4 o i^ .o* CT^-'i/^- ss STATEMENT CAUSES WHICH LED TO THE DISMISSAL SURGEON-CxENERAL a./ & WILLIAM A. HAMMOND F r? O M THE ARMY: REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE ADDUCED BEFORE THE COURT. Ml A STATEMENT CAUSES WHICH LED TO THE DISMISSAL SURGEON-GENERAL WILLIAM A. HAMMOND. On the 25th of April, 1862, I was commissioned by the Pres- ident Surgeon-General of the Army of the United States. The position was not of my seeking, but was given through the efforts of friends who had known me, either personally or by reputation, for many years, and who had confidence in my honor and in my ability to discharge the responsible duties belonging to the office, I had served in the army nearly eleven years without a stigma ever having been placed upon my character; had labored, not altogether without success, to advance the interests of science; had occupied the Chair of Anatomy and Physiology in the University of Mary- land ; and, on the breaking out of the rebellion, had resigned my professorship and returned to the army as an assistant surgeon, though with the loss of all the rank acquired by my previous service. Chief among those who had exerted themselves for my appoint- ment were Major-General McClellan and members of the United States Sanitary Commission. The former first mentioned my name for the position ; it was owing to the persistent efibrts of the latter that the bill reorganizing the Medical Department became a law, and it was mainly due to their personal exertions that the Pres- ident determined to place me at the head of the corps. At the time I was serving in the Department of Western Virginia, as Medical Inspector of Camps and Hospitals; my rank was that of first lieutenant, and there were many of that grade who were my seniors — I was scarcely thirty-four years old. As was to have been expected, my appointment caused a great deal of ill feeling. The older members of the corps — who had served, many of them, more years than I had lived — felt aggrieved. The feeling was a perfectly natural one, and I entertained no animosity against those who experienced it. I think I may safely say that not ten of those who ranked me, regarded my selection 1 (3) ■with favor; and one at least, who at the time was acting Surgeon- General, had taken every means in his power to defeat my nomi- nation and confirmation. It will be easily seen, then, that I had a difficult undertaking before me, even with everything in my favor. With the persistent enmity of the Secretary of War, to whom I had a right to look for official support and countenance, the task was almost insurmountable. There was a large depart- ment to reorganize, the angry feelings of those who deemed them- selves outraged were to be soothed, and there were to be selected, for important positions, officers who were capable of carrying out the views of improvement which I desired to put in practice. In a great measure I was successful. I say this without hesi- tation. It is not only my own opinion, but it is the opinion of those both in this country and in Europe who are competent to judge. Many of the older members of the corps became my friends. They were men whom I had loved and respected for years, with whom I had served, and who knew me too well to be- lieve that I would wantonly commit any act calculated to wound their feelings. I regarded it as my bounden duty to treat them with the consideration which their faithful services demanded. So far did my efforts extend, that I went personally to the Secretary of War with the one who had most actively opposed my appoint- ment, and, at his solicitation, requested his appointment as Assist- ant Surgeon- General. The Secretary of War remarked to me at the time, that it was the weakest act I had done in my life, and that the officer in question would never be my friend. Mr. Stan- ton had promised him the appointment, provided it met my ap- proval. He counted on my being as vindictive as he would have been in my position. He never forgave me for the disappoint- ment I caused him. The language he made use of, however, would have been worthy of a soothsayer, for it has been abund- antly verified. When I assumed my duties, the affairs of the Department were far in arrears. Several of the books were many months behind- hand, and no adequate preparation had been made to meet the tremendous emergency which was close upon us. It must not be supposed that I attribute these shortcomings to my predecessor. I do not know of my own knowledge how far he was directly respon- sible for them. I do know, however, that he had been treated in the most unjustifiable manner by Mr. Stanton, and I give him credit for honesty of purpose and the honorable feelings of a gentleman, which his superior in office has never yet seemed capable of appreciating in any one placed under him. The routine and details of the bureau were the same that had been in operation when the army numbered but fifteen thousand men. It was now over seven hundred thousand. There were then, I think, but eight clerks to do the whole business of the office. In less than two months, there were over sixty, and this number was subsequently increased. Not only was it neces- sary to extend the machinery of the office, but entirely new sub- bureaus had to be opened. The scientific results of the war had been altogether neglected. I organized an army medical museum; instituted manufacturing laboratories in New York and Philadelphia; called for fuller and more explicit reports than had previously been demanded of medical officers; placed the work of preparing a medical and sur- gical history of the rebellion in competent hands; and excited a spirit of professional emulation which has been productive of the best results. The hospital system had scarcely received any attention. A great part of my time, during the first three or four months of my administration, was spent in planning and locating hospitals, and visiting the battle-fields. With the assistance of those mem- bers of the corps who understood my objects and entered into my views, hospitals for over twenty thousand sick and wounded were in that period established in Washington alone ; and in one instance beds for five thousand were set up in five days. In the spring and summer of 1862, accommodations were provided for over seventy thousand sick and wounded soldiers. This was no trifling task, for not only did the material and the officers and attendants have to be obtained, but in many cases the hospitals had to be erected. These hospitals were mostly built according to my designs, after a thorough study of the subject, and were constructed with a view to every necessary condition of hygiene and comfort. They have received the unqualified approbation of all intelligent observers as the best the world has ever seen; and though the immediate labor of their construction was done by the Quartermaster's Department, the Medical Department was charged with the duty of seeing that they were in all respects suitable for the purpose. Thousands upon thousands of sick and wounded were accumu- lating on my hands, but I was prepared for them. I had strained every nerve, had given my almost undivided attention to the sub- ject of looking after their welfare, and they were provided for as no disabled soldiers ever were provided for before. Even my nights, during all this period, were occupied in writing a work specially designed to enlighten the medical officers in regard to every point necessary to make the condition of those committed to their charge as tolerable as possible. While, as in duty bound, I endeavored to accomplish the pur- pose of insuring the comfort of those who suffered for their coun- try, with a due regard to economy, I am perfectly free to confess that the saving of money was altogether a secondary object. My first duty was to save life. I did not know how to value that of a sick or wounded soldier by any pecuniary standard; and if I had retained the office of Surgeon-General till my dying day, I should never have acquired that knowledge. My acts, therefore, excited comment. I was accused by the wicked and the ignorant of useless extravagance; supplies of the variety of those issued had never been furnished before, and they were of a standard of excellence which was marvelous, considering the haste with which they were necessarily put up. The disbursements of the Medical Department before the war were but about $100,000 a year; my expenditures were at the rate of $1,000,000 a month. They are no less nosv, under a suc- cessor who, among other reasons, wa§ appointed to enforce a rigid economy, but one of the first of whose acts was to send in an annual estimate $2,000,000 greater than any I had ever made. The outlay of so large a sum of money brought around me a number of persons, who were importunate for what they called a share of the public patronage. I have many letters, from mem- bers of Congress, and others who are now loudest in their denun- ciations of me, begging me to give orders to their friends. I select only two, which, as they are types of the others, will be sufficient to show that no idea of my not possessing the right to regulate the purveying business was entertained. Five days after my appointment, and only two after I took charge of the office, I received the following: — Washington, April 30th, 1862. Dear Sir : — Inclosed please find note from , of , to which your attention is requested. Please give it as favorable consideration as possible. • Truly yours, (Signed) H. WILSON. This letter inclosed a note from to the Hon. Henry Wilson, then, as now. