The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-02-24
The Ctopere1-in Chief OF MuKaes

The beginning of the war found IFS
greatest General selling leather at Galena,
and its greatest nurse taking IN wash
ing" at Galesburg. For II General Grant
was the former, Mother Blckerdyke"
was certainly the latter. The poor widow
who had earned an honest living for her
children at the Wash-tub, woke up to
new life when nurses were called for
after the first battles in the Mississippi
Valley, and her motherly face beneath
the inevitable shaker is gratefully re-
membered by thousands of soldiers all
over the country. From some very inter
esting sketches of her army work which
Mrs Livermore has been publishing in the
-Aqitat0r we make these liberal but some
what disconnected extracts;
After she became al agent ofNthe SAM
tary Commission, it endeavored to keep
her supplied with what she needed. But
emergencies were constantly arising
which she could not forsee, and for which
it could not provide, which would throw
her on her resources, and these never fail
ed her Sometimes when opportunities
of purchasing hospital stores came i'll her
way, she would buy largely and send the
bills up to the Commission, with her en-
dorsement. And again, at other times Of
great need, she would borrow money,
expend it for the boys in her charge,
and then sending up vouchers and notes,
would leave the affair to be settled The
gentlemen Of the Commission, while they
hau no doubt that the good woman had
made legitimate use of the money and
the articles purchased, yet objected to
the unhusiness like character Of such
transactions.
With the medical authorities she was
for long time at loggerheads. The
Medical Director at Memphis was q
young man, belonging to the regular
army, able, industrious, skillful and
punctilious. He wished Mrs. Bicker
dyke to revolve in an orbit of his mark
ing QUITO always recognize ham as the
head, and never to go beyond him or
outside him for any assistance or au-
thority Moreover he was Catholic ::
and gave the preference to Sisters of
Mercy" as nurses, and was not backward
in making public expression of his prefer
ence. He did not approve of Mrs. Bick-
erdyke's laundry, chiefly. it seemed,
becouse he had not suggested it. He did
not approve of her " contraband" help
nor OF her possessing so much power
nor, if the truth must he told, of Mother
Bickerdyke herself He could not see
the superiority of woman who worked
with her own hands, who held no social
position, defiled the Queens English as
she did his red tape, who was loud and
fierce in her scorn of the Catholic church,
who did what she wished when and as
she wished, without consulting ham, the
Medical Director.
Very little Mrs. Bickerdyke cared for
what he said or thought, If he did not
NEEDLE with her He inspected her hos
pital regularly, and never found fault
with it, for it was impossible to discover
detects IN its perfect management. Once,
in passing through a ward, he espied
some half dozen eggs under sick mans
pillow. The man was recovering from q
fever, and had a great craving for food
that could not be allowed him in Ii.
weak condition. He especially wished
for boiled eggs, and as the poor fellow
was very babyish, Mrs. Bickerdyke haC
petted him in her motherly way, and pu