John McCosh

“ The camp of a large army is a sight worth seeing, and may extend, from flank to flank, two or three miles, and with as much, or even more, regularity and order than that of a city. Each regiment occupies its place in front of the line, the tents for the soldiers first and those for the officers, one continuous street from right to left, the baggage and bazars in rear. Fresh meat, fresh butter, warm loaves and new laid eggs, are as easily-got as in a cantonment. ”

“ DISCIPLINE.— Military discipline is as rigidly adhered to, even in the presence of the enemy,as in a cantonment. If a petty theft be committed by a camp follower, the thief, if caught, is immediately punished; if a soldier be detected plundering, he is liable to be flogged by a provost sergeant, upon the spot; if an officer be guilty of any gross breach of duty, he may be brought before a court martial, and be cashiered; if even a Cooly be found dead in camp, a court of inquest is immediately assembled, to ascertain the cause of his death. ”

“ LINE OF MARCH.— Troops upon the march in India always start very early, so as to be at their journey's end before 8 a. m., or before the heat of the day is disagreeable. The reveillie sounds in the darkness of the night, at four, three, or even two in the morning, when every man starts to his feet, and before he has had time to dress, the tent is unlaced, ready to be struck, and before the hour has expired, the whole canvas city is down,packed up, and fast upon the camels. Each regiment forms line upon the front of its own camp ”

“ Every idea of luxury and comfort must then be left behind, and a new regime must be submitted to, consistent with the nature of the country, the seat of war. On board ship, the utmost discomfort is to be expected; such a thing as a cabin is entirely out of the question; room on deck for a chair by day and a mattrass by night, and a seat at the dinner-table, is the utmost accommodation to be looked for. ”

“ For the conveyance of a dooly six men called bearers are allowed; two in front and two in rear, the other two relieving them alternately. When an army takes the field, one dooly is allowed for every hundred natives,and for every ten European soldiers; so that the bearers alone of a European regiment of 1000 strong amount to 600 men.
If the bearers were equal to their work and the doolies always serviceable, officers would not complain of the dooly as a mode of transport, for it has the advantage of being waterproof and of forming a good bed in camp. ”

“ A strong mounted guard is allowed for its protection. After a general action, every exertion should be made to get the hospital tents pitched and the wounded collected and attended to. Should an immediate advance be made in pursuit of the enemy, all the wounded should be sent to the field hospital, or should time not admit of that, they must be left on the ground, sending information to the superintending surgeon, who will make arrangements for their care. ”

“ Even divine service is performed when the bugle may summon the congregation to disperse, and stand to their arms; and a funeral party may be hurried from the graves of their comrades that fell in battle, to meet the enemy in another battle equally destructive of life. ”

“ Should the line advance, the surgeons advance with it; should it fall back, they fall back accordingly; should the rear be threatened, they must advance to the column; or should the brigade be broken, they must take shelter under the nearest regiment, or in the field hospital; for no guard is allowed to regimental hospitals, further than the band boys. Most operations are performed on the spot, either with or without chloroform. Wounded men, of all arms, that come their way, are to be attended to as ready as those of their own brigade, even the wounded men of the enemy. ”

“ EXPOSURE OF SURGEONS.—A prevailing opinion exists that the medical officers in action are never exposed to the fire of the enemy, This is a great mistake; for in the returns of every battle, their names will be found in the lists of killed or wounded. I myself have on different occasions seen men killed and wounded. ”

“ Divinity and Law have their numerous representatives in the Councils of the land who watch over their interests with a jealous eye, and preserve their status in society;but Medicine has no representative either in Parliament or in the Court of Directors, and till it has, there seems no hope of its position being restored to it. ”

“ When camels are procurable, a couple of camel trunks, a low legged charpay or bed to fit over the trunks, a good tarpaulin, a folding table and a chair, form the usual load for another camel, while the crockery, pots and pans, &c., &c., form a load for a Cooly, who carries them in a couple of baskets, called petarahs, suspended from the ends of a bamboo, called a bangy. With a horse, three-camels and a Cooly, and a well regulated mess in his regiment, an officer is fit for any campaign, and few enter upon one with less baggage. ”

“ The fortunes of individuals are often influenced by accidents, and that of departments appears subject to the same laws; and I have often thought that it would have been better for the profession, had Marlborough or Wellington suffered the amputation of an arm or a limb upon the field of battle, and under fire. ”

“ Tradesmen of all sorts ply their trades; cutlers, shoemakers, tinkers, blacksmiths, carpenters,tailors, corn dealers,cloth merchants, confectioners, jewellers and money-changers; in fact, all the necessaries, and many of the luxuries, of life, are procurable in every large camp. ”

“ I have rarely found the bearers equal to their work, and have often been obliged to set apart two sets to one dooly, having the other conveyed on a cart. They are a troublesome, unmanageable set of men, at all times a great incumbrance to an army, and in a general action, when most needed, they are too often dispersed in search of plunder. ”

“ Even in the Church, the greatest heresies are introduced, but the reverend apostate only becomes more popular, and rejoices in his converts; but if a physician makes a mistake, and prescribes a wrong medicine, or an over-dose, or is unsuccessful in the reduction of a dislocation, or the union of a fractured limb, though from no fault of his, but from some hereditary taint in the patient's constitution,his professional character is materially injured ”

“ The Cacolet is a sort of iron chair, folding up like the step of a coach, with arms, belts, and cushions, either for the sitting or the recumbent posture, one being fixed on each side of a mule, by which a brace of sick men are carried smartly along with ease and comfort to themselves and credit to the transport establishment. ”

“ A soldier may sacrifice thousands of lives by his ignorance and incapacity, yet no tribunal awaits him. A judge may pass the most unjust sentence, and be convicted of having done so by his superior judges reversing his sentence ”

“ Keeping it cheerful and healthy becomes burdensome, and a task that he neglects. "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick;" men's minds become morbid; the body sympathises with the mind, and in its turn becomes predisposed to disease and Cholera, Dysentery or Fever becoming epidemic, may, in a few weeks, decimate the force. ”

“ Some stroll out with their gun, and supply an extra dish of game to the mess-table, whilst others transfer the features of the landscape to their portfolios. Upon the line of march,it is remarkable that very little sickness takes place, and the Surgeons never have so little professionally to do. ”

“ Hence, exposure to the intense heat of the sun by day and the comparative cold at night; to wind, and rain, and damp, and malaria; to hunger and thirst, and great bodily exertion and fatigue in getting into position to meet the enemy. As the army advances into the interior, its difficulties probably increase. riage may not be procurable, unless for a very limited quantity of essentials, and the means of transporting a tent out of the question. The country may be found desolate and deserted; the crops destroyed; the cattle driven far beyond reach ”

“ Even their attendance upon their patients, labouring under malignant contagious diseases, is not appreciated. No small share of moral courage is necessary to approach the bed side of a patient suffering from confluent small-pox, or typhus, or yellow fever, and administer to his wants. ”

“ Government pay liberally on account of officers embarking on foreign service. They are not charged for passage, and their table expenses are also in a great measure paid by Government. Great confusion in embarking and disembarking, is almost unavoidable; tents and stores are in the hurry mislaid, or unapproachable, and on landing are not to be found. ”

“ Extending over the same period,nearly as many little wars have been carried on within our own refractory provinces, of which Fame now takes no account. Few armies in the world have therefore seen so much service, or had their discipline and efficiency so urgently put to the test ”