no prophetic tongue was loosed to tell; no vision of the future rose to appal the assembly that met that day with the earnest purpose to do with their might whatsoever a woman's hand should find to do. With earnest hearts and busy, though unskillful hands, we began the sad work of preparing lint and bandage, in the dread apprehension that all too soon this service might be required, yet 356 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. deceived by the hope that rebel insolence would bow before the noble uprising of a loyal people, and that soon peace would again spread her snowy wings above our banners. Soon after the establishment of a camp of instruction near the city we were called upon to prepare garments for the volunteers daily arriving from their country homes, ill provided with clothing suitable for camp life, and also to supply blankets for their comfort while awaiting the arrival of Government stores. Havelocks were next furnished to the troops from this vicinity, and then came a period when the Society languished; not from lack of interest in the work, but because utter ignorance of its nature prevented the anticipation of those needs which the cam- paign would develop. Shortly, however, from visitors to some of our large pamps, we learned of the lack of hospital furnishings, and correspondence was immediately opened with the surgeons of different regiments, with the hope of receiving that information which would enable us to work intelligently for the sick in hospital. The first donations were sent to Camp Dennison, (Ohio,) and consisted of a supply of hospital garments sufficient for two regiments of Ohio volunteers. These were furnished at the expense of two or three members of the Society, only; for the small sum at first subscribed had long been exhausted, and the need of an increase of funds had not yet been felt. Soon the replies to the numerous letters addressed to surgeons prompted us to make public the information thus obtained, and, on June 20th, Circular No. 1 was issued to the towns in this vicinity ; nor were we disappointed in the reception which it met with. Hundreds of women, who, like ourselves, had been anxiously wait- ing to find their place in this work, eagerly sought the opportunity to express their loyalty by appropriate action ; and now presented itself the idea of centralizing the efforts of the women of this part of the State, with a view to the extension and greater efficiency of the work. A natural ignorance of the direction in which to work, and the prevalent fear of assuming duties which legitimately belonged to the Government, and which might enrich the Commissariat with- out benefiting the soldier, threatened to become a serious obstacle, by checking that enthusiastic co-operation so important to success. CLEVELAND BRANCH. 257 It seemed necessary to explain the fact that, in a war so suddenly thrust upon a nation, there is, unayoidably, a hiatus between the ability of the Government and the demand of hospital and camp, which can only be filled by the efforts of benevolent associations. To meet and overcome this difficulty the President of the Society stepped from her life of quiet and unobtrusive charities, visited families and villages, and, by personal explanation and appeal, secured the hearty and enthusiastic support of all who listened to her clear and eloquent arguments. A sentiment of common justice demands that these extraordi- nary efforts should, through the medium of this report, receive a tribute of grateful acknowledgment. In the search for a suitable room for the reception of the dona- tions now rapidly flowing in, from our citizens and from friends in the adjoining towns, the large oflBce and store, 95 Bank street, were placed at our disposal by the owner, one of our prominent citizens. Regular meetings of the Society were now held on the first Tuesday of each month, and the small sum of twenty-five cents was exacted at each meeting as membership fee. Committees were appointed to attend the rooms, to receive and take charge of dona- tions, and to cut and give out the work which the ladies of the city readily volunteered to make up. But while thus arranging for the reception and care of dona- tions, and while zealously striving to do our share in the preparation of hospital comforts, we were greatly in doubt as to the proper disbursement of our accumulating stores. As the location of hospitals became more remote, transportation more hazardous and communication by letter with the army more uncertain, the ofl&cers of the Society deeply felt the burden and responsibility of dispensing, with prudence, impartiality and wisdom the precious fruits of so much patient and loving toil; and on October 9, 1861, the Soldiers' Aid Society of Cleveland was form- ally offered as a Branch to the United States Sanitary Commission. At that time, all eyes were turned, and all hopes centered upon the forces gathered about Washington; and, while the benevolent associations of Eastern cities were ministering to the necessities of the Army of the Potomac, the destitution of the military hospitals of the Great "West, and especially of Western Virginia, pressed heavily upon our sympathies, and the advice received from the 17 358 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEUN DEPARTMENT. Secretai'}' of tlie United States Sanitary Commission, in reply to our informal letters of inquiry, confirmed our determination to work exclusively for Western troops. With the exception of three cases of hospital clothing sent to Washington immediately after the battle of Bull Run, our ship- ments have been entirely confined to the Western division of the army. Vigorous correspondence was kept up with the surgeons of all Western regiments that could be reached by letter from this point, and the most earnest efforts were made to learn the state of the hospitals of Western Virginia and Missouri, and, acting upon the scanty knowledge thus obtained, supplies were sent from time to time, as the small means of the Society would allow. The letters of grateful acknowledgment received from those whom we thus endeavored to relieve greatly stimulated the work, and the interest of neighboring societies steadily increased. CLASSIEIGATION OF STORES. The importance of promptness in answering the calls made upon the Society involves a necessity for the systematic arrange- ment and classification of stores; and the following is the plan" adopted : The rooms of the Society are furnished with large receiv- ing cases, each bearing the name of the article it is intended to contain ; and upon receipt of boxes from our Auxiliaries, the con- tents are distributed, each article into its appointed place, thence to be repacked with others of its kind; the boxes made secure for transportation, numbered, the number and contents registered, and the boxes placed in the storehouse to await the order for shipment. COMMITTEES. The care of donations, many of which are of a nature to be injured by transportation ; the unpacking, assorting, classifying and repacking of goods, require the attention of a large number of ladies, aside from those having the charge of cutting, giving out, and receiving back the garments made by ladies of the city. In addition to these duties, there has recently been adopted the stamp- ing of each article of clothing and bedding with the name of the Society. This has been advised by the Sanitary Commission, as OLEVBLAKD BRANCH. 259 proof that articles thus marked are not famished by Government, and can be neither sold, nor bartered, nor their price held back from the wages of the soldier; nor can they be appropriated, without danger of detection, by persons out of hospital. It is also recommended for the moral effect which the knowledge of such benevolence must have upon the sick soldier. CIKCULAES AND NEWSPAPERS. It has been our endeavor to diffuse as widely as possible the information received concerning the preparation of hospital supplies, and to this effect five circulars have been issued. These have been gratefully received, and the instructions embodied in them closely followed. Circular No. 3, addressed to the little girls, met with a most enthusiastic reception, and every school-house and each play- room became a busy workshop, where nimble fingers plied the needle, and bright eyes flashed out the beams of a newly-awakened patriotism. To maintain and increase the interest in our work, weekly acknowledgments of all donations are published in the city papers, and the written acknowledgments of surgeons, and all letters of special interest to the cause, are put into print and mailed to the organizations connected with this Society. This department is in the hands of a committee of young ladies, who have discharged its duties with the utmost fidelity ; and although the sending out of these documents involves considerable expenditure, the results are highly gratifying to the Central Association, and have greatly stimulated the efibrts of Auxiliary Societies. CITY CAMPS AND HOSPITALS. While providing for those who call from distant battle-fields and hospitals, we have not been unmindful of those in regiments temporarily encamped near the city, who have fallen under the diseases engendered by the sudden change from the comforts of home to the exposure of camp life. The surgeons of these regi- ments have been authorized to draw upon this Society for anything necessary to the comfort of the men under their charge, and from time to time their hospitals have been thoroughly furnished from its stores. 260 SAN^ITART COMMISSION — WESTERN DBPARTilENT. The sick or wounded volunteer, on his return through this city, has found in the " Aid Society " that good Samaritan whose minis- trations have eased his pain, and whose sympathy has sent him with a lightened heart upon his homeward way. AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. As a local organization, much has been done; the women of this city have been constant, faithful, earnest and devoted; and while their steady and untiring performance of their self-imposed duties, whether at the rooms of the Society or in their own homes, merits the most sincere praise, yet it is to the generous inflowing of benevolence from our Auxiliary Societies that is owing the power to minister in such large degree to the thousands in hospital who claim our care. In vain we search for appropriate expressions of our gratitude to those who, gathering around us as "Branches," have now become one with us in this great work. Their noble confidence, as shown by their entrusting to us the precious fruits of their diligence and skill, and their kind appreciation of our efforts on their behalf, have inspired us with increased devotion to their interests. Encouraged and sustained by their continued kindness, we pledge ourselves to the faithful and unrelaxing performance of our work ; and while thus expressing our sense of the assistance they have rendered, we beg them to remember that this work is but begun — that months and even years may develop only increased necessity for their efforts ; and that surely, steadily, they should go forward, having "enlisted for the war," and pledging themselves to "hold up the hands" of our patriot soldiers, so long as we have a flag to be protected, and a country to be saved. The second report of tlie Societ}- closes with the following eloquent paragraphs : A year of deadly combat has rolled its waves of fire and blood over our land, and grim-visaged War, no longer masked in martial splendor, now stalks among us, an acknowledged though an unwel- come visitant, but we see no shrinking from his face of horror, nor does his heavy tread disturb the firm basis of our national prosperity. The wheels of trade have not been clogged, nor the progress of science or the useful arts arrested. The fires of patriotism burn CLETBLA^TD BEANCH. 261 not less brightly, but with steadier glow ; the disgraceful retreat of the undisciplined mob has become the firm advance of a trained soldiery ; and though the blood-drenched soil and rude mound of the fatal field are the sole memorials of many, who, strong of purpose and lofty in resolve, left their homes but one short year ago, to do or die in their country's cause, yet the spirit that sent them forth still animates the thousands who are crowding forward to fill the places decimated by disease or the bullets of the foe ; and the world abroad no longer looks with incredulity upon the problem of self-government which this young nation is solving. We, too, are disciplined and educated for our work — our feeble and uncertain steps have settled into the steady tread of assured progress — and though the first flush of enthusiasm may have faded, and the stimulus of novelty is lacking, yet the sufi'e:!:ing that touched our hearts and awakened our sympathies months ago still exists, and still sends forth its voice of supplication from many a distant battle field and ill-appointed hospital. Let us then press steadily onward, and while praying that the end be not far off, accept the duties that may become our life-work, counting it blessed to live in an age, when, by the exercise of the sweet charities of life, we can prove the purity of those patriotic sentiments that, through long years of unexampled national pros- perity, have been the proud heritage of every American citizen. Thus may we earn a glorious share in the happiness of that day when the sun of peace, dispelling the darkness that now over- shadows us, shall throw the bright bow of hope and promise over our beloved and redeemed country. As indicating m}- appreciation of the work of the Society at this period, I venture to subjoin a letter which accom- panied their first report wlien submitted to the Sanitary Commission ; H. W. Bellows, D. D., Cleveland, December 1, 1861. President U. S. Sanitary Oommission: Dear Sir — I have the honor to present herewith, the Report of the Soldiers' Aid Society of Cleveland, Ohio, as you are aware, one of the most efficient auxiliaries of our Commission. Through my reports, you have learned, from time to time, something of the operations of this Society, but from an intimate acquaintance with the growth and workings of its sj'stem, and the results it has accomplished, 1 262 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. have thought them worthy of more full and puhlic exposition than has yet been given ; not only that the value of the services rendered by this Society might he more widely known and generally recognized, but that others, seeing how simply and how quietly so much good has been done, by those enjoying no unusual resources or opportunities, might be stimulated to like efforts, with like results. A few warm-hearted, patriotic women originated the Society, and, almost unaided, have since managed its rapidlj^ extending business with a degree of skill and wisdom of which their success is but a just exponent. Seeking neither honor nor reward, they have given their time, their energies and their thoughts to the work, with a self-devotion, which, while it has taxed their strength and periled their health, has cheered, comforted, and saved from death many a suffering soldier iu the distant camps of our Western and Southern frontiers; has enlisted the sympathy and active co-operation of thousands of the loyal women of Northern Ohio ; and by its direct and reflex influence, has given a more fei'vent glow to the patriotism of the entire West. In this fallen world of oin-s, such instances of self- consecration are not so common as to be undeserving of record when found. I would therefore request that this report, prepared at my suggestion, may be printed and circulated as one of the documents of our Commission. Very respectfully, J. S. Newberry. In June, 1861, a number of the most influential and philanthropic citizens of Cleveland were appointed Asso- ciate Members of the Sanitary Commission, and in October of the same year they united to organize a Branch Commis- sion for the accomplishment of the same objects that engaged the attention of our Branches elsewhere, and to lend to the already flourishing Soldiers' Aid Society what- ever aid might be necessary in the execution of its work. The gentlemen who joined in this movement are as follows: T. p. HAND^ STILLMAN WITT. A. STONE, JB. JOSEPH PERKINS. BENJAMIN ROUSE. E. S. FLINT. WILLIAM BINGHAM. Dr. E. GUSHING. Dr. A. MAYNARD. M. C. YOUNG LOVE. The flrst duty which suggested itself to them was to pro- vide a military hospital for Northern Ohio, which should receive the sick of the regiments quartered at Cleveland, for whom no other asylum had been opened. By applica- tion to the Secretary of the Treasury, a part of the Marine CLEVELAND BBANCH. 363 Hospital at Cleveland was placed at their command. This was fitted up by the co-operation of the ladies of the Aid Society, and continued to meet the wants of the class it was intended to accommodate until the building of the Cleveland Soldiers' Home removed the necessity for its continuance. During the autumn of 1861, the gentlemen composing this organization were frequently called upon for the relief of the various kinds of want and suffering incident to the gathering of troops at Cleveland, and to aid in the operations of the Soldiers' Aid Society. Cleveland was, however, so far removed from the seat of war that the demands for local charity were less urgent than at points further south, and the ladies of the Aid Society displayed such activity and ability in the performance of their work that there seemed little occasion for others to attempt to share it, so that all the benevolent effort, as far as the army was concerned, was gradually committed to their hands. The gentlemen whom I have mentioned continued, however, to manifest an interest in the object for which they were associated, and they and many others, throughout the life of the Aid Society, were able to contribute in an important degree to its success. In addition to the names I have enumerated, justice requires that I should especially men- tion Mr. L. M. Hubby, President of the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad Company, and Mr. H. M. Chapin, who were especially active and efficient in the co-operation I have referred to. The devices resorted to by the Soldiers' Aid Society for raising the funds necessary to carry on their constantly expanding business, were varied in character, and many of them were exceedingly ingenious. Monthly subscriptions were opened, in which many of the citizens contributed liberally to the cause. Tableaux, lectures, concerts, etc., were resorted to, all with a good degree of success and with 264 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTBEN DEPARTMENT. the result to- sustain the Society in its work through the first three years of the war. At that time, however, the demands upon it were so urgent that it seemed necessary to resort to some extraordinary means for their supply. The services of the ofiicers of the Society were gratuitously rendered ; contributions of materials flowed in, in generous measure, from both city and country ; but of many required articles the stock held by the people had come to be nearly exhausted, and it was of the first importance that purchases should be made in quantities far beyond the supply by donation. In these circumstances, encouraged by the exam- ple of Chicago and Cincinnati, the Soldiers' Aid Society, with the universal co-operation of the citizens, held, in the spring of 1864, tlieir famous Sanitary Fair, which formed one of the most important as well as delightful episodes in the history of the Society. In this Fair not onlj' the patriotism and generosity of the inhabitants of Cleveland — both of which had come to be proverbial — were demon- strated, but the cultivated taste which has presided over the embellishment of this beautiful city was exhibited in a marked degree. Though not one of the largest — for Cleve- land had then a population of but fort3"-five thousand — this Fair was one of the most beautiful, and, in proportion to the population contributary to it, perhaps the most success- ful of all the series. I will not here attempt a description of the Fair, nor the many interesting features it included, but will only say that, in all its departments, it was in the highest degree creditable to those who created it, and a source not only of present enjoyment, but of delightful remembrance to all who had the good fortune to attend it. The Floral Hall, which was the center of attraction, was the work of Mr. F. K. Elliot, the well-known landscape gardener, and is universally conceded to be the most beau- tiful creation of his genias. Th(- gross receipts of the Fair CLEVELAND BEANCH. 365 were one hundred thousand dollars, of which nearly eighty thousand were realized to the treasury of the Society. With these funds at command its usefulness was redoubled, and it became from that time a still more efficient contributor to our work. From the final report of the Cleveland Branch I take the following recapitulation of its work in various departments : The foregoing pages are a brief sketch of the work that loyalty prompted one small district to do for the soldiers. They are sub- mitted in the hope that it may not be uninteresting to trace the history of a Society wliich was the first permanently organized, one of the first to enter the field, and the last to leave it; which began with a capital of two gold dollars, and closed with a cash statement of more than one hundred and seventy thousand dollars ; which grew from a neighborhood sewing-circle to become the representa- tive of five hundred and twenty-five branch organizations, in dispensing hospital stores valued at nearly a million of dollars; which built and supported a Soldiers' Home and conducted a Special Eelief system and an Employment Agency, from which sixty thousand Union soldiers and their families received aid and comfort, and a Claim Agency which gratuitously collected war claims aggregating three hundred thousand dollars, at a saving to the claimants of over seventeen thousand dollars. This is an aggregate which, considering the circumstances before referred to — viz. : that it was the work of an associa- tion essentially of ladies only, and those but few in number, and that it was the contribution of but a small district of our loyal territory — cannot fail to be regarded as surpris- ing, and as an exliibition of patriotism and humanity such as would form the brightest page in the history of any community. I should also say that the loyalty to the Sanitary Commission and the catholic and disinterested spirit of the Soldiers' Aid Society of Cleveland were always to me among the most delightful characteristics of that organization. 266 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. The contributioiis of this Society were made with a regu- larity and certainty upon which we were able to rely under all circumstances. Our appeals were always promptly responded to, and it is the universal testimony of our agents in the field that the contributions of no Society arrived in better order, nor in the choice of articles was there more judgment shown. In the chapter on "Special Relief" will be found a sketch of the Soldiers' Home, built and main- tained by the Soldiers' Aid Society, and its Pension and Employment Agencies, all of which deserve equal com- mendation with th^ work which it did in the Supply Department. This review will be most appropriately closed by quoting the last paragraphs of the lately published history of the Cleveland Branch, showing, as they do, the spirit -wdth which this Society retired from its admirable work : But all who had a part in the beneficent work in which it was woman's peculiar privilege to serve her country, must feel abun- dantly rewarded in having been able to do something for those who gave health, manly strength, worldly prospects, ties of home, and even life itself, in the more perilous service of the field. As already sweet flowers and tender plants creep over and half conceal the battle footprints but lately left on many a field and hill- side of our land, so sweet charities and tender memories arise to enwrap the gaunt figure and veil the grim visage of War, that must forever stand, a central object, upon the canvas that portrays the history of these memorable years. CHAPTEK VII. cotjTti^jbjjs iBU-A-isrcia: triflTED STATES S A ST I T A E T C M M I S S I K . The Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission situated at Colnmbns, Ohio, was organized in the month of October, 1861, when on my way to Kentucky I stopped at Columbus and addressed the Legislature regarding the purpose and methods of the Sanitary Commission. At that time a number of the most iniiuential and intelligent citizens of Columbus formed themselves into a society auxiliary to the United States Sanitary Commission. Some other names were subsequently added to the list of members, and it ultimately included the following gentlemen : Gov. WM. DBNNISON. WM. M. AWL, M. D. JOSEPH SULLIVANT. Eev. Dr. FITZGBBAXD. J. B. THOMPSON, M. D. P. AMBOS. Bev. JOSEPH M. TEIMBLB, D. D. T. J. WORMLEY, M. D. J. H. RILEY. Hon. JOHN W. ANDREWS. S. M. SMITH, M. D. R. NEIL. P. C. SESSIONS. S. LOVEING, M. D. FRANCIS COLLINS. FRANCIS CARTER, M. D. President WM. M. AWL, M.D. Vice President.. J. B. THOMPSON, M.D. Treamrer T. J. WORMLEY, M. D. Secretary P. C. SESSIONS. Hon. WiUiam Dennison was at this time Chief Magistrate of the State, and in this connection, as elsewhere, manifested himself an earnest, unselfish patriot and a true and efficient friend to the soldier. Dr. S. M. Smith, a widely known physician, was subsequently Surgeon General of the State, and both in his individual and official character, contributed 268 SAKITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. largely- to the results at wliich we aimed. Mr. Sessions, another member of the Columbus Branch, was one of the earliest volunteers who took the field to minister to the wants of the sick and suffering in the army. He accom- panied us on the '.'Allen Collier" in our memorable trip to Fort Donelson, and went to Pittsburg Landing immediately after the battle, where he was connected with the great work accomplished, in the care of the sick and wounded, during the spring and early summer of 1862. He also went with Dr. Smith to Murfreesboro upon the occasion of the battle of Stone River; visited Virginia during the second cam- paign in that State, as well as most other important points in our field of operations; always as an earnest, hard- working, good Samaritan. From its location as the seat of government, our Colum- bus Branch constantly felt the opposing influence of State pride and political ambition. During the administration of Governor Dennison, little of this was experienced ; but, during those of his immediate successors, a strong eff"ort was made to secure to the State Executive the patronage and popularity which it was felt might adhere to whoever became the almoner of the munificent bounty of our citizens. In a neighboring State a similar effort was to a large degree successful, and the benevolence and patriotism of our people were made to contribute to the aspirations of lier more prominent politicians. Only a small part of the great contributions of Ohio were diverted from the channels of the Sanitary Commis- sion, which carried them to all the needy and suffering of the army of the United States, Avith no unworthy preferences for such troops as were recruited within certain limits. This is no place, nor is there any necessity for discussing this question, which is only another form of that of union and secession ; States' rights and national supremacy. COLUMBUS BRANCH. 269 Columbus was an important point of rendezvous for our troops in the earlier part of the war, and throughout its duration camps of instruction or rendezvous continued to exist there. Much labor was therefore thrown upon our Associates located there, in meeting the home demand, both for personal ministrations and hospital supplies. In these duties a large number of them took an active part with marked effect in the amelioration of the condition of those who came under their care. In the progress of events it also became desirable to establish at Columbus a resting place or asylum for the sick and destitute soldiers — whose wants were not otherwise provided for — detained at or passing through the city. To meet these wants a Soldiers' Home was established, mainly through the exertions of Mr. Sessions, and, more than once enlarged, it continued its good ofhces to the close of the war. To aid in the work of the Columbus Branch, an appro- priation of five thousand dollars was earlj' made from the funds of the Sanitary Commission, and to this sum several thousand dollars were subsequently added for the equip- ment and maintenance of the Soldiers' Home. At Columbus, as everywhere else, a large part of the work of the Sanitary Commission was accomplished through the agency of woman. In October, 1861, a Soldiers' Aid Society was organized there, which was in December formally recognized as an Auxiliary of the United States Sanitary Commission; bearing the same relation to that body as the Woman's Central Relief Association of New York. Of this Society Mrs. W. E. Ide was the first Presi- dent, and Mrs. George W. Heyl, Corresponding Secretary, (subsequently President,) while its membership included most of the influential and patriotic ladies of the city. OHAPTEE VIII. ci]5rc!iisriNr.A.Ti B^a^-isrcH: OF THE UNITED STATES SANITARY COMMISSION. One of the most efficient of our Western Branches was that established at Cincinnati. From the personal influence of the gentlemen who composed it, as well as their earnest devotion to their work, in its first organization this Branch secured the confidence and respect of the inhabitants of the wealthy city in which it was located, and by its well-directed eff'orts it early began a career of usefulness which continued till the close of the war, and was a source of untold bless- ings to our armies in the West. From the geographical position of Cincinnati, at that time on the frontier, the war was brought to the very doors of its citizens ; and a large part of the earlier duties of the Commission might be properly denominated field service, inasmuch as the defi- ciencies in the equipment of our troops, and their manifold wants, both of personal ministration and material aid, were there felt in all their severity. In the historical sketch which forms a part of this Report, I have briefly alluded to the circumstances attending the organization of the Cincinnati Branch. The work of this Society formed so important a part of the events of the war at the West, that nothing less than a voluminous history would serve for a proper exposition of it. It is to be hoped that, for the honor of the Commission and the city, as well OINCIKi^ATI BRANCH. 271 as for the trutli and fullness of histoiy, such a record will be made. The origin of the Cincinnati Branch Commission may be traced to the correspondence between the Hon. George Hoadly and myself, in which the plan of organization of the Sanitary Commission was set forth, and the importance of an effort on the part of the citizens of Cincinnati for the accomplishment of the purpose we had in view. Through Judge Hoadly' s exertions a meeting was assembled, of those who had already taken part in the work of relieving the wants of our soldiers, and of others who, by their previous histor}- or present spirit, seemed especially qualitied to join in such an enterprise. This meeting was held at the office of Dr. W H. Mussey, on the evening of November 27, 1861. I was present, by invitation, and more fully explained the plan of the Sanitary Commission than it had been possible to do by correspondence. The result was the organization of tlie Cincinnati Brancii Commission, composed as follows: K. W. BUHNBT. LAEZ ANDERSON. GEO. HOADLY. CHAS. ¥. WILSTACH. MICAJAH BAILEY. ELI C. BALDWIN. S. J. BROAD WELL. JAMES M. JOHNSTON. E. S. BROOKS. A. G. BUET. JOSHUA H. BATES. CHARLES E. CIST. R. W. STEELE. CHAS. B. FOSDICK, C. G. COMEGYS, M. D. DAVID J0DKINS, M. D. JOHN DAVIS, M. D. EDWARD MEAD, M. D. GEORGE MENDENHALL, M. D. W. H. MUSSEY, M. D. SAMUEL L'HOMMEDIEU, M.D. Rev. W. a. SNIVELY, Rev. M. L. p. THOMPSON, Rev. E. T. COLLINS. HENRY PEARCB. GEORGE K. SHOENBERGER. (Of Cincinnati.) JAMES McDANIEL. (Of Dayton.) Proiideiit-.. R. W. BURNET. Vice President GEO. HOADLY. Becarding Secretary B. P. BAKER. Corienpoudina Urcretaru -.CSAS. E. FOSDICK. Treasurer _ . _ _ HENRY PEAECE. THOMAS G. ODIORNB. BELLAMY STORER. A. AUB. O. M. MITCHELL. MARK E. REEVES. E. Y. ROBBINS. THOMAS C. SHIPLEY. B. P. BAKEE. J. B. STALLO. ROBERT HOSEA. F. C. GRIGGS. W. W. SCARBOROUGH. J. D. PHILLIPS. r 372 SANITARY COMMISSIOSr — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. From the first report of this Branch I make the follow- ing extracts, which show the variety of its work and the energy with which it was carried forward : Our first meeting was held at the residence of Dr. W. H. Mussey, November 27, 1861, and steps were then taken to complete a working organization and system; to obtain a depot and office ; to organize a Central Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society for this city and vicinity ; to issue a circular to the people of Southern Ohio and Indiana and ISTorthern Kentucky ; and to inspect and supply the wants of the camps and hospitals in and near Cincinnati. A small quantity of supplies which had been received by Dr. Mussey, in consequence of the reference to him in the Sanitary Commis- sion's Address to the Loyal Women of America, was put into our hands. Within a few days, a Central Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society* was established, composed of delegates from each of twenty-four Societies in this city and county. This Society dates from a public meeting of ladies, (members of sewing circles and others interested,) called by a committee from our number, on December 6th, and completed an efficient organization on the 18th, and received its first supplies on the 24th of the same month. This Society has held weekly meetings, incrdasing in interest, usefulness and num- bers, until now it is composed of delegates from forty working Societies, and through these constituent members manufactures weekly, into hospital garments, raw material to the amount of from three to five hundred dollars. Its funds have been in part supplied by us, and in part are the proceeds of a most successful public reading, generously given by Mr. James E. jMurdock, of a poem, "The Wild Wagoner of the Alleghenies," written by Mr. T. Buchanan Eead, and for the first time laid before the public on this occasion. Other generous donors have also contributed in various ways to the treasury of this Society. It proves a patriotic and useful auxiliary, providing large quantities of supplies of all kinds, which are given to us to distribute as the necessities of the army require. * Note.— Of which Mrs. George Carlisle was President, and Mrs. .Tudge Hoadly, Secretary. CINCINlfATI BRANCH. 273 On the 13th of December we issued an edition of five thousand copies of a circular to the public, stating in detail the needs of the army, and the plans proposed whereby the liberal and patriotic, especially among the women of our country, might co-operate with the Government. On the 1st day of February we issued another edition of five thousand copies of the same circular, making such changes as experience had proved advisable. And again, on the 13th of February, we made another appeal to the public by issuing an address, of which we published five thousand copies, and which was copied into, and thus largely circulated by, the newspapers of the city. On the 19th of December, through the generosity of the Board of Trustees and Visitors of Schools of this city and of the Volun- teer Aid Committee, (an organization under which large quantities of supplies were collected and distributed among the regiments from this city and vicinity in the autumn before our first meeting,) we were provided with an office and a depot in the first story of the Mechanics' Institute, corner of Vine and Sixth streets, a central location for our meetings and those of the Ladies' Society, with ample and convenient accommodations for storing, packing and shipping. Our regular meetings are held there every Thursday evening, and those of the Ladies' Society every Tuesday forenoon. Our store-keeper, Mr. John B. Heich, is in constant attendance, and a committee for the week, of three of our number, spend a portion of each day in receiving, packing and forwarding supplies. Our business has now so largely increased that we are obliged to have the entire time, and therefore pay for the services of an assistant to Mr. Heich, as well as two porters. Our own services have been, of course, wholly gratuitous, except in the case of the two Inspectors hereafter alluded to, who are paid a small compen- sation. Immediately after our organization we sent two of our members (Dr. Mead and E. Y. Eobbins), clothing thfem for the time with the authority of Inspectors, to examine the several camps at Hamilton Xenia, Dockland, and Camp Dennison, in Ohio, and near Newport, in Kentucky, and the hospitals in this city, and to supply all wants. Their reports are on file and subject to examination. Since that time we have repeatedly had the pleasure of seeing the Inspectors, Drs. Eead and Prentice, at our rooms, and of meeting their 18 274 SANITABY COMMISSION — WESTEKX DEPARTMENT. requisitions. Both our Secretaries iind several other members have visited and distributed supplies to the hospitals iu Louisville, Bacon Greek and Munfordsville. We have also forwarded supplies, m considerable quantities, to Garfield's brigade on the Sandy, to several points in Western Virginia, and to the society called Uncle Sam's Daughters, for the use of sick soldiers at Palmyra, Missouri. One of our members, Dr. W. H. Mussey, now Medical Director of General Wood's Division of the army under General Buell, left this city for service in the field a few days after oiir first meeting, and has kept us constantly advised of the wants of the army within his sphere of observation, and we have met several requisitions from him. After the battle of Mill Spring, Ave desired to do something for the sufferers at Somerset, and telegraphed to the Medical Director of General Thomas' Division to know what was most wanted. His reply called for a class of supplies with which v\-e are not furnished by the public, viz. : spoons, knives and forks, plates, spit pans, chamber pans, etc. We should have purchased a supply and forwarded them to him, but the condition of the roads prevented our procuring transportation. We were glad to hear afterward that, through the interposition of Dr. Murray, Medical Director on General Buell's staff. Dr. Read, the indefatigable Inspector, was enabled to get through, in a Government train, to Somerset, with five cases of your supplies, and thereby aid in relieving much suffering. Before this, we had purchased and sent to Dr. Jtlussey, at Nelson's Furnace, in Kentucky, a considerable invoice of goods of the same general character. It should be added, also, that our committee found a similar want at Fort Donelson ; and purchased at Evansville and sent to the Fort a quantity of hardware and queensware, of which special mention must be made of candle- sticks, for there was not one on the floating hospital steamers " City of Memphis" and " Fannie McBurnie," at the Fort. * * Anticipating possibilities, a committee had been appointed as early as January, who had examined every building in the city at all adapted to hospital purposes, which could be had. A five-story building, conveniently located on Fourth street, between Main and Sycamore, which promised greater advantages in many respects than any other house that could be got, was rented and fitted up. CINCINNATI BRANCH. 275 It was supposed that this hospital, with the two other military hospitals previously established by the Government, and such accommodations as could be had in the St. John's and Commercial Hospitals, (the former a private hospital under the control of the Sisters of Charity, and the latter a public institution owned by the city,) would be sufficient. At the date of this report, a large number of sick and wounded have been received at these hospitals, and we shall be called upon, in all probability, in a few days, to open another hospital. In the organization of the Fourth Street Hospital, and in the reception of the sick and wounded, have been presented occasions, which large numbers of the people have eagerly embraced, to render substantial aid to the brave soldiers who have suffered disease or wounds in their country's cause. * * * Although the organization of our Board was deferred until November, it must not be supposed that the citizens of Cincinnati have looked idly upon the great struggle of the country for national existence and the integrity of its territory and institutions. Soon after the war began. Dr. W. H. Mussey procured from the Secretary of the Treasury the use of the United States Marine Hospital in this citj^, a building erected a fcAV years since for the use of Western boatmen, and organized a board of ladies and gentlemen for its management. The hospital was unfurnished, having never been occupied, and was in some respects out of order. The donations of our citizens enabled the Board of Managers to furnish the hospital and open it for the reception of sick and wounded soldiers in the month of May. In this hospital were rendered the gratuitous services, not only of Dr. Mussey and his associates in the Board of Managers, but of a large number of benevolent men and women, as nurses and otherwise, until August, when the success of the enterprise induced the authorities to adopt the hospital as a regular Grovernment hospital, and it was taken charge of by the Medical Director of this Department. Upon surrendering its care, a sale was made by the Managers of the furniture, etc., to the Government. The fund thus obtained has since been expended in part in paying the expenses of furloughed wounded and disabled soldiers, in proper cases, to their homes, and in part by Dr. Mussey, in providing for the wants of the sick in his Division of the Army of Kentucky. 276 SANITAEY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPABTMBNT. During the summer and autumn, the complaints which reached our city from the camps in "Western Virginia, led to an active effort to supply the wants of the ten thousand volunteers who had gone from homes in Cincinnati and vicinity. The Volunteer Aid Committee, before referred to, was put in possession of a very large stock of supplies of all kinds, and of money; and two of their members, Messrs. C. F. Wilstach and Eli C. Baldwin, visited the various camps on the Kanawha, at Cheat Mountain and Romney, where a large number of Ohio troops was then stationed. This Committee is still in active operation; it has a large but diminish- ing stock ; is working in perfect harmony with us ; has relieved much suffering, and no doubt saved many lives. Several of the active members of the Board of Managers of the Military Hospital and the Volunteer Aid Committee are members of our Commis- sion, and thus bring to our enterprise the experience gained in their earlier service. In addition to these organized efforts to relieve the sick and wounded, and to prevent suffering, there has been much individual labor, time and money spent in this vicinity, in the same cause. The troops at Camp Dennison, and the sick in the several hospitals in Cincinnati, have received large quantities of supplies from individual donors, and much pains-taking labor has been gratui- tously rendered, in which the Sisters of Charity, among others, have been active to avert and to relieve distress. When the ladies were called together for the purpose of organizing their Central Society and systematizing their labors, it was found that twenty sewing circles were meeting weekly in this city and vicinity, contributing great but disconnected efforts to the relief of the army. The importance of organization and system is shown by the fact that, since the establishment of that Society, this number has doubled within the limits of this county alone. Surely if the loyal States do not achieve success in this Avar, it will not be the fault of the people. In February, 1862, tlie battlo of B\)rt Donelson ofcurred, when the Cincinnati Brancli Commission chartered and ec^uipped the first hospital steamer that ever floated on our ^Vpstern waters. The principal facts connected with this CINCINNATI BRANCH. 377 interesting episode in the history of the Cincinnati Brancli are given, though with great brevity and characteristic modesty, in the first report of the Society, from wlrich I again quote : On Sunday, the 16th of February, news of the severe fighting at Fort Donelson reached Cincinnati. A number of liberal citizens at once set on foot a movement to raise money for the charter of a steamer to go with nurses and supplies to the relief of the sick and wounded. During that day and the next, two thousand seven hundred and ninety-fiTe dollars were subscribed and put into our hands for that purpose. It was found, however, that every steam- boat in port was chartered by the Government. We at once made known our wishes by telegraph to General Buell, at Louisville, and he promptly authorized the Quartermaster here to transfer to us, upon the same terms the Government had held it, the charter of the "Allen Collier," a small boat, upon which, about midnight of February 17th, several members of our body, to wit, Dr. David Judkins, as chief of the corps of medical men and nurses, and Messrs. Eli C. Baldwin, Henry Pearce and C. F. Wilstach, committee in charge of the property, with a corps of ten volunteer surgeons and thirty-six nurses from among our best citizens, and a large stock of supplies and medicines, embarked for Fort Donelson. Mr. B. P. Baker was sent in advance to Louisville, where he procured the necessary permits to go up the Cumberland, from General Buell, and thus avoided all delay on that account. As Dr. Newberry, the Western Secretary of the Sanitary Commission, joined this expe- dition at Louisville, and made the trip to the Fort, and as far as Evansville on the return, and has fully reported the trip, it is deemed unnecessary to enter into a detailed statement of its history. Suffice it to say that, with one marked exception, our committee met with nothing but ample facilities and the kindest treatment from the officers they met, and it is believed that, notwithstanding many discouragements, and the bad conduct of one prominent medical oflScer, they were enabled to prosecute their errand of mercy successfully, and to relieve much distress. They found a sad and very disgraceful condition of affairs at the Fort, so far as relates to medical and other supplies. There was great want of the 278 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. ordinary medicines, which might and should have been provided by the proper authorities. They were called upon for chloroform by the acting Medical Director, and for chloroform and morphia by regimental surgeons, who informed them that neither article was there. They were shown by the surgeon of the floating hospital " Fanny Bullitt," with three hundred wounded in his charge, his stock of cerate, amounting to less than two ounces. There was no meat with which to make soup ; no wood to cook it with when supplied by our committee; no bread, except hard bread; not a spoon or candlestick on the floating hospital. The want of candle- sticks nearly led to the loss of the " City of Memphis " by fire. The "Allen Collier," bearing, in addition to those already named, Mr. P. C. Sessions, of the Columbus, and Mr. James Blake, of the Indianapolis Branch Commission, with a further stock of supplies from the latter city, put on board at Louisville, and Dr. G. C. Black- man, of this city, and a few others, who embarked at Smithland, reached Donelson on Thursday, February 20th. The next day eighty-one of the sick and wounded were put on board, and she started on her return trip. A large portion of the stores and sup- plies were distributed at the Fort, and the surgeons and nurses devoted themselves while there with kind and unremitting care to those for whose benefit they went. The gratitude of the soldier was freely expressed, and it is hoped that this expedition not only relieved suffering, but, by giving confidence to the army that the people were alive to their wants, did something to strengthen the hands of the Government in this great crisis. At the battle of Pittsburg Landing, wliicli occurred in April of tlie same year, the part taken in tlie care of the sick and wounded by the Cincinnati Branch was still more imi)ortant. Many steamers were sent as hospital boats to the scene of action, by this Branch, laden with great qnan- tities of mnch needed stores, and manned by a full corps of surgeons and nurses. In addition to these efforts of the Society, it contributed largely in various ways to the equip- ment and success of all the hospital steamers wliich left that port in the summei' of 1862. It also maintained one CINCINNATI BRANCH. 279 of the most important Soldiers' Homes established at the West, where forty-five thousand and four hundred lodgings and six hundred and fifty- six thousand seven hundred and four meals were supplied to soldiers, with an expenditure of sixty-four thousand one hundred and thirty-one dollars and eighty-six cents. In the autumn of 1862, Cincinnati was threatened by the force under Kirby Smith, who approached near to the city on the Kentucky side of the Ohio. For the defense of Cincinnati many thousand volunteers congregated in the city from various parts of Ohio and Indiana. These troops were, for the most part, without regular organization'; armed with rifles and shot guns, and clad in their home garb. To provide for the subsistence of these ' ' Squirrel Hunters," as they weie called, who in number amounted to several thousands, was no light task; and, inasmuch as no Government provision had been made for them, this task necessarily devolved upon the citizens of Cincinnati. In fact, for the most part, it fell upon the members of the Sanitary Commission, already recognized as the special friend of the soldier, to be referred to under all circum- stances of want and distress. Fortunately the siege of Cincinnati was not of long duration, but while it lasted the members of the Sanitary Commission were constantly and fully occupied, day and night, until they were exhausted by their exertions. Although there nowhere appears a record of the good work the}' then performed, it was wit- nessed and experienced by thousands who will remember it with gratitude and admiration. With the increase of our armies and the expansion of our military operations in the South-west, the work of the Cincinnati Commission was proportionally enlarged. They sent generous shipments of stores to the relief of sufferers in the battle of Perryville, and to them I was indebted for 280 SANITARY COMMISSION — "WESTERN" DEPARTMENT. the supply of hospital stores — more than a hundred boxes — "vdth "which I opened the depot at Nashville. In short, at all our distributing depots, from Louisville to Chattanooga — at Knoxville, Vicksburg and Memphis — the supplies derived from Cincinnati were an important and even indis- pensable element in the success -which attended our efforts. It should also be said that these stores were not only generous in quantity but carefully selected, and packed and shipped with the thoroughness and judgment which characterized all the works of this Society. Though sustained hj a liberality on the part of citizens of Cincinnati such as, with our preconceived notions, seemed an unheard-of munificence, and having received from the general fund of the Sanitary Commission fifteen thousand dollars, still the work of the Branch Commission was so far-reaching, and the demand on it so urgent, that the large sums placed at its disposal were found to be entirely inadequate. So, in the autumn of 1863, the ' ' Great Western Sanitary Fair" was held in Cincinnati for the benefit of the Sanitary Commission. This Fair will long be remembered' by citizens and visitors, not only as a grand display of the patriotism and generosity of the city and county where it was held, but as presenting a most instruc- tive and interesting exhibition of good taste, harmony and skill in organization and management. In the execution of a plan so broad as that of this Sanitary Fair, many others besides members of the Commission took part, and so great a triumph as it proved could only be the result of the com- bined eff"orts of thousands of earnest and united co-workers. At the head of the personnel of the Fair was General Rose- crans, and in the management of its various departments numbers of the wealthy and eutei'prising merchants of Cincinnati participated, bringing with them that profes- sional skill which had not only been the source of tlieir CINCINNATI BRANCH. 