Report on the condition of the troops, and the operations of the Sanitary Commission in the Valley of the Mississippi, for the three months ending November 30th, 1861 / by J.S. Newberry.

  • Newberry, J. S. (John Strong), 1822-1892.
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the condition of the troops, and the operations of the Sanitary Commission in the Valley of the Mississippi, for the three months ending November 30th, 1861 / by J.S. Newberry. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    completeness and accuracy of statistics, from the nature of the case, and the short-comings of the observer. The different bodies of troops inspected being scattered over a large extent of terri- tory, their condition had to be investigated at different, periods of time, and their constant changes in location and number, as well as their very progress from the state of inexperienced organiza- tions of raw recruits, to well-disciplined corps of an effective army, make a statement which was perfectly correct as to the condition of a regiment several weeks ago, appear false or unjust if we apply it to its actual state to-day. Keeping these difficulties and dis- turbing influences in mind, I shall attempt to give you a descrip- tion of the average condition of the volunteer forces which it has been my duty to inspect from the beginning of August to the end of October, referring you to my special returns for details recorded at given days and places. 1.—Description and General Character of Troops Inspected. The troops inspected by me, are stationed in Cairo and Mound City, 111., Bird's Point and Cape Girardeau, Mo., Fort Holt and Paducah, Ky., in the south-east division of the Department of the West. The bodies inspected are, twenty-three regiments of infant- ry, a regiment and several detached companies of cavalry, (fifteen altogether) and ten companies oi artillery, forming two divisions under Gens. U. S. Grant and Chas. F. Smith, or seven brigades under Gens. McClernand, Paine, L. Wallace, and Cols. Cook, Oglesby, Wm. H. Wallace and Plummer. All these troops, with the exception of two regiments of infantry each, from *Mis- souri, Indiana and Iowa, are recruited in Illinois, forming one-half the troops furnished by that State, actually in the field. The predominating nativity is American, only a few regiments contain- ing a considerable quota of Germans ; for instance the 9th Illinois, while the foreign element in the rest is insignificrntly small, if we except some cavalry and artillery companies. The 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and I2th Illinois, and the 7th Indiana, were originally three-months regiments, nearly all the officers and many of the men re-enlisting for the war after the expiration of their first term. The others were organized and mustered' into U. S. service for three years, at different periods of time, from May to September. The 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 22d Illinois, and four