The following letter was written by William Orr (1838-1867), the son of James Orr (1815-1895) and Julia Ann Hopping (1817-1869) of Albany, Delaware county, Indiana. William was employed as a lawyer prior to his enlistment in July 1861 to serve as a 2nd Lieutenant in Co. K, 19th Indiana Infantry. He received a gunshot wound to his left breast at the Battle of Antietam but recovered and was promoted to Captain of his company shortly afterwards. In August 1864, he was promoted to Major of the regiment but soon after transferred to the 20th Indiana Infantry where he was promoted to Colonel. He mustered out of the service in May 1865.

William wrote the letter to James Campbell of Selma, Liberty Township, Delaware county, Indiana. Two of the Campbell boys served in Co. K, 19th Indiana with Orr. Historians will recall that the 19th Indiana became part of the “Black Hat” or Iron Brigade.

William’s letter gives a great description of the hospital set up in the US Patent Office in the fall of 1861. We learn from Orr’s letter that it was predominately occupied in October 1861 by sick soldiers from the 19th Indiana Infantry. Records show that the Patent Office was used as a hospital from October 1861 to January 1863. During the fall and winter of 1861–1862, the 19th Indiana Infantry was severely impacted by disease, with over 60 soldiers dying from sickness between August 1861 and the spring of 1862. Typhoid and malarial fevers, prevalent in the crowded camps, plagued the regiment early in its service near Washington D.C.

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Patent Office Hospital
Washington City, D. C.
October 23, 1861

Much esteemed friend,

I owe you an apology for not answering your welcome note of September 3rd sooner. My excuse is sickness—not only sickness in the regiment but I have been unwell myself for 5 weeks. Have been in the hospital for three and a half. I was not able to be out of bed and for one and a half I have been unable to walk around. In fact, I now feel as well as ever but I can’t stand the exertions I once could by a good deal. William [Campbell], James [Campbell], Crocker East & in fact nearly all the boys you are acquainted with are well as far as I know. Jim Payton & Dan Conrod are here. They are nearly well. Bennet Cline is here sick. I do not think that he can live very long. I wrote to his father this morning telling him that it was doubtful whether he could recover. Three of our company have died—Mason Hitchcock, B[enjamin] F. Shields, & B[enjamin] N. Moore.

This hospital is devoted principally to the sick of the 19th [Indiana] though there are a few from other regiments. The room is 250 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 25 high. One end is used as a kitchen & dining room. The part used as a hospital is capable of holding perhaps 200 men though there is but 25 in now that take medicine [and] about 20 more that don’t take medicine, but all not able to go to the regiment yet. Then it takes about six men to do the cooking.

Then the hospital is divided into four wards & one quarter of the house making a ward. In each ward there is a nurse (a Lady) and two waiters (men). The duty of the nurses is to prepare the feed and little delicacies such as only a woman can prepare to have a kind of superintendence and to watch the comfort of the sick generally. The waiters have to give them medicine, make their beds, &c. The nurses sleep at night unless they have some patient who is very sick. The waiters are on duty six hours and off six hours.

The regiment is now encamped on Arlington Heights at Fort Craig. They are now under marching orders but I don’t think they will get actual orders to march soon.

Write soon. Yours, — Wm. Orr

To James Campbell