281 own wealth, but had given tlie business commnnity of Cincinnati the high character it enjoys. It should also be said that in this great work the ladies took an important, perhaps the most important part ; and here, as elsewhere in the series of Sanitary Fairs, of which this formed one, the taste and skill, as well as the patriotism and energy, which characterized woman' s part in the war received new and conspicuous illustration. A detailed history of this Fair has been published, forming an octavo volume of five hundred and seventy-eight pages ; and, as this by no means exhausts the subject, it is evident that nothing like justice can be done to it in the space now at our command. It will, however, be more fully reported in the general history of the Supply Department, to be written by Dr. Warriner, and to these authorities I will refer all those who may be interested in a fuller description of one of the most delight- ful and interesting episodes of our war. The net receipts from the Cincinnati Sanitary Fair were two hundred and thirty -five thousand four hundred and six dollars and sixty-two cents ; a result at that time without parallel in the annals of benevolence, and such as excited surprise and admiration throughout the country. With this fund at its command the Cincinnati Sanitary Commis- sion was able to contribute far more largely than before to the wants of the army. Wisely and carefully used, as had been the smaller sums previously expended, this fund continued to exert a benign Influence in the camps and hospitals of the West till the close of the war. A financial report of the Cincinnati ■Branch Commission is given herewith : 282 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS OF THE CINCINNATI BRANCH (JF THE UNITED STATES SANITARY COMJtISSION, From Organization to February 1, 1866. RECEIPTS. Received from tlie State of Olilo $ 1,000 00 " City of Cincinnati'. -- 2,000 00 " Citizens of Indiana 31 00 " Citizens of Tennessee 10 00 " Citizens of Kentuclty 589 00 " Citizens of New Yorli 1,135 00 " Citizens of California .-. 15,000 00 " Citizens of Cincinnati -.. 38,362 78 " ottier parts of Oliio 15,284 84 Great "Western Sanitary Fair lield in Cincinnati, Dec, 1863-.- 235,406 63 " Interest and Premium on Securities 21,084 68 " England - - ---- 19 20 " Closing Sales at Rooms - 856 41 Total -..$330,769 53 DISBURSE Jir, NTS. For Medicines for Hospital Boats - - .$ 1,413 37 Three Sets of Hospital Car Trucks, for use on Nashville and Chat. R. R., .3,108 00 Salaries of Agents, Clerks, Porters, etc., repacking, shipping, etc 9,260 87 Freights on Receipts and Shipments - 5,351 67 Transportation of Destitute Soldiers to their homes 3,146 61 Printing Bulletin, Reports, Circulars, etc 1,310 46 Drayage and Express Hire _-- 3,070 73 Sundries for Postage, Stationery, Stencils, Stamps, Boxes, Barrels, Nails, Cooperage, Straps, and Miscellaneous Expenses at Rooms 3,315 60 . Charter of Hospital Steamboats to different battle Qelds - 1 1 ,272 31 Soldiers' Home, in addition to aid received from TJ. S. Government 6,189 05 Purchase of Sanitary Stores, for general distribution in hospitals, etc.- 221,906 79 Washing Bedding from hospital boats and Clothing soiled by fruit, etc., 816 56 Remittances to U. S. Sanitary Commission in May, 1862, and April, 1865. . 13,000 00 Ohio Soldiers' Home, near Columbus _ 1.5,000 00 On hand February 1, 1866— $13,000 in Five-Twenty U. S. Bonds— cost-- $13,000 00 18,000inSeven-ThirtyU.S. Bonds— cost 18,001 88 Cash in the Treasury (National Bank) 3,606 63 34,608 51 ToTAr $330,769 53 CINCINNATI BRANCH. 283 Aggregate Receipts op Sanitary Stores by the Cincinnati Branch, Prom December 1, 1861, to March 28, 1865. Arm Slings 3,068 Alum, puTv lbs. 5 Arrow Root lbs. 3 Ale .bis. 10 do half bis. 14 do kegs, 12 do bottles, 3,593 Apples, Green bu. 1,547 Apple Butter bis. 3i do half bis. 48 do kegs, 115 do. boxes, 9 do..cans and jars, 116 Agric'l Implements.,. 25 Artichokes bu. 1 Blankets 5,976 Bedtioks 9,106 Bedgowns 369 Boots and Shoes. -prs. 1,285 995 61 732 100 244 ,019 305 91 35 Coffee Mugs. Cheese lbs. Corn, Parched fts. Corn, Dried ...lbs. Cigars boxes. Candlesticks Cakes ...tis. Cornstarch lbs. Collars Coffee Pots- Basters Bedsteads, Cots, etc. . . Bedsteads, Iron Bedpans.. Bowls, Drinking 3, Brushes Beets bu. Beans bu. Butter.... ..fts. 10. Bread loaves, 2,043 Barley, Pearl Bs. 3, Buckets... 360 Bowls, Wash 516 Beef, Dried tts. 11,051 Blacking boxes, 15 Brooms Blackberry Root . . lbs. 137 do.. Tine. -galls. 5 Blackberry Syrup. bis. 7 do half bis. 4 do kegs, 13 Beef, Extract of .cans, 6 Comforts 13,893 Cushions 31,953 Coats 2,914 Crutches 1,350 Combs Carrots bu. 7 Cabbage, Green. hhds. 6 do bis. 11 do bu. 181 do heads, 533 Candles lbs. 118 Crackers. 5)3.137. Codfish 5,460 Cups and Saucers 370 Canteens 38 Cinnamon "fts. Cocoa ...lbs. 407 Chocolate.. lbs. 312 Coffins.. 73 Chambers 344 Cologne bottles, 77 do gallons, 1 Chairs 341 Coffee B)s. 1,133 Chickens, Dressed and Live 2, Citric Acid bottles. Corn Meal .lbs. 10, 402 1,606 3 73 3,639 ,7,177 53 87 Condensed Milk 61,761 Cranberries bis. 1 Catsup bis. 3 do half bis. 4 do kegs, 3 do jugs, 9 do bottles, 1,181 Cabbage in Curry, .bis. 176 do half bis. 386 CheckerBoards 31 CurrantWine kegs, 3 do.. jugs, 1 Compound Tincture of Gentian. ..gallons, 10 Drawers pairs, 47,312 Dressing Gowns 3,789 Dried Fruit fts.250,743 Dishes 90 Dippers 49 Desks 3 Drinking Tubes 108 Dandelion Root...B)s. 3 Eggs ...dozens, 1-5,319 Egg Beaters 4 Envelopes 73,800 Eye Shades 1,949 Fruits ..cans and jars, 75,079 Flour bis. 2 Fish, White bis. 7 do .kegs, 1 Flaxseed... lbs. 209 Faucets.. 34 Fans.... 10,214 Feeders 180 Flat Irons- 6 Finger Stalls... 626 Foot Warmers 6 Farina tts. 13,139 Fruit Saucers Funnels 3 Fly Brushes 171 Flannel. yards, 1,466 Groceries lbs. 3,700 Green Corn sacks, 3 Groats.... ...fts. 100 Gastrions. ...lbs. 3 Grapes boxes, 130 do halfboxe.s, 3 Ginger, Dr>-. packages, 2,239 do ...cans, 4 Ginger, Essence of Ja- maica bottles, 16 Gooseberries, Ripe. bu. 6 Graters... 23 Garden Seeds... boxes, 20 Gridirons 4 Hosp. CarTrucks-sets, 3 Handkerchiefs ()4,:M5 Hats and Caps 1,1.56 Housewives..- 3,848 Hams 686 Haversacks 18 Hops .lbs. 561 Herbs 5>s. 55 do packages, 227 Hatchets 16 Herrings boxes, 32 Hominy lbs. 1,955 Honey cans, 9 do... bottles, 3 Havelocks 319 Horseradish kegs, 1 do ...sacks, 1 do jars, 63 do bottles, 328 Head Covers 13 Ice .tons, 81 Ice Cream Freezers... 3 Ink bottles, 433 Knives and Forks 1,208 Kettles 13 LardOil kegs, 2 do.. .cans, 1 Lanterns 128 Lumber feet, 14,500 Lemons boxes, 131 do dozen, 83 Liquorice lbs. 6 Lemon, Ext. of. ..jars, 130 Lemon Syrup .bottles, 141 Linseed Oil kegs, 1 Lobsters cans, 26 Lard.. lbs. 41 Ladles 2 Lead Pencils. ..dozen, 209 Meats - 4,165 Mittens pairs, 11,174 McLean's Pills .boxes, 6 Mineral Plants. boxes, 250 Milk gallons, 139 Mattresses 473 Melons 7 Mustard, ground. .lbs. 14 do bottles, 103 do boxes, 898 Mops 78 Macaroni boxes, 3 Molasses halfbls. 4 do.. kegs, 8 do .cans, 15 do jugs, 15 do bottles, 15 do. gallons, 78 Mugs 300 MosqultoBars 1,7.58 Mess Pans 38 Mutton Tallow -.cans, 123 do lbs. 5 Mustard Seed lbs. 21 Neckties 914 Napkins 1,359 Nuts, Hickory bu. 19 Nuts, Walnuts bu. 6 Nails lbs. 1,350 Nightcaps 153 Nutmegs lbs. 13 Needles. 7,000 Oat Meal Bs. 495 Oranges boxes, 24 Oysters cans, 1,310 384 SAKITAKT COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAETMBKT. Aqokegate Receipts of Stobes, 'Etc.— Continued. Oakum . . .. packages, Onions bu. Pillows Pillow Cases Pantaloons pairs, Pin Cushions.- Pigs' Peet kegs, Pepper, Ground-.-fts. do papers. Parsnips bu. Pretzels .-- Prunes B)s. Porter dozens, Pen Holders ..dozens. Pins packages, Peppers bottles, do .I'ars, Potatoes bu. Peaches, Bipe bu. Pie Plant tt>s. Pepper Sauce.bottles, Puzzles - Pickles bis. do.. ...half bis. do. -- kegs, do .firkins, do crocks, do bottles, do cans and n'ars. Portable Lemonade, cans. Paper, Writ'g.. reams. Rice Bis. Raisins boxes. Rags, Lint and Band- ages lbs. Shawls Spit Cups Slippers pairs, Sheets. 6 10,908 26,234 71,671 2,993 60 1,587 17 282 24 58 113 7 911 355 .501 6 14 77 752 300 288 921 19 55,018 54 1,125 6,590 37,777 Socks pairs, 50,774 Shirts 104,199 Strainers 30 Slip. Elm Flour.. pkgs. 2 Shoulders, Pork... fts. 556 Strawberries ...boxes, 24 Sardines boxes, 23 Sausages ttis. 375 Spittoons ! Straw bales, 79 Sponges packages, 15 Scissors ...pairs, 24 Stretchers 16 Stone Jugs 612 Soap. fts. 3,( do cakes, 1,017 do bars, 168 do boxes. Sago lbs. 1,032 Spoons, Table and Tea, 2,028 Sugar lbs. 5,797 Shovels 6 Spices boxes, 6 do ..packages, 67 do Bs. 15 Skimmers 14 Suspenders. pairs, 547 Salt tts. 404 do bis. 2 Sticking Salve. ..rolls, 11 do boxes. Sauce Pans 60 Sour-krout bis. 1,174 do half bis. 193 do kegs, 17 do jars, 5 Starch Bs. 7,732 Solitaire Boards 25 Steel Pens gross, 5 Towels 62,126 Tin Cups 21,341 Turnips bu. 99 Tamarinds .jars, 6 Thumb Stalls 22 Tin Plates 1,062 Tin Ware ..boxes, 2 Tongues, Dried 717 Toast, Dry bis. 26 do Bs. 1,680 Tumblers 762 Tea Bs. 1,570 Tables 34 TeaPots 33 Tapioca Bs. 76 Tobacco papers, 3,088 do ...boxes, 8 do.. Bs. 1,051 do bis. 3 Thread, Patent.. ..Bs. 128 Tomatoes, Ripe bu. 3 do. Canned Bs. 2,765 Turkeys, Dressed and Live.-.. Bs. 39 Urinals 125 Vests. .538 Vermicelli Bs. 70 Vinegar... bis. 19 do kegs, 3 do jugs, 4 do bottles, 10 White wash Brushes.. 24 Wines, Liquors and Cordials ... bottles, 28,269 Wash Stands JOO White Lead- kegs, 1 Whisky gallons, 10 Teast Powders Bs. 30 Yeast Cakes. Bs. 28 Yeast .sacks, 7 CHAPTER IX. GENEEAL AID SOCIETY EOE THE AEMY. B TJ IF IF' J»L. Xj O BIEaj^ItsrCIE3C UNITED STATES S A N I T A E T COMMISSION. Although considerably surpassed in amount of material contributions by several other of our Branches, the work of the Army Aid Society of Butfalo deserves to be commemo- rated as no less creditable to those concerned in it than was any of a similar kind done elsewhere. With limited means at command, and in the face of considerable opposition, a handful of devoted women labored here unweariedly throughout the war. Taking upon themselves all the departments of our work, they united with that which came to their doors a Soldiers' Home, established and maintained through their own efforts, and sent to our depots at Louisville or Washington many thousand dollars worth of well-selected and carefully-prepared supplies. From the fact that similar societies were organized at Rochester, Syracuse, and other cities of the interior of New York, the area that was tributary to Buffalo was exceedingly circumscribed. This field was, however, most faithfully tilled by the ladies of the Army Aid Society, and we have every reason to believe that, if their energy and talent could have had wider scope, the results accomplished 386 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. by them would have been full}' equal to those attained by such of their co-laborers as were more fortunately situated. The President of this Society, Mrs. Horatio Seymour, devoted herself to its work with such enthusiasm and success, and administered the afiairs of the Society with such marked ability, that simple justice requires that she should be placed in the front rank of that great army of noble women to whom we owe the success of the Supply Department of the Commission. Her associates in the management of the Society displayed equal devotion to their work. The Army Aid Society was organized in December, 1861. The initiatory steps toward that end were taken by the Rev. Gr. W Hosmer and Rev. G. W. Heacock, Associate Members of the United States Sanitary Commission, and they contributed largely to the success of the enterprise by lectures and correspondence. The following is a list of the officers and managers who conducted the affairs of the Buffalo Branch, almost without change, through its four years of earnest and efficient work : President .-- Mrs. HOKATIO SBYMOUB. „. „ . , . ( Mrs. HENRY D. SEYMOUR. Vice PresidenU i, ^ „ ^ „„„„„„ * Mrs. J. R. LOTHROP. Treasurer Mrs. J. P. WHITE. Seeretary Miss GRACE E. BIRD. Assistant Seeretmle. i ^^^ '^^^^ ^^'^ BABCOCK. I Miss KATE M. SMITH. Dircct/i-ega of Cutting Department. .Miss JOSEPHINE L. SALTAR. Mrs. CYRUS ATHEABN. i'.cecKfii'e Committee . Mrs. ISAAC A. JONES. Mrs. JAMES BRAYLEY, Miss SUSAN E. KIMBERLY. Mrs. C. L. BRACE. Mrs. D. B. waterman. I Mrs. WM. WILKESON. The fourth and final report of this Society gives a brief but clear business statement, Avhich shows that the limited BUFFALO BRANCH. 387 tield which tliese hidies cultivated was made to yield a rich harvest : It is with mingled feelings of joy and regret that we present to our contributors this our last report — joy that the necessity for which we labored has been removed, and that peace reigns over our beloved country ; and sorrow that we must bid adieu to those with whom we have worked so harmoniously for nearly four years. Ignoring all political or religious differences, one common sympathy has united us ; we have thought only of our brave boys on battle field, or in hospital, and, with that energy prompted by the deep emotions of the heart, we have endeavored conscientiously to send out those supplies which your labor of love has sent us. We thanlc you earnestly for the means you have provided us with to carry on our work, and for the prompt and cheerful manner in which every appeal has been met. We know all self-sacrifices made for this purpose have been amply repaid by the grateful thanks of the thousands who in the hour of suffering have murmured "God bless the Sanitary Commission!" Yes, we will all join in that prayer, and it is with pride we will say our efforts helped to sustain that noble philanthropic charity. We honor its founders; the spirit of brotherly love seems to inspire all its members; the interest of one is the common interest of all. As time obliterates the sad events caused by the greatest of civil wars, and history records the past, the doings of our Commission will appear amidst the dark deeds as an oasis whence emerges the Angel of Mercy to show that the cup of kindness was not drained. We closed our Aid Eooms in July, as our work in the Supply Department was then finished. The generosity of our loyal-hearted citizen, in giving us the use of these rooms for nearly four years, is worthy of record. We cannot shut out from our memories the scenes which will always hallow these rooms to us. The sister, (whose brother had gone out in his country's defense,) coming to us one bleak, cold day, having rode twelve miles in a stage with her two little children, to ask for shirts to make. She was poor, had no money to give, and, with tearful eyes, said she " must do something for the soldiers." We gave her what she asked, and turned self-reproached to our duties. Nor can we forget the old 388 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. true-hearted, patriotic farmer who drove to the door, one of the severest days in November last, with the load of potatoes which " wife and he had dug," and " only wished there were ten times as many for the boys." Eepeated instances like the above have endeared us to our people. We feel it due our auxiliaries that a statement of the disburse- ments of their gifts from the organization of the Society should be made. In the year 1861, the General Aid Society for the Army, as a Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission, was organized; Eev. Dr. Hosmer, of our city, taking the first step, by writing various letters to the adjacent towns, to interest them in the cause and prove to them the necessity of a systematic and reliable means of sending their supplies to the army. Our Auxiliaries the first year numbered one hundred and seventy-two. The first year we disbursed 66,987 articles, and received $ 5,809 The second year we disbursed 72,601 articles, and received 15,600 The third year we disbursed .-- 59,000 articles, and received 21,667 The fourth year, to September 1, we disbursed 11,583 articles, and received 9,049 Total NnMBEK, Sept. 11865— I>(s6iirt(C(L. 210,170 articles. Received-. $52,125 Our supplies have gone principally to the West ; two thousand seven hundred and three packages to Louisville, and six hundred and twenty-five to New York, en route for the Eastern army. Our Auxiliaries have been composed generally of the farming districts, the large towns in the western part of the State preferring to send their supplies to New York. We have cut and provided materials in our Aid Eooms for twenty thousand seven hundred and thirteen shirts, twelve thousand one hundred and seventy-nine pairs drawers, tliree thousand and sixty-five pairs socks, twenty pairs mittens, and forty-five hospital garments. Our Auxiliary Societies have made and returned to us these articles. Thirty quilts have been made for the " Rest," from the pieces left after cutting shirts and drawers. This department has been the great means of uniting our Societies to us, and of sustaining each individually. Meeting to sew, the interest in our general work was readily diffused to its members by means of letters, the Bulletins and Reporters. BUFFALO BKANCH. 289 Our correspondence with the Hospital Directories, East and West, has given us great satisfaction, as, in many cases, relatives have received information they would not otherwise have had. Two hundred and ninety letters have been written since June, 1864, receiving one hundred and fifteen conclusive answers. Our Treasury has been supplied through the following sources : Contributions and collections made by our Auxiliary Societies, individual contributions, mite societies, membership fees, fairs, bazaars, private theatricals, collections by public school scholars; Pope Pius IX., through Bishop Timon, five hundred dollars. Little children, those generally under twelve years of age, have given us over two thousand five hundred dollars, proceeds of their sales at fruit stands, fairs and sewing societies. 19 CHAPTER X. P I T T S B U R G a S A X I T A E Y C O M JI t T T K E . iPiTTSBTTiao-ia: sia-A-isrcH: OP T H K UNITED STATES SANITAKY COMMISSION. Perhaps the inliabitants of no portion of our country are more fervently loyal than those of Western Pennsyl- vania, and during the recent war no other section gave stronger evidence of devotion to the Union than did Alle- ghany county. The number of volunteers offered to the Government from that District was probal^lj' fully equal to that derived from any other of equal population. When the ill-timed order from the War Department, announcing that we had soldiers enough, put a stop to recruiting, it left a large number of volunteers from Pittsburgh and vicinity, knocking at the door, eager to be admitted to the army of our country, and greatly disappointed when that privilege was refused them. This was only one of the forms in which this warm-hearted and patriotic people showed their devotion to the cause of the North. It was to be expected, therefore, that in such a population the volunteer movement for the benefit of our soldiers, which pervaded all the North, should manifest itself by|palpable signs ; and in fact the citizens of Pittsburgh took a prompt and vigor- ous part in efforts to relieve the many cases of want and suffering which attended the first organization of our army. PITTSBURGH BEANCH. 291 At the time of the battle of Shiloh they chartered, equipped and freighted with stores two large river steamers, which did their full part in the great work of mercy then accom- plished ; and throughout the war they were conspicuous for their charities, as they were for their patriotism. When I came to the West, as a representative of the Sanitarj^ Commission, in the autumn of 1861, I endeavored, by means that were uniformly successful elsewhere, to secure the establishment of a Branch of the Commission at Pitts- burgh. No organization was, however, effected up to the time when Rev. Mr. Hadley, traveling agent of the Com- mission, arrived there and gained the co-operation of a number of citizens for the formation of a Branch Commis- sion, to be connected with the Eastern Department. For some reason this scheme failed of accomplishment, but not through any want of interest on the part of the people in the object for whicli the Sanitary Commission was created. Much was done at Pittsburgh, both for the equipment of regiments and hospitals azid for relief of battle field suffer- ing, during the first year of the war, by the spontaneous action of the citizens, and without systematic organization ; as will appear from the following extract from the first report of the ' ' Sanitary Committee : ' ' Immediately on receiving news of the battle of Shiloh, the Board of Trade and citizens of Pittsburgh resolved to send an expedition to the relief of the wounded, and appointed "The Pitts- burgh Sanitary Committee " to carry into effect the patriotic design. Two of the best Ohio steamers were chartered by the Committee, fitted out with the necessary medical and Sanitary stores, and, with thirty surgeons and nurses, started for Pittsburg Landing, in charge of the chairman. The instructions to the expedition were, to bring home as many as could be carried, that they might be nursed and cared for at the expense of the citizens and without charge to the United States. When the expedition arrived at Pittsburg Landing, it was too late to aid the wounded, most of whom had been already 292 SANITARY OOMMISSIOH" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. removed. About eighty were taken on board, and the steamers were filled to their utmost capacity with the worst cases of the sick. The cost of the expedition, together with the establishment and maintenance of a hospital for those brought to the city, exclu- sive of a large quantity of stores and a generous contribution of quilts and blankets from the Cincinnati Committee, was about six thousand dollars. It is believed that hundreds of soldiers' lives were saved by it to bless the patriotic impulse that sent them relief In anticipation of the battles before Richmond, another public meeting was held and the Committee re-appointed, with a few addi- tional members. Sanitary stores were hastily collected, and a deputation of more than thirty surgeons and nurses from Pitts- burgh and its vicinity sent to the Army of the Potomac. The cost of this expedition (many of the nurses being necessarily under pay) was about three thousand dollars, exclusive of Sanitary stores. That the expenditure was amply remunerative in benefits to the suffering soldiers, we have abundant proof from themselves, as well as from ofiicial sources. A portion of the deputation was left at the hospitals at Fortress Monroe; twenty-three went to Savage's Station, seven miles from Richmond. There were nearly two thousand of our sick and wounded at the Station when it was abandoned by our army, and in a few days the number increased to twenty-five hundred. Twelve of the Pittsburgh deputation volun- tarily remained with them, and were captured by the enemy. Dr. John Swinburne, the United States surgeon in charge, commends their services in his ofl&cial report to the Government, and, in a letter to the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania, says: "But for the aid of Mr. Brunot and his corps, it would have been impossible for me to accomplish what I did at Savage's Station."" The expendi- ture for this expedition would have been a small price for one ]>atriot"s life. But for its aid hundreds would have perished. In tlie autumn of 1862 Mr. Joseph Sliippen, military agent of tlie State of Pennsylvania, visited the camps of our army in Kentucky and Tennessee, where there were several regiments of Pennsylvania troops. Favorably impressed with the catholic spirit wliicli pervaded our organization, and convinced of the impracticability of dividing the army pittsbueCtH beanch. 293 by State lines in a work of chanty like ours, lie, on lelin- quishing the position which he held, wrote to me the following letter : Louisville, December 20, 1862. Dr. J. S. Xewberry, Secretary Western Department I]. S. Sanitary Commission : Sir — Under a commission from the Governor of Pennsylvania to visit the regiments and to report the condition of the sick and wounded from that State througliout the Western Department, I came to Kentucky in the early part of Novemhei', and since then, in pursuance of my instructions, my time lias been employed in visiting the hospitals of Louisville, New Albany, JeflFersonville, T-exingtoii, Lebanon, Perryville, Danville, Bowling Green and Nashville. The purpose of this communication is to express to you mj' appreciation of the kindness and courtesy I have constantly, while in this Department, received from yourself, from the gentlemeu connected with the I^ouisville Branch Commission, ami f lom your agents everywhere ; and to bear testi- mony to the faithfulness and efficiency which I have personally witnessed in the performance of the duties imposed upon you all. A^vare of the prejudices which exist in some minds agahist the United States Sanitary Commission, I have embraced the opportunity presented to me to become acquainted with the objects to whioli your attention is directed, the system you have adopted for accomplishing them, and the degree of success that attends your efforts. You]' system of keeping accounts and correspondence seems to me simple, yet comprehensive; your business is conducted with economy; and the agents you have employed, so far as my observation extends, are active and faithful men, and take pleasure in ministering to the needy. The trust of distributing hospital stores, committed to their hands, I am led to believe, from my own observation and the testimony of various surgeons, to be faitlifuUy and conscientiously executed. On seeing the imperative needs existing in tlie hospitals at Nashville, Bowling Green and Perryville, m>' only regret ^^'as that the supply of goods from your rooms fell so far short of the demand. These facts I have communicated to Governor Curtin, and one of my recent reports urgently recommended tliat whatever hospital stores the Surgeon General of Pennsylvania miglit design for the Westeni Department should be forwarded to your care at Louisville. My admiration has been aroused by the broad, generous spirit with which your (Commission is animated. It recognizes all suffering soldiers to be brothers needing help and succor, and it strives to do the greatest good to the greatest number, regardless of State lines and local distinctions. Observation and reflection teach that this is the true system of benevolence, founded upon jiure patriotism. All special distributions are attended with great difficulty and expense, and inevitably engender State pride at home and jealousy among the soldiers. They are opposed to the fundamental 294 SANITAKT COMMISSION — WESTEBN DEPARTMENT. idea for which we are warring — our undivided nationality. If the people throughout the breadth of our land would accept these facts, and would, with doubled energy, in unison and co-operation work for the cause of suflfering humanity upon these principles, how much the sick soldier would gain. With sincere respect, Tour obedient servant, Joseph Shippen, Commissioner from Pennsylvania. On his return home Mr. Shippen for a time devoted himself to a canvass of Western Pennsylvania in the interest of the Sanitary Commission. Through his labors at Pittsburgh, more definite form was given to the benevo- lent efforts of her people, and, early in 1863, the Pittsburgh Sanitary Committee was organized, which from that time became one of the most active and efficient of our Auxiliary Societies. Its organization was as follows : President THOMAS BAKE WELL. Tr- T, ... (REUBEN MILLER. Vice Presidents. . •< „ „ „ „ I E. R. BRUNOT. Secretary .--.JOSEPH B. HUNTER. Treamre/r JAMES PARK, Jr. And twenty-one additional members. To this committee of gentlemen there was, however, immediately added the "Ladies' Relief Association," repre- sented by the following officers : President Miss RACHEL McFADDEN. V'iceP»-e»id6iit---MisS SUSAN J. SELLERS. Secretary Miss MARY BISSELL. Treasurer .--Miss MARTHA BAKEWELL. This Association worked in perfect harmony with the other, and gave to the efforts of the Society all the refine- ment, earnestness and efficiency which woman everywhere contributed to our work. By a sad coincidence, the Presi- dents of both the ladies' and gentlemen' s committees have, since the close of the war, been removed by death. Mr. Bakewell closed a long life of usefulness and honor most PITTSBURGH BRANCH. 295 fittingly with his labors in behalf of humanity and patriotism in the Sanitary Commission. Miss McFadden, on the con- trary, was cut off in the prime of life, undoubtedly as a consequence of her incessant and arduous labors in the cause to which she devoted herself with all her characteristic and conspicuous enthusiasm. She adds another to the ranks of the great army of martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for their country ; and all who knew this admirable woman will sustain me in saying that there are few who better deserve a cr( >wn. Throughout the last three years' of the war I was in almost daily receipt of hospital stores from Pittsburgh, which, as will be seen in the tabular report given further on, were in most generous quantity, and I should also say that, in their skillful selection and adaptation to our wants, as well as in the care and nicety of their preparation, they bore evidence of the judgment and thoughtfulness of the gentlemen who made the purchases, and of the skill and industry of the ladies who prepared them. Contributions of money, which were in the highest degree liberal, were constantly made to the Sanitary Committee by the citizens of Pittsburgh, yet these failed to fully supply the wants or satisfy the enthusiasm of our co-laborers there ; so that, in the spring of 1864, Pittsburgh followed the lead of Chicago, Cincinnati and Cleveland, and held one of those memorable Sanitary Fairs, which, in their magnitude, harmony, beauty and success, have been the wonder of this generation, as they will be of generations to come. The buildings constructed for the Cleveland Fair were purchased by the citizens of Pittsburgh, and re-erected there under the supervision of Mr. Elliot, whose taste had originally planned and adorned them. Considerably en- larged, and decorated anew, they were again filled with contributions which represented almost every product of 296 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. human industry, and every form of nature' s resources, and were daily and nightly thronged with crowds of eager purchasers. No other such exhibition of the wealth, patriotism and taste of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh has been given, and — as I have said of the other Sanitary Fairs — it is scarcely possible that the present generation will anywhere in our country again witness so gay and grand a scene. Gross Receipts of the Fair $361,516 17 Expenses 41,352 11 Net Proceeds -.- ..$320,164: 06 Previous Receipts by Pittsburgh Sanitary Commission 24,340 08 Total Receipts of this Branch $344,504 14 This sum was expended as follows : To the Pittsburgh Subsistence Committee ..$ 31,121 98 Alleghany County Monument. 3,000 00 Purchase of Supplies 127,53135 OfiBce Expenses, Paclcing, etc 2,850 81 Balance in Treasury at close of war 180,000 00 Total $344,504 14 At the disbanding of this Branch of the Sanitary Com- mission, after paying all its liabilities there remained in the Treasury one hundred and eighty thousand dollars. This sum was invested in United States seven-thirty bonds, the interest of which was appropriated by the Society for maintaining a permanent Home for Disabled Soldiers. The fine buildings and property known as the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, and more recently as the Insane Asylum, were turned over to the Commission for this purpose, on condition that all patients sent there by the city authorities should receive the same care as the soldiers. The grounds pertaining to the Home are in tlie suburbs, and include an area of twenty-five acres. The main PITTSBUKGH BRANCH. 297 building is four stories high, with two wings of three stories ; the whole affording accommodations for two hun- dred patients. This establishment was opened in its new character August 4, 1865, Dr. C. B. King in charge as Superintendent. It is also proposed to establish at the Home a school, in which shall be taught book-keeping and telegraphing, and such other branches of useful employment as the inmates may be fitted for. The beautj^ and healthfulness of the location and the tasteful and commodious buildings make this one of the most attractive public institutions in the country, and its consecration to the purpose for which it is now used — a permanent asylum for disabled soldiers — renders it a noble and fitting monument of the organization to which it owes its existence. To give some idea of the amount of business transacted by the Pittsburgh Sanitary Commission, we subjoin a list of some of the principal articles shipped, with the quantities of each : HOSPITAL DIET. Ale gallons, 644 Butter ---.tts. 2,305 Catsup bottles, 1,260 Crackers.- fts. 1,165 Fruit cans, 10,747 do., Dried lbs. 35,129 Lime Juice bottles, 1,140 Milk,Cond'na'd..cans, 1,917 Onions bu. 2,515 Potatoes bu. 8,861| Handkerchiefs 9,200 Sour-krout ...gallons, 22,108 Tobacco Bis. 2,120 Wines &Liquors-bots. 36,244 CLOTHING. Arm Slings 8,946 Bandages&Lint-.-ltis. 8,587 Drawers pairs, 16,292 Dressing Gowns 800 Shirts 27,841 Socks pairs, 6,140 Towels ..- 12,132 SUNDRIES. Bibles and Prayer Books, 88 Miscellaneous Books 600 Reading Matter. -.boxes, 500 After active operations in the field had ceased, the benev- olence of the Commission sought a new channel of useful- ness, and accordingly a Claim Agency was established by the Pittsburgh Sanitary Commission, by which over twenty- five thousand dollars were gratuitously collected and paid over to soldiers, or to soldiers' widows and orphans. An Employment Bureau was also maintained for a long time, and through its instrumentality situations were obtained for about two hundred disabled soldiers, who, but for this 298 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. assistance, might have been thrown upon the charities of the people, or, possibly, forced to the commission of crime to satisfy their wants. Transportation was meanwhile furnished to six hundred soldiers, who were out of funds or had lost their passes. In short, the Commission was constantly on the alert to render assistance to the unfortunate. Bands of refugees from Yirginia were picked up, fed, clothed and forwarded to their destination. Large amounts of stores were given out in the city to the mendicants of war. Wherever there was a need it was supplied. I cannot better close this imperfect sketch of the Pitts- burgh Branch than by quoting the words of one who witnessed all its work, and who thus expresses his appre- ciation of it: All honor to the noble men and women who have given the truest test of patriotism, next to service in the field, by their labors and self-sacrifices at home in behalf of the soldiers ! War, at the best, is barbarous and cruel — an awful gulf of misery — but when festooned by these fiowers of sympathy and humanity, it loses half its terrors. May America never hereafter require or forget the work of thi' Pittsburgh Sanitary Commission! CHAPTER XI. L GUIS A' ILL E SANITARY COMMISSION. JCDEISTTTJCICy BE.-A.IiTCII OF THE UNITED STATES SANITAEY COMMISSION. In June, 1861, several citizens of Louisville, Kentucky, were appointed Associate Members of the United States Sanitary Commission, among v^hom were Rev. J. H. Hey- wood. Rev. D. P. Henderson and Dr. T. S. Bell. These gentlemen for months, and I may even say years, afterward gave a large part of their time to the care of the sick among our troops, and from the very first manifested the spirit which gave such interest and value to their subsequent eflforts. Receiving sad accounts of the destitution and suffering, particularly among the hastily and as yet imperfectly equipped Kentucky troops, and the loyal men of Tennessee who had been driven from their homes by the rebel forces, I felt it to be my duty to go to their relief. I therefore visited Kentucky in the latter part of October, accompanied by two experienced surgeons — Drs. W. M. Prentice and A. N. Read, both of Ohio. We were most cordially greeted on our arrival by the Rev. J. H. Heywood. A meeting was at once called at his house, where a local Commission was organized, composed of men well known throughout the West for their patriot- ism and intelligence. A depot was immediately established, 300 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. the co-operation of the loyal ladies of Louisville secured, and a course of usefulness entered upon which continued to the close of the war. The Kenttoky Braxch Commission — as the Society then formed was called — consisted of the following mem- bers : T. S. BELL, M. D. ARTHUR PETER, Esq. R. C. HEWETT, M. D. Rev. JOHN H. HEYWOOD. GEORGE D. PRENTICE, ESQ. J. P. FLINT, M. D. Elder D. P. HENDERSON. W. B. BELKNAP, Esq. L. A. CIVILL. R. J. MENIFEE, Esq. JOSEPH HOLT, Esq. President T. S. BELL, M. D. rice President.. Rev. JOHN H. HEYWOOD. Secretm-y L. A. CIVILL. Trecmvrer ARTHUR PETER, Esq. For the year following, the labors of these gentlemen were incessant, and of the greatest value to tlie soldiers in garrison and hospital in all parts of Kentucky, and the source of constant relief and assistance to the medical officers whose duty it was to extemporize hospitals for the rapidly increasing sick, and the wounded of our numerous battles. In the autumn of 1862 I was brought into daily intercourse with members of the Kentucky Commission, and for three years the work of the Central Office was inseparably connected with that upon which they were engaged. In the first chapter of this Report I have made some allusion to the efficiency of the gentlemen composing this Board, and of the kindly relations which existed between us. It gives me pleasure, however, here to repeat that all our intercourse and intimate association served but to give me a higher appreciation of the services which they rendered to our cause, and to inspire me with an esteem and regard for each member of the Commission which must be as enduring as life itself. An exceedingly brief and modest history of the Kentucky Branch Commission has been written by Mr. Hey wood, from which I quote the following passages : KENTUCKY BRANCH. 301 On the 2l8t of September, 1861, the 49th Ohio, a gallant, noble regiment, passed through our city, bringing quite a number of sick soldiers whom, so prompt and instantaneous had been their response to the call to join General Eousseau's brave men in meeting and repelling Buckner's forces, they had not been able to provide for and leave in comfort behind. No regular or permanent hospital arrangements had then been made. The sick of Eousseau's brigade had been taken from Camp Joe Holt to the Marine Hospital, which was very limited in its accommodations, and no new hospitals had been organized, though two were in process of organization. As several of these sick men of the 49th had contagious disease — the measles — they could not be taken to the City Hospital nor to the Infirmary. "We made arrangements, therefore, with a lady who kept a large board- ing-house near the Nashville Railroad depot, and the sick were removed to her house, which was thus temporarily converted into a hospital, and occupied as such for one month, from September 21st to October 22d. Sixty patients were admitted and cared for, some of whom were very ill ; but, thanks to a kind Providence, the hand of death was laid upon none. In improvising this hospital, which was gratefully accepted by Dr. Murray, the members of the Commission endeavored to do what was in their power to meet the wants of the earnest men, whose sickness was owing to sacrifices and exposures cheerfully met and borne for our country's sake, and to carry out the purpose, which from the outset it proposed and kept constantly in view, to co-operate with the Medical Department in its sanitary and remedial efforts. The sick accumulated very rapidly in our city during the autumn of 1861, from the large army stationed betv/een Louisville and Green River. The trains brought them up every evening, sometimes in large numbers, and not unfrequently without previous notice having been sent to the Medical Director, who, notwith- standing that he was constantly engaged in providing and keeping in readiness regular and permanent hospitals, was thus often obliged to extemporize hospital accommodations to meet these pressing emergencies. At times his messenger would come to us at midnight to obtain sheets, blankets and bedsacks, for perhaps fifty or a hundred men brought to him in feebleness and sufiering, 302 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. and not a few in the last stages of disease, in the agonies or uncon- sciousness of approaching death. It was a privilege to be able from our stores to meet the urgent demand and to join in the sacred work of ministering to our brave soldiers in their hours of extreme need. From friends far and near came those stores, generously given by patriotic and humane hearts, free-will offerings for the country's altar. Our own citizens, and especially the ladies of the Aid Societies in the several wards; were ceaseless in exertion and unremitting in contribution, and citizens of nearly all the loyal States of the Union were united with them in the kindly work. We dispensed the stores thus confided to us in accordance with the Saviour's direction — " Freely ye have received, freely give " — trusting always that new supplies would come to meet new wants. Our hope was not disappointed. It seemed as if the gracious hand of Grod had renewed Zarephath's impressive miracle, for "the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail." Experience and the recurring emergencies of the war taught us that the purposes of the humane donors could be most thoroughly carried out, and the greatest good done to the greatest number of soldiers, by making as liberal contributions as was in our power to the hospitals — permanent, regimental and camp — to hospital boats and hospital trains; by sending promptly large supplies to the battle fields for the wounded ; by making and keeping the Soldiers' Home comfortable and attractive, and by aiding soldiers and their families in the collection of back pay, pensions and bounties. In these four directions we have principally labored, seeking meanwhile to do what we could for soldiers sick in barracks ; for discharged or furloughed soldiers coming to us weak, wayworn, destitute; and for soldiers' relatives, wives, parents, and sisters, whom warm affection and intense anxiety for their beloved ones, prostrated by disease or wounds, had brought from far-away homes, and who sometimes found themselves among strangers in extreme need. Hospitals and Hospital Boats. — When one reviews the list of names on our records of hospitals or hospital stations, to which we were called to contribute regularly or occasionally, and remembers that these formed but a portion of the hospital arrangements of the army of the Union, he is deeply impressed alike with the magnitude KENTUCKT BRANCH. 303 of the war which involved, so large an amount of sickness, and with the promptness and ceaseless industry of the organized beneficence which filled our warerooms and the warerooms of other Branches of the Commission, and thus enabled us, in responding to the constantly recurring demands, to co-operate with the Medical Department in ministering to the relief of our brave men in their hours of suffering and need. This list covers points as widely remote fi'om each other as Cumberland Gap on the borders of Western Virginia, and Memphis, Tenn., and Milliken's Bend, La., and a long array of names more or less familiar ; all invested with the interest imparted by peril bravely met and pain and hardship cheerfully borne for patriotism's sacred cause. In addition to the hospitals in and around Louisville, at one time twenty in number and filled to overflowing with sick and wounded men, and those in our neighboring cities of New Albany and Jeffersonville, we have sent from our stores to the hospitals at Ashland, Bardstown, Belmont Furnace, Bowling Green, Calhoun, Colesburg, Columbia, Danville, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Camp Gilbert, Glasgow, Green Eiver Stockade, Harrodsburg, Henderson, Hopkinsville, Lebanon, Lexington, Mill Springs, Muldrough's Hill, Munfordsville, ISTelson Furnace, Camp Nelson, Camp Nevin, New Haven, Paris, Perry- ville,- Piketown, Shepherdsville, Somerset, Woodsonville — all in Kentucky; to the hospitals in Evansville, Ind.; to the following in Tennessee — Chattanooga, Clarksville, Cumberland Gap, Fountain Head Station, Gallatin, Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Eichland Station ; and to the hospitals in and near Vicksburg, Miss. We have aided the "Atlantic," "War Eagle," "Empress," " Decatur," " City of Louisiana," " Lancaster, No. 4," " Dunleith," " Commercial," "Nashville," " Ohio Belle," " McDougal," " Camelia," " Dacotah," and other hospital boats, and the hospital trains on the railroads from Louisville to Nashville and Chattanooga. It is with mingled emotions that we recall the scenes and inci- dents connected with the early hospital work in our city, but no feel- ing is more vivid or deeper than that of gratitude toward the noble women of Louisville and their worthy sisters from Indiana and Ohio, who volunteered their services and were unremitting in their attentions in that period of peril and anxiety. These loyal ladies were as unwearied in their exertions to promote the comfort of the sick soldiers as if the sufferers had been their own sons or brothers; 304 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. some of them spending hours daily in their kindly ministrations, while others permitted not a day to pass for months without preparing nourishing food for the invalids, and others still took one or more of the invalids to their own homes. Dr. Newberry, in one of his reports, has paid a touching tribute to the devotion of these sisters of Florence Nightingale, some " Sisters of Charity" in name, all in spirit and deed : " I look back with a kind of horror to those dark days in the history of this rebellion, when the theatre of war was at the very doors of the citizens of Louisville ; when camps were in her suburbs and troops thronged her streets, when the hastily improvised hospitals, including all the public school edifices, were crowded with sick, and so imperfectly supplied with cares and comforts that every loyal family felt impelled to contribute the tithe of its domestic treasures and send its delicately-reared ladies to minister, by their own personal efforts, to the suffering and destitute of the wards in which they lived. No similar scene had been witnessed in our previous history, unless in the epidemics of yellow fever at Norfolk and Philadelphia, when a like paralyzing gloom formed a dark background on which were illuminated similar bright examples of Christian charity." As time passed on and the resources at the command of the Medical Department increased, and suitaljle buildings were erected, and the hospitals became thoroughly organized and equipped, the necessity for the direct services of the unwearying friends in a great measure ceased ; but to the end not a few continued their ministrations, aiding in tlie grateful work of restoring thousands and tens of thousands to health and strength, and comforting the closing hours of the dying. Relief sent to Battle Fields. — The battle of Mill Springs or Webb's Ciross Eoads was fought on the IDth of January, ISCy-l. a battle gallantly fought and a victory nobly won under the auspices of that unassuming, brave commander, General Oeorge H.Thomas, whose calm courage was a tower of strength to the army in the terrible conflict at Chickamauga, and whose masterly combinations and wise generalship made the battle of Nashville one of the most brilliant and decisive of the war. The number of men engaged in the sharp conflict was not large, but there were one hundred and ninety-four patriot wounded soldiers to be eared for, and they were in a region of country not KENTUCKY BBANCH. 305 easy of access, and where the comforts of life did not abound. As soon as news of the battle reached Louisville, arrangements were made by Dr. Murray and our Branch to send the needed articles under the care of Dr. A. N. Bead, the Sanitary Commission's able and devoted Inspector, whose promptness and efficiency proved as invaluable then as in after emergencies. The battle of Mill Springs was speedily followed by the brilliant achievements which resulted in the capture of Port Donelson. On the 16th of February the fort, with ten thousand prisoners and forty cannon, was unconditionally surrendered to General Grant. Immediately on receipt of information that the battle was going on, we forwarded large supplies, which were distributed under the direction of the agents of the Sanitary Commission. On the 6th and 7th days of April, 1862, the memorable battle of Shiloh was fought. It was our privilege, in conjunction with the citizens of Louisville and the Military Board of Kentucky, who entered with cheerful and earnest co-operation into the work, to charter the line, commodious steamers '"Telegraph" and "Pair- child," and to send them to Pittsburg Landing loaded with Sanitary stores and bearing a most efficient corps of volunteer nurses, noble- hearted men and consecrated, self-sacrificing women, under the guidance of Dr. Chipley, the skillful physician and earnest philan- thropist. Self-sacrificing! How justly applicable, how exactly descriptive the epithet, the heart testifies in its pensive, hallowed and hallowing remembrance of Mrs. Susan Bell, whose brave, patriotic, martyr spirit was indeed strong, but whose physical frame was all too weak for the trials and exposures of that voyage of mercy. Its duties she performed faithfully, lovingly, but her over- tasked powers never rallied from their exhaustion. It is with gratitude that we remember the privilege we enjoyed in being able to aid in adding two well-equipped vessels to that large Sanitary fleet which went as with the wings of a dove up the Tennessee, and whose presence was welcomed as health and life to thousands of sick and sufiering men. On the 9th of October of the same year, word was brought us of the battle of Perryville, fought on the day previous. We called upon the citizens for aid ; a public meeting was convened by the Mayor, and a hearty response was made. Three large army wagons were loaded and sent forward on the 10th inst. On the 11th 20 306 SANITARY COMMISSIOX — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. twenty-one ambulances and two furniture oars went with their precious loads of Sanitary stores, and on the 17th three more wagons were sent on their errand of mercy, and thereafter con- stantly, so long as there was need, large quantities of valuable packages were forwarded by the transportation kindly furnished by the Medical Department of the army. Our gratification in being able to send these contributions to our soldiers in their hour of need was greatly increased by the promptness with which many of our most earnest citizens volun- teered to assist in their distribution and in nursing the wounded. Co-operating heartily with Dr. Eead, whose expsrienca acquired at Mill Spring, Fort Donelson and Pittsburg Landing was invaluable, they rendered inestimable service in their kindly deeds to the living, and in the respect paid to our common humanity in their care for the dead. The last day of 1862 and the first day of 1863 were made memo- rable by the battle of Stone Biver. In consequence of the breaks made by the rebel cavalry in the Louisville and Nashville Eailroad, Sanitary stores could not at once be forwarded liy that route, but large supplies were sent by the steamer " Lady Franklin," employed for the time as a hospital boat, and with them went several of the earnest men and devoted women, to whose kindly care and faithful nursing on the steamer " Telegraph," under the blessing of God, many a soldier, sick and exhausted from the terrible conflict at Pittsburg Landing, owed his life, and the country the continued services of many a brave defender. In the month of June, 1863, the large steamer "Jacob Strader'' was chartered by Dr. Newberry to take Sanitary supplies for the army then engaged in its heroic work around Vicksburg — work that moved on as with the majesty of destiny to its consummation, but which, during its progress, was very exhausting to the soldiers engaged. In response to the appeal made, our citizens contributed seven thousand dollars, with the proceeds of which, and with liberal supplies from the storehouses of the General Commission, the noble vessel was thoroughly furnished and sent on her mission. The "Jacob Strader " belonged to the Louisville and Cincinnati Mail Steamshiii Company, to whose President, Z. M. Sherley, Esq., the Commission is deei^ly indebted, not only for the generosity exhibited in carrying without charge great quantities of Snnitary stores, for KENTUCKY BEANCH. 