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Mili- tary Affiiirs. The note was simply an application to Mr, Wilson to use his influence in behalf of the writer in securing the reten- tion and extension of his transactions with the Medical Depart- ment. Mr. was informed that no change in the mode of obtaining supplies was contemplated. Senate Chamber, Washinqton, January 15tli, 1SG3. My dear Sir : — The bearer, , of the firm of , of Philadelphia, has been of so much service to the friends of the tjovernment in Pennsylvania in all their trials to sustain the President and his administration, and his firm is of so high and unquestionable a character, that 1 take the liberty of asking that you may honor him with a share of your patronage in Philadelphia. I do this with less reluctance, since I have learned from Mr. that he has already laid his case before you; and I cheerfully add the expression, that I should feel your encouragement of his house, if this can be done without detriment to the public service, as a favor done to myself. Yours truly, W. A. HAMMOND, J. W. FORNEY. Surgeon- General. This is one of two letters which I have in my possession from Mr. Forney. As I had never seen this gentleman, I^ considered him impertinently familiar, and did not hesitate to express my opinion to this effect. Since my trial, he has been among the most active — in his two newspapers, the Qhronicle, of Washing- ton, and the Press, of Philadelphia — in abusing me for construing the law, as he. Senator Wilson, and many others wished me to construe it in favor of their friends. I do not give the names of the dealers in whose behalf they wrote, as it is very far from my intention to mix them up in my affairs, and I have no reason to blame them for their action. Now, although I had, as I thought then, and still believe, the right to direct when, where, and of whom purchases should be made, I never gave a dozen orders myself, either directly or indi- rectly, in favor of any one. But I sanctioned large expenditures. I considered them necessary, and they were necessary, to bring the administration of the Department up to the advanced state which had been reached in foreign armies, the British especially. I never counted dollars when a man's life was in question. As an illustration of my views, the following letter, addressed to Assistant Surgeon J. Letterman on his appointment as Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac, is subjoined: — Subgeon-General's Office,. June 19tb, 18U2. ASSISTANT SURGEON J. LETTERMAN, 3Iedical Director Army of the Potomac. Sir:— You are detailed for duty with the Army of the Potomac as Medical Director. In making this assignment I have been governed by what I conceive to be the best interests of the service. Your energy, determination, and faith- ful discharge of duty in all the different situations in which you have been placed during your service of thirteen years, determined me to place you in the most arduous, responsible, and trying position you have yet occupied. On the eve of your departure, I desii-e to place before you some of the main points which should engage your attention: — \st. You should satisfy yourself that the medical supplies are of proper quantity and of good quality, and that each regiment has its full allowance; and you will hold the senior medical officer to a strict accountabihty for any deficiency. The time has passed when the excuse of no supplies will be accepted. 2d. You will lay before the ofiicers of the Quartermaster's Department your necessities in regard to transportation, and communicate freely with the General commanding relative to those things in which he is able to assist you. 3d. You will require all medical officers to be attentive and faithful in the discharjje of their duties, and you "will report instantly to the General com- mandiiiir and to this office all cases of dereliction. Ml. You will, in conjunction with Assistant Surgeon Dunster, U. S. Army Medical Director of Transportation, arrange for the safe, effectual, comfort- able, and speedy transportation of such sick and wounded as in your opinion should be removed from the limits of the army to which yon are attached. You will bear in mind, however, the provision of General Order No. 65, rela- tive to the transportation of troops, and you will, therefore, as far as possible, provide for those cases at such points iu your vicinity as may seem best adapted to the purpose. 5^/i. You will hire such physicians, nurses, etc. as you may require and as you can obtain on the spot, making known to me immediately your deficien- cies in that respect at the earliest possible moment, so that I can supply you. For the full performance of all these duties you are authorized to call directly on the Medical Purveyors in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, who will be directed to furnish you with everything you may ask for, regardless of supply tables or forms. You will only be required to notify me by letter what you have ordered, and of whom ; and you are directed to correspond frequently with me, and to make known such wants as can only be filled by my requisitions on the several bureaus here or through the orders of the Secretary of War. And now, trusting to your possession of those qualities, without which I should never have assigned you to this duty, I commit to you the health, the comfort, and the lives of thousands of our fellow-soldiers who are fighting for the maintenance of their liberties. 1 am, Sir, very respectfully. Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Surgeon-General U. S. Army. My detail of Dr. Letterman met with opposition from the War Department, and it was only after some correspondence that it was made. Mr. Stanton did not like him, probably because I had previously recommended him for the position of Medical Inspector-General. This I did as soon as I was appointed Sur- geon-General, and before any considerable ill feeling was excited in Mr. Stanton against me. He directed the appointment to be made. The papers were accordingly prepared by General Hart- suff; but before they were sent to the Senate, the Secretary of War had occasion to discover that it was not my intention to be his tool, and so he refused to give the appointment to one who would have made the office what it ought to be. What tended also to lead to the supposition that I was reckless in expenditures, was my establishment of a diet table for hos- pitals. Previously no such thing was known. Every surgeon in charge of a hospital was allowed to feed his patients as he pleased. I appointed a board of medical officers to arrange a complete sys- tem of diet for hospitals. This was done, and was approved by me, and ordered to be strictly adhered to. Although the scale was no more liberal than that in operation in the ho^-pitals of the British army, Mr. Stanton condemned it. Fearful, however, of popular opinion, he confined his demonstrations to the expression of his disapprobation. It must be recollected that the expense of 9 this diet table was, in the main, met by the sale of the ordinary rations of the inmates of hospitals, which they were unable to use, and was not a charge upon the Government. Another cause of Mr. Stanton's hostility, which had now become manifest to every one who had the opportunity of observing his conduct, was my course in regard to the ambulance corps, which, notwithstanding his continued rebuffs, I persistently forced upon his attention. Again, afraid of what the country would think of his opposition to a measure so indispensable to the welfare of the sick and wounded, he left the matter to be decided by General Hal- leck. When I went to this officer with a plan for such a corps, he refused to hear me utter one word on the subject. I then sent it to the Secretary of War direct. It was referred to General Halleck, and disapproved. My first letter on the subject was as follows: — Sukgeon-Geneeal's Office, Washington City, D. C, August 21st, 1862. Sir:— In accordance with your verbal permission, I have the honor to submit the inclosed project for an Hospital Corps, and to ask your favorable consider- ation for the same. The plan is merely submitted as a basis upon which the corps can be organized. Much will remain to be done by regulations, and I propose, should you approve the inclosed outline, to ask for a Board of Medical Offi- cers to perfect the organization. I have not considered it necessary to enter into details; the first thin^ essential is to obtain your sanction to the organ- ization of such a corps. The need for it is most urgent. In no battle yet have the wounded been properly looked after; men, under the pretense of carrying them off the field, leave the ranks, and seldom return to their proper duties. The adoption of this plan would do away with the necessity of taking men from the line of the army, to perform the duties of nurses, cooks, and attend- ants, and thus return sixteen thousand men to duty in the ranks. In view of these facts, and many others which could be adduced, I respect- fully ask your approval of the inclosed project. 