ESTEEMED SIR: I have
arrived from Hamburg general hospital. I
consented to be assigned, for the present, to the 8th ward of that institution,
after having assisted Dr. Varian, post surgeon, to establish it. I have 160 of the sick of the 2d cavalry,
5th, 10th, 3d and 17th infantry of Iowa volunteers under my care. They are doing quite as well as we could hope
for under the circumstances – have lost none, have nurses plenty, but need good cooks. This is the mistake. Good cooks are what is most needed in our
hospitals. Fruits, potatoes, onions,
barley, whisky and lots of peppers are needed too. Mrs. Harlan and Mrs. Burnell are here
somewhere. I believe Dr. G. is still in
the 3d Iowa. The army is advancing
to-day three miles – they must fight
or run, I think, this week; are
skirmishing now. The cannon are booming –
it’s exciting music, but brings no terror.
The army is in excellent spirits, although much sickness is in it. See that the good people of Davenport do not
turn out promiscuously as a crowd to help here in case of a battle, but send a few working men. I shall do all I can to keep posted as to the
wants of our troops, and relieve them as far as that can be done with my means.
Yours,
A. S. MAXWELL.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette,
Davenport, Iowa, Wednesday Morning, May 14, 1862, p. 1
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