Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-10
ARMY NURSES SOCIETY
FINAL MEETING OF THE oRGANI-
zATIoN TODAY.
The Question Of Pensions Considered
A Typical Record of a
Nurse.

The final meeting Of the army nurses was
held this morning at ITO I street. A large
number of the eighty women belonging to
this organization who are In the city were
present al the meeting, the feature Of which
was the installation of the officers elected
at the adjourned meeting last night.
These officers are Margaret Hamilton of
Wakefield. Mass, president; Susanna Krips
of Philadelphia, senior vice president; Eliz-
abeth A Tarbel of Aurora. ILL.,. junior vice
president; Ann Scram, chaplain, and Miss
Kate Scott, secretary.
After the officers had been formally in
stalled this morning Mrs Corporal Tanner
was recognized and in a speech of cordial
ity she extended the greetings of the ladies
of the. Loyal Legion to the nurses.
The subject of pensions was then taken
up and occasioned a protracted discussion.
II was finally recommended that all nurses
who by reason Of discrepancies In their ser
vice record were not receiving pensions
should call In body on the commissioner
OF pensions and see II anything could be
done to advance their claims. The secretary
of the association, Miss Scott, will accom-
pany the nurses on this visit Under an act
of Congress. passed in 1892. pensions were
provided for army nurses whose records o.
six months service could be established.
This law made 1t possible for most or the
nurses to secure pensions. There are stlll a
small number, however, who have been I'M
able to meet all the requirements OF the
pension bureau in the matter Of this record.
and should the step advocated today fau 1t
is likely that Congress will be appealed 10 to
grant these applicants pensions by special
act.
A Typical Record.
The history of Mrs. Margaret Hamilton
of Massachusetts, a well-known member OF
the organza ton, is an interesting one.
,l,;1 eIo I'D fnrs nd
lived a happy life in Rochester. N. Y,
where she knew nothing of life's sorrows
until the death Of her mother After that
her father sent her to be educated in ST.
Joseph's Convent in Emmitsburg, Md,
where she became an aSpirant for the Order
Of the Sisters. This was a favor granted to
her father, as mark of respect for he was
a good friend to the church and convent.
Early in the spring of 1862 order came
from the mother house for Mrs Hamilto on
and three others sisters to go to the Satter-
lee United States Military Hospital in West
Philadelphia, and there her services a an
army nurse were accepted by Secretary of
War Stanton. The surgeon in charge of
the hospital was DR.. 1. l. Hayes (the arctic
explorer).
The first patients were from the Chicka-
hominy swamps. Dozens of poor fellows
were taken from the ambulances dead when
they reached the hospital, and hundreds
died the following weeks Smallpox broke
Mrs. Hamilton was one of the nurses who
volunteered to take care of them. This
meant isolation from all but the patients.
One OF the nurses who helped in the care
of these patients died; her name was Sister
Mary Xavier, a faithful, loyal, loving nurse
In the summer of 1854, after the battle of
the Wilderness, smallpox again visited Sat
terlee Hospital and again 1t became Mrs
Hamiltons duty to care for these patients.
In the summer of 1853 she was detailed
to the gangrene ward. This was after the
battle of Gettysburg, and the horrors she
witnessed it would be impossible to de-
scribe.
At the close of the war she married
Charles Roberts Hamilton, a brave soldier
of the 10Th Maine Volunteers, who came t.
Satterlee Hospital severely wounded aft.H
the battle of Gettysburg. This gentleman,
known In the hospital as the Bard of
Ward NJ, was under the care of the gentle
Sister Angela, who afterward became his
wife.
Mrs. Hamilton has been secretary Of the
massachusetts, Army Nurse Association
since 1898, and senior vice president of the
national association since 1900