ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



37 



cruited in the Middle States, including Virgi- 

 nia, Maryland, and Delaware ; sixty-two were 

 from regiments recruited in the Western States, 

 including Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, and Ne- 

 braska. The time occupied in recruiting each 

 of these regiments, averaged six weeks ; the 

 shortest period being ten days, the longest 

 about three months. 



In seventy-six and a half per cent, of the 

 regiments inspected, native Americans were 

 found to constitute the majority. In six and a 

 half per cent, there was a majority of Ger- 

 mans ; in five and a half, of Irish ; and in five 

 and a half the number of native born and 

 foreign born was about equal. Of one per 

 cent, the returns give no information on this 

 point. It is considered as near the truth to 

 state that about two-thirds of the volunteer 

 soldiers are American born, and nine-tenths 

 citizens, educated under the laws of the Union 

 and in the English tongue. Sufficient investi- 

 gation has not been made to determine this 

 statement with complete accuracy. 



From incomplete returns, the average age of 

 the volunteers is judged to be a little below 

 twenty-five years. Somewhat more than one- 

 half of their number are under twenty-three. 

 The average age of the officers is about thirty- 

 four. The number of men of any age between 

 eighteen and forty is not far from double the 

 number of those five years older. For exam- 

 ple, the number of those twenty years old is 

 double the number of those at twenty-five. 



It is important that the degree of liability to 

 death from disease in war, at different ages, 

 should be ascertained. Data are accumulating 

 which will serve to determine this. It is still 

 more important to determine the degree of 

 liability to sickness at different ages in army 

 life, especially as this affects the question of 

 the relative efficiency of men, as soldiers, at 

 different ages. For this purpose, no sufficient 

 records are at present made by the surgeons 

 of the army, and it was not practicable for the 

 commission to supply the deficiency. 



In fifty-eight per cent, of the regiments, there 

 had been no pretence of a thorough inspection 

 of recruits on enlistment. In only nine per cent, 

 had there been a thorough re-inspection when 

 or after they were mustered in. 



In the month of October, 1,620 men were 

 discharged from the army of the Potomac, as 

 unfit for service, of whom three-fifths were 

 thus discharged on account of disabilities that 

 existed at and before enlistment, and which an 

 intelligent surgeon should have discovered on 

 their inspection. 



Camp sites have been generally selected for 

 military reasons alone, and with little if any 

 regard to sanitary considerations. The regi- 

 mental surgeon has seldom been consulted on 

 the subject. In many instances, disease was di- 

 rectly traceable to this omission. One-fourth the 

 regiments were found encamped on sites which 

 had previously been occupied by others. 



Except at Cairo and in the prairie region, 



camps have been generally formed on the tops 

 and sides of hills. During the hot weather 

 nearly one-half were in the shade of woods 

 an objectionable circumstance. 



Water of wholesome quality was found with- 

 in convenient distance of the camp in all but 

 two cases. The regiments encamped at Cairo 

 were abundantly supplied with ice during the 

 hot weather. 



The average occupation of a camp site, up 

 to the date of inspection, had been twenty-one 

 days. In the east this period had generally 

 been largely exceeded, and regiments frequent- 

 ly occupied the same ground much longer than 

 was safe or advisable. 



In those cases where the drainage by incli- 

 nation was the most difficult, the soil and sub- 

 soil have been porous and favorable to drainage 

 by filtration. AB the immediate inconvenience 

 occasioned by a shower of rain in these flat 

 sites led to the practice of better judgment in 

 artificial drainage than has generally obtained 

 on the hill sites, there has been less prejudice 

 to health from poor drainage in the fixed camps 

 at the west than in those of the armies of the 

 Potomac and Western Virginia, which have 

 generally been upon clay soils or over retentive 

 subsoils. There has been, for instance, not 

 half as much rheumatism at Cairo as in the 

 eastern camps and those of West Virginia. 



Until recently, the artificial drainage of 

 camps, when first visited by the inspectors, 

 was found very imperfect the men of each 

 tent being left in most cases to form drains 

 around it according to their own judgment. In 

 consequence of their ignorance, unskilfulness, 

 or indolence, the drains were often useless, and 

 not unfrequently aggravated the evil they were 

 designed to remedy. As soon, however, as 

 good examples became frequent, the practice 

 of a systematic arrangement began to be gen- 

 erally adopted. The majority of volunteer 

 camps are now at least as well drained as 

 those of the regulars. The average depth of 

 the camp drains is about six inches. In about 

 one-half the camps the drains were found 

 more or less clogged, owing to their crooked- 

 ness and imperfect construction, and to want 

 of proper attention in keeping them clean. 



The consequence of neglecting drainage was 

 frequently apparent on inspection of the sick list. 



In general, the plan for laying out a camp 

 supplied in the Army Regiilations, has been 

 approximately followed ; but the tents are placed 

 more closely together than the minimum there 

 prescribed. The difficulty of drainage is thus 

 increased, and the narrow spaces between the 

 tents, difficult to be swept, become half-con- 

 cealed receptacles for rubbish. Six men are 

 usually provided with lodging in one of the 

 " wedge " tents. In the Sibley tent from 

 twelve to sixteen ; of late sometimes twenty. 



Tents are seldom tolerably ventilated at 

 night. Of the regiments under consideration 

 occupying the wedge tents, none were found in 

 which the inspectors were satisfied that proper 