307 which the customary freight charges would have been not less than eight or nine thousand dollars, but also for his uniform courtesy to its agents and representatives, and for his efficient aid in the accom- plishment of their plans. Of the Sanitary measures adopted for the aid of the noble army around Vicksburg, one has especial interest and great significance. At the time when serious apprehension was felt in regard to the yellow fever, and when the testimony of Dr. Warriner, the able and faithful Inspector, showed that the terrible disease was already in the camps, it was determined by the watchful and intelligent officers of the Western Department of the United States Commis- sion, in accordance with the advice of the President of the Kentucky Branch, to send on the " Dunleith " a large quantity of quinine, with printed instructions for its use as a prophylactic. The army surgeons co-operated heartily, and the success was complete. The disease, which was increasing, speedily ceased under the adminis- tration of this effective preventive and antidote, and a most impressive illustration was given of the positive and constant power which quinine possesses in preventing the development not only of yellow fever, but of cholera, dysentery and all diseases due to malaria. In view of tie well-ascertained facts that a single night's sleep in a malarious locality may infect the system, and that, in some persons the poison may lie dormant for weeks and then develop itself disastrously, it is alike gratifying and important to know that this invaluable medicine, judiciously administered, exerts a specific power in preventing the development of malarial poison. The Vicksburg experience certainly gave very striking confirmation of the correctness of the views presented in the United States Com- mission's early and timely tract on " Quinine as a Prophylactic." The Western Office of the United States Sanitary Commission was established at Louisville in October, 1862. In a short time all its departments were in successful operation, and through the cordial good will subsisting between the military commanders and the Commission, and the admirable system adopted, very satisfactory and efficient arrangements were made for the transportation and distribution of Sanitary supplies. The attention of this Branch was thenceforward more especially directed to the aid of hospitals in the vicinity and to the mainte- nance of the "Soldiers' Home" — superintended successively by 308 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Messrs. James Malona and Voltaire Scott, with Messrs. James Morton and E. F. Henderson as Eelief Agents — all kind, efficient men — an instrumentality very humble in its beginning and unpretentious always, but which rendered much comfort to the weary and way-worn soldier, and was thus, we gratefully believe, of real service to the sacred cause for which he suffered and labored. ******* Soldiers' Claims. — It was seen, soon after the establishment of the Home, that substantial service could be rendered to the soldiers by aiding them gratuitously in the collection of the money due them, and gradually, as the number of guests increased, this became one of the most important and responsible duties of the Superin- tendent and Eelief Agent. Inestimable good was done in this direction by ^h: James Morton, who was connected with the Home for ma.ny months, and who brought to the work not only a willing heart and a vigorous mind, but also the systematizing power developed in long experience as a banker. To save the feeble and exhausted soldier, furloughed ur discharged, a long walk and weary \vaiting, rooms -were fitted up in the Home, which Major Camp consented to take as a Paymaster's office. But often, through the carelessness or inefficiency of regimental officers, papers were so defective that it Ijecame necessary to send them back for correction, and in these emergencies it was a kindness, thoroughly appreciated by the soldier, to have an intelligent and thoughtful friend at hand, through whom the papers could be returned and the money, when paid, promptly forwarded to him at his distant home. The amount of money reported as thus collected for soldiers, was thirty thousand two hundred and sixty-eight dollars and twenty- four cents. At the time of tlie closing of the Home, H. H. Burkholder, Esq., who had for many montlis performed Avith great efficiency in our city the duties of Claim and Pension Agent, under the direction of the United States Commission, was invited by our Branch to con- tinue, as its agent, his very important A\ork. He accepted the a))pointraent and has labored iiidci'atigably, having from November l,18(i"), to July 1, 1866, made up in due form and forwarded to the proper offices in Wasliington five hundred and twenty claims; having prepared, by way of additional evidence sustaining claims, two hundred and twenty affidavits; having written, in behalf of KEyrUCKY BEANCH. 309 soldiers or the heirs of deceased soldiers, one thousand and twenty- nine letters; and having collected on claims twenty-three thousand six hundred and eighty-three dollars and forty-four cents. The following table, prepared by Mr. John Patterson, our intel- ligent book-keeper and earnest fellow-laborer, shows the number and kind of articles disbursed by our Branch of the Commission, not including, of course, the large number of unopened packages received and forwarded. During the first twelve or thirteen months of the war a vast amount of Sanitary stores was sent to us by friends of the soldiers from various parts of our country, to be forwarded to surgeons of hospitals, regimental surgeons, chaplains and officers of regiments and companies, to distribute to the needy and suffering in their charge or under their command. To afford all the aid in its power and to carry out the kindly purposes of the donors, we took charge of the stores and forwarded them to their destination. In general, no inventory of these packages was kept ; only a record of their reception, from whom they came, by whom sent, to whom consigned, and the places to which they were for- warded. As the war progressed, and the plans of the United States Sanitary Commission for the transportation and systematic and impartial distribution of Sanitary supplies came to be understood and thoroughly appreciated, and the unity and brotherhood of the nation's great army to he felt, contributions for individuals or companies or regiments in great measure ceased, being merged in contributions for the benefit of all. KEPOET OF DISBURSEMENTS, From Nov. 4, 1S61, to Nov. 1, 1865. Adhes'ePIast'r. .rolls, 11 Ale gallons, 1,837 Apple Butter-gallons, 514 Apples bu. 649 Arm Rests 251 Bandages lbs. 6,589 Bedpans 65 Bedsteads 25 Bedticks 3,813 Blankets 2,825 Boots and Shoes. -p'rs, 120 Bowls, Earthen 60 Brandy. ..bottles, 282 Bread _lbs. 3,965 Bromine bottles, 45 Brooms 140 Buckets 135 Butter lbs. 6,872 CakesandCookies-fts. 463 Camp Kettles 9 Candles lbs. Canes, Walking Canteens Catsup -.bottles, Cedron Bitters ..bots. Chambers .._ Cheese fts. Chloroform - --bottles. Citric Acid tbs. Cloth, Wat'r-pr'f - -yds. Coats and Pants Cocoa lbs. Codfish lbs. Coffee, G-round lbs. Coffee Pots, Large Cologne bottles, Combs and Brushes--. Comforts and Quilts.. Compresses- --Bs. Corn Meal lbs. 48 155 176 140 1,274 188 10 16 453 504 1,738 370 18 6,058 6,709 2,032 Cornstarch -lbs. 1,231 Cots and Litters 196 Crackers, Soda lbs. 6,607 Crutches pairs, 970 Drawers -- - 17,761 Dress and Bed Gowns, 1,276 Eggs dozens, 7,940 Envelopes ..packages, 467 Bye Shades 347 Pans 865 Farina-- fts. 1,025 FeatherBeds 7 Flour barrels, 38 Fruit, Dried fts. a5,lftK Fruit, Preserved and Fresh - -.cans, 10,643 Games 66 Gloves and Mitts 3,405 Grapes fts. 300 Hatchets 13 310 SAHriTART COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. DISBURSEMENTS— Co?iti)™e(!. Hats 20 Havelocks 678 Herrings boxes, 7 Hominy. lbs. 413 Hops&Herbs,Dr'd.lbs. 185 Horse Radisli -bottles, 60 Hospital Cards 13 Housewives 30 Ice tons, 15 Knives & Forks.. each, 950 Lanterns, with Lamps, 68 Lemons boxes, 38 Light Groceries . . . tis. 90 Lounges 35 Matches gross, 4 Mattresses 139 Meat, Concen'd.. cans, 5,057 Meat, Dried... lbs. 751 do.. Fresh & Ham. lbs. 3,018 Milk Can, Large 1 Milk, Concen'd. .cans, 7,583 Molas's & Syrup. galls. 203 Mops, Cotton 72 Mosquito Bars .538 Mustard.... tt>s. 26 Nails lbs. 180 Neck Ties Night Caps Oat Meal.. lbs. Oil Silk yds. Onions bu. Oranges boxes, Oysters cans. Pads and Cushions Paper, "Writing. quires, Pearl Barley Bs. Pepper fts. Pepper Sauce. bottles. Pickles gallons, Pillow Cases Pillows Pincushions Pitchers Potatoes bu. Rice lbs. Salt lbs. Sardines boxes. Saws, Hand Scissors pairs. Shawls Sheeting, etc yds. 315 519 8,847 410 433 25 27 1,471 19,700 11,315 1,298 32 4,174 1,301 809 13 Sheets 9,309 Shirts 25,058 Slippers pairs, 1,317 Soap lis. 644 Socks pairs, 13,403 Sour-krout ...gallons, 303 Spittoons 259 Splints .packages, 4 Sponges B>s. 50 Spoons 807 Straw bales, 37 Tapioca. .lbs. 98 Tobacco... .fts. 1,947 Towels and H'dk'chfa, 39,407 TinCups 1,304 Tin Pans... 123 Tin Plates 769 Trusses 3 Urinals 59 Vests and Blouses 350 Vinegar gallons, 136 Wash Basins 204 Whisky bottles, 973 WindowShades 59 Wines&Cordlals.bots. 5,138 Received in money $60,185 42 Expended 47,203 73 BALANCE ON HAND. 2,981 69 In the amount of receipts are included the amounts received in commutation of rations, and the sum of ten thousand dollars placed in our hands by the United States Sanitary Commission from the munificent contribution of California, whose laboriously gained treasures were transmuted by patriotism, mightier than all the arts of alchemy, into the pure gold of beneficence. We have not embraced in the statement the money generously contributed by the citizens of Louisville for the fitting out of the steamer "Jacob Strader.' This liberal donation, had it been included, would have added seven thousand dollars to the sum total. _ We know that our Branch, compared with some other Branches of the Sanitary Commission, in regard to receipts and disburse- ments, is as a rivulet to a river; but it had its origin, we believe, in the same fountains of patriotism and humanity, and, as it has flowed steadily on, it has helped to swell the mighty Mississippi flood which God has blessed to the healing of the nation. CHAPTER XII. isrE"w j^iL,:jBJLirci3: UNITED STATES S A. N I T A. K Y COMMISSION. The contributions made by the people of Indiana to the sick and wounded of the army mainly passed through the hands of the Governor and the State Sanitary Bureau, acting under his direction. Yet many packages of stores were forwarded to Chicago from the northern portion of the State, and perhaps an equal number from the southern counties to the Commission of our Associate Members at New Albany. The members of this Society, during the first year of the war, sustained a heavy responsibility in the care which they assumed of the sick and wounded in the hospitals of their own city; and, at a later period, when the Government had established extensive and well appointed , hospitals at this point, the efforts of the New Albany Commission did not cease, but were turned in other directions, and especially to the maintenance of their Soldiers' Home, of which a description is given in the chapter on Special Relief. The New Albany Commission was composed of the following members : n. CEAWFOBD, Esq. DANIEL SNIVELY, J. K. WOODWARD. JAMES BROOKS, ES(^ WM. S. CULBERTSON. B. C. KENT. E. H. MANN. M. C. KERR, ESQ. J. M. HAINES. J. G. ATTERBURY. P. R. STOY. J. J. BROWN. E. T. FLETCHER. Premdent ..R. CRAWFORD, Esq. Vice PresMciit.. JAMES BROOKS, Esq. Secretary M. C. KERR. Trecmtrer DANIEL SNIVELY. 313 SANITARY commission: — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. All these gentlemen took ]jart in the equipment and care of the hospitals tirst located in New Albany, which owed whatever of comfort was enjoyed by their inmates to the material supplies and personal ministrations received at their hands. Two of the most acti^-e and eflficient membei-s of the New iVlbany Branch — Judge Randal] Crawford and Mr. Daniel Snively — are no longer living ; both having died just at the close of the war, ending their lives of honor and usefulness with this their last good work. Judge Craw- ford, it will be remembered, was one of the delegates who went to Fort Donelson on the "Allen Collier." There, as elsewhere, he exhibited tlie high qualities which gained for him the enviable reputation he enjoyed throughout the State in which he lived. Mr. Snively was, from the first, most constant and unwearied in his efforts for the ameliora- tion of the comfort of the soldiers quartered in or passing through New Albany, and he charged himself with the immediate care and supervision of the Soldiers' Home. He was a warm-hearted patriot, and inseparably identified with ever)- good work accomplished in his place of resi- dence, and his death was sincei'ely mourned as tliat of one of its purest and most useful citizens. Although the supplies at the command of tlie New Albany Branch were limited in quantity, the}' were no measure of its usefulness, as mucli the larger part of the contributions they made to the cause in which we were engaged consisted of personal labors among the sick ; by far the most laborious and trying, while at the same time the most effecti^'e, of the duti(^s which devcAved upon our representatives. Located, as our New Albany co-laborers were, for a long time upon the frontier, and throughout the war at an important hospital center, the demands upon tliem were constant and onerous. But of all this NEW ALBANY BRANCH. 313 no record has been made. No report has been published by the members of the Society; for, with characteristic modesty, they worked witliout hope or expectation of praise. From my position, during three years, in Louis- ville — but four miles distant — I had ample opportunity of observing the work of our New Albany Associates, and I do not hesitate to say that we nowhere had more faithful co-laborers ; and whatever honor is due to those who any- where devoted themselves unselfishly and efficiently to their work, of this honor they deserve an equal share with any equal number. CHAPTER XIII. i3:os:pxa?^A.Xj o-^u-xjejcsts ESTABLISHED BY THE UNITED STATES SANITABY COMMISSION. The Union army in the Department of the Cumberland, from the commencement of the year 1863 to the close of the War, was subject to peculiar conditions. Practically in the heart of an enemy's countrj^, from which only the most meager supplies could be obtained, with a single channel of communication connecting it with the storehouses of the Worth, and this frequently broken by rebel raids and other causes, it was a work of the greatest difficulty to furnish in sufficient quantity the most essential of army and hospital stores and the material of war. Supplementary hospital supplies, vegetalih^s, and various articles of extra diet designed to promote the recoveiy of the sick and to preserve the health of the men in the field, were furnished by the loyal people without stint, enough to fully employ all the transportation that could be spared for that purpose. But transportation was always limited, and the amount of stores that coidd be forwarded to the aimy was constantly inadequate. From this cause solely there was a necessity for constant economy in the use of supplies, and for the adoption of every practical mode of adding to the available stock from the resources c>f tlie country. The most feasible and reliable mode of int' reusing the supply of vegetable food, and of securing it also in the summer months, when most needed, and obtained with most diffi- culty from the North, seemed to be the establishment of HOSPITAL GARDENS. 315 vegetable gardens, which, it was thought, might be made to supply, in part at least, the wants of the hospitals, and also at times yield a surplus for distribution to the most needy in the field. The military conditions which made it necessary to fortify and garrison posts along the line of communication as the army advanced, favored the project and provided the necessary protection ; thus permitting the accumulation at these posts of a large number of sick and wounded for hospital treatment. The first effort in this direction was made at Murfreesboro in the spring of 1863. Early in the year the plan had been discussed there and at Nashville, and various opinions had been expressed in regard to the policy and practicability of the scheme. At ]\Iurfreesboro, in a brief interview with the Assistant Medical Director of the Department, it was agreed that the Sanitary Commission should furnish seeds, plants and tools for a garden of twenty acres, to be cultivated by convales- cent soldiers under the direction and control of the medical authorities. John Harriman, a practical gardener, a private of the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was detailed as super- intendent, and the work immediately commenced. Land was selected near the general field hospital, and Dr. Finley, the accomplished surgeon in charge, assumed general charge of the work, and spared no pains to make the experiment a success. In place of twenty acres, about sixty were finally put under cultivation. The season proved favorable, and an abundant supply of fresh vegetables for all the hospitals of the post vindicated the policy adopted, and exerted a marked influence toward establisliing vegetable gardens as a regular adjunct of hospitals at the permanent posts in the Department. After the work was commenced at Murfreesboro, a garden of about thirty acres was also planted at Nashville, 316 SANITAEY COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. which afforded very essential aid to all the hospitals at that post. The advance of the army to Chattanooga, the large rein- forcements added, and the increased difficulties of transpor- tation required that an experiment which had proved so successful should be repeated on a larger scale and at every practicable point. All had seen the benefits already derived from this source, and were readj^ to co-operate in furnishing the necessary aid, so far as this could be done. Chattanooga was the great base of the army and the general depot of supplies; from there each Division could be readUy reached, and thither would probably be brought large numbers of the sick and wounded of the coming campaigns. It was, on these accounts, determined that a garden should be established here, as large and productive as practicable; and Mr. M. C. Bead, agent of the Commis- sion, after consultation with General Thomas, commanding the Department, his Medical Director, Dr. Perin, and with Greneral Steedman, then commanding the Post, decided to cultivate a garden of not less than one hundred acres, and to take the direct and immediate superintendence of it as an appropriate part of the work of the Com- mission. A fine tract of abandoned land, on tlie left bank of the Tennessee River, was chosen by the Medical Director, and a special order was issued by the General commanding, assigning it to the Commission and protecting the agents in its cultivation. The garden was to be the joint work of the military authorities and i\w Sanitary Commission ; the former to provide the land, th(^ teams, necessary labor and protection; the latter, seeds, plants, implements and a practical gard(^ner, and to distribute all the products HOSPITAL GARDENS. 317 of the garden under the general direction of the medical authorities. In accordance with this arrangement, a supply of seeds and tools was ordered, a gardener engaged, and the grounds fenced ; but the requisition of the Medical Director for teams was returned with the report that there were no horses or mules in the Department that could be spared for garden- ing. A personal application 1)}^ Mr. Read to the General Commanding, and to his Chief Quartermaster, received the promise of teams as soon as they could be obtained, but also elicited the information that the stock then available was altogether insufRcient for the pressing wants of the army. An effort was immediately made to purchase ani- mals from the country, but none could be obtained ; they could not be brought from Louisville, with any liope of protecting them from capture, and railroad transportation was overtaxed by government stores and animals. When it seemed that the enterprise must be indefinitely l)ostp< >ned, an examination of all the corrals of condemned and disabled animals about Chattanooga disclosed the fact that a sufficient number might be obtained from them, unfit for regular service, but capable of doing fair work liefore the plow. The necessary orders were obtained, and about fifty horses selected, of which something like one-half, under careftil treatment, soon became efficient and valuable, able to do full work, and, when subse(|uently turned o-\'er to the Quartermaster, fit for any service in the field. The delay in securing animals, followed by unfavorable weather, lendered it desirable to push forward the work more rapidly than the number of plows and other imple- ments forwarded from Louisville would pennit. To enable the agent to meet this emergency, to protect the gardens, and inspire the necessary aid for the prosecution of the 318 SAIiTITAKT COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPAKTMENT. work, the following orders were issued by the military authorities : Head-Quakters Post and Garrison, Chattanooga, Tbnn., February 24, 1864. To the Officers of the Picltcta: All soldiers having the permit of M. C. Bead, Agent United States Sanitary Com- mission, to pass the picket line for the purpose of working on the gardens, will be permitted to pass at pleasure during the day-time. JAMES B. STBEDMAN. Brigculicy Urtieral Cummanding Post. Post Head-Quartebs, Chattakiioqa, Tenn., February 25, 1864. JI. C. Bead, Esq., Agent Sanitaru Commissii>ii, Chattanooga, Tiim., Is authorized to make an impressment of such farming implements as he may need for farming and gardening, from such tools as he may find in the country not in actual use or actually necessary to the claimant or owner. By Command of Bbigadieb General, Steedman : S. B. MOB, Assistant Adivtant General. [Endorsed on back of this:] Post Head-Quabtebs. Guards and pickets will pass the bearer, with teams and hands. By Command of Brigadier Genjjbatj Steedman ; S. B. MOB, Assistant Adjutant General. Head-Quarters Department or the Cumberland, Hpceial Fkhl. Orclcr.^, Chattanooga, March 5, 1864. No-65- extract. *********** XXIV. All soldiers and citizens are hereby prohibited from interfering with the Sanitary Commission in the cultivation of certain abandoned lands now under their management and control. * -i- * * * * K + t** By Command of Major Genebal Thomas : WM. D. WHIPPLE, Assistant Adjutant (unrral. Agent U. S. Sanitaru Commwvi'oii, Chattanooga, Tenn. Post IIead-(,>uarters, Chattanooga, Tenn., Mardi O, 1864. Captain Bonner, Fartit-Sceond I1tin(ns Infantry Volunteers, Will furnish M. C. Bead, Esq., on his application for the same, until further orders, such details as he may require to work on tlie Government gardens. By Command of Brigadier Genehatj Steedman : S. B. MOB, Cojitain and .issisfant Ailjvtavl General. HOSPITAL GARDENS. 319 Siinilai- ordeis were issued from time to time during the season, as tlie efficient prosecution of the work required. The garden proved eminently successfiil ; the jdeld of vege- tables was v(ny large, and they proved of inestimable value to the sick. During nearly all the season as large issues were made to all the hospitals of the post as could be suitably preiia]-(_'d for use, and much of the time there was a large surplus for convalescents, detached troops and regiments in the held. The cash value of the products distributed, at one-half the rates at which similar articles were sold to citizens at the post, was not less than se^-enty thousand dollars. Large gardens were also cultivated at Nashville, Mui- fi-eesboro and Knoxville, the Commission furnishing seeds, tools, etc., and for the garden at Knoxville a superintendent; the general management of all these being in the hands of th(^ medical authority. The_y all yielded abundantly, and the ])olicy of post gardens, as auxiliarj' to the general hospitals, was established on a firm basis. At the close of the season the Post Medical Director issued a circular to the surgeons in charge of his hospitals, asking their opinions as to the value of the hospital garden and the propriety of continuing it another year. The following are copies of their replies: V s. Officers' Oeneral Hospital, LcioKOUT Mountain. Tenn., Ortober :;7, 1KIJ4. SuiicEoN (.'. H. Jo.vES, U. S. Vdhiiihiiv, .ViJicn! nii-ninr Pna. Sir — I have tlie honor to acknowledge the reeeipt nt your communication, callinjr for a .'Statement as to wlietlier the Sanitary gardens had afforded material aid to this liospital, and whether they should be continued durinjj the ensuing year. My reply i.s most emphatically in the affirmative. In July an officer, a patient in this hospital, writing to a Cincinnati paper, says: "The Sanitary gardens daily supply the cravings of the sick and wounded with deli- cacies which are almost indispensable to patients who have suffered long from the exposures and privations of army life. I respectfully su^'Kcst that the original plan of tlie SanitaiT Commission, of establishing gardens on Lookout Mountain, be carried into effect the coming year. 320 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. There are several tracts of laud near the hospitals well adapted to the purpose. The garden known as the "brigade garden" contains about forty acres, and is well fenced. It produced, as I understand, quite an abundance of vegetables during the past summer, which must have added materially to the luxuries of the ofBcers con- nected with the brigade on duty at this point. I am not aware that any vegetables were furnished to either of the United States general hospitals at this place by this garden. I take the liberty to recommend that the Sanitary Commission make application to the proper authorities for the use of said garden, with the view of cultivating it next year for the benefit of the hospitals on the Mountain. Considerable transportation would be saved thereby, and vegeta- bles, always fresh, be secured in abundance. The labor of taking care of the gardens, I think, could be easily performed by convalescents belonging to the hospitals. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, LEWIS D. HARLOW, Surf/eou U. S. Volunteers, it) eharge. U. S. Army General Hospital, No. 2, Chattanooga, Tenn., October 28, ISU. Surgeon C. H. Jones, U. S. Volunteers, Post 3Iedicetl Direetnr: Sir— I have the honor, in obedience to your orders, to report most favorably of the Sanitary gardens at this place. The supply of vegetables was large and varied, and the most marked courtesy and attention was paid to our requests. I have lately visited the garden, and observed with much pleasure the care and attention bestowed on the raising and preserving of their fruits. Believing that next year it will be more valuable as an adjunct, I would most earnestly recommend its continuance, that the sick soldiers may not be deprived of those grateful luxuries which the garden so well and so fully supplies. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. M. COWAN, Assistant Siirycon U. S. Volunteers, in cliarye. U. S. Army General Hospital, No. 3, Lookout JIountain. Tens., October 24, 186+. Surgeon C. H. Jones, I'lisi Meeliccbl Diieetor : Sir— I have the honor to report, in answer fo ymii- communication containing enquiries in reference to the use of the Sanitary gardens at Chattanooga, that a most material aid has been rendered to this hospital by said gardens. We have received vegetables almost constantly— always when there were any to distribute— which, with occasional interruptions at seasons when certain vegetables wore not matured, has been most of the time. The steward's reply is, almost constantly— "We are receiving all the vegetables from tlie Sanitary gardens that we ask for, and further, that it is the only source from which we can obtain vegetables. T can, with the greatest earnestness and heartiness, not only recommend, l)ut uiye the continuance of the gai'dens next year. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. JI. JACKSON, ^nriieiin, in ehari/i . HOSPITAL liARDENS. 331 PuovisiONAL Hospital, Chattanooga, Tenn., October 23, 1864. Surgeon C. H. Jones, U. S. Volunteers, Post Medical Director: Sir — In compliance with your order of date 33d, as to the utility of the continu- ance of the Sanitary gardens, I have the honor to report that the vegetables received from them were ahuiideint, and their benefits incaln(lal)le to the sick and wounded. Deprived of the supplies from this source, the hands of the medical officer would have been paralyzed, especially in scorbutic cases, as none could be procured from any other. I cannot urge in too strong terms the continuance of this great auxiliary. With sentiments of respet.'t for the great interest you have taken in behalf of the sick and wounded, I am, sir, yours, w. P. Mcculloch, Axsixtaul Siirueon Sm ntii-Hiijlith Penih'./ sole of beef — and not a can of our beef spoiled on our hands during the last two years of its manufacture. PART III. SPECIAL RELIEF DEPARTMENT. CHAPTER I. I3SrTE,OI3TJCTIOISr- ORIGIK AND ORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL RELIEF. Any one who reads the record of any part of the diver- silied work of the Sanitary Commission, or a description of the somewhat complicated machinery by which this work was done, will very likely be puzzled by the new terms with which he meets, and, from their frequent recurrence, will perhaps receive the impression that they have been unnecessarily multiplied, and that the work they represent in its refinement of classification must have been artificial and even finical. Such an impression would be very far from the truth, for no one who took part in, or even witnessed the operations of the (Jommission, will have failed to learn that its work, from first to last, was real and grave and earnest, and ofttimes as sad as that of the war spirit itself Probably no other great enterprise since the world began was so little man's coinage and creation. Prom its very inception it exhibited two striking features — vigor of growth and flexibility. It is true that many strong and earnest men were constantly employed for years in directing this great work. But this direction consisted for the most part in keeping it in and up with the current of events. If it is true that the founders of the Sanitary Commission had little to guide them in the experience of others elsewhere, it is also true that they were trammeled by no precedents, and were restricted by no rules that prevented them from adopting, in all times and under all 332 SANITARY COMMISSION— WESTEEK" DBPAETMBNT. circumstances, at once just those measures wliicli the best interests of the country and the cause of humanity seemed to require. Starting out with simply the knowledge that the life of the nation was in danger, that it must l>e saved by war, and a war of such dimensions as would absorb the entire energies of the country; and furtliPi-, that war is always and everywhere cruel, and that our military organi- zation was totally inadequate for the emergency, the leaders in the Sanitary movement began their work as a commis- sion of inquiry and advice. Tlie duty to be performed, in fulfilling this mission, constituted the Department of Inspection and Report, by which the real condition of the army, down to every regiment, company and hospital, were accurately learned and at frequent inteivals fully reported. By the same agency a vast deal of good was done in giving to officers and men, new to militaiy life, a better acquaint- ance with their duties and a knowledge of the dangers that threatened them from within their own organization. Almost immediately the want of material supplies asserted itself so strongly that vigorous, systematic, far- reaching, and, as it proved, long-continuing measures wei'<^ required to meet the great and growing evil. The efforts to supply simply the demand upon \is, in this direction, formed our Supply Department, of which souie description has already been given. Because the w^ant of material supplies was almost universal, we called this department of our work the Department of General E,elief. In the progress of events, and early in the histor}" of the war, manj^ unexpected aud, as we at first supposed, exceptional cases claimed our sympathy and effort, while suffering from one or anothei- of the thousand hardships or misfortunes which are the legitimate fruit of every system coined by finite and imperfect men. In civil life all laws bear unequally on those they control. In military life this FIRST SPECIAL BELIEF SERVICE. 333 18 more conspicuously true. The best of laws framed for the mass will operate harshly on many an individual. With narrow and vicious regulations, administered, as they too often were, by ignorant and brutal men, the cases to which I have referred weie multiplied in number and aggravated in severity. From eifort to meet these cases urew up an organization more extensive and important than it was at first thought possible the Sanitary Commission in all its work would becom(\ This, in the classification of our work, we called the Department of Special Relief, and liefor(^ the close of the war it embraced a great series of Homes, Lodges, and Feeding Stations, Hospital Trains, Hos- pital Boats, the Hospital Directoiy and Hospital A'isitors, a Free Pension and Pay Agency, and an Agency for the Employment of Discharged Soldiers. A brief leview of the grou]) of enteipiises included in this Department will be found in the following pages. Among the agencies here noticed, undoubtedly the most important one was that of the Home. This was tlie name g•i^•en to a receptacle or asylum opened to thosi- of wliom the care had been assumed by the Government ; and yet this care and supervision failed often when most indispensable. The first of our series of Homes was (established at Washington by Mr. Frederick N". Knajip, who may be consiclej-ed tlie founder of our Special Relief Department, for Ik- not only initiated and performed the best woi-k done in tlie Department, but leavened and inspired the whole with that warm-hearted Christian sympathy which is sf> conspicuous in his individual character. On the 9th of August, 1861, Mr. Knapp found in the cars, at the railroad station in A^^ashington, thirty- six men of an Indiana regi- ment, apparently abandoned by their comrades, who had moved out to their camp. These men weie so utterly unprovided for that, during twenty-four hours, the_\- had 334 SANITARY COMMISSION^ — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. had nothing to eat but a few crackers. Mr. Knapp procured for them, from a boarding-house near by, two pailfuls of tea, and soft bread and butter, with which he refreshed and made comfortable these exhausted men until their surgeon, who had been absent many hours, striving in vain to find some means of removing them to a hospital, returned. Thus began the Sanitary Commission's work of Special Relief, and thus were given the first of the four million five hundred thousand meals provided by it, during the war, for sick and hungry soldiers. The next day more than thirty men of another regiment, who had dropped down from sheer exhaustion during a forced march, were found lying near the station. There was no one to care for them, for their regiments had passed on. They were, of course, weak and hungry; and fortunately for them, they were found out and cared for by the same good Samaritan, whose name has been mentioned above. Such instances occurred o^-ery day. Every variety of suffering which can be endured by a sick stranger in a strange place, without money and without friends, was undergone by many of the most heroic men who went forth to fight our battles in the early days of the war, whose strength was not equal to their courage. It became necessarj^ of course, for the humane treatment of these men, most of whom weie nearly exhausted from the fatigue of the journey, and were suflering from no disease which a rest of a few days and proper food would not cure, that they should be at least provided with beds and proper attendance. At first, the Commission A\'a,s p(^r- mitted to afford them this reli(4' in a corner of a building near the Station known as the "Cane Factory," but in ;i few days its Agents were driven out of this placi' by the Provost Marshal, who, with equal stupidity and inhu- manity, insisted that the arrangements there made were RELIEF DUTIES. 335 convi'itiiiii- the Iniildiiig intended merely for the reception of troops into ii hospital. Thns baifled by a want of co-operation on tlie part of tlie anthorities, a house in the neighborhood of the Station was secured by the Commis- sion, and completely titted nj) for its benevolent purpose. This house was appropriately called the Soldiers' Home. It was the head-qua rteis of the Special Relief Service at Washington, and as its plans became gradually enlarged to meet the new A\ants arising in the progress of the war, it extended a form of relief to the needy which may be classi- fied under ten distinct heads. Its objects were. First. To supply to the sick men of the legiments arrivinu- sucli medicines, food, and care as it was impossi- ble for them to receive, in the midst of the confusion and with the lack of facilities, from their own officers. The men to be thus aided ai-e those who are not so sick as to have a claim u})on a genei-al liospital, and yet need immediate care to guard them against serious sickness. Si'coikI. To furnish suitable food, lodging, caie and assis- tance to men who are honorably discharged from service, sent from general lios]iitals oi- from their regiments, but who are often delayed a day or more in the city before thej^ obtain their papers and pay. Third. To communicate witli distant regiments in behalf of discharged men, whose certificates of disability, or desciiptive lists on which to draw theii- pay, prove to be defet'tive — the invalid soldiers meantime being cared for, and not exposed t( > the fatigue and risk of going in peison to theii- regiments io have their papers corrected. Fourth. To act as the unpaid agents or attorneys of dis- charged soldiers who are too feeble or too utterly disabled to 2)res(^ut tlieii' own claims at the })ayinaster"s. l^iftli. To look into the condition of discharged men who assume to be witliout means to pay the ex]ieiise of going 336 SANITAEY COMMISSIOSr — WESTERN DEPAETMENT. to their liomes ; and to furnish the necessary means, where we find tlie man is true and the need real. Sixth. To secure to disabled soldiers railroad tickets, at reduced rates, and, through an agent at the railroad station, see that these men are not robbed, or imposed upon by sharpers. Seventh. To see that all men who are discharged and paid off do at once leave the city for their homes ; or, in cases where they have been induced by evil companions to remain behind, to endeavor to rescue them, and see them started with through tickets to theu' own towns. Eiglitli. To make reasonably clean and comfortable, before they leave the city, such discharged men as are deficient in cleanliness and clothes. Nintli. To be prepared to meet at once, with food or other aid, such immediate necessities as arise when sick men arrive in the city in large numbers from battle fields or distant hospitals. Tenth. To keep a watchful eye upon all soldiers who arc out of hospitals, yet not in service; and give informa- tion to th(^ proper authorities of such soldiers as seem endeavoring to a^oid duty or to desert from the ranks. Encouraged by the great success of the Soldiers' Home and its appended Lodges at AVashington, Homes and Lodges wei-e established by the Commission in Boston, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, and other places at the East, while in the Western Deiiartnient w(^ had at one time thirteen of these institutions, located at Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Columbus, t'incinnati, Louisville, Nashville, .leffer- sonville, N(n\' Albany, Paducah, Cairo, Memphis, and Camp Nelson, Ky. Descriptions, more or less complete, of all these institutions ai'c given hei-ewith, but I have to regret that in most instances these desci'iptions are exceedingly inadc^quate and unsatisfactory. OHAPTEK II. CLEVELAND, 0. The history of the Soldiei-s' Home at Cleveland consti- tiTtes one of the brightest pages, not only in the records of th(^ Society by which it was created and maintained, but of the entire work of the Sanitary Commission at the West. Though from its position, so far from the seat of war, Cleveland was nevei' thronged with soldiers, as were Cin- cinnati, Louisville, Nashville, and Cairo, and no such crowds of sick, wounded, furloughed and discharged men claimed the sympathies of the benevolent and the aid of the Sanitary Commission ; yet, as no part of our great country escaped the influenc(^ of the war, or failed to sliare the calamities it entailed during the years of its contiiruance, many thousand soldiers were quartered in camps established at Cleveland, and some hundreds of thousands passed through the city. Of these, a consid- erable percentage suffered from the evils which war — everywhere and always cruel — inflicts both on victors and vanquished ; which military regulation could not I'emedy, and which it was the province of the Sanitary Commission as far as possible to mitigate. Foi'tunately for the soldier, on arriving at Cleveland he found himself surjounded by an intelligent, warm-hearted and patriotic people, and was met by the representa- tives of a Society whose name was known and blessed in e-\-ery camp and hospital throughout the West, and whose 22 338 SANITARY COMMISWIOX — WESTEElir DEPART.MENT. exam2)le has been quoted as a model of benevolent etfort in all parts of the loyal North — tlie Soldiers" Aid Societ}' of Northern Ohio — the Cleveland Branch of the I'nited States Sanitar}^ Commission. From the organization of th(^ Soldiers' Aid Societ}', in April, 1861, until Novenibci- of the same year, the cases presented for special relief w^'re comparatively few, and comprised three classes — the families of the volunteers enlisted in Cleveland; the soldiers in camp, who were fuiiiislied from the Aid Rooms with clothing, stationery and various trifling articles ; and the sick men who, unable to proceed with their regiments, in the absence of all hos- pital accommodations fell to the charge of the Society, and were assigned to various hotels and boai-ding houses. The formation of committees in all the wards of the city relieved the Societj^ from the care of soldiers' families. But the number of sick and destitute soldiers seeming to increase. while the arrangements for their care were unsatisfactoiy. on the 11th of November a meeting was h(4d by the gentle- men composing the Cleveland Branch of the Sanitary Com- mission, to organize some better sj'steni of relief. A com- mittee was aj^pointed, in connection with the officers of the Aid Society, to obtain a portion of the Marine Hospital foi' the temporary use of sick soldiers. On application to the Secretary of the Treasury, the collector of the port was authorized to assign to the Sanitai-y Commission a certain part of the building, on their giving the ordinary security against injury to it. The faculty of the Medical College offered to attend the patients ; the steward of the Hospital was contracted with to supply the necessary food ; and for the payment of this, as well as other contingent expi^nses, the Sanitary Commission became responsible. The Aid Society furnished almost the entire outfit from its stores; also, a large quantity of delicacies for the sick, and soldiers' home — CLEVELAND, 0. 339 surgeon' s supplies. The total number received, at what was then called the Army Department of the Marine Hospital, was eighteen, consisting exclusively of very sick men, who required great attention, and who were generally members of regiments in camp near the city. Two deaths occurred here. In April, 1862, after the battle of Pittsburg Landing, it was suggested that some more convenient accommodations should be provided for the large number of wounded brought up the river on the Sanitary Commission hos- pital boats. A room in the Union Depot was procured by the officers of the Aid Society, from the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad Company ; fitted up with a portion of the furniture from the Marine Hospital, the latter being found too distant from the railroad depot ; additional articles were contributed by city merchants, and the necessary bedding, clothing, etc. , from the Aid Rooms. A system of tickets, redeemable every month, procured meals at the dining hall in the depot, and a steward was employed to attend the trains, take charge of the sick, and give out the meal tickets. The State Agent furnished trans- portation to Ohio men ; and from the railroad officials numerous favors were obtained for soldiers from other States requiring assistance. In this little Depot Hospital' s limited quarters only two classes could be received; the sick, for whom its comfort was specially designed — and who were supplied with nourishing food, clothing and medical attendance — and the well soldiers, on furlough or discharged, who simply received food, transportation and occasional clothing. A few names of the families of soldiers, in charge of a sick son or brother, appear on the records. After the establishment of a military general hos- pital at Camp Cleveland, the furloughed men, if seriously ill, were removed thither, and the sick discharged soldiers 340 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. sent to quiet boarding places, and provided with a nurse at the expense of the Society. All cases requiring further assistance, or not coming under general rules, were referred to the Aid Rooms, and daily visits, especially in cases of sickness, were made by the officers of the Society to the Depot Hospital . In August, 1863, the Eastern regiments on duty in the lower Mississippi passed through Cleveland en route for their camps, to be mustered out. X generous and enthu- siastic rec(-ption was given them by the united efforts of many of the citizens of Cleveland and of the Aid Society. The (nitertainments were prepared on long tables running the entire length of the depot, and supplied with every varietj' of tempting food. The sick, of whom a large number accom]Danied each regiment, occupied the little hospital, and received tlie utmost care, with all the luxu- ries their condition would allow. Those unable to bear still further reuKJva] were taken to the hospital at Camp Cleveland, and to the ^lid Society fell the charge of corre- sponding with the friends of these m(_^n, and the care of the remains and effects of those who died. This phase of special r(4ief in tlu^ home held is described iu the following (-xtracts from letters wiitten at that time from the Cleveland Aid Rooms: Clevet^and, .i.ugust 15, 1883. Dn. J. S. Newbebky, Sccrt'iiirji Wcsicni DeifnrtiiK^tU U.S. Scniititvji Commission^ JJontVri'?!*': Bear Siii — At the end of a busy and wearisome day, I have time for only a word before tlie mail (Closes. We liav(> liad our hearts and our liands full in the last twenty-four hours, and nuuiy of our ladies have had their first sight of the dreadful etterts of \v:ir. yesterday afternoon, at four o'llook, the loua expected regiment (+th Massa- chusetts) arrived. There were nearly ,i liundred sick, and all hi a very worn condition. The preparations so long made proved ample, and al'ter two hours* merciful work among the hospital cars, and a full feast set out for the well, the ladies had the satisfaction of sending the brave lioys on tlieir way in a much better condition than that in which tlicy came to us. Another regiment was telegraphed to be here in two hcnirs from the departure of the first, and you may imagine the i-onimotion into which the whole town was soldiers' home — CLEVELAXD, 0. MJ-l thniwti; messengers sent everywhere to notify the housekeepers, and to hasten their gifts, and such excitement and hurry of preparation at the depot! Cleveland people, you know, are equal to any good work, and so, at eight o'clock, when the 28th Maine came in, there was an abundant meal spread for them, and a fully organized committee of ladies to attend the sick. The hospital cars, five in num- ber, were crowded with bad cases. All our ladies were down there, and worked like heroines. At ten o'clock at night we left the depot, only to go home to make fresh arrangements to meet a third regiment, at five o'clock this mttrning. This last regiment, the 4Tth Massachusetts, has ofieupied us all the morning of this beautiful Sabbath, and our hearts have been sorely tried by the dreadful state in which the men were found. We had very good provision for their reception. Believing cleanliness next to godliness, we organized .i "new department," and set. long tatiles at the entrance of the depot, and upon them put rows of tin wash basins, with a cake of soap and a t' badly wounded man and the surgeon, who was very ill indeed, were carried at once into our little hospital and carefully tended. The surgeon remained, and Mr. Bingham has taken him to his own house. Four sick men were sent to <;am|i Clevelfmd— hospital — four also of the Maine regiment, last night. A sad serene, indeed, was the death of one pt'or fellow, this morning, in our little hospital. He was sinking fast when the train came in. Everything was done for him that kindness or experience could suggest, Ijut he was too far gone with the exhaustion following a lung fever, and died almost in sight of his home and family. Poor fellow! how hard he tried to speak and send some word home! He was a splendid soldier, they said, and when the men of his company filed sadly in to look at his dead face, and some even ki.ssed his forehead and dropped their tears upon it, we knew they felt it hard to leave their comrade, and harder yet it seemed to frame the sad story into words that his waiting friends at home might hear. We have taken every care of the body, and it is to be fonvarded to-morrow by express. This last regiment was peculiarly needy. Tt had passed every important point in the night till now, and this half day in Cleveland was such a blessing to the poor fellows! They numbered about seven hundred, with one hundred, at least, seriously sick, and nearly all, indeed, ailing somewhat, and Just from the trenches at Port Hudson. August ^1. I sent you on Sunday a hurried sketch of (mr new duties— feeding the passing regiments— and now must give you an equally hasty review of what has been done this week— which to us has seemed long and eventful, and has turned quiet little Cleveland into a busy town, and made Bank street and the depot the scene of a great deal of benevolent and good-natured confusion at all hours of the day and night. 342 SAK'ITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Monday morningf we were occupied in maliing arrangements for sending un the Ijody of poor Thayer, of whose death I wrote you. At night it went, and with it we sent some comforting words to his wife and friends, which I hope softened somewhat their great sorrow. All day Tuesday we were torn with rumors about the next regiment. The cars broke down, and various detentions kept the train till eight o'clock in the evening. Then the 38th Connecticut, a small regiment — five hundred perhaps — arrived ; so worn and weary the men looked, and straggled so painfully into the depot that it touched every heart— and you may believe our ladies were not slow in offering the comforts contained in their generous baskets. The colonel had gone home by sea, sick. The lieutenant cidonel, two surgeons, many line officers, ward masters, etc., were dead, and the regiment was in charge of the major. The sick had been brought up in care of the second assistant surgeon, a mere boy in appearance, but a miracle of faithfulness, kindness and energy. This surgeon had telegraphed his desire to leave five men in hospital here, and we had an omnibus ready. The men were unwilling tu stop at first, even feigned sleep, and hid themselves under their blankets, but at the persuasions of some of our ladies, accompanied by «■ taste and smell of the appetizing gruel, broth, blackberry cordial, etc., they began to i^ut out their heads wistfully, and finally nineteen of them clamored to stay, and were left. The ladies promised to go and see them in hospital next day, and so they did. Sara and Nelly rode over to inquire after them ; found them as comfortable and even happy as sick men could possibly be. Next day we had a, little breathing time, and then toward night were electri- fied by the news that two more large regiments were coming on from Indianapolis, with still two more on the way from Cairo. All Thursday the preparations were making, and indeed I i-annot tell you how generously our citizens met this fresh call. It reminded one of the early days of the war, when each merchant seemed to vie with his neighbor in his lavish gifts of everything his store afforded. Indeed, it was almost impossible for us to huy anything here., It seemed a mere farce to off'er payment, everything was so freely given to this good cause. ^Ye bought dishes enough to serve the whole regiment at once, and towards night you would have been amused to see our lawyers, merchants and railroad men spreading tables, slicing onions, bottling wine, or cutting sandwiches. We had ample washing arrangements, too— a long row of basins twice down the depot, and such a splash- ing, when at seven o'clock the 4Vith Massachusetts, seven hundred and seventeen strong, came in!