Year: 1863




You can publish it if you think proper. Fl,
was raised in this county, and was a studen
of the o. w. University, but has been in In
diana for several years past. He is now Hos
pital Surgeon. JACOB Robson.
CAMP MURFREEsBoRo, Tenn.,A pril 18, 1863.
My Dear Sister:-Y ours of February 18th
came to me while was on duty in hospiia
No. IA, Nashville, and while so busy that ]
had but little time for writing, and my CORES
pondence was pretty generally neglected.
have now returned to my regiment, and have
more leisure, as the health of the men is now
good. l was in hospital in Nashville for more
than three months, most of the time very basy
with the sick and wounded. Beside hoping
that did my duty towards the suffering, and
therefore some good, the experience that /
have gained viii be of advantage to me during
the balance of my life. ! think it is the best
school could get into. l like the service
very well, at least make it point of duty to
be content and happy as possible, and l am
confident that I am much more content than
would be at home under the present eircum-
stances, when every true patriot who has the
health and strength should be in the field to
assist in the preservation of our Government,
which was the price of the blood of our Rev
olutionary Fathers. The only thing I would
wish to be at home for now. besides visiting
my friends would be to assist in hanging some
of those traitorous butternut scoundrels who
are doing more to encourage the continuance
Of this rebellion than three times their number
could do within rebel lines. Their conduct
causes the death of hundreds-yes, thousands
of our soldiers. They are amongst the worst
of our enemies. IL an example had been
made of few of them six or twelve months
ago, it would have had the effect of stopping
their assaults against the Administration and
the war. and saved the blood of thousands of
our soldiers.


You ask me about the disposition of the
Sanitary supplies, whether the officers, &C.,
get them instead Of the patients for whom
they are des gned. will state a fat which
will convince you that the sick get some of
them at least. This forenoon | went to Muir
freesboro and got for my patients pillows,
dozen sheets, 10 pillow slips, 4 large cans Of
fruit, cans of oysters, bushel of onions and
L bushe of potatoes. These l shall be re-
sponsible for myself, and know that they are
properly used We also have in our posses
sion some supplies that were furnished from
the Sanitary Commission before l returned
from Nashville. have been in hospitals in
Nashville long enough to know pretty well the
manner in which they are conducted, and
knolc that hundreds Of sick and wounded sol
diers q might safely say thousands) had reason
to thank God and our Northern friends for that
sympathy which they manifested in sending
material aid. We are glad to know that our
friends sympathize with us; but when this
sympathy results in the sending of that which
gives substantial aid, it does the poor sick
desponding soldier a world Of good. And
when they recover they go out again to duty
with renewed determination to serve our
country for the sake of those friends.


had not been in the service six months
until 1 experienced in a tangible form the ben
eft to the sick soldier that these Aid Societies
frequently are. Al Louisville, about the last
of September, when our troops were ordered
forward on march, l was ordered to take
charge of the sick of our brigade, which was
10 be left behind numbering nearly or quite
two hundred. They were hastily taken into a
large public school building in the city, with
no accommodations whatever. They Lad
nothing to lie on but their blankets lone for
each mani Oh the hard floor. I was in quite
state eff perplexity to know how te render
them comfortable. A few coarse army rations
were left for them, but nothing suitable for
sick persons, and many of the men were Gerry
sick.


Dr. Haywood, President of the Sanitary
Commission in that city, learned our condition,
and came up to see US a little before sunset,
and said he would Immediately send some bed
sacks and straw TO us. By dark we had one
hundred bed sacks and two bales of straw,
and that night nearly all the men were placed
on those sacks filled with the straw, which
made comparatively comfortable beds. The
next day pillows, sheets, brooms, towels, &C.,
&C., IRON the various Soldiers Aid Societies,
were sent us from the Sanitary rooms. By
morning the ladies had found out our situa-
tion, and came in with their tea, toast, coffee.
soups, fruits, wines, &C.. for the sick, and from
that time they Jared as comfortably as human
aid could render them | felt a little blue
when l first saw what was to be done, but
could not seee how to make so many sick men
comfortable, some of whom feared would die
before morning if they had to lie on the floor
all night. But though had not realized it,
the Ladies' Soldiers Aid Societies in the
North had been at work and sent some of
their friends to Louisville, and at that time of
distress it seemed like a God-send to the poor
soldiers.


There are some noble ladies in Louisville
who devote all the time and means they can
to the relief of soldiers, and thousands of the
soldiers will never forget them. DR.. Hay
wood is also man devoted to the Union and
men ever saw. And thousands of the sol
diers through him have had reason to bless the
Ladies' Soldiers Aid Society


do not know Of the officers making use
Of any of the Sanitary supplies. Nurses may
sometimes use some of them, when there is
to spare. But they have a hard time, and
need some good and nourishing food. But I
have said enough on this point, more than
intended TO when 1 began; but it is one in
which the sick and wounded soldiers are inter
ested, and it is in them that l am now inter-
ested more than anything else.


Since my return have been trying to get
my hospital and the whole camp in the best
possible condition for the restoration and
preservation of health, and / am determined
to do all can to have it second to none in the
army. a


l will mention some of the articles most
needed: Shirts, drawers, socks, towels, pill
lows and slips, sheets, &c, and old linen and
cotton cloths are useful. Fruits, (canned and
dyied) jellies, onions, potatoes, eggs, apples
butter, &c JAMES S. GREGG.


The New CALIFORNIA SENAToR.-Mr. Con
ness, Of California, the recently elected Sena
ator, is making strong Union speeches in tha