109th
Pennsylvania
From Capt. Young’s Company
The Company under command of Capt.
John Young, of this place was in the battle of
Culpepper Court House, and behaved admirably. They belong
to the 109th Pennsylvania, which was especially
complimented for their bravery and coolness in the fight.
We have been permitted to copy the following extracts from
a private letter, written by the Captain:
“General Bank’s army fought the
armies of the rebel Generals, Jackson and Ewel, four to
one, from about three in the afternoon until dark, and
held our own ground. I had two of my men killed, and six
that I know of wounded. One of the killed is Robert
Montgomery, from the Coal Banks, and the other is a
young man named Cochran, from Philadelphia. Wm. S. Emery,
of Croton, is wounded in the thigh; he is doing very well.
Albert Williams, an
apprentice of Samuel Dunn, is
wounded in the head. I am afraid he will die. The other
wounded are from Philadelphia. There are several missing
who I fear are taken prisoner. – The rest of the New
Castle boys are all safe. I saw Mrs. Crawford’s
brothers, after the battle, they are both wounded –
Wesley in the thigh, the other, I believe is also wounded
in the thigh. They are doing very well. All the wounded
are to be sent to Washington and other places. I think our
Regiment will be sent back to Washington City to
recruit.”
Capt. Young is a well drilled
officer, and a brave soldier. He will not ask his men to
go where he would refuse to go himself, and while he is a
strict disciplinarian, he will be careful to look well to
the comfort of those under his command. He is a captain of
whom Lawrence county may well be proud, and has men of the
same style under him.
CLIFEBURNE GENERAL HOSPITAL,
WASHINGTON, D. C. Oct. 24th
1862
DEAR DURBAN: - Permit me if you
please through the valuable columns of you paper, to say a
few words to the people of “little Lawrence” in
general. – Having been confined for some time to the
narrow limits of a hospital, I will try and give you a
slight illustration of the way in which they are
conducted, as I have been changed from one to another
until I think I have a pretty good chance of knowing
something about them and the many different forms in which
they exist. First is the regimental hospital; it consists
of a wall tent capable of containing 20 patients, and some
two or three ambulances which are constructed for the
purpose of conveying the sick while on a march. As a
general thing these ambulances are very comfortable
conveyances although some of them are worse than one of
those large coal wagons so frequently used in the streets
of New Castle, especially those built on two wheels, for I
d think they would kill a person in from two or three
weeks, let him enter one in good health, let alone
a man prostrate with the camp fever, an almost incurable
disease, or at least very few who get well who are
attacked with it, in the army, when the sick call is
beaten which is generally at 8 o’clock in the morning,
many may be seen wending their way toward the hospital, or
ambulances if on the march, where the Doctor is to be
found. It makes no difference how many different kinds of
diseases are presented to him he will use but two kinds of
medicine known by the soldiers as Quinine and blue pills,
if a man complains of having the cholrea morbus he will
get blue pills if Rheumatism, Quinine, if fever and
ague Quinine, if fever, pills, and so on throughout all
the diseases which our soldier is subject to, or this has
been the programme in our Regiment. It seems strange that
so many men with M. D. attached to their names are allowed
to remain in our army, to be in charge of sick men, who
are incapable of taking care of a blind horse, say nothing
of a man severely wounded. Also we have some noble
Physicians in the service and a short visit to their
hospitals will soon satisfy a person of the difference
existing between army Doctors. By the bad management of
some of these M. D.’s many are compelled to walk and
carry heavy burdens who should be taken in the ambulances;
some have been known to die on the roadside and many are
left behind on marches to either meet with a friend who
will help him or fall into the hands of the enemy through
the negligence in the medical department of the Regiment;
this I am sure none can doubt after seeing so much in
print upon this subject throughout all our journals. My
first experience in a Hospital was in the town of
Culpepper Va, immediately after the terrible battle of
slaughter, or as it is sometimes known, ceder moutain all
the public buildings were filled wounded, and as fast as
trains on the Manassas gap R. R., could be run from
Alexandria they were conveyed to Alexandria and this city
it was a horrible sight to witness the amputations
performed in some of these hospitals, legs and arms were
handled and thrown aside as a butcher would beef shanks; a
great many died here of their wounds and many of them will
soon be able to return to their respective regiments. I
was an inmate of the general Hospital at Frederick city,
Md for two weeks and I was almost overjoyed when I heard
we were to be removed and sent to some other hospital, not
because we were ill treated by our doctors, but for the
simple reason that there was 490 sick rebels in the same
Barracks with us 25 federal soldiers. This barracks, or in
some hospitals called wards, was under the supervision of
a doctor belonging the Rebel army. When the rebels were
forced to leave this city they at first intended to burn
the government property but finally concluded to fill this
place with their sick, for well do they know their sick
