others, seventeen cases and eleven deaths being reported during July and August, besides a number among the citizen employés. The mean strength of this detachment during July and August was 220 officers and men. It is reported that most of the cases occurred among the soldiers and employés who were debilitated and exhausted by the exposure of the Platte River expedition. Notwithstanding the proximity of the camp of the 7th U. S. Infantry to Fort Wallace, the garrison of the latter place wholly escaped, intercourse being restricted, though not wholly prevented. On the 8th of August, a detachment of the 5th U. S. Infantry arrived at Fort Wallace from New Mexico and encamped about a mile west of the fort. The command is said to have been healthy on the road, with the exception of diarrhoea, after leaving the Arkansas. Seven days before reaching Fort Wallace, they passed, without halting, a camp of colored troops, among whom cholera was prevailing. On the day of their arrival at Fort Wallace a case occurred, followed by others, making in all twenty-five cases and eleven deaths during the month. A quarantine hospital was established on the 10th, in which all the cases were treated. These cases were wholly confined to the detachment of the 5th U. S. Infantry, which, at the time of its arrival, numbered about 343 officers and men. None of the original garrison of Fort Wallace were attacked; as, however, a part of this detachment remained at Fort Wallace, these cases are included in the tabular statement for that post. (See Appendix, table 26, page 11.) Turning, now, from the plains to the route into Indian Territory, the record will be found equally instructive. One fatal case of cholera was reported at Little Rock, Arkansas, during July. The patient had been intoxicated, and the case is admitted to have been a doubtful one. (See Appendix, page 56.) It is not, therefore, included in the statistical tables of this report. At Fort Smith, Arkansas, where cholera had occurred during 1866, it reappeared among the citizens August 28th, 1867. The precautions taken to prevent the disease from extending to a company of troops stationed at the post (see Appendix, page 56) were so effectual, that but two cases occurred the first September 16th, the second September 21st; both proved fatal. At Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, where cholera also prevailed during 1866, it reappeared towards the close of June, 1867, among the Indians and Negroes. These people, who were surrounded by the worst hygienic conditions, suffered severely till the close of July, when a nest of negro huts, where the disease had been most virulent, was burned, and the survivors removed to a camp in the open prairie, after which the disease abated. The troops, encamped in wall tents on elevated ground near the fort, escaped, having but two cases—one, a negro soldier, attacked July 18th, died July 23d; and the other, a white soldier, attacked August 18th, died next day. The mean strength of the command at Fort Gibson during the six months was 159 white and 80 colored troops. Towards the close of June, just after the appearance of cholera among the Indians and Negroes near the post, Company "D," 10th U. S. Cavalry, left Fort Gibson for Fort Arbuckle; had much diarrhoea on the road, and one man died July 1st with symptoms of cholera. The company, bringing with them the dead body of their comrade for interment, arrived at Fort Arbuckle July 2d. Immediately after their arrival three cases of cholera occurred in this company, and five cases and four deaths followed, during July, among the white troops stationed at Fort Arbuckle, 166 in number. On the 11th of June two companies of the 6th U. S. Infantry left South Carolina for Indian Territory, and going by way of Memphis and Fort Smith, set out to march from the latter post to Fort Arbuckle. On the 8th of July a messenger from Fort Arbuckle passed their camp, who reported the existence of cholera at Forts Gibson and Arbuckle ; they prevented his intercourse with the detachment, but, unfortunately, followed the road just passed over by Company "D," of the 10th U. S. Cavalry, and did not avoid their camps. July 14th, cholera appeared among them in their camp on Sandy creek, and before the close of the month forty cases and sixteen deaths occurred out of a command of 129 officers and men. At Fort Columbus, New York harbor, there were thirty-five cases of cholera and eighteen deaths during August and September. The first case occurred on the 21st of August. The patient was a recruit who had arrived the evening previous with a detachment of recruits from St. Louis, Missouri, where cholera was prevailing. One man had died on the road with symptoms similar to cholera, and the man attacked