National Republican., 1884-02-27
Paying Teller, United States Treasury.
FEB. 20, 1884.
NURSES OF THE UNION ARMY.

40 Ht LftttOT.
bill has been presented to the house of
representatives for the relief of women who
gave their services in military hospitals dur
ing the late war, and has been referred to the
committee on pensions, bounties, and back
pay, of which Mr. Warner, of Ohio, is chair
man.
On Saturday. the twenty-third instant
four ladies, who represent this neglected
branch of our national defense, testified as to
the nature of their services to the govern
ment before the committee.
Nearly twenty years have passed since the
surrender at Appomattox millions of dol
| lars have been voted for pensions to soldiers,
honors and treasure have been lavished upon
successful generals, superb homes presented
to them.in various cities, and the nations
gratitude has been testified by word and
deed-as it should be. Why has no recogni-
tion been made by the government of the
services of heroic women who left homes of
comfort and luxury to succor wounded and
dying soldiers?
And what shall we say of that noble army
of martyrs who gave husbands and sons to
| their country's cause in her hour OF need, and
| all that is left to them is a mound in ma
| tional cemetery. These widows and mothers
| then became ministering angels to poor suf-
fering humanity in military hospitals, and to
their devoted care hundreds of our brave SOL
diers now owe their lives. A woman in In
|
with one who died in a hospital, and re-
mained to care for his comrades. At six bat
| ties in Virginia she was at the front minis
| tering to the sick and wounded without tho
appliances of city hospitals.
After the battle of Gettysburg, in July, in
her laborious work, she had sunstroke,
which Frustrated her. She recovered her
health with the loss of eyesight. widow,
childless, and blind, she now asks for COM
pensation for her services to the country
but the answer is, Congress has made no ap-
preparation for women who served in the
army"
| The pay given by the government to these
nurses was 40 cents day and one ration. In
some hospitals the ladies gave this amount
into the hospital fund to increase the COM
| forts of the soldiers.
The bill before congress proposes to give
| S25 month for the time of service to each
woman whose name was on the hospital rolls
as nurse who received no compensation.
| Those who were paid 40 cents day to re-
ceive S13 month. The amount seems ab-
surdly small fol the services rendered, con-
sidering the millions that are voted away
| upon less worthy objects. But evcn this
paltry sum will relieve distress and give an
Indian summer to lives whose sere and
| yellow leaf now verges on the winter Of age.
| Nineteen years have passed since peace was
| declared and the hospitals closed. The grand
review of the army of the Potomac and of the
western army passed in procession before them
in Washington May, 1865 and they recognized
convalescent soldiers in the returning heroes.
The unusual and labOrious life of these
nurses was followed by loss Of health in
many cases. Some now sleep beneath the
sod, where it is too late for them to feel a
nations gratitude. Others mot SO fortunate)
are left dependent upon themselves
and knock in vain at the department doors,
the answer of the secretary being mo va
Cancy." Those who were in middle life
during the war are now approaching three
score and ten, and there will soon be but a
remnant left to receive tho miserable stipend
given in this bill We hope it will not be
laid on the table or left for "more con-
venient season." Every motive of honor and
chivalry, of duty and gratitude demand that
this tardy justice be done, and we hope a
unanimous vote of congress will pay this debt
with the addition of compound interest for
the nineteen years which have been endured
by patient women, who will ono day hear the
sentence from a higher court: "Inasmuch al
ye have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me-"
WOMEN OF WASHINGTON.