Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-28
STORIES OF
a FAMOUS
WAR NURSE

Very few OF the thousands of won,
who are volunteering to go to the fro,
to nurse wounded soldiers have mr.
idea of the hardships which women
pledging their services may have
face. They may be Interested To roe
some stories of Mother Blckcrdyk
the idol of the Army OF the Tenness,
and one of the most famous nnd +,
markable women OF the civil war.
Mrs. Bickerdyke will be 81 years n
on July 10. her next birthday. viii,
will be celebrated with appropriate co
emonies by the G.. a. r. at her HON
Bunker Hill, Kan. Her eightieth nat
anniversary was made a fete day
the town and brought kilograms of cci
graduation from famous army office
all over the country. An address
congratulation was forwarded from II
Army Of the Tennessee.
Before the war broke out Mrs. Bcke
dyke had lost her husband, and. leaylr
her children in the care of friends, 81
volunteered. Good women nurses wei
hard to get, and she was gratefully a.
cepted.
During those eventful days of IL
war Mrs. Bickerdyke had certain p
plan which she wished to carry out,
was opposed by the commanding ofIlc
of the division. His opposition was ba
ed on misunderstanding of the cas-
Mrs. Bickerdyke had no fear of autho
ity where the interest of her ''wound,
boys" was ut stake, and one mornlr
she marched into the generals tent
protest.
Il cannot permit anything of the kin
Mrs. Bickerdyke." said the officer au
terely. II shall do as | think best.
have my orders from headquarters"
And I'll do as / think best. I've e,
my orders from Lord God Almight
and guess there isn't any higher hea,
quarters than that"
She had her way. as indeed she usl
ally did.
Once there was no milk in camp. ar
the sick were sadly in need of it. III
heart of Mother Bickerdyke was wrun
that there should be anything for tn
want of which her boys" must suffe
and she complained bitterly. She grun
bled until the commanding officer, OF
of patience with a thousand other diff
culties, stopped her one day with:
Look here, Mrs. Bickerdyke! II
tired hearing about that milk. Eth,
stop growing or get 1t yourself"
To his surprise she took tie sarcasi
literally.
You give me n furlough," she sal
promptly. "and IN get the milk"
There was nothing for the officer
do but grant the furlough, and 1t wa
with many misgivings that the divisio
babe farewell to its idol.
Weeks went by. One evening the sci
try spied on the horizon n weary lool
ing woman driving score of cows.
they approached something strangel
familiar was noted in the woman's Dol
free stride. Suddenly n soldier wit
sharper eyes than his companions criet
"Hurrah! It's that blessed Moth,
Bickerdyke"
Such n shout as went up from II
army! 1t startled the reedbirds frol
their coverts and brought the sleep
darlSies to their cabin doors.
The heroine received the ovation wit
| stolid face.
There's your MILK" was all she ha
| to say to the commanding officer, WI
| stood smiling beside his tent. She ma
| gone up into Iowa somewhere, bougf
| the COWS and driven them all the wa
much of the time through hostile cour
try, but her reputation as ministerln
angel was known. and she was nj
molested.
Mrs. Annie Wittenmeyer. the famot
nurse. has been heard to tell the 10
lowing story of Mrs. Bickerdyke, whl'
reveals her in n tender light:
1t was after great battle one bitt
cold night. The wind was whistlir
through the pine trees, and the woun
ed were lying on the ground in lof
rows, with nothing to protect them fro
the elements but few torn pieces
tent covering.
The tired soldiers were busy carryil
In the survivors and burying the dea
There We're only the two women to ca
for the wounded. Mother Bickerdyi
who was physically the stronger of I
two, set to work gathering dead branc
es and digging up roots of trees. SO
she had a cheerful fire spluttering aw
in a protected corner and kettle
soup smmering for those who could 81
In the meantime Mrs. Wittenmey
had been rummaging among the stor
and had uncarthed barrel of wool
socks. From this the wounded m
were supplied with warm, dry hose.
last there was but one pair left. wi
two men still to be fitted. The nurs
were in quandary. Where could tn
get another pair of hose or how ma
an impartial gift of the remaining pal
They discussed II anxiously. One of
two wounded men caught a snatch
the conversation. He raised himself
one elbow to listen. Then he Taught
1t was a shrill. mirthless laugh int
rupted now and then by paroxysms
coughing as the rcd blood from I
hemorrhage OF an internal wound tr
killed. between his lips and dyed the te
cloth.
Every one turned to look at him.
seemed an odd time and place for mir
what are you laughing at anyway
demanded Mother Blckerdyke, a Ut
sharply perhaps, for they were
wrought to a high nervous tension
"Oh, it's so funny!' shrieked
wounded man. You are making su
a fuss over those socks. There! HI
ing back the tent cloth and exposing
view two bleeding and footless STUN
What do want with socks any NOR
Then strong, stern Mother Bickerdy
cried like child.