The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-02-21
A True Story.

About week after the battle of
Charlottesville, while the wards of
the army hospitals were full of soldiers,
many of them new arrivals from the
field, there came in one day figure
clad in bloomer costume, Moving very
quietly among the white cots, she seem
ed to be looking for absent friends.-
Now the advent Of bloomer is al
ways an event which causes more
averted looks and shruggings shoulders
than any one who is not either very
strong in the consciousness of right, or
very bold in her Indifference to wrong,
can possibly stand. For ourselves,
whenever we see bloomer we are di-
yided between pity and dislike-pity if
she is bearing SO hard a cross from q
sense of. duty-dislike if she is wear
ing the costume when it is no cross,
and does no violence to her sense of
propriety. In the case we speak of,
cur eye followed this quiet figure and
was observing the half aversion and
neglect with which she was left to pur-
sue her search, when an officer near me
Zone of the finest men in the ward)
suddenly spoke to his attendant with
"go ask that lady to come this way;
say to her Capt. R--d wishes to see
her." She came ut once, and with an
appearance of much respect and cor
diality, the Captain shook hands and
turned and introduced her, with the re-
mark, " Mrs. En- has been one of
the most useful persons i'll the army
We too shook hands, upon that, and
inquired, show has she been able to be
useful in the army?" = ~ u =
go she has been with her regiment
all the time, kept up with the marches,
taking care of wounded soldiers when
the bullets were flying thick around
her, and doing everything useful gen
orally" "Sometimes," said Mrs. F.,
smiling, al washed the captains
clothes 70 "Many time," rejoined
the captain, 81 have seen her take a
poor fellows mpsket and carry it for
him when he was too weak to carry it
himself" After little more chat this
figure passed away, like thousands of
others, from the scenes of hospital life,
but not entirely from memory; and a
few weeks since, when a countenance
which we partly remembered-added
to dress where waterproof cloak,
closely drawn around, could not quite
conceal the bloomer costume-met us
at the gates of Armory Hospital, we
felt sure that Mrs. F-m was again
before us. The prejudice against the
dress having disappeared at the time of
the Captains tribute to her merit, we
greeted her cordially and inquired for
her work in the army. 81 have been
obliged to come to Washington under
the late order which excluded all wo-
men," sal | she. Great efforts were
made by my friends to procure an ex-
ception in my favor, but in vain, and
now l shall try and get something to
do here until after battle, and then /
am promised that may so down and
take care of the wounded" A few
evenings later we met her again. She
was then dressed as other women dress,
there being no need in the city of a cos
tune suitable for marching. From her
ownl lips we heard a story which we
are sure, is worth giving to the press,
for it Is one Of which women should
feel proud. Mrs. FA--rn was one Of
nine sisters living far up in Vermont
They had one only and dear brother,
and when the war broke out he wished
to. enlist for the country, and she, be-
ing an old sister, TO whom he had al.
ways looked up for advice and care,
her own heart, too, having griefs that
she would fain forget in work for the
country, told her father that she would
Igo with her brother and take care OF
him if he should be sick. 2"If you will
go with him." said her father, 81 will
consent that he, my only son shall en-.
| list" oAnd so she went for six dollars
b month as a hospital matron, leaving
her son Of six years old in Vermont