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[Union] A Civilian Reports on the Deplorable Con [Union] A Civilian Reports on the Deplorable Condit

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[Union] A Civilian Reports on the Deplorable Con [Union] A Civilian Reports on the Deplorable Condit
<B>[Union] A Civilian Reports on the Deplorable Condition of Soldiers, Sick and Well, in Baltimore.</B></I> Autograph Letter Signed ("S.F.S"), 8 pages, recto and verso, 5" by 7.75", Baltimore, October 12, 1862. To "Caroline." Bound with archival tape at left margin, else quite good. This long and interesting letter touches on the everyday conditions of both Rebel and Yank, stuck in Baltimore, after Antietam. In part: "<I>...This morning, after overseeing the feeding of several hundred soldiers, recruits, &, besides 189 rebel prisoners from Harper's Ferry, I returned home... and went earnestly into the sleeping business... Our work, for over two months, has been very heavy, as we have received and fed... over one hundred and sixty thousand men... The character of the men, with few exceptions, is excellent... but I am saddened at the thought of what these swarming, vigorous thousands have to endure, and how few of them, comparatively, can return... At present, my chief concern is the accommodation by night of hundreds of sick and well, who are detained here from lack of transportation, yet have no shelter provided by the government. I have seen the sidewalks, platforms and woodpiles covered at night with sleeping men, some with blankets and many without... It is growing cold, and the soldiers must suffer greatly. Last night, there were hundreds, sleeping in the open depot, and those unprovided with blankets were uncomfortable indeed. I have made a formal representation to General West, and he has promised to lay the subject before the authorities...</B></I>" From the Henry E. Luhrs Collection. Accompanied by LOA from PSA/DNA.