ADVENTURES 
 
 NURSE 
 
 EDITED BY 
 J/1MES PHINNEY MUNROE 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Class 
 
Adventures 
 
 of 
 
 An Army Nurse 
 
/ 
 
Adventures 
 
 of an 
 
 Army Nurse in Two Wars 
 
 Edited from the Diary and Correspondence 
 rf 
 
 Mary Phinney 
 
 Baroness von Olnhausen 
 
 By 
 James Phinney Munroe 
 
 With a Portrait 
 
 Boston 
 
 Little, Brown, and Company 
 1904 
 
SG nnoM 
 
 Copyright, 1903, 
 BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. 
 
 All rightt reserved 
 Published October, 1903 
 
 UNIVERSITY PRESS JOHN WILSON 
 AND SON CAMBRIDGE, U.S. A. 
 
ADVENTURES 
 
 OF 
 
 AN ARMY NURSE 
 
 IN TWO WARS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 IN the south part of the historic town of Lex 
 ington, Massachusetts, lies a farm of many 
 acres gently sloping from high, wooded 
 hills on the east towards the valley of Hobbs 
 Brook now converted into a reservoir for Cam 
 bridge on the west. Divided by the shaded 
 country road which leads from Lexington village, 
 past the birthplace of Theodore Parker, to the city 
 of Waltham, this farm comprises on the one side 
 orchards and cultivated meadows, on the other 
 a wide expanse of grass-land sweeping in soft 
 curves around the site of the dwelling-house and 
 accented at the roadway s edge by magnificent 
 rock maples brought from New Hampshire by 
 " Squire " Phinney seventy years ago. This es 
 tate, the beauty of which is unsurpassed in Lex 
 ington, was almost continuously, from 1786 to 
 
 219181 
 
2 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 1849, the home of Elias Phinney, the father of 
 Mary (Phinney) von Olnhausen. 
 
 The first New England Phinney, John, came 
 to Cape Cod about nine years after the landing of 
 the Pilgrims, and settled in what is now the town 
 of Scituate. His son John married Mary Rogers, 
 granddaughter to that Thomas Rogers who was 
 a passenger on the first " Mayflower " voyage and 
 a signer of the " Compact." In the third genera 
 tion from them was a Benjamin Phinney who, 
 since he removed to Granville, Nova Scotia, in 
 1774, and did not return until 1786, it is fair to 
 presume was a Tory. This suspicion is deepened 
 by the fact that he did not come back to Falmouth, 
 where he was born, but to Lexington, at that time 
 remote enough from Cape Cod to escape any pos 
 sible lingerings of local animosity. 
 
 This Benjamin Phinney and his wife, Susanna, 
 had nine children. Of these the seventh, and the 
 last to be born in Nova Scotia, was Elias, who, at 
 the age of six, came with his father and mother to 
 the farm in Lexington. Educated in the district 
 school and by the harder tuition of a large farm; 
 practised, too, in cabinet making, which was his 
 father s trade, Elias fitted himself for Harvard 
 College, paid his own way there, and was grad 
 uated in the Class of 1801. Electing thereafter 
 to follow the law, he studied with an eminent 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 3 
 
 lawyer in Maine and practised his profession in 
 Thomaston for about ten years. 
 
 Eight years after his graduation from Harvard, 
 Elias Phinney married Catherine Bartlett, daugh 
 ter of Dr. Josiah Bartlett, of Charlestown, Massa 
 chusetts. This Dr. Bartlett, born in 1759, had 
 attended Harvard College. His studies inter 
 rupted by the opening Revolution, he had taken 
 up surgery in the office of Dr. Isaac Foster, and, 
 as surgeon s mate, had tended the wounded of 
 Bunker Hill and of later battles of the War for 
 Independence. Not only in surgery, but in his 
 tory and archaeology, Dr. Bartlett made for 
 himself an honored name; and, as a Mason, he 
 repeatedly filled the office of Grand Warden of the 
 Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. A funeral ora 
 tion upon George Washington, an address of 
 welcome to President Monroe when that official 
 visited Charlestown, and a history of Charlestown 
 are among the literary productions of a man who 
 was a leading citizen of his day and town. Dr. 
 Bartlett married Elizabeth Call, of Charlestown, 
 and by her had sixteen children, of whom the 
 second, Catherine, became the wife of Elias 
 Phinney. 
 
 Two or three years after their marriage, the 
 Phinneys removed from Thomaston to Charles- 
 town, and he continued there the practice of the 
 
4 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 law, holding many estates in trust, and taking a 
 prominent part in the affairs of the town until, 
 in 1823, his father being then over seventy years 
 of age and unable to carry on the work of the 
 farm alone, Elias, who had always hungered for 
 agriculture, was easily persuaded to return to 
 Lexington. After removing to that town he con 
 tinued to go daily to his office in Charlestown, 
 there to carry on an ever-increasing practice of 
 the law, until in 1831 he was appointed Clerk of 
 the Judicial Court for the County of Middlesex. 
 He entered upon his duties June 19, 1831, and 
 from that time until his death faithfully attended 
 the sittings during the sessions of the court and 
 went daily to the Court House in East Cambridge 
 in vacations. Only on Thursdays of those vaca 
 tions was he free to stay at home ; and it is extra 
 ordinary that with such limited opportunity for 
 supervision, with regular duties which often took 
 him from Lexington before daylight and kept him 
 away until after dark, he could have accomplished 
 so much in agriculture. 
 
 For, in a day when scientific methods were 
 almost unknown, scientific agriculture became in 
 creasingly Mr. Phinney s avocation. He was for 
 many years a trustee of the State Agricultural 
 Society; he was active in the importation and 
 breeding of Ayrshire cattle; new fruits and vege- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 5 
 
 tables, including the tomato, were the subject of 
 his ceaseless experimentation; while the genuine 
 study of fertilizers, of soils, of rotation of crops, of 
 breeding, of grafting, gave him a wide reputation 
 among those to whom farming meant something 
 more than a routine of ploughing, sowing, and 
 reaping. This widely known experimentation, his 
 seven charming daughters (Harvard College was 
 but five miles away), and his abundant hospitality 
 made his house a centre for learned and brilliant 
 men, both old and young. " No man in Massa 
 chusetts," it is declared in a sketch of him, " had 
 so large a circle of friends ; " and this statement, 
 in various phrasing, is the keynote of every no 
 tice which his death called forth. Chief-Justice 
 Shaw, Josiah Quincy, Dr. Warren, Daniel Web 
 ster, Rufus Choate, the Lawrences, were but a 
 few of the host of those who sought and always 
 found a welcome at his house. 
 
 His vocation, the law, and his avocation, farm 
 ing, still left him time to take active part in the 
 affairs of Lexington. His name was for many 
 years prominent in the annals of the town; it was 
 he who welcomed Lafayette when that remarkable 
 man came to Lexington ; it was he who presided 
 when, in April, 1835, the bodies of those who had 
 been killed at the Battle of Lexington were re 
 moved from the old cemetery to their present rest- 
 
6 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 ing-place and Edward Everett made his famous 
 oration; it was he who, as chairman of a com 
 mittee appointed by the town, took the affidavits 
 of the survivors of the battle, and with those as a 
 basis wrote an authentic and graphic history of 
 that memorable day. 
 
 Of a commanding though always courteous 
 bearing, a man of the world and yet intensely 
 devoted to the interests of his adopted town, the 
 enlightened possessor and developer of many fruit 
 ful acres, the dispenser of a hospitality as simple 
 as it was unbounded, Elias Phinney early secured 
 and always retained the rather unusual title of 
 " Squire." To an extraordinary degree he ful 
 filled the English idea of that title, glorifying it, 
 moreover, with the higher ideals of his American 
 environment. 
 
 In the summer of 1847 there fell upon him a 
 blow of peculiar sadness. The house in which, 
 with the exception of a few years, he had lived 
 for six decades was destroyed by fire, together 
 with the greater portion of its contents and many 
 of the fine shade-trees which he had taken so much 
 pleasure in planting. Within a few days, how 
 ever, over three thousand dollars to build another 
 house had been subscribed and sent to him, with 
 warmest expressions of sympathy and regard. 
 Chief among these liberal givers were the Law- 
 
Adventures of cm Army Nurse 7 
 
 rences, Peter C. Brooks, David Sears, John C. 
 Gray, Dr. Warren, John Welles, Henry Codman, 
 Francis C. Lowell, William P. Mason, Josiah 
 Quincy, and James Vila. 
 
