From the New York Herald, 10/2/1862

THE WASTE OF LIFE AMONGST THE REBELS. - The hospital statistics published by the Richmond papers show a sacrifice of life and an amount of sickness and suffering that are unparalleled in the history of any campaign. The number of sick and wounded received in the Richmond hospitals since the organization is, it appears 92,508. Of these 7,663 have died, and 12,115 have been furloughed and discharged. At the Chimborazo hospital there were received 24,895, of whom 2,033 died. At the Winder hospital the number received was 22,874, of whom 1,271 died. This would give of sick and wounded for Richmond alone, at the present time, an aggregate of considerably over one hundred thousand, being one-fifth of the entire military organization of the South. If we add to this the number of patients in the military hospitals spread over the Confederate States, it presents a total that is perfectly appalling. The causes of this large amount of sickness and mortality are to be found in the fact that the men comprising the Southern army have not been accustomed to work or hard ships of any kind; that they are miserably clothed and fed, and that, owing to the blockade of medicines, but particularly quinine, are exceedingly difficult to be obtained. What the extense of the suffering and mortality will be when the winter overtakes them in their present state of destitution we can form an idea from the above figures. It is no wonder that with such prospects staring them in the face the tone of the Richmond journals should be desponding and gloomy beyond that of any previous period since the commencement of the war.

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