Camp on Corinth Road,
Miss., May 27, 1862.
Why don't you write me just a word, if no more? I'm almost
uneasy. Not a line from home for a month. We hear that smallpox is raging in
Canton, and — I want you to write. They say there is some smallpox in the
center and right of the army, but think 'tis like the milk sickness of our
Egypt, “a little further on.” There's enough sickness of other kinds, so we
have no room for grumbling if we can't have that disease. The hospitals at
Hamburg make almost a city. I think there can be no more sorrowful sight, real
or imaginary, than that camp of the sick.
I don't know the number of patients, somewhere in thousands,
all packed in tents as closely as they can lie, and with not one-tenth the care
a sick horse would get at home. I suppose the surgeons, stewards and nurses
have [f]eelings like men when they first enter the hospitals, but familarity
with disease and suffering seem to make them careless and indifferent to a
degree that surprises me, and I can't but look upon it as criminal. I suppose
nearly half the bad cases are typhoid fever. Yellow fever, cholera and smallpox
have never been known here to the citizens. They all say this is a very healthy
country, and I believe it. Our boys are suffering from the change of climate
and water, and as much as anything, the sudden change in temperature. Our
regiment is improving in health now rapidly. We have gained about 40 for duty
within a week. We had about 250 sick last week. The 17th has some 300. I found
a batch of live secesh women last Sunday. I rode up to a fine looking house to
get a glass of milk (I suppose I drink more milk than any six calves in Fulton)
and found eight or ten ladies at dinner, accepted a rather cool invitation to
dine wid’ ’em, and did justice to their peas and fodder generally, and was much
amused. Think there was more spice to that dinner than I ever before saw. One
black-eyed vixen opened the ball with “I don't see how you can hold your head
up and look people in the face, engaged in the cause you are.” I told her I
thought she had a free way of ’spressing her opinion. “Yes,” says she, “I can't
use a gun but I can tongue lash you, and will every chance.” Then they all
joined in, but I found that eating was my best “holt,” so they had it their own
way. When I'd finished my dinner, told them “a la Buell,” that I thought their
house would make, an excellent hospital, and that we'd probably bring out 80 or
a 100 patients the next day for them to take care of. Scared them like the
devil, all but one, and they all knew so much better places for the sick. This
odd one said she had a way of “putting arsenic in some people's feed, and she'd
do it, too.” Told her we'd give her a commish as chief taster, and put her through
a course of quinine, asafœtida
and sich. Said she'd like to see us dare to try it, she would. They were too
much for me, but I'll never pass that place without calling. I'd give my shirt
to have had Ame Babcock there. Those are the first outspoken female seceshers I
have yet seen.
Deserters say that the Rebels have positively no forage or
provisions in Corinth. That the Memphis and Mobile railways can barely bring
enough daily, scraped from the whole length of the lines to feed the army. It
is reported here that Sherman took possession of the Memphis road west of
Corinth yesterday and has fortified his position. Pope got two or three men
killed yesterday. There was about 5,000 of the enemy camped in the woods one
and one-half miles in front of his posish, and he drove them back until they
were reinforced and made him scoot again. I was out with a scout Sunday and
started again last night at dark (Monday) and was out until 9 this a. m. The
cause was some small bands raising the d---1 on our left. We didn't catch them.
We were over to the Tennessee, Sunday, where we could see the sacred soil of
Alabama. I like Alabama better than any other Southern State. She's never done
the “blowing” the others have and people here say that she's nearer loyal than
any other Southern state. They're raising loyal companies here now. There are
two full in Savannah.
General Jeff C. Davis' division passed here to-day to join
Pope's corps. Davis stopped with us and made quite a visit. General Ash of this
division goes forward to-morrow. The 21st and 38th Illinois from Stules
division went out yesterday. Eleven regiments in all added to Pope's command in
two days; except the last two they were all at Pea Ridge and some at Wilson's
Creek. A splendid lot of men but not drilled equal to many regiments of the “Army
Miss.”
I don't honestly believe that we have with all our reinforcements
100,000 men here; but don't believe the Rebels have 75,000; of course I mean
effective men that can be called on the field to fight. We have just received
orders to move to front to-morrow.
SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an
Illinois Soldier, p. 92-4
No comments:
Post a Comment