SANITARY COMMISSION. ACCOUNT OF THE FIELD RELIEF CORPS, OF THE U. S. SANITARY COMMISSION, • IN THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, By LEWIS H. STEINER, M. D., Chief Inspector. NEW YOKK: Wm. C Bryant & Co., Printers, 41 Nassau Street, corner of Libert t. 1863. SANITARY COMMISSION. Washington, September 192A, 1863. To the Executive Committee, SANITARY COMMISSION: Gentlemen, Thinking that the present organization of the Field Relief Corps of the Army of the Potomac, would be a subject of special interest to your Board, I propose to make a short re- port on the subject. The outlines of the plan were prepared by Mr. Olmsted, July 17, 1863, and an effort was made to organize the corps immediately. The army was then resting at or near Berlin, Maryland, and it was thought that our corps could be put in such form as to move with it on its entrance into Vir- ginia. Mr. Johnson, of Philadelphia, consented to act as Field Superintendent, and labored most assiduously in perfecting ar- rangements. After considerable trouble, we succeeded in start- ing off from Boonsborough, on Sunday, July 18th, four wagons under charge of as many relief agents—Mr. Johnson himself accompanying the train. On Monday, they crossed the Potomac, and proceeded to join the Army. Since that time, many alter- ations have been made in the original plan, the spring wagons originally employed have been removed, and substantial four- horse army wagons introduced. Indeed, the plan of this corps 4 has shaped itself from circumstances, until it has acquired its present form. There is a Field Superintendent and an Assistant. These offices are filled by Mr. J. Warner Johnson, of Philadelphia, and Capt. Isaac Harris, of Brooklyn. These" gentlemen have had much experience in this kind of work, and bring with them an honesty of purpose, a quiet enthusiasm and maturity of judg- ment which make me feel confident of the best possible results under their management of the corps. In each of six corps of the army, we have a substantial army wagon, which is kept filled with an assortment of such supplies as are likely to be needed by the sick or wounded in the field. This wagon is in charge of a Belief Agent, who has his tent, and lives in the corps to which he is attached. For convenience, his headquarters and stores are usually with the Ambulance Corps. The agent makes himself acquainted wTith the wants of the different division, brigade and regimental hospitals, and endeavors to supply their wants from the contents of his wagon. He becomes one of the family, and makes common cause with its interests. It was believed, that, in this way, an agent would become more interested in his work. Sharing the toils and the perils (to a certain extent also) of his corps, he would find him- self thoroughly identified with it. Thus there would be super- added to his general desire to aid the army at large, the anxious feeling to aid those who had become his friends through a com- munity of feelings and daily intercourse. This idea has been fully sustained by the results of nearly two months active opera- tions. The agents at present on duty, are W. A. Hovey, (of Boston,) 1st Corps; N. Murray, (of Elizabethtown, N. J.,) 2d Corps; Col, Clemens Soest, (formerly 29th N. Y. Vols.,) 3d Corps; E. M. Barton, (Worcester, Mass.,) 5th Corps; David S. Pope, (Balti- more, Md.,) 6th Corps; and Rev. Jno. A. Anderson, (California,) 5 12th Corps. They are educated gentlemen, who have accepted their respective positions with full reference to the responsibility resting upon them, and are animated with an anxious spirit to aid the medical officers of the army as far as may be in their power. Now, as to the mode of distributing stores, some may say, why not give at once to patients, instead of issuing through the medical officers ? To this I answer, that of the two modes of dis- tribution, the latter is preferable, because it prevents interference with hospital discipline; and the danger of private appropriation on the part of medical officers, is, by no means, as great as is supposed by the public. The constant supervision really exer- cised over hospital officers, by medical directors and the public, would make the matter of misappropriation of stores, a source of constant disgrace, and would peril their own reputation and position in the army. That such misappropriation has taken place in some cases I would not dare deny ; but let not these be put in the balance against the multitude of cases where honest patriotism and professional pride have stimulated the officers to use all means to advance the interests of the sufferers, and to hasten their convalescence. One of our field relief corps speaks on this point as follows : " In every instance of my