Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-06-12

April 16, 1861, what was known as
the Milwaukee branch of the Soldiers
Relief Work was organized, with Mrs.
Henrietta Colt as secretary. Between
1861 and 1865 the Milwaukee branch
received fifty boxes of relief supplies
from each of the following towns:
Appleton, Almond, Berlin, Beloit, Bar
aboo, Columbus, Delavan, Fox Lake.
Green Bay, GAINESVILLE, Kenosha, Mil
waukee, Mazomanie, Oak Creek, Prai-
RE du Sac, Portage, Port Washington,
Ripon and Wauwatosa. 1t received
during 1864 2142 boxes of bedding,
clothing and bandages, all kinds OF
canned and dried fruits, groceries, but
ter, cheese, wines, eggs, and a great
variety of pickles and vegetables, also
books and magazines.
The supplies sent through the Mil
waukee branch, in 1864, amounted to
SEE, 000-this from a state with no
large cities and no great wealth. The
work accomplished by this branch was
made special mention of, and in time
all ladies' aid societies were united
under this head, and the name was
ties, with Mrs. Colt as corresponding
secretary. Mrs. Colt states that the
gifts from Wisconsin during the civil
war amounted to 100000, and the
wisconsin ladies' aid society was,
next to the Chicago branch the strong
est organization in the northwest.
Mrs Colt made several trips south
to learn the needs and how best to
supply help to the men on the field,
in camp and hospital. She also visited
Washington in the interests of the sol
diers and, by personal solicitation, Sc
cured many reforms. President Lin
coin granted her. a personal interview
and willingly gave her all she asked
for The branch broadened it's scope
until it included several departments,
one of which was to secure employ
ment for soldiers wives and mothers,
many of whom were having very hard
work to care for their families; also
she was able to secure places for dis.
abled soldiers in governmental serv-
ice.
Dus:rg the war women entered
many fields of industry as wage earn
ers that had previously been occupied
by men only, and so efficiently did
they perform the service that it proved
20 be an entering wedge for woman's
work in many channels which hitherto
had not been considered as suited to
woman's ability.
Previous to the civil war, systemat'c c,
relief for sick and wounded men had
never been undertaken. Our army
had been created out of undisciplined
civilian soldiers, Differed by men who
had had no previous training or expe
rience and knew no law but their own
sweet will. It soon became evident
that if the health and morale of our
forces were to be maintained a medi-
cal department must be organized sup
plemented by volunteer aid.
The public had no conception of the
need of preventive measures, but were
governed by a blind optimism that
courage could take the place of train
iEg. and officers quartermasters and
commissaries had to learn their les
sons in the hard school of experience,
and heart rending were many of the
conditions
Not only were the hospitals badly
equipped, but the nursing staff was
inadequate and for the most part in
efficient
Fortunately one woman was found
who by nature and experience was
fitted to organize and direct the work
of nursing. Dorothea Dix was early
appointed superintendent of women
nurses, with power to place them in
military hospitals. When women first
offered their services as nurses, they
net cold reception. The army sur
geons would have none of them, and
after the government had decided to
accept them the surgeons did every
thing possible to make their lives I'M
bearable, seeming to try by their i'll
hammered and unkind treatment to
DT0dk up the SYSTEM. LII consequence
of this opposition and the awful con.
Gitions found in the hospitals first led
to the organization of the Woman's
Central Relief association and later,
after much misunderstanding and
many complications, resulted in the
formation of our American Red Cross.
1t was largely through the efforts of
such noble Wisconsin women as Mrs.
Colt, Mrs. Livermore and Mrs. Harvey,
that the relief work took the form of
NOT only supplying food and clothing
10 the soldiers, but medical corps were
established, inspection of hospitals
was secured and general cleaning
up of camp conditions was inaugu-
rated. Another phase of woman's
work in the hospitals was the distri-
button of sanitary supplies. Many
we're the heart-break .ng scenes as the
poor. homesick. suffering men and
boys were ministered to by kind-heart-
e0 faithful women who had loft the