— tired, dusty and so hungry; taut tlicre was enough for all, and the sick were attended in the cars, as before. The surgeon was exceedingly careful of his men ; knew at (Uice who was to stay, and we had beds carried out oi our little room to the side of the car. Seven men were thus brought into the Hnme. The ladies supplied them with stimulants, and at eight o'clock they were ready to go civer to the hospital. One poor fellow fainted before the omnibus left. Ho was very, very sick. They brought him back apparently dying, but thanks to the motherly care he received, animation was restored. The men of this regiment expressed the greatest delight at being among their friends again. The colonel and lieutenant colonel had been disableil— the major was. in charge. It was a fine regiment. Just before the train moved off, we discovered in one car a. black bundle- blankets, as we then thought— piled away in a dark corner, but the heap having, in soldiers' home — CLEVELAND, O. 343 an unjrt-iarded moment, betrayed animation, some adventurous woman investigated the mystery, and brouglit to view the woolly heads and wild eyes of two contra- bands, who had not dared to venture out for fear of being stolen back South. They were re-assured, of course, and dragged out just in time to get a morsel of supper, for which they showed surprising appetite. It required a great deal of argument, however, to convince them that they were in a free country. Our duties with this regiment were not over till near midnight. This morning, of course, we were somewhat footsore, and were conscious of having heads — from the fact that there was an ache somewhere above our shoulders. Eight o'clock came, and with it the startling telegram : "48th Massachusetts— seven hundred men- very hungry — had nothing at Indianapolis — can we get breakfast at Cleveland?" Only two hours, and not only a feast to be provided, but the debris of last night's entertainment to be cleared away! Seven hundred plates to wash, etc., etc. — a small matter to some of our splendidly organized subsistence committees, but a bug-bear indeed to raw hands, as we were. It was done, however, and at ten o'clock the hungry regiment had really a sumptuous repast spread, while the thirty sick men were attended by the ladies, who first gave a refreshing draught, then the luxury of a dip into the bright tin basin, with plenty of soap ; and afterward, turned out of the exhaustless tin cauldrons, hot broth, gruel, and all manner of sick diet. Two very sick men have been left. They were taken over to the hospital this afternoon. And now here we are, Friday night, with two big, famished, expectant regi- ments thundering toward us, like relentless fate— the 53d Massachusetts saving its apiietite, perforce, for breakfast here to-morrow morning at nine o'clock ; the 23d Connecticut equally certain of a dinner or supper some time later. And they shall not be disappointed, brave fellows! It does the hearts of all our people good to give, and to cook, and to carve for these returning men. We might almost wish, for the cause of our country, that we had had such work to do every week since Southern sympathizers began to show their heads among us! Do not think I mean to boast of what we have done, in the hurried sketch of our work which I have given you. Nothing of the kind is true. I only wish you to know that our citizens have their full share of the patriotism aiid humanity of which other cities nearer the seat of war have given such beautiful illustrations. In September, 1863, several large detachments of con- valescents passed through Cleveland from the hospitals in the South-west, all needing the temporary care of some Sanitary Commission institution ; and the evident inability of the existing quarters to accommodate such numbers, and the probability of the rapid increase of this class of jipplicants, developed the plan of a Soldiers' Home which liad been ])reviously discussed. The Depot Hospital, although all that the finances of the Aid Society author- ized at that time, was imperfect in many respects besides its limited dimensions. It was impossible to exercise any 344 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. influence or restraint upon its inmates ; systematic visiting was prevented by the situation of the hospital, and the home element, which renders such institutions attractive and beneficial, was entirely wanting. A special contribution was made of funds to erect a building — the first appeal directly made for any purpose by the Aid Society — and seventeen hundred dollars weie raised at once ; the amount being swelled by subsequent contributions to near two thousand dollars. A site was granted by the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Rail- road Company, on the pier where the Union Depot then stood, and the gratuitous services of a builder of the city, Mr. Crawford, were kindly offered to put up the building. A structure, two hundred feet by twenty -five, Avas at once erected on tlie plan of the Louisville Home; completed and occupied December 12th, 1863. The furniture of the Depot Room was transferred thither, and a few additional articles contributed, but very little was purchased until after the Sanitary Fair. In July, 1864, very considerable changes were made in the internal aiTangements, and many articles of comfort added to the establishment. In March, 1865, by means of the proceeds of some talileau exhibitions given for the benefit of the Home, ;i new ward, thirty-five feet long, was added to the building; and in May an extension was made to the dining room — one hundred and twent}' feet long — capable, together with the older part, of seating five hundred men. The Cleveland Soldiers' Home was entirely supported by voluntary contributions, either made directly for this purpose or given foi' the general uses of the Societ\-. Unlike most other Homes, in which the subsistence of the inmates was mainlj^ derived from rations drawn from the (Tovernment, it leceived no aid whatever from the General or State Grovernment. The Bran(di Societies in soldiers' home — CLEVELAND, 0. 345 Noitliern Ohio contributed many Inxtiries for the table ; green vegetables, home-made bread and cake, and large quantities of bread and cheese. Tlie fare at the Home was always varied, and good of its kind; the ordinary dinner consisting of meat, vegetables, bread, butter, tea, coflFee, cheese, stewed fruit, and pies or puddings. The entire management of the institution remained in the hands of the Soldiers' Aid Society, all purchases being- made and bills paid by its officers: the superintendent, acting undei' ordeis from the Society, was not allowed to refuse admittance to any soldier, e^en without papers, unless obviously an impostor. His pi'esent wants were attended to, and the case referred to the Aid Society for final verdict. A card from an officer of the Society was also required to prolong a soldier' s stay at the Home ; and, except in cases of drunkenness or bad conduct, the superintendent was not at liberty to dismiss any man. One lady, as a rule, remained at the Home from nine o'clock in the morn- ing to one o'clock in the afternoon of each day. The Home was made in every way as attaactive and cheerful as possible, and the presence of many home- like objects no doubt exeited a refining influence upon the soldiers. From the opening of the Home until the spring of 1865, it entertained, as tlie card on its door read, sick and wounded soldiers, discharged men awaiting pension and back pay, and furloughed soldiers without money. To this may be added the usual share of refugees. Govern- ment employes, and, occasionally, a soldier's familj'. The summer of 1864 brought an unusual number of wounded from the battles in the Eastern and Western Departments, also many "one hundred days men," and, among both, numerous cases which proved very serious 346 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. and were long continued. i\.side from the ordinary tem- porary inmates, there were always some chronic cases of discharged men who had no other home, and fell tlierefore to the charge of the Sanitary Commission. The routine was little varied until the spring of I860, when the order to remove convalescent soldiers to tlie hospitals of their own States was given. Numerous large detachments of this class were entertained at the Home. All the regiments returning from tlie field, and passing through Cleveland, were fed there. They consisted of troops from Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, A'ermont, ^Massachusetts, New York and New Hampshire. The Home also received the sick of the regiments assigned to Camp Cleveland, and those of all others unable to proceed on their journey. These men, under the charge of an excellent nurse, were supplied with every comfort and received constant medical aid; all the city physicians volunteering their service — one. Dr. C. A. Teriy. haying paid three or four hundred gratuitous visits to the sick. Clothing and transportation weii^ jirovided when required*. When d(\aths occurred at the Home, ])]-ope]- fnn(>ral services were held, under cliarge of tlie Aid Society; the friends were promJ)tly communicated with, and many sub- sequent offices performed, in tlie forwarding of tlu^ remains and care of the eftects. In cases of serious il]))(>ss, tlie friends of a soldier were always sent tor, and allowed to remain until able to remove him to his home. Discharged men, and especially th(> disabled among them, were allowed a short sojourn at the Home until suitable emplo^-nient could be found ibr them. This class formed, gi-adually, a large propoi'tion of the inmat(>s of the institution. Soldiers awaiting ])ay or the tirst installments of pension were also found at the Plome, and geiKM-ally were made useful in the hous(>hold, in retnrn foi' thei]- board. soldiers' home — CLEVELAND, 0. 'Sil Two companies of the ^"eteran Keserve Corps were, at different times, stationed at the Union Depot and detailed for service at tlie Home. In October, 1866, a permanent Soldiers' Home for disa- bled soldiers was opened at Columbus, Ohio, and, until an appropriation could be obtained from the Legislature, the support of the institution depended upon the Cincinnati and Cleveland Branches of the Sanitary Commission. The Soldiers' Aid Society of Cleveland gave five thousand dol- lars for this pur})ose, and subsequently a portion of the furniture of the Home, as it was gradually superseded by tile Columbus institution. .Ill the inmates were trans- ferred thither, and in January, 1866, the Cleveland Home was closed, with the exception of a lodging and reading room, kept open for the soldiers on fuilough from the Texas arm}' and applicants for admission to the State Home. These latter were always furnished with transportation to Columbus, and the most feelile sent under care of the Home stewai-d. On the 1st of June, 1866, the Honu^ was formally closed ; any subjects for s})ecial relief presentiiig themselves since, having be(^ii attended to at the rooms of the Aid Societ}^ The following table gi^es a numerical exhibit of the Special Relief work done by the Cleveland Branch, at the Aid Rooms or at the Soldi<^rs' Home, so far as it can be so represented : Lodgings - - - :iO,001 Meals at Soldiers' Home -- !)l,ti65 Meals at DiniTiK Halls and Boarding Houses 20,463 Total Number of Meals - 113,127 Kegistered at the Home n3,^& Registered at Aid Rooms 7,163 Total Number Registered «0,.598 Number of Cases filed through Claim Agemy — 1,890 Number of Applications through Employment Agency — 4U Transportation furnished to - - 1,514 Cash Expended - - *3o,53U 3,S CI^ASSIFIfATION. Maine -- - -- ~,T21 New Hampshire — ■'l-> Vermont -IS*) 348 SANITART COMMIHWION — WESTEUX DEPARTMENT. Massachusetts - - - 3,32ii Bhode Island 16 Connecticut - - - - S^S New York - -t.«» New Jersey - - 38 Pennsylvania - - — 520 Maryland and Virijinia -- -- -. - 28 Ohio -.... 12,439 Michigan - 9,421 Illinois and Indiana - 1,440 Wisconsin _ 5,642 Kentucky and Tennessee ll*! Iowa and' California - 327 Texas and Nebraska - 12 Minnesota 243 Louisiana and Missouri - - - - - - 14:3 Colored - 'WK Regulars- 2,751 Veteran lieserves 1,^43 Deserters and Kefugees _. — 177 Regiments Unrecorded -.- 12,957 The subjoined graphic sl-tetcli of one among mniiA' shiiilar scenes at the Cleveland Soldiers' Home, is taken from Part II of tlie lately published history of the ( 'le\-eland Bi-anch : ENTERTAINING A BUICAIJE. The brigade consistiug of the 37th and 38tli Wisconsin and 27th Michigan regiments, whose arrival had all d;iy been postponed from one hour to the next, it was at length definitely settled would be at Cleveland at twelve o'clock, midnight ; so there was no sleep to be had, except in stolen snatches, sitting upright in the hardest of chairs, with ears on the alert to catch the first distant whistle of the expected train. Of course no one at first intended to be sleepy. In the earlier part of the evening all found enough to do in the manifold preparations for thirteen hundred men. The ladies cut bushels of bread, cake and pies in the upper kitchen, and marshaled and assisted their temporary command of Veteran Reserves in the task of setting the tables in great and small dining rooms. Veteran Eeserves were omnipresent — staggering under the weight of trays of plates and dishes, or carrying great baskets of edibles, to be distributed on the long rows of tables. On the disposition of this force the commanding officers prided themselves not a little — all the lame men sat at the tables assisting in cutting the bread and cake, which the ome-armed men built up into tasteful monuments on the designated plates, and those so unfortunate as to possess both arms and legs were expected to be generally useful. Certain of the number, as well as the Home employ6s, had a definite post assigned to each. One presided over the coffee' — no slight task SOLDIEES' HOME — CLEVELAND, 0. 349 where six great caskfuls are required — another superintended the slicing of the beef from the cauldrons, and others still the boiling of potatoes by the barrel, while the evil genius of a third unhappy group condemned them to peel innumerable little green onions. Every one was busy and animated, even to the small boys who, having nothing else to do, stimulated the energy of the working force by divers false alarms brought in from the outer darkness. The guard was posted and dropped calmly to sleep ; the tables were finally surveyed and the most anxious scrutiny employed to discover possible flaws in quantity or quality ; also the corps de reserve of edibles, mountain high, was pronounced suflBcient to feed the Army of the Cumberland. Then the ladies in the matron's room and the soldiers in the great kitchen formed into groups, laughed, chatted, grew drowsy, and finally fell asleep, and for t^^o hours nothing was heard but the waves of Lake Brie dashing up against the pier beneath the Soldiers' Home. Suddenly, about tAvo o'clock in the morning, a faint whistle — the veiy ghost of a sound — changed the silent scene in a moment into one of the most active life. Gas lights blazed up all over the house, the fumes of coffee rose on the air, and for the fifteen minutes before the soldiers actually arrived, every one needed ten pairs of hands and feet. An eager crowd, armed with plates, surrounded the steaming boilers of potatoes, while a similar group, provided with tin pails and kettles, assailed and aggravated the presiding genius at the cofiee casks. The corps detailed for duty at the long rows of wash basins hastened to its post, and soon lanterns were shining along the depot walls to light up the festive prepara- tions. At this juncture the superintendent, assuming his lantern and badge of office, and accompanied by the steward and a detach- ment to attend the sick of the brigade, sallied forth to meet the train. It was hardly necessary to tell the soldiers what was in store for them. Every man knew what the dispatch ran forward to say that afternoon, and every eye was watching the long low building with its many brilliant windows — the only bright spot in the blackness of two o'clock in the morning. So the train was speedily emptied, the men fell into ranks, the band struck up a lively tune, and the line of march was taken up for the Soldiers' Home. Here they halted, stacked arms, and the commanding officer informed the men that, before partaking of the supper provided by the 350 SANITARY C0M5USSI0X — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. patriotic ladies of Cleveland, an opportunity would be given them to wash their faces and hands. On this arose a tumultuous hurrah ! and all charged pell mell on the line of tin basins, which for ten minutes was a scene of wildest confusion. The water plashed, faces shone, pocket combs were circulated, and the result was a general and pervading atmosphere of soap and water. Even with this civilizing influence, the brown rugged ranks of veterans looked formidable enough in the half light, though drawn up for a peace- ful attack. The few moments' grace thus obtained was precious indeed to the busy throng within the Home, who congratulated each other that the divided train brought only a portion of the number as a first detachment. Fortunately, by the time the toilets were com- pleted everything was ready — five hundred bowls of steaming coffee were poured out, the dining room doors thrown open, and, marshaled by the superintendent, who temporarily ranked generals and colonels, in filed the hungry soldiers. That was a charming sight to their entertainers — such looks of eager anticipation settling into joyful certainty, as the eye took in the light, the flowers, the smiling welcome, the home-like look of the white covered tables, and, certainly not least, the variety and profusion of food heaped thereon. The first mui-mur of surprise and applause was a delightful sound, and not less so the subsequent clatter of knives and forks and the hum of many animated voices. The large dining hall was soon filled, next the smaller one, yet all were not seated. However, being earnestly assured that a second table would soon be prepared, though only half convinced that anything could equal that first glimpse of sumptuous fare, the remnant withdrew and gave their attention to the casks of iced water and lemonade standing beside the Home door. Within, the feast progressed with wonderful rapidity. An appointed number of ladies who, with a detail of Veteran Eeserves, were assigned for duty at the different tables, again and again filled the bowls with hot coffee and replenished the fast disappearing mountains of bread and meat. Occasionally, one would stumble over a small and unhappy yellow secesh dog, who accompanied his conquerors and refused to remain concealed under the table. The attendants likewise combined with their other duties the agreeable task of drinking in the expressions of approval which, as the feast soldiers' home — CLEVELAND, 0. 351 slackened, fell from all lips; also of listening, with calm conviction, to the nniversal decision of the infinite superiority of the supper under consideration to any ever provided by other corporation or town. In the smaller dining room, the officers of the brigade supped at a tabk' only differing from the others in the non-essential privilege accorded of putting the milk and sugar into each cup according to individual taste. And the sick — those at least who could craw] to the table — had their appointed place and a bevy of anxious and eager attendants. Being excepted from the general uniformity, the appetite of each invalid was consulted, and the kitchen stoAe soon covered with innumerable little messes, hastily prepared to suit a sick man's fancy, and served with sympathizing words and glances,' which doubtless added greatly to the flavor. This was evident, for the patients generally showed a laudable inclination to eat throngh the bill of fare in addition to this invalid diet. There were also sick in the wards who claimed attention. Under the steward's charge, each man had received clean clothing and the necessary medicine or stimulants required by his condition, and was noA\' at liberty to select anything which ^eemed tempting, within the pantry's limits. This food being prepared, was taken to the ward and arranged on tables, ornamented each with a bouquet stolen from the dining room. By tliis time the rooms were emptied of the last remaining guests, and not a moment could be lost in removing the fragments of the meal and restoring the tables to their first freshness, for the second train was at hand, and flattening their faces against the windows and pressing around the doors, were the disappointed ones of installment number one. The universal haste, half laughing, half desperate, was stimulated now by the sound of many voices and feet without, announcing the arrival of the remaining eight hundred and fifty soldiers. In the lower kitchen a dense white steam enveloped the heated and excited gi'oup of dish washers, preparing a third supj)ly of plates and dishes, while down the dining room flowed a tide of men and women with trays of butter plates and towers of pies, which met an opposing phalanx of empty dishes, streaming up to the kitchen. At this juncture, the General com- manding the brigade proposed that the glee club of the Michigan regiment should favor the Cleveland ladies with a selection of 352 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. patriotic songs. So a file of bright, half shy, half amused young soldiers took up their station against the wall, out of reach of impending collisions, and above the confusion of tongues, the sound of hurrying feet and the clashing of forks and dishes, rose the strains of "Tramp, Tramp," the "Blue Cockade," and "Johnny Comes Marching Home," sung with spirit and sweetness. Every one found a moment to applaud the young musicians, in spite of the premonitory sounds without the closed door. At last, in a really brief space of time, the rooms -were again thrown open and again filled with a second throng, rather more hungry than their predecessors. Up to this point there had been no signs of failure in the pantry, but the experiejiced ones began to consider, with nervous dread, the probability of its enduring another attack from the four hundred remaining guests, who would cer- tainly come with trebly aggravated appetites. Four hundred tall, strong Wisconsin men were patiently awaiting their share in the good things so glowingly described by their comrades. There was no time to lose in these reflections. The tables were set the third time by weary people, whose hands moved less briskly and whose feet seemed strangely to adhere to the oft-traversed floor. Finally all was ready and ample in every respect, to the general surprise and delight. Xo such genuine expressions of grateful appreciation fell from any as from these Wisconsin soldiers, who, waiting in the chill summer twilight, must have doubted whether any one house could contain enough to feed thirteen hundred as hungry men. Before the last lingeiing guests had left the tables — including the numerous little negroes, whose pockets bore ample evidence to the sympathy of the attendant ladies — the bugle sounded its shrill call, and away they all scampered, hands and mouths full. Every one in the Home crowded to doors and windows to see the host depart. The first signs of morning were red in the east when the line formed again, and when all was ready the officer in command told the soldiers to give the Home and the ladies of the Sanitary Com- mission three cheers. There ensued a deafening shout, accompanied by innumerable individual greetings, the band struck up agaiu, handkerchiefs were waved and the brigade moved off in a tumult of cheers, good wishes and good byes. Then the people at the doors went slowly in to breakfast and were electrified by the announcement of another regiment to be expected at noon. CHAPTEE III. COLUHBUS, 0. Many capitals of our Western States became, dxiring the war, important militaiy (^enters. This was emphatically true of Indianapolis, Ind., and Columbus, O., at both of which points large numbers of soldiers congregated to be mustered in or out of service, to be equipped, paid off, etc. Both these cities, too, are on great thoroughfares, and during the period of the greatest military activity a constant tide of blue-coats was passing to and fro through them. As a natural consequence, the want which prompted the establishment of Soldiers" Homes at other points which have been mentioned was conspicuously felt at these. At Indianapolis the Soldiers' Home was constructed hy the State authorities, which contributed vastly to the comfort of the Indiana soldiers. In Ohio no such provision was made by the State authorities, and the work of relief needed at Columbus devolved upon the Branch of the Sanitary Com- mission located there, which included a large number of the most intelligent and influential citizens. In the spring of 1864 they secured a convenient location, just across High street from the railroad depot, and here erected a building, supposed at that time to be amply sufficient to supply the want of a Soldiers' Home. It was about one hundred feet long, thii-ty feet wide and two stories high, fitted with all the appurtenances of a Soldiers' Home, and could comfort- ably lodge and feed about fifty men. Later in the year 23 354 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. thesi^' iU'commodations were found inadequate to meet the wants of tlie soldiers applying for admission, and it was enlarged and its capacity doubled. Even then it was found none too large to perform the relief work for which it was designed, at times being crowded to excess. Up to nearly the close of the war its activity continued without important abatement, and it was even found necessary to keep it open long after active military operations had ceased. It Avas closed the 7th of May, 1866, having accommodated twenty- five thousand six hundred and forty-nine, to whom were given thirt}'-four thousand nine hundred and eighty -two lodgings and ninet3'-nine thousand eight hundred and sixty-three meals. The details of the work performed by it are given more fully in thd' appended tabular statement, and j'et here, as elsewhere, these figures must be regarded as an imperfect exponent of tlie good which it accomplished. The establishment and s\iccess of the Columbus Home are in a large degree due to the efi'orts of Mr. F. C. Sessions, a member of the Columbus Branch of the Sanitary Commis- sion, a gentleman who was one of the earliest volunteers in the cause of humanity called out by the war, and who during its entire continuance, by his labors on battle fields, in camps and hospitals, while he sacrificed his personal interests and his health, won for himself the respect and admiration of all who knew him. His name fret^^uently appears on the records of tln^work of the Sanitary Commis- sion at the West, in which, though an unpaid, he was a most (-arnest and faithful -worker, and it is probable there are few to wlioni this imperfect tiibute will couAcy any new impressions in regard to the value of tlie services which he rendered to the cause of the country and liunianity during the war. Throughout the existence of the Hom(> at Colum- bus, Mr. Sessions gave it his constant supervisiim, and he was in fact its outside su])erint(^ndent and manage)-. Tlu> SOLDIEES' HOME — COLUMBUS, 0. 355 interior superintendent during 1865 and 1866 was Mr. T. E. Botsford, wiio had previously been employed in the Home at Louisville, and was tlioroughly trained foi' the duties which he performed so well. The following notice of the Columbus Home, written by an officer in the army, will serve to show what impression it produced on an unprejudiced observer in the spring of 1865: Columbus, O., March 17, 1865. My Dear Friend : Being detained in tliis city for four Jiours to-day, by missing tlie Crestline train, I thought I could spend my time profitably in visiting the Soldiers' Home, a large and commodious building erected by that traly patriotic and national organization— the United States Sanitary Commission. The building is only a few yards from the depot, and the sick or wounded soldier needs no direction to find it, for a large, conspicuous sign informs all that it is the Soldiers' Home ; and, on entering, I assure you I found it to be such. I entered a large sitting room, where I found about sixty returned prisoners, sitting comfortably around a glowing stove, and reciting to a few listeners their thrilling stories of outrage and wrong that make us blush for our kind south of Mason and Dixon. To the left of the entrance was a large hall with long, cleanly- spread tables, on which was loaded an abundance of that wholesome food for which those noble fellows had pined during their captivity. But now they were in " God's country," as they called the North ; and I felt, as I gazed on these provisions made for their comfort by the voluntary contributions of our citizens, that they were also "amongst God's people." One of the officers of the Commission took me into the comfortable little hospital attached to the Home, where I saw rows of neat, clean cots, and on each was stretched the pale, emaciated form of a returned prisoner. Poor fellows ! no tongue can tell their sufferings while in the hands of "the chivalry;" and, although I have seen the reality myself, I listened with renewed interest ; and, as I heard some touching storj' from the lips of a worn-down, ghastly-looking soldier, once a strong and stalwart youth, I could not hold back the tears of sympathy, while the fires of indignation burned afresh against our more than barbarous foe. But here, in the cozy Home, there was a quiet feeling of happiness. Kind hands were here to minister, and a hundred comforts assured them that their long captivity was not caused by a lack of interest on tlie part of the American people. They fully appreciated the philanthropy of the Sanitary Commission ; and I heard many repeat the oft-quoted phrase, " God bless the ladies." I understand these poor fellows will be forwarded to their homes to-morrow, and their places will be occupied by others coming on. I assure you, my friend, my heart went out toward this noble organiza- tion, and I know evei-y true soldier blesses it. The Legislature is in session here, but my visit to the Home prevented my going to the State House. I liope to see you soon. With best wishes, believe me. Faithfully, your friend, A. K. C. 356 SANITABT COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Consolidated Report of Soldiers' Home, Columbus, O. New Voi-k 474 Pennsylvania 435 Virginia 301 Ohio - ]«,589 Indiana 1,311 Illinois 836 Wisconsin 350 Iowa 306 Missouri ._ .-. 114 New Jersey 100 Maryland 39 Kansas ---- 437 Mississipi 101 New Hampshire 19 Maine 31 Massachusetts 93 Connecticut .-- -. 51 Kentucky 374 Michigan 931 Florida 1 Louisiana 10 Tennessee 360 North Carolina 149 Arkansas 33 A labama 3 Georgia _. Minnesota-- Nebraska -- California-- Rhode Island -.- - Texas - U. S. Regulars -- U.S. Navy Veteran Reserve Corps Colored Troops - District of Columbia Whole Number Names Registered- Whole Number Lodgings Whole Number Meals Discharged - Purloughed Sick -.. Wounded Time Out - Paroled Died Refugees Blind Number Sent to Hospital Wounds Dressed 178 103 3 1 16 1 10 1 13 10 8 25,649 34,983 99,863 1,301 6,435 2,993 1,494 6,456 315 4 313 1 373 13« ■ CHAPTER IV. s o Xi X) I IE la s' EcojycE, C I N CI NJiTATI, 0. The history which has been given of the Cincinnati Brancli of the Sanitary Commission, affords abundant evi- dence of the patriotism, philanthropy and remarkable efficiency of the noble band of men who composed that body ; but they have nowhere left a more enviable record of their good worlds tlian in theii' Soldiers' Home. This was established on tli(e 1st of May, 1862, and though, at that early period, few had any conception of the magnitude of the struggle in which we were engaged, or of the import- ance that tlie work of the Sanitary Commission was destined to assume, still this Home was organized on a scale of liberality that enabled it at once to perform a con- spicuous part in the great work of relief wliich crowded upon the Branch Commission. The building chosen for the Soldiers' Home was a large and handsome structure, near the corner of Third and Main streets, in the central portion of the city, and was that originally constructed hf Mrs. TroUope for her bazaar. The speculation of this noted lady proving a failure, the building was diveited to othei- purposes, and became in time a large boarding-house or hotel. When taken by the Sanitary Commission it was found so admrrably adapted to their j^urposes that few changes needed to be made in its internal arrangements. It was already provided with all the appliances necessary for the accommodation of large numbers of soldiers, having ample cooking ranges, a laundry, store rooms, dining hall. 358 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. and convenient offices. To these were added the requisite bath rooms, and the Home was at once complete. It was now furnished in comfortable, almost luxurious style, and offered to the wayfaring soldier accommodations scarcely inferior to those of a first-class hotel. It was first fitted up with one hundred and fifty clean and tasteful beds, and subsequently, as its wants increased, an adjoining building was added to the Home, in which, if necessary, several hundred could be comfortably lodged. An office was pro- vided for the paymaster in the same building, and thus all the refinements of our system of special relief were brought into full play. The Home was placed under the immediate superintendence of Colonel G. AY. J). Andrews, a man specially qualified by nature and education for this duty ; and its interests were further guarded by the appointment of a committee, consisting of three members of the Branch Commission, who had it in special charge. During its long life of tliree years and a half, the Home continued in the same good hands, and throughout this time the thorough- ness, neatness and good order, which were so conspicuous characteristics of its earlier management, continued una- bated. The nature of the services rendcn-ed to the soldier in the Home at Cincinnati may be inferred from one of the reports of the superintendent, given below. The immense aggregate of that work will be seen by reference to the table which follows it. Soi.nrKRS' lioHE, Sri'ElUNTENDHNT'S OFFICE, ( iN( iNNATi, September il. 1863. Dr. J. S. Newberry, Sccreliini Weshrn Depart nicul T. S. SaiiiUiri/ Commission, Louisville: Dear .Sir — Agreeably to your request, I seud you a brief report of what you denominate "the workings " of the institution from its opening, May 15, 1862, to September 1, 18(i;i. The arrivals have comprised soldiers from every loyal State, varying from one to a regiment at a time. Some have eaten a single soldiers' home — CIKCINNATI, 0. 359 meal and taken their departure; others have staid a day, two days, a week, and of late whole companies, on special duty in this city, for even months. In addition to the food and shelter here furnished to the soldier, articles of clothing are given him, from a pair of shoes to a whole suit. He gets his stationery here, his letter franked when he finds himself without stamps; he gets various kinds of military informa- tion, which saves him many steps and much inconvenience and vexation. Discharged soldiers have been greatly benefited and befriended in many ways. Erroneous papers have been returned to be cor- rected for them; and when paymasters were without funds, their final statements have been cashed to the full amount and they sent on their way home to their needy families. The sick soldier has been taken here and his immediate wants and necessities provided for, till he could be better attended in hos- In conclusion, I beg to assure you that every possible variety of good that can be done for the soldier, has been and still is being done here. The committee of the Commission, to whom has been entrusted the management of the Home, have been unceasing in their efforts to have it come promptly up to every reasonable expectation. "And when this toilsome strife is over," there will be no labor done, no sacrifice of time and money and personal comfort made, that will be looked back upon with more honest pride and satisfaction than that which has been bestowed qn the Soldiers' Home of the Cincinnati Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission. Very respectfully yours, G. W. D. Andrews, Superintendent. 360 SANITABT COMMISSION — WESTERN DBPAETMENX. THE SOLDIERS' HOME OP THE CINCINNATI BRANCH OF THE UNITED STATES SANITARY COMMISSION, rrom the Opening, May 15, 1862, to the Closing, October 8, 1865. DEBIT. To Donations— Cash * 118 53 " Cincinnati Branch United States Sanitary Commission— Cash 6,189 05 " Cincinnati Branch United States Sanitary Commission— Stores (estimated) 5,932 40 " United States Subsistence Department— Rations (estimated) 42,439 69 " United States Quartermaster's Department— Rent - --- 3,785 00 " United States Quartermaster's Department— Fuel --- 2,310 48 " United States Quartermaster's Department— Range, Stoves and Pipe 1,063 30 " Cincinnati Gas Light and Colie Company— Gas donated-- - 363 04 " Cincinnati Water Department— Water Rent donated (estimated) 1,930 37 TOT-AL-.. - 1164,131 K6 C H E D IT . By Groceries, not embraced in the Ration - $ 1,371 31 Incidental Expenses - 1,130 26 Ice - - -- - 503 73 Meat and Vegetables, not embraced in t.lie Ration 3,866 11 Repairs of Buildings occupied by the Home - 1,278 83 Stationery --- --. 228 69 Salary of Superintendent — forty-two montlis - 4,439 97 Salary of Commissary — forty-two months 2,221 00 Wages of Fifteen Servants — forty-two months - 9,512 05 Washing and Ironing— bedclothing and towels - 1,268 14 Rations and Stores consumed - 29,32'- 89 Rent paid - - 3,785 00 Fuel consumed __ - 3,310 48 Range, Stoves and Pipe returned 1,063 30 Gas consumed- - - - 899 73 Water used 1,930 37 Total _ $64,131 1 !S V M JI-\ U Y. Total Number Lodgings - .- 4.5,400 Total Number Meals - -- 656,704 CHAPTEK V. S O Xi 13 IE IB S' HOl^rCE, LOUISVILLE, KT. The work of special relief, important as it became before the close of the war, formed no part of the original plan of organization of the Sanitary Commission, but was called into existence little by little, through actual and imperative wants which demanded to be supplied. The first of these wants developed itself at Louisville. In the autumn of 1861, quite a large Union army was gathered in Kentucky — an army composed mainly of new recruits, who, taken suddenly from civil life, were com- pelled to endure all tlie hardships and privations of a fall and winter campaign. To this severe and new experience were added several forms of contagious disease, which pre- vailed to an alarming extent among those who, coming from an agricultural and scattered population, had to a large degree escaped the diseases incident to childhood — measles, etc. — and had not been systematically protected from small pox by vaccination. As a consequence, when congregated together in the camps at Nolin and Bacon Creek, an unparalleled percentage of the force was rendered unfit for duty ; in some instances half a regiment being at one time on the sick list. The natural restilt of this prevalence of eruptive diseases among those so imperfectly protected from exposure, was that a large number were permanently disabled, and early in the winter such persons began to be discharged and sent 363 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTEBN DEPARTMENT. hopeless, or at least helpless, invalids to the homes thej^ had so recently left. Arriring in Louisville, these poor fellows, no longer in the Government S(-rvice, under no official care or supervision, unpaid and friendless, were perhaps more worthy of sympathy and assistance than any who subsequently became the reci})ients of the charities of a- generous people. At this time no bounties were ])aid, and our army in Kentucky was composc-d of men who had promptly offered themselves as defenders of th^ liberties of their country, stimulated by no otlier motive tlian the l)urest and holiest patriotism ; and thc_y were now making tlieir way, sadly and painfully, liack to their homes and kindred, witliout the satisfaction of having struck a blow in their defense. It will not seem suri^rising, therefore, tliat the representatives of the Sanitaiy^ Commission at that time in Kentucky felt called upon to do anything and everything possible to relieve the wants and lielp on tlieir way those whom I have described. The first ste]) to be taken in this dii-ection was plainlj' to provide some place of reception, near the Nashville depot, where discharged and furloughed men, coming in on the cars from the South, conld hnd warmth, vest and refresh- ment. Dr. A. N. Read, subsequently Chief Inspector of tlie j\-rmy of the- Cumberland, and at that time Inspector of the forces of (ieneral Sherman, which constituted the Army of Occupation of Kentucky, was the hrst to feel the want I have described, and, in co-operaticm witli tlie Ken- tucky Branch, \w set himself to sup])l}-, as prom])tly as possible, the desired asylum. At this time the Kentucky Branch of the Sanitary Commission was fully oi'ganized, and included among its memlx^rs some of the most Avarm- hearted, purest and most em^rgetic men to be fouifd in that or an\' other community'. SOLDIEES' HOME — LOUISVILLE, KY. 363 Through the kindness of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, a wood shed, standing on the track and near the depot, was granted for the use of the Sanitarj'' Commission. This was enclosed, fitted up with fifty beds ; a cooking range was furnished by General Buell, who had by this time taken command of the Department; cooks and nurses were provided; and on the 1st of February the Louisville Soldieis" Home was opened, and at once filled with those whose wants it was intended to supply. From that time till October, 1865, its doors were never closed. AVith new and repeatedly enlarged buildings, its capacity was increased tenfold. In the aggregate, over two hundred and seventy thousand men weie lodged or fed beneath its roof; in addition to which, all the varied wants of its inmates received attention and, so far as possible, were relieved, ,so that the contribution it secured to the w^'ll-being and happiness of the soldiers of our anny is beyond all computation. In the autumn of 1862, the business of the Home had so largely increased, and so many who deserved its charities were unable to find accommodation in it, that the construc- tion of a new building seeiued an imperative necessity. Through the favor of the Louisville and Nashville Rail- road Company, whose sympathy with us in our work and kindness to the soldiers have been conspicuous throughout Ihe war, wp were allowed the use of a portion of the depot grounds on the corner of Tenth and Broadway, within a stone's throw of the present passenger depot. Here a building was erected, one hundred feet long by twenty-five feet wide, the upper portion being entirely occupied as a dormitory, and was furnished with comfortable beds for one hundred men. The space lielow was divided into kitchen, dining-room, hospital for those too feeble to go above, an office and bath-room. The cost of this building 364 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. was paid from the central treasury of the Sanitary Commis- sion, and, with its furniture, amounted to two thousand two hundred and twenty-eight dollars and thirty cents. The exterior of the building was pleasing to the eye, and within it was furnished with gas and water ; and its equip- ment in all things was of the most complete and substantial kind. The Home as then organized contrasted strongly ^^'itll its previous condition. Its capacity was more than doubled, and the comfort and satisfaction, both of those entertained in it and those connected with its administration, were greatly enhanced by the improvements I have described ; yet at the end of another half year it had become neces- sary to enlarge it still further. It was now })]aced under the supervision of the Kentucky Branch of the Saiutary Commission, the subsequent expenses of its construction and maintenance being paid from the Branch treasury; and to the activity of the Branch Commission is mainlj" due the credit for the great i^ood worl^ accomplished by it. In the spring of 1863, a buikling, in dimensions precisely equal to the first, was constructed ])arallel with it, and in the rear of both the CTOvernment (^aused to be built, for the use of the Commission, a "Soldiers' Rest" — for the accom- modation of detachments of well men — three hundred feet long and tweiitv-hve feet wide. The new buildina; of the Home proper was divided into a. dormitory above, and sitting-room, (which served as a reading room and chapel,) baggage room and offices below. These offices were occu- pied by the paymastei- whose duty it was to pay the troops at Louisville, who was induced to take up his quarters in the Home, in order that the soldiers entertained there might the more readily accomplish the business which so many of them had with his office. Religious services soldiers' home — LOUISVILLE, KT. 365 were held in the chapel every Sabbath, and it was usually filled by a thoughtful and attentive audience. Cntil the 1st of January, 1865, the Home was under the direction of James Morton as superintendent, and James Malona as steward, both excellent men; and they were therefore in charge during the period reached in our nar- rative. The condition of the Home will be best learned by the monthly reports of the superintendent, two of which are given below: Louisville, June n, 1863. Dr. J. S. jSTewbbrey, Secretary Weslrrn Deparimnii C. K. Sanitary Commission: Sir — Since the 1st of February, 1863, the number of men received and cared for at the Home has been ten thousand one hundred and eighty-nine; average number weekly, five hundred and ninety-nine; average number daily, eighty-five. Since the 31th of March, I have given attention to the claims of three hundred and ten men ; collected for discharged soldiers, in tlie aggregate, twenty-five thousand and sixty-four dollars and ninety-three cents; a weekly average of thirty-one men, and amount of two thousand five hundred and six dollars and forty-nine cents. I have had frequently to return defective papers for correction, and take pleasure in stating that the. Dr. J. S. Newberry, Secretary Western Beparlment V. S. Sanitary Commission : Dear Sir — Agreeably to the request of Mr. P. N. Knapp, I will give a summary of the business of the Home during the fourteen months it has been under my charge, with a few incidents that may illustrate the daily working of the institution. From the first day of November, 1863, to the last day of Decem- ber, 1864, there were received into the Home ninety-three thousand four hundred and seventy-six soldiers; to whom were given two hundred and seventy-three thousand seven hundred and thirty- nine meals and ninety-one thousand five hundred and thirty-two lodgings. Seventy-two thousand and forty-eight transportations were procured for traveling soldiers. Collections of back pay have been made for one thousand three hundred and fifty-four discharged men, for whom two hundred and sixty-one thousand and fifty dollars and fifty-seven cents have been drawn from paymasters and paid over. The business of collecting back pay for discharged soldiers has increased of late. I am sorry to say, that about one in four of all the discharge papers that come from the front are incorrect. This adds greatly to our labor, and subjects the soldiers to the hardships of returning to their commands, to have them corrected, often a distance of several hundred miles. When the soldier is wounded, 374 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. or too unwell to return, we send a messenger, if necessary. One has just returned with papers, on which nothing could be collected when presented, but being corrected we have drawn for him one hundred and eighty-one dollars and twenty-one cents, and sent the sick man on his way to Louisyille, by hospital train, rejoicing. Not long since we persuaded an old crippled soldier to go back to his regiment with his papers twice. The first time he reported that his Colonel abused him, and sent him back to Nashville without look- ing at his papers. The second time we wrote the Colonel a kind, explanatory letter, and the papers were returned corrected, and back pay was drawn, amounting to two hundred and twenty dollars, which raised the soldier's spirits from a point near despair to the full fever heat of joy. On one occasion eighteen md of tiventy papers were sent back in one day. All regular meals have been given warm, witli coffee in the morning, and tea or coffee at night. At dinner we have generally served up a good fresh beef soup, with soft bread daily from the baker. The beef from which the soup was made, with boiled ham or mess pork, has also been given, accompanied with potatoes, onions, krout and pickles, the most of the time. Vegetables, fresh and in vinegar, have been furnished us by the Commission. The quantity I cannot now state, but they amount to many hundred bushels, beside barrels, kegs and boxes by wagon loads. We cannot say much in regard to the lodgings given, as we have room for only one hundred beds, which are generally filled soon after dark, leaving hundreds to take their blankets and the floors. The transportations mentioned were procured for men who had furloughs, or other papers authorizing them to tra\el. These came in at all hoars of the day and night. All soldiers, on arrival, report to the clerk, who examines their authority for traveling, registers their names, and procures trans- portation on their papers, ready for the next train, unless there is a good reason fcft stopping longer. When their names are registered, their papers are taken and sent at certain hours to the Quartermaster for transportation, while the soldiers eat, sleep, or rest. An hour before car time the sick or wounded are carried in ambulances to the train, assisted on board, and their transportation exchanged for tickets. soldiers' home — XASHVILLE, TBNN. 375 This system lias saved much delay and perplexity to the men. Before its adoption it was not uncommon for soldiers to remain several days seeking transportation, while others were content to enjoy our hospitalities without an effort. Seven thousand six hundred and eighty-five of the number admitted have been wounded, and ten thousand two hundred and forty-three were sick. The wound-dressers, with soap, water, sponges, bandages and cerate, were always ready to receive the wounded and relieve their pain by fresh dressing, while the nurses received the sick and prepared them by anodynes, cordials and nourishing food for their further journey. Generally the sick and wounded are sent forward after a day of rest, but it is not uncommon for men to be so exhausted on arriving here as to make it necessary to send them to a hospital to recruit. Such could not remain long at the Home, as the house would soon be filled, and the weary traveler find no place to rest. For the sick and wounded the Sanitary Commission provide medicines and restoratives without stint, with every conceivable article of nourishment that the market or the canning system can produce. Besides bandages, lint, rags, soap, towels, arm-slings, crutches, etc., etc., I have been furnished with every article of clothing worn by soldiers, to be furnished them when, as often happens after a battle, they are compelled to travel without their descriptive lists, on which alone they can draw from the Government. The sufferers have thus been saved many thousands of dollars by such issues from this Home, while the promotion of health and comfort has been beyond estimate. Among our suffering visitors we have cases that excite our sympathies and touch the heart with a painful force. Fathers and mothers, wives, sisters and brothers, come in numbers from the North, seeking their sick, wounded, or lost ones. Some are without means; others find their money nearly expended before their object is accomplished, and come to the Home for advice and assistance. They arc never turned away empty. Every assistance is afforded them that our house, or knowledge of passing events, and our means can afford. Some find their friends at the Home. Others are assisted to find them in hospitals or camps. Some, alas ! find them recorded with the dead, and- return broken-hearted to desolate 376 SANITAKY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAETMEKT. homes. Many of these were females who had wandered through the city in quest of a shelter half the night before coming to the Home, either because they had not heard of our house, or because an impression had gone out that we could not entertain females because of the great rush of soldiers and the impossibility of taking, on some occasions, half that applied. Yet we never turned a soldier's relation away who came on an errand of inquiry. Recently we have appropriated additional rooms, and employed a matron of experience to give special attention to the comfort of females. This plan is working admirably, and daily relief and comfort is afforded to many under circumstances that abundantly reward all who participate in the work. A young man came from the army to the Home in an advanced stage of dropsy. His paroxysms of pain at intervals were dreadful. Soon a telegram came from his father, inquiring for the son. The answer was: "Come quickly, if you would see liim alive." He arrived the next day near night, and spent an hour with his son, (who was singularly comfortable between the paroxysms,) when he breathed out his life on his father's bosom. All needed assistance was rendered in burying the son, but the parent's agony was carried home. A slender female came from Wisconsin ; she received a letter saying her husband, at the front, had received a furlough, and, though very low with chronic diarrhcea, was about to make the dangerous experiment of going home. She thought of it a few days, but the picture of his sufferings along the line of travel prevented sleep, and she determined to fly to his rescue. After traversing a part of five States, she arrived at Nashville, a stranger and alone. Stepping on to the platform, true to lier one object, she inquired in a crowd for her husband — no one knew him. At length a young man said to her: "I have just come from the Chat- tanooga depot, where I saw a soldier, too weak to stand, taken from a car and laid on the platform." " That may be my husband ; I will go to him," she replied. Directed by the young man, she crossed the city to the depot. On turning the corner near the platform she saw a form wrapped in a blanket. Hastening her step, she turned back the folds and found her loved one. Regard- less of the crowd, she sat down, laid his weary head in her lap, and spoke to him as no other could— of love, hope, home, and their soldiers' home — H^ASHVILLE, TBNN. 377 dear child. They were brought to the Home. He was laid on a clean cot, and another placed near for her ; but she took a kneeling position beside him, and kept it almost constantly day and night. With her affectionate attention, and the use of cordials, he was greatly revived for a few hours. The pleasure of looking upon the happy and truly handsome couple compensated us for any amount of attention we had bestowed on them and others for months. It was, however, too late. Two days after, while kneeling close to him and whispering words of affection, he suddenly put his arm around her neck, and, kissing her feebly, said : " I shall never see our child." The breath passed with the voice, and he was dead. She