The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1867-03-22
MlisfeIlaneolls gatettioits
Clara BartOn,s Experience.


This heroic woman lsctured lastsweek
at Chicago on the scenes Of the war.-
We copy from the Tribune the follow
ing notice of the address:
Miss Barton, on being introduced by
the President, spoke for nearly an hour
and half, interspersing the thrilling
incidents Of her experience with vivid
descriptions of battles and sieges and
calling forth frequent applause.
She said that she came before them
both willingly and uuwillingly; willing
ly to perform the duty which was upon
her, but regretting her inability to speak
as her heart prompted her. If she had
been able to stand by the side of their
loved ones when they breathed out their
lives, it was her duty to tell them of it
But she was an Eastern woman and this
was Western audience, and they would
say, "Does she know the bright record
which our men have madel" Oh, yes,
she had heard with pride what Western
men have done. Not only New York,
Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, but
Illinois, Ohio and Iowa, stood up in ter
rible contest. She had seen them fight
side by side, and fall and die together.
She wished her audience to cast aside
all that pertained to herself and remem-
Der only those ofwhom she would speak,
and she would 60 away when her work
was done, regretting only that she could
do it so imperfectly. When the war
broke out she struggled with her sense
of propriety until she became convinced
that it was her duty to 60, and she was
ashamed that she had even hesitated.
When the battle of Cedar Mountain
took place, she started for the field
With two lady attendants she stood up
in the freight cars as they rolled out of
Washington, filled with boxes, barrels
and bales. At ten o'clock ON Sunday
she stood on the battle field, Three
thousand wounded men lay on the
ground, and when night came on they
felt that they were alone and almost
helpless among the suffering hosts
Within fifteen minutes from their arrival
they had prepared refreshments for tie
famishing sufferers, who partook with
tears rolling down their faces, dividing
their thanks between the hands that fed
them and their God. The men lay so
thickly upon the ground that one could
hardly step without treading gupon them,
About three o'clock in the morning a
surgeon came towards her in the dark
ness with his Pickering candle, and ask
ed her to go and see boy who lay at a
distance away. She went with him,
slowly picking her way among the help
less, beseeching faces, till they came to
the spot where the young man lay, call
ing pitifully, ''Nary, Mary, am wound
ed. Come and help me-" She knelt
by him, kissed him, and laid her cheek
against his. He cried with joy. "Ob,
Mary, you have come," and he clasped
bis bloody hands about her neck, and
seemed happy to think that the sister
whom he had called was near him. So
he fell asleep until the morning, and
then be saw that the face over him was
not that of his sister, ''but" said he,
"you have made me so happy that it is
nearly as we'll as though he were here"
He then begged to be taken to Wash
ington, for he had left his widowed
mother at home and must try to get
back to her, or at least die in the hos
pital, where she could obtain his body.
So he was taken up carefully, and laid
on the train, and taken away, and a few
DAYS after she learned that he was dead.
AT three o'clock the next day the last
train Of wounded moved away, and in an
hour a terrible thunderstorm came up.
This was Monday, and since Saturday
noon she had not tasted food. In the
midst of the wild storm, two miles away,
the fearful battle of Chantilly began
The rain poured in torrents and dark
ness came on, lit up only by the fash Of
lightning and artillery. Soon another
wagon train of wounded came up, and
her assistants being now worn out, she
Iabored alone to minister to their wants.
When they had been placed Oh the
cars she sought the shelter of little
Sibley tent, but with the rain beating
upon it and running through it in tor
rents, it offered no inviting refuge. She
found the highest side and sank down
into the water, resting her head upon
her arm, knowing that if she laid down
.he water would run into her ears. Thus
,he slept two hours, when the rumbling
,kwagons awoke her, and she saw that
another train Of wounded had come
Thus the third day rose, and soon poor
Kearney's leaderless men came tramp
ng by, and the retreat had begun, She
1astened to the train, and as it moved
,ff the torch was applied to the bridge.
At night they reached Washington, and
vearied out, she sought room and
slept for twenty-four hours.
These we're the dark days when Pope
had been sacrificed, all the blood spilled
before Yorktown had been wasted, and
al the army was being gathered under
he guns of Washington.
On the 18th of October she again set
out, this time for Harper's Ferry, riding
slightly miles in any army wagon, with
no female attendant, straight into battle.
Raarhino the Farrv at lanuth .hAs