Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-05-28
FRIEND OF SOLDIERS.
MISS SALLY TOMPKrNs AND HER
WAR TIMES HOSPITAL.
FOR The MUSEUM.
Portrait of This Noble Woman to he
Presented to the Virginia Room ON
Wednesday-An Account Of Her
Work.

On Wednesday morning next at Il
o'clock, a picture OF Miss Sally Tompkin'
will be presented TO the Virginia Room
of the Confederate Museum. Mr. Joseph
Bryan will make the presentation speech
The exercises, though simple. will be In
teresting to all Confederates, In whose
heart Captain" Sally Tompkins holds q
warm place.
Miss Tompkins was born at Poplar
Grove" Mathews county, where she lived
until the beginning of the war, when,
with her sister and her OH nurse, Aunt
| Phoebe" she came TO Richmond ana
| boarded at the Arlington AS soon as
| wounded soldiers began TO arrive In Rich
mond she desired ardently to rent room
| and to nurse as many men as 1t would
| hold comfortably. Judge John Robertson
| offered her his house. on the corner OF
| Third and Main streets for use as
| hospital, and she decided TO try the ex-
pertinent. Mrs. Robertson's furniture was
packed away and the rooms of the large
house filled with cots.
HOSPITAL WAS SOON FULL
The first sick man brought to the hos
pltal was wounded in the battle of Ma
nassas, and was nursed by Miss Tomp-
kins with her own hands He soon re-
covered. In q short time the house was
full. Earnest Richmond women offered
themselves to Miss Tompkins as Co
workers." each taking day to super
wise the hospital. Among these were Mrs.
Eliza Semmes, sister OF Mrs. Judge
Meredith; Miss Eliza Davenport; Mrs.
Rowen, and the wife of Judge Mcclure.
Miss Rebecca Jones kept the register,
which is now at the Confederate Museum.
At the reunion. held here In June,
1896, Miss Tompkins kept open house, and
many soldiers sought her out, some OF
them not having seen her since they were
tended In her hospital. They wrote
their names before recorded In this reg
ister in the back pages Of the same book
and the whole, now at the Museum,
forms an intensely interesting souvenir of
those stirring times. Or. A. Y. p. Gar
nett, who had left Washington and come
to Richmond as a refugee, was the physi-
clan of this hospital for three years.
APPOINTED HER A CAPTAIN.
For q long time only the money Of the
founder of the hospital was expended for
its expenses, but when the order came
that all private hospitals must be closed
President Davis was appealed to. and
granted Miss Tompkins a captains COM
mission, that she might draw pay for the
use of the hospital, and that the hospital
might be legally State institution.
The hospital had a piece of ground at
tached and a garden was planted under |
the supervision of Mr.. Edgar Garrett. |
who employed an old Irishman named |
Crumey as gardener. This old man, who |
was also sort Of orderly to the institu-
ton was an extremely interesting char
acter. He died on the day of the evacua-
ton, but as Miss Tompkins could not |
bear that the Yankees should bury him,
his body stayed at the hospital a week.
Then a wagon was procured, and the SIM
pie cortege which followed him to Holly
wood was made up Of Captain Sally and
an old servant.
At one time eleven weary Texans, who
had marched and slept In wet clothes,
came TO the hospital. Four of them soon
recovered.
a great many Marylanders were cared
for at this hospital-so many, in fact, that
they wanted the place called the MARY
and Hospital" but Miss Tompkins wish
I'd the place to testify TO the generosity
and patriotism of Judge Robertson, hence
is name, the Robertson Hospital"
Whenever q soldier was discharged
rom the hospital his knapsack was pack
ID with clean clothes. and in it was put a
Bible and prayer-book One young fellow
wrote the little Captain that this Bible
lad turned off bullet and probably saved
lis life.
TOOK ALL WHO CAME.
At first DIR. Garrett. who was assisted
v DR.. Clarence Garnet, and Lamar Hol-
lday, a soldier, whose Shortened leg
lade service impossible, was opposed to
lking in wounded soldiers. fearing that
he delicate ladies would not be able TO .
ms took In all she could shelter. and {
ressed many Of their wounds with her
wn hands.
The colored staff of the hospital consist
I Of NANNY" Phoebe and two Betseys.
ne, who was very sprightly, was named {
Gay Betsy" by the soldiers. The other, |
no was very lugubriOus. though faith
ii and kind, was dubbed Sad Betsy" I
he still waits upon Miss Sally and lives
Richmond. sally" was the cook, and
n excellent one. She was lent to the
osptal by Mrs. John Spottiswood Well
,rd
This hospital was full on the morning :
the evacuation. Every man who could 9
love followed the army. but many very
ok ones were left behind. Many ladies' s
anne to the hospital the night before the
to make biscuits to fill the !
of the weak soldiers, who 7,
'ould soon have to leave. 7
The hospital was kept open until the
'th OF June. when the last sick man
'ent home. The captain was offered n J
uard by officers Of the Union army, but I
ne refused It, and went on as usual sell 8
lg various articles, as soon as the need =
them was over, to help the soldiers
nat still remained. \
REVIVED HER WAR HOSPITAL.
AT the time Of the reunion in 1896 Miss 5
ompkins rented the house built on the
lie Of the Robertson Hospital" and en-
srtained many Confederate veterans
ver the door hung a Confederate flag, 5
nd under that 'The Robertson Hospital, 7
Welcome to Veterans!' Here thousands
( soldiers from Maryland from Vir-
lnia. and from the far South once more
ocked to see the brave woman who had Il
'nded them so faithfully in the fevered
me Of war.
Miss Tompklns. though her hospital
'ork is of the past still tends the weary, ,
ne afflicted. and the sick. The effort OF q
er existence is TO uplift humanity y
hough SCARED and wounded in the bat Il
q Of life) and to point to peace when I
he tumult is done. 7
1