on arriving at Fort Columbus had been in attendance upon him. Another recruit, who had also been in attendance on the first patient, was sent to Fort Wood, Bedloe's island, and was attacked by cholera shortly after his arrival there. No additional cases occurred at Fort Columbus until the 31st of August, an interval of ten days, when ten new cases were admitted to hospital, four of these cases occurring among a fresh detachment of recruits who had arrived on the 28th of August, three days previous. At Fort Wood, Bedloe's island, New York harbor, there were ten cases of cholera and four deaths during August and September. The first case occurred August 25th, the last September 24th. Of these cases, six were recruits, two belonged to the permanent party of the post, and two to the band. The first case was the recruit from St. Louis, already mentioned. One fatal case is reported at the Plattsburgh Barracks, New York. The patient had just returned from Governor's island, where he had been sent for trial by court martial. He was attacked the night of his return, August 31st, and died September 2d. On the 23d of November, a detachment of several hundred recruits left New York harbor, by steamer, for Texas. On the 30th another large detachment sailed. · The first detachment went on the steamer Raleigh, and reached New Orleans December 2d without sickness. Here 110 men were disembarked, but the detachment for Texas was kept on board, and learning that cholera was prevailing among the citizens of New Orleans, an attempt was made to keep them isolated. December 3d, this detachment was transferred to the steamer W. G. Hewes, and sailed for Galveston. During the 4th a number of cases of diarrhoea with rice-water discharges were observed, and in one case there were cramps and collapse, but none died. December 6th, the vessel arrived at Galveston, the men were disembarked and placed in tents, but after three days, on account of bad weather, were transferred to the barracks of the 17th Infantry at that post. December 11th, the second detachment of recruits which had left New York November 30th arrived at Galveston, and, after remaining a day, sailed for Indianola. This detachment had also stopped a day at New Orleans, and after leaving that place cholera appeared among them. One death had already occurred. This detachment left at Galveston a number sick with choleraic diarrhoea or actual cholera; altogether, twenty-two cases of cholera and eighteen of choleraic diarrhoea were admitted to the post hospital at Galveston from these detachments; five of the cases of cholera died. Three men of the 17th Infantry into whose barracks the first party of recruits were received, were also attacked, but all recovered. On the 13th of December a party of the recruits from Galveston arrived at Hempstead, Texas, where fifteen cases of cholera occurred among them, with, however, but one death. The detachment that went to Indianola reports thirteen cases and two deaths of cholera at that post, but the disease did not extend to the garrison. Finally, a party of these same recruits were quarantined at Onion creek, near Austin, December 24th, where nine cases and one death are reported during December, and one fatal case during January in the same detachment, then at Indianola on their way to Brownsville, Texas. The extreme mildness of the cases among these recruits cannot escape attention; there were among them, in all, sixty-three cases and but nine deaths. This happy result, which is attributed, by the medical officer at Galveston, to the use of tannin in large doses, was observed also at Hempstead, where reliance appears to have been placed on camphor and opium pills; and at Onion creek, where calomel was employed in large doses. The foregoing brief statement will serve to indicate the movements of cholera in the army during 1867. The general summary on page 15 shows that the total number of cases among the white troops during the year, including the month of June, was 317, of whom 139 died; among the colored troops. 187 cases and 91 deaths. The mortality was, therefore, 1 to every 2.28 cases for white; 1 to every 2.05 for colored troops. A comparison with the data of Circular No. 5 shows that the mortality during 1866 was, 1 to every 2.5 cases for white; 1 to every 1.9 cases for colored troops. The proportion of deaths to cases during 1867 was, therefore, rather larger for white and rather smaller for colored troops than during 1866. The list of names already referred to gives a distinct record of 308 of the above cases among the white troops, and of 153 among the colored troops. From these lists the following tables have been compiled, showing nativities, ages, length of service, and duration of recoveries, and of fatal cases: |