Conveyances for the Wounded. 71 



had become sick or crippled in the service of the country. 

 There were no students or other yoang men forming voluntary 

 companies to assist on the battle-field, as we had them in 

 France, for, as I said before, young men were rare ; but not- 

 withstanding this, the wounded on the battle-fields were more 

 prompdy attended and far better cared for than was the case 

 in the French war. Each battalion — about equal to a Prussian 

 company — had a number of portable bedsteads or stretchers, 

 and two conveniently and practically built ambulances ; and 

 whenever a battle was imminent hundreds of these vehicles were 

 brought together ready for use. The wounded were no^ 

 thrown into rough peasant cars, and jolted to death before they 

 reached the next hospital. Those that were in a state to be 

 transported at all were laid in a covered ambulance, which 

 rested on soft springs, was provided with a good mattress, a 

 cask of water, and one of wine, and everything else which 

 might be required. Those that had to be operated on were 

 placed in large hospital tents, each of which had room for 

 twelve or more persons. These tents were built upon the 

 battle-field itself, on circumstances not permitting, as near as 

 5)0ssible. They v/ere airy and most convenient, and their use 

 X has been adopted in many European armies. They are pre- 

 ferable to any other arrangement which possibly could be made 

 fur severely wounded men, and especially to those low, narrow, 

 and most abominable houses to be found in small German or 

 French villages. The luxury of cleanliness seems to be utterly 

 unknown there, and the smell of dozens of years together, with 

 a stratum of filth, covers the walls and ceilings, for whitewashing 

 is never thought of Country people who live much in the air 

 prefer the close atmosphere of a musty room as a holiday re- 

 creation, and even in the finest weather one may see them, on 

 Sunday afternoon, sitting close together in some country inn 

 room enveloped in a cloud of bad tobacco- smoke. To sit warm 

 in winter seems to be their only desire. The windows are 

 generally as small as possible, and they scarcely think of ever 

 opening them to let in air. The wounded, placed often on 

 mouldy straw on the filthy or partly-rotten flooring, are as 

 badly off as possible. 



In America, where there are not so many villages as in 

 Europe, necessity compelled the sanitary authorities lo provide 

 tor them otherwise, and this was done extremely well in spacious 



