| From the New Orleans Daily Crescent |
| |
| December 30, 1861 |
| |
| [Communicated] |
| To the Editor of the Crescent |
| During an extended trip to
Virginia my attention was attracted to the manner in which our sick
volunteers are treated by railroad officials. To illustrate, I will give
on instance out of many: In Richmond I had occasion to go to the depot
of the {Richmond &} Petersburg Railroad. I
found four sick volunteers waiting to get tickets. They informed me they
had been waiting over one hour. I returned in about one hour and a half,
and found them still waiting. The weather was bitter cold, and these men
were in the street, two suffering severely, but afraid to leave for fear
they would not get their tickets in time. On inquiry, I found the office
was opened only half an hour previous to the cars leaving, when there
was such a rush for tickets that a sick man stood but little chance. I
awaited the result; two of the men had tickets handed them which did not
answer their purpose, and had it not been for my presence, assisted by a
citizen of Richmond, would have gone off without the means of reaching
home. Many of our volunteers are away from home for the first time, and
are unacquainted with the routes they have to travel, and think the
parties giving them tickets know their destination. With a few
exceptions, the conductors on the roads seem to think they show their
importance by treating volunteers uncivilly. They should be taught to
know that the poorest of them are the true patriots of our country, and
should be respected and treated as such. I saw one praiseworthy
exception to the general rule in furnishing volunteers with
transportation. In Mobile, instead of getting an order on the railroad
for tickets, each man is interrogated as to his point of destination,
and transportation furnished by the Quartermaster. A little attention to
this matter would add much to the comfort of our sick volunteers
returning to their homes. |
| Respectfully, |
| T. O. Sully |
| New Orleans, Dec. 30, 1861 |
|