From the New York Herald, 10/2/1862
THE WASTE OF LIFE AMONGST THE REBELS. - The hospital
statistics published by the Richmond papers show a sacrifice of life and an
amount of sickness and suffering that are unparalleled in the history of any
campaign. The number of sick and wounded received in the Richmond hospitals
since the organization is, it appears 92,508. Of these 7,663 have died, and
12,115 have been furloughed and discharged. At the Chimborazo hospital there
were received 24,895, of whom 2,033 died. At the Winder hospital the number
received was 22,874, of whom 1,271 died. This would give of sick and wounded for
Richmond alone, at the present time, an aggregate of considerably over one
hundred thousand, being one-fifth of the entire military organization of the
South. If we add to this the number of patients in the military hospitals spread
over the Confederate States, it presents a total that is perfectly appalling.
The causes of this large amount of sickness and mortality are to be found in the
fact that the men comprising the Southern army have not been accustomed to work
or hard ships of any kind; that they are miserably clothed and fed, and that,
owing to the blockade of medicines, but particularly quinine, are exceedingly
difficult to be obtained. What the extense of the suffering and mortality will
be when the winter overtakes them in their present state of destitution we can
form an idea from the above figures. It is no wonder that with such prospects
staring them in the face the tone of the Richmond journals should be desponding
and gloomy beyond that of any previous period since the commencement of the war.
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