 He did not, however, long survive. Hardly 
 had the family moved into their new home, 
 scarcely had he begun to try to repair the rav 
 ages of the flames on his beloved shade-trees, 
 when, on the 24th of July, 1849, Mr. Phinney 
 died in the sixty-ninth year of his age. His 
 widow survived him fourteen years. 
 
 Elias and Catherine Phinney had ten children, 
 seven daughters and three sons. The fifth 
 child and the fourth daughter was Mary, born 
 on the third day of February, 1818. Receiving 
 her earlier schooling at the Franklin familiarly 
 known as the "Kite End" district school, Mary 
 later attended the Lexington Academy, and finally 
 was a pupil at Smith s Academy in Waltham. 
 Both these schools had local reputation; and the 
 building occupied by the Lexington Academy was 
 later made famous by the fact that there, in 1839, 
 was established, under the mastership of Cyrus 
 Peirce, the first Normal School in the United 
 States. 
 
 Living an active life on a busy and extensive 
 farm, performing necessarily a large share of the 
 labor of the house and the garden, the daughters 
 
8 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 of the Phinney household were not infected by 
 the fashion of that time requiring young women 
 to be languishing, pearly-hued, timid, accom 
 plished only in " ladylike " but wholly useless 
 arts. Rather they seem to have anticipated the 
 young women of the present day; for they were 
 active, unaffected, healthy, vigorous, able to turn 
 their hands to any sort of useful labor. Mary, 
 however, was more " emancipated " even than 
 the others. Some years before the day of Mrs. 
 Bloomer, she fashioned for herself out of calico 
 a " bloomer " costume which she wore when at 
 work in the garden. At a time when to be igno 
 rant of nature was thought a sign of good breed 
 ing, she knew every flower and insect of the wood 
 and field; in a generation whose women shud 
 dered at a grasshopper, she used to tame spiders 
 and to give pocket-refuge to toads and snakes; in 
 an age whose pale heroines were occupied mainly 
 in graceful swooning, she acted the nurse and sur 
 geon for every wound in a populous and venture 
 some neighborhood. Farm work, too, had the 
 highest interest for her ; and with perhaps a little, 
 characteristic exaggeration she used to recall the 
 many moonlight evenings on which she helped her 
 father that being his only leisure time graft 
 apple-trees until ten o clock at night. An accom 
 plished needlewoman, as were all the sisters, Mary 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 9 
 
 had also a marked talent for drawing, the exer 
 cise of which was to prove the real vocation of 
 her life. 
 
 The death of Mr. Phinney in 1849 compelled 
 the sale of his farm, and threw those of his daugh 
 ters who were yet unmarried upon their own re 
 sources. Mary, taking advantage of her unusual 
 facility in drawing, sought employment as a de 
 signer of print goods, then an absolutely new 
 career for women. The mills of those days were, 
 however, quite different from the factories of to 
 day. Even the unskilled mill girl then was not 
 in the least akin to those bold and unkempt women, 
 mainly foreigners, who now are seen streaming 
 from the establishments of our great factory towns. 
 What those mill girls were may be understood by 
 a few extracts from Lucy Larcom s "A New Eng 
 land Girlhood." She says: 
 
 " What were we ? Girls who were working in a 
 factory for the time, to be sure ; but none of us had 
 the least idea of continuing at that kind of work 
 permanently. Our composite photograph, had it 
 been taken, would have been the representative New 
 England girlhood of those days. We had all been 
 fairly educated at public or private schools, and many 
 of us were resolutely bent upon obtaining a better 
 education. Very few among us were without some 
 distinct plan for bettering the condition of themselves 
 and those they loved. For the first time, our young 
 
io Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 women had come forth from their home retirement 
 in a throng, each with her own individual purpose. 
 For twenty years or so, Lowell might have been looked 
 upon as a rather select industrial school for young 
 people. The girls there were just such girls as are 
 knocking at the doors of young women s colleges 
 to-day. They had come to work with their hands, 
 but they could not hinder the working of their minds 
 also. Their mental activity was overflowing at every 
 possible outlet. . . . 
 
 " I regard it as one of the privileges of my youth 
 that I was permitted to grow up among those active, 
 interesting girls, whose lives were not mere echoes 
 of other lives, but had principle and purpose distinctly 
 their own. Their vigor of character was a natural 
 development. The New Hampshire girls who came 
 to Lowell were descendants of the sturdy backwoods 
 men who settled that State scarcely a hundred years 
 before. Their grandmothers had suffered the hard 
 ships of frontier life, had known the horrors of savage 
 warfare when the beautiful valleys of the Connecticut 
 and the Merrimack were threaded with Indian trails 
 from Canada to the white settlements. Those young 
 women did justice to their inheritance. They were 
 earnest and capable; ready to undertake anything 
 that was worth doing." 
 
 Employed first at Dover, New Hampshire, in 
 the Cocheco Mills, Mary Phinney afterwards went 
 to the Manchester Print Works, at Manchester, 
 New Hampshire. In both cities she made many 
 delightful friendships that were destined to con- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 1 
 
 tinue all her life. Especially in Manchester did 
 she find agreeable associates among the cultivated 
 Germans who, driven from their own country by 
 the pressure following the political revolutions 
 there, had sought refuge in free America, and 
 were putting that extraordinary technical knowl 
 edge in which they have so long led the world to 
 practical use in the rapidly developing manufac 
 tures of New England. Conspicuous in this 
 congenial German-American colony was Gustav, 
 Baron von Olnshausen, or, as he preferred to call 
 himself, Gustav A. Olnhausen. 
 
 The von Olnhausen family is of that old " Frei- 
 herr " stock, to belong to which places one, in 
 German eyes, above foreign princes and but little 
 below their own kings. Its unquestioned history 
 runs back for many centuries; and its old castle 
 of Schoenfels, perched high upon the hills over 
 looking Zwickau, Saxony (about sixty miles from 
 Dresden), is surrounded by a moat and is or at 
 least was furnished with all the appurtenances 
 of a mediaeval stronghold. Gustav, born about 
 1810, was the last male, in the direct line, of this 
 old family. Receiving his education at that period, 
 culminating in the revolutions of 1848, when all 
 Germany was in political ferment, he imbibed, and 
 doubtless advocated, democratic ideas that made 
 it wise, if not indeed necessary, for him to live 
 
i 2 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 away from his native Saxony. His history before 
 coming to America is not definitely known; 1 but it 
 is certain that he resided for some years in Russia, 
 acquiring fluent knowledge of the language of 
 that country, and that he travelled extensively in 
 other lands. In Germany or elsewhere he gained 
 what for those days was an unusual proficiency 
 in the science and art of chemistry. Theodore 
 Parker, who knew him well, declared him to be 
 one of the most learned men that he had ever met. 
 Entirely out of sympathy with the feudal in 
 stitutions and atmosphere of his native country, 
 the income of his estate so reduced by changed 
 commercial conditions as to have necessitated the 
 sale of the old home at Zwickau, his sisters 2 and 
 half-sisters married, Gustav von Olnhausen came 
 finally to America, was doubtless attracted by the 
 other Germans living there to Manchester, New 
 Hampshire, and found employment, as chemist, in 
 the dye-houses of the Manchester Mills. In that 
 city he met Mary Phinney, loved her, and soon 
 found that she too loved him. Most worthy, too, 
 of her affection he must have been. Learned in 
 language, in literature, in science, he was never- 
 
 1 See Appendix A. 
 
 2 One of these sisters married a von Roemer, and another a von 
 Rohrscheidt. As will appear later, their brother s widow visited 
 these ladies (themselves then widowed) after the Franco-Prussian 
 War, spending with them and with others of her husband s relatives 
 two of the most delightful years of her life. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 3 
 
 theless as unassuming as a little child; brought 
 up in the formal etiquette of a German provincial 
 town, he was as simple and unconventional as was 
 Miss Phinney, herself a rebel against the restric 
 tions placed about the women of her day ; a mem 
 ber of an aristocracy that still believes in the 
 divine right of kings and nobles, he was a demo 
 crat of the sturdiest, most thoroughgoing sort. 
 All these qualities appealed to her as did her free, 
 vigorous womanhood to him; and their engage 
 ment seems to have been a foregone conclusion 
 long before it became an actual fact. 
 
