Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-04
GALLANT LITTLE TOM.
A "Reminiscences of q Washington
Military Hospital During
the War.
WRITTEN EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE EVENING
sTAR BY MRS Z. D. EN-. sOUTHwoETH.
give thee all: I can no more.
though POOR she Offering he.
Ny heart and life are all the store
That I can offer thee. Old s,

was PuOAC III "bs14uS sOA "ASio oNAA4O
temporary wooden buildings had been erected
for hospital purposes and where were gathered
. number Of subulances loaded with the
wounded, dead (for some had died in transit)
and diving from the bloody battle feld- The
speaker was an officer in a very shabby uni
form. who was directing the movements Of the
soldiers who we're carrying the victims from
the wagons to the buildings. 'It' was the
mangled body Of a boy who seemed to be dead,
and by him was meant a very large and
heavy soldier apparently very badly wounded.
for he uttered groans at every movement that
proved the soundness OF his lungs.
The soldiers layed it, down and helped to
carry him" into the hospital OF course the
living had to be cared for first The dead
could wait So it might have been an hour or
more before two soldiers came to carry ''it' to
the dead house.
Never see a body so broke to pieces rs this
here. Why, don't believe We could carry it
whole any other way." said one Of the men as
they raised it by the four corner OF a blanket
on which IL lay.
'.Motherr sighed the pallid lips Of the boy
on being moved
why he amt dead after all ~ exclaimed his
bearers in a breath; and they let him gently
down on his blanket to the ground, and one of
them ran of to bring the surgeon, leaving the
other to watch the boy.
The surgeons had their hands full, but a
young medical cadet was dispatched TO look
after the case
He came and knelt down beside the boy and
looked into his pale. pinched face. The eyes
we're closed. but the lips were partly open,
With the strain OF patient pain marked upon
his features
After examining the case the cadet said that
the youths life was but a question Of few
hours. perhaps minutes, and ordered him to
be carried into the hospital.
There the dying boy was laid on q cot in the
ward for the seriously or mortally wounded.
Stimulants were administered to fan the
Pickering fame of life ere it should sink and
expire But no attempt was made to remove
his torn and blood-soaked uniform or to make
any examination of his wounds. for it was
judged that such proceeding would be worse
than useless to the sinking boy-would only
shake and exhaust him and hasten his death.
He was arranged as comfortably as his coudi-
ton would permit on his narrow cot and left
to the care of Sister Aloysia. one Of the Sisters
Of Charity who were on duty as nurses in the
hospital
Sister kloysia was an angel in white hood.
II you believed the report Of the sick and
wounded in that hospital fair, stately gen.
tlewoman Of forty years. and the very ideal Of
health. energy, benovelence and cheerfulness,
WI, from her eighteenth year. had conse-
CT ed her life to works Of mercy and charity.
She had been on her feet all that day ate nding
TO the sufferers who had been brought in. 1t
was now her time of relief and she might have
gone to rest and left the ward to the care Of
her successor. but she drew near the bedside
and saw the boy soldier. said to be wounded
unto death and dying silently and patiently on
his cot far away from all his friends. Accus-
toned as she was to sights of heroic suffering
her heart was moved with such compassion
that she gave up her season Of rest and sat be-
side bis cot TO watch him TO the last. Her min
istrations were simple enough; to give him a
stimulant at stated times, to put fakes Of ice
between his parehed lips, to wipe his brow with
q damp napkin and to watch and listen for any
sign Of a whisper that might express a desire.
But none came. There was no sign of life in
that mangled form but the feeble pulse and
faint breathing. IL seemed the valley of the
Shadow OF Death, that night scene in the hos
pital ward
Two rows of narrow white cots with their
heads toward the walls. with space be tween
them and q long passage down the center. On
every cot lay a mortally wounded or dying SOL
der under the merciful influence of narcotics
to render the inevitable death as painless as
possible. Another Sister of Charity, who had
come TO relieve Sister Aloysia. moving noise
lessly from cot to cot where her services were
most needed: q medical cadet seated at his desk
near the entrance and an orderly within call.
all seen dimly under the light Of lamps and
candies such was the night scene in that hos
pital ward
At intervals the medical cadet would rouse
himself and walk up and down between the
rows Of cots. looking at each Of the patients to
see if thing could be done for them.
Once during the night there was a ouiet
movement around one of the cots. Its occu-
pant had died and the orderlies brought in a
stretcber and carried the body out under the
direction Of the cadet.
Morning dawned and the hour approached
when Sister Aoysia must give up her post to
another and seek much needed rest But be-
fore leaving the wounded soldier boy she de-
termined 20 make as careful an examination of
his condition a. she dared without the risk of
injuriug him. She found his pulse a little
stronger, his skin moist. his breathing easier
and his general condition so much better that
she resolved to do something on her own re-
sponsiblity- She went to the kitchen and
prepared some highly concentrated and easily
digested food with which she fed him bv tea
spoonful doses, and found to her satisfaction
that he could swallow, though he did so auto
matically, keeping his eyes closed. Wher, she
thought she had given him enough for the
time being she ventured to speak 70 him and
Ask:
How DO you feel, my boy?'
Tommy, he answered in q faint voice and
With trembling lips, as his eyes opened and
slowly closed again.
Warned by these symptoms Of extreme weak
ness Sister Aloysia did not repeat her Question
though she knew that he had misunderstood
her
She sat down beside him again. There was
nothing more that she could do for him not
even smooth his bed spread or pillow, for he
disturtkd.
Soon after this the surgeon in charge. at
tended by the medical cadet. came into the
ward on his early morning round.
When be reached Tommy's cot and took
Sister hoysia's report for the night he made a
CAREFUL examination Of the patient and then
murmured:
Wonderful Vitality and moved On.
As soon as her relief came the sister with
drew 20 take her needed rest. As she r.,ssed
down the ward between the rows of nortsIIv
wounded and suffering men she moved silently
and reverently on, feeling that on every cot
with q dying man there was q domestic tragedy
and heart-breaking sorrow.
Here and there beside an unconscious son or
husband sat 9 heart-broken wife or mother.
summoned by telegraph to the dying.
Sister Aloysia passed out deeply l,rievei for
al, but mostly for the wan-faced boy who had
been playing soldier. but had played the part
valiantly, no doubt. and had got himself blown
10 pieces at his post Of duty. Had he mother?
SO many Of these soldier bows who should
fAther have been st school had come from
peaceful farm houses, fired with Q love of
glory, adventure and patriotism, only to
meet bloody death on the battle field on. lin
gering torment in the hospital No one ever
knew who be was He would die and be buried.
and me little board at the head Of his grave
would be inscribed:
THOMAS.
with the name OF his compapv and re0i,nsnt
and the battle in which he WAS Killed