The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-05-11

l was almost without medicine, nothwlthsand-
ing that from day to day had been striving
for weeks to procure it. But just then was
discovered number of - those Sanitary chaps.
who were prying into everybody's business.
Somehow or other they had the very things we
needed. That night, after having finished my
labors with the wounded, l went to my trunk,
took out that article 4" on the Sanitary - read a
few lines. 1t did not read as we'll as thought
it would so raised a garment and put it IN
der, where it would not stare me in the face
every time looked in. st too %
The battle of Williamsburg followed, and be-
fore the smoke of the battle had blown away,
right along side of our army lay one Of those
ever preseht sanitary steamers, freighted not
oBly with necessarles, but with Injuries for the
sick and wounded. They had only to be asked
for and they were distributed, without limit
Another shirt was thrown over my article to
|" MIR. Editor. 'ra' 80 -" -,rr5. f'3
| was in charge of Liberty Hall Hospital at
the time of the battle of Hanover Court House.
Here both the sck and the wounded were crowd
ed on me. Five hundred were piled in at one
time. had not bed, not dozen blankets,
not cooking utensil, and nothing to cook. In
vain did | appeal to the medical director, in
vain did he appeal to higher authority. The
necessaries OF life even were not to be had. I
begged, plead--no use. In few days after
the battle, on the breaking up Of other hospi-
tails, the wounded who could not be sent to
distant hospital were sent to me, and some of
them in the most loathsome condition. their
wounds gangrcnous and alive with worms.
Again | appealed for means of comfort, and now
with such importantly that | was threatened
with dismissal from the service. | procured
pass to White House, "a miles away There
found the sanitary boats told the Commits
sion the story of the soldiers suffering. Hun
dreds of clean sheets, blankets, bed sacks, and
pillows we're packed in less time than it needs
10 read this article. Boxes of condensed milk,
farina, army soup, tea coffee, sugar, oranges
and lemons, were sent off with astonishing &C.
lerity. When departed there was not single
State represented in that hospital but found an
article which bore the marks of his home. New
York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, all
we're there, both with their soldiers and contri-
buttons. '
As / led one poor fellow, from Pennsylvania,
to his bed and he read upon cover of the
clean white sheet the name of both his family
and home, the convulsive sobs with which he
shook that building, could they have been heard
in the streets of Milwaukee, would have shook
coppers from heads which now spit venom at the
soldiers That whole hospital wept, and as
took my paper and put it in the very bottom of
my trunk, noticed that somehow few watery
spots had fallen among the lines.
On the retreat, in the seven days fight. every
mile of the march gave evidence of presence
which moved in its charities always ahead of
the Government
The army arrived at Harrison Landing. The
sick had been sent ahead of us. In this connec-
ton state but single case in illustration: A
young man from Milwaukee, in whom | felt
great interest, was found, after long hunt, in
an ambulance. He was splitting black bile and
had all the symptoms of an approaching attack
of yellow fever.
Government transports were at the wharf,
taking on the wounded, | had the ambulance
driven to the river and asked place for this
young man. 1t was denied, the transports were
only to take the wounded. g But he Is in more
danger than hundreds of wounded Our
orders are peremptory. We take only the
wounded" Thirty hours here would be certain
deash. What could dot 1 succeeded in
getting to transport which the Sanitary Com
mission had. ! appealed to them. " We have
only two hundred and forty on board-we will
take him on" He was sent to his homo, and
does the mother Of that young man ever enter
the Sanitary rooms without shedding tears of
joy and thankfolness 70 that Commission ! with
cut feeling that the means for furnishing the
conveyance were, perhaps, drawn from the
funds of other States? / pass over other scenes
of suffering relieved which witnessed at Centre
vile, at South Mountain, Champions Gap, An
tietam and Fredericksburg. At Antistam ! took
the paper from tho bottom, and lest ! might
see it again | burned it and now declare Oh my
word ahd honor that never wrols il, and that
Fl will never do 80 again. no 3, va bsn4oi45s .l,9