Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-05-20
Presentation of a Sold Watch and
Chain to Surgeon M. C. Wood
worth, at Murfreesboro.
MCerREEsBoso, TESS.. Nav 5th. -.

the current of our affairs ia this VI
I cinity was broken in such pleasant way
end that 10" 10y person 80 w-il knowl
( 10 mnny Of y"ur readers. that have lie
teImii,d 20 write to you shout H. Ths
! person. The hero of Ilis narrative i
Surgeon NJ. c. Woodworth of the SIS
I Ohio.
, Possibly you have seen hy Sun'rs lct
tiers fiom this department that sewers
watches aud other Testimonial, have beeI
presented 10y various patients aud I'm
Pioyees IN the hospitals at Nashville an,
this place 10 the surgeons ia charge o
them. Well, the other day the attachee
Of the hospitals in Murfreeshoro, deter
mined TO present similar testimonial II
Surgeon Woodwork, who was about re
tiring from the Medical Directorship o
this post. They furthermore seem I,
have determined 10 proportion their gifI
to their estimate Of the worth OF the man
Accordingly they sent 10 Nashville
and there procured the finest watch
and chain t.;at could be scared up" il
the city tsro Lsndrsd and .f5ty dollar galc
,eatck ard chain, and the finest thing Of
the kind that / ever saw-which was pre-,
sented 10 him at his residence by a large
number of the contributors, who sur
Tonuded" his house and occupied" his
parlor while lac and some friends were
eating their dinners in the dining room,
Upon entering the psIlor he found
himself confronted by Surgeon j. I.
Woods, Of the 99th Ohio, backed by q
letinue of hospital attendants. and spec
tators. Surgeon Woods held in che hand
a ! aper, and in the other an ominous
looking package. TO some surgeons
such a scene would have been truly terri
flying. for their guilty conscienees would
have imagined that pepper their death
warrant, Dir. Woods the executionef, snd
and that package box Of his own pills
or powders selected by the patients as
the most speedy and certain method OF
execution. Not so, however, with DR..
Woodwork lie therefore halted, came
to front, and stood erect, evidently back
ed by Il consciousness Of moral and pro
fessional rect;tude, and the loveliest wife
in the Stste-whereupon Surgeon Woods
addressed him as follows:
SURGEON WooDwORTM The duties of
your position are nessessarily arduous,
and lily calculated for the acquiring of
popular friendships. There are within the
reach of the medical officer Of the army
so limited and privileges of such
narrow scope that TO the masses with
whom he has 10 deal his best efforts usu-
ally pass only as a duty grudgingly per
formed And when the shock of con
tending armies brings his comrades shat
tered, bleeding and dying, under his
care. he too often wins only their Oppro-
brium, and charges of hardness, ,heartless-
ness, barbsritY and butchery, from their
friends at home, instead OF the thank
fulness and kind consideration fully de-
served. In view OF these facts il is with
unfeigned pleasure that |, who have
shared with you the march, the biyouac,
the duties OF the battle field hospital 10y
day and by night, am enabled to assure
you that this picture of clouded fame is
not yours, and that here, in the Army
Of the Cumberland, you have gathered
about you a circle of friends who have di-
rected me TO present you their sincere re-
CARDS, accompanied by this gold watch
and chain as a more permanent melnen-
to of their high esteem. Although of
small pecuniary value, it will serve as a.
link to bind your future TO the past-to
remind you of those who wish by you TO
be remembered, and who have to hope
that there is yet many years stored with
usefulness and radiant with pleasures un-
llloyed. ..
To which Surgeon Woodw orth replied
as follows:
GENTLEMEN Il can hardly find words
% express the deep emotions that over
Shelm me at this, one of the proudest
of my life.
l thank you, my fellow soldiers, for
his highly priced token of confidence
md respect. Priced, not for its intrinsic /.
'alue, Though valuable it isl but for
he evidence thus given that / have, in |
iome degree, gained the respect of those !
With whom l have been associated in our {
,reat mission of mercy, as well as those !
1raye men who have offered their lives |
lpon their country S altar for the honor |
If that flag that is respected on every !
ga and in every cline. (
Ours indeed, gentlemen, is work OF 7
mercy. Prompted by magnanimous
hearts, you have administered to the
wants of a mass of misery which Is the
egitimate fruit of civil war 1t is US, my
elbow country-men, that realize to the
ullest extent all the horrors of that work
o which our country is obliged to resort
o put down an unholy and unchristian
ebellion, and while We have witnessed
lere at Murfreesboro, mountain of suf-
ering and misery, trust that each of us
an with honesty appeal to the evidence
If our own consciences for proof that we
lave done all in our power 10 alleviate
his suffering, and make soft the sick and
lying bed of the patriots who have fallen
.ither by disease or by the sword. | not
'nly thank you for this watch and chain,
which will be sacred keepsake, but also
or your hearty cooperation in all my ef
orts. In fact, gentlemen, TO you is due
much credit for having done the labor
necessary to the accomplishment of our
Mission.
Embarrassed as you were from the COM
of your labors here, by the
ack Of appliances and hospital stores,
till you have done your labors so well as
0 gain the esteem Of those who feel the
Veliest sympathy in our common cause
nd the welfare of the inmates of our
ospitals. l only regret, gentlemen, that
have not been able to render you more
ficient services in your past herculean
abors, but, while we regret shortcomings
n the past, we bury errors, sustained by
he consciousness that the purposes of
he heart have always been pure and
rue L.
Again, gentlemen, allow me to render
on my heartfelt thanks for all your
many kindnesses to me, and to express
be desire that the Union arms may pre-
all against all the enemies of our coun-
ry-that our nationality NAV be presery-