What are Civil War Sinks? (Latrines)

From: civilwartalk.com

Some data on sinks in the Civil War that I collected, without doing a precise study.

Sinks in the Civil War are what we would call latrines. It probably is more afield than what the normal Civil War student studies, but it sure killed a lot of soldiers. Sometimes the captured prisoner contributed to his own bad health by undisiplined use of sinks, and was not entirely due to the prison system.

As a result of both historical documentation and field research, the prison stockade, Fort Johnson, the remains of Fort Hill, and the dock have been located. Archaeological excavations have been carried out in several sinks (latrines) dating from 1862 to 1865, a prison well, the powder magazine from Fort Hill, and portions of two prison blocks

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
Near Cold Harbor, Va., June 5,1864.
Major-General MEADE, U. S. Volunteers,
Commanding Army of the Potomac:

... Very few regiments provided sinks for the men, and
their excreta are deposited upon hill sides to be washed from thence into the streams, thus furnishing an additional source bf contamination to the water. As is to be expected, under such circumstances, sickness is increasing in the army, diar-rhea being especially prevalent...

THS. A. McPARLIN,
Surgeon U. S. Army, Medical Director, Army of the Potomac.

In fact, no attention seemed to be paid to cleaning up the grounds immediately in and about the hospital, nor was proper atten-tion bestowed upon the sinks. The ground between the hospital and the sinks had been used for uncleanly purposes by the patients, mak-ing it offensive to the sight as well as the smell.

H. B. PEYTON,
Lieutenant- Colonel, Assistant Adjutant and Inspector General.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,
July 1, 1862.
General M. C. MEIGS,
Quartermaster-General U. S. Army, Washington, D.C.

...The camp is in a very foul condition from want of drainage, and this can only be remedied by construction of a sewer sufficiently below the surface to guard against frost around the sides of the camp and leading into the lake. With this must be connected water pipes to furnish an abundant supply of water for the use of the camp and to float out the filth of all kinds through the sewer.
The sinks should be connected with the sewers so that during the summer the camp and neighborhood would be relieved from the stench which now pollutes the air.
The cost of erecting new barracks and repairing the old ones will be $5,000 to $8,000 and for introducing the system of pipes and drainage about as much more.
If a suitable camp-ground could be found and there was yet time for the work it would perhaps be best to abandon Camp Douglas, but there seems now no alternative but to make the best of what we have.
I have ordered a thorough system of police to be put in force at once, but your immediate attention is earnestly called to the matter of the above report.
The hot weather of summer is just upon us and if something is not done speedily there must be much sickness in the camp and neighbor-hood if not a pestilence.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
W. HOFFMAN,
Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary- General of Prisoners

WASHINGTON, November 13, 1863.
Dr. J. H. DOUGLAS,
Associate Secretary, Sanitary Commission:
SIR: In compliance with orders received from the central office to proceed to Point Lookout, Md., and inquire into the condition, &c., of the rebel prisoners there confined, also the sanitary condition of the encampment and its inmates, I hereby submit the following report:

It is within this that there are confined about 8,000 pris-oners. With so many men and no one to take charge of them, it is not at all to be wondered at that the camp is in any but a desirable condition. The sinks, which should have special consideration, especially in a camp of this size, and where so many men are congregated, are entirely neglected, and it is a perfect mystery that there is not more sickness than they have, and God knows they have enough, for they live, eat, and sleep in their own filth. Sinks have been prepared for them, but little or no attention is paid to them, unless they should be in close proximity when they desire to answer the calls of nature. The holes dug in getting out clay for bricks are used as sinks. You will find them by the side and in front of their tents, in various portions of the encampment, and are the receptacles of their filth. Refuse matter from the tents or what not right under their very noses, yet they heed them not. Others, again, have no particular place, but will void their excrement anywhere on the surface that is most convenient to them, heedless of the convenience of others. Have no drainage around the tents, but there has been an attempt to drain the streets. Ditches were dug, but they are worse than useless, constantly filled with water, and afford another place to throw filth. With this state of affairs and so many men (by the by, over 1,300 more came in the camp on the afternoon of November 10, making nearly 10,000 men) the camp would soon become in an impassable condition. The men themselves complain and hope that some severe punishment, even shooting, will be the penalty to any one who will so outrage decency and lose respect due themselves. Some of the sinks are filled and not been covered and not a particle of chloride of lime has been used in the encampment for a long time. After stating the above facts, giving the condition of the camp arid its inmates, some might say that it is not our fault that they are in this condition. As far as clothing, it is not; but it is our fault when they neglect to enforce those sanitary rules which keep camps and inmates in a cleanly condition and thus try to prevent disease. It is our fault when the officer in command fails to place in charge some one of good executive ability, capable of giving commands and seeing that they are enforced, one who will have the camp regularly policed amid severely punish any offender of the sanitary rules. It is beneficial otherwise, for it will give employment to a certain number of men every (lay. As regards medicine and clothing, they are sadly in want of both and would suggest that the commission send them, place them in the hand of Mr. Fairchild, and I know they will be judiciously distributed.
I know that they are our enemies, and bitter ones, and what we give them they will use against us, but now they are within our power and are suffering. Have no doubt that to compare their situation with that of our men words would hardly be adequate to express our indignation.
I merely gave this suggestion because I think you would be doing right and that it might prove beneficial to us.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
W. F. SWALM.

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Hygiene in the Civil War

by Melissa King, Demand Media

During the Civil War, soldiers' lack of basic hygiene may have been deadlier than bullets or bayonets. For each soldier who died on the battlefield, two more died of disease. Filthy living conditions, along with lack of knowledge about germs and bacteria, caused thousands of soldiers to get sick and die. Many doctors were just as unhygienic as their patients.

Lack of Medical Training
When the Civil War began, American doctors were woefully unprepared. On average, they received about two years of medical training before they began treating patients. Doctors in this time period had little understanding of basic hygiene, sanitation practices, germs or bacteria. In addition, there were too few trained doctors to go around. Doctors on the battlefield often had a shortage of supplies, too. Due to this lack of knowledge and understaffed hospitals, thousands of soldiers died in the war that might have lived with proper care.

Living in Filth
Civil War camps were often just as dangerous as the battlefield. Soldiers allowed garbage to pile up in the camps. They also dug latrines too close to drinking streams. The waste from the latrines seeped into the water supply, causing many to get sick. Soldiers were cramped closely together, which allowed sickness and disease to spread quickly. They bathed infrequently and were usually dirty. Insects, such as lice, mosquitoes, fleas, maggots and flies plagued the soldiers day and night. Soldiers would sanitize lice-infested clothing in a pot filled with boiling water. They would then cook food in the same pot.

Diseases
Civil War soldiers experienced a number of debilitating diseases. Of all diseases, dysentery was the biggest killer. It caused severe and bloody diarrhea. Typhoid fever, also called "Camp Fever," was the second-worst killer. It caused one-quarter of all disease deaths. Body lice transmitted the disease via bacteria. Victims had delirium, high fever, rash and an intense headache. Smallpox, a highly contagious disease, was also a big killer. Soldiers living in close proximity easily spread smallpox to one another. Tuberculosis, a deadly lung disease caused by bacteria, was also common. Mosquitoes spread diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.

Medical Treatment
During the Civil War, doctors treated patients with "cures" and operations that would seem deplorable today. For example, a doctor might collect pus from a victim's wound, then transfer it to another soldier's open wound. The doctor believed that pus was a good thing and that it would help the wound heal faster. Doctors used a mixture of chalk and mercury to treat closed bowels. They commonly used whiskey as an antiseptic and pain reliever. In many cases, a soldier's wounds were so severe that doctors had to amputate an arm or leg. They often operated with dirty tools and worked while dressed in a bloody apron. After an amputation, a soldier still might die from infection, blood poisoning or gangrene.

About the Author
Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.

