The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25

and gentlemen Of the Departments
were all for the North. And they III
brought good things for the mon IN
the hospitals and almost every gift
had string to it: For Confederates
/ only" For Northern soldiers only. "
Gifts SO conditioned were not ac-
cepted. The hospital authorities were
| entirely impartial in the treatment of
their patients.
remember a member Of Congress from
New York city who came up and said
| You have got lot of my boys here.
would like TO do somct hing for them some b
thing that the papers will notice YOU
know what do you think I had better
give them"
' said: They have all got more or loss
scurvy, and think fresh strawberries
would do them good You might have u
strawberry festival and have a band here -
The Congressman accepted the sug-
gestion eagerly and got his fun de-
sire of publicity.
Little notes Of canp life give va
ripty tn the record: "a sentinel l.,
pacing up and down in front of my
tent, and by his side a man carrying
thirty pound log of wood which H.
is condemned to carry every alternate
two hours for twenty-four hours as
punishment for some offence" be-
licNing mat battle was to he Joined
in the morning. the officers had what
they called the protracted meeting"
on the night Of April Is. cold. rainy
day. Fourteen officers assembled in
tent. brandy circulated freely with
crackers, sardines, pickles and Spanish
nj Ia To-
sung with gusto. and followed by reci-
tations. stories and more songs. In
the small hours the affair came to n
close with solemn rendition Of the old
chorus Then stand by your glasses
steady" But the "Hurrah FOR the
next man who dies" was sentiment
premature. for the expected march
was several days deferred. Kernels
here and there:
The ironing is done with - large axe
| have had nothing to cat since ycster-
day morning except two hard crackers and
ono slice OF bread
After all a big battle Is humhug: 4,
takes 10000 bullets to Kill a man.
! am utterly exhausted latter Gc:tys-
burgl mentally and physically, have been
operating night and day and am stII hard
at work. ! have been left here in charge
OF 100 wounded. with no supplies. Il has
rained steadily for four days. but | have
got all the wounded under cover AZ last
and they have all got soup and coffee but
many OF them cannot have their wounds
dressed ofteucr than once In two days
Ramsey has gone to Gettysburg to try and
get some tools with which to bury our
dead
After Characteristic the doctor
asrNt toe al. a
the surgeons had been subjected by
line officers. who rallied them for being
always "A mile hack of the firing line
Or. Billings. nettled because beneath
the Jcsting there was little bit ui
earnest, rode within two hundred yards
of the enemy's line and not moro
than forty yards back of the Union
firing line. He directed that tho
wounded he brought to him there. hut
those who could walk insisted on 60
ing further rearward Finally shell
went through the shanty where he
was working, and that settled the
question of the men stopping The
slightly wounded men would not stop
and the hearers of the badly wounded
men would not stop" SO the doctor
himself had to move back a couple
of hundred yards. Finally he re-
ceivcd orders to set up his hospital
at house a mile away.
In the later years Of tho war Or.
Billings was on post duty a. Water
town and New York, and N February.
1861, he records this experience:
received an order 20 report on board
the Marcia G. Day. on going on board
found an officer with a small derachmcu;
Of the invalid corps. under sealed
orders 80 proceed in tho
III" N'che On m" sou'h coast Of Hny,i
opposite ANY cages. ana 'akc ou board a
number or negroes who had been sent
down there from virginia. and bring them
back to the United States.
These negroes We're members Of A
colony started N 1862, IN pursuance
of q Government policy of settling
freed slaves IN outlying districts, sucn
rs iiayti ana Liberia. ON December 81
1862, President Lincoln signed con-
tract with ono BERNARD kock ny which
the latter agreed To colonies 5000
negroes on the Isle a NaChe AT 81 a
head, and 10 c.Vc them employmcni
for four years AZ from - to SO "a
month. But kork did not PLAY tar.
tried to make a Get rich quick ven
tur" of It, and was even sad to have
agreed tn turn the negroes over To
"A'abamd' SemmcS as captured rum
away slaves The President cancelled
the contract, and the capitalists whom
the advcnturer had ropcd in compelled
INN To forfeit his lease Of the island.
With these capitalists new contract
was made hv the Secretary OF the
Interior. and shipload of negro
emigrants, some $50 OF them. went
Ia the STAND The colony had "A sorry
fate; smallpox and had management
made the negroes wretChed. and DR.
Killings was sent N the Marcia g
Day To bring back the 81 survivors.
After that service he returned to
the army I'm the South. and was n
the thick of the fighting.
General Hun, found negro driver o..
looping his team. and gave him thrash
Ing
Tn" hand ha. Jus, Gnishei IL, evening
while smoking my after dinner pipe and
calling up OLD memories
Tn" Rebellion Is >till standing on it. last
legs a. Po'ersburr. Tho Army OF the po-
lomlr is SIN lying in front Of d. when
probably lie down too \ book
sellers stand IS open Within 100 yards ~
] reached headquarters about 10 O'Clock
last night after many distgrceables. MOI
.