The Portland daily press., 1865-02-06
MtabIiA6ed June "a. 1S62.NO 4
Nral.
Patriotism aieatE nal aNt,s.stik.s En-. Wa wash Tub.

tits seldom we and Illustrations 81, ,tfuerde-
cvDtionf0rthe country inths time oftrial. than
those furnished In the lives s0f IscontrsBands,.
Not long since it was my privilege TO labor
in the hospitals of Alexandria, Virginia, as a,
delegate of the u. s. Christian Commission.
In connection with each hospital is large
laundry, in wnich colored women are employed
washing and ironing for the sick and wounded.
In King Street Hospital may be found one Of
these establishments, under the management
of freed woman by the name OF Mary Will
liams. Seven large Wash-tubs stand in a row,
her own the central one, with three colored
women on either side of her. For more than
two years, without being absent a single day,
she has bent over that tub at work for the
Government. She is about thirty years of
age; has husband somewhere among the
rebels, although he is Union man. She
thanks God, however, that she has no children
to share the fate OF thousands in bondage. -
You are impressed at once by her superior
intelligence and beauty. From Childhood she
has been house slave; employed as a cook
I Tor her master, whose name is Spotsworth,
man OF considerable wealth and enterprise,
owning when the rebellion broke out the
"Marshall House," in which the lamented
Ellsworth lost his life; a part of the famous
slave pen in Alexandria; twelve farms in the
country, and q large number of slaves He
has been Quartermaster in the rebel army,
bnt of late has taken the oath of allegiance.
Mrs. Williams has no confidence in his integ-
rity, and says, respecting this act, that it on
ly means that he is Union up stairs and Sc
ceSh doaUn cellar saasafa9 SIS aal
e When her master entered the rebel service
she was sent to Gen. r. E. Lee as kitchen maid,
thus having an excellent opportunity to ''take
notes. She had often seen the most distin-
guished confederate generals at Lees head
quarters, and prepared their food for them.
She says every one of them, Lee, Johnston,
Smith, Beauregard, Jones, Longstreet and
Ewell were profane men, while "Stonewall
Jackson was the only one who prayed" She
has heard the latter rebuke the former for
their profanity, assuring them that without
prayer their cause could never succeed. She
came within our lines, and solely BY her own
exertions she has learned to read and write:
her language being very correct and quite free
from the negro accent. -i
8 Government pays her six dollars month
for her services. Several gentlemen from the
Eorth In need Of her services have offered her
three times that amount, but her reply is uni
formly the same, Government has given me
my freedom and she shall have my services
while they are needed Every drop of this
blood which, / wash from the bandages of these
brave boys is part Of the price ofmy liberty, I
and the sight of it is reward enough for me.
She Is one of the happiest Christians ever
met, and when asked if she prayed for the
Union cause, with characteristic promptness
she replied, Yes, / do pray for it. but there is
something else needed for it besides PRAYERS.
The government needs tU0rk as well as pray
err" following the remark by vigorously rub
bing away at the Washboard.
God bless Mrs. Mary Williams, and reward
her for her self-denying labor in behalf of our
common country Congregational alist.9