1 am. Sir, very respectfully. Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surg eon- General. Secretary/ of War. As I have said, my plan was disapproved by General Halleck, and his action met with Mr. Stanton's approval. On the seventh of September, after General Pope's defeat at Bull Run, when the whole country was shocked with the intelli- gence that our wounded lay for days on the battle-field exposed to every privation, I wrote again : — SDaOEON-GENERAL's OFFICE, WASHINGTON CiTY, D. C, September 7, 1862. Sir:— I have the honor to ask your attention to the frightful state of disorder existing in the arrangements for removing the wounded from the field of bat- 10 tie. The scarcity of ambulances, the want of organization, the drunkenness and incompetency of the drivers, the total absence of ambulance attendants, are now worldnfj their legitimate results — results which I feel I have no right to keep from the knowledge of the department. The whole system should be under the charge of the Medical Department. An ambulance corps should be organized and set in instant operation. I have already laid before you a ))lan for such an organization, which, I think, covers the whole ground, but which. I am sorry to find, does not meet with the approval of the Gen- eral-in-Chief I am not wedded to it. I only ask that some system may be adopted by which the removal of the sick from the field of battle may be speedily accomplished, and the suffering to which they are now subjected be in future as far as possible avoided. Up to this date, six hundred wounded still remain on the battle-field, ia consequence of an insufficiency of ambulances, and the want of a proper system for regulating their removal, in the Army of Virginia. Many have died of starvation, many more will die in consequence of exhaustion, and all have endured torments which might have been avoided. I ask, Sir, that you will give me your aid in this matter, that you will in- terpose to prevent a recurrence of such consequences as have followed the recent battle — consequences which will inevitably ensue on the next import- ant engagement, if nothing is done to obviate them. I am, Sir, very respectfully. Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surgeon-General Secretary of War. My application was again unsuccessful, and the Secretary told Governor Andrew (as I am informed by a gentleman who was present) that he had no confidence in my judgment. For my persistency, I received his personal abuse, and was warned against any repetition of my importunity. How different the course of the Secretary of War and the General-in Chief was from that of General McClellan, will be seen from the following letter : — Headquarters Army of the Potomac, October 25th, 1862. General: — An ambulance corps has been in existence in this army since August 2d, 1862, and has been of great service. It would be of still greater service were the men enlisted for this particular duty. I approve of an ambulance corps for the whole army, and consider it indispensable for the proper care of the wounded. The men should be enlisted especially for this purpose, and used for no other, and should be placed in a camp of instruction and taught their duties. The plan now in force in this army, I recommend, with some modification, to be adopted throughout the forces of the United States. 1 am, very respectfully, Your obedt. .servt., (Signed) GEORGE B. McCLELLAN, Major-General U. S, Army. MAJOR-GENERAL H, W, HALLECK, General-in- Chief. 11 And, as showing the action of the Sanitary Commission, I subjoin the following letter: — [COPY.] U. S. Sanitakt Commission, New York Agency, 823 Broadway, New York, February 26th, 1863. Hon. senator WILSON. Dear General : — I see that the House have passed the ambulance bill, and now that it is to go through the ordeal of the Senate, its fate is probably in your hands. I have attentively watched its history. The Surgeon-General, in connection with the Quartermaster-General, (who originally opposed the bill,) agreed upon the bill originally prepared by the Surgeon -General. It was carefully studied, and can only be harmed by tinkering. I sincerely hope it may be passed without hesitation or delay. I pledge you my word that it is a good bill and an honest one, and entitled to unqualified support from the Military Committee. I speak as an expert, who has made this matter a serious and careful study. Let me entreat you again not to allow your faith in the Surgeon-General to be shaken. The Secretary of War, in whose patriotism, zeal, and ability I have general confidence, and whose hands I would not weaken by a word of public criticism, is, nevertheless, a man of strong personal prejudices, irri- table, and often very unjust. His dislike of Dr. Hammond is a most unfortu- nate thing for the service. If he succeeds in injuring the Surgeon-General with the Military Committee or with the Senate, he will inflict a greater wound on the sick and wounded in the hospitals and in the army than he can heal over in two years to come. The Surgeon- General has brought order out of chaos in his department, and efficiency out of imbecility. The sick and wounded owe a hundred times over more to the Government and the Medical Department than to all the outside influences and benevolence of the country combined, including the Sanitary Commission ! The Surgeon-General is the best friend the sick sol- dier has in this country, because he wields the benevolence of the U. S. Government. For God's sake, don't thwart his zeal and wisdom. Yours truly, HENRY W. BELLOWS. But all was in vain. The united wishes of General McClellan and myself could not be acceded to; and although the Sanitary Commission and eminent gentlemen in :^11 parts of the country (among whom. Dr. H. W. Bowditch, of Boston, who had seen for himself, must be counted first) begged for favorable action on my application, their efforts were fruitless. After I was relieved from the charge of the bureau, the Secretary of War had no difficulty in agreeing to the establishment of an ambulance system. He was determined, however, that I should not only not have the credit of it, but should, so far as his action could insure it, have the blame for the sufferings the wounded were obliged to undergo. In the fall and winter of 1862, I incurred a great deal of un- popularity from the fact that, although I had visited the armies of the East, I had not, since my appointment as Surgeon-General, been to the West. The newspapers denounced me for this failure, 12 and I received many letters from prominent gentlemen in the West, urging me to go to that section. Before the public attention was directed to this matter, I had made application to the Secretary of War for authority to go West and had been refused. He saw that ill feeling would be excited against me, and he could not let slip the opportunity of doing me an injury. My first letter was as follows : — Surgeon-General's Office, Washington City, D. C, January 5th, 18G3. Sir:— I have the honor to request your authority to make a tour of inspection of the hospitals in St. Louis, Keokuk, Memphis, Nashville, and such other points as upon further consideration I may determine upon. I am, Sir, very respectfully, Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surgeon- General. Secretary of War. I took this letter to the War Department myself, and was told by Mr. Stanton that I could not go. He even refused to receive the letter, and I brought it back and filed it in the office, with this indorsement: — " Not approved by the Secretary of War. " WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, "Surgkon-General's Office,) " Surgeon- General. "January 6th, 1863." j On the thirty-first of January I wrote again. I knew the abso- lute necessity of giving my personal attention to the medical affairs of the Western armies. This was essential not only for the sake of the sick and wounded, but was also demanded from a regard for my own reputation, which I saw was suffering in that quarter. I was blamed for neglect, and with apparent justice. Surgeon-General's Office, Washington City, D. C, January 31st, 1863. Sir:— I have the honor to request your authority to proceed to the West on a tour of inspection. I have reason to believe that such a visit is almost indispensable at this time. I know that I feel the necessity of a more intimate acquaintance with the hospital arrangements, and other matters connected with the Medical Department there, than 1 can obtain in any other way than by personal ob- servation. I am, Sir, very respectfully. Your obedt. servt., W. A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surgeon-General. Secretary of War. No notice whatever was taken of this letter. 