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Walker Pension
Washington, Nov. 12th 1879
Com’t of Pensions
Sir,
In reply to your communications of July 15th, 1879 requiring
that I certify under oath the “nature and locality of the wound or injury” I
have to say that the injury is a hernia in the left groin. This is answer to your requisition upon
blank “57.” In answer to your
requirement upon blank 58, that a com’d officer certifying “when where &
under what circumstances the alleged hernia was incurred.” I refer you to the deposition of Thomas
B. Brooks’ late Chief Engineer of siege operations against Fort Wagner. In answer to your further requirement
upon aforesaid blank 58 viz, “The affidavit of the Surgeon or Assistant
Surgeon of claimant’s Reg’t as to treatment of said alleged disability.” I have to refer you to my “application,”
and to former communications. These
inform you that my bruises resulting from the explosion of the torpedo, and
other shock, and hard service were of a general character, & though
prostrated, sick, & off service for six days immediately following the
siege, and for several days immediately following the explosion – vide – T.B.
Brooks deposition – yet rest, absolute rest, so far as I remember, was
sufficient for recuperation; therefore, I cannot produce the evidence in this
instance -- this according to my best recollection, though it may be that
visiting surgeons at my tent treated me with general or specific advice.
In answer to your letter of said date (July 15th) requiring
“the affidavit of your (my) family physician (or other competent testimony)
which should show what your (my) physical condition was it and prior to your
(my) enlistment, and especially whether you (me) were free from hernia as
alleged.” I have to say that prior to the war I never had an ailment
from my youth up requiring the advice of a physician, except in one instance. In that instance my bare arms had been
unusually exposed to a hot summer sun. The
blister occasioned thereby was very painful; one or both arms being much
swollen, & a Dr. Elmer (now I believe dead) was called in – the treatment
was a simple emollient, & very soon relief was obtained. But I respectfully refer you to the fact
that according to my recollection my enlistment was as a private, & that I
remember a physical examination – when the Co. “I” was organized I was
formally elected Captain. The
record of this physical examination should be in the records of the Surgeon Gen’ls
Dept. at Washington, D.C., or at Albany, N.Y.
As to your further inquiry – “showing what your (my) condition was at
the date of your (my) discharge, and what it has been continuously from that
time to the present” I have to
say that no examination was made by an Army Surgeon, I was in good health at the
time, and as before set forth in my “application” and previous
communications, I did not myself suspect at that time, that the small
protuberance in my groin (of which I was quite sensible) was a hernia. It was in 1866 as before stated in
aforesaid previous communications to your office, that the nature of it became
painfully apparent to me. Referring
to the affidavit of Dr. A. Monteiro (now on file in your office) I will herein
say, that that was the first occasion (in 1872) that I became alarmed by
its painfulness, and sought the advice of a surgeon.
Hoping my papers and responses will be satisfactory to your Dept. I am
Very respectfully,
Your Obed’t Ser’t
Joseph Walker
Late Capt. Co. “I” 1st Regt. N.Y. Vol. Engrs.
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