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Personal Name Recipient

Sorrel, F. (Francis)

Date

1862-09-17

Description

Letter from L. S. Joynes to Inspector of Hospitals F. Sorrel requesting his aid in obtaining coke for heating the hospital or use of a canal boat to send to the mines for the supply needed.

Transcription

[Marginal Note]: Important JRM Medical College Hospital Richmond Sept. 17 1862 F. Sorrel M.D. Surgeon & Inspector of Hospitals: Sir: My object in writing is to re quest your aid and influence in ob taining, through the proper department of the Government, a supply of fuel to be used in warming our Hospital wards during the winter months. The new building, in which soldiers are principal ly accommodated, is heated by furnaces, for which the only available fuel is Coke. [underscore] Unless we can obtain it, I fear we shall be compelled to close the Hospital during the winter or at least confine ourselves to the wards contained in the old College buildings, which are heated by stoves. I take it for granted that the Government can furnish Coke, as I presume this fuel is employed in some of its own Hospitals, and perhaps other buildings. I am not unmindful in making this application, that this is not a Govern- ment Hospital, but receives soldiers under a contract with the Surgeon General which binds the Hospital to furnish every thing at its own cost for a certain weekly rate per man. But my reason for making this application is, that the Coke cannot be obtained in the mar ket, [underscored] except occasionally, by lucky chance, a single load. We desire, of course, to pay the Government [underscored] for the Coke fur- nished. The quantity required, as nearly as can be estimated, will be 800 bushels. In case it should not accord with the convenience or the views of the proper authority to supply us as requested, I would ask to be allowed the use of a canal boat to send to the mines for the supply which we need. Parties who are engaged in mining Coke inform me that the great difficulty in meeting the public demand for the article arises from the lack of boats, many of which have been impressed {for the use of the Government}. One boat could bring in a single load all that we shall need, and would be employed in making the trip, loading and unloading, only a day and a half or two days. Respectfully yr. obt. servt. L[evin] S[mith] Joynes, M.D. Pres[iden]t Med[ical] College Hospital L[evin] S[mith] Joynes M.D. Pres[iden]t Med[ical] Coll[ege] Richmond Sept 17 1862 Asking to be supplied with coke, or to be allowed the use of a cancal boat for two days Respectfully referred to the Medical Director [illegible] O.J.H. Rec[eive]d Sept 17 Respectfully referred to Maj[or] [illegible] Chief Q[uarter] Master this Depart ment for consideration & action E[dwin] S[amuel] Gaillard Med[ical] Director Med[ical] Dir[ector] Off[ice] Sept 22 1862 Ass[istan]t Q[uarter]m[aster] & Med[ical] Officer 23 Sept [18]62 The constant demands for coke and canal boats exhaust the means at our [underscore] disposal in supplying troops and the Govt. Hospitals, no aid can be given at present. [illegible] Medical College Hospital

Corporate Name Subject

Medical College of Virginia -- History -- 19th century

Topical Subject

Medical colleges -- Virginia -- Richmond -- History -- Archives

Geographic Subject

Richmond (Va.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Archives; Richmond (Va.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Hospitals

Corporate Medical Subject

Medical College of Virginia -- history

Topical Medical Subject

Schools, Medical -- history -- Virginia

City/Location

Richmond (Va.)

Original Item Size

4 p.

Genre

letters (correspondence)

Local Genre

text; archives

Type

Text

Digital Format

application/pdf

Rights

This material is in the public domain in the United States and thus is free of any copyright restriction. Acknowledgement of Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries as a source is requested.

Collection

Sanger Historical Files (1859-1865), Excerpts

Physical Folder

Levin Joynes

Source

Original letter: Letter from L. S. Joynes to F. Sorrel, 1862 September 17; Joynes, Levin; Sanger Historical Files, Accession Number # 82/Jan/1, Special Collections and Archives, VCU Health Sciences Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.

File Name

san_joynes_18620917.pdf

Letter from L. S. Joynes to F. Sorrel, 1862 September 17

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