was taken by surprise. Such mental and physical agony I had never witnessed. The body was embalmed, and the sorrowing widow took her lonely way home with the precious remains. I could relate numerous other instances of almost equal interest that have occurred at the Home and at hospitals, while the soldiers' sorrowing friends were stopping with us ; but it would all fail to convey an adequate idea of the sufferings endured, or the labors performed by my faithful officers and attendants in relieving the wants of hungry and suffering humanity day and night. Respectfully, Isaac Brayton, Superintenilent. On the 1st of August, 1865, the Home was closed, arrangements having been made with Dr. Cloak, of the Cumberland Hospital, for the small number still arriving at Nashville, who were the proper objects of the charities of the Home. The furniture and equipment of the Home, with such stores as were on hand at the time, were turned over to the Pennsylvania Freedman's Relief Association, the Eefugee Home, and the Refugee Orphan Asylum." From the 26th of March, 1863, to the 1st of August, 1866, the period during which the Home was kept open, one hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-three men were entertained there, and two hundred 378 SAKITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. and forty-two thousand nine hundred and eighty -five lodg- ings, and six hundred and one thousand two hundred and seventeen meals were given them. In addition to all other aid — for those unable to go themselves to the Paymaster's ofiice — three hundred thousand seven hundred and fifty-two dollars and one cent were collected and paid over, so far as known, without a mistake, and to the entire satisliictioii of all concerned. CHAPTEK VII. CAMP lS"ELSOHr, KY. In 1863 a large military force was gathered in Central and South-eastern Kentucky, as a defense against invasion, and in preparation for an advance upon Knoxville. At this time Camp Nelson was made the most important military center, and the base of supplies for the army south of that point. Numerous large buildings were erected for the Com- missary and Quartermaster's Departments, water works constructed, and other improvements of the most substan- tial character made, such as litted it to become a large and permanent military encampment. At this time an Agency of the Sanitary Commission was established there, under tlie superintendence of Mr. Thomas Butlei-, who was already expei'ienced in our work. This Agency was at first simply a depot of supplies, and from thence Sanitary stores were distributed to the camps and hospitals in that section of the State. A Sanitary train was dispatched to that place from Camp Nelson, in (^harge of Mr. Butler. Previous to this time a Soldiers' Home had been much wanted at Camp Nelson, to fuiiiish temporary entertain- ment for certain portions of the great number of troops passing through. For officers theie were imperfect accom- modations in one misei-able apology for a hotel, which was not only terribly deficient in qualit}', but also entirely' inadequate in quantity. For the soldiers, single or in detachments, there was nothing lietter tlian could b(^ found 380 SANITABY COMMISSION" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. at the front; and, unless caTiying their tciit,'^ and provi- sions, they had little chance of being comfortably quartered there. Much suffering was daily and hourly tlie result of this state of things ; and in the winter of 1863-4, the con- templated means of relief, through a Soldiers" tlome, were brought into active operation. The circumstances under which tlie Home was estab- lished ai-e fully given in the first re])ort of Mr. Butler, which is quoted below. Mr. Butler was chosen as its superintendent, and was ever}' way fitted foi- the place. A man of unusual intelligence and energy, and thoroughl}' imbued with the trTie Christian spirit, he was ])repar( d by long experience in our work to bring to bear upon this enter})rise all that had been learned elsewhere l\v our efforts in the same direction. De. J. «. NewBEBEY, ^^^"' >'El.sox, Ky., Marct, 1.5, 1804. Secretary Western Department Sanitary Commission: Dear Sir — I have the honor to submit to you the following brief report of the erection and present condition of the Soldiers' Home at Camp Nelson : In pursuance of the purpose of the Chief Quarteimaster of this post, Captain T. S. Hall, to make Camp Nelson, as far as possible, replete with all the resources and facilities of a self-sustaining camp, the conception of a Soldiers' Home, its utility and advantages, pre- sented itself to the mind of that energetic officer. Captain Hall, during his career in the Quartermaster's Depart- ment, had already erected three Soldiers' Homes for the use of the Army of the Potomac; the fourth he proposed to build at this post, for the use of the " soldiers' organized friends,'' the United States Sanitary Commission. Knowing the great demand for such an asylum, to feed well and comfortably lodge the hundreds that daily passed through the camps — also the great desire and anxiety of the Commission to do all within its legitimate sphere for the comfort and welfare of the soldiers — I at once accepted the proposition in behalf of the Com- mission. A few days afterward I started for Knoxville. soldiers' home — CAMP NELSON^, KT. 381 On my return to Camp Nelson, about the 6th of January, I found the Home was in progress. Captain Hall submitted the plan in detail, when I made several suggestions for alterations, which he readily and cordially endorsed, indicating his desire to render the Home convenient, and in every respect adapted to its object. After intimating the variety and extent of the furnishings required for such an institution, I immediately reported the whole business, in person, to your office, accompanying which was a plan of the proposed Soldiers' Home. The following four or five weeks were occupied in collecting and preparing the furniture, also by occasional visits to Camp Nelson in pursuance of the same object. On the 30th of February the buildings were so far advanced that I was enabled to shelter about forty refugees from East Tennessee, who, after two or three days spent in preparation for entering the world at Cincinnati, went on their way thither rejoicing. The Home is now nearly completed in every particular. The principal structure is in the form of three sides of a hollow square, comprising two parallel wards ; the first one hundred and ten by twenty feet, and the second ninety by twenty feet, while the center building, uniting the wards, is eighty-five by twenty feet, and is designed for the dining hall — capacity about three hundred. The wards are economically fitted up with substantial bunks — easy of ventilation, and constructed with a view to the most effectual cleanliness. The two wards will accommodate about five hundred. As the buildings are erected on sloping grounds, the front of each ward has two stories, thus afibrdiug two suits of rooms of much value, and indeed indispensable to the Home. Beneath the first ward there is — first, the office, with a porch ; second, sleeping room; third, Sanitary store room; fourth, store room for the Home. Beneath the second ward there is — first, a bathing room, with a porch, containing four private bath tubs, supplied by double pipes, with hot and cold water ; second, a capacious baggage room. About twenty feet in the rear of the dining hall is a range of buildings, running parallel to it, and consisting of — first, a large laundry; second, wash house, capacity one hundred men; third, kitchen, with cooking power for five hundred ; fourth, commissary. There 382 SANITAEY COMMISSIOK — WESTERN DEPAETMENT. is also a large pantry contiguous to the dining hall, and communi- cating with the kitchen. Every roof is overlaid with patent roofing, and every floor is double planked, with an insertion of water-proof paper. Ample arrangements have been made for the supply of any amount of hot and cold water in every portion of the buildings. In the center of the yard, between the two wards, it is designed to place a fountain, and also a hydrant. The grounds surrounding these and in front of the buildings will be sodded, and -walks with trees will be laid out. A substantial cedar post and plank fence, commencing fifty feet in front of the porches, encloses the entire buildings of the Home, which, in harmony with the pm-pose of the architect, constitute the most unique, and, I trust, serviceable and philanthropical institution of Oamp Nelson. The necessity for a Soldiers' Home here has been severely felt for many months past ; and now that one has been erected, with ample and superior accommodations, much comfort and benefit may be presumed to be in store for all who come under its care Very respectfully yours, Thomas Butler. In a subsequent letter, Mr. Butler gives the following additional particulars in regard to the circumstances of the inauguration of the Home : On the morning of March 1, 1864, I received intelligence from Colonel John Croxton, 4th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, that nearly three hundred of his veteran volunteers, who had been home on furlough, would muster at camp toward evening. All their camp equipage had been left in Georgia, when they re-enlisted; consequently, they were without any means for a camp establishment. The colonel, foreseeing that preparations would be required for their comfort, came in advance, and desired me to receive them into the Home. All our hands went merrily to work, under the direction of Mr. Eadcliffe, who was retained to assist me in the work of the Home and Sanitary services generally. Bedsacks were filled and all the furniture arranged with the utmost alacrity and speed. soldiers' home — CAMP IfELSON, KY. 383 The snuw fell through all the dark, cold day, and toward evening the weather was wretchedly severe. The men, nearly three hundred, came into camp toward evening; and, instead of being left to crawl into sundry open buildings, where cattle might be satisfied to remain and suffer, they were led into the Soldiers' Home, on which they at once began to pour their encomiums. This was the Soldiers' Home's natal hour ; and in the glowing stream of its lamp-light, it did offer, by its comfortable, cleanly and luminous aspect, a grateful welcome to these veteran soldiers. The night was extremely bitter, for the ground was saturated with melted snow, and the sky was like a vast crust of ice. The Home was, however, now completed ; if not early enough for the full protection of all against exposure and suffering during the past months of this winter, it rescued very many thousands from hunger and a shelterless bed during the continuance of severe weather, and to a great extent made its inmates feel quite at home. Di-. Mitchell, chief surgeon at Camp Nelson, thus speaks of the Home and its administration: But of the Sanitary Commission and Soldiers' Home at Camp Nelson, I liave a word to aay through the columns of the Commission's Beporter: This Home has been fitted up with great care, and is now complete in its arrangements for the soldiers' comfort ; its sleeping apartments large and well ventilated ; its dining room sufficiently large for all ordinary purposes ; its supply of water abundant, and the arrangements for using it as an external application as complete as can well be ; its Sanitarj' store room, baggage room, wash house, dining hall and pantry complete in their arrangements ; and the well filled store room, and the abundant substantials on the dining room table, are evidences to the hungry soldiers that home friends remember them. Its walks, grass-plot, flower-beds and beautiful fountain are additions to all the other comforts which make it look and feel like home to the sick and weary soldier. The Commission has been well sustained at this camp, and through the untiring energy of its agent, Mr. Butler, every effort has been made to fully meet the expect- ations of the donors, by impartially distributing all stores entrusted to his care to hospitals, camps, regiments, and all other cases worthy of such beneficent inten- tions. Duriiiij,' tlie year 1864, the work of the Home constantly iiieveased in magnitude and importance, and diverged into all the various forms of relief Into which the manageis of this, as of all similar institutions at the West, were drawn liy an irresistible force. The refugees, the enlisted 384 SAI^^ITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. treedmen, the contrabands, and the occupants of the mili- tary prison, each demanded and I'eceived a large share ot the thought and care of Mr. Butler and his associates. Two large hospital gardens were planted, for which seeds and utensils were furnished by the Sanitary Commission, and from which large supplies of fresh vegetables wei'e furnished to the camp. In the following report of Mr. Butler he sums up the work of the Soldieis" Home for the yeai- 1864 as follows: We review our efforts for the relief of the suffering in the District of Central Kentucky with much pride and pleasure. Scores have blessed the Sanitary Commission, through us, for its seasonable and abundant aid, and have thus crowned its work with a satisfactory proof of success. Humanity, in all its variety of phases and relations, and in every degree of need, has sought its helping hand and kindly greeting, and never in vain. While we have endeavored to maintain a righteous disbursement of the means entrusted to our stewardship, none in distress have gone away unsatisfied where we had the power to relieve them. Trials and discouragements have come upon us, such as are incident to the natural course of life, and inevitable in the earnest pursuit of duty; but the constant stream of pleasure which flowed through the channel of our business was an unfailing source of refresli- ment. Although justiee seemed occasionally t(.) demand it, yet never, through our agency, has a soldier been committed to tlie guard- house or prison. A deep regard for his liberty and reputation, and a profound commiseration for those whom I have seen suffer long and bitterly for some trivial offense, have prevented me from inflicting pain upon some soldiers guilty of seriouis misdemeanors, even while tlie guards were at the door ready to take them in custody. I feel proud that such good order \\ as enforced through so long a period of time, with our army of soldiers. ha\ing soldiers" liabits, and commonly reputed troublesome, without the punish- ment or imprisonment of a single man. The cliaracter and value of our efforts, which were exerted for all, no matter how depraved, wretched or destitute, secured to us a corresponding measure of SOLDIEBS' HOME — CAMP NELSON, KY. 385 influence, by which every faciUty for the successful prosecution of our work came naturally and reasonably within reach. It would be eyident, from the reports made to you during the past month, that we have been exceedingly busy. The raid of Breckenridge through East Tennessee has drawn into this District a large number of troops to resist him. Detachments and regi- ments, from Knoxville and elsewhere, have come to this camp for supplies, and all hare combined to fill up the measure of our work. During the month we have furnished forty thousand three hundred and thirty-three meals and fourteen thousand seven hundred and twenty-two lodgings. The refugee women and children from the South still come here for protection and assistance. Occasionally we forward a family northward, generally to Cincinnati; while several families, having gone for months through a series of diseases, still remain on our hands. The prison which, when we commenced our labors in the spring in behalf of incarcerated soldiers, contained Several hundred, now contains but forty, and these principally old and sentenced offenders. The Soldiers' Home, by universal consent, has performed a good work by providing comfortable quarters and well-cooked meals for quite an army. For the past ten months the number of men received has been seventy-nine thousand eight hundred and eighty- three; lodgings furnished, eighty-six thousand six hundred and twenty-nine; meals furnished, two hundred and forty-seven thou- sand three hundred and forty-nine. With the invaluable services of Mr. Eadcliflfe, we enter on the new year with increased facilities, such as will, we hope, secure still greater success in our work. On the 1st of March, 1865, Mr. Butler reports a marked falling off in the number of soldiers received at the Home, but great activity in the care of refugees and freedmen. From this time our work gradually declined. The sub- jugation of the principal armies of the rebellion materially lessened our legitimate work for the soldier ; although the Home, the regimental hospitals in the field, the sole care of all the white refugees, and an important share of the 25 386 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. business pertaining to the colored refugees, gave, for some months, constant employment to our agents. On the 1st of July, 1865, the last of that corps of faithful men who, throughout the history of the Home, had aided so faithfully and efficiently in performing the great work accomplished there — the detailed assistants — was mustered out of the service, and returned home, to resume again the duties of citizenship. Camp Nelson, like other exclusively military posts, had dwindled into comparative unimport- ance ; and though, had the Home and depot been continued for months later, there would have been work to do, still in magnitude it scarcel}- justified the attendant expense ; and on the 26th of July the Plome was closed, having enter- tained ninety-five thousand three hundred and thirty-seven soldiers, and furnished them two hundred and eighty-six thousand six hundred and fifty-six meals, and one hundred and two thousand five hundied and twenty-one lodgings. These figures do not include the large number of soldiers' families and other objects of chaiitable labor wlio shared, to a greater or less degree, the hospitalities of the Home and the ministration of oui' agents. All stores on hand, and the entire equipment of the Home, excepting the range and some more expensive articles of furniture, were turned over to the inmates of the camp of colored refugees — a most munificent donation, and one that was of priceless value to several hundred women and children, all destitute, and many sick, who at that time occupied it. PLAN OF SOLDIERS' HOME, CAMP NELSON, KY. A— Open Court. B — Balconies. 0— Sleeping Wards, 110 x 30 feet. D— Dining Hall, 59 x 30 feet. E — Knapsack Room, under the Ward. E — Sanitary Store Room, under the Ward. G — Superintendent's Office. H— Bath Boom, under the Ward. I — Store Room. K — Kitchen. L — Commissary Room. M— Hall. N— Gate. O— Fence. S— Steps. CHAPTER VIII. s o Xi X) I 33 E, s' noayriE], CAIEO, ILL. The Soldipis" Home at Cairo, 111., was established by Dr. J. H. Douglas, Inspector United States Sanitary Com- mission, with the co-operation and assistance of the Chicago Branch of th(- Commission, in March, 1862. The Agency of the Sanitary Commission was at that time occupying two buildings, each tAventy by neventy feet, and pne story high. These buildings had been turned over to the Commission by the Quartermaster, and possessed but one feature desir- able in a Soldiers' Home ; that of being located conveniently near to the railroad depot and steamboat landing. One of these wa s cleared of its contents, divided into proper apart- ments, furnished with cooking apparatus and thirty cots — for all of which there was room ; and thus the Soldiers' Home was inaugurated. At the request of Dr. Douglas, the Chicago Branch Commission appointed a superintendent, Mr. Thomas Maddy, who took charge of the Home on the 23d of March. He was succeeded in AprU by H. E. Hammond, followed by George E. Sickles in May, and again by Mr. Maddy in July, Mrs. Maddy acting as matron. During this time the reports of the Home show that the number of meals daily furnished varied from one hundred and fifty to five hundred. Later in the same year, the Home proving entirely inade- quate to the demands upon it, it was enlarged by the addition of a two-story building, twenty -five by sixty feet. 390 SANITAKT COMMISSION — WESTERN BEPABTMENT. ' This was erected by the Quartermaster, but was so badly built that it had soon to be re-roofed and floored anew by the Commission. Other rooms were provided for storing supplies, so that the whole buildings I have mentioned were given up to the Home. In August, 1863, Mr. C. JS". Shipman, general agent of the Commission at Cairo, took charge of the Home, and Miss A. L. Ostrom was appointed matron. In the same month I met Mr. E. W. Blatchford, treasurer of the Chicago Branch, by appointment, at Cairo, to decide upon some plan for further increasing the accommodations of the Home, they being still quite insufiicient for the wants of the soldiers in transit. We decided not only to enlarge, but to remove the buildings, and the property upon which we desired to place them being held at an exorbitant rate of rent by non-resident owners, I addressed a letter to Major Greneral Grrant, asking that this property be seized by the Quartermaster and turned over to the Commission at a fair and reasonable rent. This request was granted by the issue of the following order : Head-Quartebs Department op the Tennessee. Special Oi'der. I. The following property Is hereby seized and appropriated to the use of the Sanitary Commission, for the purpose of erecting and perfecting a Home for the accommodation of soldiers intransriMi,, to wit : one hundred feet front, (with building,) lying next west of building now occupied as the Agency of the Sanitary Commission. n. The monthly rent of the land seized will be estimated and appraised by a commission of oJBcers to be appointed by the commanding officer of the post. m. The United States Quartermaster at Cairo is directed to furnish the lumber and building materials necessaiy to convert the two wharf-boats now used by the Sanitary Commission into one substantial wharf-boat, with the necessary offices and convenience for transacting business. The labor to be furnished by the Commission. IV. The United States Quartermaster at Cairo will furnish transportation lor two hundred and fifty tons of ice, gratuitously contributed for the use of the troops at Vicksburg. V. Brigadier General Buford, commanding post, is directed to see the execution of this Order. U. S. GKANT, Magor Ocneral. soldiers' home — CAIRO, ILL. 391 In the execution of this plan a new difficulty arose. There were no buildings to be obtained suitable for occupa- tion while the proposed changes were being made, and the work accomplished by the Home seemed so necessary, for the welfare of those it was intended to serve, that to close it for a length of time, at a period when its usefulness was greater than ever before, was regarded as scarcely possible. New buildings of the required capacity could not be con- structed for less than seven thousand dollars ; a much larger sum than had been appropriated for the purpose. Emboldened by the cordial manner in which Greneral Grant had responded to the first request, Mr. Shipman again petitioned him, through Surgeon Hewitt, chief medical officer on General Grant' s staff, asking that the buildings be put up at the Government expense. This request was also promptly complied with in an order, given below, granting all and more than was asked, and paying the highest possible compliment to tiie great usefulness of the Sanitary Commission : Head-Quarters Department or the Tenhessee, ViCKSBURQ, Miss., September 28, 1863. CiimmaiicUng Offlce.r, Caiia, 111.: Sir— Direct the Post Quartermaster at Cairo to call upon the United States Sanitary agent at your place, and see exactly what buildings th^y require to be erected for their charitable and humane purposes. This Commission has been of such great service to the country, and at Cairo is doing so much for this army at this time, that I am disposed to extend its facilities for, doing good in every way in my power. You will therefore cause to be put up, at G-overnment expense, suitable buildings for the Sanitary Commission, connecting those they already have ; and also put up for them necessarj' outbuildings. In doing this work all economy should be observed, bearing in mind that these buildings are not likely to be required for any great length of time for public service, and when no longer required will revert to the owner of the land on which they are built. If the barracks erected in 1861 have not been disposed of, material may be taken from them to put up the necessary buildings. Very respectfully, V. S. GRANT, Major Oeneral. The new Home was located directly in the rear of the St. Charles Hotel, and formed a group of buildings, having 392 SANITAET COMMISSIOK" — WESTBEN DEPAETMBKT. a front one hundred and thirty-one by seventy-two feet deep, the main structure two stories high. It was furnished by the Commission at an expense of twenty-two hundred dollars, and opened February 1, 1864 ; Mr. C. N. Shipman, superintendent, and Mrs. Joel G-rant, matron. During the iirst month after it was opened it furnished twenty-one thousand nine hundred and forty-three meals and four thousand nine hundred and forty-one lodgings. The dining room was capable of seating two hundred persons, and as many as eleven hundred men have been fed in it in one day. The sleeping apartments contained one hundred and thirty- six beds, the hospital rooms twenty-five. Beside these, there were four rooms set apart for the use of soldiers' wives and families, and these were nearly always filled. Here they found a cordial welcome and all the sympathies and comforts of a home. Coming, as they frequently did, with- out money, perhaps just from the grave of a husband or son, or on their way to the bedside where he lay dying, the value of the charity thus offered them can hardly be over estimated. Here also female nurses, teachers of freedmen and ladies of the Christian Commission were kindly received and cared for. The hospital was an important part of the Home, being often filled with weak and helpless men on furlough or dis- charged, with exhausted energies and feverish anxiety to reach their homes and families. At all hours of day or night they were met at the steamboat landing by ambulan- ces, in which they were taken to the Soldiers' Home, where they received proper care and medical treatment while they remained, and at departing were often furnished with a cot, mattress or bedding, always nourishing food and whatever was necessar}' for their comfort while tra\'eling. The letters received by Mrs. Clrant from these recipients of her kindness, or from their friends, are numerous and affectino-. SOLDIERS' HOME — CAIRO, ILL. 393 Ten deaths occurred at the Soldiers' Home, and in all cases where relatives could be reached they were notified by telegraph or mail, and their wishes obeyed in the dispo- sition of the bodies. During the year 1864 there were admitted to the Home ninety-eight thousand and seventy-five men, to whom were furnished two hundred and nine thousand two hundred and thirty-one meals, and sixty-six thousand four hundred and ninety-eight lodgings. Over twelve thousand of these men were assisted in obtaining transportation. About the 1st of February, 1865, orders were issued from the military authorities sending all able-bodied men passing through Cairo to the Soldiers' Rest, a kind of barracks built by the Government at Cairo, and the first provision which it made for the accommodation of the soldiers in transit at this point. After this time only sick and wounded or dis- charged men were entertained at the Home. Still there was an important work to be done by the Commission, as is shown by the fact that, between February and October of that y(ear, forty-eight thousand thi'ee hundred and fifty-six meals were furnished at the Home to tlie class I have mentioned. The Home was finally closed October 1, liSCif). It had been in operation for a period of forty -two months, at an expense to the North-Western Sanitary Commission, which had it more (^specially in charge, of fourteen thousand one hundred and se^'enty-six dollars and forty-one cents ; exclusive of the outlay from the Central Treasury. From its opening to the close th(n-e had been admitted to the Home one hundred and ninety-eight thousand four hundred and fifty-four men. to whom had been furnished four hundred and seventy-six thousand nine hundred and ninety-three meals, and one hundred and forty-one thou- sand four hundred and sixty-two lodgings. 394 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEEN DEPARTMESTT. These figures, large as they are, convey but a veiy imperfect idea of the value of the services rendered by the Home to the soldiers of our army. In addition to the meals and lodgings furnished, transportation was secured, pay collected, letters written and material wants supplied for many thousands, forming an aggregate of kindness to which no description will do anything like justice. Of tlie management of the Home, particularly during the last two years, when the magnitude and importance of the work it was performing had been realized, and proper arrangements made for its accomplishment, too miich can not be said in praise. Its superintendent and matrons proved to be the right persons in the right places. They did not consider their duty to the soldiei- fully performed in giving him good food and a comfortable bed, but endeav- ored to have the institution they controlled so conducted that every influence brought to bear upon its inmates should be for their good, and that to all who shai-ed its hospitalities it should prove a home indeed. WORK FOR "refugees" AT CAIRO. Early in the war a miserable class of people, the very lowest of the white population of the South, began to pour northward. Ignorant, ragged, penniless, and often sick, whole families of these wretched beings w(n'e landed at Cairo, utterly unable to provide for themselves. No pro- vision had been made for this class of persons by the mili- tary authorities, and General Buford, Post Commander, hoping it was but a temporary influx, commenced sending them to the Soldiers' Home. Instead of diminishing, how- ever, as our army advanced the tide increased, until it became evident that some other place must be provided for refugees, or the Soldiers' Home be wliolly given up to them. Mr. Shipman, su])erintend(mt of the Home, laid the matter SOLDIEKS' HOME — CAIRO, ILL. 395 before General Buford, and asked that certain unoccupied barracks be assigned to the refugees, and an officer detailed to take charge of them. There was no officer available at the time, and moreover it was questionable if the general' s authority extended so far ; he therefore proposed placing the whole matter in Mr. Shipman's hands, if he would accept of it, promising at the same time to render him all the assistance in his power. Seeing no other way by which the Home could be cleared, Mr. Shipman consented. At his request General Buford then detailed Rev. E. Folsom, Post Chaplain, to go on a collecting tour, the proceeds of which were to be expended in sending these people to their friends, or at least in placing them where they could be better cared for than here. Mr. Folsom went out in July, 1863, and returned the following August, bringing with him seventeen hundred and fifty dollars, as the result of his labors. This afforded temporary relief, but still the refugees poured in, and again Chaplain Folsom was detailed for this duty. When the new Home was completed, the old buildings were given up to the refugees, and were occupied by them until the close of the war. During that time Mr. Folsom collected and turned over to Mr. Shipman thirty-four thousand dollars in cash, besides large quantities of cloth- ing, by means of which more than forty thousand refugees were assisted on their way to various parts of the country. The whole work was voluntary and unrewarded on the part of Mr. Shipman ; not coming in the line of his duty as superintendent of the Soldiers' Home. CHAPTER IX. S O Xi X) I IE :Ea S' liOXDO-E, MEMPHIS, TBNN. In the spring of 1863, Greneral Gfrant, having concen- trated a large force near Yicksbnrg, and the conutry about Corinth being occupied b_y garrisons at various points, forming an aggregate of several thousand men, the numbei' of furloughed and discharged soldiers passing through Memphis had come to be quite large, and, for want of proper accommodations, as has always been the case in similar circumstances, there was much suffering among them. To meet the wants of these men, the Western Sanitary Commission established a Soldieis' Home at Memphis, which was made^Aery complete and comfort- able, and which did much to relie-^e those needing such an asylum. But it was limited in its capacity, and was located so far away from the steamboat landing that there were still many — and those the most necessitous and help- less — who were not able to avail themselves of its charities. In these circimistances, another somewhat similar institu- tion seemed to be required; and it was resohed to open a Home or Lodge, if possible, in the immediate vicinity of the steamboat landing, so that all wlio needed assist;uice at this point might receive it. In the crowded state of the city it was found impossible to i)rocure a suitable building in the desired location, and it became necessary to abandon the project, or construct a new building for tlie purpose. Owing to the high price of materials and scarcity of labor. soldiers' lodge — MEMPHIS, TENN. 397 it was impossible to have siTcli a building made at Memphis without great cost and long delay. This difficulty was removed, howei^^r, by the offer on the part of Mr. Blatch- f'ord, of the Chicago Branch Commission, to have the building constructed there. This was done immediately; and, by tlie liberality of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, its various portions, not yet joined together, were transported to Cairo gratuitously; from there they were shipped by the Sanitary steamer "Dunleith" to Memphis, :ind, hy two accompanying mechanics, put up upon a vacant space on the river bank adjacent to the steamboat landing. The design was to make this a simple Lodge or Feeding Station, at which men could find refreshment and shelter while waiting a few hours for the arrival or departure of steameiK, and get such information and assistance as they required during their short stay. The care of sick or wounded men, save for a few hours, or a day at most, was no part of its work ; and this plan was never materially changed, although, naturally enough, cir-cumstances often <'ompelled deviation from it for a time. Men expecting to remain more than one day were, as a general rule, sent to the Soldiers' Home of the ^A'estern Sanitary Commission. The location chosen was on a bluff between Jefferson and Court streets, nearly fronting on the wharf-boat of tlie Memphis and St. Louis Packet Company. The main l)uilding was twenty-eight by eighty feet, and open to the roof This was divided into a dining, sleeping and sitting room, twenty feet long; a store room for Sanitary supplies, fifty feet long ; an office, ten by fourteen feet ; a baggage room, nine by ten feet ; and a wash room, five by ten feet. Adjoining the main building was added a kitchen, twenty-four by twelve feet, a privy, etc. Beds, table furni- tui-e and dishes were provided for about twenty men; 398 SAJTITART COMMISSION — WESTEEJS^ DEPAETMBlfT. and thus equipped, the Lodge was opened on the 20th of May, 1863. A few days' experience proved that the provisions made were entirely inadequate for the number applying for admission; and, as soon as possible, the capacity of the Lodge was increased to forty-two beds, with the necessary additions to its equipment in attendants, table furniture, etc., to accommodate this or a greater number. Under great pressure, the number of beds was increased to fifty- seven, where it remained until February, 1865, when, by putting in joists and laying a chamber floor, the number of beds was increased to seventy-two, and the dining room enlarged to thirty-six by twenty-eight feet. At this time an addition was made to the building for an office, baggage room, etc., leaving space in the interior for a sitting room, twenty-eight by thirty feet. Notwithstanding these and some other additions made to the building, it was frequently crowded to excess, and hundreds were turned from its doors, unable to find even a shelter under its roof. At the time of the establishment of the Lodge at Memphis, the Commission was fortunate in securing the services of Mr. C. W. Christy as superintendent. He had the entire management of it from that time till it was closed, in October, 1865. In all his trying and laborious duties, Mr. Christy acquitted himself, not only with great credit, but with great honor to the Commission and benefit to those who came under his care. I think I ma}' safely say the Commission had nowhere a more faithful or efficient officer. By his kind and energetic administration, he seems to have won the respect and esteem of all those who observed or experienced his management. In July, 1863, Mrs. Daniels, the wife of an Iowa soldier employed in the Lodge, entered upon the duties of matron. She continued to hold that place until July, 1865, when soldiers' lodge — MEMPHIS, TEN'S. 399 she was succeeded by Miss Marshall, previously matron of the Refagee Hospital, who remained until the Lodge was closed. The help employed at the Lodge consisted of detailed soldiers, and both white and colored servants. Detailed men were paid a per diem of thirty cents ; the other employes from eight to fifty dollars per month. With few excejitions, all tjiese persons proved honest and faithful, and to their efficiency the usefulness and success of the Lodge was in good degree due. The Lodge at Memphis was closed October 4, 1865. During the two years and a half it continued open, thirty- nine thousand four hiindred and thirty persons were admitted, and to these were given thirty-three thousand eight hundred and twenty lodgings and one hundred and twenty -two thousand one hundred and thkty-eight meals. The cost of the construction of the Lodge, paid from the Central Treasury of the Sanitary Commission, was two thousand two hundred and seventy-tive dollars and ninety- one cents — the expense of its maintenance, nine thousand five luindred and thirty dollars. With the exception of an interval of about two weeks, rations weie issued by the Commissary, under an order from Major General Hurlbut, to all the inmates of the Lodge, by which its subsistence account was reduced to a very low figure. The tabulated statements of the work done at the Soldiers" Lodge, as in every other institiition of the kind, very inadequately express the services rendered by it to humanity and the aimy. This is made apparent by the following extracts ft'om the final report of Mr. Christy, the superintendent : The consolidated reports I send you of the work of the Lodge, and of the special relief work done in addition, give, in a condensed form, by months, a statistical exhibit of the amount and kind of b 400 SANITARY COMMISSION— WESTERN DEPARTMENT. work done, so far as mere figures can report such service. To one who is familiar with the field which the United States Sanitary Commission, in its special relief work, has sought to cover during the last three years, and who has seen how, through its Homes and Lodges, and special relief agents, this work has been done, these figures will suggest volumes of detail; but to him who has not this vantage-ground of experience, volumes of detail would fail to bring up in its magnitude the service rendered to the soldier. It is but a small part of the good done that can be registered. Like the silent and unceasing ministry of friendship, its full record is not transfer- able from the memory of him who has received and of him who has bestowed. The records of the Home or Lodge will show how many in any given day were admitted; how many of these were sick; how many were fed; how many were lodged ; how many were given clothing or money, or furnished medical advice or medicine; how many had wounds dressed, transportation procured, aid in arranging papers, in drawing pay, or were loaned money; how many 'were taken to the hospital, or were carried to and from the steamers and cars. But the maternal care which goes to a transport or train, brings the sick or despondent soldier carefully to the Lodge, finds out, as soon as he enters, his condition and wants, prepares his food and drink, carries it to him, and cheers him as he eats ; the preparation for moving him tenderly to the hospital or steamer ; the gentleness with which he is transported; the benevolence that provides him cabin passage, or, if he must go on deck, puts him in the most comfortable place possible, arranges his bed, and looks up some one who will promise to aid him ; the providing little delicacies of food and drink for the trip ; the letter or information given bim, unasked for, which consigns him to as tender and perhaps better equipped hands in another Soldiers' Home at the end of this stage of his journey; the seeing whether the sick or disabled soldier has money — if he has, how it is carried, and whether it would not be more secure in the safe ; the careful dressing of wounds ; the kind- ness and humanity that look to see that each is fed and lodged in the best possible manner under the circumstances; and the vast and varied information given the soldier on numberless matters — each small it may be in itself, and yet in the aggregate determining the light and shadow of the soldier's life — as deciding for him soldiers' lodge — MEMPHIS, TENN. 401 whether there is need of his going to head-quarters, Commissary or Quartermaster, or Provost Marshal, or the Paymaster, and telling him where he can find each, and how to do his business, whatever it may be ; helping him to choose the wisest course of action under real or supposed difficulty with some of his officers ; or, in regard to privileges and pay, giving him information that dissipates his aggra- vations, or brings him patience and cheerfulness to bear them — all these services, and kindred ones, some one or more of which almost every man entering the Lodge receives, no statistical reports can at all set forth, nor can language do them justice. I know I do not exaggerate in saying that, at the Lodge in Memphis, the simple work of furnishing intelligence of the kind mentioned has averaged the full service of one good man during the whole time the Lodge was in operation. The worth of this kind of aid to the soldier cannot be estimated in dollars and cents. It frequently happened that men came in to dinner or supper, weary and discouraged by many hours of fruitless running about to do a little business, which, with our help, they afterward accomplished in fifteen minutes. Here are notes of one day's experience with discharged soldiers : Three men, discharged from regiment ; the papers of one wrong, those of the other two so made out as to subject them to a loss of twenty-five dollars advanced bounty and two months and three days clothing allowance ; but three dollars among them ; yet the regiment left Vicksburg a number of days ago in the expedition (supposed) against Mobile — so as to allow no chance of getting papers corrected for weeks. Got Government transportation for them to St. Louis endorsed on discharge papers. Two other discharged men, same regiment, without a cent ; papers so made out that they lose twenty-two dollars advanced bounty, and about one and one-half month's clothing allowance. These poor fellows, both sick and debilitated, took what was coming to them, and started home. One discharged man from regiment ; certificate of discharge not dated and statements altered. I sent papers back, and he remains here until their return. Found three other dis- charged men at pay-office ; no money, and papers all wrong. Two discharged men of the regiment, from Corinth — one sinking with consumption, going home to die, the other sick — both in charge of a man from the same regiment, furloughed expressly to go home with them, and under written instructions from their 26 403 SANITARY C0MMISSI02Sr — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. surgeons to get them home as soon as possible. Both sets of dis- charge papers wrong, and not a cent in the party — had paid out their last eighty-five cents for food, coming from Corinth. Got Government transportation for all, and gave them some money to get home. In all eleven discharged men, papers all wrong, three dollars among them, and not one able to carry his knapsack to the boat, about one hundred yards. Another value belonging to such an institution, and one that cannot be expressed in figures, is its service in protecting soldiers from unscrupulous tradesmen and the various agents of vice and shame who fill the path of the army. This social and moral service is a great want. I am unable to give the exact number of sick men cai-ed for at the Lodge, as our record is in this respect incomplete. From the best information I have at hand, however, I am led to believe that the number will not fall below two thousand seven hundred and fifty, or one-fifteenth of the whole. By " sick " I mean all classes of invalids, including wounded men. From September 1, 1863, to February, 1864, the arrangements of both the Home and the Lodge were inadequate to accommodate the multitude of soldiers, mostly furloughed, who applied for admis- sion. If we had had more room, our record of work done during that period would have been twice as great as it now is, as there were days and weeks when, being already full, we were obliged to turn applicants away. My labors in aid of discharged soldiers, and those having unsettled claims against the Government, began simultaneously with the duties of superintendent of the Lodge. With few exceptions, I limited myself to the prosecution of claims that could be collected without being referred to the Second Auditor's Otfice. By my consolidated reports it appears that one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five men were aided in correction of papers and the collection of claims, and that two hundred and sixty-four thousand one hundred and thirty-five dollars and thirty- five cents were collected and paid over to them. There were cases in which papers were left in my hands in which were involved correspondence, new papers, certificates, powers of attorney, and visits to hospitals oi- regiments, or some of the various military head-quarters. soldiers' lodge — MEMPHIS, TEXN. 403 This department of my duties was one of the most agreeable of all; and the gratitude with which the soldier has acknowledged aid thus rendered has been my richest reward. Of ver\' many, I will cite one or two cases : One man, a member of the 3d New Jersey Cavalry, had received his final statement, so made oat that he could not draw any of his bounty. Attempting to get the back-pay certificates made out, we at first met with unexpected failure; but, persevering, we at last came upon the right track, and, as success began to show itself ahead, I was greatly moved, as well as amused, by the peculiar gratefulness with which he, every now and then, exclaimed, in strong Irish brogue, "I never can forget you, Mr. Christy, for all your trouble." The old man shed tears when, at last, we had everything right. In the winter of 1863-4, a sergeant was discharged from service in the convalescent camp at Memphis. He had been wounded at the battle of Shiloh, and was totally disabled. Luckily he came to me before going to the Paymaster's office. I saw there were great difficulties in the way of his securing his pay. His regiment was then in the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tenn. It was painful to think of the poor man's waiting until returns could be had from that place. I took his papers, and set about getting up his case; visited the convalescent camp, obtained his descriptive list, and gathered what I could to strengthen his papers. I then took them to the Paymaster, who looked them hastily over, and said he would pay on them. I left them, and returned to the Lodge very much gratified. In about an hour they were sent back by an orderly, with word that the soldier could not be paid. I went again to the Paymaster, explained and pressed the case, and regained so much of the ground lost, that he said he would " retain the papers and take advice in the case." Meantime, the soldier was in great anxiety, having the prospect before him of making a journey of five hundred miles, or remaining in Memphis waiting the slow and uncertain action of the mail, both of which seemed to him entirely impossible. At the appointed hour we went to hear the decision of the Pay- master, and when he said, " I will pay him," I was about as much rejoiced as ever I was in my life. CHAPTER X. PADUCAH, KY. In the autumn of 1864 the following letter was written to Colonel Allen, Medical Inspector U. S. A., by the Medical Director of the District of Western Kentucky. This letter was referred by Colonel Allen to Mr. Shipman, agent of the Sanitary Commission at Cairo, with an endorsement commending the appeal of Dr. Danforth to the attention of the Sanitary (Jommission and urging the establishment of a Soldiers' Home at Paducah. Head-Quabteks Medical Director, District Western Kentucky, Paducah, Ky.. September 5, 1864. Colonel G. F. Allen, Medical Inspector U. S. A.: My Dear Doctor— We need a Soldiers' Home at Paducah. This is now the permanent head-quarters lor the District. Majileld, twenty-eight miles distant, con- tains about two thousand troops ; all the sick from Mayfleld are sent here. There are a great many troops going and coming on furlough, (through here,) besides quite a large class of convalescents here unprovided for. The Sanitary Commission can find a commodious house for the Home, (rent free,) rebel property, of course. I wish some one of the Commission would visit us and see if a Home may nf>t be established here. I have the honor to remain, respectfully, WILLIS DANFOKTH, Medical Director District IVestcrn Kentiicltji. [endorsemknt .] Cairo, III., September 6, 1864. Respectfully referred to Mr. Shipman. I feel the subject to be of importance. G. P. ALLEN, Mnlical Inspector V. S. A. The matter being referred lo me, such steps were imme- diately taken as were necessary for the accomplishment of soldiers' home — PADUCAH, KT. 405 the object. Mr. E. D. Way, who had served us long and faithfully on the Mississippi, was commissioned to take charge of the enterprise. He went at once to Paducah, where he was cordially received by the military authorities, and all the assistance they could give him was cheerfully rendered. A building was assigned to him free of cost. When this was done, the necessary equipment was sent from Louisville and Cairo ; and on the 21st of November the Home was opened ; Mr. Way acting as superintendent, Mr. D. C. Petty as steward, and Mrs. Hosmer as matron. Though experiencing some vicissitudes from an attack made by the rebels upon Paducah, the Home was kept open, and was exceedingly useful, during the entire spring of 1865 ; then the causes which led to its establishment had ceased to exist, and it was closed on the 1st of June, having in that time accommodated forty-five hundred and fifty men, to whom were given fifty-nine hundred lodgings and thirty thousand seven hundred and forty-six meals. The character of the work done at the Paducah Home was essentially the same as that described in the liistor}' of other similar establishments, and there is abundant evidence that it was humane and valuable. The want of space forbids our giving any detailed account of its history or experiences, and the subjoined letter may be accepted as some evidence of its usefulness ; (From the Cincinnati Gazette.) CARD. PADirCAH, Ky., February 8, 1865. Editors "Gazette:" The undersigned having received invaluable assistance from the agents of the UTiited States Sanitary Commission at this place, during the time that the unfortunate sufferers from the explosion of the steamer " Eclipse" were on our hands, would respectfully, through the medium of your paper, desire to return thanks to the said Commission and its agents, Messrs. B. D. Way, L. Owen, D. C. Petty, and T. B. Horton. These gentlemen labored with unremitting ardor from early morning to late at night, in cooking and distributing coffee, soups, etc., to the sick, and furnishing the surgeons with rags, bandages, towels, and such other necessaries in the shape of dressings a-s we required. Twenty minutes after the boat, temporarily used as a hospital steamer. 