University of Virginia Library

LETTER XXII.

Darling Mother,—I got as far as the above, and
now, June 11, am going on with the letter. I received
yours of June 2. I was so glad to get it, I wish
there was more of it; and yet I do not know that any
amount would satisfy me. I have been very busy
lately. The demand for nurses is on the increase, I
have written to some, and shall write to more, under
Dr. Russell's orders. We shall want surgical nurses:
one of our best nurses is going down the river. The
excitement here is very great; I shall be glad when
Vicksburg is taken, and this terrible news of battle is

over. The amount of wounded is already very great,
by and by they will be coming up the river. . . .
It only takes a little time to order meals, and we
now live very comfortably; I take my meals alone, at
a later hour than the nurses; they breakfast at six, I
at seven, after I am through my morning first round;
they dine at twelve, I at one; they take tea at four, I
at six, after my afternoon walk of inspection. All
our nurses are ladies. I do not believe it would be
easy to find such a set of nurses in any other hospital.
I have to keep careful watch over every one of the
nurses, as I am responsible for them, and a good deal
it involves. I have to look in many different directions.
There are not many patients here now; they are being
drafted off to make room for the sick and wounded
when they come; those here being most of them
convalescents. We have a lesser round building, called
the rotunda, which will be for surgical cases, as also
will some other wards. These great buildings are
called wards, then subdivided into divisions, and nurses
assigned to each division. They will hold a great
number of men.

Sunday afternoon. I have just come from Communion.
It was given in the rotunda, now used as a
chapel. It was all very plain, and somehow, from
that very reason, made me think more of that "upper
chamber" so many hundred years ago in Jerusalem.
There were soldiers and women present, weary men,
some just able to walk in, all intent on the solemn
occasion. I saw one man walk in leaning on his cane,

and wrapped up in one of the comfortable wrappers
you ladies sent him and others. I was glad to see him
there; a month ago he was next to death. Some time
since, one poor fellow got his discharge; he was far
gone in consumption, he had been wearing one of those
wrappers and seemed to enjoy it very much; I told him
he might take it home with him; he was poor and will
be very thankful to have something comfortable to wear
as he sinks away in the disease he caught while fighting
for his country. I hope to have more nurses in
soon, before the sick and wounded come up the river;
we shall be full then; our hands will have enough to do.
We send off all that we can to convalescent places and
camps. One ward has decreased from one hundred
and thirty-seven to thirty-five or six patients, I tell the
nurses it is only resting time and they must make
the most of it. They are not allowed to go out of
the grounds without my permission. Two of them
came to me just now, and I sent them off to walk in the
woods; a little while after over came another, with a
friend, to know if she might go. I hope they will have
a good time: it is a lovely evening.

The other evening I attended a prayer-meeting and
was very much interested. One of the speakers took
for his theme the necessity of coming to Jesus now,
and illustrated it very forcibly. Many of the men
present were under marching orders and will soon be
before the enemy. The preacher specially addressed
them, reminded them that it was the last time they
would stand there: would they go into the field and not

take Jesus with them? He asked, what would they
do without him there, sick or wounded, or passing forever
into another life; where would they go in that life
if they did not take Him with them in this life and
follow His commandments by leaving off all sinful ways
and turning to Him. One feels a good deal when
seeing men thus addressed who are going off to the
battle-field. I tell you, mother, we realize war out
here: it is at our door. I have been very much interested
in one of the wards here. Back of this house I
live in is a ward consisting of two long rooms: it is the
erysipelas ward. When there is a bad case of that
kind it is sent here, and the disease is held in great
horror by many who fear taking it. When Dr. Russell
came here in early spring, these patients were scattered
about in out-rooms and not properly cared for; he had
these two rooms, which were barracks, turned into the
erysipelas ward. There was no woman in there to
keep things nice; no one hardly would go in or near it;
it was looked upon as a sort of Botany Bay among the
wards. I went in after I had been here a while and
got my duties under head-way elsewhere. I found the
wards dirty: no whitewash, old wooden bunks, mattresses
that had not been changed for a long time; everything
requiring renovation. I passed some time there, then
went over and asked the Doctor to let me have the ward
arranged like the other wards. He told me it would not
do to order one of the lady nurses there; I told him,
"no, but I could go myself." He asked if I did not fear
taking it, I told him if there was risk it was already
run, for I had passed about two hours over the worst
cases. He laughed and finally gave me permission to
go in and do whatever I pleased; did n't I go! I found
a German Doctor who did not understand neatness,
and who was going away; I waited till he went, then a
skilful Doctor possessed of Yankee neatness joined
forces with me and in we went.

We revolutionized the place. We got in an army of
whitewashers, for lime is a disinfectant; while the new
Doctor superintended whitewashers, I went to the head
surgeon, and asked for clean furniture: he kept his
word and said I should have it. So, going from one
place to another, I got in iron bedsteads, new mattresses,
pillows, bed furniture, mosquito nettings; had the
tables and cupboards washed; lime was put in boxes on
the floor; the Doctor had the beds arranged in two files,
each side of the room, two feet from the wall, so that
every part of the floor is exposed and there is no excuse
for not washing every part; everything is now as
clean and nice as any other ward, walls and ceiling whitewashed,
the floor clean, and order generally. The
next thing I wanted was a lady nurse; I could not order
one there; so I kept on superintending myself, but that
was not enough. I longed for a volunteer nurse; I concluded
at last, if one did not present herself, I would
pray for one. I went over to the wards in that state
of mind, and one of my best nurses informed me she
should like to take the ward! I brought her over, installed
her, and she says she is happy. The men are so
glad to have a woman about all the time. Yesterday

they dressed their ward up with evergreens and improved
it very much. As the ward nurse informed me
last night, it is going to look as well as other places.
I look upon the nurse of that ward as a heroine; I wish
I had time to tell you all she has done elsewhere. Her
name is Miss Melcenia Elliott. I am using the money
Mr. S. sent me to buy fruit for this ward; they need it
very much, and it is doing them a great deal of good.
I take all the flowers I can get to this ward: they make
the air so pleasant. I would write better; but it makes
my eyes ache, so I cannot. It is very hot here, but
we have the Mississippi; my respect for this useful
stream increases daily. There was an octagonal house
here of one room, lately vacated, I asked the Doctor
what he was going to do with it; he told me he would
give it to me, and I should have it for myself, if I
wanted it; I suggested that it would make a good parlor
for the lady nurses to see their visitors in. The
Doctor liked the idea, and said it should be done; it is
doing and will make them a very pretty room. Love
to all, and hope that I may be able to go on.