 The economic value of technically trained men 
 was, however, then so little recognized, the panic 
 of 1857 had so hampered business and manufac 
 turing, that Mr. von Olnhausen s salary seems to 
 have been very small. Not until more than a year 
 after their engagement, therefore, did he find him 
 self financially able to marry; and, after mar 
 riage, their housekeeping was of a most modest 
 sort. A little house filled with flowers, ferneries, 
 aquaria (for they were alike in their love of na 
 ture), and peopled with birds, lizards, and even 
 tamed toads, was the centre of their happiness; 
 their chief pleasure, beyond that of their perfectly 
 sympathetic life together, being found in their 
 work, in holiday walks through the woods, and 
 in picnics and little impromptu parties with their 
 
1 4 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 many friends. That simple way of enjoying life 
 which the Germans have learned and which we 
 Americans have not, was as congenial to Mary 
 von Olnhausen as it was to her husband; and 
 her brief years of marriage were undoubtedly the 
 happiest of all her life. The only interruption of 
 their gentle tranquillity was in her occasional visits 
 to Lexington and to Watertown, where she had 
 relatives and friends. 
 
 A glimpse of this happy time is given in the 
 following letters of Mr. von Olnhausen s, the first 
 two written before their marriage, the third after 
 that fortunate event. 
 
 Wednesday evening. 
 
 MY OWN DEAR MOLLY, Instead of the intended 
 company, I am writing you, and I really enjoy it 
 much better. K. is sick since a few days and so I 
 better postponed the assembly, but anyhow I shall 
 have it sometimes this week for celebrating the merry 
 Christmas. I liked this feast so much as child and old 
 remembrances let me like it now yet. I should like 
 we could it pass sometimes in Germany they think 
 so much about it there it s principally a merry 
 time for the children, but old people enjoy it just as 
 much. We shall pass much happier the next than 
 this one my dear girl at least I, and any where 
 we shall be. I shall quite arrange it in german 
 fashion. I remember home so often this evening, for 
 it s the time when every one is quite busy in the prep 
 arations and quite happy already in its expectations 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse i 5 
 
 a quite pleasant evening. The Ladies whirling 
 round yet in the full pride of domestic activeness and 
 making use of all sciences for producing delicacise 
 and dainties, such as never are seen in the whole 
 other part of the year; red the lively faces from 
 excitement and kitchen-heat, they distribute a few 
 small specimens of their artfulness, just to hear 
 praised themselves and to be fervently asked for a 
 few more : the Gentlemen in the mean time are 
 preparing the Christmastree, gilding nuts and apples, 
 fixing the wax-candles and fastening threads round 
 all the stars and candies and sugar-figures, destined 
 for swinging between the branches of the enchanted 
 tree. The children are already sent to bed, full of the 
 expectation of the coming day all have been during 
 the last weeks the best children of the world, afraid 
 to loose by disobedience love and presents of the little 
 Christ and just as anxious about it as I am about your 
 love. 
 
 What a nice present I shall give you next year my 
 sweet child, when you have been good, and have I 
 been so, I am sure, you will recompense me and be 
 it only by a kiss. Are we not both like children yet 
 
 why should we not remain so our whole life? 
 Children only, it is said, go to heaven but also here 
 on earth we shall not be childish but the more 
 childrenlike the happier we are. 
 
 PISCATOQUAW VALLEY. 
 
 MY DEAR MOLLY, May it be made known to 
 my Queen, that I just am feeling myself in a state of 
 mind and body, as no other King of earth can feel 
 better provided he is a bachelor. My throne I rest 
 
1 6 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 upon is glittering from mica and garnets, green moss 
 is spread round and like a beautiful carpet widely but 
 tastefully embroidered with mayflowers, cheering at 
 once the eyes and the (how prosaicly nose sounds) 
 odoriferous sense. It is true the banquet, just fin 
 ished, consisted only in sausage and crackers, but the 
 appetite makes the meal and not the dishes. Just 
 beside me a small brook offers me its cool and clear 
 water for refreshment, and is murmuring to me so 
 many confuse and strange stories like from the fairy 
 land. The song of hundreds of frogs will not har 
 monize well with the dreams of the brook, but they 
 are in a proper distance, distance improves every 
 thing and you are in my mind so near associated 
 with them, so that I don t hear exactly your voice, 
 your dear voice, amongst them no but that I 
 really imagine I hear them call your name. 
 
 I wonder if you knew that we have Fastday today 
 and came to take the walk with me. I cannot thank 
 heaven enough for sending us such a beautiful day 
 for it should be really hard to spend such an excited 
 day in town. My principal aim today is less natural 
 history than walking, for I feel how much I need it 
 after that frightful weather. But anyhow besides 
 some bugs and beetles I got a green snake, I am very 
 glad of for trying my Alcohol substitute in respect of 
 the change of the color, and an old, of course 
 but entirely new birdsnest entirely made from lichens, 
 I never have seen before. Now I am sitting between 
 Manchester and Goffstown, where I came partly on 
 the railroad, partly along the right bank of the 
 Squaw R. and can probably not be far from Goffs 
 town. I cannot find any bridge over that little river 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 7 
 
 to go the same road back is too tiresome and prob 
 ably not much shorter en avant courage then 
 
 soon more from my headquarters. ( Friday morn 
 ing.) The poor king of the day in what a helpless 
 condition he came home in the evening! What a 
 humiliating lesson for his pride! But why? Kings 
 can be tired like other people and sooner yet. With 
 out a strengthening glass of cyder in the Amoskeag 
 Hotel I don t know if I ever should have reached 
 home. And then at home how delicious the tea, how 
 savory the boiled potatoes, and for dessert an orange 
 
 and the King was King again ! 
 
 Sunday evening. 
 
 MY DEAR WIFE, The day passed better than I 
 expected ; when you stay much longer, I shall quite 
 fall back in my old bachelor s habits and faults. I 
 staid at home till 3 p. M. in the highest enjoyment an 
 Italian thinks life can offer, in a dolce far niente, just 
 to do what you like and should it be nothing. There 
 was quite a summer heat a la Molly, and I found 
 only a little consolation in the thought, that I am sure, 
 you are at least comfortable, one of the " perhaps 
 few " mortal souls who could be so in that foretaste 
 of hell or purgatory where the Catholics think we 
 must all come to. At 3 Mr. M. came to fetch me for 
 a walk and we fetched O. and out we went and had 
 a hard work through fields and woods. We had a 
 really first rate supper at O. s Dandelion s Salad 
 and ham and potatoes and tea and sour cyder. Be 
 glad that you are not here today (Monday) for of 
 course, I am cross like a crow. It s only 5 A. M. and 
 I am already writing you, but of course, having ne 
 glected my duty, not to have written you yesterday, 
 
1 8 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 how could I have slept longer ! I wonder that I could 
 sleep at all and more so that I slept as sound as I did. 
 
 I was really unhappy Saturday night coming 2 
 minutes too late to the Postoffice, but I got your 
 letter just now. I am mad like like I don t 
 know anything what can be so mad so there is 
 now an inkspot on the clean table (it is yours), but 
 what do I care. I am mad and will not write a single 
 letter more " instead Wednesday you come only 
 Thursday/ I know, I shall see you no more this 
 week ; your next letter will add again a day more and 
 so on. I unfortunate, stupid and most enamoured of 
 all husbands. When my rage has subsided, perhaps 
 tomorrow perhaps today already, more! I will 
 not say " stay as long as you will " for you might 
 really be capable to stay till to the world s end. When 
 you love me you come soon. 
 
 Mad! That . . . cyder and your letter you 
 shall not have an aquarium, you don t deserve it, you 
 don t love me; but anyhow I will be true and will 
 love you as I have done from now till in all eternity, 
 Amen. You see, better feelings overcome already my 
 madness; but I will not be good today, and I shall 
 let whither all the fine bouquets I have decorated the 
 room with, and shoot the blinds and let not light and 
 sun in and go to bed no to work. Do the same 
 and be a good girl (perhaps anyhow I build you an 
 aquarium) and remember and love your 
 
 loving 
 
 GUSTAV. 
 
 They were married on May Day, 1858, by 
 Theodore Parker. Within little more than two 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 9 
 
 years, Mr. von Olnhausen developed a serious 
 organic disease from which relief had finally to be 
 sought through a surgical operation. 1 For this 
 he went to the Massachusetts General Hospital 
 in Boston. The operation was successful; but, 
 other complications arising, it was impossible for 
 the patient to rally; and he died after several 
 weeks of pain, borne with much fortitude, on the 
 seventh of September, 1860. 
 
