| Description | Journal no.2. Some of the entries are similar to those found for the month of March in Journal No.1.
Inside cover/flyleaf: begins with list of names of medical staff in each hospital station and list of medical staff attached to cavalry division.
March 1812
p.1: notes that on the 1st Wellington's headquarters were still at Freynada but that the whole army was moving towards the Alentejo; refers to village near Celerico established as convalescent hospital and finding the 88th regiment and sick men of the 79th regiment at Tabrigal, established as a passing station.
p.3: on the 7 March leaves Freynada for Elvas.
p.5: on the 9 March arrives at Castello Branco; inspects hospitals and finds arrangements satisfactory; notes that situation at Castello Branco appears to be very healthy, helped by elevated position; mortality in military hospitals had not exceeded 91 in 4 months prior to his arrival; notes lack of stores and medicines due to distance from Lisbon, the bad state of the roads and the lack of transport.
p.7: arrives at Niza.
p.9: arrives at Portalegre on the 12 March to find 2 divisions stationed there but no general hospital, only regimental hospitals.
p.11: arrives at Elvas and is met with numerous complaints regarding state of readiness of medical department for start of campaign; '14th. To this day, the Commissariat, had not found conveyance for the Purveyor for any bedding, stores, or even medicines to Elvas or any of the 4 new stations, so that we were everywhere absolutely without any provision whatever for sick and wounded in this part of the country. I was further mortified to find that the Medical and Purveying officers arrived very slowly at their destination, as all alleged that time was required to fit them out for active service. I directed that in future, every officer was always to hold himself in readiness to move on the shortest notice, and that I might know that no unnecessary delay was made upon the road, movement returns were directed. To this date there was not a single spring wagon in the Alentejo'; notes establishment of field hospital as siege commenced.
p.13: received letter from Dr. Tice at Celerico dated the 13 [March] informing him that 16 cases had died on the road from Castaniera to Celerico; great care is now taken when transferring the sick from Celerico to [Castaniera or Coimbra]; 18 March: as casualties increased, gives Staff Surgeon Robb the superintendence of the medical duties of the 3rd, 4th Light Divisions; Dr. Emery retains charge of his own division, the 5th; at first Elvas was only allowed to be a passing station before men were transferred to Estremoz; 'that much lamented and excellent officer Dr. Gray was indefatigable in establishing Estremoz as a large hospital station…'.
p.15: 20 March: has received a letter from Dr. Gray dated the 17th about imminent opening of general hospital at Estremoz; Dr. Somers is sending hospital marquees from Abrantes.
p.17: 30 March: notes that on this day Staff Surgeon Cooke was stationed with his assistants at the flying bridge, 'having with him medicines, instruments, surgical materials with some provisions and hospital comforts for the wounded'; discusses procedures in place for care of sick and reporting of casualties and lists hospital stations where same system was in place.
p.19: notes information gleaned from returns for period between 19 February and 20 March: the number of sick had increased by 534 from the previous month and 424 patients had died in general and regimental hospitals. Notes that there were 10,583 admissions in total during the month and lists types of diseases prevalent among those admitted into regimental hospitals.
p.40: lists figures from monthly returns provided by hospital stations, noting how many patients remained from the previous month, how many were admitted, how many were discharged and how many patients died. It also lists the number and types of diseases admitted into each station:
Abrantes (admitted 854; 273 were cases of continued fever)
Castello Branco (admitted 936; 541 were cases of continued fever)
Estremoz (admitted 87; 21 were cases of intermittent fever)
Elvas (admitted 261; 81 were cases of intermittent fever)
[continues on p.41]
Coimbra (admitted 1046; 225 were cases of pneumonia)
Celerico (admitted 2817; 458 were cases of continued fever)
[proceeds to list figures from regimental returns]
Lisbon (admitted 334; 70 were cases of intermittent fever)
Castaniera (admitted 501; 331 were cases of continued fever)
[continues on p.42]
Cavalry (admitted 274; 6 cases died and 146 were transferred to General Hospitals)
1st Division (admitted 543; 134 were cases of intermittent fever)
2nd Division (admitted 585; 104 were cases of diarrhoea)
3rd Division (admitted 538; 212 were cases of continued fever)
[continues on p.43]
4th Division (admitted 665; 314 were cases of continued fever)
5th Division (admitted 378; 88 were cases of continued fever)
7th Division (admitted 501; 114 were cases of intermittent fever)
April 1812
p.45: list of general hospitals and medical officers attached to cavalry division.
