Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-11-28
S0LDIRRSI AID SOCIETY.
s5 BASE sTREEr, cLEvELASD, Nov. 2s, 1868.
WHAT We BID AT GETIYsBURa.

July, 1868.
DEAR What we did at Gettys- |
burg, for the three weeks we we're there,
you will want to know. Owe" are Mrs !
and myself who, happening TO be
on hand at the right moment, gladly fell in
with the proposition to do what We could
at the Sanitary Commission Lodge, after
the battle. There were, Of course, the
agents of the Commission, already on the
6eld, distributing supplies to the hospitals,
and working night and day among the
wounded l cannot pretend to tell you
what was done by all the big wheels Of the
concern, but only how two Of the smallest
ones went round, and what turned up in
the going. .-. f.4.-.-. .....
Twenty four hours we were In making
the journey between Baltimore and Gettys-
burg. places only four hours apart in ordi-
nary running time; and this will give you
some idea Of the difficulty there was Of
bringing up supplies when the fighting
was over, and the delsys in trausportingthe
wounded. Coming toward the town at this
crawling rate, we passed some field where
the fences were down and the ground WAS
slightly tossed up: That's where Kilpst-
ricRs cavalry men fought the rebels, come
one ssid, sand close by that barn rebel
soldier was found day before yesterday,
sitting dead :" no one to help, poor soul,
near the whole city full" The rsilrosd
bridge broken up by the enemy, Govern
ment had not rebuilt yet and We stopped
two miles from the town, to find that, as
usual, Just where the Government had left
of the Commission had come in. There
stood their temporary lodge and kitchen,
and here hobbling out Of their tents came
the wounded men who had made their way
down from the Corps hospital expecting to
leave at ence In the return cars.
This is IL way the thing was managed
at first t. geons left in care Of the
wounded snree or four miles out from the
town, went up and down among the men
in the morning, and said, ANY of you
boys who can make your way to the cars,
can 20 to Baltimore" So off start all who
think they feel we'll enough, anything be-
ing better than the Hospitals, T" 10 called,
for the first few days after battle. Once
the men have the surgeons permission
to 20, they are of; and there may be an in
terVal of q day, or two days should any Of
them be too weak to reach tn trainin time,
| during which these poor fellows belong to
no one, the hospital at one end, the rail-
road at the other, with far more than
chance of falling through between the two
| The Sanitary Commission knew this would
be so Of necessity, and coming in, made q
connecting link between these two ends.
For the fret few days the worst cases
only, came down in ambulsnoes from the
hospitals hundreds Of fellows hobbled
along as best they could in heat and dust,
for hours, slowly toiling, and many hired
| farmers wagons, as hard as the farmers
hsts themselves, and were jolted down to
the railroads, at three or four dollars the
man. Think Of the disappointment of a
soldier, sick, body and heart to find, at
the end Of this miserable journey, that his
effort to get away, into which he had put
/ ell his remaining stock of strength, was
useless; that "the cars had gone" or i'tte
cars were full;n that while he was coming
others had stepped down before him, and
that he must turn all the weary way back
again, or sleep on the roadside till the next
train Tomorrow Think what this VoB d
have been, and you are ready to appreciate
the relief and comfort that vss. No men
were turned back. You fed and you shell
tered them Just when no one else could
have done 30; and out of the boxes and
barrels of good and nourishing ihings,
which you p. ople at home had supplied, we
took all that was needed. Some of you
sent stove fthat is, the money to get it,,
some Of you, the beef stock, some Of you the
milk and fresh bread; snd all Of you would
have been thankful that you had done so,
could you have seen the refreshment and
comfort received through these things.
As soon as the men hobbled up to the
tents, good hot soup was given all round,
and that over, their wounds were dressed,
for the gentlemen Ofthe commission are
cooks, OF surgeons, as occasion demands,
and, finally, with their blankets spread
over the straw, the men stretched them
selves out and we're happy and contented
till morning, and the next train. Oa the
day that the Fsileosd bridge vas repsired
we moved up to the depot, close BY the
town, and bad things in perfect order
fret rate camping ground, in large field
directly by the track, with unlimited sup
ply of delicious cool water. Here we set
up two stp 2 g, with four large boilers, al
ways kept full Of soup and coffee, watched
by four or five black men, who did the
cooking, under our direction, and sang
mot under our directiOn) at the tops Of
thar yoices ell day,
.'Oh darlzies hab yoH feen my Nasss,n
"When this cruel war Is orsr.''
Then we had three large hospital tents,
holding sbOat thirty-6ye each, q large
camp-meeting supply-tent where barFels
Of goods were stored, and our own smaller
tent fitted up with tables, where jelly-pOts
and bottles of all Kinds Of good syrups,
blackberry and black currsnt, stood in
rows. Barrels were ranged round the
tent walls; shirts, drawers, dressing
gowns, SOCKS, and slippers II Rish We bsd
more of the latter, rags and bsndages,
each in its own place on one side; on the
other, boxes Of tee, coffee, soft crackers,
tamsrinds, cherry brandy, ETC.. Over the
kitchen, and over this small supply tent
We Somsn RstneF reigned, ana 1lled up
onr wants by requisiltons on the Commits
sion's depot. By this time there had az
rived delegation" OF just the right
kind from Canandaigua, N. Y, with sgr-
geOn dressers and attendants, bringing q
hrst-rste supply Of necessities and COM
forts for the wounded, which thsy handed
over to the Commission. E-
Twice day the trains lett Tor baltimore
or Hsrrisburgh, and twice s day We fed
all the wounded who arrived for them.
Things were systematiEsd now, and the
men came down in long ambulance trains
to the cars; baggage-cars they were filed
with straw for the wounded TO lie on, and
broken open at either end 10 let in the air.
4 government surgeon was always present
to attend TO tne careful lifting os the Folg
diers from ambulance to car. Many Of
the men could get along very nicely, hold
ing one foot u, and taking great jumps
sn tneiF crHlohes. Ths latter we're great
comfort; We had niss supply st the
lndra and thav travelled nm and down