 To remain single until one s fortieth year; then 
 to love and to be loved with the ardor and simpli 
 city of youth ; and, in the third year of marriage, 
 to lose one s husband was, of course, a crucial 
 experience. It might have made a less active and 
 unselfish nature hard, brooding, hopeless, and em 
 bittered. With Mary von Olnhausen this tremen 
 dous experience proved to be really the beginning 
 of her life. That love which might have been 
 given, had he lived, solely to her husband, was to 
 be expended during the coming years for others ; 
 that activity which might have been limited to 
 the little house in Manchester was to find con 
 spicuous satisfaction on both sides of the world. 
 
 1 See Appendix B. 
 
W 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 ITHIN two months after the death of 
 Mr. von Olnhausen, his widow had de 
 termined to begin her work for others by 
 going to the help of her younger brother and his 
 invalid wife, in Illinois. This brother, George, 
 as enamoured as was his father of agriculture, 
 had been tempted by the wonderful fertility of 
 the middle West to leave the rocky hillsides of 
 New England for those vast prairies whose virgin 
 soil was as rich as it was easy of cultivation. The 
 life of the pioneer, however, is never comfortable; 
 limited capital and remoteness from markets made 
 the working of the Illinois farmland unusually 
 difficult and uncertain; drought and destructive 
 insects often played havoc with the crops; and, 
 worst of all, the hard life and the malarial atmos 
 phere distressingly, and at last fatally, affected the 
 wife s health. With four little children, and with 
 their mother almost incapacitated by hardship and 
 by ague, the brother was certainly in great need of 
 such help as his sister Mary could give; and she 
 did not hesitate to take what was then a serious 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 2 1 
 
 journey, and to place herself in conditions which 
 she knew to be both difficult and disagreeable. In 
 the following extracts from that autobiography, 
 which, at the earnest wish of her friends, she 
 began several years before her death, she gives a 
 vivid impression of her arrival on the prairie, and 
 of some of the incidents of her life there. 
 
 [Frotn the Autobiography.] 
 
 A six hours ride over the prairie with just 
 enough snow to limit the landscape and not 
 enough to hide the deep black mud which seemed 
 to swallow the struggling oxen and horses, made 
 one glad that the next station was the end of this 
 tiresome journey. I did not know what desola 
 tion was until I came in sight of that station, a 
 barn-like structure, with one single house as com 
 panion, planted in the everlasting mud. I could 
 not believe it was the right place, especially as no 
 carriage was waiting and no soul was visible but 
 the station-master, who led me into a barren room 
 and bade me sit until my brother should appear. 
 The windows were curtained with dust, the fire 
 nearly out, and the chair hard and uncomfortable. 
 After a dreary wait, a wagon came in sight, a 
 long, low wagon without springs drawn by a sorry 
 pair of mules, the driver sitting in a rush-bottomed 
 chair. This proved to be my brother and the ex- 
 
22 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 pected " carriage." After shaking off the snow 
 and greeting me warmly, he put the trunks on 
 the wagon, sat on one of them, and gave me the 
 chair. Starting off at the slowest imaginable pace, 
 I soon made acquaintance with a slough, a ditch 
 of mud, that might some time have been a bottom 
 less stream, so wide and deep that it seemed im 
 possible ever to reach the other side. Not a house 
 was in sight, and indeed one could not see, the 
 snow became so thick, and we rode and rode as 
 if it would never end. The great sorrow I had 
 left behind came back with twofold force, and the 
 desolation of that dismal prairie hidden by falling 
 snow was more than I could bear. 
 
 At last we came to a little house standing upon 
 four posts, with free play for the winds beneath. 
 At its open door were clustered three or four chil 
 dren eagerly looking for the new friend. But how 
 to get to those expectant faces, with just a very 
 slanting board leading up to them? Outstretched 
 hands, however, helped me up the slippery plank, 
 a warm welcome and a cup of hot tea soon 
 comforted one, and the children were pretty and 
 good ; so I became able to answer eager questions 
 and to talk of the delicious things in store for 
 them in the morning, when the boxes and trunks 
 should be opened. I had so much to relate that it 
 was late when we went to bed, which involved 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 23 
 
 taking a now sleeping child under one s arm, 
 scrambling up a ladder, and crawling through a 
 hole into the only other room of the house. In 
 this attic-room, with only a quilt dividing it, all 
 the household, except the hired man, slept. 
 
 The morning waking was cold and forlorn 
 enough; the house being neither plastered nor 
 shingled, every breath of wind swept through 
 it. The well had been dry for weeks, so all had 
 to be set at work to melt snow. The wife was 
 too feeble, from a long " spell " of chills, to do 
 any work, so it all fell to me, and it seemed like 
 one of those tasks set by cruel masters in fairy 
 books. A grand dinner was improvised for the 
 day, but the morrow was to be the sacred feast 
 of Thanksgiving. I had timed my visit for this 
 special occasion. As soon as we had dined, the 
 boy, six years old, was put upon one of the mules, 
 and was sent, with true Western hospitality, to 
 invite the only neighbors with whom they " vis 
 ited " to the coming feast, and we all began the 
 preparations. The pudding and pies were all from 
 home and had only to be heated; but that turkey 
 was of wonderful size and needed much work to 
 make it ready for the oven. 
 
 The next morning was sunny and delightful. 
 At ten o clock the neighbor s wagon appeared, 
 a wagon with springs and drawn by quite swift 
 
24 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 horses. It was considered a wonderful turnout. 
 This neighbor s family consisted of father, mother, 
 two boys, and the wife s brother; they were people 
 who had lived in a town, knew what good things 
 were, and proved pleasant and intelligent. The 
 men, in Western fashion, sat with chairs tipped 
 back against the wall, the children rushed up and 
 down the ladder, making all the noise they could, 
 so one can imagine what that room was with 
 seven grown people and six children and the mud 
 and steam and odors from the stove. But to see 
 the enjoyment of them all when the dinner was 
 served was a real pleasure. This was an unheard- 
 of day on the prairie and was long talked of. 
 
 When the spring began to come all was changed ; 
 the wonderful sounds were enchanting and so 
 new to me. The wild geese and ducks passing 
 overhead from morning till night, the crows trum 
 peting, the prairie chickens calling their mates, and 
 the variety of beautiful flowers, all made the 
 prairie seem like paradise. One could see seven 
 miles, both east and west, to where the " timber " 
 grew, and only three houses in all that wide 
 extent. 
 
 One morning, just as we were breakfasting with 
 some friends who had come to pass the night, a 
 man rode up to the door in great haste, saying, 
 " Mr. Phinney, what ails your corn-patch ? " 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 25 
 
 " Nothing, only that I have the best stand of corn 
 in the country." " Well, go look at it now." 
 My brother went out without hat or breakfast, for 
 it was a long distance to the corn-patch, and we 
 went up to the chamber window. The whole land 
 as far as we could see was bare, not a green 
 thing. Then, of course, we rushed out, and such 
 a sight! The ground was covered with a mov 
 ing mass of worms several inches deep, one layer 
 crawling over another. George said it was the 
 army worm, of which there was some tradition, 
 though no one had ever seen it there. George 
 rushed, got the mules out, and ploughed a deep 
 trench at the edge of the field, for they were 
 making for his wheat field. Then he fastened 
 a log to a horse and all day long a boy rode back 
 and forth crushing the worms as they fell into the 
 ditch. For a few hours in the night they stopped ; 
 but at break of day they started again and the 
 log was once more put in motion. By this means 
 the wheat and vegetables were saved. I shall 
 never forget the discouragement on George s face 
 as he saw all his spring work destroyed and with 
 it his hopes of paying for his farm. 
 