13 As showing still further the line of action the Secretary of War had decided upon, I subjoin the following: — SURaEON-GENERAL's OFFICE, WASHINGTON ClTT, D. C, March 2d, 18G3. Sir:— I have the honor to request your authority to proceed to New York and Philadelphia on important business connected with the Hospital Department of the army. I am, Sir, very respectfully, Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surgeon- General Secretary of War. The business I explained to the Secretary the following day. It had reference to the laboratories which I had established in those cities for the manufacture of many of the medicines and stores required by the Medical Department. I understood him to consent to my going, and I intended to do so with my friend. Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, of Philadelphia, who was then in Washing- ton; but on the mornincr I designed to leave I received a com- munication from the War Department, signed by Colonel Hardie, which contained the following sentence : — "In the opinion of the Secretary of "War, it is the duty of the chief of a bureau to remain in Washington, and transact his business in writing," Considering the fact that a few months subsequently the Adju- tant-General, the Quartermaster-General, the Commissary-Gen- eral, the Chief of Ordnance, the Chief Signal Officer, and the Surgeon-General were all sent away from Washington, we cannot fail to perceive the remarkable change which Mr. Stanton's opin- ion underwent, or avoid the conclusion that, so far from being actuated by principle, he was governed by some unworthy motive. One of the first means which the Secretary of War took to embarrass me in my duties as Surgeon-General, and to bring me, if possible, into disrepute, was his persistent refusal to place funds in the hands of the Medical Purveyors. Owing to this course on his part, supplies had to be purchased at advanced rates, and the debts of the Medical Department not being paid when due, a great deal of complaint was made by those who suffered. Many of these were poor men, and they and their families were depend- ent on the small incomes they received from the Government. My correspondence with Mr. Stanton on this point was so exten- sive that it will be impossible to bring forward all my letters. They are, however, attached to the record of the court-martial before which I was tried, and will all see the light when that record is published The following will be suffieicnt to show the nature of the diffi- 14 culty which existed. It must be recollected that my letters were based upon the official representations of medical officers, besides my own personal knowledge: — Surgeon-General's Office, Washington City, D. C, November 19th, 18G2. Sir :— In consideration of the very great need of funds for medical and hospital purposes in the West, I have the honor to request that you will direct the payment of a requisition from this office, dated October 8th, 1862, which bore your approval or sanction some time early in October last. The requisition was made in favor of Surgeon Glover Perin, Medical Purveyor at Cincin- nati, for $187,204 82, to cover one for the same amount in favor of Assistant Surgeon J. P. Wright, Medical Purveyor at Cincinnati, Ohio, dated 10th Jyjy_ ******* Medical disbursing ofScers in the West are out of funds, the creditors against Government are clamorous for payment, and I respectfully request your prompt action in the matter. Most respectfully, Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surgeon- General. Secretary of War. Suegeon-Gbneral's Office, Washington, D. C, December 6th, 1862. Sir :— I have the honor to inform you that it is officially reported to this office that many families of Government employees in Philadelphia are suffering from want of food, fuel, and clothing, caused by the absence of funds in the hands of the disbursing officer in Philadelphia. Also, that the gas has been shut off from the premises of the Medical Storekeeper on the same account. I therefore respectfully request that a portion of the funds placed to the credit of Surgeon Cooper be transferred to the credit of Medical Storekeeper V. Zoeller, for the payment of such indebtedness. I am. Sir, very respectfully, Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surg eon- General. Secretary of War. Surgeon-General's Office, Washington City, D. C, February 16th, 18(58. Sir:— I have the honor to transmit the inclosed requisitions for your approval, as follows : — Surgeon R. S. Satterlee, New York $250,000 00 " R. Murray, Philadelphia 250,000 00 " P. G. S. Ten Broeck, San Fiancisco 15,000 00 «* C. C. Cox, Baltimore 5,000 00 M. S. K Ilennel Stevens, Cairo 1,000 00 Surgeon (Mills. Sutherland, Memphis 5,000 00 M. S. K. Henry .Johnson, Washington 250,000 00 " Henry N. Rittenhouse, Cincinnati 88,008 35 The several amounts of these requisitions are now all due, and most of them have been due for months. I have to request, therefore, that such a 15 course may be taken as will place the required funds in the proper places for distribution as soon as practicable. I am, yir, very respectfully, Your obedt. servt., W. A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surgeon- General Secretary of War. In answer to a pressing application for money from Surgeon Robert Murray, Medical Purveyor at Philadelphia, the following letter was written : — Subgeon-General's Office, Washington City, D. C, February 28t.h, 1863. Sir :— Your communication of the 26th inst., requesting that the balance of the requisition, viz., $125,000, may be sent to you in money, has been received. In reply, I am instructed to say that this department is taking every step in its power to hasten the issue of money to its disbursing officers. It knows and appreciates the urgent necessity for such issue, and has not neglected its duty. By order of the Surgeon-General. Yery respectfully. Your obedt. servt., (Signed) ^ C. H. ALDEN, Assistant Surgeon U. S. Army. SURG. ROBERT MURRAY, U, S. A., Medical Purveyor, Philadelphia. These are a few only of the letters written relative to funds ; and in consequence of the neglect and refusal of the Secretary of War to do his duty, the credit of the Medical Department was seriously impaired and its operations materially interfered with. At Louisville, Kentucky, a great need existed for funds, but the only answer I received to my application that they should be sent there, was the following : — War Department, Washington City, August 29tli, 1863. Sir:— I have the honor to report, that your request (date blank) for a remittance of $100,000 to Surgeon A. P. Aleylert has been cancelled in this office, by the Secretary of War, before it passed into the Treasury. Yery respectfully, Your most obedt. servt., E. WINSTON HALL, Requisition Clerk. To SURGEON-GENERAL W. A. HAMMOND. In answer to my verbal remonstrances with Mr. Stanton, which were frequent, the only reply ever made was that doctors knew nothing of money matters, and he would not trust them with large amounts. During all this period there were no regulations but those which had been adopted for the old army of fifteen thousand men. Of course they were inadequate, and in many cases altogether inap- X 16 plicable. After repeated requests, I succeeded in having a board detailed to prepare a new code. When their labor was completed, the Secretary refused to act upon the regulations recommended. I had, therefore, to assume responsibilities and powers, which otherwise it would not have been necessary for me to take. I have thus run over, as briefly as possible, some of the points which show Mr. Stanton's animus. It may be asked, " what was the reason of his animosity?" The cause existed in the fact that I gave him to understand, from a very early period of my official career, that I, for one, would not quietly submit to the insolence which he constantly exhibited toward his subordinates. Two days after my appointment, he sent for me. I went to his office, and the following conversation took place. His tone and manner were offensive in the extreme, being that of one who is determined to crush out if possible all opposition: — "What are Dr. Bellows and the Sanitary Commission about?" asked he. "I don't know, sir," I answered. "I want to tell you," he said, "that if you have the enterprise, the knowledge, the intelligence, and the brains to run the Medical Department, I will assist you." " Mr. Secretary," I replied, " I am not accustomed to be spoken to in that manner by any person, and I beg you will ad- dress me in more respectful terms." "What do you mean?" he exclaimed. "Simply," I said, "that during my service in the army, I have been thrown with gentlemen, who, no matter what our relative rank was, treated me with respect. Now, that I have become Surgeon- General, I do not intend to exact anything less than I did when I was an Assistant Surgeon, and I will not permit you to speak to me in such language as you have just used." "Then, sir," said he, "you can leave my office immediately." I accordingly left it, and I