The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-04
Miss Tessie Lewis Is Taking Care Of
Sick Soldiers at Southern Canton
ment and Writes About
Her Work.
NEAR sHERMAN's HOME
Hospital 10 Near Site Of the Famous
Union Generals Domicile, Also Of
Civil War Camping
Ground.

/ Miss Tessie E. Lewis, a graduate
OF Graham hospital. is in the Red
Cross nursing service OF the national
army environments, and is stationed at
Camp Bsauregard in Louisiana She
sH5.t11Ssa .ss.ezssti2g letter about
her work Ia TINS enrichment hospital
10 The Gate City in order that her
friends may know something of the
work she is doing. Miss Lewis letter
follows:
ARMY BASE HOSPITAL. Jan. 80.
1918. To The Gate City, Keokuk.
Iowa: So many people keep writing
10 me asking about the work in an
army base hospital, that finding it I'M
possible TO answer them separately,
viii ask YOU to print short letter in
the paper that all my friends and &C
Quaintances may read.
I Joined the Red Cross nusfng or
ganization at Des Moines early in the
fall and signed up as ready for duty
after January 1. 1918. Ny call came
December 8, and L was assigned to
duty the same week at base hospital,
Camp Beauregard in Louisiana. While
enroute I met three other Red Cross
to the same place and OF course. we
enjoyed the remainder OF the trip to-
gether as none of us had ever been
farther south than St Louis.
Camp Beauregard is one Of the six
teen national army environments In
the United States. 1t was comprised
at the time arrived, OF 1900 troops,
but has increased to 10000. These
troops are largely from Arkansas,
Mississippi and Louisiana, although
there are boys from all over the Unit
ed States here. It is called the Thir-
ty-ninth infantry division.
Camp Beauregard was named in
honor Of General P. G. T. Beanregard
of Louisiana, one Of the distinguished
officers OF the confederacy during the
civil war. 1t is located in a pine
wood section of central Louisiana,
about eight miles northeast of Alex
andria, little city of 10000 popula-
ton, entered by four lines OF railroad.
They claim the grounds of the camp
embraces 400 acres. Major General
Henry c. Hodges Jr., graduate Of
West Point military academy, 1877, is
commander Of the Thirty-ninth divi-
sion. Major Geo. F. Lull, major medi-
cal corps, is commander Of the base
hospital; Major John T. Burras is
chief Of surgical work and Major Jas.
3. Guthrie OF the medical work here.
/ went on duty the eighth OF Decem-
Der III. "a pneumonia ward, Lieutenant
Riley Of New Orleans, in charge. One
other nurses besides myself with the
ward boys to assist us in the work. In
fact, these boys, all members OF the
medical corps do all the rough work.
and some OF them are 80 apt and will
ing to do all they can to help Us. The
sick boys are SO grateful and appre-
ciative for the least thing done for
them. Conditions are much improved
in the last month. When 1 came, about
six weeks ago. there were only thir-
ty nurses with over eight hundred
patients. Many sad sight met our
eyes, boys sick and dying for want OF
nursing care. There are now eleven
hundred patients and over eighty
nurses.
There are Red Cross nurses here
from every state in the union. ! never
met finer class of girls than the Red
Cross nurses here. The majority are
northern girls, but perhaps ten or
twelve from the south. There are
four Iowa girls at this hos pital
L
of twenty-one small hospitals, each
the size of Graham hospital, con-
nected by screened in corridor. The
wards, Of which there are twenty-one,
contain forty beds each, some fifty
and the mumps ward at present con-
tains eighty patients. When the
work changed. due to change from
night to day duty, my work was in an
oTtheopedic ward with nurse, also
captain and lieutenant from New Or
leans. The work was very interesting
in this ward We had to do with bone
deforrnities, fractures. etc. Upwards
of 500 examinations, corrections and
treatments were given per day in this
ward.
In Meningitis Ward.
My work at present is in the con-
yaIescing meningitis ward asked to
he placed in the meningitis ward.
never having seen case. but was
put in the convalescent ward instead
The after-effects OF this disease Is in
scme instances most pathetic, usually