406 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. arrived at our wharf, they were on board with their cauldron of boiling coffee and rich soup, ready to distribute it to the men, many of whom had not tasted food since the night before. Indiana owes these gentlemen a debt of gratitude for the exem- plary way in which they acquitted themselves of their stewardship. Requesting insertion for this, in order to show our appreciation of the United States Sanitary Commission, we are. Very respectfully yours, HENRY W. DAVIS, Surgeon U. S. VoVmiteers and Medical Director District of Western Kentucky. SOL. B. WOLFF. Surgeon One Hundred and Eighty-Firfft Ohio Volunteers, Post Surgeon. CHAPTER XI. DETROIT, MICH. I HAVE elsewhere spoken of the Detroit Soldiers' Aid Society, the Michigan Branch of the Sanitary Commission, and have given some expression to my convictions of the indebtedness of the soldiers in our army to the excellent and efficient women composing this Society. In their sympathy with the occupants of the far-oif camps and hospitals upon the frontier, and efforts in their behalf, they did not, however, forget the work tliat the all- pervading war brought home to their own doors ; and, though the task of entertaining returning or passing regiments was mostly performed by the spontaneous action of the citizens of Detroit, the Soldiers' Aid Society in various ways contributed its quota to the grateful duty. In addition to this, the Society established and maintained a Soldiers' Home, into which were gathered and thoroughly cared for all furloughed and discharged men who came, singly or in groups, straggling home from the war — whose arrival was announced by no flourish of trumpets, and who, in their wants and sorrows, were objects of pity rather than pride. To these the Soldiers' Aid Society peifonned the part, of "the good Samaritan" through months of time and in the face of many discouragements. The history of the Detroit Soldiers' Home is given below, as furnished by one of the officers of the Michigan Branch: It was not until the summer of 1863 that the project of a Soldiers' Home for Detroit was seriously thought of. Up to this 408 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. time, and indeed long after, when large bodies of men came, they were sent to the Barracks or quartered in some building, and special provision made for them as they arrived. The Michigan Soldiers' Eelief Committee and the State agent at Detroit provided for individual soldiers passing through, who called upon them or were sent by Michigan agents at the front. The hotel agreed to take them all at a certain price; but many failed to find it, or quartered themselves at saloons, or found no suitable shelter at all. The soldiers began to ask why they were not as well cared for at home as they were at Nashville and Cincinnati and other places. As the numbers increased, Mrs. Hubbard and one or two others urged the necessity of making better provision for them. General Willard, and the United States Commissary, Colonel McAllister, also urged the need of it. Colonel J. R. Smith, commanding the post, gave us his hearty approval, and we were encouraged to begin the undertaking. I should not omit to say that, through General Willeox and his Medical Director, Dr. O'Connell, we were furnished with reports and plans of the Home at Indianapolis; we had reports from the Cincinnati and Chicago Homes; and Dr. Newberry supplied full plans and details of the Home at Louisville, with blank books and forms for the Home records, and whatever else was necessary. The first thing to be done was to find a suitable house, for it was not thought possible to build. Several were examined, none of which were suitable. At last, as the least unfit, the old arsenal building, on the corner of Jefferson avenue and "Wayne street, was selected. Such repairs were made as were absolutely necessary and no more, as the lease might be terminated on short notice. The house was seventy by thirty feet, with cellar, kitchen and laundry in the basement; sitting room, office, dining room, bath room and matron's room (afterwards used for the sick) on the first floor; and eleven bed rooms, with a wide, airy hall, the whole length of the building, on the second. About fifty could be comfortably accom- modated, but at first provision was only made for thirty — a larger number than was expected to need lodging. When we resolved upon opening the Home, that at Cleveland had but four or five inmates; that at Chicago about sixty. We were not so much to blame, then, for beginning on a small scale ; but we certainly ought to have increased the accommodations when soldiers' home — DETROIT, MICH. 409 ■we found them insufficient, and to have added another building to receive regiments passing through. No provision was made for the reception of large detachments, because we were assured they would be provided for at the Barracks; and afterward, ^v'henever we proposed enlarging our building, the repetition of this assurance put a stop to it, although we were over and over again crowded with men not otherwise provided for, except when we appealed in person to the military officers, and then not without much delay and discomfort. I do not know that the officers were to blame, otherwise than that, after they found their own provision insufficient, they should have ui'ged rather than discouraged our attempts to aid them. The Quartermaster and Commissary, I think, would have been glad to do so. We had friendly words from all, and perhaps could not expect more, for they were overtasked with business. We had expected to open the Home by Christmas, 1863; but work was delayed, and it was not until the latter part of January, 1864, that the repairs were completed. The carpenters and plas- terers were hardly gone, and the floors just swept up preparatory to cleaning — no furniture in the house except the cooking stove and others required to dry the plastering — when three hundred and eighty of the 8th Michigan Infantry came through, on their way home from the perils and privations of Knoxville. It was a poor welcome, but the men took it gaily. After sleeping in half-frozen mud, and living on a few ounces of bread made from corn and cobs ground together, warmth and shelter and a sufficiency of whole- some food were luxuries. After the first day, however, many of them found better quarters for themselves. A few required the surgeon's care. One had palpable marks of scurvy, but most of the sick had been left behind. This was the first regiment that came home on furlough after re-enlistment as veterans, and very proud we were of them — some of us, I ought to say, for there was little popular excitement. After two or three days the Home was again empty ; and when, early in February, another and smaller detachment arrived, it was in better order to receive them. When the three hundred and eighty men, sent to us by the military authorities, came, and the Home first opened itself, a sergeant and three or four men from the Barracks were detailed 410 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. to take charge, under us, aud to do whatever was necessary; and, on application to the Secretary of War, we were also authorized to draw provisions, wood, etc., from the Quartermaster and Commis- sary. A matron was appointed to superintend the housekeeping and to nurse the sick. Our housekeeping was not without the usual difficulties among those employed. We tried various ways to harmonize matters. Sometimes we had no matron; hut that seemed uncomfortahle, and except for a little time we were not without a woman's hand to help and voice to cheer the sick and weary. Much of the time there were children, also; which was very pleasant for the soldiers, though probably not so good for the children. Sergean ts Wells, Smith and Sawtelle were successively appointed to the charge of the Home, and I think did their best in a position requiring, to fill it perfectly, a combination of moral and practical qualities not often to be met with anywhere. Of course, not all could be pleased. Ultimately Dr. W. H. De La Hooke, who had for some time acted as superintendent of the Soldiers' Home at JefFer- sOnville, Indiana, was sent to us by Dr. Newberry, and had the immediate supervision of our Home until it was closed. Orderlies sometimes thought themselves not sufficiently well treated, and at first occasional squabbles took place as to the direction. When distinct explanations to the matron that her place was a subordinate one failed to make her understand it, we had to do without her, to the great displeasure of some of the ladies. The sergeant's wife having applied for the place of cook, in order to be with her husband, it was given to her; but she assisted in any- thing that came to hand. Some wei"e scandalized at her lively ways, and would have dismissed her; but as long as no soldier ventured a. disrespectful word to the pretty, pleasant woman who made the Home so home-like, whereas they had perpetually annoyed and been almost insulting to those who stood on their dignity, it hardly seemed worth while to be so scrupulous. Under Dr. De La Hooke's charge there was less trouble than before, partly. I think, because the soldiers did not look upon him as one of themselves, while he was unfailing in kindness, though maintaining order. A good matron was lacking; but dui-ing the latter part of his cluirge, Mrs. Adams, one of our officers, looked after matters a good deal, and was vei-y kind in nursing the sick men. soldiers' home — DETROIT, MICH. 411 During the whole time a committee of three or four ladies had the general superintendence of the Home, inspected its condition, settled disputes, made purchases, (except such as were made by the superintendent,) and reported, or were expected to report, to the Society whatever needed attention. There were but two or three written reports, and those do not appear to hare been preserved; but their verbal and informal reports, in addition to those of the person in charge, kept us posted as to the condition of affairs in general, and often as to particular cases of interest. The visiting was not daily, however, as it should have been, nor had the prin- cipal oflScers of the Society time to become personally acquainted with many of the soldiers. Thereby we lost much, both in useful- ness and popularity. The regulations were altered from those of the Louisville Home, which suited us better than any others we had copies of. The rules in regard to expelling or refusing admission to intoxicated men were relaxed; they were not sent away unless troublesome or disorderly, or (in case of their remaining any length of time) habitually intemperate. Mrs. C — — suggested that it was better to keep a man at the Home until he came to himself than to send him out to find shelter in such places as were ready to receive him in. Some of those in charge of the Home carried their ibrbearance further than we coiild have asked them, and are rewarded by the knowledge that they have helped more than one to keep or regain a fair standing. The amount of relief to individual soldiers at the Home is not fully recorded. Every man who came without clean or whole clothing we directed to be supplied, unless he could get it other- wise ; and the number of garments left behind and re-issued was considerable. The amount of transportation procured is not recorded. At first it was obtained through the State Relief Agent, who probably kept no record of where the soldier was staying; and afterward, when we applied ourselves for it, the applications were made from an office, and we kept no account at all of them except when we paid for it. As the greater part of those who applied to us were at the Home, what we paid is included in the cash report. As regards medical and surgical attendance, various physicians were employed, most of whom gave their services, of which also no 412 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPAKTMENT. record remains, except in the account of medicines furnished by us. The superintendent generally dressed such wounds as required it. For about a year, one of the surgeons employed at the Barracks, but living in the city, attended the Home whenever called upon. Very sick men were usually sent to the hospital, and but two or three deaths are on the books. The first was one of our earliest inmates (February, 1864) — the first case, but by no means the last, in which rules yielded to necessity; for we could not send away, after the usual three days, a sick boy, with no home and no money. So he lingered on for two or three months, full of plans and hopes which others knew would not be realized; afterward ready and waiting to go — only regretting that his mother was not with him. As there were some at the Home who could not go out to church, we attempted to have religious services on Sunday afternoons. The rector of St. Paul's church was there several times; but, with a general promise to come when notified, some other engagements usually prevented the ministers called upon from attending, and it cost more time and trouble than could be given. After two or three services from one Methodist clergyman, and a lay visitor being sent by one Presbyterian pastor to supply his engagement, the attempt was given up. The soldiers were invited to attend at several of the churches, and one of the visitors of the Sailors' Bethel came frequently and took with him those who would go. Under Dr. De La Hooke's management we had more help from men staying at the Home than before. It was a standing; rule that, if a man remained over three days, he was to assist in anything required of him; care being taken, of course, that nothing unreasonable should be asked. With many it was more trouble to get them to work than it was worth, but some worked as faithfully as if they had received wages. On the whole this regula- lation did some good in preserving order and getting rid of idlers, which was all that was really expected; but it could not be depended upon for regular work. During the last few months of our occupancy a number of partially disabled men remained at the Home while learning trades or otherwise at work upon wages which would not support them. In December, 1865, the Harper Hospital Association obtained from Government the buildings of the Harper United States General Hospital, (the site of which they owned,) on condition soldiers' home — DETROIT, MICH. 413 of taking care of invalid Michigan soldiers. It was agreed with us that they should take such as we had taken; that is, all United States soldiers or sailors needing help from any cause ; and that we should supply the funds as long as we were able. We have a committee of visitors and advisory power, and may terminate the arrangement on sufficient notice. On the 2d of January we gave up our charge, and transferred the men remaining with us to the new Home. The Detroit Soldiers' Home entertained thirteen thou- sand seven hundred and twenty-three soldiers, to whom were furnished one hundred and three thousand and seventy-one meals and thirty-one thousand two hundred and twenty-three lodgings. The total expenses of con- ducting this institution were three thousand four hundred and eighty-two dollars and ninety-two cents. GHAPTEK XII, s o X. 13 I IE la s' laEST, BUFFAIiO, N. T. Whether there is something in the waters of Lake Erie which gives to the women who dwell upon its shores an unusual share of masculine energy and patriotic enthusiasm, or whether the colonies that peopled this region brought with them elements favorable to the development of feminine heroism, may be matter of doubt ; yet the fact remains unquestionable, that, among the different Districts of the loyal North which vied with each other in their devotion to the cause for which our late war was waged, nowhere else were there found quite so many or striking examples of woman' s capacity not only to feel, but do, in the country' s cause. Happily for us, in every loyal State the warmest and purest patriotism was exhibited by the women, and without the stimulus and assistance which they rendered to our army, success would never have crowned its efforts. In the District to which I have alluded, not only the femi- nine enthusiasm so general was fully developed, but the part taken by the women in tlie war was characterized by greater independence and a wider range of effort than was noticeable elsewhere. I am led to these remarks by the fact that at either end of Lake Erie, and on its Southern shore, were located three of the most efficient of the Western Branches of the Sanitary Commission, of which the active members were all ladies. Each of them contributed its full quota of useful articles of femjile handiwork to the soldiers soldiers' best — BUFFALO, N. T. 415 in the iirm y, and in addition burdened itself with the sole management of givat transactions in forms of business, heretofore supposed to be the peculiar province of the sterner sex. I have elsewhere remarked upon the skill and energy manifested in the accumulation and transmission to the army of many hundred thousand dollars worth of supplies by these Societies ; but beside all this, a great amount of work was done by them at home, in the care of soldiers passing through or returning, furloughed or discharged, from the war. By each Society a Soldiers' Home was established and maintained, and at Cleveland and Butfalo new buildings were constructed for this purpose under the supervision of the Aid Societies. In these institutions, under the management of these delicately-reared ladies, a great army was lodged and fed, and received every form of relief required by its individual wants — a work present- ing such a combination of manly vigor and woman's ten- derness, as to fully warrant the surprise and admiration it has excited. Sketches have already been given of the Homes and relief work at Cleveland and Detroit. A similar history might be written of what was done in Buffalo. Here, as in other localities cited, a handful of earnest women, aided of course by male and female friends inspired by their enthusiasm, took upon themselves all the care and labor of a great benevolent enterprise, and carried it to a triumphant success. None but themselves know what difficulties and discouragements were encountered, nor is it necessary to inquire, since we know that all opposing influences were I )vercome. The Soldiers' Rest at Buffalo was built by the officers of tliH Army Aid Society, and was in large degree the result of the efforts of its accomplished and efficient President — Mrs. 416 SANITAET COMMISSIOK — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Horatio Seymour. It was located directly in front of the railroad depot, and was fitted up with all the refinements of hospitality found in any of our Sanitary Homes. It was under the suj)ervision of a matron, and the tenderest and most thorough care was given to all its inmates. FINAL EBPOKT OF THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS' REST. Number of soldiers entertained, five thousand five hundred and eighty-seven ; number of meals given, sixteen thousand five hundred and eighty-one; number of lodgings given, four thousand two hundred and eight; valuation of rations received from United States Commissary, valued at twenty-nine cents each, eight hundred and fifty dollars ; valuation of donations sent to the Eest, and articles of clothing and food, from Aid Eooms, two thousand one hundred and sixty-four dollars and thirty-one cents. One hundred and two soldiers have been furnished with transportation, at a cost of five hundred dollars. Expenses of building, current expenses, with transportation of soldiers since the close of the Aid Society Kooms, three thousand nine hundred and forty-three dollars and eighty-eight cents. This has been the most interesting part of our work, as we have seen such satisfactory results from our care as have amply repaid us. Six poor fellows have died there, two of whom are buried in Forest Lawn, our city cemetery ; the others were taken home by their friends or sent by us. We could extract incidents from our daily records which would appeal to the sympathies of every one. The following disposition was made of the inmates at the close, September 1st : Two helpless invahds were sent to their homes in East Tennessee ; two Canadians, cripples, "unwilling to bear the jeers of those unfriendly to the cause," were sent to the Soldiers' Home in Chicago ; one sent ( o the general hospital, with ample provisions for his comfort. All, sixteen in number, were furnished changes of clothing and transportation to Iheir difierent homes. The bedsteads and bedding were sold for a nominal sum, to the Church Home and Orphan Asylum, where, in use for the children of soldiers, the intent of the donors will be carried out. All available household furniture is stored for distribution to soldiers' families the coming winter, and the remainder was sold and the soldiers' best— -BUFFALO, N. T. 417 avails deposited in the treasury. We hope to make such disposition of the huilding as will make a profitable addition to our charitable fund. ., EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Mrs. WAHNEB. Mrs. O. Q. STEELE. Mrs. ISAAC SANDFOBD. Mrs. N. case. Mrs. H. K. SEYMOUE. Mrs. HUMASON. Mrs. J. B. GEIEFIN. Mrs. CHABLES KAMSDELL. Miss MABY LYON. Mrs. T. M. EOOTE. Mrs. G. T. WILLIAMS. Miss ISABEL HADLEY. Mrs. G. W. SCOTT. Mrs. L. D. GOULD. MiSs MAEIA BAENBS. The following notice of the Buffalo Home, or Rest, was written by one not connected with the Aid Society, and may be accepted as independent and reliable testimony to the nature of the service it rendered to the cause of humanity and patriotism. THE SOLDIEllS' REST, BUFFALO, N. Y. Buffalo, N. Y., is one of the half-way houses for Western travel. Day and night the current from East to West, and West to East, pours along the arterial railway ; and day and night Western soldiers assigned to Eastern armies, and Eastern soldiers assigned to Western armies, come to a halt in the depot. Many of them are sick, at least not well ; some just out of hospitals are on furlough ; some with legs off or arms off, or their vitality sucked out by malaria, are discharged. Hundreds only halt in the depot and are then whirled onward in their .iourney ; while other hundreds walk, creep or hobble into the street to look for a meal, or bed, or place to rest, until they can radiate from this center to their respective homes. With but few exceptions they are moneyless, and with but rare exceptions they are friendless ; and at all times, but especially during these bitter howling months of winter, the questions — who will give me a bed without charge? where shall I obtain a meal without price? — are not only difficult to solve, but of vital importance to the brave fellows who con them over in their minds. Immediately opposite the depot, standing out in a very modest way, as if it stood out solely from a feeling of duty, and not a whit with the feeling of vanity, is a snug, clean, home-like house, wearing on its brow the words, "The Soldiers' Best" — " United States Sanitary Commission." Without articulating a syllable, simply by looking and being looked at, it answers the questions in a moment ; and to its door, walk, totter or hobble the moneyless and friendless sons of t'ncle Samuel, to And a bed, a meal, or a rest, without money and without price ; to find carpets and chairs, lounges, books and fires, which greet them with the genial smile of home, rather than with the bold stare of hotels ; and which at once magnetize them into the conviction that the Best was provided not so much for soldiers in the aggregate and concrete, as for themselves individually and personally. It is amusing to see how, at first, some of them look from their shoes to the carpet, and back to their shoes, as if the one had no right on the other; and then how they sidle into a corner where there are no chairs, though they crowd the chairs out of the way to reach the corner. And when the warm-hearted lady, who has been appointed superintendent by the warm-hearted 27 418 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEIJK DJblPARTiMENT. ladies of the Buffalo Branch, coaxes them to give the chairs a fair chance aloni; the walls, by sitting down in them ; and coaxes the weakest to lie down on the lounges ; and coaxes steaming dishes to come out from the tidy kitchen expressly to be eaten ; and coaxes l^e white pillows and sheets to smooth all the wrinkles out of themselves, that they may woo sleep to smooth all the wrinkles out of the tired faces— while all this is going on, it does one's heart good to see how the carpets and chairs and walls nudge each other and laugh at the shoes for their tiftiidity ; and how quickly the men laugh heartier than all of them as the cheer and glow charm each one Into the belief that before he enlisted he built the Rest for his own especial use, but had forgotten all about it till that minute. CHAPTER XIU. s o li J3 I IE] la s' ss: o is/L :ei , NEW ALBASTY, ISTD. In 1864 the throng of soldiers passing through Louisville was such as to crowd the trains of every railroad leading to or from that city ; and the road terminating at New Albany, though less important than the others, received its share of travel. An interval of four miles separated the depot of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and that of the load leading north from New Albany ; for sick or disabled men a troublesome break in the connection, and one that occasioned much suffering. Knowing that in some degree the want of the Soldiers' Home, so apparent at Louisville, must be shared by New Albany, the hospital visitor of the Sanitary Commission at Louisville was requested to make this a subject of special investigation. The following report was handed in as the result of his observations and inquiries : It had been evident for a long time to the hospital visitor that a Soldiers' Home at New Albany was very desirable, and at the request of Dr. Newberry a definite examination was made of the facts in the case, with the following result: From the clerk of the railroad depot it was learned that, for the month of March, trans- portation had been furnished from Louisville alone to eleven hundred and fifty soldiers, only three hundred with their oflBcers. The average per month going and returning from all points was not less than thirty-three hundred, two-thirds of these discharged, furloughed and detached men — about three hundred buying tickets. Transportation was not furnished by Government from Louisville to New Albany or from New Albany to Louisville, so that men without money, unless receiving extraneous aid, must walk about 420 SANITARY COMMISSIOX — WESTERN DEPARTiTENT. four miles, and it often happened were too late for the train or the ferry-boat, and were thns greatly delayed, more or less sleeping all night on the floor of the depot for want of a better place, and that without food. The baggage master says: " Five or six soldiers lie about the depot every day — there were eight or ten yesterday." The irregularity' of the trains was another cause of detention. The first soldier met ar the depot was asked if he was waiting for a train: He said, " Yes, the eight o'clock evening train."' It was then half-past three. He was on furlough from a hospital in Bridgeport. He was sick, had received his dinner at the Soldiers' Home in Louisville, had no money, and knew of no place to get his supper or lunch for his jouruey ; was going to Missouri. Upon the j-exneseiitation of tlie condition of affairs per- taining to tlae comfort of soldiers passing througli the city, the hospital visitor was direiited to find, if possible, some building suitable for a Soldiers' Home near the depot iq NevF Albanj-. At the same time these facts were presented to the New Albany Branch of the Sanitary Commission, and a meeting of the membeis of the Branch was called. They weie offered any necessary addition to theii' resources from the funds of the Sanitary Commission for the accom- plishment of the object had in view. They immediately secured a convenient building, and opened the New Albany Soldiers' Home, Mr. D. Snively, one of the most active mem- bers of tlie New Albany Branch Commission, taking upon himself the duties of superintendent. The result of this Home was the entire I'elief of all the cases of hardship and suffering mentioned in the preceding report. Constant personal supervision was given by the members of the New Albany Branch to the administration of the Home, in order that it might, as far as possible, accomplish all the good hoped in its establishment. It was opened on the 22d of April, 1864, and closed April 1, 1865, during which time it furnished, to ten thousand eight hundred and seventy-six soldiers' home — NEW ALBANY, IND. 431 passing soldiers, seven thousand seven hundred and eighty- four lodgings and twenty -tivt^ thousand six hundred and thirteen meals. Though the existence of the New Albany Soldiers' Home was comparatively a short one, and the record of its work falls numerically below that of most of the others, yet it supplied a great need in that locality, and the measure of its usefulness can better be gauged by the testimony of the waj-farers to whom its cheer was so hospitably extended than by any table of statistics or elaborated report. CHAPTER XIV. S O li ID I JE3ie S' HOn^IEJ, JBFFEESONVILLB, IKD. The influences which induced the establishment of the New Albany Home would have caused a similar institution to be opened at Jeflfersonville at a still earlier date — as the want was similar in kind and greater in degree at the latter point — but we were long delaj^ed by the difiiculty of getting possession of any suitable building, and by the promise given to us of turning over to our iises a United States hospital located immediately adjacent to the lailroad depot, and which was every way adapted to our wants. After waiting seAeral months for the abandonment of this hos- pital — an event confidently expected from week to week — in the autumn of 1864, the great number of sick brought up from the South increased again the hospital population of Louisville and vicinity, and seemed to post])()ne the accom- plishment of our plan further than e^ei'. At the same time the number of furloughed and discharged men Avho gathered around the Jeffersonville depot, and nightl}* siiffered there in their delays for want of proper accommodation, A\as such as to make it imperatively necessary that something should be done for their relief. So in October, after much per- severing effort, the object so long had in view was accom- plished, by taking a business block within a stone' s throw of the depot, and converting its stores and lofts into a convenient Soldiers' Home. This was done under the immediate supervision of Mr. Bushnell, and the history soldiers' home — JEFEERSONVILLB, IND. 423 of the inception of the enterprise is very well given in his report which follows : For more than a year it was deemed desirable to have a Soldiers' Home established at Jeffersunville. Hospital No. 16 has throughout the time supplied the want, as far as it could, but it has done the work to a great disadvantage, and has not been at all adequate to the need. Only those who by chance learned that this hospital would give food to the hungry and a bed to the sick received the comfort of its attention. An application was made a year ago to Colonel Wood, Assistant Surgeon General, for this hospital for a Home. He approved of giving it up to the Commission, and referred the matter to Surgeon G. G. Shumard, the Medical Director, who gave the hope of obtaining it soon. More than a month ago, when men were furloughed from the hospitals near the front in great numbers, and were crowding at the Jeflfei'sonville depot to change their orders for transportation tu railroad tiokets, for a number of nights hundreds of men were without shelter or food. The Commission then determined that a Home ought to be established as soon as possible; and finding that the Medical Director was needing Hospital 'No. 16 as a distributing hospital, it was thought best to rent some building near the depot, or, if it could not be accomplished, to rent some convenient lot and build a temporary structure. After much hunting, two warehouses were found conveniently located, which could be arranged for the purpose at a less sum than the cost of building. The Government engineer at Jelfersonville estimated the expense of the change necessary, and the Quarter- master at the post, at my request, wrote to Brigadier-General Allen, Chief Quartermaster of the post, stating the necessity of a Soldiers' Home, and the expense of these changes. The General ordered the work done as soon as possible. The few occupants of the building were removed to other quarters by the commandant of the post. The work of transforming these warehouses into what is thought to be a comfortable Soldiers' Home is now accomplished. The building is three stories high in front, forty-four by fifty feet. The lower story extends back one hundred feet, allowing for wash room, dining room and kitchen, store room, pantry and 424 SAN^ITART COMMISSlGir^WESTEEN^ DEPAETMENT. baggage room; and leaving in the lower story, in front, a sick ward twenty by fifty feet, less a small office, and a sitting room twenty-one by forty-five feet. It has three wards, twenty-one by fifty feet; also one floor containing apartments for the super- intendent, steward and detailed men, and a small lumber room. It has beds for ninety guests ; has already sheltered for the night, closely crowded, over six hundred men. It has a fine well, and tanks so arranged that there can be a continual supply of water in the wash room and kitchen. A cistern has a;lso been dug, and a pump will supply from this the laundry. Arranging and urging forward this work has been my daily occupation for some time. It has not needed my close attention for more than a week past, and I have re-commenced my hospital rounds. Respectfully yours, F. H. BUSHNELL. The first superintendent of the Jeffersonville Home was Major E. F. Smith, previously a Paymaster in the army, a man intimately acquainted with the wants of the soldier, and full of earnest sympathy with his sutferings. In May, 1865, he was compelled by ill health to resign, and Mr. E. D. Way took the superintendence of the institution. It continued under his management until September 1, 1865, when it was closed. The work done at the Jeffersonville Home was so similar in its character to that performed at other establishments which have been more fully described, that it is not neces- sary' now to give its details. Suffice it to say, that it fuUy accomplished all the good hoped for in its organization, and was an infinite blessing to those who experienced its hospitalities. During its continuance, thirteen thousand eight hundred and thirty-five men were admitted there, to whom four thousand four hundred and ninety-nine lodgings and twenty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty meals were given. soldiers' home — JEFFEBSONVILLB, IND. 435 During the last half of the thne tliat the Jefferson ville Home was kept open, the entire expenses of its maintenance were borne by the Sanitary Commission. The issue of rations to soldiers entertained in it, which had been made up to that period, was discontinued by orders from Washing- ton, requiring the Commissary of Subsistence to establish a Governmental institution that should perform the same work. In these circumstances, Major Symonds, Commis- sary U. S. A., proposed to take our building and equip- ment off our hands, to which we gladly assented, not desiring to do, here or elsewhere, for the soldier that which tlie Government was willing to perform for him ; but, upon looking over our establishment, and examining the inventory of articles constituting its equipment, ]\Iajor Symonds stated that he was not authorized to attempt, on the part of the Government, any such refinement of care as we were in the habit i if bestowing upon the soldiers, and, fully realizing the injurj' they would sustain by the pro- posed change of administration, he, an excellent officer and kind-hearted man, procured a suspension of the order for the supersedure of our Home. ^Vnd thus the work was left in our hands until the necessity for its continuance ceased. 436 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. o ;> K m H Pi hi ■< M Q m Ph CO O H M O H •iasjaj" Ai8^ ajiqsflra'Bjj '^ •l?5[S13jq9^ ■unossipi •iddississij^ •B^osauuij^ •UBSiqoiH •s:i.snciO'BSSBR[ •paBijtiBj^ a :* s S 3! S S 8 S a 3 3 O OS OJ S 3 S Oi ^i* t~ OO i-H w en o *-i ■8UI'BJ\[ 'T3UBIS1TIOT; •X^omuag; •SBSU'e;a; ■BMOI •^u^ipTiI ■eiounil •BlSjODf) •GJBM'Bisa; •^nOlJOQUUOQ •■BIU.lOJIl'BQ 'S'BSU'eTiJY •i&Jxreq'BiY •^ T-i ZD t- Gl L- CO r-i T-( O rH §8 e rH CO M 3 S B "* CO OO CO CK s s rH lO •samoH .saaiaios iO NOIIV0O1 a •r az. wj eg . ~, i,\) ■*■ ^ ■*■■ H-lJzjooSPMfiM!?; REPOKT OF SPECIAL BELIEF SERVICE. 427 ■aaHSiNaa^i t- CO -^ ca «5 o tH oo t- g Sf I g s s OS r-i t- iH iH CO O t- GO T-i 55 o »n eo t- S S S5 IS ■aaHsiHan^ soHioaoi aaaHUN N so M O O -<*< 00 05 ^ s •sdoojx P.ioo 00 03 O OS -* »n »n CO o S « cS t t 5 in" CO oT m t- OS 12 Ir^ xn O CO CO io oT CO i-H 04 rH S S ?^ ep oo o iH i "■■ "' " s s CO in O 00 O IC 3 s 'sdjoo 00 wa ■sj'BinSa'ji § § •PISQOOSIM SCO o 2 tH OS OS «S to 00 CO puB ■BiaiSjjjV S i a S O CD ■^uoraja^ g S 5 ■SBxax ■89ssanu8j; o o o o Ci tH lO CC O ^ i- ^ •puuisi apoqa •papjooajufi K 5: •^iuBAiXsua9IJOA Aia^ -tH CD i s ■sawOH .saaiaiog ao KO11VOO1 3 a 3 3 i2i O D b 1^ I? o i i ^ ^ s fd *j ta ts b Ph P n 1^ 1-5 CHAPTER XV. TUB I3:OS'^IT.A.X. X3IE.:BGTOE,ir. Another branch of the work not contemphited in the organization of the Sanitary Commission, but which, origin- ating in a want developed during the progress of tlie war, assumed an unexpected magnitude and became an incalcu- lable blessing to the army and the country, was the Hospital Directory. All those who have known mucli of the progress of events in our country during the last few years, know that the whole history of the war has been colored by the fact that our army was in tlie main composed of citizens temporarily doing military duty — citizens who, while fight- ing for the liberties of their country with an ardor and enthusiasm unknown to a hireling soldiery, still never ceased to be citizens, and waited only till the object for which they were striving should be accomplislied, to return to their homes and resume the avocations they had tempo- rarilj^ abandoned. l<"'rom this cause tlie ties which bound the soldier to his home, to his wife, his mother, or his sweetheart wei-e never broken, and both he and they were united in an interest and sympathv' that required constant communication ; hence the number of letters jiassing to and from the army was altogether without parallel in the histor}- of wars; and hence tlie e\ents and fortunes of the soldier were an ever-present care with his friends at home, and when it chanced, as sooner or later it was likely to do to all, that th»^ soldier was wounded in battle or was struck down by disease, his friends and kindred, following his fortunes with anxious (\ye, w(>re prompt to learn the fact and eager THE HOSPITAL DIKECTORT. 429 to do all things possible for his relief. Much of the iinpar- alleled munificence which sustained the Sanitary Commis- sion flowed from this source, and much of the daring and endurance which characterized our soldiery sprang from tlieir frequent good words from home and the consciousness that all they did and suffered was of vital interest to the loved ones far away. So every battle sent a thrill of anxiety through thousands of communities and families, and every important engagement was followed by a throng of anxious friends pressing forward to learn tlie fate or relieve the sufferings of those whom rumor or official report had numbered among the victims. All military centers were crowded with those who sought more accurate intelligence, or permission to go themselves to the bedside of those with whose lives their own happiness was inseparably bound. As the business of the military authorities was to conquer the enemy, to fight battles, and not tt) furnish information or relieve the anxiety of the soldiers' friends, a cloud of obscurity naturally hung over every battle field, and weeks and months would sometimes ela])se before accurate inform- ation coiild be obtained in regard to the fate of those engaged. To lemove as far as possible the manifest suffering flowing from this state of things, the Sanitary Commission established a Directory of Hospitals, as it was called, by which full and accurate lists should be promptly obtained of the killed and wounded in every battle, and received and recorded from every hospital, so that the fate and history, the location and condition of every wounded or sick man in the army should be known at the earliest possible moment. This effort proved eminently successful, and the institution thus established became a source of varied and unnumbered blessings both to the people and the army. The flrst Hospital Directory was opened in Washington, in the spring of 1862, and in December a Branch office was 430 SAISriTAEY COMMISSION' — WESTEBN^ DEPARTMENT. opened at Louisville for the Western Department. Through the efforts of the agents of the Commission stationed at all important points with the army, lists of casualties, more full and complete than had ever before been obtained, were immediately transmitted from every battle field, and, by the authority of the Medical Department, regular reports were transmitted from every general hospital to the Directory, including all deaths, transfers, returns to duty, etc., by which the history of every sick or wounded man could be traced through all his changes of location or experience. In the Hospital Directory all these reports were classified, and the sick or wounded of each regiment brought together, so that it was but the work of a moment to ascertain what the location and condition of each man whose name appeared on the record was a few hours previous to any inquiry that might be made in regard to him. By reference to this record, by letter or personal inquiry, it, was possible for any one in the country to ascertain with certainty whether friends had fallen in battle ; if wounded, how seriously ; if sick, in what hospital, of what disease, and in what condi- tion. It will be seen at a glance that the information which it furnished not only relieved anxiety in the minds of thousands and saved its cost many times over to the people, by preventing unnecessary and fruitless journej'S ; but, when it gave information that misfortune had overtaken the objects of their solicitude, it pointed the friends of the sufferers at once to their location, and told so much of their condition as enabled one to decide whether or not it was desirable or necessary to attempt to reach them. A tran- script from the Hospital Directory record, certifjang that a certain soldier was dying of disease, or dangerously wounded, was considered by the military authorities as sufficient evidence of the truth and force of an application for a pass to the army, and by this means thousands of THE HOSPITAL DIRECTOET. 431 fathers and mothers and wives were enabled to soothe the last hours and receive the farewells of those who, without the Diiector}-, would have died comfortless and alone. The special report of the superintendent of the Hospital Direc- tory, which accompanies this, will give abundant evidence of its usefulness and show the character and magnitude of the work performed by it. The want it supplied is so real and important that probably no future wars vrill be carried on without something corresponding to it. To the Govern- ment the Hospital Director}^ was frequently of great con- venience and value, as no similar consolidation of surgeons' reports from battle helds or hospitals was anywhere kept; and it was a matter of daily occurrence that missing men, through the help of the Directory, were traced by officers of regiments who had long since lost sight of them. It afforded, also, an important means of determining the fate of those who had died in the service, and thus securing to their heirs the bounties, pay and pensions which were their due. It also formed a collection of medical statistics, unique in character and of the greatest value, as here could be seen at a glance the medical history of each regiment in the service, such as existed nowhere else. The Hospital Direc- tory at Louisville, at the close of the war, contained records of one thousand five hundred and seventeen regiments, and included seven hundred and ninety-nine thousand three hundred and se\'enteen names. EEPORT OP H. S. HOLBEOOK, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE HOSPITAIj DIRECTORY AT LOUISVIliliE, KY. The Hospital Directory at Louisville, Ky., head-quarters of the Western Department of the United States Sanitary Commission, was opened January 1, 1863, and closed October 15, 1865. In all its generalities, the work of the Louisville oflBce was similar to that performed in the Directories of the East, with only these differences — that it enjoyed more fully the favor and 4:32 BANITABY COMMISSIOJSr — WESTERN DBPARTMBKT. co-operation of the Governmental authorities; and, occupying a central position in the Valley of the Mississippi, with its magnifi- cent distances stretching away north and south, east and west, its lines of communication were all longer. Serving, as it did, as a connecting link between the armies in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, with homes in New York and Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, separated by an interval of more than a thousand miles, the value of the services it rendered was measured in a degree by the magnitude of the area over which its beneficiaries were distributed. From its position, therefore, it would be naturally expected that some of the most conspicuous ilhistrations of the usefulness of the Directory should appear in the records of the Louisville office. It is hoped that such illustrations will not be found wholly wanting in the documents now presented. And yet to those who have shared in, or even witnessed, the work of the Hospital Directory, this, and indeed, any report must seem barren and unsatisfactory. The courtesies and appreciative favors of the Assistant Surgeon- General, and of Medical Directors and surgeons in charge in the Western Department, enabled us to procure at once full lists of the patients in the military hospitals, with lists of those who had previously died, and to arrange for regular reports thereafter — which continued to be granted to us while the war lasted. From these hospital reports — giving the name, rank and regiment of each man, with the date of his admission to hospital, nature of complaint or wound, date of discharge, return to duty, furlough or death — our records derived the information which it was the object of the Directory to furnish to inquiring friends of soldiers. The tables of statistics in the appendix to the general report of the Hospital Directory* contain a particular analysis of the records and work of the Directory; and only a brief statement of the results they set forth will be necessary in this place. Table A gives the names and localities of all hospitals from which reports were received at the Louisville Director}', with the dates of commencement and discontinuance, and the number of reports received from each. ♦Deposited with tlie arol>ives of tlie Sanitary Commission in tlie Astor Library, New Yorli city. THE HOSPITAL DIEECTOKT. 433 The wide field over which these hospitals were scattered, from one to another of which patients were heing constantly transferred, was a strong element in the need of a Directory, to which the daily changes should be promptly reported. The total number of hospitals from which reports were received is three hundred and eighty-six ; and the total number of reports from hospitals is fifty-two thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight. Most of these reports are original ones ; the others are copies of originals, as made by surgeons in charge of hospitals to the several Medical Directors; and from these the books and records for refer- ence and use have been made up. Tables B and C. — The total number of names on these fifty-two thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight reports is seven hundred and ninety-nine thousand three hundred and seventeen; and the total number of deaths is eighty-one thousand six hundred and twenty-one, as may be seen in Table B. Table C shows the classification of these names, when transferred from these reports to State record books, and distributed into regiments; under the respective headings of which each name is entered, with the name and location of hospital, date of admission, and subsequent changes as reported, and also the date of the report, by which reference may be made to the ofiicial source of the information, whenever neces- sary — the reports of each hospital being kept in separate packages and arranged in chronological order. The headings of the reports and the headings of the records correspond the one to the other, except that in the report the "complaint or wound" is given under that heading, which is not entered on the Directory records. When required, and proper to be furnished to an inquirer, reference was made to the hospital report on file — the work of a moment. These hospital reports are worthy of careful preservation, as containing the names of surgeons in charge at given periods and official evidence that may prove essential to the establishment of some just claim in the future. The names of the patients who were admitted to hospitals at Louisville, New Albany and Jeffersonville are registered in books the same as used by the Directory at Washington. The names of those in hospitals elsewhere, as well as the alphabetical list of the dead, are on sheets, so attached and arranged as to be easily bound 28 434 SANITARY COMMISSION — WBSTEKN DEPARTMENT. in volumes, if desired; though, before the work ceased, this method, which brought together all the pages of each regiment — the current sheet being added when filled — saved the necessity of turning from volume to volume in search of a name, and proved itself as con- venient as it was economical. The regimental packs were kept in portfolios, each State by itself. In searching for a name, consult the records concerning the sa?ne regiment both in the bound volume and the unbound sheets; also the alphabetical lists of deaths. It seems proper, now that the detective skill of practiced hands will no more turn over these records for the benefit of inquirers, that a more particular account of our method should be given than would otherwise be necessary, for the guidance of imy one who may hereafter undertake to search for a lost man. "The alphabetical list of the dead" was designed to bring into compact and convenient form, for easy reference, the names of all soldiers who had died, to be found in the whole range of our records, arranged by States, in alphabetical order, on sheets attached to each other, so that, when the work was completed, the final arrangement might be in State divisions in alphabetical order; or, if preferred, all the names could be brought together in order, under their respective initial letters, forming twenty-six parts, in which each State should appear by itself. This, it was thought, would form the fitting close of our records, and, whether published or presented to the Government in manu- script, might prolong the usefulness of the Directory, by discovering the name of some lost man, and leading to evidence which should relieve the wants of some desolated household. " Oh, 'tis not the dead who suffer," said one who learned at the Directory that she was left a widow, with five children dependent on her hands for support ; " it is the living — who must bear onward with weakened strength and be broken down by the burdens entailed by the war!" About one-half of the names of the dead on our records are already transferred to these lists, as originally designed. A few of the State lists are nearly, if not quite, completed. To return to Tables B and C, we find as follows: Number of States represented on the records _ 30 Number of Military Organizations otlierwise designated 6 Number of Regiments represented on the records _ 1,617 Number of Names reported.. 799,317 Number of Beaths reported 81,62) THE HOSPITAL DIEEGTOBY. i35 The foregoing is the sum of the items as classified and regis- tered from fifty-two thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight reports, received from three hundred and eighty-six hospitals, as noted in Table A. The name of each soldier reported by a hospital ordinarily implied the entry of two items against his name on the records — first, his admission ; and, second, at a longer interval, his discharge from the hospital, whether by "return to duty" or "death." Of course, the mere number of names does not show the full amount of labor in the daily posting of books. And here it may be proper to say, that the employSs of the office were, ordinarily, through the war, in number six to eight. The daily posting of changes, as reported, occupied the time of five clerks. Mr. W. J. Duncan, who was connected with this office from the beginning to its close, was corresponding clerk, answering the inquiries made by letter, and was the efficient general assistant. The superintendent answered personal calls and inquiries. The outside work of special relief, and visits to hospitals for particular information concerning soldiers inquired for, was performed, ordinarily, by Dr. D. C. Hill- man, a man of heart and great versatility of talents and acquire- ments, whose name appears in many relations to the work of the Commission in this Department. In addition to these classified records, we have, arranged for reference, official lists of casualties in battle; copies of hospital registers prior to January 1, 1863, going back to the commence- ment; undertakers' lists of burials; lists of inscriptions on the head-boards of "soldiers' burying ground" at Savannah, Tenn.; and a list of inscriptions on head-boards of scattered graves about Atlanta, Ga., (some four hundred names, not reckoned in this report,) collected by Mr. H. A. Bischoff, clerk in the Directory; an original copy of the death register in Andersonville prison, furnished by one who was both a prisoner and registry clerk there; besides printed lists of arrivals of sick and wounded at various points; lists of discharges, deaths, casualties, rebels and prisoners, cut from news- papers, and preserved in order for reference as occasion might require. In fine, every scrap of information obtainable concerning the sick, wounded or dead of our army was preserved, as containing a possible clue or aid in tracing up an answer for the satisfaction of an inquirer. 436 SANITARY COMMISSION— WESTERN DEPARTMENT. With these materials, and other facilities through the agents of the Commission for the obtaining and furnishing information, the Hospital Directory was prepared for the service of applicants. Of these, there are several classes which do not appear on our daily register of individual inquiries, and hence are not included in the statistics given of our work, which yet ought to be mentioned in a report of the work of the Hospital Directory. 