fare much better in our hands than they do in their own,
if their army is wanting in anything I am sure it is
medical stores. This Doctor I spoke of before was left to
attend these sick men, the other department of the
hospital being full of our own sick and wounded, we were
compelled to go into this barracks under the charge of a
rebel, the understanding was that he would act to us the
same as his own men, but I am confident that he never
intended to do so, for it was very seldom that he would
ask us any questions concerning our welfare, or see
whether or not we had anything to eat, if any person was
seen coming toward the ward with eatables he was sure to
meet them, and see that his own men got all, several times
he proscribed for us but we never got the medicine. This
looked very queer to us being in our own hospital and in
one of our loyal States. From here we moved to the
Episcopal Church in the same city to make room for wounded
Rebels who were being brought in from the battlefield. We
were here nearly two days before they made any arrangement
for us to obtain rations, consequently we have had nothing
to eat or some three days but what was brought, to us by
the kind ladies of this place; their kindness will never
be forgotten by our boys, and should the city ever fall
into the hands of the traitors again I think our troops
will cause them to leave it in a very short time, for they
know they have many strong friends in this place, more
than they was aware of, and my opinion is there are more,
and a great many more Union men in the State of Maryland
this day, than there was before the Confederate army
passed through. There is no doubt that Jeff Davis &
Co., are satisfied about “My Maryland” the subject of
their most popular song, or it was before they crossed the
Potomac. What prisoners and sick I saw were the most
miserable looking human beings that ever the sun shone
upon – nearly clothless, as they were, with nothing to
eat but what they could beg and steal, for it was
impossible to keep their supply trains along with them as
their movements were so very rapid, after leaving the
Rebel Capitol. The most of them were without shoes, and
they complained of their feet being very sore, which I
have no doubt was true. I was informed by one of the
citizens that a great number of their cavalry passed
through the city barefooted with the spurs attached to
their naked heel, this would present a comical appearance
for a soldier. I dare say all the sick I conversed with in
the Hospital were very tired of the war, and would be
contented to live in peace under the folds of the “Star
Spangled Banner” and the glorious Constitution our
fore-fathers framed. Their disease was the effects of
heavy marching, exposure, and starvation. Their sufferings
seemed to be that of people in the last stage of
consumption, and many of them died every day and as a
general thing their bodies were taken away by some of the
sympathizing Rebels of the place and vicinity, of which I
must say, were few and scattered. But upon this subject I
must not dwell, or my epistle will become too lengthy
In a few days orders came to move all
that were able to travel to the Hospitals at Washington
city. On the train in which I came, were twelve hundred
and fifty sick and wounded. We were distributed among the
many hospitals of this place, and have no reason to
complain of our medical treatment, for it is as good, and
much better than some of us could get if we were at home,
for here we have a good Physician with us all the time,
and there we could not have it so. Of course a great many
die where there are so many sick and often I see the
hearse, containing a coffin, followed by a Corporal and
four file of men, passing by, I am caused to repeat with a
slight variation, the “Paupers Drive,”
“Rattle his bones over the stones,
He’s only a soldier whom nobody
owns.”
One thing more I will speak of before
I close, and that is in regard to the many things sent to
us by the “Ladies of the Union Soldier’s Aid
Society,” what becomes of it? I am sure I have never
seen anything here contributed by them, and certainly
there is something for every one here, for their societies
are scattered all over the country, every town and village
in the Loyal States is a head quarters for one of the
Societies. I understand there is a great amount of
contributions from Pennsylvania in the city, but of what
good is that to us; we can not go and get them as it is
two miles from here to the city. I think there are some
persons employed to distribute these among the sick and
wounded, but they are like many of our Quarter Masters,
living upon the top of the heap themselves, and not caring
for the welfare of others. They should bear in mind that a
soldier has some interest in the welfare of his body as
well as his soul, and cannot live upon tracts and
religious papers which are so freely distributed among the
Hospitals. But of this subject and Cliffburn Hospitals,
more anon.
A Brave Soldier Gone.
It is our painful duty to announce
that Sergeant Lewis E. Young,
of company D, (Capt. McGettigan,) 109th regiment Pa. Vol.
Was killed in the battle at Pine Mountain Georgia, on
Wednesday the 15th ult. He was one of the first to
volunteer in the defence of his country when the rebellion
broke out, and had reenlisted for a second campaign, but
has now been stricken down by the hand of the enemy. Mr.
Young was brave and patriotic, and it is to be regretted
that he was not spared to see the war closed. He was about
22 years of age, leaves a wife and one child with other
relations to mourn his death.
