The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1915-12-10
HIS HOSPITAL VISIT
The Stranger Who Inspected the
Federal Quarters.
HE CHEERED A FEW PATIENTS

But the Secret OF the Unknown Doc
tors Influence Did Not Become APP
parent Until the Next Day and After
He Had Taken His Departure.
1t was in the spring of 1862, when
Stonewall Jackson, marching down the
Shenandoah valley, had won a bril-
liant victory over General Banks,
whom he drove north until the friend
ly Potomac interposed its screen and
he found safety and care for his sick
and wounded in the hospitals of Fred
erick
A new nurse had been assigned to
one of the hospitals the day be- ore the
battle-a Massachusetts woman named
Charlotte Mckay, widowed and made
childless within single year. The
patients she had under her care were
mostly Federals of course, but there
was good sprinkling Of wounded
Confederates who were prisoners of
war
One day, just after dinner time, the
chief surgeon entered Mrs. McKay's
ward, accompanied by stranger The
man had the appearance Of a student
| His head was bent and his brows were
drawn together with two deep lines
between them, as if he had spent long,
| thoughtful hours at his desk, and his
eyes, the color Of blue steel, swept the
ward with a keen glance that seemed
to take in everything His grizzled
beard showed that he was no longer
| young but his step and bearing were
elastic and vigorous.
"Dr. Janeway is from Louisiana" ex-
planned the chief as he introduced the
| stranger. "He had to abandon a large
sugar plantation there when the war
| broke out because of his loyalty He
was surgeon in the Crimean war and
| so is interested in seeing how we do
things here"
The stranger chatted genially with
the nurses and the surgeon, discussed
/ their operating facilities, compared
| them with those of the Climea, ques
toned them about the rations of the
prisoners and accepted a steaming cup
! of hot soup from the nurse
The prisoners were watching and lis.
| tening TO all that passed in strong con
/ trast to the sullen Indifference they
had shown before One stlung Virgin
! ian, tall and muscular, looked as if he
were about to spring from his cot.
THAT boy looks like he came from
near my place" observed the southern
Unionist. May | speak to him?"
Yes, doctor; you may talk to any of
them"
| With a curiously quick and noiseless
step the visitor reached the bed and
conversed for a moment in tones that
were inaudible to all but the young sol
dier. He returned In a moment
u was mistaken A chance Tesem-
blance deceived me The man says he
is 'hankering for a drink, nurse
| told him | would ask you for 1t"
| The wounded man drank the water
stretched out on his side and appeared
to sleep, while the two surgeons went
on to another ward and presently left
! the building Mounting his horse, DR.
Janeway bade n cordial goodby to the
chief bowed with deep respect to the
! two women and rode slowly out Of the
! hospital grounds.
The prisoners were in better spirits
the next morning. A laugh passed
from time to time 1t was almost as ii
some excellent joke unknown to their
attendants had raised their courage.
Did you know the gentleman who
was here Yesterday Mrs. Mckay
asked the hey soldier The lad grinned
up at her and replied
Eyes, ma'am."
You did? Who was be?"
"It was Stonewall Jackson, ma am"
The nurse stared, then she said:
You're making fun of me, Pryor
General Jackson here in the midst of
our armies"
1T wouldn't be the first time" re-
torted the boy, nettled by her unbelief
More than once, when he hadn't just
the scout he wanted at hand, he has
| gone on his own errands."
But what If he should be recog-
nizedp
"Whos to recognize him? None of
your folks, for those who would know
! him are fighting, not nursing the sick.
And none of ours. for they wouldn't
tell if they saw him Reason he spoke
to me yesterday was cause ! was
showing too much interest. I'm one Of
his foot cavalry, maam He wanted
to know just how we was bein' treat
ed, and so he came TO see.
1--WE try to do the best we can for
you, Pryor"
"Yes, maam l told him so. We've
been treated a heap better than we ex-
pected to be But its tough to be a
prisoner, you know And that was
StonewaH Jackson. - Youths Compan-