 My cousin, Dr. B., who was staying with us, 
 said to me, "Will you help me plant it over?" 
 Of course I was glad to do anything; so though 
 George said it was no use, fresh corn was shelled 
 
26 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 and the old corn-planter put in order. This was 
 a very clumsy affair, one of the earliest made. 
 It had a button on the wheels, and whenever that 
 turned up a lever was pulled out, and the corn 
 dropped. One can think how monotonous it was 
 to sit all day watching the wheels and jigging 
 this lever. Up high at the back sat the driver, 
 who was not very expert, howling at the mules. 
 They, never very swift, were now intolerably 
 slow; so it took much " dog-gorning " and much 
 " hickory ing " to make them get up, and the re 
 sulting noise was deafening. The sun was never 
 so hot and the dust never so unbearable. These 
 were the longest days I ever passed; but at last 
 it was finished and the eighty devoured acres were 
 planted again. George said it was useless work, 
 everybody s corn was a foot high or more, no 
 corn could ripen after the tenth of June; but we 
 had hopes, and, sure enough, he never had a better 
 or a bigger crop. One day we took a drive across 
 the railroad and there AVC saw everywhere the 
 effects of the army worm. Luckily it appears 
 only at long intervals. 
 
 On the prairie every one had so many dogs that 
 it was a marvel how they were fed, or, indeed, 
 how they lived. They ate even the corn from the 
 cob, and stole anything that was not under lock. 
 One day when all the men had gone to a neighbor- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 27 
 
 ing town to haul corn, we heard a great barking, 
 and the boys rushed in to tell us that the dogs were 
 after one of the recently bought pigs, the first 
 that we had had. When we arrived on the scene 
 they had tasted blood and it was all up with that 
 pig. His ears were off, and he was bitten in many 
 places. I rushed for the butcher-knife, for we all 
 wanted fresh meat even more than the dogs did; 
 and if the pig must be eaten, C. and I thought it 
 best for us to have the benefit. So we set the 
 boys to beat off the dogs, and the eldest helped 
 to hold the pig while we stabbed him, vainly try 
 ing to hit a vital spot. At last the animal gave 
 up, and C., in the mean time, having heated water, 
 we dragged him to a board and commenced the 
 dreadful job of getting off the hair. Having only 
 seen it done, we made not the neatest work of it. 
 All the while the fight between the boys and the 
 dogs, occasionally helped with a dash of water, 
 was going on. The combined efforts of all were 
 needed to mount that slippery plank and get the 
 pig under cover from the dogs. When George 
 returned, his indignation at seeing one of his pet 
 pigs lying on that floor was strange to see; but 
 when he learned the truth he sat down beside the 
 departed beast and laughed till we thought he 
 would never end. 
 
 One night the doctor was called to a neighbor s 
 
28 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 where the woman was " very bad," the girl who 
 brought the message said. In the morning he 
 asked me to go to see her; so I mounted behind 
 him on the mare, and, though the mud was so 
 deep that I thought it impossible to get there, we 
 at last arrived. The cabin contained only one 
 room; in it were two beds and two trundle-beds; 
 eight children were sitting around a stove burn 
 ing the hoof off of some pig s-feet, and the room, 
 of course, was filled with their vile odor. The 
 mother lay on the bed, clad in a prairie sunbonnet 
 and a calico wrapper; beside her lay a little, red 
 baby with a piece of fat bacon in its mouth. This 
 was always the manner of treating babies there, 
 she told me. She had a very long hickory stick 
 beside her, and when the children quarrelled she 
 brought it down on them with, "You Mary Ann," 
 or, " You Susan Jane," reducing them to order at 
 once. I asked her to take off her bonnet, but she 
 said that if she did it would give her rheumatism 
 in her head. She never took it off except when 
 eating. Whatever else a prairie woman or child 
 lacks in costume it is never a sunbonnet. When 
 I came to know this woman better I found her 
 to be one of the finest nature. She was a " poor 
 white " from Virginia ; but she was so true in all 
 her relations in life, so generous, and always seek 
 ing to do a kindness. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 29 
 
 At this time the news was most discouraging, the 
 papers full of rumors of war, and so many people 
 about us poor whites from the South, nearly all 
 of them being Rebels, that it was anything but 
 cheerful. The post-office was four miles away; 
 and often many days went by without letters or 
 papers; and now and then such appalling news 
 came that I wonder we could enjoy anything. 
 Soon the rumors of war were confirmed with the 
 news of Fort Sumter and the terrible affair of 
 Bull Run. I immediately wrote to all the people 
 of influence I knew, begging them to procure me 
 some place in the war as nurse, or whatever I 
 could do. Then I waited and waited for a year 
 before I could learn how to get a position; for 
 down there no one seemed to know how to do 
 anything. Finally I determined to go back to 
 Massachusetts and find some way to work for the 
 soldiers. That year of waiting is as a blank to 
 me; we heard nothing but discouraging rumors, 
 and were all so poor. The crops were good 
 enough, but there was no way to get them to 
 market, for the railroad was in the possession of 
 the military. We had two years crop on hand, 
 and most of the cattle died; so we burned corn 
 all that winter. It seemed so wicked. When I 
 started for the East I for the first time realized 
 the war in seeing regiments departing from every 
 
30 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 city, and in finding it almost impossible to get 
 anywhere. 
 
 Arrived in Boston, I appealed immediately to 
 Miss Dix, who promised to place me at once, but 
 who delayed so long that I was beginning to 
 doubt her, when the summons came to start for 
 Washington. This was on Saturday, and Monday 
 night I must leave; so everybody helped, and I 
 was at the station in time to join my escort. This 
 was in August of 1862. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 MARY VON OLNHAUSEN S recollec 
 tions of the Civil War are contained in 
 the Autobiography before referred to 
 and in letters written to her relatives at home. 
 The first is fragmentary, far from consecutive, 
 and, as would be inevitable, frequently in disagree 
 ment with the letters. Those, on the other hand, 
 are seldom dated; and many pages from them, 
 as well as many entire letters, are wanting. There 
 fore the narrative is not always unbroken, and 
 the story frequently lacks those salient features 
 which letters written with an eye to publication 
 would have been almost certain to possess. To 
 see the Civil War from the comparatively new 
 point of view of these unstudied sketches is, how 
 ever, in itself interesting. To read through these 
 artless pictures the strong, unselfish character of 
 a noble woman is doubly worth while. 
 
 A few pages from the Autobiography will serve, 
 by their conciseness, as a sort of preface to the 
 more detailed letters which are then to follow. 
 
32 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 [From the Autobiography.] 
 
 Miss Dix, who had been appointed by the 
 President head of the army nurses, took me from 
 Washington to Alexandria to the Mansion House 
 Hospital. She told me on the journey that the 
 surgeon in charge was determined to give her no 
 foothold in any hospital where he reigned, and 
 that I was to take no notice of anything that 
 might occur, and was to make no complaint what 
 ever might happen. She was a stern woman of 
 few words. 
 
 There seemed to be much confusion about the 
 Mansion House which before the war was a 
 famous hotel and every part of it was crowded. 
 She left me in the office and went in search of 
 Dr. S. The sight of the wounded continuously 
 carried through on stretchers, or led in as they 
 arrived from the boats that lay at the foot of the 
 street on which the hospital stood (this was just 
 after that awful Cedar Mountain battle [August 
 9] ) , seemed more than I could bear, and I thought 
 Miss Dix would never come. At last she appeared, 
 with Dr. S., who eyed me keenly and, it seemed 
 to me, very savagely, and gave me in charge of 
 an orderly to show me to the surgical ward, as 
 it was called. It consisted of many small rooms, 
 with a broad corridor, every room so full of cots 
 that it was only barely possible to pass between 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 3 3 
 
 them. Such a sorrowful sight; the men had just 
 been taken off the battle-field, some of them had 
 been lying three or four days almost without 
 clothing, their wounds never dressed, so dirty and 
 wretched. Some one gave me my charges as to 
 what I was to do; it seemed such a hopeless task 
 to do anything to help them that I wanted to 
 throw myself down and give it up. Miss Dix left 
 me, and soon the doctors came and ordered me to 
 follow them while they examined and dressed the 
 wounds. They seemed to me then, and after 
 wards I found they were, the most brutal men I 
 ever saw. They were both volunteers, and one 
 was a converted Jew who was constantly pro 
 claiming it. 
 
 So I began my work, I might say night and 
 day. The surgeon told me he had no room for 
 me, and a nurse told me he said he would make 
 the house so hot for me I would not stay long. 
 When I told Miss Dix I could not remain with 
 out a room to sleep in, she, knowing the plan of 
 driving me out, said, " My child " (I was as nearly 
 as old as herself), "you will stay where I have 
 placed you." In the mean time McClellan s army 
 was being landed below us from the Peninsula. 
 Night and day the rumbling of heavy cannon, 
 the marching of soldiers, the groaning of the sick 
 and wounded were constantly heard; and yet in 
 
 3 
 
34 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 all that time I never once looked from the win 
 dows, I was so busy with the men. 
 
