This letter appeared in the Indianapolis Daily Journal on August 1, 1863 on page 3 column 2. The spelling and punctuation are unchanged from the original publication.
Our Wounded At Gettysburg
1st Div., 1st Army Corps Hospital,
White Church, near Gettysburg, Pa.
Ed. Journal-There being no higher officer left with our wounded at this place than myself, I desire, in behalf of our brave soldiers, to return their thanks to our friends in this State and our agent in Washington, for the timely and abundant supplies furnished us after the battle of Gettysburg.
Most of the slightly wounded of our division were collected at White Church, three miles from Gettysburg, on the Baltimore pike, and at a neighboring house and barn, and were suffering very much for sanitary supplies and food, as our supply and hospital wagons were twenty-five miles off.
Many of the men had lost their knapsacks and haversacks, and many of them had nearly all their clothing torn off, being covered with blood.
When our regimental hospital wagons came up, I took out the hospital tents, put them up together, and laid a floor in them, and made beds of hay and straw.
A few shirts and drawers, which were in the wagon, were given out, still many of the men had shirts on which were quite filthy, as they had not had a chance to change for many days.
The next day after our tents were up Mr. Monfort, our State Agent, camp up with his assistants, with shirts, drawers, lint, badages [sic] and wine, (Hoosier wine,) which was given out to the men. The soldiers were rejoiced to receive these supplies. “Bully for Indiana!” was the cheerful expression of the men upon receiving these gifts. These were the first donations received from any quarter, either from Agent or Society. The Agent, after getting a list of the killed and wounded, visited the other hospitals. This work of distributing stores being over, he returned in a few days and poured the supplies on us, bringing almost everything that could be wished for or needed-socks, shoes, drawers, handkerchiefs, towels, jellies, wines, vegetables, fruit, bread, butter, etc.-so that our hospital was abundantly supplied, and this was continued for some six days. I understand other regiments fared the same.
The men in camp would say, “he knows what is needed, he has been in the army.” The soldiers from other States would say wishfully, “why don’t our State treat its soldiers in that way?”
There was but one other state (Wisconsin) whose agent came on with supplies. The agents of several states came on, but none passed through the hospital to obtain lists of the killed and wounded. Some who profess friendship for soldiers and an interest in their welfare say, “Well, I would give something for relief, but those stores get into the hands of officers, and are eaten up or used by them.” Could such persons have witnessed the change from blood-clotted, filthy garments to clean and white, from “hard-tack” to fresh light bread, from salt pork to fresh mutton, could they have heard the expression of delight, and seen the countenances of the exhausted soldiers, no other argument would be necessary to bind them to the interest of our State Sanitary Commission. These supplies were all distributed by myself. I believe hundreds of lives were saved by the different relief associations.
All of the wounded from Indiana who were able to be moved have been taken to Gettysburg. Those left behind are well cared for.
After the railroad was opened the Sanitary and Christian Commissions brought in large supplies of stores. Our Indianians are doing well.
The cases of amputation are doing remarkably well. Lieut-Colonel Dudley has had his leg amputated a second time and is now improving.
The Iron Brigade is still in the front, ready to give the rebs. their accustomed warm reception.
I will close, hoping that I have not occupied too much room in your paper.
Yours, truly,
Henry C. Marsh,
Hospital Steward 19th Ind.  |
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