University of Virginia Library

LETTER XII.

Dear Mother,—I have waited all the week for a
letter to answer, and have concluded to wait no longer.

The box arrived yesterday; to-morrow I am going to
have it opened. It was marked "from the McClellan
Club." The interest that excited among the young
gentlemen at the Sanitary, and their remarks, upon
being made acquainted with the history of that highly
distinguished body, I shall relate to Sabra when I
tell her the history of the box. I am quite well now.
On Friday, Mr. Yeatman took me out to the hospital
I am appointed to, to see the head surgeon, mon chef,
—and make my arrangements with him. It is called,
the Benton Barracks Hospital. It is out of the city, in
an enclosure of fifty acres, formerly used as the scene
of the Horse and Cattle Fairs held here. The great
amphitheatre has been made into a hospital. Then
there are other smaller hospitals in the grounds, for diferent
classes of patients. The whole number of beds
will be two thousand. They are not all put up yet
(the beds, that is). It is a very large and fine hospital.
I wish you could see it. The different buildings are
large and well arranged. After taking me over them
all, Dr. Russell told me what he wanted of me. He
wishes me to be the lady supervisor of all the nurses,
male and female, I myself taking my directions from
him; as he laughingly told me he should not allow
any one to scold at me, he should reserve that privilege
for himself. He was in earnest however; he is as
particular as any general, and all his officers have got
to mind their duties as well as they can. I hope and
pray that I may have understanding and strength to
do mine properly. I never expected such a position as
this,—of so much responsibility. The supervisor sometimes
has to overlook all the women, cooks, laundresses,
&c; in a large hospital like this, that would be impossible;
the housekeeping is here a work by itself.
At Fort Schuyler the ladies had a special kitchen;
they will have one here, I am very glad of it. It did
a great deal of good there, and I hope will in this case.
My quarters are in a large house just outside, opposite
the gate. This house is occupied by the surgeons, supervisor,
and the lady who has charge of the linen-room.
We have a dining-room where we all take our meals together,
head surgeon and all. and a pleasant parlor where
we can see our friends. Some of the surgeons have
their wives with them. Mrs. Forbes is the housekeeper
of this establishment; it is like a large boarding
house, only under arrangements to suit the occupants.
This is to obviate the necessity of the doctors' seeking
board where they can. The Doctor said he wanted to
make it as much of a family arrangement as he could.
My room is rather small, but comfortable, a pleasant
window looking out on an upper piazza, a good bed,
table, washstand with china, stove, rocking-chair!
common chair, straw carpet. I hope my hours in it
will be tolerably peaceful. I should prefer, as far as my
mere personal feelings were concerned, my one ward at
Fort S. quietly to myself, but I feel that I may be
of more use in this position, and I would rather be
where I can be of the most use. My various experiences
have prepared me for it, I hope, and for one thing,
I believe that all we do is overruled, and I should not
have been placed in such a position without any seeking
of my own, unless there had been some good reason for
it,—some use which I could rightly perform there; and
having been so sent there gives me hope that there
may be in me the fitness for such a charge, if I seek to
do only what is right. That is sometimes very difficult.
The Doctor wants me there as soon as I can
come; I expect to go out on Tuesday. The Doctor
seemed very desirous that everything should please
me; he asked me two or three times over if I liked my
room. I hope this will be something permanent, but
I do not feel as if I could look forward one week; I have
had so many changes, and we live in such a time of
change. Mr. Yeatman took me a very pleasant ride,
showing me some of the forts; St. Louis is protected
by ten forts. It was threatened by Secesh at the beginning
of the war, but General Lyons and the volunteers
saved the city, and, through the city, the State.
Mr. Y. gave me a very interesting account of it. We
passed the old rifle-pits, built on the sides of the road
to command the approaches to the city.