p.47: notes that the 'siege was pushed on briskly, and our daily casualties became numerous' and comments on satisfaction with work of Mr. Robb and Dr. Emery; comments on use of hospital marquees and sending 'stump' cases and wounded prisoners to various hospital stations; ordered to remove hospitals from Castaniera and Celerico to Coimbra; notes sortie made by enemy on camp and heavy rain.
p.51: S. S. Wood reports that he has removed the sick and evacuated Castello Branco.
p.53: S. S. McMillan reports arrival of French wounded from Estremoz 'and his [accumulation?] at Alto da Chao...'.
p.55: notes prevalence of ophthalmia in some of the corps of the 2nd Division and opinion of McIntosh, the P.M.O., that the disease was brought to the 3rd or Buffs 'by men sent out from the 2nd battalion in England'; also comments on the 39th regiment where disease prevailed even more so than in the Buffs and was from the start the 'purulent species'; discusses Grenadier company who had initially avoided disease in Sicily [to check against journal]
p.61: 9 April: Dr. Charles Forbes was put in charge of the general hospital at Badejoz, 'but he was directed to retain no cases there which could without injury be removed'; Dr. Tice had removed all the sick from Castaniera and was proceeding with the evacuation of Celerico [to] Coimbra 'as the enemy was fast advancing'.
p.63: 10 April: he has ordered that no man was to be sent to the rear except 'stump cases' and these would eventually come before an invaliding board; also notes that at this period all the new hospitals in the Alentejo were ordered to be provided with boards and [trestles] for the men to lie on...
[p.65]: notes arrival at Alto da Chao [on 17 April] and inspection of hospitals; comments on poor condition of hospitals and unsuitability of site for hospital station.
p.67: arrives at Niza on 19 April where he finds Sir Thomas Graham and the staff of the 1st Division of the army.
p.69: arrives at Castello Branco on 21 April; notes removal of sick and stores from this quarter following advances made by Marmont; notes arrival at Tabrigal and Fuente Guinaldo.
p.71: describes Fuente Guinaldo, which was for some time the headquarters of the army, as a 'miserable village'; notes orders given to Dr. Tice on the 26 to prepare Celerico as an hospital station again; 'The enemy suddenly had made their appearance near it, and but for the extraordinary exertions of Dr. Tice would have made a capture of the sick and a considerable body of hospital stores, which from the difficulty of transport and other circumstances were unavailable in the country and were at the same time much required by the enemy'...
p.73: 26 April: 'Dr. Gray having reported the crowded state of Estremoz, I directed, that no more cases should be sent from Elvas or Badejoz; but that these stations should be established as [permanent hospital stations], to be fitted up accordingly and to be provided with medicines and stores'.
p.86: lists number and type of admissions into General Hospitals including 1,829 cases of continued fever, 2,258 cases of intermittent fever, 4,385 wounds, 365 dysentery cases and 469 cases of rheumatism.
p.87: provides figures from monthly returns for period 21 March-20 April 'and consequently the whole of the siege': 8,925 men were in general hospitals, 750 men were in regimental hospitals and 462 men died: of these, 146 resulted from wounds (17 of them tetanus), 122 were from dysentery and 161 were from continued fever; McGrigor notes: 'As the returns were not very accuratley kept at this period, implicit reliance is not to be placed in them'.
p.89: index. |