Today in History:

216 Series I Volume XI-I Serial 12 - Peninsular Campaign Part I

Page 216 THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN, VA. Chapter XXIII.

be certain that everything was done, and property, that was necessary for the welfare of those on board. Three thousand eight hundred and forty-five sick and wounded were thus transported.

After this time a portion of these transports, which had been while North taken from their legitimate use, were occupied in carrying exchanged Confederate prisoners from the North to City Point. On the return of these boats from this service to Harrison's Landing they were found to be excessively filthy, and required a great deal of labor to render them again suitable for the transportation of the sick. The use of these vessels in this way embarrassed me. On the 6th of August I informed the Surgeon-General by telegraph that-

I sent away yesterday 700 sick from the army. My boats are in use with the Confederate prisoners. If my boats are thus interfered with by the authorities beyond this army, I hope I shall not be held accountable if the sick of this army are not properly sent away.

On the 3rd of August the shipment of the sick from the army commenced, and was carried on as rapidly as the transportation could be obtained. It will be perceived from what I have just said that I had at my disposal only a portion of the boats set apart for that purpose, and the hospitals I had drawn plans for, and which the commanding general had directed the chief quartermaster to procure, were not allowed.

These two things alone embarrassed me much.

The following extract from a letter I addressed to the Surgeon-General will show to some extent the difficulties in the way of the rapid shipment of the sick under which I labored on the 13th of August:

I left on the 10th of August 150 hospital tents at Fort Monroe to be pitched near the Mill Creek hospital, and to-day have had 200 more sent from here, and have sent Assistant Surgeon McMillan to superintend putting them in order, and have sent Assistant Surgeon McClellan to superintend the hospital near Camp Hamilton. The tardiness exhibited at Fort Monroe in the erection of that hospital has been a serious annoyance. From the appearance of things at Point Lookout I shall be surprised if the hospital there is finished before the 1st day of november proximo. From this state of things and from the fact of the hospitals which were sent for by Lieutenant Colonel Ingalls, chief quartermaster of this army, some time since, the plans for which were drawn up by me, and which were ordered to be carried into effect by General McClellan, having been refused, as I informed, by General Halleck, I have been more seriously embarrassed. These buildings were to have been erected abound this time at such point sa i should have selected, and would have contained about, 3,000 sick, and this army would be able to move. Some of the sick transports have been used for other purposes, carrying Confederate prisoners and General Burnside's troops and loaded with supplies. All this has caused serious delay in removing the sick from this point, and have been circumstances over which no one here has any control.

Colonel Ingalls made every effort in his power to aid in removing the sick, and placed at different time boats temporarily at my disposal for this purpose, amounting in all to ten. Some of these could make but one trip; others made more, and carried in all, from the 9th to the night of the 15th of August, 5,945 men; 1,908 were sent away before the 9th on the regular transports. The total number sent away consequent upon the movement of the army was 14,159. The largest number of boats was obtained on the 15th, and on that day and night 5,629 were sent away. This fact will, I think, lead the commanding general to believe that the medical department was not idle. The delay arising from the use of the transports for purposes other than that for which they were designed it was impossible for me to avoid, and at the same time was the cause of another serious evil-the want of time to have the cases to be sent away properly examined. From this cause many were taken on board who should not have been received. Many cases were


Page 216 THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN, VA. Chapter XXIII.