 One of the rooms of the ward was the operat 
 ing-room, and the passing in and out of those 
 who were to be operated upon, and the coming 
 and going of surgeons added so much to the gen 
 eral confusion. I doubt if at any time during the 
 war there was ever such confusion as at this 
 time. The insufficient help, the unskilful sur 
 geons, and a general want of organization were 
 very distressing; but I was too busy then and 
 too tired for want of proper sleep to half realize 
 it. Though I slept at the bedsides of the men 
 or in a corner of the rooms, I was afraid to com 
 plain lest I be discharged. I was -horribly igno 
 rant, of course, and could only try to make the 
 men comfortable; but the staff doctors were very 
 friendly and occasionally helped me, and some 
 one occasionally showed me about bandaging, so 
 by degrees I began to do better. The worst 
 doctor had been discharged, much to my joy, but 
 the other one, despite his drinking habits, stayed 
 on. After the morning visit it was no use calling 
 upon him for anything, and I had to rely on the 
 officer of the day if I needed help. I know now 
 that many a life could have been saved if there 
 had been a competent surgeon in the ward. 
 
 At this time the ward was full of very sick 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 35 
 
 men and sometimes two would be dying -at the 
 same time, and both begging me to stay with 
 them, so I got little sleep or rest. Moreover, I 
 had no room of my own. Occasionally a nurse 
 would extend the hospitality of the floor in hers, 
 and I would have a straw bed dragged in on which 
 to get a few hours sleep. This, with a hurried 
 bath and fresh clothes, was my only rest for 
 weeks. It was no use to complain. The sur 
 geon simply stormed at me and said there was 
 no room ; while Miss Dix would say, " You can 
 bear it awhile, my child; I have placed you here 
 and you must stay." I was at that time her only 
 nurse in the Mansion House. Later she suc 
 ceeded in getting rid of all the others and replacing 
 them with her own. 
 
 From the first letter, written from Washington, 
 it would appear that Miss Dix had intended to 
 take this new nurse to Culpeper (to which General 
 Banks corps fell back after Cedar Mountain). 
 Some change of plan, however, led to her going, 
 instead, to the Mansion House Hospital at Alex 
 andria. There she remained until forced, in July, 
 1863, by a severe attack of dysentery, to ask for 
 a furlough and to seek recuperation with her sis 
 ters in Lexington. 
 
36 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 WASHINGTON, August, 1862. 
 
 I have just arrived and do not know when I 
 can write again. Miss Dix has just had a tele 
 gram that four hundred men lie at Culpeper with 
 wounds undressed and everything waiting. She 
 goes herself and takes me, so already the work 
 has begun. Miss Dix is n t one bit of a dragon 
 or griffin to me. She received me sweetly and 
 right off asked me to go with her. Help me 
 with your prayers and good wishes. I shall try 
 my best to make you feel I m not sent in vain. 
 
 The following record of the first six or seven 
 weeks of her experience gives but a faint idea of 
 what Mary von Olnhausen encountered in that 
 eventful time. With no experience of serious 
 wounds and with no knowledge of nursing be 
 yond what she had gained in her ministrations 
 to those among her family and friends who had 
 been ill, she was plunged, without preface, into 
 a crowded hospital during one of the bloodiest 
 campaigns of the Civil War. When she arrived 
 at the Mansion House, she had to make her way 
 through a double procession, one of seriously 
 wounded men being taken in, the other of dead 
 being carried out. With no easy and gradual 
 preparation, but on that very night, she was 
 called upon to assist at capital operations per- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 37 
 
 formed with little or no anaesthetic, by surgeons 
 who, naturally brutal, had been made doubly so 
 by the hurry of overwork and the magnitude of 
 their seemingly endless task. The operating-room 
 was literally a sea of blood, and its operators had 
 become little better than butchers. 
 
 To conditions so adverse were added a hostile 
 atmosphere and a disorganized service, or, rather, 
 a service that had never yet been organized. To 
 those who know or remember only the splendid 
 results of the war and the nobility of self-sacrifice 
 which made these results possible, it is difficult to 
 believe how rankly political corruption, favoritism, 
 and jobbery flourished in the Civil War, above all 
 in the years of its beginning. This hospital espe 
 cially, in the outskirts of Washington where had 
 gathered all the harpies and vultures of the politi 
 cal camp, was at that time filled with political 
 henchmen and their satellites, more eager for profit 
 than for the binding up of wounds. Superadded 
 to this corruption was the inevitable disorder and 
 inefficiency inseparable from the organizing of a 
 conflict so stupendous by a country unused to war. 
 And this unorganized, this overworked, this more 
 or less corrupt hospital staff was a unit in only 
 one direction, that of hatred towards women 
 nurses and of determination to " make it so hot " 
 for them as to render it impossible for them to 
 
38 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 remain. To learn the profession of nursing, to 
 bring order out of chaos, to overcome the unrea 
 sonable prejudice of men brutalized by the horrors 
 of a crude and hurried surgery was the task that 
 Mary von Olnhausen had before her; and one 
 can easily accept her apologies for writing this 
 "growling" (as she calls it) letter. 
 
 September 21, 1862, Sunday afternoon. 
 
 At last I have a few moments that are really 
 my own and a room, too, to sit in that is really 
 mine, and I m so glad to be alone and writing 
 you. I have been so happy to get your two let 
 ters telling me about you all and especially about 
 that box ; you can have no possible idea of the 
 good it will do. I know what all the Sanitary 
 committees in the North have done and how much 
 they think the poor soldiers are comforted ; but I 
 can assure you that in the way of delicacies they 
 get mighty little, none in fact, and, so far, 
 not even good, nourishing food. As I told the 
 Inspector General a few days since, both in qual 
 ity and quantity it is intolerable. While they are 
 feeding a thousand outsiders (which was the case 
 during the passing through of the troops and the 
 coming of the wounded), it was excusable; but 
 at no other time. The day before he came bean 
 soup was sent up so salt that no one could swal- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 39 
 
 low a second spoonful ; the beef tea was in the 
 same state; and the beans were so hard that all 
 would have had cholera morbus if they could have 
 eaten them. 
 
 Moreover, the cooks are so overbearing that it 
 is like begging for life to get a thing for the really 
 sick ones who cannot eat common diet. Yet the 
 nurses are obliged to do all extra cooking and are 
 not allowed the use of anything but tin cups or 
 plates; and if we ask for spoon or knife or milk 
 or eggs, you better hear the fuss ! The kitchen is 
 a perfect Babel at meal-times, and, rather than en 
 counter the noise, every day I buy eggs and milk, 
 in fact almost every nice thing for the sick ones. 
 I know I have a right to them here ; but I ve 
 learned enough to know that all who make com 
 plaints to headquarters are not only unpopular 
 there but are pitched into by all the house; so I 
 just speak to nobody, get what I can, and buy the 
 rest. Sometimes I can make eyes at the ice-box 
 man and he 11 give me a bit of chicken and mut 
 ton ; but he is n t always to be melted any more 
 than his ice, though he is the only one who really 
 seems to work for the soldiers. He s quite a char 
 acter, and is the only man from Dr. S. down who 
 does n t swear. I m so disgusted with this last 
 that I think nothing is to be so longed for as to 
 be delivered from swearing, it s worse than 
 
 i 
 
40 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 temptation. Now you 11 thmk I am writing a 
 real growling letter; but I know you want to 
 know all, and Mrs. J. s remarks that we live so 
 fine are utterly groundless. Her husband laughed 
 well at them. 
 
 Our bill-of-fare has been unvaried from the 
 time we came till now (I mean at the nurses 
 table) ; almost always sour bread, and always the 
 worst possible butter, and coffee that can be imag 
 ined (I am speaking of breakfast), with sometimes 
 a bit of tough, overdone steak, often no milk, and 
 sometimes no butter. At dinner invariably worse 
 beef, very much done, sometimes potatoes and 
 sometimes not, and once in a while sweet pota 
 toes, which, you know, I hate (but I always claim 
 my share, as I can take it to some poor fellow in 
 my ward), together with, about once a week, a 
 small piece of pie. Twice we have had a change 
 of baked salt pork instead of beef. For supper 
 there are always the same sour bread and butter 
 and such tea; and this is all. To-day I went 
 out and begged a little mutton soup. The cook 
 gave me some, growling, and said it was only 
 made for the sick. When I tasted it I thought it 
 was too poor for the well. They say we are going 
 to have a grand reform, that at Washington there 
 is to be a bill-of-fare issued and strictly enforced. 
 
