In June, 1862, he was put on duty in the Commissary Department at
Washington and remained there until August, 1863, when he was summoned
before a retiring board convened for the purpose of retiring disabled
officers.
From testimony before this board it appears that the illness which
caused him to leave his regiment was one not uncommon in the Army, and
yielded to treatment, so that in April or May, 1862, he was completely
cured.
About this time, however, he was attacked with convulsions, which were
pronounced by the physicians examined before the board to be a form of
epilepsy, and for this cause he was found to be incapacitated for active
service.
The medical testimony, while it suggested various causes for this
epileptic condition, negatives entirely any claim that these attacks
were at all related to the illness which obliged this officer to abandon
service with his regiment. He testified himself that he had been told
he had one or two convulsions in childhood, but there is no direct
testimony that he was subject to epileptic attacks before he entered the
Army.
The retiring board determined upon the proof that this incapacity
did not result from any incident of military service, and therefore
Lieutenant McBlair was in October, 1863, retired wholly from the service
with one year's pay and allowances, which is the usual action in such
cases, and which was approved by the President.
Pages:
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211