have never entered it or his house since, except upon strictly official business. It would be impossible for me to detail the hundredth part of the insults of all kinds I was compelled, to some extent, to bear. Not content with inflicting all the personal indignities he thought it safe to venture upon, he did not hesitate to abuse me to others. Every obstacle at his command was thrown in my way. The organization of the Department intended by law was delayed on account of his persistent refusal to appoint the officers of the Medical Inspectors Corps ; and thus, notwithstand- ing the positive enactment that immediately after the passage of the act, the officers to fill this corps should be selected, weeks and even months were suffered to elapse before the objects contem- plated by Congress could be attained. The need for the services of these officers was -most urgent, and was frequently brought to 17 Mr. Stanton's notice by myself and the President of the Sanitary Commission; and when at hist he condescended to make the ap- pointments, several, against my representations as to their unfit- ness, were selected, who had nothing but their political opinions and affinities to recommend them. After Pope's defeat, when the wounded were being brought into Washington by thousands, I found it necessary to extend still further the hospital accommodations. The churches and other public buildings were filled, the Patent-office was used for the sick and wounded, and the only other buildings available were the Capitol and Executive Mansion. The latter was not then occupied by the President or his family, and not long before a company of soldiers had been quartered in it. I therefore made application for the Capitol and for the East Room of the Presi- dent's house, the latter to be used as an officer's hospital. When the application reached the Secretary, he sent for me, and I was again the recipient of his abuse. Again I repelled it, as I always did. I knew no reason why the sick and wounded should not have the best building in the country if it was neces- sary. Hundreds were then lying on the ground for want of a place in which to put them, and I told him so in plain language. The end of it was that the Capitol was ordered to be turned over to me. He was afraid to refuse it ; but he informed me I should hear from him again on the subject, which, however, I never did, except that he told a distinguished officer of the army that my conduct had been exceedingly presumptuous. The East Room was never turned over if he ordered it. During the whole time that I remained in Washington as chief of the Medical Bureau, I never had one word of advice or en- couragement from Mr. Stanton. Amid all my embarrassments arising from inexperience in business, he never, by word or deed, gave me any assistance which he could refuse with safety to him- self. Every advance which I made toward him was repelled with harshness. I was obliged to rely entirely on my own views and exertions, and such advice as I could get from other mem- bers of the corps. Although he studiously withheld his aid, I was repeatedly called upon to explain the most trifling acts on my part which appeared to him to be infringements on his rights. As an example of his littleness of mind and forgetfulness, the fol- lowing letter is adduced. It is in reply to one from his office directing me, in peremptory terms, to report by what authority I granted passes to the Army of the Potomac. Suroeon-Geneeal's Office, Washington, D. C, December 29th, 1862. Sir :— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 27th inst., requiring me to report by what authority passes are granted at my office to 18 visit Falmouth or any other place within the lines of the armies of the United States. In reply, I have the honor to inform you that T grant such passes by authority of General Orders No. 48, dated War Department, Adjutant- General's Office. April 28th, 1862. In addition to the above, par. iv., General Orders 187, dated Headquarters Army of the Potomac, camp near Falmouth, Va., November 27th, 1862, directs orders for passes from the Bureaus of the War Department to be honored. I am, Sir, very respectfully, Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surgeon-General Secretary of War. Here he had called me to account for doing what his own pub- lished order authorized me to do ! I am not the only one whom he has visited with quasi reprimands for following his instructions, as many officers who read this statement will call to mind. To be subjected to Mr. Stanton's temper for acts which one has per- formed by his authority was bad enough, but to be required to re- port on aftdirs the consequences of his own deliberate conduct, was even more intolerable. On the 24th of July, 1863, the Governor of Wisconsin wrote to the Secretary of War, requesting permission to remove the sick soldiers at Memphis and other points, belonging to his State, to their homes. The Governor stated that this privilege had been repeatedly denied him, but had been accorded to the Governor of Indiana. The Governor of Wisconsin set forth in fitting terms the unfairness of this discrimination being made in favor of another State and against Wisconsin, and that ill feeling was being excited in consequence. This letter was referred to my office, with directions to report immediately why the Governor of Indiana had been allowed to take soldiers from the hospitals and remove them to his State. As I knew nothing about it, I sent the communication to the Medical Director of General Grant's army for report. In a few weeks the answer came that the sick and wounded Indiana sol- diers had been removed in accordance with an order to th^it eflfect from the Secretary of War himself! A copy of this order was inclosed to me, and I sent it to Mr, Stanton as an answer to his call on me for an explanation. It was as follows: — Bt Telegraph from Wasuington. May 25th, 1863. To GOV. MORTON. The Medical Director of General Grant's army is hereby instructed tO cause such of the Indiana troops wounded in the late engagements, as will be probably unfit for service within forty days, to be transported to the United States hospitals in the State of Indiana, to the extent of their accom- modations, under the direction of his Excellency Governor Mortou. This telegram will serve as a formal order. (Signed) EDWIN M. STANTON. 19 Of course these circumstances irritated him ; and he was still further inflamed against me by my exposure of the character of the individual whom he had selected, with a full knowledge of his shortcomings and against ray remonstrances, to fill the important position of Medical Inspector-General. I had detected this person in positive and willful falsehood, and had exhibited him in his true light. I had preferred charges against him for his misconduct, and a court was ordered for his trial, (as it appeared subsequently without Mr. Stanton's knowledge,) the witnesses were summoned, and the Judge Advocate, Major Gaines, was ready to go on with the case, when an order was received from the Secretary of War dissolving the court. The ofiender had been appointed because he was a relative of Mr. Fessenden, the present Secretary of the Treasury, and he was let off without a trial for the same reason. In a conversation which I had a few days previously with Mr. Fessenden, he asked me to withdraw the charges, and told me if I persisted in them it would be a bad thing for me. Of course I refused. Even in the smallest matters, the interference of Mr. Stan- ton was exerted against me. An orderly of my own ofiice, whom I had placed in arrest for a positive disobedience of orders, given in carrying out Mr. Stanton's instructions, was released by him. I was therefore not even allowed to enforce discipline among those who were under my immediate direction. To show the depth to which the Secretary of War could descend to gratify his malice, the following correspondence is given : — War Department, Washington Citt, February 5th, 1863. The Surgeon-General will report specifically the charges upon which Cor- poral C. W. Thayer, Co. K, Scott's 900, is imprisoned in the guard-house, and the term for which he has been sentenced, and by what tribunal or authority. By order of the Secretary of War. (Signed) ' P. H. WATSON, Assistant Secretary of War, To 'this order I replied as follows : — Sueokon-Gbnekal's Office, Washington City, D. C, February 6th, 1863. Sir :— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 5th instant, just received, and to state in reply thereto that Corporal C. W. Thayer, Co. K, Scott's 900, an orderly in my office, was confined in the guard-house for refusing to answer certain questions propounded to him in the course of an investigation, instituted by your order, in regard to certain charges made against J. N. Callan, a clerk of this office. This confinement was preparatory to the preferment of specific charges against him for positive and willful disobedience of orders, and was the ordi- nary and customary mode of procedure in such cases. He was confined by 2 20 my authority, as his immediate commanding