 Then what we eat is as nothing to how we eat. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 41 
 
 We eat with all the cooks and kitchen attendants, 
 and to appreciate them you must once see and hear 
 them. Sometimes I think I cannot bear it another 
 hour, that I ll just leave here; but when I see 
 these miserable nurses and more miserable attend 
 ants who are here merely for the poor pay, I think 
 it cruel to go, for, if anywhere, I can do some 
 good here; these poor fellows have at least some 
 one to help them. All about the house say I m 
 so proud, and I always intend to be; but in my 
 ward the sick men do not think so, and the bless 
 ings and thanks I get from them are all I care 
 for. They, every one, seem as fond of me as if I 
 belonged to them, and I wish you could hear them 
 talk as I sit by their dying beds. 
 
 Every man except one has died so happy ; 1 and 
 he, poor fellow, was so afraid he would die that 
 at last he frightened himself into it. He was a 
 young sergeant from Ohio, only nineteen, and it 
 
 1 \From the Autobiography^ 
 
 Some one once wrote to me to tell her of the different death-beds 
 I had witnessed, especially of the death-bed repentances. I can 
 only say that, with the exception of two, none of all my men was 
 afraid to die. I don t remember one who ever expressed repent 
 ance ; many wished to live, but all seemed to die without fear of 
 the future. The saddest thing about a death in the hospital is the 
 immediate removal of the body. The attendants come with the 
 white sheet which so closely enfolds them, they are silently taken 
 to the dead-house, and the work goes on as if they had never been. 
 Next morning the empty bed, fresh for another patient, is the only 
 reminder of the past night. 
 
42 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 was so pitiful to see him; but, mercifully, he was 
 unconscious for some hours before his death. His 
 father wrote me such a sorrowful letter. One 
 man sent for me in the middle of the night to 
 come and make his will. He took the ring from 
 his finger for his sister, and his watch and money 
 and notes, and had three other patients witness 
 it. He read it aloud to them in such a clear, loud 
 voice, and pretty soon he died. I read the Bible 
 to him, and he prayed so good; he said he was 
 glad to die, for he never could pray before and 
 his sister wanted him so much to be a Christian. 
 
 The poor little boy that I told you had lockjaw 
 died such an awful death. He dictated a pretty 
 boy letter to his mother, it would have gone 
 right to your heart. He said : " You told me, 
 mother dear, I d either come home a cripple or 
 dead ; but, mother, I could n t stay home and see 
 all those noble boys go away to be shot and me 
 staying home and not helping too; but I killed 
 the Rebel who shot me, so he can t kill another 
 boy. He came around the tree after I fell and 
 then I took good aim and killed him." He was 
 such a dear little country boy, so good and natural ; 
 he said : " I d like to live real well, but then if 
 I can t, I 11 try to die and not make any more fuss 
 than I can help ; " but, poor fellow, he could n t 
 help it. He was n t seventeen. Colonel Hildreth, 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 43 
 
 the man who exposed the swill milk, brought him 
 from the field l after he had lain there four or 
 five days. He took an ambulance and himself 
 alone drove through all and brought back a load 
 of them. 
 
 Did not our government do shamefully to let 
 so many lie there and die? I am so indignant I 
 can t hear of it. It was shameful, and here these 
 surgeons from Boston did all they could to get 
 leave to go to the field, and were denied. It was 
 too awful; you can t realize it unless you were 
 here to see them, as I have, brought in after such 
 suffering. One old Scotchman in my ward lay 
 six days and seven nights, and had only water 
 that the Rebels would now and then give him, and 
 nothing to eat all that time. Yesterday symp 
 toms of lockjaw appeared, and he will soon die 
 of it. 
 
 But now comes one of my great troubles; 
 you know I was placed in a ward that had no 
 female nurse for a long time, and only a horrid, 
 wicked man for a ward master. He treated the 
 patients too cruelly; first thing I did was to have 
 him sent to his regiment, it s so painful to 
 know there are such bad men for soldiers. The 
 ward was dirtier than you can know, and not one 
 decent attendant, though the largest ward in the 
 
 1 Probably that of the second Bull Run. 
 
44 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 house. I ve told you how I worked ; all the sick 
 est I had charge of. About four weeks ago came 
 a nurse who said she had been in the Crimea, 
 at any rate she was English and had been four 
 teen years in hospitals. They gave her a back, 
 upstairs ward. She, of course, knows about ban 
 daging and all that; but, like all old hospital 
 nurses, is no nurse otherwise. She is the one I 
 had to room with. I almost preferred no bed, as 
 at first; but I would not say one word, it seems 
 so selfish to complain here. Last week, just as I 
 was congratulating myself how well all went and 
 that the wards were so clean and orderly, up came 
 Dr. S. and thundered out : " Madam, I intend to 
 remove you; I intend Mrs. R. to have this ward; 
 this is the most important one in the house and I 
 consider her the most splendid nurse in the coun 
 try; and, by , those are the kind of women 
 
 I intend to fill this house with." 
 
 You may judge how bad I felt to leave those 
 men I had had right from the field, and they so 
 fond of me and good; they felt just as bad as I 
 did. It was sweet to hear so many " God bless 
 you s " and assurances that I had saved their lives. 
 I really believe them, for the doctor of the ward 
 was the most negligent, disagreeable, swearing 
 man I ever met, and left everything to me. Just 
 as I was departing we heard a fearful noise in the 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 45 
 
 entry, and along was dragged my lady, by two 
 officers, dead drunk and swearing like a trooper. 
 So that s the way she took possession of her new 
 ward! I think my exit was better than her en 
 trance. This, of course, made the poor fellows 
 feel ten times worse; and whenever I slip in to 
 see them now there are many tearful eyes, and 
 they beg me so to come back. You see I did 
 everything for them, cooked them good things, 
 watched with them nights whenever they needed 
 me, and never left my ward except to eat or sleep ; 
 and they (a sister of hers has come to help her, 
 and they are both of a piece) are never there, 
 just go over the wounds once or twice a day and 
 do nothing more. I acknowledge their superior 
 ity in bandaging; but even there I am getting 
 even with them; already the surgeon-general has 
 praised mine. My new place can t interest me like 
 the old one. I try to do for all alike, but my heart 
 is there most of the time. You may think it 
 strange that I do not leave such a house; but I 
 talked with the Chaplain, 1 who is a Massachusetts 
 
 1 [From the Autobiography. ] 
 
 I must speak at this time of our Chaplain [Rev. Henry Hop 
 kins, now President of Williams College]. Without him I think 
 I could not have gone through the trials I had to bear. Without 
 exception he was the truest friend and Christian and the bravest 
 man I ever knew. Night and day he was ready and willing to 
 attend the men, listen to their complaints, write their letters, and 
 comfort them in their last hours. Many a sorrowing one at home 
 
46 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 man and such a Christian, and he begs me to stay 
 here, says I must remember I came for the sol 
 diers, not myself, and here I can do more good 
 than anywhere else. 
 
 In the next letter reference is made to Lexing 
 ton as a source of supply for the Hospital. This 
 
 must have been comforted by his words written from these death 
 beds. He had a terrible experience at the second Bull Run battle 
 field, where our men lay for many days without food or water, the 
 ground being in the hands of the enemy. After long pleading, the 
 authorities gave him a pass and ambulance to go through the lines, 
 but he had neither escort nor surgeon. He started at nine o clock 
 at night with, I think, twenty ambulances. It was raining hard, the 
 roads over which the army had so recently passed were in a fright 
 ful state, and he had to go on horseback the distance of fifty miles. 
 It was almost impossible to keep the train together, many of the 
 drivers were drunk, and some would fall asleep, letting their horses 
 stop and blocking those behind. So he must ride backward and 
 forward the whole night. In the early morning he arrived, and 
 what a sight of sorrow met him ! Of course all the rebels, both 
 wounded and dead, had been removed ; but our men lay as they had 
 fallen, days before. He began his search, and this, he said, was the 
 hardest task of his life, to decide whom to leave and whom to bring 
 away. Of course he could bring only those able to bear such a 
 journey. The others must be left. Think what a situation for them 
 and himself, every one begging so to be taken ! The men worked 
 well in loading the wagons, for they were anxious to get home, hav 
 ing had nothing to eat, since everything the Chaplain had with him 
 was distributed among those he must leave behind. After praying 
 with the poor fellows, he started on his weary journey back. All 
 that day he rode backward and forward, hearing only the groans of 
 the wounded and the oaths of the drivers, and did not arrive at the 
 hospital again until nine o clock at night. I shall never forget his 
 weary face. The poor fellows he brought needed every comfort, 
 and nearly all the night was passed in caring for them. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 47 
 
 is a good place, therefore, to insert those extracts 
 from the Autobiography which bear upon the 
 work of the devoted women of that town. 1 Their 
 ceaseless labors and unstinted generosity enabled 
 Mrs. von Olnhausen to do much for her soldiers 
 that otherwise would have been impossible; and 
 she never failed to give those ladies full credit for 
 their share in her work. Indeed, so generous was 
 her nature, that she perhaps assigned to them a 
 larger measure of credit than they would have 
 cared to claim. She, to whom most of the prod 
 uct of their busy hands went, says of them : 
 