From: classroom.synonym.com

Image: Running parallel and next to the stream that provided drinking water were the long sinks or latrines, as shown in this 1864 photograph by A.J. Riddle

Learn more about the sanitary (or unsanitary) practices of the Civil War era at www.CivilWarRx.com

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Latrines and Water Closets

By Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein

A number of hospitals had indoor water closets of some sort. They night have a rudimentary flush mechanism activated by pulling the chain to a cistern. The water carried the waste directly into a sewer, but there was nothing to keep noxious odors and gases from coming back up into the water closet. A hospital in Central Park in New York City had water closets on all the floors, but the building was so tall that the pressure was insufficient to get water for flushing to the upper floors.

Some hospitals had toilets that had to be flushed by using a bucket of water. Since that water usually had to be hauled from a distance, the facilities were not flushed as often as they should have been. Another variety, especially popular in Philadelphia hospitals, was a long, slightly slanted zinc trough. The trough had a cover with a number of seat holes. At the upper end was a faucet that could be turned on to flush the waste down a sewer hole at the other end. Ideally the water was always on to keep the trough clean, but, practically, this used too much water, so waste and odor accumulated between periodic flushes.

An indoor latrine did little good if the soldiers did not know how to use it. the patients at the Gordon Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, in November 1861 used the water closets like a trash can, throwing in paper, sticks, cloth, and other rubbish. Not surprisingly, the drainpipes plugged up and filthy sewage overflowed the hospital to such an extent that the patients had to be moved out and the hospital closet and thoroughly cleaned.

The efforts of the U.S. Sanitary Commission in the Union army, as well as medical inspectors, surgeons, and army officers on both sides, led to considerable improvement in sanitation as the war progressed. It was evident that well-disciplined regiments, with properly prepared and used latrines, had much less sickness than unsanitary regiments.

From: The Encyclopedia of Civil War Medicine

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Latrines

 By Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein

Latrines were commonly called "sinks" by soldiers North and South during the Civil War. Improper preparation of latrines, and the failure of some soldiers to use them, caused great discomfort and much disease in virtually all the armies at times.

The common sink was a trench 10 to 12 feet long, 1 to 2 feet wide, and 6 to 8 feet deep. A crotched stick was placed at each end to hold a pole that functioned as a seat. Improvements on the conventional sink included boards with holes placed over the trench and, i the union Army of the Cumberland, board platforms with kegs or cracker boxes for seats. Each day six inches of dirt was supposed to be shoveled into the sink to cover the waste. Ideally. carbolic acid or chlorinated lime would also be added to deodorize and sanitize the area. Some regimens surrounded the sink with brush to provide minimal privacy. When the sink was filled to within one and a half to two feet of the edge, it was supposed to be filled in and a new sink dug. Each regiment was supposed to have a sink on the left and right ends of the camp as well as a third sink for the officers.

Sinks were the source of a variety of problems. Early in the war many regiments failed to construct sinks at all. Soldiers from rural areas were used to using convenient bushes and continued the practice in camp. This habit led to filthy, offensive, and malodorous sites that quickly caused diseases such as typhoid fever, diarrhea, and dysentery. Even regiments that dug sinks could have similar problems if the officers did not enforce discipline and insist that the men use the sinks. One probably effective punishment, applied in some Union camps, was to force the offender to wear a barrel with his head protruding over the top and excrement piled under his nose.

Some sinks were poorly maintained. Soldiers in charge failed to cover the deposits with dirt every day. Men who were lazy or too ill to control themselves missed the sink, producing nasty areas around the edges of the latrine. The offensive smell caused some soldiers to avoid the sinks while others sought the bushes because of modesty. These actions only contributed to the problem.

Even a sink that was well maintained might be poorly located, in a place where the sewage seeped, drained, or overflowed into the camp water supply. Wells and streams were easily polluted with germs that caused intestinal diseases. Some latrines were located close to camp kitchens or cooking areas, where flies spread disease from the excrement to the food. In October 1861, the surgeon of the Third Tennessee Regiment (Confederate) complained that the men of the Eighteenth Tennessee were digging a sink right next to his regimental hospital. He protested that the latrine would contribute to the spread of disease and undo all the progress he had made toward cleanliness in his regiment.

From: The Encyclopedia of Civil War Medicine

Image: Latrine, Camp Sumner, Andersonville, Georgia, circa 1863

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