, 1862-12-11
LETTER T'D a SICK
SGDEE3EEEe.
CHICAGO, Dhc s. 1862.


a LETTER TD a SICK
SOLDIER.
CHICAGO, Dies. 1862:
Editors Chicago Tribune:
The little tract send herewith is one have
written for comfort, encouragement and adj
vice to such Of our brave men in camp and
hospital as are sick. send it to you in the
hope tLat you Will reprint it in your paper,
and so help whatever good word is in it to
penetrate through the unnumbcSed channels
ty which | know your paper reaches our men,
and also 10 call attention to the little mcsscn-
ger iisclf, which Will be sent in such numbers
AZ ;,re wanted to any point, on application to
Robert Cvllycr, Chicago.
LETTER
Mr. DEAR FH1ESD: want to say, first Of
all, that this letter is written to you It may
meet yea rs long IL live; bat it yon are Il
soldier, lighting is,r tho Union and the Consti-
tuition, l love you like Il brother, and if you
are sick, should like to have quiet chat
with you by means Of this letter, that will
cheer you up and help you to get well again.
I wish could come ami sit down beside yon,
instead of sending you this printed letter.
think ! could do more in thai way than by
writing. l went into the hospital ut Mound
City very soon after you men did That grand
Thing ut Fort Donclson; aud as went down
one IF the wards, 1 saw one young fellow
looking very sud. 1 went to his bedside, and
he said, s'Mistcr, wish you would set down
and talk piece; su sat down and began to
talk, first about Donclsou, and the bat
tle, and how he got hurt; but I
talk about hoilc. and then wc had Il real good
ciat. He told 1lt;.bout his home on tL: prai-
ric, and about lis folk, and wrote Il letter
| for linn to his father and mother, aud Il few
| lines to some one that ht called ''Deas Aman-
| Gic,' and then We shook hlnds, and I went
| away. We'll, it Was wonder to see how that
talk helped the boy: lie seemed to be ever so
| much the better for it, and hasc 10 doubt ut
| all but liz w:!= better, htcaISc lie was more
el.ecrfi,? aud hopeful than he WIS before, and
| thai is Il great thing WHEN man is sick:
| think il is half the i.,1tl1c. Now should
talk to you just III tic Ealslc Way, it yon are
| SEX ami rid. i know soldiers like TO talk
| about tEcir home, and their fo1as, 1t does
| them good whether they are sick or wcll, but
| most Of MI when they arc sick. There is =.
likeness lat Cain be carried about al II HAN 5
i,>art which ll;as far more life i'll it th,n pho
| tnnFlp1l. VIZ leave our home and wife and
Children or mother ALI! Sisters, but We carry
| tLem with us 100 wherever VIC so, and they
lieli. us T.; i.c better men tan Ne could H..
t without them.
There is touching story Oh this point in
thc history Of the last rebellion in India.
When The war broke out. the rebels invested
9As ,;,,{4 ID1I Xhh " fhhe s f5rt IN we're few Ind ths
enemy numerous, but tho men fought like
lions, not only for duty, and The honor
Of. soldier, but also because they had their
wives and Children ii, fort With th~r1, and The
rebels fought like tic1ltls to get ut them, day
| after Gay, Nnt s,ill ,hsy could not take thy
began to give out, hui still the men held on.
| Tic General sent detachment to their relief
hut they had 10 march Il long way under !:
burning Indian sun. When they came tn tht
fort the rebels nladc desperate effort to drive
Them back, but they cut the rebels to pieces
! hin and worn, stood ready to welcome then
, ! with their wives ant children by their sides
Aud the story is that the moment tlos'
great, rough soldiers saw the lit
e. &C, eillaTsn, @ ,,tn, t'y ,c;4 faq arms np 5 It, t.
gan 10 cry Ike children themselves. The:
could stand 1he lclyy tramp through til
| burning Indian sl;n They could face the ell
envy anu drive lin, like cfatr hvforc the wind
lsut the sight Of little children broke then
down, leesuss', surpos,s, every one of then
heart, that lie carried with lni wherever Il
| went.
