American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-07-12
COMMUNICATION.
For the American Citizen
U. 8. Christian Commission
Work.

]
Part of report made to Mr.. Joseph
Albree, Field Secretary of the .. S. G.
c., Pittsburgh, Pa, by Rev. j. II. Fritz,
Delegate from April 18th, 1865, to June
lst, 1865.
DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST Accord
ing to your request and my duty as del
egate of the Commission, | hereby give
you more full yet brief account of my
experience as delegate.
On the third day, after being commits
stoned at Pittsburgh, l reported at the
lines, in Louisville, KY, and was sent
forward Immediately to the Field Agent
at Nashville, to whom | reported on the
following morning. | Immediately com
menced the labor of the Commission, and
visited the 45th Wis, 45th N. Y, End
Indiana Battery, and other regiments en-
camped around Nashville, and supplied
the soldiers with Testaments, religious
tracts, religious newspapers, and writing
materials, to those whowere out of money,
and deserted to correspond, searched out
the sick, many of whom were diseased
with scurvy, and endeavored to supply
them all with sanitaries, suitable to their
condftion-also, when suitable, gave them
private religious instruction, admonition
and prayer On the following Sabbath
day, preached to two regiments, in the
English and German languages, at which
officers and men attended. The 45th
Wis, and 45th n. Y, wera almost ex-
clusively composed of Germans, Swedes,
Norwegians and Danes On account of a
large majority of these men being Ger
mans, ana the very few German speaking
delegates, these men had not been reached
as fully as other sections of the army by
the Christian Commission work.
In connection with the regiments, l
also visited several of the numerous hos
pitals around Nashville, particularly Hos
pital No. ,, and Cumberland Hospital
The duties in the hospitals are somewhat
similar to the duties in the regiments
The soldiers in the hospitals are suppl lied
with reading matter, IN the way of testa-
ments, tracts, newspapers, and often with
books from libraries. They are preached
to in the chapels, and in larger collections
of men, any where in the wards that is
suitable-prayer meetings are held. aud
the Gospel is simply aud affectionately
preached. But the principal duties are
at the bedside of the lonely and silent
sufferer, from the accidents of war; and
the diseases of camp life. With him we
spea-of his disease, so rs to know his
condition and gain his confdcnce-of his
soul, 50 as to know its. state. The2, if at
all christian or susceptible of Christian
influences, we preach to him The great
salvation in Christ, which is oil and win"
to the soul; then prayer to Him who
hears and answers them. Then his bodi-
ly wants, in the way of drinks and diets
are endeavored to be supplied. Thus the
sufferer, occupying bed No 10, is approach
ed by the delegate. His disease is bill
lious fever, psrched tongue, burning
throat and stomach. He wants something
sharp or acdous to drink F; but he has
nothing but little cold tea in tin cup.
This sharp, acidous drink, the delegate
has not now, so he goes on farther. He
finds him to be a christian soldier, be-
lever, then the delegate cites the COM
Portable words of Jesus, and leads in
prayer. The whole case, body and soul,
is presented to God in simple, believing
prayer, and they both are comforted -
Then, at his request, we write letter for
him, to the good wife and mother in Iili-
nois, and state his condition, desires and
hopes. Having done this, we 90 to Miss
Shaw, member of the Christian Com.
mission, who is the mistress of the diet
kitchen, and whose praise is in the mouth
of all the delegates, and the multitude of
suffering soldiers, in that large range of
hospital wards She gives us two large
lemons for the use of the patient He
prefers them in lemonade form, and the
Surgeon thinks it will do him good.
Miss S. makes the lemonade, and puts it
into convenient bottle The patient
takes it in small but frequent doses and
patient No. 49 mends from that hour, and
is met in the streets of Nashville, month
later, healthy man. Does any enquire
how this has come to pass? The chris
tian answers: The lord hears and answers
prayers, and blesses the means made use
of by christian hearts for the healing of
the sick. This case is only one of null
titude of similar instances
On account of the gift of preaching 10
German also, was detailed for few
davs tn ASSIST Row IT Eouaro obanIa;,