On July 25, 1861, S. G. Howe of the U. S. Sanitary Commission delivered a report on the troops in the Boston area. This report included Camp Cameron. His findings on the Sanitary condition of the camp was not good. Howe believed that since the enlistees were sacrificing for their country then the government was obligated to take care of them. He saw the purpose of the camps being twofold; the training of troops for drill and maneuvers. The second ; being the improvement of the recruits physical being. The second he found to be ignored. In fact he believed that the camps hurt a mans well being. The barracks at Camp Cameron were overcrowded and a crowd was always unhealthy and a breeding place for disease. It was the belief of the Commission that the barracks at Cameron were neither large enough or numerous enough.
The ideal living space "should be spacious, dry, and airy. They should have single bunks, and should be so constructed that the men can observe decency with regard to personal exposure."
"The barracks should be provided with shelves, with pegs to hang clothing, and with tables for reading; but not for sleeping, for soldiers should not be allowed to take their meals in the room where they sleep."
It is to be assumed that none of these features were not found at Camp Cameron .
"Now the barracks at Camp Cameron are rough, unsightly, untidy, and cheerless. They are about 100 feet long by 20 feet wide; upright joists, 10 feet; roof, 10 feet. They are built of rough boards, roughly put together, and not battered. They are intended for 125 soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and musicians."
"On one side are three rows of bunks, made of rough boards, one row above the other. These are each seven feet long and six wide, and intended for three men!! On the other side are two rows of single bunks, one above the other, for non-commissioned officers and musicians."
"Such buildings may do upon sudden emergency, but they are utterly unfit for New England men to live in. They are unfit for barracks for soldiers who are being trained for the army."
"The beds should be separated from each other by at least two or three feet of floor space, and that the rows of beds should be separated by ten or twelve feet of floor space. At least 500 or 600 cubic feet of air... is desirable....The barracks at Camp Cameron are constructed so as to allow our soldiers less than 14 feet floor space, and less than 245 cubic feet of air." Evan though he admitted that at this early time the barracks seldom exceeded 100 men they were still too crowded and if they were almshouses they would have been declared a nuisance.
One thing is interesting. He states that the barracks had 10 foot roofs. At one time two carpenters fell of a roof they were repairing. The Cambridge Chronicle stated they fell from a height of about 25 feet. The one possible photo I have of Camp Cameron shows peaked roofs. Hardtack and Coffee states the Camp Cameron Barracks were the same style as Camp Meigs in Readville. That camp had peaked roofs. This hints to the possibility of a storage space above the 10 foot line.
Nothing I have found gives any hints that any of Howes' suggestions were carried out.
DAN SULLIVAN
The ideal living space "should be spacious, dry, and airy. They should have single bunks, and should be so constructed that the men can observe decency with regard to personal exposure."
"The barracks should be provided with shelves, with pegs to hang clothing, and with tables for reading; but not for sleeping, for soldiers should not be allowed to take their meals in the room where they sleep."
It is to be assumed that none of these features were not found at Camp Cameron .
"Now the barracks at Camp Cameron are rough, unsightly, untidy, and cheerless. They are about 100 feet long by 20 feet wide; upright joists, 10 feet; roof, 10 feet. They are built of rough boards, roughly put together, and not battered. They are intended for 125 soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and musicians."
"On one side are three rows of bunks, made of rough boards, one row above the other. These are each seven feet long and six wide, and intended for three men!! On the other side are two rows of single bunks, one above the other, for non-commissioned officers and musicians."
"Such buildings may do upon sudden emergency, but they are utterly unfit for New England men to live in. They are unfit for barracks for soldiers who are being trained for the army."
"The beds should be separated from each other by at least two or three feet of floor space, and that the rows of beds should be separated by ten or twelve feet of floor space. At least 500 or 600 cubic feet of air... is desirable....The barracks at Camp Cameron are constructed so as to allow our soldiers less than 14 feet floor space, and less than 245 cubic feet of air." Evan though he admitted that at this early time the barracks seldom exceeded 100 men they were still too crowded and if they were almshouses they would have been declared a nuisance.
One thing is interesting. He states that the barracks had 10 foot roofs. At one time two carpenters fell of a roof they were repairing. The Cambridge Chronicle stated they fell from a height of about 25 feet. The one possible photo I have of Camp Cameron shows peaked roofs. Hardtack and Coffee states the Camp Cameron Barracks were the same style as Camp Meigs in Readville. That camp had peaked roofs. This hints to the possibility of a storage space above the 10 foot line.
Nothing I have found gives any hints that any of Howes' suggestions were carried out.
DAN SULLIVAN
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