ofi5cer, an authority which is exercised by every commissioned ofiBcer of the array of every corps. I am, Sir, very respectfully, Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, Surgeon-General U.S.A. Secretary of War. As I have said, the man was released and was placed again on duty in my office, mainly if not entirely through the exertions of the Medical Inspector-General previously referred to. Finally, this latter individual proceeded to such extremities that even the Secretary of War could no longer remain his advocate with safety. Other officers, among whom were Generals Hooker and Heintzel- man, called attention to his practices, and I detected him in giving hlank certificates of discharge to soldiers, and, having obtained two of these documents, sent them to the War Department with the following indorsement: — These papers are respectfully submitted to the Secretary of War as exhib- iting a reckless disregard of truth and propriety, and for the interests of the service. In order to prevent such abuses as the present, the law authorizing offi- cers of the Medical Inspector's Department to discharge soldiers provides "that every such certificate shall appear on its face to have been founded on personal inspection of the soldier so discharged, and shall specifically describe the nature and origin of such disability;" and no more effectual means could have been devised for neutralizing the efforts of the Govern- ment to maintain the numerical strength of the army than the issue to sol- diers of certificates of discharge signed in blank, and of course marketable articles. These blank certificates and discharges, to which the signatures of the Medical Inspector-General are attached, were taken from a soldier by an agent of the Sanitary Commission, who placed them in my hands. The soldier received them from the Medical Inspector-General. I have reason to believe that these are by no means the only documents of the kind which have been issued by this officer ; and the letter of Medical Inspector Goolidge, herewith inclosed, refers to another case which has come to his knowledge. I respectfully submit t^o the Hon. Secretary of War, that an officer who would be guilty, in addition to his other offenses, of such acts as Dr. Perley is by those papers shown to have perpetrated, is unfit, by want of principle, by lack of common sense, and by a disregard for the interests of the Govern- ment he has sworn to support, to hold the commission of an officer of the army, or to be deemed worthy of association with the members of an honor- able profession. W. A. HAMMOND, Surgeon- General. Suroeon-General's Office, ) May 16th, 1863. And yet, notwithstanding all this, Dr. Perley was kept in office several months longer as Inspector-General, was then allowed to resign, and was immediately appointed a surgeon of volunteers, which position he now fills. The regard of the Secretary of War for law and common decency, when it is his interest to disregard both, is rendered sufficiently apparent from a consideration of his 21 course in relation to this man. I should not have brought the subject into this statement but for the fact that one of the speci- fications on which I was tried was for requiring the Medical Inspectors to send their reports to me. Up to the period of my recommendation that Dr. Cooper should be relieved from duty as Medical Purveyor at Philadelphia, the Secretary of War had never found any fault with me for my financial management of the Medical Department. I had drawn up a bill providing for the appointment of Medical Storekeepers, to take charge of the large depots of supplies it was my intention to establish at various points. Previous to my appointment, it was not the custom of the Department to keep stores on hand in any large amounts. When a requisition was received by the Medical Bureau it was sent to the Purveyor in New York for issue, and he had the articles put up by the dealers. But this was attended with great delay, I had myself experienced the ill efiects of this course, and I believe that one of the greatest im- provements I inaugurated was the system of keeping stores on hand for any emergency likely to arise. This, however, w&.s made the basis of one of the specifications against me. Mr. Stanton knew perfectly well what 1 was doing. He not only approved of the bill mentioned, but he amended it in his own handwriting, and I have now in my possession the original draft with his inter- lineations. He approved of this bill because he thought it would give him patronage and more power; but as the law expressly provided that Medical Purveyors should purchase under the direction of the Surg eon- General, I did not intend that he should interfere if I could prevent it. In the very great majority of cases, the Pur- veyors purchased, untrammeled by me in any respect. When I thought it expedient or advantageous to the service, I gave them orders, as I had a right under the law to do. I recommended Dr. Cooper's relief from duty as Purveyor for several reasons. In the first place, many complaints were made to me relative to his disgustingly ofi'ensive manners. In the second place, I had frequently seen for myself that his conduct, instead of being that of a high-toned officer, was just the reverse; his office was a lounging place for those seeking orders, and was scarcely above a grog-shop in its status. In the third place. General Halleck had requested me to send Dr. Murray to Phila- delphia, and there was no one there who could be so well sent away as Dr. Cooper. I did not suspect him of dishonesty. On the contrary, I thought him above reproach in this respect, and I was also entirely satisfied with his energy and promptness. Since then I have had abundant reason to know that his conduct was not so honorable as I had imagined. 22 In detailing Dr. Cooper for duty as Medical Director of Gen- eral Buell's army, I gave no reasons to the Secretary of War until he subsequently called on me for them. Reasons for a de- tail never are given unless they are called for. The order was issued by him; but, through the influence of the dealers who were dependent on Dr. Cooper for patronage, he was replaced as Medical Purveyor, in Philadelphia, by the Secretary of War. EflForts were made by them to eifect my removal, and money was attempted to be raised for the purpose. To this effect I have the evidence of two respectable merchants of Philadelphia, who were called on to contribute, one of them being told that he "could make a good thing of it." I do not give the names of these gentlemen now, but they are ready to speak out, should occasion require; and it is well known to many of my friends that they were approached in the manner stated. As soon as Dr. Cooper learned that he was to be relieved from duty in Philadelphia, he wrote me a private letter, asking me to tell him freely why he was relieved. I wrote him a kind, friendly letter, in' which I endeavored to spare him pain, at the same time that I gave him some of the reasons for removing him. That letter is as follows, and is the one in which I am accused of say- ing what was not true in reference to General Halleck. (2d Charge, p. 31.) Surgeon-General's Office, Washington City, D. C, October 13th, 1862. My dear Doctor : — I have just received your note. The detail of your relieval from duty as Medical Purveyor went to the Adjutant-General a few days since. I told Smith to inform you of it. It was with very great reluctance, even with pain, that I made the detail. I am entirely satisfied with your energy, faithfulness, and acquaintance with your duty ; but I tind great complaints made in regard to your manner, which were constantly reiterated from medical officers and citizens of stand- ing. I believe the change would have been made over my head, had I not made it myself. I was forced to come to the conclusion that it was neces- sary to be done. Once before, the detail was made, but I would not sign it; and this time it lay on my table several days. This is one reason. The second is even more imperative. Halleck requested, as a particular favor, that Murray might be ordered to Philadelphia. 