1. No record was made of the applications of State agents com- missioned to care for State soldiers, to whom we freely imparted all the information our records could furnish, to enable them to find and aid the objects of their care. We are happy to say that we ever found in their intercourse with this oflBce an appreciative and co-operative spirit. Their knowledge of particular regiments and memoranda of personal visitations occasionally supplied an omission or corrected an inaccuracy of hospital reports, and at the same time confirmed the general truthfulness of our records. In a multitude of instances they have co-operated with us in assisting inquirers in the accom- plishment of their objects. We freely offered our aid to them, and availed ourselves of theirs, when, by either agency, the objects had in view could be better served; and this report would fail in justice if honorable mention were not made of such faithful co-laborers in kindred work, and true friends of soldiers, and earnest workers for their welfare, as were tlie State agents of Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania, who were stationed at Louisville. '>. No account was kept of the inquiries made by the agents of the Christian Commission; nor of the numerous soldiers" letters gathered by them in hospitals south of Louisville, and brought or sent to the Directory, to be re-directed from its records to the then present locations of the soldiers. 3. No account was kept of the applications of military ofiBcers who were appointed to search fur missing men, deserters or patients in hospitals, and recall those able for duty to their regiments. To sucli our records furnished much valuable information- directing them, without loss of time or expense, to the places of their search, and recovering many a strong arm to the service where most needed, besides clearing the name of many a soldier from the suspicion or mark of being a " deserter," when, in reality, THE HOSPITAL DIKECTOET. 437 found to be a patient in hospital. OflBcers, in this way, had theii: labors greatly abridged. In addition to their thanks and offered remuneration for this aid, they, in return, promptly responded to our letters of inquiry, whenever occasion called for them, and gave us many an answer that relieved the anxiety of inquiring friends. 4. No account was made of applications by surgeons, to whom our records furnished the means of learning the results of certain classes of surgical operations or medical treatment, the issues of which were of scientific importance, by discovering the location and fate of the subjects on every reference to the books. Sometimes lists of such cases were left in the office, so that any change reported by hospital might be noted on them. At other times the surgeon preferred to keep track of the cases for himself, and free use of the books and reports was allowed. 5. No account was kept of the number of soldiers' letters left uncalled for at the post office. Medical Directors' offices and in hospitals, both in Louisville and south, and also many direct from home to our care, which, by means of our records were re-directed and forwarded so as to reach the soldier, removed to some distant hospital or returned to duty. Of these letters, so forwarded to soldiers, there were not less than two thousand. 6. No record was made of special visits to patients in hospital, in order to furnish more particular information of their condition to inquiries by letter, or to those who had called at the office and requested, after their return home, special attention to their rela- tives unable to write for themselves. Much of this last was done by Eev. Mr. Bushnell, Hospital Visitor; but usually it was attended to by those immediately connected with the office. 7. No account was kept of the number of telegrams written at the request of applicants, to obtain information or a military permit to visit the sick and wounded in Nashville and beyond. At times, passes to go south of Louisville could only be obtained from head-quarters at Nashville. The exact designation and loca- tion of the soldier to be visited, facilitating the examination of the case at head-quarters, both here and there, and the voucher of the Commission, given on good evidences of loyalty, were considered an advantage. Though outside of the strict lines of our work, yet, 438 SANITARY OOMMISSIOK — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. ae it was a saving of expense to many who could ill afford even what was necessary, to condense their requests in a few intelligible words, and a kindness both to the soldier and his friends, the service was cheerfully rendered. Indeed, it could hardly be declined; and doubtless many a one, so helped on his way, was stimulated to add to the abundance of his thanks an extra donation to the Soldiers' Aid Society at home, and told the story of the aid himself received from the Sanitary Commission. (If expressions of gratitude could have run the Sanitary Commission, the Hospital Directory would have supplied all necessary fuel!) The number of telegrams sent on account of applicants request- ing information and passes cannot be less than twenty-five hundred. The copies which were kept as memoranda of the amount deposited to pay for dispatches and answers number eighteen hundred and forty-eight, which, at the low estimate of two dollars each, shows a cash business of near thirty-seven hundred dollars done at the desk of personal inquiries. It was probably twice that amount. The tariff on ten words to Nashville was ninety cents ; to Chattanooga, one dollar and thirty-five cents. It takes practice to get your money's worth at the telegraph office, and many a poor man was saved from three to ten dollars by having his dispatches properly written and directed. One certainly was "much obliged" who worded his message in about sixty words, and asked to have it properly addressed to Sanitary Commission, Nashville. It was re-written for him in ten words. He pondered over it for some time — then said he "thought it would do — but it was about as complicated as he could do it himself" 8. In cases where the death of a soldier, ascertained from our records, rendered the journey beyond this city a needless expense to the relatives on the way to visit him, we made out the necessary papers for obtaining the "effects" of the deceased, had them prop- erly authenticated before a magistrate, and provided, through the agents of the Commission, to have them sent home, so that the person in trouble was relieved from further care, expense and loss of time, and enabled to return at once. Also, when desired, we arranged for the procuring and forwarding of the remains of deceased soldiers to their friends. The number of bodies so ordered through this office, and which received the attention of agents of the Commission at Nashville, THE HOSPITAL DIRECTOET. 439 Chattanooga, Knoxville and elsewhere, and were forwarded to relatives, at home, is seventy-six; and the amount of money deposited to pay foi' burial cases and express charges, was over seven thousand dollars. Besides these, there were many ordered through us by Soldiers' Aid Societies, the charges for which were paid at home on arrival of the body. A reduction of five dollars from the regular price, on each burial case ordered by agents of the Commission, was granted by the prin- cipal Government undertaker, for the benefit of the friends. Add this to the expenses of travel from home to the place of burial and back, and the amount saved to home friends would in each instance be from fifty to one hundred and fifty dollars. In other words, the services of the Sanitary Commission Agency reduced the expenses one-half — saving, in the aggregate, nearer ten thousand than seven thousand dollars. But many relatives who had come as far as Louisville, especially in cases of recent death, preferred to go for the bodies themselves, hoping to gather some incidents of the last hours of their lost ones. To such we gave letters of directions and commended them to the attention of the Sanitary Commission agents in the place to which they were bound. Of these, so aided, there were several hundreds. But the full variety of work done and benefits rendered through the agency of the Hospital Directory and its connections cannot be told. Hotels and boarding houses were pointed out, where the charges would not consume too rapidly the slender means of the delayed parent or wife of a soldier, whose journey toward him was suspended till a pass could be got, or some word of news by telegraph or letter should determine their course forward or homeward. Work was found for others who had only means for going on — none for stopping over — that they might not be obliged to return comfortless. Transportation was obtained at military rates for multitudes; for many it was obtained free, on a representation of the circum- stances of the person needing, the charity; and in some cases pecuniary aid was granted. The work of the Hospital Directory in behalf of soldiers and their relatives, though begun at Louisville, did not end there. Those who called, and carried away an abstract from its hospital 440 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. record, with a commendatory line, found a helping hand all along the way to the cot or the grave of the one they sought. The agents of the Sanitary Commission throughout the Western Department were all contributors of its means of information, and partners in the service it rendered. At Chattanooga, Nash- ville and Memphis, an immense amount of labor was performed in connection with the Directory. Between the Directory and these points particularly, there was daily correspondence relative to its interests and objects; and the efficiency and usefulness of the Directory is in no small degree attributable to the hearty sympathy and co-operation of the agents, not only at these places but in every place where the Sanitary Commission displayed its banner. All worked for us and with us. To tiame them would be to call the roll of the Sanitary Commission in the West. They were all Hospital Directory men, and sympathized with the wants at home as well as with the wants in the field and hospital. And as they ministered the comforts from home to the soldiers, could they do less than was in their power to give comfort to the anxieties of home, through the agency or medium of the Hospital Directory. Under whatever special name they served, they never neglected this branch of the Sanitary Commission work. They hunted up lost men; answered special inquiries; visited those inquired for; ministered to their need; wrote to their friends ; got them furloughed or discharged; put them on hospital cars; and provided, by telegraph or letters, helpers by the way; all this and more they did, in meeting the requests that went from the Direc- tory. They also procured and forwarded hospital reports, lists of casualties and burials ; they marked graves; deciphered and noted down inscriptions on head-boards by the wayside; reported deaths on hospital cars and transports; all this and more they did, to increase the usefulness of the Directory. But all this variety of service, and much other that cannot even be alluded to, does not appear in the statistical account of our work ; to which we now return for a glance at the results : Table D shows the total number of inquiries concerning soldiers, and the number of answers returned to their relatives and friends. THE HOSPITAL DIEECTOKT. 441 It also shows the State designation of the soldiers inquired for by letter ; by which it will be noticed how, from all parts of our country, they were mingled together in the armies of the South- west ; and the same fact may be observed in Tables B and C ; and therein was a reason why there should be a central point, where should be collected and whence should radiate information con- cerning them, for the benefit of far-away relatives. An analysis of the sources of the inquiries would have added interest to this table, and shown a far wider relationship. They came from all sections of our own country, from Canada, and some from England, France, Germany, Italy and Holland. SUMMABT OF TABLE D, BBLATIVE TO INQUIRIES. Number of States represented by Soldiers inquired for --. 39 Number of Individual Inquiries — By Letter 5,176 Personally made - 18,829 Total Number of Inquiries -- 24,005 Number of Answers returning Information— To Letter Inquiries 3,815 To Personal Inquiries 13,644 Total Successful Answers 17,459 Total Unsuccessful Answers.. 6,546 Number of Answers reporting Beaths 6,106 Number of Letters written to and for Applicants concerning their Inquiries 13,520 With reference to these six thousand five hundred and forty-six inquiries, for which our records at the time had nor information* though valuable aid was furnished to most of the inquirers, it should be said that a large share of them related to captured soldiers of whom nothing could be learned, and some to the soldiers who " were never heard of since the battle of ," and who were marked on the company rolls as "missing," many of whom doubtless sleep their last sleep m " unknown " graves, hastily buried on the field or by the wayside, by fellow soldiers or by captors. Many of these unsuccessful inquiries were made for those who were lost sight of in the first years of the war, or before 1863, when our records began. The urgent and fruitless inquiries for such, pressing upon the agents of the Commission from every direction, was a chief reason for establishing the Hospital Directory. 442 SANITARY COMMISSION— WESTERN DEPARTMENT. It is not wonderful that so many inquiries failed to find answers in the records of the Hospital Directory, when even the Govern- ment and official military records could not account to their relatives for these "boys." The real wonder is that so many inquiries did find answers in our records. Nothing but an order of the Government, strictly enforced, requiring every officer in charge of men to report — from the regiment, the names of the "missing," "killed" or "wounded;" from the hospital, whether regimental, post, or -general, every "admission," "death" and "discharge" — daily, or immediately as occasion occurred, to one or more central points or Governmental Directories ; only such an authoritative arrangement could secure full and accurate information of the location, condition and fate of soldiers " missing " from-the ranks of the regiment. Of the necessity and value of such a Directory, made thoroughly efficient, the history of the Hospital Directory afibrds ample proof ; if more were needed, reference might be made to the four long "rolls of missing men," published by Miss Clara Barton, now, under the patronage of Congress, reviewing and continuing the work of the Hospital Directory. And here, in justice to the Sani- tary Commission, it should be stated that nearly a year before the list of Andersonville deaths was published under the auspices of Miss Barton, it was in possession of the Hospital Directory, extensively advertised, and its information furnished to the public. Now that the books of the Directory and its offices are closed, it is but recommending our own work heartily to endorse the continu- ance of it by Miss Barton under the appreciative approbation of Congress. STATISTICAL SUMMARY OP THE WORK OK THE HOSPITAL DIRECToKV AT l.dllsVILLK, KY. Number of States represented by Inquiries 21) Number of Hospitals which have been reported 386 Number of Reports received from Hospitals 52,768 Number of Regiments recorded. __ 1 517 Number of Names recorded 750 502 Number of Deaths recorded 79 857 Number of Names on Reports not recorded _ _ .. _ 48,815 Number of Deaths on Reports not recorded 1 761 Whole Number of Names reported 799 317 Whole Number of Deaths reported' _ 81,621 THE HOSPITAL DIKECTOKT. 443 Number of Inquiries received 24,005 Number of Inquiries answered witli Information 17,459 Number of Inquiries answered without Information 6,546 Number of Personal Inquiries 18,829 Number of Personal Inquiries answered with Information 13,644 Number of Personal Inquiries answered without Information 5,185 Number of Inquiries by Letter ._ 5,176 Number of Inquiries by Letter answered with Information 3,815 Number of Inquiries by Letter answered with Information of Death 1,159 Number of Inquiries by Letter answered without Information 1,361 Number of Answers sent from Louisville 12,520 Number of Answers sent from Chattanooga 1,179 Number of Telegrams sent for Information and Passes 1,848 Number of Telegrams sent tor Special Inquiries 598 Number of Written Directions and Commendatory Letters given Friends on their way to visit Sick and Wounded Soldiers, (estimated) 8,000 Number of Bodies recovered and forwarded to Friends 76 Number of Friends of Deceased Soldiers furnished with Directions and Aid, (estimated at not less than) 50O .These are the results in figures of the question and answer work of the Louisville Directory. But they fail to give any idea of the labor, patience and feeling involved in the necessary attention to the particulars of each case, burdened with peculiar and painful interest and urgently appealing for sympathy, information and aid. One might as well attempt to conjure up the drama of their real life from the scattered bones of a strange burial-place, as from these figures to reproduce the painful realities they simply tally. Each name is the name of a man dear to a circle of kindred and friends ; each inquiry bears the interest, anxiety and earnestness of some relative. Between the parties stood the Hospital Directory, with its records and helpful agents. A few facts drawn from its daily life will better illustrate the working of the Directory than any general statement or table of statistics. INCIDENTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE WORK. An old man enters the office. He has traveled from Northern Ohio to meet his son in this city ; he has been told to inquire at the Sanitary Commission rooms for direction to the hospital which contains him. While the clerk turns to the books, he chats of his son and home, of the different articles in his carpet-bag, put in by mother and sisters at home— each had sent some little comfort. He is all animation and hope, as if at the very door which is to admit him to the realization of all his happy anticipations. The record says — " died " — that very morning ! The register says — one Inquiry, one answer. It does not speak of the careful preparatory suggestions that 444 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. sympathy tenderly makes toward the announcement of the saddening fact. It does not show that strong old man convulsed and weeping like a child. You see not his departure from the office stunned with grief. You feel not the stifled thanks of his farewell grasp — full payment for all your sympathy and care. He goes slowly and sadly away. One of the clerks accompanies him, who procures a burial case for the remains of his " poor boy," and assists him in all his preparations for his mournful journey home on the same day. The register says — one inquiry, one answer. A mother from Northern Indiana has received a dispatch that her son is sick in Nashville ; she is on her way to see him ; she applies for a pass, but passes for ladies are seldom granted, and not without a permit from head-quarters. Her credentials are all right, but she is told that it is more than doubtful if she is permitted to go. She comes to the Directory; her son's name is on the books; "telegraphing is expensive and the result doubtful." " 'Tis too bad," she exclaims, " I have seven sons, and all of them in the army. I do not wish them away, but I do want, if they get sick, the privilege of going to nurse them." " My dear madame, you shall go ; that fact will get you a pass," and so it did. The register says — one inquirj^, one answer. A sprightly young wife is sent from the telegraph office to have a dispatch written for a permit to visit her husband in Nashville. She is quite impatient at the useless delay in consulting the records for his name. " She Knows he is in Nashville and all she wants is a dispatch written, and will be obliged for as much haste as possible." "Are you sure he is in Nashville ?" " Certainly." " You would have no objections to meeting him here ?" " You are playing with me, sir ; will you give me the dispatch ?" " I don't think you will need one. This ' abstract ' will please you better. There are directions where to find your husband, a few blocks off." With one look to be sure she was not being " played " with, she was off from the office down the street at what he would have called the " double quick," and found him mit in Naslinlle. Had she not come to the Directory, possibly she might have obtained a pass to Nashville, and gone ; or failing in that would have gone home without seeing him. A short time ago, this case came under our notice : A soldier in hospital at Nashville writes to his wife that he is veiy sick, and requests her to come to him. The letter was dated the 5th of September. Two days afterward he is transferred to Louisville, but his letter informing her of the change never reached her. She leaves home and stops over night in Louisville, and goes to Nashville on the 15th. There she learns that he is in Louisville. Delayed for lack of funds, she returns to this city on the 22d, and finds that he died on the night of the 16th, the next night after she lodged in the same city, so near to each other, yet never to meet. Had she known of the Hospital Directory and consulted it, this life-long grief would have been prevented. A father desires to visit a sick son. His statements accord with our record. The dispatch written for him explains the case. " To Brigadier General J. A. Garfield, Chief of Staff, Murfreesboro, Tcnn.: Had four sons in army; two are dead ; two belong to the 89th Ohio, Co. . William C is sick at Gallatin, hospital four. Please grant pass A. C . J. S. Newberky, Voucher." The pass was granted. A father from Pennsylvania presents a letter from the surgeon of a hospital in Nashville, saying that his son will be discharged and sent to this city in care of the THE HOSPITAL DIRECTORY. 445 Sanitary Commission, and requests the father to meet him here. He asks, " Where is he?" We have no note of his arrival. "He must still be in hospital at Nashville. But stay; here is a report just in." The name is there, and died August 9, 1863, the very day the father received the letter, and set out to meet him. His son had sent him word not to bring more money than necessary to pay his fare to Louisville, as he was paid off and had enough. What was to be done? We loaned him his passage home ; made out the necessary papers to get the effects of his son ; wrote to Nashville to Sanitary Commission agents to forward them, and he left for home that evening. One day six men came in at once, on their way to see their sons in the hospitals at places further south. They said they had obtained their military passes to go below and knew all about their sons, and did not need any help from the Sanitary Commission, but had heard just now of the Hospital Directory, and thought, for curiosity's sake, they would come in and inquire. " Very well," said the superinten- dent, " If we can't aid you with news it will at least help to confirm the correctness of our books." So the books were examined and the following changes found to have occurred since they had heard : The first man's son had died ; the sons of the second and third had been removed to Louisville, and were then in the city, close at hand ; the son of the fourth had gone to a hospital at Cincinnati ; that of the fifth to Quincy, 111., and only the sixth man had occasion to prosecute his journey as intended. Another man applied to learn what had become of his son, for whom he had been making vain inquiries for six months. The superintendent took the matter in charge and wrote letters here and there to the Sanitary agents, and was at last enabled to inform the father that his son died in the hospital at Bowling Green, Ky., at such a date, as was ascertained from the undertaker, the hospital record being lost. Similar cases might be multiplied indefinitely, each one possessing some pecu- liarity, to vary the service needed to meet the wants of the applicant. But these must suffice. CHAPTER XVI. no s i'it.a.Xj visiTOias. In its first organization the measures of relief adopted by the Sanitary Commission were framed, like those of Government, for the benefit of the masses rather than for individual cases, but, while these as a whole accomplished, and more than accomplished, the objects hoped for, it was found that many individual cases would creep through its net, and, for want of special attention and peculiar adapta- tion of means of relief, would stUl be left to suffer. It was found, too, that a larger infusion of the religious element was wanted in its work, and that the cures it effected were not complete unless it could minister to a broken spirit or a mind diseased. Realizing this want, in the autumn of 1862 a new corps of relief agents was organized called Hospital Visitors. These were clergymen or earnest Christian men, whose duty it was, as then specified, to visit barracks, hospitals and prisons in the interests of humanity and religion, and by personal investigation to discover and relieve all individual cases of neglect, destitution or suffering. Long before the existence of the Christian Commission, (which was organ- ized in part to occupy this ground,) our Hospital Visitors were making their rounds of inspection throvigh all the important hospitals in the West. At one time there were thirteen clergymen so employed in this Department ; and, though quietly and silently performing their ministrations, will be long remembered by those who were "sick and in prison and they visited them." HOSPITAL VX8IT0KS. 447 The lii-.st Hospital Visitor appointed was Rev. F. H. Bushnell, at Louisville, Ky., in December, 1862, where I had already established my head-quarters. Mr. Bushnell seemed specially qualitied for this work. In addition to his duties as rector of Grace Church in that city, he had been almost constantly engaged somewhere in looking after the comfort of the sick and wounded since the commence- ment of the war. On the battle fields of Shiloh and Perry- ville, on the hospital steamers and in the hospitals of Louisville and New Albany, he had acquired a wide experience of the wants of the sick, and of the measures necessar}' to secure their well-being, and had also demon- strated his earnest philanthropy and efficiency. Such being- Ms antecedents, much was hoped from his efforts, and in the amount of good which he accomplished he fully realized our anticipations of his usefulness. The following quota- tions from his first report will serve to show the spirit and manner with which he entered upon his work : United States Sanitary Commission, LouisviLLK, Kt., February 12, 1863. Dr. J. S. Nkwbeery : Dear Sir — In compliance with your request that I should give some portion of my time as lay Inspector of the hospitals in and around the city, I entered upon the work Januaiy 13th. You specified the duties as follows: " To make frequent visits, as a clergyman and philanthropist, to all the hospitals in the vicinity; see if they are kept in good condition, that no abuses are creeping in, that their inmates continue to be made comfortable, that reforms needed are made, and that supplies furnished are properly applied ; also, that all cases demanding our attention and intervention should be hunted up and relieved ; and last, not least, that we may have in your reports fresh, late and reliable information in regard to the condition of any one of the hospitals over which the Sanitary Commission may be supposed to have^ some watch-care, and thus be able to satisfy the people that we are fully doing our duty." I have only to report the work of a single month, ending to-day. 448 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. In SO short a time I could not take hold thoroughly of all the work implied in the instructions, and I have therefore made it my first duty to be well informed, by a minute examination, of the condi- tion of every hospital in Louisville and vicinity, to determine whether the present number of patients were in general well cared for, and whether the appliances were complete for attending well to all when the hospitals were filled to their full capacity. Incident- ally, I have been enabled to do much of the other work suggested by vour instructions. I have been guided in my examinations by the admirable articles upon the subject published by the United States Sanitary Commission, and by whatever of experience I had gathered from visiting a great number of hospitals in different parts of the West during the war. The arrangements for the care and comfort of sick and wounded soldiers are now far more complete than at any other time during the war. This is very apparent in the hospitals of Louisville and vicinity. Without attempting to estimate the great difficulties encountered io establishing the hospitals, or the great work accom- plished, in spite of the diflBculties in which the Branch Commission of Kentucky bore a lion's share, it is very evident that their present condition forms a most pleasing contrast with their past character, not only in the style of the buildings, but in many other respects. Hospital No. 7 is about two miles from the city, near Pai-k Barracks. It is composed of frame buildings erected by the Gov- ernment, and very well adapted to the purpose. This is the largest hospital, its capacity being seven hundred patients. While visiting this hospital a few days since, I chanced to meet a father who had been hunting many days, through all the hospitals in the city, for a sick son, and had just found him. He had learned by letter that he was in the city, but, by some negligence in report- ing to the Directory of the Sanitary Commission, his name was left out. The only way left to find him was by searching in every hospital. He had been wearily going from one to another for a number of days, and when at last they met the expression of their joy was a beautiful sight. The father, by his visits to the hospitals, had gained much information about the care of the sick and wounded, and informed me he had been most agreeably surprised to find how much kind HOSPITAL VISITOKS. 449 attention was given them, and how much real comfort the soldiers enjoyed. He had seen the food served for patients at different hospitals, and had a number of times eaten with them, and consid- ered the character of the food, as well as the attention, all that could be desired. Hospital No. 4 is next in size, having beds for two hundred and seventy-six patients. It was a manufactory, and, although it may seem to be wanting in the nice ceilings and walls of other buildings, this is compensated for, somewhat, by the unusual attentions of the stewards and in the general arrangements. There still remain in this hospital the green wreaths of Christmas prepared by the fair hands of ladies. All other buildings used as hospitals have been chosen with reference to their adaptation for the purpose, and although there is great variety in their character, the comfort and necessities of the sick have been consulted in the arrangement of all. The least comfortable arrangement, perhaps, is one in ISTew Albany, where the patients are in three buildings, separated from each other by a street. But in general I may say of them all that the machinery for the care and comfort of the men is nearly perfect. There is as great a number of surgeons, stewards, wardmasters, matrons, nurses, cooks and laundresses as the Government allows, and this seems to be all-sufficient for the purpose. The clean bedding, clean floors, clean and well-prepared food, of which I have eaten a number of times, have indicated a comfort and care most gratifying. The cleanliness and order generally prevailing in every department, the breathing room given to each patient, being not less than from eight hundred to twelve hundred feet, and the attention given to ventilation has been so uniformly good, that I have not in the past month met the odor so common even in the best of city hospitals. All these facts have persuaded me that fathers, mothers and friends who are interested in the sick soldier, or who have a fear that some dear one may be brought to these places, of which they have had such dreadful accounts, should be comforted by the condition approaching perfection to which they have already been brought, and the exertions that are continually made to perfect that which is yet lacking. With much esteem, your obedient servant, P. H. BUSHNELL. 450 SANITARY COMMISSIOJSr — WESTEEN DEPARTMENT. Those who have been readers of the Xd.nliary Reporter will have had, in the numerous reports of Mr. Bushnell which are published there, fuller descriptions of his duties and better evidences of his usefulness than I have here space to give. Till nearly the close of the war he was constantly occupied in this tiehl, visitin;^', at frequent intervals, all the barracks and hospitals in and about the ciiy, examining, b}' observation and inquiry, into the general management, distributing cards explaining his mission, and searching out all individual cases that seemed to require his assistance. In the aggregate thou- sands of such cases were found and relieved. Sanitary stores were distributed to those whose special wants were not relie\ed by the general issues to hospitals. A shirt, a handkerchief or a pair of socks was carried, with his own hands, to anj- one found to need them ; and often articles of diet or clothing, not furnished by the Sanitary Commis- sion, were purchased to supply a special want. In one bed was found a man whose descriptive roll was lost or wrong. Another wanted a discharge which had been ordered but not received, and he had been for weeks or months waiting, with that "hope deferred that maketh the heart sick," for the requ.ired permission to return home, at least to die sur- rounded by the friends he loved. Another was discharged, biit knew not how to get his pay, or Avas too feeble to go to the Paymaster to draw it. Here was a man hopeless of recovery, longing to be discharged, but having no "friends at court" by whom this simple act of justice could be secured to him. Another was paid and discharged, but too feeble to travel alone ; friends must be written to, or, if need be, a messenger employed by the Sanitary Commission to go with him to his home. Such or similar cases were met with in every ward in ii\^Y\ hospital, and the efforts to relieve them filled up every hour of every day. At nine HOSPITAL VISITOES. 451 o'clock each morning, Mr. Bushnell reported at the Central Office, and" all complaints or petitions for relief were referred to and investigated by him. In his report of June 21, 1863, he sajs : My time has been a great deal occupied since my last report in aiding discharged soldiers to procure their pay — those who were confined to their beds or too lame and feeble from wounds and sickness to attend to their papers themselves. I have been too much engaged to make minute memoranda of particular cases, but have met with many calling for the greatest sympathy, and have often had the pleasure of receiving the liveliest expressions of grati- tude, and it is with some diflflculty that I can in a kindly way refuse their ofiers of money. I have carried to many of the sick their final discharge papers, and, within the last nine weeks, have collected and paid over to them the sum of six thousand four hundred and forty dollars and thirty-eight cents. In the prisons, the efforts of the Hospital Visitors were no less a blessing than in the hospital. Since the war began, our military prisons have been a fruitful source of cruel injustice to the soldier. A few examples will serve to show in what way. A soldier on sick furlough, if unable to rejoin his regiment when his furlough expires, is compelled to report at regular intervals in a special way to the surgeon of the hospital from which he is furloughed. Ignorant of this part of their duty, great numbers have failed to perform it, and, returning to their regiments as soon as sufficiently restored to do so, they find themselves, en roide, posted as deserters, arrested and thrown into prison ; and, though all the time good soldiers and loyal men, perhaps months would elapse before the truth could be known and they regain their lost status. One, for some trifling misdemeanor, is imprisoned ; his regiment is ordered off, his case forgotten by those who knew anything of it, and he is left among those who know 452 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. nothing of his history and have no information upon which his case can be adjudicated. Another is a victim of mistake in identity ; another arrested for a crime long since proven never to liave been committed. These are no fancy sketches, bnt numbers of such, and those still more aggravated, have come under my own observation, and are familiar to every one who has known anything of our military prisons. These cases have naturally occupied much of the time and thoughts of the agents of the Sanitary Commission; and there is scarcely a military prison from which numbers have not been liberated, who, except for their efforts, might still be incarcei'ated or wearing the brand of felony for crimes of wldch they are wholly guiltless. .Is an illustration of the value of Hospital Visitors in behalf of prisoners, I may say that at one time a large number of these overlooked or neglect(?d cases had accu- mulated in the military prison at Cam]T Nelson, Ky., and, thro agli the efforts of Mr, Bushnell and other agents of the Sanitary Commission, some eighty were brought up for examination, and most]\ discharged without punishment, no e\'idciice of guilt appearing against them. One of these cases had Ix'en in confinenK^it thirteen months. Nash N'ille, whicli, from the spring of 1862 to the close of the war, continued to be an important military center, had at one time twenty hospitals and a hospital population of ten thousand. Hern two Hospital Visitors wer(> employed. Of these, one was Rev. J. C. Hoblit, a Baptist clergyman from Soutli- western Ohio, and a chaplain in the army at the (xmiiiKMKiement of the war — a position which he resigned to take serviiv with the Sanitary Commission in February, 1863. In tile progress of the war, the diity performed by Mr. Hoblit was of a \-pry varied character. After rendering himself exce(Klingly useful as Hospital Visitor for many months at Nashville, in the summer of 1864, when Sherman HOSPITAL VISITOES. 453 fought his way from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and the emer- gencies of that terrific campaign called to the front all the force we could assign to that field, Mr. HobUt took the supervision of the Special Relief work, performing a great amount of most severe and important duty, and fully sustaining his reputation for energy and philanthropy. When Sherman marched down to the sea, Mr. Hoblit was one of the two Sanitary agents who accompanied the army. He performed much good service on the route — among other things, carefuUy collecting statistics of casualties and making memoranda of the deaths and the places of burial of all the soldiers lost upon the expedition. The brief reports quoted below will afl'ord an imperfect idea of the varied services rendered by Mr. Hoblit to the cause in which we were engaged. REV. ME. HOBLIT ON NASHVILLE HOSPITALS. Nashville, June 4, 1863. Dr. J. S. Newberry, Secretary Western Department IT. S. Sanitary Commission, Louisville : Dear Sir — ******** M Owing to the difficulty, and often impossibility, of procuring passes to Nashville, persons wishing to obtain the remains of their friends have deposited the money to defray expense with the Treasurer of the Commission at Louisville, and the order has been forwarded to me to have the work done. I have sent bodies in two kinds of cases — zinc and iron; the one costing forty-five dollars and the other ninety dollars. The undertaker does the work for us for five dollars lower than for individuals, thus paying a premium in each case for our benevolent work, which I have invariably given in favor of the person ordering the remains. I have just made an arrangement with the under- taker to do work promptly upon our order, and at the end of the month I will give him a check upon you at Louisville. This will save the trouble of sending and risk of losing money. Bodies ordered from Nashville have invariably been forwarded immediately. In some instances, when remains have been ordered 454 SANITAET COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. from Murfreesboro or Franklin, there have occurred unavoidable delays, owing to military necessity. I have forwarded bodies ordered by the Sanitary Commission to the number of fourteen, at a cost of seven hundred and thirty-eight dollars and thirty cents. I have sent four, by direct order, at a cost of two hundred and eighty-nine dollars. In some cases where the effects of deceased soldiers have been ordered to be sent, I have been unable to obtain them, owing to defects in the order. It is necessary that the claimant of the property forward an order witnessed and sealed by a notary public, and, having received an invoice of effects, send receipt for the same. There are large accumulations of effects in the different hospitals, some of them valuables, as money, watches, etc. If these things are not called for by the friends before a certain time, they will be sent to Washington. I have received and answered, during the month of May, eighty- six letters and dispatches inquiring after the condition of friends in the Nashville hospitals. To this branch of my work I have given special attention, seeing the patient, if still alive, myself — receiving full particulars from the surgeons, if dead; and have made full reports of the different cases. The Commission is doing great good in caring for the feeble and discharged soldiers on their homeward journey, by providing comfortable houses for them in their transit. * * * My work is enlarging much in the way of drawing pay for feeble discharged men in the hospitals here — giving also needed inform- ation about their papers, transportation on their homeward trip, aiding those who are too feeble to get on our hospital cars for Louisville. On the Sabbath days I have held services in convalescent camps, in barracks and among the sick where there was the greatest desti- tution, distributing tracts, papers, etc., among the soldiers. In conclusion, I wish to speak in grateful terms of the uniform courtesy with which I have been received, in my visits in the different hospitals, by the surgeons and hospital attendants. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. C. HOBLIT, Hospital Visitor. United States Sanitary Commission. HOSPITAL VISITORS. 455 Nashville, August 1, 1S63. Dr. J. S. Newberry, Secretary Western Deparimevi U. S. Sanitary Commission, Louisville : Dkar Sir— My work has been plentiful and varied. In pursuance of your suggestion, I have visited through the hospitals, looking after extreme cases, and giving all information and every assistance needed. Besides this general work, I have aided thirty-five dis- charged soldiers in the way of drawing their pay, not being able to do it for themselves. The whole amount drawn was two thousand two hundred and thirty-two dollars and seventy-five cents. For these feeble men I have also procured transportation, papers, etc., informing them especially of the Soldiers' Homes along their northward journey. In many instances I have assisted them in getting on the hospital cars for Louisville or the boats going down the Cumberland. From many similar cases which might be reported, I select but one. A boy of about eighteen years, a member of a Tennessee regi- ment, had wasted away with chronic diarrhcea until he was a mere skeleton. He had been discharged several weeks previously, but could not leave the hospital, as he was entirely helpless. The strong probability was that he would linger a few weeks longer in the hospital, and die. The poor boy would often exclaim, most piteously, "Oh, that I could go home, and see my dear mother!'' Believing, as did the surgeon also, that to remain would be death, I determined, if possible, to get him ofi" home. After a day or two watching, I found a boat going down the river, procured a berth for him, took an ambulance to the hospital, had him carried on his bed to the ambulance, and from thence to the boat, putting him in care of a kind-hearted man, who was to nurse him until he reached his home at Clarksville. After several weeks, I received a letter, stating that he was at home with his "mother," gradually but surely recovering. ***** There are many discharged men too feeble to help themselves, who, without special assistance, never could reach their homes alive. I have received and answered letters and dispatches of inquiry after sick soldiers, from all sources, seventy-three. In many instances, to answer these inquiries satisfactorily required much 456 SAHriTAET COMMISSION' — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. labor and effort. This is true where sufiBeient information con- cerning the whereabouts of the soldier cannot be or is not given. I make every effort possible, however, to obtain the information desired. Three remains of deceased soldiers have been forwarded, at an expense of two hundred and sixty-four dollars. Yours, very truly, J. C. HOBLIT. Kingston, Ga., May 22, 1864. Dr. J. S. Newberry, Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission: Dear Sir — After a very active campaign of two weeks, we have come to a halt for a few days. In these two weeks, we have marched about sixty miles, and fought four battles, in every case defeating the enemy. We have lost about five thousand in killed and wounded. It has been a series of successes. To-morrow morning the order is to march again, and with twenty days' rations; leaving all who are not able for a long march. I have been with the army all the time from the first advance from Ringgold. At Tunnel Hill, I immediately procured store room, and returned to Einggold for stores and helpers. By the time the wounded began to come into the hospitals tliere, we were on the ground with our stores. Dr. Eead soon came up, and all went on well. We fed hundreds of sick men; also those who were sent to the rear; and while they were waiting transportation to Chattanooga, we made and gave them coffee, etc. At the battle of Eesaca we were promptly on tlie ground, and with six loads of Sanitary stores for those divisions that suffered most. Dr. Kead and I rode through the army from the right toward the left. Monday morning, on arriving at the 1st Division hospital, 4th Army Corps, the doctor remained, and I went on to find the 20th Army Corps. This was about one o'clock. Coming upon the extreme left, I found General Hooker hotly engaged with the enemy; and just at that time the wounded were beginning to come in. I rode down toward the field of HOSPITAL VISITOES. 457 conflict, and discovered that the wounded were being brought oflp the field by hundreds. (The loss in the Corps was about twelve hundred.) I immediately found the Medical Director of the Corps, and got an order from General Hooker for three wagons, one for each Division hospital, to return to Dalton, a distance of fifteen miles, and bring up battle stores. This was done promptly; and the next morning, by eight o'clock, the stores were on the ground, and were, as many said, a God-send. I worked, with all the surgeons that were within reach — those of the 4th Corps coming to assist — and also all our agents on that part of the field, till after midnight, in making the wounded comfortable. The battle ended Saturday night, alter Hooker's storming and capturing the rebel fort. The next day I went to Eesaca and got rooms. The ambulances were bringing in the wounded, to be pvit on the cars and sent to Chattanooga. The cars were not there to receive them. The ambulances must return to the field, by order of the General. There was no hospital. There were some buildings, but all were filled with rubbish. I got a detail of twelve men, and Dr. Hazen joined with me in cleaning out a large building and putting the wounded into it. There were no stores, either medical or Sanitary, with which to feed the men. Neither were there, at that time, any Commissary stores there, and the wounded were calling for some- thing to eat. Oh, I did long for our stores! But the water tanks had given out, and for a few hours the cars were detained. In the emergency, I went to the bridge building, and procured coffee for two hundred and fifty wounded, then lying on the hard floor. The next day. Dr. Coolidge came, and had the field hospital brought up from Ringgold. Then I came on to this place. We have secured, as promptly and fully as possible, the lists of deaths on battle field and of the wounded. I shall return to my post at Nashville as soon as my place can be supplied here. I go out on this expedition with the 4th and 30th Corps. We are ordered to take thirty days' rations. This will be a long and hard march, and a very important campaign. Yours respectfully, J. C. HOBLIT. 458 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DKPARTMENT. Another of our Hospital Visitors at Nashville was Eev. J. P. T. Ingraham, an Episcopal clergyman, then from Milwaukee, now holding a pastoral charge at St. Louis. Mr. Ingraham was possessed of rare qualities of mind and heart ; and, during the yeai- that he gave to our work, won the admiration and respect of all with whom he was brought in contact, and greatly endeared himself to his associates in the Commission. Thoroughly devoted to the service of his Master, nothing but the strongest and highest motives could even for a time draw him from his life-work of preaching the Gospel. His letters, published in the Reporter, have made him well known and, I believe, beloved, by most of its readers. For the beneiit of those who have not thus known him, I give below extracts from his reports ; which will show what manner of man he is, and how he served the Sanitary Commission. REPORT OF REV. MR. INGRAHAM. Xashvii.i.e, August «, ISC4. Dr. J. S. Newberry, General Secretary : My Dear Sir — The last week has been filled with its con- tinuous round of daily duties — some great, some small. Not a little time has been occupied in answering letters from friends of sick or wounded soldiers. Every mail brings some — each eloquent in the entreaty that the Hospital Visitor will look up the beloved husband or son or brother; see his condition, attend to his wants; see if he can get a sick furlough, or be transferred to some hospital nearer home and where his friends can meet him. All of these letters require an answer — sometimes two or three letters— in reply, besides a great deal of time and labor spent in searching out the case. Let nie give an instance: A few days ago a letter Avas received, requesting information of Hiram McFreeman, who was known to have been brought to Nash- ville very sick — but a long time had elapsed, no letters to him were answered, and whether he was alive or dead his friends could not learn. They wrote to the Hospital Visitor. Tie took the letter and HOSPITAL VISITORS. 