| Office Surgeon in Charge of Hospitals |
| West Point, Miss. |
| January 1, 1865 |
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| Capt. E. D. Woodlief |
| Assistant Adjutant-General |
| West Point, Miss. |
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Sir,
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In obedience to an order from the general
commanding this district, I have the honor to make the following
report.
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In compliance with an order from the general
commanding, given at West Point, Miss., on December 30, 1864, to
proceed to Egypt Station, Mobile & Ohio Railroad, for the
purpose of removing the wounded, I went up to Egypt on Saturday
morning, carrying with me one acting assistant surgeon, three
hospital stewards, and sixty litter-bearers. This detail was
furnished me by Colonel McDonell, commanding the post. On reaching a
break in the road I made a detail of fifteen of my litter-bearers to
repair this break. I left the train with the remainder of my detail
and marched to Egypt. I found thirty-five Federal wounded in charge of Brigade Surgeon
Krauter (Federal) and a Federal hospital steward, seven Confederate
wounded, who had been cared for by Surg. W. A. Evans, whom I sent up
for this purpose during the action and who reached Egypt a short
time after the enemy retreated. Surg. W. A. Evans reports to me that
he found Surgeon Krauter giving the Confederates the same attention
which he did his own men. The wounded were quartered in the
neighboring houses, and were as comfortable as circumstances would
permit. I had all of the very badly wounded borne on litters to the
point which the train would reach, which was distant from none of
the buildings in which the wounded were quartered more than a mile
and a half. I met Surgeons West and Wilkison, of the Reserve Corps,
returning from Corinth. I ordered them to remain at the train to superintend the removal
of the wounded from the litters to the train. I ordered Surgeon
Krauter, U.S. Army, to superintend the removal of his own wounded on
the litters which I furnished him. We transported all of the
wounded, and had them comfortably prepared for transportation in a
few hours. I carried up an ample supply of bedding, stimulants, and
anodynes. The engine having exhausted its supply of water, and their
being no tanks between Egypt
and this point, we had to bail water, and were six hours in
transitu. I left Surg. L. W. Tuttle in charge of the post in my
absence, with instructions to prepare for the reception of the
wounded. Surgeon Tuttle, having ascertained that there were quite a
number of wounded at Corinth, whom we would probably have to care
for in a few days, procured an order from you to send the train
through to Columbus, Miss. Surgeon Tuttle, accompanied by the
medical officers on duty at this post, was at the train on our
arrival, to render such service as might be required. As we arrived
at a late hour at night, a consultation was held (into which Surgeon
Krauter was admitted to represent his own interest) as to the
propriety of leaving the wounded on the cars the remainder of the
night. It was the opinion of all of the surgeons present that it
would cause more suffering to remove the wounded to the hospital,
and then to the cars next day, than to keep them on the train. They
were left on the train, where they were fed and had their wounds
dressed. A list of these prisoners was taken and registered at the Cannon
Hospital. They were regularly transferred to Columbus, Miss., under charge of one of our medical officers, assisted by Surgeon
Krauter and the Federal hospital steward, who were also sent to Columbus.
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*****
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Very respectfully, your obedient servant
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F. H. Evans
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Surgeon in Charge of Hospitals
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