'J'here was nothing for Murray to do there but to take your place. King's, or Smith's. The latter have both been long in active service, and I thought it best to relieve you on that account. As A. K. Smith is in my opinion better suited to perform the duties of Purveyor than Murray, I decided to make him Pur- veyor, and Murray Medical Director of Transportation. I assure you, that so far as your official action is concerned, I have not the least fault to find. Yours sincerely, W. A. HAMMOND. Now, this was a private letter, written from one friend to an- other, under the sanctity of friendship. He sent ft to the Secretary of War, in order that the latter might see what I had said in refer- 23 ence to the change heing made over my head. This was the only part of the letter Mr. Stanton ever found fault with to me. He asked me if he had ever removed an officer against ray wishes. I told him he had. He directed me to specify the instances, taking a pen in his hand with which to write down their names. I men- tioned Dr. McMillan, whom, against my earnest remonstrances and those of the Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac, he had taken from his duties in the field, and sent to Albany to report to Governor Morgan for some State duty. I mentioned Dr. Bradley, whom he had directed me to remove from the charge of a hospital in Washington, because some woman found fault with his management. I cited three or four other instances, and told him I could adduce several more by consulting the records. He threw down his pen in a rage, and told me he wanted no further conversation with me. As soon as I was informed that Dr. Cooper had sent my letter to the Secretary of War, I wrote to him as follows: — Surgeon-General's Office, October 20th, 1862. Sir:— In the discharge of the duties intrusted to me, I deemed it best, for the interests of the service, to request your relief from duty as Medical Purveyor in Philadelphia, and to assign yon to duty as Medical Director of General Buell's army, in place of Surgeon Murray, who has been for a long period in active service in the field. You have seen fit (first extracting from me a private letter, in which I freely stated to you some of the reasons by which I had been governed) to use means for effecting a change of your order, hith- erto unemployed by officers of your corps. This course meets with my unqualified disapprobation; and by taking it you have forfeited the confidence of this department, and have shown that you are incapable of appreciating the relation in which you stand to the chief of your corps. I shall deem it my duty to see that you have as little oppor- tunity as possible for exercising those traits which led me to request your transfer. Very respectfully. Your obedt. servt., W. A. HAMMOND, SURGEON GEO. E. COOPER, Surgeon-General. U. S. Army, Philadelphia. The only accusation touching my business management which the Secretary of War ever made to me was that of extravagance. Soon after the conversation just mentioned, he required me to make out a report of the transactions of the bureau before and after my appointment, which the chief clerk of my office informed me would take twenty-five clerks three months to prepare. I there- fore made a written application for this number of clerks for this special labor, and also for additional office room. Both requests were refused. I then put two clerks, all I had to spare, at this duty. Six months afterward, additional clerks were appointed, and the report, after further correspondence, was sent in. The I 24 labor on it was immense, and I have reason to believe the Secre- tary of War never looked at it. Failing in all other means to bring me into suiEcient odium for his purposes, he, on the 2d of July, 1863, without the shadow of law, appointed a special commission to examine into the affairs of the Medical Department. This commission was composed of A. H. Reeder, of Pennsylvania, George 0. Brastow, of Massa- chusetts, and Thomas M. Hood, of Wisconsin. All were civilians. Reeder was a lawyer, and had been Governor of Kansas ; Bras- tow had been a country shopkeeper; Hood's occupation is un- known to me. Reeder was the only one I knew, and he was my most implacable and unprincipled enemy. The pay of these com- missioners was fixed, hy the Secretary of War, without the least authority of law, at eight dollars per day and their expenses. They continued in session aboiit six months. While I was stationed in Kansas in the year 1854, a tract of land, settled upon by a family named Dixon, and close to Fort Riley, was wanted by Governor A. H. Reeder for his own use. To get possession of it was difficult, unless he could get the mili- tary reserve extended over it, so as to drive off the Dixons, by his influence at Washington get the reserve reduced, and then himself take up the tract. The reserve was extended over this land by Colonel Montgomery, against the repeated remonstrances of General (then captain) Lyon and myself; and, as was gener- ally believed, and in fact testified to before the court-martial which tried Colonel Montgomery for his misconduct, at the direct instigation of Reeder. Colonel Montgomery was dismissed the service; Reeder, not long afterward, removed from the Territory. The following extract, from a statement of General Lyon, was published in the Kansas Territorial Register of November 17th, 1855. After giving some affidavits relative to the matter, Gen- eral Lyon says: — " In connection with the above, I deem it proper to state that soon after the agreement, and understanding that the reserve would not extend beyond Pawnee, Mr. Lowe made a claim, and I surveyed it, with Colonel Mont- gomery's full knowledge and consent; and after the Dixons came upon it Lowe put a house on it of government materials — which was done to hold the claim — and was not removed till after the settlement with Lowe, which the Dixons effected by the payment to him of $225, on the express condition given by Colonel Montgomery that they should not be disturbed, he having threatened to drive them off if they did not settle with Lowe. I heard no- thing more of a design to drive off the Dixons, and am sure none was enter- tained till the occasion of Governor Reeder's second visit to Fort Riley, (about the middle of December, 1854,) when he (Governor Reeder) ex- pressed to me and others a strong aversion to their position and occupancy of it, and his friends (Johnson, Klotz. and Sherwood) intimated that Pawnee would not be the capital unless the Dixons were removed; and the proposi- tion first made to me by Sherwood, in the presence of Colonel Montgomery, and afterward by Johnson, to buy them off was entertained till it was found they would not sell, and on the morning of Governor Reeder's departure I 25 (December thirteenth) the order for the removal of the Dixons was issued, and soon after I made the survey of the reserve under verbal directions of Colonel Montgomery, who told me that if I went down the river far enough to take in the Dixoas it was all he cared for; and T have been told by two re- liable persons that he said his object in extending the reserve around Paw- nee was to drive off the Dixons — this extension being in violation of the promise made to members of the Pawnee Association and to the Dixons. The circumstances of the case, and expressions which have transpired in connection with this subject, have led me to the full persuasion (in which I presume all others are who are acquainted with them) that the project to drive off the Dixons was first instigated by Governor Reeder and executed by Colonel Montgomery for the purpose of securing the claim for Governor Reeder, who I understand entertained no apprehensions but that he could get the reserve as ran, modified by Frank Pierce, as he expressed it, when he should have occasion for it. * * * * * * * * * (Signed) N. LYON." Reeder's schemes for self-aggrandizement were defeated mainly through the efforts of General Lyon and myself, and he frequently expressed his intention of revenging himself on us both. The enemy's bullet removed General Lyon from his reach, but Mr. Stanton's malice gave him a temporary control over me, and the opportunity of doing me an injury. In Reeder the Secretary of War found a fitting instrument for the work he had in hand. Inimical to me in the highest degree, unscrupulous, dishonest, cowardly, and ignorant, no man in the country could have served his purpose better. The work was of a character which required the actors to be devoid of principle and of all considerations of delicacy or propriety. They were not only to be the means of removing me from office, but they were to rob me of the good name which I had constantly en- deavored to keep untarnished by dishonor, and which had never been assailed by a single upright and honorable person. The examination by this Commission was entirely ex parte. I was never called on for an explanation of any kind, and no witness was allowed to say anything which could be interpreted as favorable to me. I was never present at any session of the Gomraission. On the contrary, as soon as they had fairly en- tered upon their work, I was ordered to locate myself in the Department of the Gulf till further orders. I was therefore re- lieved from the charge of the Medical Bureau in Washington, and on the 30th of August, 1863, left that city. I have never been in charge of the Department since. All this was oppressive and illegal, but I made no remonstrance. The ostensible cause for my banishment was the necessity for looking after the sanitary condition of the troops. I knew this was a false reason. The true one was the desire to have me out of the way while the examination was going on, and this was quickened in its operation by an indorsement which I had a short time previously sent to the Secretary. 