Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-08-11

HOSPITAL TRANSPORTS A MEMOIR oP THE
EMBARKATIoN oP THE SICK AND WOUNDED
FROM THE peninsula or VIRGINIA IN THE
SUMNER or 1862. Compiled and published
at the request Of the Sanitary Commission
Boston; Ticknor and Fields 1868.
This is neat volume, got up in the best style
OF this well known publishing house, and com.
mends itself 10 the reader at once by its inviting
exterior. But the editors have done their work
even better than the publishers. Ainote accom-
panying the book says
"HosPITAL TRANSPORTS has been prepared
under the auspices of the Sanitary Commission
and will, II is hoped, by the thrilling and pathetic
character Of its contents, serve TO impress more
deeply upon the public attention the importance
of the work which that organization is accomplish
ing Most Of the letters comprising the volume
we're written by FREDERICK Law OLMsrRD
Esq, Secretary Of the Commission the Rev. Mr..
KNAPP, Chief Relief Agent, and several ladies
who are co'workers in the enterprise.
We need say no more to commend the book to
the public. We cannot refrain, however, from
giving our readers two Of these letters, they give
such graphic description Of hospital experiences.
This letter, giving description of the contra.
bands, and closing with beautiful tribute to the
good angels of the Commission, Is graphic and
touching:
! We have on our boats nine contraband woman,
from the Lee estate,-real Virginia darkies,n y
and excellent workers,-who all wish on their
souls and bodies that the rebels would be I" put
in house together and burned up" Mary
Susan" the blackest Of them, yielded at once to
the alluremenu Of freedom and fashion, and
begged Mr.. X. 10 take little commission for her
the next time he went to Washington. ." ! wants
you to get me, sar, il you please, lawn dress
and hoop skirt, sar." The women not working
on our boats do the hospital washing for US 10
their cabins on the Lee estate, and | have been
up to-day to hurry them with the Knick9bockers
eleven hundred pieces. The negro quarters are
decent and comfortable little houses, with a wide
road between them and the bank that slopes to
the river Any number Of little dsrkey babies
are rushing about and tipping into the wash-tubs,
and in one cottage we found two absurdly small
babies taken care OF by an antique bronze, calling
itself grandmother. Babies had the measles,
which wouldn't come out " on one Of them.
SO she had laid him in the open clay even, and
with hot ssge'tea and an unusually large brick
put to its morsels Of feet, was proceeding TO de.
veiop the disease. Two Of the colored women
and their husbands work for u, At the tent kitch
en, close by the shore, and entertain us by the
singing The other night Mollie aud Nellie col
lected all their friends behind their tent and com
menced, in a sort of recitativo, a condensed mar
ratiye Of the creation Of the world one gvin,
out line and oil the others joining in. They
went straight through from Genesis to Revelation
following with a confession Of sin and exhorlatior
to do better, till suddenly their deep humility
seemed to strike them as uncalled for, and they
rose at once into the assurance Of the saints,
and each one instructed her neghbor at the tor
OF her voice TO
" 90 tell the holy angels
done, dsne all ever can -
Just as they came to pause the train arrived
midnight, as usual, and the work Of feeding and
caring for the sick began again. DIR. Ware wa,
busy with hi, nightly work of seeing that the mer
were properly lifted from the platform cars ant
put into the SibIsy tents II. ~as processing
bis detail with additional blankets and quilts
and Wagner, our Zouave, and bis five men, were
going tie rounds with hot tea and fresh bread
while We we're getting ready beef-tea and punch
for the use OF the sickest through the night. BY
.wo c'ocA VIZ eouiu cfo" .ne gang-pank 70 'he
onlaa again. ,eohhg mat all 'he men were qule
ana comfortable
we women constantly receive NOBLE ana patil
QUO letters rom 'ne parents ana irlenus oi th'
aolulefs VINO nave alea mere among US, one Of ou
duties oe'ng 10 wnie 10 Inc lamlii's oil those W
nave hau care o.. mrs - hsa sent her th tl
o'hef uay, from one oi'ne hegimen', iitI
poem 10 'ucn aellca'e acknowledgment OF KIND
ness received 'ha' mu" copy III
"FrOm old st. Paul III now,
81 ~, honorable o ,si, ,Ss,, 'o%sn omen, not a few
The sanity ~ work hat csrI.S, Si hearts e. rs pursue
n,spias sI'n s an QUE ,rs apostle
Thy blessed feet follow it's CHASTITY pain,
And mssr,, and death, without di'dain.
:. To one orue from N. sull,n b.,tle,s r,a,.
Dearer the greeting OF thy gentle eyes,
yhs Mnea IN, ne ,s sssssry, tern, aud bleeding lis''
'''-
when pe.e. shan some, and homes shall smile gain
sha lsi ,hsr Mt,e esIid,s, w ,hsr ,hum..
OF the sweet saint who blessed the Old wn-timesh
And WIN coold have de.c,ibod hattie, ,b., III;
IL - -. - '1. -,
H''e' uOe'' "e pANeh' oo'iase u o'a'e' "ounu
ed soldiers
I. Rn,,ic S;drsv. ara 60 conmo, MA h.v,