The Portland daily press., 1862-09-09
Letter from Harper's Ferry.
GENERAL HOSPITAL BUILDING,
Harper's Ferry, Sept. I'd, 1892.

OENEhAL 1OSfllAL
Harper's Ferry, Sept. I'd, 1892.
Editors Press:-Ichabod is written upon
our walls. am tonight the only white occu-
pant of what was "Clayton General Hospital"
Our sick were all sent off last week. Our sur
geon and staff left us on Saturday,-myself
and dozen contrabands having charge of the
fragments, to be gathered up; and / can assure
you we have had more than twelve baskets
full!
That the donors OF our supplies may know
what has become of them, let me say, found
that fifty of our troops were i'll at Martinsburg,
nineteen miles from us. therefore packod
sheets, shirts, drawers, sacks, towels, handker-
chiefs, dressing g-gowns, &C., &c, to the amount
of three boxes, as also box of currant jelly
and shrub, from Gorham, Me.,) and despatch
ed the same to DIR. Higgins, the Surgeon Of
the 18th Illinois Cavalry, last Saturday.
On Sunday last we had three regiments of
new recruits come in-the 111th New York,
the 10th New York, and the 18th artillery; and
with each regiment were numbers of men ut
terly prostrated by the unnecessary fatigue to
which they had been subjected. Some four or
five Of the 11lth tell me they were four days
on the road from Auburn, n. Y. to the Ferry,
and meanwhile had but two meals. What
preston is decidedly in favor Of very thick
boots by way of argument in such cases. Seven
of that regiment were brought to our quarters
entirely prostrated. i soon learned that these
regiments had neither medicines nor common
supplies for their sick, SO made up boxes of
clothing, jelly, wine, farina, cocoa &C., &c, for
each-making a total of supplies adequate to
all present needs, and sent them to the surgeons
of these encampments.
The ladies of Gorham, Saco, Topsham, Har-
rison. Brunswick, Saccarappa and dear old
Portland, are to-day being blessed by the sons
of Illinois as well as the Empire State. felt
confident present suffering ought not to be
overlooked and hence made the bestowal.
have now packed eight cases of supplies
for the Sanitary Commission, which will be
forwarded tomorrow to Washington, in the
name of the ladies Of Maine. feel at liberty,
as the almoner of their bounty, to thus transfer
in this time of especial need this surplus, know
ing that at no period supplies have been so
imperatively demanded.
The keg of tamarinds will go to the Ladies'
Association Of Baltimore, as a gift from the
generous donor.
The Maryland Institute is being rapidly fit
ted up, and the draft there has been so con-
slant that know the donation will be a god
send. And besides, the patriotic ladies of this
Association have more than once fed our suf
fering sick when we were encamped at Patter-
son Park. have still two boxes of jees and
shrub which shall carry to Alexandria and
cause to be divided among our own wounded.
When these intentions are fulfilled, Othello's
occupation will be gone. / have three places
open to me In different hospitals, but cannot
satisfy myself on the score Of duty, and hence
decline. Home looks pleasant at this distance,
and the more so when l contrast it with the
circumstances in which am placed. Not a
from any home associations. Contrast this
with the scores of beaming faces, and the
grasp of friendly hands at home, and wonder
If you can at this exhibition of sentiment
And yet, dear as HOME is, the cause of the
suffering is dearer still, and may-be-well-l
guess shall have TO work a little longer, fol
the end is not yet
Some curious person may be anxious to
know the causes of my secret dissatisfaction
Well here it is. About all the old granne.
of the country are being made Brigadiers, ant
want to 90 home and eectioneer for a com
mission. Then want thousand old-wel
my regiment wont be made up of "old gran
MES" / therefore want a thousand womeI
not capable of being surprised at anything
One would think after fifteen months expe
rience our men would get long past that :
yet surprises seem to be the order of the day.
The other day we were surprised and los
eight thousand men! And this too, after som
ten or fifteen other equally fatal surprises ha
been trumpted through the country.
In our own vicinity we have had simila
surprising state of affairs. Two weeks ago,
body of Cavalry, II strong, were surprised an
captured while in a field picking blackberrie.
The same afternoon a train of cars was sto[
ped, and greatly to the surprise of every one
the engineer quietly obeyed the order of rel
el to wait until he had robbed his passenger
"Prodigiousw
Last night nine Of our pickets were surprise
and taken prisoners, about four miles out {
the Ferry. 1t is said they were surprised Will
playing cards In a barn, but for the life of m,