Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-14
THE SOLDIERS HOME.
4 Letter from One of the Inmates 10
His Home Paper.
(Chase city Progress)

His Home Paper.
(Chase City Progress)
Soldiers Home,
Richmond. Va, December ], 1899.
| reached home a few days ago. much
fatigued by my trip but have somewhat
recuperated my strength, though l am
vet far from well. II would be nearer
the truth. however, TO say have some
what rested from my fatigue, but am sun
| suffering in my feet However IL IS not
! good taste for an old soldier 10 De com
! nlaining. The fact that he is in the Sol
diers' Home is proof positive that he mas
| many ailments besides age. And so one
may take all that for granted. And TINS
| reminds me that one Of our brightest ana
! ablest ministers Of this city, while preach
ing for us last Thursday evening, terse-
| ly admonished us old veterans 10 chahse
| our spiritto-mental base, by prohply
! moving off from "Grumble street anu
| settling in Thanksgiving avenue ana
! thence 50 living, moving. and having our
! hoino, "a 70 make the best of our various
blessings. Such was the advice OK the
Rev. James T. Goode. And l am inclined
! to think he was inspired To make tnat
address by the Great Physician W no
only can remedy most of the cases III
! this home.
reached the home in time for our
regular Thanksgiving dinner, which, Dy
the by. is worthy Of notice TOT il was
indeed = very good dinner, ana was rlch-
" enjoyed by everybody in the nome
noticeable fact 10 be recorded Ia thal
il u,as not marred by any .ntoNcants.
And this was well. For there are many
here who. in their old age, would be more
injured than blessed by even the weakest
| "toddv" or punch" And many OF Tao
old veterans heartily thank our genial
commandant for making the punch
bowl" conspicuous by its absence.
While l may not accurately psruCu-
! larize, ] can safely say we hau vel
| good dinner. such as no sane man could
sneak of but to praise The courses in
| cIuded oysters roast turkey with cram
henry sauce. roast pork with apple sauce
| mashed POTATOES, sweet-pOtatOes, homlhy
| cakes tea and coffee, and cigars. We
bava tha kind ladies' of Newport News
to thank for the oysters, ana our Ola
friends. the ladies' Of Winchester TO lhaHh
for the turkeys But ! cannot say
NJ present. TO whose generosity we o"s
| The cigars. Nevertheless, we enJoyeu
| them and blessed the donors ENelS
thing went of well. and not one seemed
| IA he tenants Of "Grumble street put
all grateful residents of Thanksgiving
| avenue" ,,.
Colonel Charles Bigger, our commas-
don't who. l assure you, Is the light man
In tho right place, did, as he always
49, everything 20 make the day ana the
| dinner an enjoyable feast. Ana ne SUI
| ceeded. ,., o,r
There was but one drawback. our
new uniforms, which had been orueleu
ho here before Thanksgiving-Day v
,.ere unfortunately, delayed by some ar
| Go,,lttes which occurred with the CON
| ,root,pg taiiors. only part OF theih
DOT here on time 10 be distributed pc
! - TbanksgiWng-Day But eVerytilns
l9l. ,,ssed off so well that no one
thouebt of complaining because OF ueiay
in our uniforms, which, by tn3 Ny,
tbo old-time honoTed Confeders sf"S.
/ rut they are here now, anu AuJ
| caldwell is now busy distr'outins '"o1i'
together with the underwear mats
In the mean while, II IS sumo" lSl What
| inc as we'll as SAD, 10 SIC
ne, ,,,o,,s numbers the tailors make III
IS $50, to If some of the old men, VINO
,an,ssa Of wounds, disease etc. nave
tal,en ON all sorts OF shapes Du. ~.
| tind-hearted commandant mas to ,
80 renting the suits in when Els 'lh -,
! 80 been made. And, thereby al VIZ
| Ia nleased when the work Is uohe' oNOVP
70 Who dwell i'm "Grumble street.
VIZ On such occasions as that or Ihurs-
| 1o,, lost there are, happily, many Oh
ttssa Who grumble without rhyme OF
reason. Ii IS human nature. bul III"
A. more agreeable. I'm every way ~ ~, J,
tirua1lv dwell on "Thansskiving avenue
Crr home is now nearing three hunureu
souls about sixty of whom are Oh an
ovorage confined in the hospital
ao,,rSe these old men are expected 10 uie
Il ont
| In foct the health or the hoIie h0o =.
II under the management or our en-
| 80 surgeon. DIR. Fry, who, by the ny
~. I'm treating me TO some very pi.'e,
| ,,odicine since my return mere pu' -
me-, sco1d him. for he knows what Is
S1H ond am. when l think OF MS un-
49, .'1,'1 aseorts i'm behalf Of these OLD Sol
t ,. 200 grateful TO feel other than rove
u'o' ~, who may be seen at all hou,s
80 The night as need be- on ms iou''O'
a. see and comfort these aseu ino",
nv the by, your old countymah, COR
mel John W. Wimoush' no" :" n1 ohIe
yedl, ohont and attend church every
ss,, And this reminds me to say ,hat "" We
uas, dai,v religious services here from a
nav o,clock as well as other services
W thasa services have been going on
90 - three years under the direcuoh
~ ono of the veterans OF the nome
Oh o,,v inc Of the hospital. should have
., optd that our surgeon is assisted by
three very efficient nurses-geh'iewonleh
~ culture and retnement-who, IKE an
GELS of mercy, are invaluable 10 ,ne SUI ~.
serers in this hospital These are MISS ,u-
banks. Miss Thompson; ana MISS . t~s no,
| eunerior ladies. whose hailowihs iiinuoie
colt not only in the hospital, out
- the camp. But must not pro-
long this communication. H. H. d.