26 A Dr. Bayne had presented to me his appointment as a full surgeon of the volunteer staif corps. As this gentleman had not complied with the law, Mr. Stanton had exceeded his authority in giving him an appointment. I therefore sent the papers back to the War Department with this indorsement : — " Respectfully referred to the Secretary of War. I am of the opinion that this doctor has received, by mistake, an appointment intended for some other person. Dr. J. H. Bayne has not been examined, nor is he an assistant sur- geon of the corps of surgeons and assistant surgeons of volunteers, both of which are made prerequisites for the appointment of surgeon of volunteers by the Act of Congress, published in General Orders No. 79, of 1862. I therefore respectfully submit these papers for the instructions of the Secre- tary of War in the case. "W. A. HAMMOND, ^^ Sargeon-General. "Surgeon-General's Office, Washington City, ) "August 1st, 1863." j I heard nothing more of the matter while I remained in charge of the bureau. As soon, however, as I had left New York, the man was again appointed, and my successor proving more pliable, nothing was said. Thus, in direct violation of law, the medical corps had to submit to the outrage of having a probably incom- petent person thi'ust upon it. Can anything be plainer than this? Does it not show that Mr. Stanton's regard for law is only active when he has his own private animosity to gratify? This Doctor Bayne was his personal friend, and to give him office he violated a positive enactment of Congress, designed expressly to prevent the entrance of any one into the medical corps unless he had pre- viously established his competency before a board of medical officers appointed for the purpose by the Surgeon-General. As I had long wished to inspect the Medical Department of the South and West, I received the order previously mentioned with pleasure, so far as the duties of inspecting were concerned. I made several reports to the Secretary of War, not one of which was acted upon or even acknowledged by him ; and when I had completed the examination at New Orleans, I returned to Wash- ington. That was my legal station, and he had no right to station me in the Department of the Gulf. Mr. Stanton informed me on my return that he did not intend to place me in charge of the bureau at that time, and, at my request, I was ordered to inspect at Chattanooga. The order was, however, coupled with another requiring me to remain at Nashville till further orders. On my arrival at Louisville, I found the following letter awaiting me: — War Department, Washington Citt, December 2d, 1863. Sir:— The Secretary of War has been informed that in September, after you had been relieved from the charge of the Surgeon- General's Bureau, you per- 27 sonally ordered in Philadelphia a purchase to be made of certain supplies by Purveyor Murray. If you did so, after you were relieved from the charge of the bureau, the Secretary regards it as a violation of your duty, and he directs that in'future you abstain from making any purchases or contracts on behalf of the Medical Bureau, or doing anything else but the inspecting duties which have been assigned to you. You will not fail to report from Nash- ville when you get through with the inspection directed to be made there and at Chattanooga, and you will remain in Nashville until you receive further orders. By order of the Secretary of War. (Signed) E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant-GenercU. BRIGADIER-GENERAL WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Sargeon-General U. S. Army. This was the first order I had ever received from the Secretary of War not to make purchases. And the prohibition is apparently given solely because I was no longer in charge of the bureau. It was the first time also that he had ever placed matters in such a form as would admit of any decisive action on my part. I wrote immediately as follows : — Louisville, Kt., December 6th, 1863. Sir :— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of yonr communication of the 2d instant, in which it is stated that you have been informed that in September last, after I was relieved from the charge of the Medical Bureau, I personally ordered the Medical Purveyor in Philadelphia to purchase certain supplies. The information is partly correct. I did order Surgeon Murray to for- ward disinfectants as soon as possible to the Departments of the South and Gulf, which I was directed to visit, understanding, of course, that if they were not on hand they were to be purchased or prepared by him. Upon referring to my first communication, (dated about the 8th of September last,) made in obedience to your orders, you will find that this fact is officially stated. The first information of my action was therefore given to you by myself. Moreover, upon referring to the instructions given me previous to my departure, it will be seen that I was ordered to secure the adoption of the proper sanitary measures to insure the health of the troops in those de- partments. As I knew that the supply of disinfectants was not large, I deemed it my duty to provide them. They arrived in New Orleans in time to be of the greatest service in purifying the vessels used in the transporta- tion of the troops of General Banks' expedition to Brownsville, and which at that time were threatened with the infection of yellow fever. In regard to being relieved from the charge of the Bureau, my instruc- tions were to the effect that, during my absence, and until further orders, I was to be relieved from the charge of the Surgeon- General's Bureau in Wash- ington. I certainly did not understand that such relief from duty in Wash- ington annulled my authority as Surgeon-General, conferred upon me by the President and Senate of the United States. I had no reason to think so, for I was neither in arrest nor deprived of my commission, nor in former instances of my absence was any such construction, to my knowledge, adopted by you. I endeavored to act with a view to the best interests of the service, as my judgment dictated; am not conscious of having committed any offense against military discipline or propriety, and consequently do not admit the correctness of your opinion, that 1 have violated my duty. 28 Your order, as now communicated, "to abstain from ordering or making any purchases or contracts on behalf of the Medical Bureau, or doing any- thing else but the inspecting duties which have been assigned to me," and the reiteration of the order to remain «t Nashville until further orders, will, of course, be obeyed; but as such unusual instructions to the Chief of a Bureau of the War Department would seem to imply the existence of charges against me, or the belief on your part that I am not capable of the proper performance of my ofiBcial duties, I respectfully request, if this supposition be correct, that a court of inquiry or a court-martial, as you may deem best, may be ordered as soon as possible for my trial. I do not ask this as a favor but as a right, due both to me and to the corps over which I am placed. I have been subjected to the action of an inquisitorial, ex parte, extra- official, and prejudiced commission of civilians, presided over by a personal enemy whose character is far from being above reproach, and before which I have had no hearing. I have, while this so-called investigation was in progress, been ordered from my official residence to a distant station. I have been relieved from the charge of the Medical Bureau and deprived of my rightful authority and powers. I have not remonstrated against treat- ment which has appeared to me unjustifiable, simply from a desire to oppose no obstacle to the freest examination into my official record. But I should lay myself open to the imputation of submission to injustice, and should be wanting in self-respect if I continued to preserve silence. I therefore desire that my guilt or innocence, my fitness or unfitness may be passed upon by the tribunals established by law. I ask only for the privilege usually accorded to the vilest criminals — the right to be heard in my own defense. I am, Sir, very respectfully, Your obedt. servt., WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, Hon. E. M. STANTON, ' Surgeon-General. Secretary of War. To this no answer was ever returned. Having completed ray inspection at Chattanooga and reached Nashville, without hearing that a court had been ordered, I wrote to the President as follows. I saw that I could not look to Mr. Stanton for justice : — Nashville, Tenn., December 23d, 1863. Sir:— I have the honor to ask the attention of your Excellency to the following facts : — \st. That the Secretary of War has, without sanction of law, convened a special commission, composed of civilians, to examine into my acts as Sur- geon-General, which commission has not afforded me a hearing either person- ally or by witnesses. Id. That he Ikis, without bringing me to trial, deprived me of my legal authority as Surgeon-General of the Army of the United States. 3d. That I have been removed from my official residence and ordered to Nashville — not on duty, but to await his further orders. 4" V^*/ ^/^^\/ V^^'/ \ -^Z ,^^, %,^^ ;^^^ \./ .^^» 'oK >^ o_ ^4? v. "VJ^Sf* aV -^ lV^. '^t. <"^ •**^rN^ ^ ■" 'n*.o^ DOBBS BROS. IHARV BINOINQ AUGUSTINE V^ 'V' . "^ FLA. \ '■^^iAT'^y-' ^ ^^^. ."^ .!i;^*. ^^^ >^ ...