River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-01-18
MOTHER BICKERDYKE.
What She Did in the War.

greatest general selling leather and
boots and shoes in the quiet little city oil
Galena. Illinois. Ard at the same time,
the greatest nurse that our army Of the
Cumberland was to have-Mother Beck
erdyke-lived in obscurity, poor wild
ow, in Galesburg, Illinois, earning a liv-
ing for herself and her children at the
washtuo.
The nation held aloft the chaplet of
fame, waiting. ready for the brow of the
coming hero, Ulysses s. Grant-and the
angels held one that would never fade
nor fall nor wither for the bronzed and
wrinkled brow of dear old Mother Bick-
erdyke.
During the war General Grant gave
her pass anywhere within the lines OF
his department, into all camps and hos
pitfalls, and pastall pickets, with author
ity to draw on any quartermaster in lhs
department for transportation, for
sanitary or hospital stores not to exceed
thirty wagons at any time. This pass
she held to the end of the war, and it
was enlarged as his department enlarged.
Gen. Sherman and Mother Bickerdyke
him, if need be and he would fight for
her. There was something in her char
acter akin to bis own. Both were in
domitable, fiery, Jealous. and ne Their
afraid of hard work After the fall of
Vicksburg he asked that she might be-
come an especial attache to his corps,
the Fifteenth. Ever after that during
the war she considered herself in an es-
pecial sense under Sherman's direction;
and the soldiers ofthe Fifteenth Corps al
ways and to this day have claimed ex-
elusive ownership OF her.
From the time nurses were called for
after the first battle in the Mississippi
Valley, she had walked to a broader and
newer life. II was with a brave heart
and with willing hands that she took up
her work, leaving her children in the
care of the widows God. "The boys"
were her children then, and it was easy
work for them to call her mother"
She had all woman's tact and tender
ness in managing the sick ones. In mat
tiers of business, when thrown upon her
own resources, she was grand woman
''nobly plauned-bOrn to comfort and
command. :" as some ofthe officers learned
20 their own chagrin and afterwards
amusement. Emergencies were con
stantly rising that she could not foresee,
and for which another in her place could
not have provided. not so Mother Bick-
erdyke.
Sometimes she would buy largely of
hospital stores, with never a cent of
money, and send the bills up to the COM
mission with her endorsement. Again
she would borrow money, expend it for
the needs ofthe boys under her charge
and then send up notes and vouchers
and leave the matter to be settled.
While some of the members OF the Com
mission object to the unbusiness-like
transactions, they had no doubt that the
money had been we'll expended and
every cent put up to legitimate use.
Sons and husbands and brothers wr tie
to their families and friends ofthe kind
ness of their beloved champion, whom
they all called Mother Bickerdyke,"
and the mothers and sisters and daugh-
tiers. with that beautiful trust Of the
American woman, sent her letters of
love and encouragement and apprecla-
ton. And for the reason that the dear
mother of the bows had not time to
make or mend or care much for her own
apparel, her thoughts all onhcr intense
work-the good women sent abundant
supplies of clothing for her own needs
whole boxes OF it. sometimes. With a
preoccupied air she would look over the
garments, Gull ONlE AiilNN VI iOHi 81 AlNlCS
for present necessity, and then she
would take out the remainder in her
ambulance the conveyance in which
she always traVelled-and 90 off into the
country pedding. The southern women
in the neighboring vicinities would bug
them. an pay her we'll in butter, eggs.
milk. honey and chickens. Her family
was large, and consumed a great Geal,
and her sick boys needed the delica-
cies which she thus obtained SO readily.
She would COncoct great kettles Oh dellc-
ious chicken-broth tor them when the
wherewitbal was at hand, as on these
frequent occasions. 1t vas great treat
10 Them to get real broth, such as their
mothers made at home.
How she did endear herself to the
poor sick soldiers, But TIE medical
directors sometimes found her indomi-
table will an obstacle in their punctilI-
Gus wavs. One Of them, a young man
mt Memphis, belonging to the regular
army, wished Mrs. Blckerdyke to le-
volve in an orbit of his own making out
He did not approve of her possessing so
much power, she who detied the
Queens English as she did red tape-1
woman who worked with h,r own red
stubbed hands-who held no social po-
sition-who did what she wished and as
she pleased without consulting HIM. lie
concluded il was about time they under
stood each other. and soon an opportun-
ity offered.
In passing through a ward one day he
could find no fault or defect with its per
feet management; but what was this
Under sick mans pillow he espied 2
halfdozen of eggs. This was intolerable
The poor, sick boy was recovering from
fever and craved the very food that in
his weak condition was not allowed. lie
cried out piteously, "Would Mother
Bickerdyke let him have good fill o.
of hard boiled eggs as soon as he got
well?"
She assured him that she would do so
He said he wished he could have them
now, so they would be ready and wait
ing. To humor the poor fellow whom
size had petted in her good, motherly
wav, she smilInglv assented and brought
him six hard boiled eggs for his very
own, to keep on condition he would not
eat them until she gave him leave. II
did not harm TO please him, and it GER
tainly die him 4 vast amount of pleasure
to fondle the eggs with his thin, white
bOny hands.
The medical man spied the eggs, and
forthwith gave orders TO have them car.
ried off to the kitchen, saying he would
have no hens nest under the pillows
while he was about.
They were carried away. Presently
Mother Rickerdyke came in with ar
arrnful Of clean, fresh towels, and found
her sick boy ewing. The poor fellow
was at that stage of half-convalescence
when CRYING came easier than laughter
whats the matter honey she
asked, stopping suddenly. The boy told
her with broken sobS how he had been
'bused by that old, drafted director of s
doctor"
When any insult came TO her boys
she would fash into anger. She
would show fight like mother tigress
over her Young.
so, So" she said, her blue eyes dIlat-
ing and her breath coming rapidly
well see. and she Immediately seized
upon a large pailful of eggs and strobe
into the ward where lay her whining
bow with the tears stealing down his
wasted cheeks with won't let YOU have
a half-dozen of eggs, sonny! Well, here.
a whole pailful. | will stand them right
here. dear, where YOU can see them al
the time. They are all yours, and you
NAV keep them till they hatch il You
want 10. You are my boy and | vii
take care of vou" The doctor paid nC
attention, and pretended not to hear tht
countermanded order from the brave
little commander-in-chief. the woman
who had no social position" But {
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