459 went to the oflBce of the Medical Director, where the record of all hospital patients is kept, and began his search over the long pages, scanning every one of the hundreds of names. But no such name appeared. He then went backward over the list; but page after page was examined, until his back and fingers ached, but certainly no such name was there. He looked at the letter again, and there was strong evidence that such a person had been in hospital at N'ashville. What next was to be done but to visit the hospitals themselves and look at their books; for sometimes mistakes are made, even at the Medical Director's. So the nearest hospital was visited, and an hour exhausted; but no such name was there. Then along, hot walk, and the books of another examined, but with as little success. Then another long walk, and a third hospital record investigated, but with like result. Tired out and heated, the thing was given up for that day. Upon the next (two more letters, with similar inquiries, having come in the interval) he starts upon a two mile walk; for no ambu- lance could be had to the largest hospital. Here, also, pages of names, reaching weeks and months back, are carefully pored over, but without success. He is about to give it up, when a thought suddenly strikes him. Lie then begins a search for Hiram M. Fore- man, and finds the name, and, on inquiry, learns that he is the very man he wants, but that his name had been mis,«pelt. And then he learns that the young man has entirely recovered, and that he left the hospital the day before to join hix regiment ! This may be considered a rare case, but yet not altogether so uncommon as we could wish. At best, it requires much time to find the parties, investigate their condition, talk with them, see their surgeons about them, write to their friends, and keep up the interest and communication until they recover or are removed. I have heretofore omitted to report what, perhaps, I should have done, viz. : mv voluntary services as chaplain in hospitals. I do not mean the occasional bedside services, which are continually occur- ring, but those of a more regular character. There are faithful chaplains here, and some who go beyond their strength. But there are, nevertheless, hospitals which, from some cause, seem to be quite destitute of the regular and constant services 460 SAITITAEY COMMISSION — WBSTBEN DBPAETMBN"T. of a chaplain. All the hospitals are frequently visited by clerical tract and book distributors, and who occasionally hold religious services. But these gentlemen are generally on short vacations from their own parishes in the North; they naturally desire to go over as much ground as possible in the given time ; and therefore any good impression that one or two visits to a hospital may make is generally lost for want of repetition and following up; or else the kindly impression of perhaps one excellent and experienced visitor is driven away by the succession of new faces and voices. What is needed in the most of our hospitals, I think, is a suflflcient number of faithful resident chaplains — gentlemen selected for their experi- ence, wisdom, and devotion to the cause. The chaplain should know, personally, almost every man in the hospital; or, if the hospital be too large, then he should have one or more assistants. He should visit once or twice each day every case inviting peculiar sympathy, for counsel, consolation and prayer. He should know how to approach men with judgment and discre- tion, so as not to repel, but to draw them; not to shut up their hearts, but to open them; not to kill, but, in every sense, to cure. He should also know what kind of religious reading each man should have, and he should have the authority and control over the distribution of it. He should not permit that indiscriminate tract and book distribution which gives a tract on dancing to a man who has lost his leg, or a book on "The Wrath to Come'' to some broken and contrite heart that needs binding up with the gentlest hand. In a word, his hospital should be his parish. It would take but a little time for such a man to gain the confidence of his patients and to have access to their heart of hearts. Some of such men have visited our hospitals, and have, in barely one conversation, gained the confidence of many who longed for their return. But, alas! they were of the peripatetic order; they made a good impression, but were suddenly gone, to return no more; and the poor, disappointed, discouraged sick man; after listening long, in vain, for the returning footsteps or that friendly voice, turns his face to the wall, refuses to listen to the succession of new voices and faces that flit past or stop a moment before him, and shaits up his heart ir| despair. I will not enter upon the statistics of chaplaincies, nor the mode of appointment, neither the method of remedy; but having HOSPITAL VISITORS. 461 touched upon a sanitary desideratum here — "sanitary" in its fullest sense — will go on to report, that in one of these hospitals, where there are five hundred patients — there having been no kind of religious services, I was told, for two months ; no one to bury the dead, or administer at the bedside of the dying — at the earnest solicitation of the patients, I volunteered to give them as much of my time as I could spare. This at once involved Sunday services ; and, as the patients were mostly confined to their beds, a service was required in each ward, there being six in all. This, in addition to a service in the Eefugee Barracks, has been kept up for about three months, in addition to occasional week-day visiting. This has, at last, however, proved too much for my strength. And as, of late, I have, by request, undertaken regular ~ Sunday services at the Soldiers' Home, the hospital services have been reluctantly given up. On yesterday, however, it being the national Fast Day, I held services, by special request of the surgeon in charge, both at the main building and in its branch, having a large and most atten- tive congregation. At the Soldiers' Home, I have good and attentive congregations once on each Sunday. There are from forty upwards at each service. On these occasions I use the little "Soldiers' Prayer Book," which aifords great satisfaction, each man haA'ing a book. At the close of the services the men are presented with the book which they have been using. Several hundred have been given in this way. For quite a number of these and other books I am indebted to the kindness of the Kev. Montgomery Schuyler, D. D., of St. Louis. For several months past, I have also held a regular Sunday sei-vice in the Eefugee Barracks of this city, where also a Sunday school has been established and kept up. There, also, I have had frequent burial services, and many an opportunity of a kind and blessed word. Very respectfully, J. P. T. Ingeaham, Hospital Visitor. Still another of our Hospital Visitors in the Army of the Cumberland was the Rev. W. F. Loomis, from Shelburne Falls, Mass. He was only three months in our service, 463 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. wlien, owing to his efforts and exposure, he fell a victim to his devotion, and became one of the great army of martyrs to which our war has added so many. Having pieviously acted as delegate for the Christian Commission, in October, 1863, he was appointed Hospital Visitor in the Army of the Cumberland; was busily employed in the hospitals of Nashville, Murfreesboro and Chattanooga up to the time of his sickness. As I have mentioned in ray report of the battle of Chattanooga, he spent the entire night succet-ding the battle on the field, attending to the wants of the wounded, and working most laboriously for their comfort in the hospitals afterward. His health, hy no means robust, gave way under his exer- tions, and he died of typhoid fever, at Nashville, on the 7th of January. Mr. Loomis was a man of great sweetness and purity of character ; and no one who saw him could fail to be struck by his gentle manner and earnestness of purpose. His Christian worth is shown by the fact that his parish in Shelburne Falls, Mass., could not be prevailed upon to accept his resignation. When he determined to devote himself to the care of disabled soldiers in the hospitals, he was granted a furlough, but his friends still clung to their absent pastor, and expected him home again. A man whom we have known so single of heart, self-sacri- ficing and zealous, on the battle field or in the hospital, could not but be fondly remembered by those who had been intimate with him in the pleasant and peaceful rounds of village pastoral duties. It is noticeable that, on the very day when the remains of Mr. Loomis arrived in Louisville, two applicants for aid came to the Hospital Directory, each, bearing a letter written by Mr. Loomis at the bedside of a relative in the hospital at Nashville, fully relying upon his promised HOSPITAL VISITORS. 463 help in the trying visit to a strange citj* under such saddening circumstances. The wife of Mr. Loomis was with him through all his last illness, and he received every care that professional skill could afford or affection, suggest. At Chattanooga, our Hospital Visitor was Rev. H. B. Hosford ; and, serving for a longer or shorter time, there and in that vicinity. Rev. S. M. Judson, Rev. E. B. Fair- child, Rev. J. H. Hazen, Rev. N. P. Bailey, Rev. J. E. Wilson and Rev. 0. Kennedy. Of these, Rev. Mr. Kennedy was a clergyman of the Methodist Church and chaplain of the 101st Ohio, who was induced to take pait in our work in the establishment and superintendence of Lodges at Jasper, in the Cumber- land Mountains, at Kelly' s Ferry and Bridgeport. In the report of these Lodges, due credit is given him for his great efficiency and success. He was subsequently stationed at Murfreesboro, continuing there till near the close of the war. Mr. Bailey and Mr. Wilson were connected, respectively, with the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches, and were from Painesvillc^ and Ravenna, in Ohio. They were but for a limited time with the army, returning to act as can- vassers for supplies in the home field. Mr. Fairchild was a clergyman of the Unitarian Church, Mr. Hosford and Mr. Judson were Presbyterians. M]-. Hosford was, for many years, a professor in the Western Reserve College, at Hudson, 0. ; was a man of fine abilities, large culture and excellent spirit. He remained for a long time at Chattanooga, and did excel- lent service in the cause of humanity and religion. Dr. Hazen was at the same time a physician and a clergyman of the Methodist Church, and was specially qualified for "the good Samaritan" work in which he 464 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. was engaged. He was from Peoria, 111., and went to the army first as a volunteer ; but, becoming deeply interested in his work, enlisted in our service, sacrificing all his interests and engagements that he might give himself unreservedly to it. Dr. Hazen made himself useful in a great variety of ways — at one time physician on the hos- pital train; at another, on the battle field or in hospital, ministering to the wants of the wounded ; and again, as a clergyman, preaching in the wards of a hospital or perform- ing funeral services at the burial of the dead. A single quotation from one of his reports will serve to illustrate a hitherto unnoticed phase of the Special Relief work in the army: United States Sanitary Commission, Chattanooga, March 7, 1864. Dr. J. S. Newberry : Dear Sir — I have the pleasure of stating to you and the friends of 0. N. Wheeler, sergeant-major 1st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that we have been able to minister consolation to a lonely and heart- broken mother, by clearly identifying and forwarding to her the body of her son. We aim to keep a correct account of all deaths at this point, and, so far as possible, to make use of every available means to get the names of those killed in action, marking graves, so that when friends apply for information we can give it with certainty. This, however, had not been done in the case of sergeant-major Wheeler. On the receipt of Dr. Bellows' letter, I examined the books and found the name, but that had been taken from the list of casualties, and the place of burial was not given. All we had then to guide us was the statement that he had been buried near where he fell, and that the grave was marked. I then went with Mr. Eead and two other of our men, to the battle field, spent all day searching from right to left for a distance of two miles, hoping to find the grave. We found but one that we thought could be his ; but, on digging down to the body, to our disappointment found it to be that of a rebel. We then gave up for a time, and returned home. HOSPITAL VISITORS. 465 This morning I started, determined, if possible, to find some one belonging to the same regiment who might know jnst where he was buried, and, by good fortune, fell in with an orderly sergeant of the same regiment, who was left behind, sick, when the regiment moved. Fi-om him I learned that sergeant Wheeler was buried in the Citizens' Cemetery, with eight of his comrades who fell in the same battle. He took me to the spot ; but it bore no mark, except, " Here lie ten of the 1st 0. V. I." The orderly then gave me a description of his person and his clothing. We went to work, opened three graves, none of them containing a body answering »the description. In the fourth, as soon as we removed the cover, the orderly recognized him — hair, coat, vest, shirt, pants, shoes and stockings, all completely answering the description of the orderly and two other men who knew him well. Your obedient servant, J. H. Hazen, Hospital Visitor U. S. Sanitary Commission. After Mr. Ingraham left us, his place was supplied by the Eev. C. B. Ruggles, wlio had also been a^ delegate of the Christian Commission, and wan a man thoroughly inspired with the true Christian spirit. Like most of the agents of the Sanitary Commission, ]Mr. Ruggles labored in different dejaartments of its work as occasion required. Though mostly occupied in the legitimate duties of Hospital Visitor, he was ready to do whatever most needed doing in behalf of tlie soldier. His services were of inestimable value to tlie wounded from the battles of Franklin and Nashville. The letter given below reports one item of his extra duty. Xashvili.e, Tenn., March 1, 1865. Dr. J. ,S. Newbbbby : Secretary Western Department U. S. Sanitary Commission: Deae Sie — I report the following in regard to my work on the battle field of Nashville, during the past few weeks : Early in January, my attention was called to the bodies of the heroes of this battle, by many pei'sons coming here from the North 30 466 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTEKN DEPAETMBNT. in search of the remains of departed friends. One man — a Mr. Bracken, from St. Paul, Minn. — was here for several weeks, search- ing for the grave of his brother. After visiting the regiment, now lying at East-port, of which his brother was a member, and getting directions from the men who buried him, he was at last successful in finding the grave, although some wanton hand had removed the head-board and every trace of the grave. While aiding Mr. Bracken in his search, I made a record of the locality of every grave which we could find, with the names on the head-boards whenever there were any. These graves were scattered over a large extent of territory, from the Oharlette to beyond the Franklin pike — in yards and gardens, near houses, by the wayside, in meadows and tillage lands, in the woods, Ijy the fences, wherever the poor boys had chanced to fall — except the graves of negro soldiers, and a few of the white, but not otherwise nobler heroes. -The negroes, some fifty in number, were buried in one trench near the Overton Hill; and another trench, in front of Crompton Hill, holds fifteen Minnesota boys. The list of names from head-boards enabled several to find the graves of their friends quite easily. One man, from a town in I shown linw the want of good floating hospitals, so severely felt at the battles of Fort Donelson and Pittsburg Landing, was sub- sequently supplied througli steps taken b^- the Medical Departm(-i]t. In tbe transportation of sick and wounded on land the Grovernment authorities weie not equalh- prompt and efficient. In accordance with tlie time-hallow^ed ideas which controlled all military movements at the beginning of the war, ambulances w(-re supposed to constitute the only proper means for the transportation of invalid soldiers, and great numbers of these were constructed of various patterns, many of which were ill-contrived and ill-made, and remained as part of the permanent stock at every military depot. It was found, however, that, in militaiy operations, as w(41 as civil life, in many instances railroads offered great advan- tages over wagons or carnages drawn by horses. Railroads HOSPITAL CAES. 475 were largely employed in the transportation of troops and munitions of war, and ultimately railroads were, wherever possible, brought into play for the overland transportation of sick and wounded. But while the freight and passenger cars in common use before the war supplied all necessary means of transportation of troops, baggage and supplies, no cars were found adapted to the transportation of men incapable of sitting upright, and though, for want of better, the nearly springless box cars of freight trains were exten- wivply used for this purpose, the suffering entailed by their nnlitness upon those transported in them was such that few who haA'e experienced it will soon forget it. Very early in the war the attention of the agents of the Sanitary Commis- sion was drawn to the necessit}' of providing some means by which railroad transportation could be l:>etter adapted to the wants of our sick and wounded in the army. At the battle of Penyville, Ky., in October, 1862, over twenty-five hundred men wcje wounded and left to be cared for in a country almost entire!}' stripped of resources, and where their wants could at best be but inadequately supplied. As rapidly as possible thes(' men were trans- ferred to Louisville, where supplies were abundant and ampler hospital accommodations existed, and the trrst hospital cars used in the country were employed in convey- ing them over such portions of the route as were tiaversed by railroad tracks. The cars used at this time were fitted up by the Sanitary Commission, and consisted of ordinary freight cars, tlie only ones at hand, in which tiei's of bunks were placed on each side, and in these bunks mattresses and other bedding were placed, and thus soft and comfort- able beds were formed. Imperfect as these cars were, they served so good a purpose that another train was soon after fitted up much in the same way and used in the transporta- tion of the sick and wounded from Nashville, which was 47fi SANITAEY COMMISSION — WESTERX DEPARTMENT. then a great and crowded hospital center, to Louisville. As no authority resided in the medical officers to organize hospital railroad trains, the transportation of the sick and wounded over this route was left exclusively in the hands of the Sanitary Commission for a year and more, with such benefit to the service and relief tf) the medical authorities as to lead Dr. Thurston, the Medical Director at Nashville, to publicly express his acknowledgments to tlie Commission and characterize the transportation of the sick and wounded by hospital cars as the best work it had done. Meantime this subject had engaged the attention of the representatives of the Sanitary Commission in the East, and, principally through the efforts of Dr. Elisha Harris, a hospital car or railroad ambulance was devised, so complete in its appointments and so nicely adjusted to the transpor- tation of sick and wounded men tliat even the worst class of medical and surgical cases could be carried in it liundreds of miles without risk or suffering. Of these cjvrs a number were constructed at the East, and they are fully described in the Sanitary Commission Bnlldhi. These cars were provided with steel a,nd rubber springs, in the , same manner as the most luxurious ]:)assenger coaches in use. In addition to these, the cots upon which the patients were carried w(n'e suspended on rubber loops, so that the jai' of the car was almost unfelt and the motion experienced was so easy and gentle as to be rather agreeable than otherwise. After the command of the Army of the Cumberland devolved upon General Rosecrans, with char- acteristic enlightenment he authorized the construction of a train of these railroad ambulances. These were fitted up at Columbus. Ohio, and were placed upon the road in the autumn of 1863. In 1864 another train of hospital cars was built at Nash- vi]l(> by Older of Genera] Grant. These w(n'e made upon HOSPITAL CARS. 477 the same general plan as those already described, but somewhat simplified, cheapened and improved. As in the former case, the}' AV(n-e constructed under the supervision of the Sanitary Commission, and a considerable portion of the expense was paid from its treasury. In the spring of 1864 the entire responsibility of tlie transportation of the sick was assumed, as it should long before have been, by the Jlt^dical Department. Still a number of the attendants employed upon the hospital cars were paid by the Sanitary Commission, and the trains continued to the close of the war to receive mucli of tlK'ir (equipment and a large part of their supplies from the same souice. A picture of this interesting branch of the work of the Sanitary Commission is given in the subjoined report of Dr. J. P. Barnum, who, tirst in the employment of the Sanitaiy Commission, but later in the seivice of the Gov(-i-nnient, had the principal supervision and responsibility- of land transportation of sick and wounded at the West, and to whom more than to any one else the great success att(!nding the enterprise is due. OR. B A II N" U M' S REPORT. February, 1864. A hospital train was litted up in this Department by the Commission in October, 1862, and although rude in itte accom- modations, such satisfactory results were attained that a second and third were added and the cooking arrangements somewhat improved. These cars, by one casualty and another, have all been rendered unsuitable and given place to more perfect and substantial ones. At present there are in use nine hospital cars — seven on the Chattanooga road, under the charge of Dr. Myers, Surgeon U. S. V., and two under my own immediate supervision on the Louisville road. The train on the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad consists of one passenger, one mail, three box and three hospital cars. The passenger coach is kept scrupulously neat for the accommodation of patients alone, and by a special arrangement of seats can be 478 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. changed in a few moments to a bed car if necessary, which, however, cannot often occur, as every load of sick will contain some who would prefer to sit. The mail car is fitted ujd for store room, office and kitchen. The store room is provided with drawers for all the smaller supplies, locker for bread, refrigerator for meat, ice box, water casks, etc., etc. Indeed, there is room for one thousand rations, beside some Sanitary stores, with space to spare. The office is neatly fitted up. The kitchen occupies the place of the baggage room, where may be found several disciples of the culinary art, always busy, and although laboring under difficulty, preparing articles of diet which would do honor to many of the best arranged hospitals. This car is one of the trophies won by the immortal Mitchell, in his successful dash on Huntsville in 1862. The three new hospital cars seem to meet the demand exactly, combining all possible freedom of motion, the least jar, good ventilation, a comfortable degree of warmth, and expedition in loading and unloading. Each car contains twenty-four stretchers hung on uprights by heavy rubber bands. The stretchers can be removed from the car without disturbing the occupant. There are also seats for those who wish to sit up, and a sofa for the surgeon or attendant, beneath which is a wardrobe and drawers for books, newspapers, etc. Opposite the sofa is a kitchen only six feet by three, yet it contains water tank, wash basin, sink for washing dishes, cupboards for stores and dishes, and two large lamps heating copper boilers by which soup, coffee, tea, etc., may be quickly and nicely prepared. The " bumper" is surrounded by a stiff spring which prevents the communication of the jar when the motion is suddenly stopped or applied. The whole interior is fitted up in a style superior to any cars in use in the North-west. Articles of clothing are kept constantly on the train to be given to those needing them, and Sanitary stores of every character are liberally supplied. Patients speak in the highest terms and with the deepest feeling of the kindness and efficiency of Dr. Myers. Trips are njade tri-weekly from Bridgeport for hospital patients. Large numbers of discharged and furloughed soldiers are carried, but many more of the latter come by passenger and box cars. HOSPITAL CARS. 479 On thfe Louisville road the accommodations are much the same as those just mentioned. The arrangements for cooking are excellent, and much improved during the last montli, a fine range having been substituted for the stove before used. The food prepared is of good quality, and beside Grovernment rations, many delicacies — such as are comprised in the stores of the Commission — are issued in any amount required. Since my connection with the hospital train, I have removed twenty thousand four hundred and seventy-two patients, with the loss of only one man, who was removed against the wish of his sur- geon and my own judgment, at his earnest desire to " die at home." In no case have I been able to find any bad results from the removal in Sanitary cars. The results of the unusual care have been so marked in some cases as to deserve notice. A private of an Indiana regiment was sent me at Murfreesboro, to remove to Xashville. He furnished every appearance of great previous neglect, and was so feeble that I felt it a matter of much doubt whether he •would survive the journey. He was placed in the middle of the car, near a window, stimulated freely, and a careful attendant directed to watch every movement. On our arrival at Nashville, he was sent to Hospital No. 19, apparently in a condition of collapse. You can judge of my surprise to hear him answer to his name in a week after, when I was removing a squad to Louisville. I remembered the name, but the face was so much changed as to be almost entirely unrecognizable. On our arrival at Louisville he walked to the amlmlance without difficulty, and seemed to have as bright prospects of recovery as almost any passenger in the load. A discharged soldier of a Kentucky regiment was sent by Mr. Atwater, of the United States Sanitary Commission, at Murfrees- boro. He was on his way to Erie, Penn., where he had friends. It was a case of un-uuited fracture of femur, from a gunshot wound at Stone Eiver. The wound was suppurating freely, and several large bed-sores, occasioned by remaining in a recumbent position for so many months, had added to his weakness as well as the difficulty of his removal. Most of the medical gentlemen who saw him thought he would never stand a removal to Nashville, much less to the North — an opinion in which I would have concurred in former clays. He did not complain of pain during his removal, and on 480 SASriTARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. his arrival at Louisville was in good spirits and much elated at the prospect of speedily reaching home and friends. ********* Marcli ].5, lS(i4. ********* In the transportation of the sick, we lia\e not been without some extraordinary adventures. Besides sickness and wounds, we have had to contend with the rebels. On April 10th, while bringing up sick from Murfreesboro to Nashville in a hospital car attached to the passenger train, we were attacked at Antioch station, eleven miles out, by the rebels, ^^■ho had drawn the spikes from the track, and thus thrown the train off. The rebels, who were in the woods above us, began at once to fire upon the train. The bullets mostly struck the roofs of the cars, and rebounded, reminding us, who were still within, of an attic room in a severe hail storm. The small guard of forty were soon overpowered, and tied, leaving sixteen of their number on the ground, either dead or severely wounded. The rebels now made a rush for the cars, and began robbing the passengers of money, watches and clothing. Several Tennesseeans made a dash at our car, shouting, " Get out of there, you d d Yankees!" and flourishing their pistols and knives in our faces, but were immediately driven off by the 8th Texas, who formed a portion of the attacking party. These men showed the greatest consideration, handling our sick and wounded as tenderly as brothers could. They not only left me and my attendants undis- turbed but did not insist on paroling any of my patients who were with us. But several sick men, AS'ho left the cars at the first onset, were carried off with the other passengers. If our car had been separated from the others, I think that we should not have been disturbed ; but it was impossible to burn the train without destroy- ing it. None of my patients were injured. The passengers were marched away, the cars flre(J, tlie booty collected, and the plunderers off again, as by magic, leaving myself and ni)' attendants in posses- sion of the field. AYe immediately set to Avork, giving the wounded a preliminary dressing, collecting the scattered nieu. and opening McCann's house as a hospital. We were relieved, about tliree o'clock in the morning, by a special train sent from Nasliville for us. and brought in all our HOSPITAL OAES. 481 patients, that were not comfortably provided for, and who could be moyed, sevei'al bushels of mail matter and the locomotive. At seven o'clock the same morning, I left Nashville for Louisville with a train of three hundred patients. Early in May the remaining two old hospital cars were destroyed by accident at Brook's station, on the Louisville railroad ; and as but three new ones have been added, we were seriously troubled to remove men during this and the following month. On the 1st of August four additional cars were fitted iip for temporary use, and on October 1st the new hospital cars were fm-nished. These are built on the same plans as those used between Washington and New York, with such modifications as the tunnel and the difference in the width of track rendered necessary. ******* Perhaps I can give our friends at home the best idea of our work by describing that of a single day: Yesterday, for instance, I arrived at Nashville, on the return trip, about midnight, being delayed by an accident. After "making up my train," receiving my clerk's report, and my orders for the morrow from the Medical Director, I rolled up in my blanket for a nap. But five o'clock in the morning soon came, and with it the yell of a regiment of veteran volunteers, going home on furlough. Such a yell! — enough to raise the dead; and it did raise my "seven sleepers," who were soon at work, preparing the cars, and making breakfast for themselves and the men. lu another hour the platform of the depot is covered mth soldiers from the front, officers on leave of absence, citizens and camp-followers. The veterans are assigned to cars by themselves, and are jolly and noisy. The train is so long that it is divided into various parts, standing on different tracks. Ambulances, loaded with the sick from the hospitals and the Soldiers' Home, pour in, and are stopped and examined by my steward, and, if the occupants are found to be " all right," are furnished with checks, which admit them to the cars. If any doubtful cases arise, they are told to report to me at the cars, where we are busy putting in beds, assisting the feeble and disabled to seats, and looking after their baggage. All may have gone well thus far; but at sis o'clock the ambu- lance-master brings us his list, which calls for two hundred men, while my steward has given out but one hundred and eighty checks. 31 482 SANITARY COMMISSION" — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Some Jehu of a driver, partaking of the nature of the beast he lashes, has managed to deposit his load at the wrong platform. Two of us at once push through the crowd, inquiring of every soldier, "Where did you come from?" "Where are you going?" "Let me see your papers." The soldiers think it none of our business, and, very naturally, answer with emphatic curses. We secure, however, perhaps a dozen of the tAventy missing men. The ticket office is now opened, and there is a great rush for tickets. About two hundred furloughed men are marched down from the Home and hospitals, the guard clearing the way for them, and they are soon comfortably seated. As the passenger cars will accommodate but four hundred of the six hundred waiting for a chance, the pressure for admission is tremendous. The papers of military men are examined, and they pass in. A sutler, who will take no refusal from the agent to sell a citizen a ticket, makes an attempt to dodge in, but is met with cold steel; while an old man, who is carrying home the remains of his son who has died in hos- pital, is told, '-You can't get on the train, if I see you." And yet the good old man is found at night safe at Louisville. The sharpest eyes will wink. Only three minutes to seven o'clock. Nearly all the blue coats are aboard. My missing eight stragglers are found, helpless as lost children, in some out-of-the-way corner, and put on just as we leave. Most of the men have had breakfast ; the rest are provided with coffee, toast, crackers and cheese. Then there are patients to examine and to prescribe for, wounds to dress, questions to answer, transpor- tation to manage, etc. This takes up the first three hours, till we arrive at Bowling Green. Here we are met by inevitable boys with their white-oak pies and unsavory chicken, with which they attempt to supply the men. My diarrhoea j)atients seem to have an unnatural craving for the wretched stufi'. The boys are ordered off, but tvill return. I tell the veterans in cars ahead to confiscate anything that attempts to pass. The pie-boys do not take the hint, are too venturesome, and so lose all in the handsome charge of the ready veterans. On one occasion they actually bagged a darkey, with his pies, who was first heard of somewhere in Ohio, stoutly asserting that he was '' 'fiscated by the sojers." HOSPITAL CARS. 483 Each man is looked to hourly. ,As dinner-time approaches, bread is cut and buttered, meat sliced, pickles and apples got out, and, from the large tank of boiling water, tea and soup are prepared by the barrel. Bach man is furnished with plate, cup and spoon, the solid food is distributed, and, the moment the train stops, the tea and soup are served out, followed, perhaps, by ale and fruit. Those who need special diet are carefully attended to. The furloughed men in the passenger train are next looked after and fed. Their destination is ascertained, and ambulances telegraphed for, to carry those who wish to go on without stopping to the several railroad depots in the city, New Albany and Jefferson- ville. Those too ill to travel further will be sent to hospital, while the others will be directed to the Soldiers' Home. When we arrive at Louisville, about five o'clock, those of my patients able to walk proceed at once to the ambulances; the sickest and disabled are placed on hand-carts, and rolled to the front of the depot; and we see them all safely delivered at their several points of destination. When the cars are washed, stores obtained for to-morrow's trip, and report made at the Medical Director's Office, we may consider our day's work done. CHAPTER XVIII. In February, 1862, the battle of Port Donelson took place, and the .first great victory was won by the Union arms at the West. By this battle, one thousand seven hundred and thirty-five of our men were wounded, and, with one thousand and seven Confederates, left on our hands to be cared for. No hospitals were located at or near this point, and no adequate provision made for the care of the wounded. As a consequence of this, and the inclemency of the weather, there was a degree of suffering among the wounded almost unparalleled in the history of the war. The announcement of the battle and victory, which was hashed almost instantaneously over the whole coiintry by telegraph, caused a great outburst of enthusiasm among our people. iVnd yet the joy at the result was tempered by a deep feeling of sympathy witli the torn and bleeding victims of the strife. The Cincinnati Branc^li of the Commission immediately took measures to relicA'e, as far as was in their power, the suffering which they felt to he inevitable. They at once charteivd the steamboat "Allen Collier ;" put on board a liberal supi)ly of hospital stores, including cots, bedding, etc., and a, full complement of surgeons and nurses, with which she went freighted to the scene of victory to our arms, but of disaster to so manj" of our soldiers. I was at Louisville at the time, and, on invitation from tli(^ Cincinnati delegation, accompanied them on the trip. HOSPITAL TBANSPOETS. 485 Arriving at Fort Donelson, we found our anticipations of the suffering and destitution more than realized. The wounded were not yet all taken from the field, and, when brought in, there was no other place of reception provided for them than the steamers "Fanny Bullitt" and "Citj' of Memphis," which had been assigned to the uses of the Medical Department. These steamers were entirely with- out hospital furniture, and a little corn meal constituted the sum total of their hospital stores. The wounded were laid side by side on the hard floor of the cabin, a large portion without either mattresses or blankets. Their medical attendants were doing for them what the}' could, but there was a deficiency of help and an entire inadequacy of means for securing the comfort or safety of those under their charge. Under these circumstances, it might have been expected tliat a ship-load of supplies, and niimerous competent surgeons and nurses, would have b(^en welcomed with delight. On the contrary, they were looked upon as interlopers, greeted with curses instead of b](^ssings, and the aid they tendered at first refused, but subsequently partially accepted, under conditions so humiliating and insulting that nothing but a high sense of diity and a total disregard of self prevented the Christian gentlemen whf) composed the Cincinnati delegation from leaving the wounded to their fate and returning as they came. By persevering effort, however, they so far accomplished their object as to be permitted to leave a portion of their stores and to take eighty-one of the wounded on board the "Collier." These eighty-one, at least, were properly cared for. They were washed, clothed in new garments, carefully laid in clean and comfortable beds, and their wants all sup- plied with a care and tenderness such as they could hardly have experienced at the hands of mothers and sisters at home. 486 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. This was tlie first trip of a Sanitary hospital steamer at the West. ^ Early in the AprD. following occurred the battle of Pittsburg Landing. Here the circumstances were similar to what they had been at Fort Donelson. The want of adequate provision for the care of the wounded was equally conspicuous, and their sufferings were only less because the season was more advanced and the snow could not cover them as they lay uncared for on the battle field. There were no hospitals here to receive the wounded, and no floating hospitals had been organized by the Govern- ment to transport them to other points. The latter were improvised by the medical officers as rapidly as possible. Yet the location was uncomfortable and insalubrious ; and humanity, as well as the best interests of the country and of the army, required that both the wounded from the battle field and the sick from the great army now con- gregated here should be at once removed further north. This would never have been efifectually accomplished if the people had not again stepped in to supplement the efforts of the military authorities. A fleet of well-equipped hospital transports was promptly sent to Pittsburg Landing by the Branches of the Sanitary Commission at Cincinnati, Louisville and Chicago, by the Western Sanitary Commis- sion at St. Louis, and the Governors of the several States. These came freighted with ample supplies, with large numbers of surgeons and nui'ses ; and through their means the difficulties of the situation were promptly- and efficiently ameliorated. The steamboats on the Western rivers are of such a construction that they were readily converted into floating hospitals which combined every desirable quality. The boiler deck and the cabin, with the guards, (which were protected by awnings,) formed wards that for convenience HOSPITAL TRANSPORTS. 487 and salubrity could hardly be improved. Being open from end to end, the motion of the steamer caused a current of pure air to sweep freely over the cot of every patient — an agent which had more vitalizing power than even the food medicine and with which he was abundantly supplied. The equipment of these boats was frequently almost luxurious, and the care bestowed upon those transported in them was prompted by a sympathy and interest as lively and sincere as though each wounded soldier had been a relative or dearest friend of his attendant. The work of transporting the sick from Pittsburg Land- ing northward was for a time hurriedly, informally, and, doubtless, in some instances badly done, biit, on the whole, it was one of the noblest and most serviceable efforts ever inspired by humanity and patriotism ; and the criticisms which have been passed upon it have mostly had their origin in an attempt at self- vindication on the part of those who were convicted, by this great voluntary effort, of inhumanity and inefficiency in the performance of their duty. Nearly all this work passed under my own eye, and of a considerable part I had the immediate supervision and responsibility. Acting for the Sanitary Commission, I chartered the steamer "Lancaster," which was occupied as a hospital boat, and, during the interval of two months succeeding the battle, made six trips to Pittsburg Landing and Hamburg, carrying large supplies of hospital stores, and bringing, in the aggregate, fifteen hundred sick and wounded to the hospitals on the Ohio River. Of these, at least, I can testify that all were received and delivered in strict accordance with orders of the medical authorities, and that on all there was bestowed as thorough and kindly care as could have been given them in the best military hospitals, floating or stationary, which have existed during the war. 488 SANITARY COMMISSION — WESTERN DEPARTMENT. About twenty loads of sick and wounded were taken by the boats of the Sanitary Commission from Shiloli and vicinity to the hospitals in the North. Others were taken by boats sent by Governors of States or municipal authori- ties, so that about seven thousand were removed by volun- tary effort on the part of the people. Such as are living of this great number, and the hundreds of our best citizens, surgeons, nurses, philanthropists, men and women, under whose care they were removed, can all speak intelligently in regard to the character of this work ; and to them I can cheerfully refer for endorsement or correction of the view I have taken of it. The reports and letters, written at the time by those who participated in or observed the trans- portation of the sick and w'ounded from Shiloh, will convey a clearer idea of the manner in which the work was done than would any long description I could give of it. Inspired hy the experience had at Pittsburg Landing and Fort Donelson, the Government fitted up four excel- lent hospital boats, which w^ere so nearly sufficient for all subsequent transportation of sick and wounded by water that little -was left for the people to do in this direction. Steamer "Lancaster No. 4," Paducah, Ky., May 10. 1862-3 A. M. Fred. Law Olmsted, General Secretary Sanitary Comviifision, Washington, D. C. : Mt Dear Olmsted — The sick are all sleeping or quiet, and now, while I am watching over them, let me improve this rare moment of respite from the pressure of my cares and duties to jot down hastily, for your benefit, a few of the more important items of my experience since I last wrote you. Pardon me if I am brief — lor I have but a moment at my command — and my story broken and ill-told; for of the thousand things which I have to tell, how can I arrange and systematize a few, so as to give you a clear knowledge of the whole? As I look backward, an avalanche of facts seems rushing on, ready to overwhelm me ; HOSPITAL TEANSPOETS. 489 and when I feel bow little life and spirit are left me, I am doubtful if I even struggle througb it. Wben I last wrote you, I was on board of the steamer which I had chartered for the Commission at Cincinnati; had put on nearly five hundred boxes of stores — clothing, ice, cheese, butter, eggs, lemons, oranges, canned and dried fruits, dried beef, potatoes, sour-krout, pickles, wine, brandy, ale, groceries, tin ware, wooden ware, etc. — all furnished by the Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio — and such things as experience had taught me vere most needed among the sick in the armies of Tennessee, not being furnished in sufficient quantities by the Government or the people through their Sanitary Commissions or Committees. At Louisville we were visited by the members of the Branch Sanitary Commis- sion, and there took on board one hundred and fifty-nine soldiers returning to duty, several Paymasters, and hospital stores for the Medical Purveyor, with three million five hundred thousand dollars in cash. We had a pleasant voyage down the Ohio and up the Tennessee. Found Douglass and Warriner at Pittsburg Landing, in chai-ge of our depot, on the steamer of the Medical Purveyor, and doing good work. After reporting myself and steamer to the Medical Director, I visited Dr. Murray at General Buell's head-quarters, twelve miles on the road to Corinth, where I passed the night. From Dr. Murray I received the highest testimonials to the value of our Commission in Buell's army, which you will be pleased to see. Learning that Hamburg, seven miles above Pittsburg Lauding, would soon be the important depot of supplies and hospital station for our army, that three thousand sick were already there, I went up to Hamburg, under order of Dr. McDougall, Medical Director. I there found Drs. Gay, Varian and Hipp in charge, who did for us all in their power — gave us a fine room for our depot, to which they transported our supplies from the boat. There were three thousand five hundred sick at Hamburg — two hundred to three hundred arriving daily — the hospital tents full to overflowing — a great deal of suffering, and want of just the things we had brought ; clothing having been abundantly, for the time, supplied from our Branch Commission. Dr. Prentice was left in charge of the depot at Hamburg, with the prospect of gi-eat usefulness. 490 SANITARY COMMISSION — WBSTEKN DEPAUTJIENT. I took on board our steamer two hundred and eighteen sick from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky— mostly from Michi- gan, as Illinois and Ohio had been well represented in the Sanitary efforts at Pittsburg Landing and vicinity, and most of the sick from these States had been carried away. I took those of all States with equal pleasure, as representing the catholic spirit of the United States Sanitary Commission. As a consequence; our steamer was for the most part loaded with the neglected and specially suffering. On Tuesday morning, at daylight, we dropped down to Pittsburg Landing, and reported to the Medical Director. He came on board, inspected the sick, approved our arrangements and their condition, giving us our orders to deliver them at Evans ville, Louisville and Cincinnati, and, at nine o'clock in the morning, we started on our way home. Just before we left, the "Tycoon," one of the boats sent by the Governor of Ohio for Ohio sick — under the care of Dr. Smith, of Columbus, one of our most efficient Associate Members — arrived at Pittsburg Landing, having been at Nashville, and having on board Dr. Read, our Inspector, and M. C. Read, Special Relief Agent, employed by me to assist Dr. Read in the work of the Commission in and about Nashville. Dr. Smith and the members of his party were loud in their praises of the work we had done at Nashville, reporting the hospitals there — thanks to the influence of our depot and the efficiency of our agents — -in an excellent condition. His work in Nashville being nearly done — at least in such a state as to be left in other hands — in accordance with my instructions. Dr. Read had come over to Pittsburg Landing. To me his arrival was most opportune, as I had lost two of the surgeons who had promised to return with me, they having been taken into Government service. I therefore took him on board of the " Lancaster," and he is now making himself exceedingly useful. He will return at once to Pittsburg Landing, and resume his work in General Buell's army. M. C. Read went up to Hamburg, to assist Dr. Prentice, whose pressing want of help he will be able to satisfy. With the help of Drs. Read and Fulton — the latter a surgeon who volunteered for the trip — and an efficient corps of nurses, (including two ladies, experienced and unexceptionable women, members of the Aid Society of Northern Ohio, and friends of mine, who have been at Pittsburg Landing, in care of the sick HOSPITAL TBANSPOBTS. 491 and in our depot, for some time,) we are doing for the sick all that their wants require, and all that their friends at home could ask. I took more than our boat could conveniently accommodate, urged by the evident necessity that they should leave Hamburg, and their tearful, trembling eagerness to go home. I never had a more sad and painful duty to perform than to say to the throng of eager applicants, " I cannot take you " — to dash to the ground the hope created by the surgeon's permission of exchanging the dreadful suffering, monotony and exile of camp and hospital life in Ten- nessee for a rapid, pleasant voyage on a hospital transport — fitted up with all the luxury of a modern hospital — with cool and airy wards, long rows of clean cots, luxuries that would tempt even the fickle, deadened appetite of the fever patient who loathed his bread and bacon — and, most of all, the homelike attention of kind and sympathizing friends, to which they had so long been strangers. I have on board many a darling whom I am taking home to die in the arms of his mother, and not a few to whom home and its loved ones will be a panacea; but I left on the banks of the Tennessee, at Hamburg, a tottering, woe-begone crowd, some of whom, I fear, will never receive the warm greetings that await them at home, because I could not add them to my too long list. God help them ! — I could not. So far all has gone most favorably. With the exception of two cases of typhoid fever, received almost in articulo mortis, and who will die, I hope to transport, in safety and comfort, all these I have taken in charge, to the well-appointed hospitals on the Ohio. From there they will, as a general rule, be dispatched to their homes in a few days. I wish you could, as I have just done, walk through the wards, note how almost universally "tired Nature's sweet restorer" was doing its healing work, give the quieting draught to the restless, or cool the parched lips of the feverish with ice water or an orange- Could you do so, and see and hear that which will hourly bring tears to my eyes, I am sure you would feel, as I do, that fallen human nature has rarely assumed so pure and bright a phase as when planning and performing the work we are doing. Yours truly, J. S. Newberry. 492 SANITARY COMMISSION— WESTERN DEPARTMENT. Several membeis of the Cleveland Branch uccounjanied ns on the second trip of the ''tancaster/' From a letti^]- of one of these ladies the following extracts are made: Cleveland. June 20, 180*3. Dear Ladies of the Aid StjciETY, Cleveland : The evening of June 5, 18B3, saw u^; on board the "Lancaster No. 4," bound fur Pittsburg Landing, Our party roniprised six physicians— Dr. Newberry, with his co-adjutor, Dr. Prentice, at their head— a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church, six male nurses, and five ladies who claimed the privilege of acting in any capacity the necessities of the sick might demand, either as nurses or cooks, willing that the yellow flag should cover the broad ground of woman's sphere wherever a Christian humanity should direct it. Our boat was richly freighted with hospital stores, to be dispensed as the exigencies of the boat or hospitals might demand. We embarked M'ith the pleasant appliances of a pleasure excursion— agreeable officers, well-furnished saloon and state rooms; and, in genial society and the surroundings of beautiful scenery, we drank in vigor and courage for the accomplishment of our mission, which was to bring home such sick and wounded as could with safety be removed from the Tennessee hospitals. "We were to take men irrespective of the State to which they belonged, and gather under the folds of the United States flag all who in common had fought for the honor of that flag, for surely all such were brothers. * * On the morning of June 10th we arrived at Pittsburg Landing. Such a busy scene as there presented itself! ******** As it was determined that we were to ship our sick from Hamburg, six miles south of the Landing, we proceeded there the following day, and then commenced our earnest work. The saloon of the "'Lancaster" Avas stripped of its carpets, lounges, etc., floors thoroughly washed, and a triple row of cots ranged lengthwise through the saloon. Eveiy available space on the guards and lower deck was occu- pied by cots, and all hands put in requisition t(.) prepare for the reception of the invalid soldiers. Blessings on the Aid Societies were invoked, when the stores of sheets and comfortable quilts were brought from their hiding place, and the cots made, one after another, by their cleanliness and comfort, as inviting as those of a fine hotel. Blessings, too, for the liberal supply of pillows frir the aching heads that had slept so many weary weeks on the knapsack. Our preparations completed, we waited until the morning of Friday, the 13th instant, for our iirecious freight. On the morning of that day, our patients — two hundred and twenty-five in number— appeared on the hill above our landing, brought thither from a hospital in that vicinity. We watched with intense interest their progress to the boat. Of the whole number, not one descended the hill with the step of health. Bent and broken, either by the scourge of fever or wounds— some on litters— some in half military dress, with the loose sleeve proclaiming a terrible wound ; others in dress- ing-gowns, sitting down, as exhausted nature required, after a few steps. We at last mustered our forces. The boat was divided into wards, each physician taking one as his special care— the six nurses acting for all. After the men fell into their comfortable quarters, the operation of bathing and dressjing began. Soiled clothing was removed, and Vfjur generous store of shirts and drawers furnished each poor fellow with comforts which spoke, in their happy faces, of a moral elevation, since cleanliness is akin to godliness. HOSPITAL TRAXSPOETS. 493 Now, all these sheets, shirts, drawers, etc., bore the unmistakable mark of the Northern Ohio Aid Society, and prompted the question, What M'ould become of these sick men if there was no such organization? Again, when the nice supper appeared, with its modicum to each man of sweet bread, butter and fruit, with tea or coffee, as his taste directed, the same question was mentally propounded; and gratefully we acknowledged the benevolence that had filled up the awful hiatus between the necessities of our sick and wounded brothers and the supplies which the best