Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-06-29
For the Newsdealer.


or position in the Union army, yet L de-
sire to add my testimony to that of those
more widely known, respecting the two
associations which occupy so large
place at present in the consideration of
the benevolent. eV II. fUi..oleloT 1.1
i. To begin with, | must be allowed to
say that have proneness to suspect all
is not always right in such immense
schemes of benevoeuce, to look with dis
trust upon the men engaged in them, and
giva wide margin for exaggeration to
most of their self-laudatory statements.
1t may be partly because | had made
no exception in favor of these societies,
and partly because had never seen any
of the good deeds done by their agents,
that replied to one of their agents, that
all the benefit had ever received from
either was an apple which chanced to
get from cart.load bestowed indiscrimi-
nately among the men at "dismounted
camp" .. ...ra '' rr'
was not with the army when it ad-
vanced across the Rapidan. | was also
detained in Washington few days, just
as the first news of fighting and the first
boatloads of wounded came back upon
the city with all the accumulated horrors
of physical torture and uncertainty of
the result | saw the stores of necessa-
ries-clothing medicines and shelter
accumulated by these societies. saw
their abundance of luxuries, made neces-
saries, almost, by the suffering of the
wounded. l saw their army of agents
and the lavish hand with which their fa-
vors were bestowed. The only passport
to their attentions was a gaping wound
enveloped in army blue. Then saw the
immense amount of suffering alleviated
or entirly prevented by their timely aid
aid, too, that government could not have
rendered; began to change my opinion,
and to think those organizations fine
things, even if they did extend no farther
than Washington. Then heard of ftheir
boat which had gone to Fredericksburg
and was returning. and of another that
was going,-my admiration increased a
little; but at once the counter thought
arose: who made good bargain in the
sale of these boats, and how many for
tunes are these men who appear SO self
denying, building up for themselves out
of the betrayed generosity of their fell
lows and the agonics of those who are
bleeding for the nation? p" q. f72a.' @
But went to Fredericksburg. l stop,
ped few days at Belle Plain. l was al
Port Royal while that place was base Of
supplies for Grants army. After the sights
there, l blamed myself for my want o.
generosity towards the benevolent attempts
of others There was suffering enough
alleviated by these associations at either
of these places to atone for dozens Of for.
tunes built upon the credulity Of the un
wary. 1t is true that there is no human
undertaking without its defects, and al
most always there Turks something o
basencss beneath the brightest extcrio +
but these Commissions deserve the patron
age and munifcent donations of those a
home for the good they have done, if no
for that which such donations will enabl
them to do.
kaow you cannot realize the fscts til
you come and look at them with you
own eyes, but imagine the long and wear.
miles of suffocating dust and glaring sui
, through which the less severely wounded
dragged their aching, weary, and painfu
, limbs between Fredericksburg and Bell
Plain. Or what was almost as bad, o
even worse for those unable to walk
/ think of the same distance made in
+. rocking. rolling ambulance, up hill ant
down. or jolted through the mud and owe
logs and stumps in the heavy, sp'ingles
: wagons of the supply team. Picture t
: yourselves the barren hills, the dreary
desolate place of arrival ; the terribl
8 thirst Of the long weary way blocked b.
load after load of wounded--yourl friend