The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1903-07-03

Philadelphia, where upwards of $4,000
sick and wounded soldiers were treat
ed. Both of these sisters were
Sisters of Charity. Another was.
Mother Angela, of the Holy
Cross order, who gave up Q
flourishing academy at South Bend,
Indiana, to devote herself to the care
of the soldiers. Mother Angela was a
cousin of James G. Blaine, and she al
ways maintained great admiration for
that great statesman. Gen. Grant al
ways spoke of her as remarkable
woman. She and Gen. Grant had their
first meeting at Cairo, Illinois, where
Grant had his headquarters in an old
bank building. Mother Angela went
there to report for duty. Grant was
sitting behind two iron bars, writing
busily and as busily smoking. As
soon as hewas notified of the presence
of Mother Angela, he laid aside his CT
gar, came forward bareheaded, apollo
gized for the tobacco smoke, and said:
II fully appreciate the value of your
services, and will do everything i can
for you. Twill give orders that you do
not want for anything" And he did.
Whatever Mother Angela called for
was always promptly Forthcoming.
One story concerning President Lin
coin is told in the book, in which is
narrated the visit of the president to
Stanton hospital, in Washington City.
"None of the sisters had ever seen
Al INIT xxh m
lar man, with a suspicion of stoop
about the shoulders, slowly sauutered
up the path leading to the hospital,
| the sisters intuitively knew that it
was President Lincoln. The homely,
wrinkled face, with its care-worn ap-
| pearance, and the potent, almost pa
| thetic eyes, appealed at once to the
| tender sensibilities of the sisters.
| They knew little and cared less about
the merits of either the northern or
southern side of the bloody contro.
versy, but they had a keen apprecia-
ton of human suffering and human
sympathy, and their hearts went forth
| to this plain man, who SO uncomplain.
! ingly carried the woes of the nation
upon his shoulders.
"The president went from cot to cot
shaking hands with the poor patients
addressing some of them with the jocu
lar manner which he frequently en-
4 ployed. to conceal the anguish caused
by seeing so much suffering. He re
manned at the hospital for some time
and with the trained eyes of man Of
affairs he observed the cleanliness OF
the place, and did not fail to NOTES
all the sisters were doing for the re
lief and comfort of the patients. Wher
he departed he shook hands with eacl
of the sisters, and congratulated then
upon the good work they were doing
There are stories concerning wha
the sisters did for generals, and alst
what they did for private soldiers il
extreme cases. There are stories, also
of what they did for the sufferers oil
southern fields, on the other side
where poverty caused greater priva
ton and suffering, because facilities
were lacking. The veteran who LEI
the writer to this volume sat near by
as page after page was devoured b.
an interested reader, and he finall.
said:
"The old soldiers are dying off rap
idly, and yet you will find in ever,
county, probably every town, at leas
one soldier of those awful days, an
he will tell you that they were in
deed angels of the battlefield, an
that they deserve monuments o
Fame's eternal camping ground along
side of the statues of those who wo
. renown in battle. I venture the a.
sertion that. not o veteran can b
found, of any army, who will nc
promptly take off his hat in defer
ence to the memory of the brave an
tender nurses of the sisterhoods aswe
as to all of those noble women VIII
went forth to privation and sufferin
for humanity's sake"
, And who will gainsay the old gri;
, lied veterans declaration of love fc
the angels of the battlefield?
SMITH d. FRY.