. 4 soldier is commonly rough fellow Fl
leads :: rough life. lIe has Il great man
rough thingsto try linn: II does not helt
, mother and sisters, or wife and childrc,
1t hurts him. Ill :-rows coarse unde
it, and careless Hc says things that he woul
f,r ashamed 10 lei woman hear him say, b,
i ca11sc there is no woman about. Still, bt
i iic,e Il great many soldiers are like L Stpten
: l,yr chestnut Tie outside is hard, ,;l1l1 sar}
t ;,1d sh,1 ur, ts1t the inside is suft, and swcc
: and good ........-.
= = Ven, NOW, my friend, do hope you vi
Il Get stro1.g and we'll, and go back to that dc;
It Oh, },lace again when his war is over. t.
!: YOU there Is Il great deal Of lovc waiting fl
! ycu in those hearts, more than they ever p1
4 into their letters. They think Of you ever
7 day. and pretty much all day long. me'
i 1A,,;he. and sisters and wivrs, all the tim
:; wiu have snl>ald broilyrs:sl.d husbands i'll Il
~ y ::ytry, and it Ii wonderful to mc to sec u
4, }isll that Is in their eyes, and tic collar th
1..t tirgcs their check, and the tones Of iri.
and love in their voices, and they mention Il
= name Of The dear one who his gone out
!; fight for Them, and for his co:.1liry, c.
< SIC very clearly how they feel about 1.-THE
:y fte, thit honor is better tha,, comfort; II,
H. 10 be true in danger is more than to
: false and safe; that there is love in a Wont
- fur 3 naal, that is better than the love wh
: would keep him at hou1e-a love which bi
him 60 ont and defend the country slls' loy
- so wen, and The cause for which she is rca
, to die. >,
'es you may have Il far better chan
10 get well than you think y
70 to look on the dark side, to think he is wo
Try than b. really is. Now have been = gr
ut deal in the hospitals, and have noticed t
~. tic cheerful men arc sure 10 fght through
best knew soldier in one Of the hospit
;ftv hem 50 sick thai the doctor told him he ,
Il sure he would die. But be told the doc
:. tliat lie Was sure hew0nld not die, anu hc 4
:! lis wcrd- He got well, aud then the doc
o, had to give in, and that man was one Of
lo~ cheerful sort. I iind it is good when 1
e:.st down to look the thing squaEe iu the
ced ard to see what it really means. It may
a1l right, or It may be all wrong. Now S
. pose we try to reckon up how you stand,
then see whether you ought not to feel :
49, cheerful and bright.
N l. Are yun i true man or n traitoro You
Als Il true u1;in When this foul treason shooE
rnttlcs and reared its head to strike at
lreast Of our great mother. and she ca
ee:s, upon her true and brave sons to come, asf
loved her, and defend her life at the per
their own, you, my friend, were one Of
n men that sprang to her rescne. Your
i,nIs home was very dear to you, but your cou.
very was dearer than your home. Yon loved J
H. go EnoM ow npch yoa ioed al em %
- your OWN mother country, the country
gaycYou birth, or that adopted you as one O.
own sons she had the first claim, and you b
n.,. her cry for help, and answered it by put
FL. your own stout heart between your cou
sher- and her foes. Your own life was dear to
sly It was said long ago, and indeed some
. say now, that all that man has he will
for his life. But it was the devil who sait
and you have shown by your deed that it
lie 4 mere base coward will give all
able be has for his life. But you will not give
. half sclf.Fespect, OF your liberty, or above 1l1
oEaing honor Of your country for your life. Yu
: '"e" is bit Of bunting floating over the camp
r.. cali it the "stars and stripes" tsthe dea
eet: flag" sstI,e red, white, and blue one b.
NC thoee stars have come up in the hrt1ane
lNo our nation from thirteen to thirty four.
e and this foul treason tries to tear those etal
reee. Of their places. and you have fought to
-. them in their places until you arc cripp]
"A broken down by sickness. Here you
IS and sick man, and that piece Of bunting see
HEsoA be only a small matter, but it stands IL
s. ~~' honor and pride Of America, and if t
:. should try to tear it down. and trlnlple
rect: tile dust. you Fonld crawl ont and shoo
NJ down If you died the next minute, you
MAT sou would, sou could not help it, An
af11F- say you are !, true man, not traitor, al
r have right to be proud and glad of tt,
treet. to keep stout heart through it all.
. Q. Arc you nan loved or neglected ?
ERY arc man lorcd, Not only do the sd f
ad clc ncihe KY 5oa, VI .nc !" nv 11 snu In1luTc
ave the whole country Is alamo Win love fC
1 !