dealing with the surgeons of this corps I have found them gentlemen, and must reiterate my belief, that ninety-nine one-hundredths of all the supplies drawn from my wagon have been honorably used by them. I have talked to patients in two hospitals, and they told me they had received both the brandy and wine that I had sent to these hospitals. In Dr. Ohlenschlager's Art. Brig. Hospital, one of the patients who was just recovering from an attack of intermittent fever and required stimulants, told me that he had had every drop of the wine sent over, and that ' it did him a power of good P " Another agent writing of his visit to a hos- pital, says, that " the Doctor was loud in his praises of the Com- 6 mission, and the men, who had evidently been informed of the source from which many of the delicacies had been received, seemed very grateful." I might multiply quotations of this kind, since every agent has felt it his duty to look into the sub- ject of the alleged misappropriation. I have reason to conclude, therefore, that such cases are rare, and I come to this conclusion, although a letter has reached us this morning, containing the statement that a wounded officer of a Massachusetts regiment, has declared that " the surgeons and officers were bountifully supplied with delicacies " from our stores, that " the surgeon of his regiment, or one in his brigade, boarded the entire winter from Sanitary stores," and that " the officers were well supplied " last winter " with patchwork bedquilts bearing the Sanitary Commission stamp." If this statement be correct in the indi- vidual case of this regiment, whose shame is thus proclaimed by one of its officers (I say its shame because the finger of scorn will find out the men who may have done this, and will super- add to the reproaches of conscience the denunciations of a peo- ple, liberal and zealous for good, but with no sympathy for those who pluck succor, when extended by the hand of benevolence to the sick, and use it for their own luxurious comfort), if this report be correct as to this one regiment, thank God! we have thousands of cases where honest men are not guilty of such conduct, and tens of thousands of gallant sufferers are willing so to testify. I introduce this statement although it refers in the main to a period in the history of the campaign, when the Army of the Potomac was not under my charge, and although the re- port has been fully met and refuted by the facts of the case. The depot of stores for renewing the supplies was established at Bealton, Ya., by Charles S. Clampitt, under orders from the Chief Inspector, and has since been transferred to the charge of Sanford Hoag. It is kept supplied from the Washington receiv- ing storehouse, the goods being forwarded tri-weekly in charge 7 of reliable messengers. Major J. C. Bush has been assigned to duty at this storehouse, acting in conjunction with Mr. Hoag in issuing thence to the cavalry hospitals, and those regiments on duty as railway-guard. In its present form, our work proves to be of decided accept- ability to the medical officers. Our agents are received kindly, courteously, gladly, wherever they may go; and are now ac- knowledged to be real helpers to the medical department of the army. One agent writes, on his entrance into a corps : " The morning after my arrival, I introduced myself to the Medical Director of the Corps, and to the Division, Brigade and Regi- mental Surgeons. I was everywhere received in the kindest manner, and all the surgeons were glad to learn that a perma- nent agent of the Sanitary Commission had been assigned to the corps; expressing themselves, at the same time, in the highest terms about the assistance of the Sanitary Commission to the sick and wounded during the Pennsylvania Campaign." " A Division General in speaking to another agent, said " the Sanitary Commission had done great good; that every facility in his power should be given, and that if at any time an obstacle was met with he would remove it if possible." Others have borne like testimony to the good works which the Commission is doing throughout the army. From the very inception of this work, it has asked only to be allowed the privilege of working along with the medical officers, supple- menting their work and bringing such succor to the needy of our great army as a liberal public is desirous should be ex- tended. The field is great, but with trained laborers an earnest effort is made to cover the whole ! The Field Relief Corps has distributed during August, shirts, drawers, handkerchiefs, bedsacks, pillows, pillowcases, blankets, quilts, sheets, socks, brandy, whisky, wine, crackers, chocolate, tin-cups, lemons, tamarinds, pickles, condensed milk, beef stock,, farinaceous food,