The conclusion reached in the subsequent report illustrated the hazards of duty on the river: "We consider the causes of the great amount of sickness on board said vessels to be, first, and chiefly, that the exposure to malaria, the necessary consequence of a residence on the waters of James River; as a secondary cause to this, but in our opinion highly conducive to the hurtful influence, we would enumerate the heated exposure of the ironclads, especially when at quarters and during action, the want of proper exercise on shore, and of a deficient supply of vegetables and fruits for the ships' companies...."
Difficult living conditions and sickness were common, especially in the summer, for both navies on the James River as well as elsewhere throughout the tidewaters of the South.
--Old B-Runner
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