The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-02-21
uINISTERING ANGELS.
The Touching "reminiscences of a
Devoted Army Nurse.
lBv Mrs Harriet Dada E"eas. H. D., Syracuse. N. ~

fBp Mrs Harriet Dada Euens. II. D., Syracuse N. Fl
On the morning of May %, 1852, the ambu-
lance called for Miss Hall. two other ladies, and
| myself, and took Us to Strasburg. There we
| found Mrs. Gibbons and her daughter, from
/ New York city, preparing delicaeies for the
| sick, and they gladly welcomed us. At Win
/ chester they had performed a similar service.
! Here at tStrasburg were some eight hundred sick.
One meeting house was filed with them, and
| the rest were in tents. The day after our ar
/ rival Miss Hall was assigned to the church and
/ to the tents, and we forthwith commenced
our work.
That evening we saw troops going out in
| great haste on the Front Royal road. General
! Banks headquarters were in town; and regi
ments were stationed ON all sides. Our rooms
| were in q small house, short distance from the
| hospital In the night we were awakened by a
1 noise in the streets. They were calling up sol
! diers, telling them to get ready to skedaddle.
| Ere long loud rap was heard at our door, and
| a man from the hospital directed us to pack
| our things in hurry, as we were surrounded
/ by the enemy, and an ambulance would soon
call for us. Being told to leave our trunks be-
| hind, we started as soon as the ambulance came,
| without our baggage. While yet in town an
officer met us, and, on learning we had not
taken our baggage with us, informed us that
we had better return for it, and he would
send another ambulance for US. We returned,
| found the house with difficulty, and waited a
long hour for the ambulance, which, when it
| came had a colored man for driver, his wife
accompanying him. 1t was about A o'clock
| when we started. General confusion regnedl
All were eager to reach place of safety. 1t
was a sorrowful sight: the long wagon train,
reaching as far as the eye could see; the streets
8 / W Yna from
pitai-and ambulances loaded with the sick.
A retreat cannot be described One must be in
it in order to know what it is. As opportunity
afforded, we hurried past teams in advance of
us, till at last we got ahead of the train and
| Fastening on to Winchester, reached there
about II a. m. We found Winchester all excite
ment. The Confederates were expecting Stone
| wall Jackson there to take tea with them that
evening, and the women Of the town were
hurrying to and fro in the streets, making due
preparations for his reception. Towards even
ing the ambnlanees arrived, bringing their
precious freight of sick to the hospitals. The
Union Hotel was soon filed, as also the lower
room of the courthouse. Some died just as
they were taken from the ambulances others
were in dying condition and in their delerium
thought the rebels were trying TO get them.
Soon DR.. Coover arrived aud expressed his de-
light at finding rs. An ambulance had been
captured and he had been fearful that it was
ours.
MEMORABLE NIGHT.
In the evening the wounded began to come
in from the rear which had been attacked.
About 8 o'clock / accompanied Miss Hall, who
! was completely worn out, TO the Union Hotel,
some Of the 10th Maine guarding us through the
town. All night the wounded were being
brought in, and most of the time no surgeon
was there. What beds We had were spread on
the floor; when they were occupied we used
blankets, and soon the floor was covered. Some
were severely wounded and IN great pain. We
: dressed their wounds as we'll as we could. Ser
geant Atwood, of the 5th New York cavalry.
wounded in the leg, had been brought several
; miles on horse back, and was completely ex-
: hausted He only lived a few days.
9 With daylight. Sunday morning, came action.
4 Cavalry, with sabers drawn, rode through the
town to join General Banks who the night be-
: fore had made a stand about mile ont More
: wounded were being brought in. Breakfast
q was to be prepared for ALL and no rations had
o been drawn. Coffee, bread and cruel was all We
had for them. Rumors were aioat that the town
. would be burned rather than it should fall into
II the enemy's hands, and on seeing fires near the
J. depot we began to think il might be so. Then
| came word that Banks had given an order to
= retreat Our troops came pouring through
the town, followed by the Confederates, shout
ing, firing guns, and causing confusion which
Q cannot be described. In the hospital, paleness
: was on every countenance and anxiety in every
It eye; for we had heard that the sick and
Il wounded had been bayoneted at Front Roya
!; the day before. Even then some were dying
{, One whom / remember as seeing at StrasbuFg
very sick, in the midst of all this confusion
breathed his last His name was Matthias
. Patricks, from or near Lock port, New York.
o I do not know that his friends ever learned
e his fate.
y As soon as the Confederates had secured pos
, session of the town q guard was placed at oul
l y -
r balls had come flying through the hospital
wounding one of the nurses and little colored
boy who was near the door. The seven ladies
who composed the force OF nurses IN the dlHer
s, ent hospitals, had decided, the day before, t;
d remain at their posts, even the town fell int
> the hands of the enemy; for then they woult
,f be there to take care of the sick and wounded
7, Miss Duncan and were at the courthouse
:; and Miss Hall at the Union Hotel. More thank
3, ful soldiers / never saw than were the wounded
that day and the days following, to find North
K ern loyal ladies ready to do all in their powe
{ for them. It must be remembered that bu
S few sanitary stores had reached Winchester
s. except such as private charity brought. OF tn
T. Christian Commission we had not as yet heard
c. Therefore, we had few comforts for the wounded
r; UNDER CONFEDERATE RULE.
I. All day the Confederates were bringing i
our men prisoners and placing them in th
courthouse yard and by evening it was full
G Many Confederate rode, into town with hi
t., horse loaded with clothing, which had bee
W thrown away by our fleeing soldiers, or ha
10 been stripped from the dead The bolies G
n several Union men, who had been shot in tn
Is Streets were brought into the hall OF the court
rs house and lay there two or three days.
L Monday morning we had nothing but eoffe
s, and Cruel for breakfast for the patients, bu
Ia there was not word of complaint. In TIA
VI forenoon Miss Duncan went to the Confederat
9. authorities and informed them of the fact, an
Z. they Immediately sent US some bread Vegt
n tables and meat could not be procured. A
lie several of our surgeons had been taken prison
IS ers, however, the wounded had all the surgic;
u, attention they needed.
In two or three days all our sick and wound
ed in the three hospitals were, by orders of th
DF Confederates, crowded into the Union Hote
and the vacated buildings with all their store
were taken by the Confederates for their ow
nj wounded Aside from being overeroWded v