Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-08-01

July 18th, 1868. !
AGENT U. s. SANITARY CoMMssIoS:-
Enclosed please find signed receipt Of goods
raceived The parcels came to hand in
excellent condition yesterday, and it now
remains for me, in the name OF the SOL
diers, to thank the ladies and gentlemen
through you for their kindness, and your
self for your kind note, and the prompt
itude with which you answered my call
upon YOU. I have sometimes almost won
dered at the thoughtfulness Of our friends
at home and abroad in getting together SO
many little things for the comfort of the
sick soldier-so many things that are not
actually necessary for life, but are so much
needed by the surgeons for the lessoning
of pain, and to withdraw the mind of the
patient from his sufferings. l say l al
most wonder, but the thought is checked
bv remembering that there are but few II
anv, but have some near and dear friend
among us, and have no doubt that often
times the thought arises "may not this
verv article reach him ?" 1t is an excel
lent plan this of sending the name Of the
maker or donor upon the article sent,
for oftentimes il goes to an acquaintance,
who will, while away, give many weary
hour thinking Of the donor. l remem-
her a case in point. In one of the parcels
sent to me was an album quilt on which
there were some twenty-five or thirty
names. It happened TO be put on the bed
of a fever patient, and for several days ne
was too sick to notice much, but when the
convalescence came he commenced reading
the different names. First he thought 1t
was the fever that had weakened his brain,
and asked me to read the names to him.
did so. He stopped me to inquire with
| ewes wide open, where / had gotten the
quilt? [ told him. GWhy," said he,
1. that Quilt came from the town 1 came
from; all those persons I know" and af-
forwards he would tell the nurse how this
one looked and who that one was. 1t was
great aid to my treatment, for had
great fears his intellect would be much
destroyed by his dangerous illness. ~
You are right in regard to your faith In
| the surgeons Of Virginia, If the same will
not apply to all. do not believe that any
would use or permit the nurses to use the
articles that are provided for the sick by
your kind Society. As to myself, con-
slider that it is a debt of honor that can
only he paid by faithfully preserving and
distributing those luxuries. l have 8
closet with a good lock, in which all these
things are put, and issue out every ounce
or article that is used myself, SO l may
be certain the sick get all. With regard
to the liquor, I will not have a man thai
loves it about me-still less one that will
steal it-snd as to using it among the off
GERS Of the hospitals, our salaries arr
ample to permit our purchasing such arti
cles if we must drink. h q y
The question was asked me yesterday
by one of the patients, Why don't they
furnish Bibles and Testsments as we'll al
magazines and other books2" told hin
| did not know, unless it was through fea1
of wounding the feelings Of the soldiers
perhaps they thought no soldier woul'
leave his home without Bible. Thes
books told him were intended as medi
cine, the sane as drugs we're, only on
for the body, the other for the mind.
Yours with great respect and gratitude,
]. 7. WHARTON,
ASST. SURGEON 9TH '. vi,
o., , In charge