New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-19
WOMAN IN THE WAR.
THE HERo1NEs OF THE SIXTIES.

III STORY OF THE WAR; Womans Nairanve OF
Pour Years Personal Experience in the Sanitary
ecrvics Of the Rebellion BY Mrs. MARY A Livor-
more Illustrated. svo. Pr. 700. Hartford Conn.,:
A. D. Worthington & Co.
This Interesting volume belongs TO the class Of
recods OF which Miss wormeley's book 9" The Other
Side Of War" is so good an example. 1t deals with
the darkest and pathetic side Of military life,
and that which rule is too generally passed over
lightly By historians. IT is aspect which should
be the most carefully studied and described, inasnuch
as Il contains the compiees revelation Of the Incidence
OF war upon those who bear all its heaviest burdens
namely the rank and flo. We have heretofore ea-
messed the opinion and we take the opportunity OF
repeating it, that the work done by tho women Of The
North in the war far moro important than might
be gathered from most histories of the coniilct ana
that Justice 10 them, less than the value Of such
records and experiences. demands that some sys-
J. temauc and thorough examination Of this subject
should be made before all tho principal actors have
rassed away A history of the Sanitary Commission
has been officially prepared. 1t is good one as far
as It goes but It is far from being adequate ana
nothing can show this clearly than the volume
before us IN which Mrs. Lvermore whilo dsclamns
any attempt 10 write history, yet iots down In
gossiping way "reminiscences enough to I'LL petween
six and seven hundred pages
Our children should be familiar with The deeds OF
that noble band of women who devoted themselves to
the most painful and often revolving work OF the war
who al the maintained field hospitals, N'chehs,
sanitary stores and headquarters; unused and tendea
the wounded ard sick; guarded and distributed ohe
lavish gifts Of the North 10 her sons In arms ioush'
rcdtape and dishonesty and obsr1cnvcness and stu
pidty and IN a hundred ways looked after the inter
ests Of tho soldiers minstered TO their health ana
comfort. All this heavy labor was done WIN no
Stimulus but those of love. duty ard PATRIOTISM Inc
excitement Of battle unknown n these worhers'
They were moro acquainted only with Its horrors'
Their best work done in the first years OF the
tl,o al nd mis-
were grossly inefficient; when every serious engage
ment sent hundreds wounded to the rear TO throw
the badly organized staff into confusion wheh ue
wounded frequently LACKED both proper medicine anu
proper food when or two days might eapse DC
tween the receipt and treatment Of wound; when
the CUP OF hot coffee hastily prepared In boilers by the
roadside and handed the faint and agonzed men as
thew wore packed into railroad for ransp ortaton
10 hospital was the means of saving many waVer1hg
life: when bu; for the tender, thoughtful, prompt
ministrations Of the sanitary women, the seahy sue
NJ the war would have been infinitely rougher than 10
was .
There are names which, even TO this day. II Ut
,sred IN Grand Army Post are greeted reverenally
and of these names none is more lovingly reMenE
bered than that Of Mother Bickerdyke" The history
of that woman ought TO be written at large ior INC
benefit of possr1ty. No Individual perhaps, dla as
much good as she In those gloomy years Nature
had fitted her for the work which she took up and
carried through so efficiently and bravely No diff
culties or deprivations ever appalled, her OBSTACLES
only stimulated her ndomitable will. She made all
the authorities help her, and sometimes even III then
own DESPITE She cared nothing for rank or ior army
orders IL they ran counter her schemes OF humanity
As she said on a memorable occasion, she was theie
abv the authority of the Lord God Almighty" ana
she would like any one who could sho"
higher commission. Her ineXhaustioe cheerulhesS'
hor capacity for lighting up the darkest sltuauohs'
her wonderful administrative talent her intense prac
reality all sofened and baowed by truly moth
erly compassion gentleness and dclicacy toward the
moor wounded soldiers caused them regard her as
a kind of ministeIing angel Mrs Livermore devotes
two or more chapters to anecdotes and incidents III
the army life Of Mother Bickerdyhe,' and there IS
assiedly no eAaggeration in the estimate placed upon
her services But the end of her story Is the most
singular and painful. Notwithstanding all the graf
lt,sie and affection of the Grand Army men for her.
eighteen years of frutless solicitation passed before
she was granted pension; and then the thanks and
appreciation of the country for her peculiar services
took the form of stipend of $25 month! she was
subsequently given place In the san Francisco Mint
but this was all the appreciation a woman's MODEST
work thought to deserve.
Mrs. Lyermore IN her sanitary Commission labors
rame across many sad experiences and one OF these,
common enough at the time, was that OF wives and
children of soldiers at the front starving at home
Sometimes while the husband and father was fighting
galIanty, lying desperately wounded on the Held
his wife and little ones being turned into tho
street by their landlords being sold up" for
petty debts they could not meet Perhaps there was
no help for this but it difficult believe that it
could not have prevented and 1t is certain that
an effort should have been made prevent it. Mrs.
Livermore tells some stories which cut decp for
instance she says that some OF the medical and
military officers dsliked the Protestant nurses and
openly expressed their preference for the Sisters"
on the ground that the latter told no tales" and
inteIfered with nobody The truth was that the
felt themselves brefed TO defend the
soldiers and see that they got their rights. They
stood up plucky for their wards every occasion,
spied out and denounced ineficiency and fraud and
neglect, made things unpleasant for the mayes
In authority, and. what most awkward for
wrongdoe buttreSsed by public
opinion that than idle 10
attack them in retaliation. in tr1th they az
compliShed a work which could not have been per-
formed by other hands the time, and their memories
should be hOnOred while the Nation endures. Mrs
Livermores volume is of facts relating TO this
period; valuable document for its history and a
chronicle which every old soldier must desire read
and possess. The history Of the batnehags which is
incorporated with it hardly in place. In itself
Il is important and full of interest, and the colOred
representations Of the flags carefully executed.
Room has been found for Confederate well
as Union battlehags, and concise explanations of
every color are given IN the text. Still wonders
why this addition should have been made to Mrs.
Jlvermores memoir and why it would not have been
better print history and illustrations of the flags
separately. Mrs. Lvermores story" is Illustrated
with portraits and battlescencs. and most of the
tormer are well done and well chosen