 [From the Autobiography^ 
 
 I had constantly been receiving comforts of all 
 kinds for the sick and wounded in my care from 
 my kind friends at home. These I had always 
 kept in my own room (now I had one), giving 
 them, when needed, to the sick in other wards as 
 well as to those in my own. One day the head 
 surgeon sent for me, and said he heard I was in 
 the habit of receiving such things, and that he 
 had determined in future to have all such boxes 
 sent to the dispensary and distributed from there. 
 Therefore all such things as I had in my posses 
 sion must be sent there at once. I told him all I 
 
 1 An interesting account of the work of these active women is 
 given by Miss Hudson in the "Proceedings of the Lexington 
 Historical Society," VoL II. p. 197. 
 
48 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 had came from my personal friends in Lexington, 
 and sooner than have them given to his drunken 
 dispensary clerks to be eaten and drank and used 
 by them, I would throw them out upon the pave 
 ment. He said the complaint was constantly made 
 that my men were better served and cared for, 
 and petitions were constantly made to be admitted 
 there on that account. I assured him that I al 
 ways divided with all who really needed them. 
 Then he told me there was an order addressed to 
 me for a number of barrels of apples lying at the 
 wharf, that they were needed for the hospital, and 
 that I must give an order for them to be sent to 
 him at once. " No," I said, " those are for my 
 self, and I shall send them back unless I can do 
 with them what I choose." So I bade him adieu 
 and flew back to my room, expecting every mo 
 ment some new development. 
 
 Soon came another summons to the office. He 
 asked if I had changed my mind, as an order had 
 come that the apples must be at once sent for. I 
 told him " No." " Well, what will you do with 
 them ? " " Have them sent to my ward and from 
 there distributed, unless you will give me a store 
 room where they can be safely locked and the key 
 put in my charge." After a moment he asked, if he 
 would do that, would I be willing to place my 
 own stores there and take charge and distribute 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 49 
 
 them as they were needed. I answered, " No, I 
 was there to dress wounds and care for the sol 
 diers personally, and I was too busy to do it and 
 take charge of my ward." He. became angry and 
 asked me to suggest some one to whom I would 
 be willing to give the room. A few days before 
 Miss Dix had brought to the hospital a widow 
 whom I could trust, so I suggested her ; and after 
 much talk the thing was settled. Meantime he 
 gave me a room for the apples; so by night they 
 were stored. Then I sent to every ward a barrel, 
 one to the cooks and one to the doctor. They 
 were a splendid lot, and so welcome, for we had 
 had only very little fruit and every one craved 
 it. Very soon the store-room was a fixed fact, 
 and I had the comfort of knowing that the whole 
 house enjoyed what was meant for the soldiers. 
 
 Lexington came to be a very dear place to all 
 I cared for. I am sure many who read these 
 papers will remember the name with gratitude 
 even without its sacred associations. It was such 
 a delight to receive a box from Lexington, and 
 the expectation of what had come was so great 
 that I usually made a little feast for the men s 
 tea. I always identified myself with Lexington, 
 and never can enough thank that little band of 
 good women who gave me the opportunity to do 
 so much good. Their interest never flagged. Till 
 
 4 
 
50 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 the very end of the war every month brought com 
 forts from them. A soldier never went from my 
 ward, either to his regiment or to his home, with 
 out some proper clothing and often a little money 
 to help him on the journey. For this I take no 
 credit; it was only through those dear friends I 
 was able to do it. 
 
 Wednesday [October, 1862], 
 
 To-night, for supper, I have made some butter 
 cakes for my men, and such a glorious hash; 
 and won t they think I m the best woman in the 
 house? They do, anyway; you ought to hear 
 them brag! I know old Lexington would be real 
 glad. I made gruel in my little saucepan the 
 first thing this morning. The cook flew at me 
 as I was going out of the kitchen : " Here, you 
 can t take that upstairs; it s against the rules." 
 I wanted to say " darn the rules," but I only 
 said, " It s mine, I thank you," and I felt big. I 
 am always running against some of their rules; 
 but it s hard keeping the run, they have so many. 
 Now I don t " say it for say," but no bandages 
 are like yours. I can do an arm or leg forty 
 times as well with them, and we are likely to 
 want all we have if the report is true of the big 
 battle. I dread to see the house filled again with 
 more poor sufferers. You would be amused to 
 hear me entertaining them in the evening. I go 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 5 1 
 
 the whole rounds, taking my little camp-stool, or 
 kneeling beside their beds. They all treat me with 
 such confidence. I know all their histories and 
 sorrows; they talk just like I was their mother. 
 How I do wish I were real good and pious; I 
 could do so much then. 
 
 The remaining extracts from her letters for the 
 year 1862 are fully characteristic of this impul 
 sive, warm-hearted, enthusiastic, not always dis 
 criminating woman. Her denunciations of the 
 Post Camp (of which the " fever camps " of the 
 Spanish-American War seem to have been a mild 
 repetition), her personal affection for all her pa 
 tients, her unhesitating hospitality, the results of 
 which make her " bawl/ her good-natured ridi 
 cule of her guests and of herself picture Mary 
 von Olnhausen just as she was and as she re 
 mained to the end of her long life. She wore 
 her heart and her frank, open character upon her 
 sleeve, and many were the unworthy daws who 
 profited thereby. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, November 9, 1862. 
 
 Did I tell you that Governor Andrew was here 
 one day, and in my ward, too? I was so sorry 
 to miss him; but, as usual, when anybody comes 
 I m cooking. He talked " bunkum " to the Mas- 
 
52 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 sachusetts boys ; they all felt so proud, and it made 
 the other boys quite jealous. 
 
 I wish you could look into my ward to-night 
 and see these miserable sick men who have come 
 in from the convalescent camp during the last 
 week. Such wrecks I never saw, all worn out 
 with fever and diarrhoea or some other chronic 
 complaint; it s worse than wounded men. This 
 horrid camp is about a mile from here and is 
 such a place! Several thousand have been there, 
 just lying on the ground in tents, many without 
 blankets, none with more than one, the worst pos 
 sible food to eat, and growing sicker and dying 
 every day. Your heart would ache forever after 
 if you could once see them. All discharged 
 from the hospitals, both here and at Washington, 
 are sent out there; it s called the Post Camp. 
 Men just getting up from wounds, fevers, and 
 other sickness, men who have been confined for 
 months in hospitals without any exercise or ex 
 posure, when pronounced fit to join their regi 
 ments, are sent out there to await orders. Some 
 of them lie for weeks there, not being able to 
 learn where their regiment is or even to get trans 
 portation to it. These are sure to get sick again, 
 and many of them die. The camp is so disor 
 ganized that it s almost impossible to find a man 
 after he once gets into it. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 5 3 
 
 One night last week, about nine o clock, five of 
 these men were sent to me, and I had but three 
 empty beds. Five such objects I never saw, 
 three with typhoid, one German with shaking 
 palsy, and one with paralysis. They told me they 
 had been pronounced fit for duty and sent out 
 there, where they had been for three weeks or 
 more, every day growing sicker. The night before 
 it had rained steadily and they just lay in pools 
 of mud. What can our government be doing to 
 let such a place exist? Two of them have already 
 died and one of the others, I fear, will. The 
 Massachusetts man (from Plymouth) was brought 
 up in a smaller man s arms, like a baby; so you 
 can think how thin he was. He had his senses, 
 and talked so much about getting home and his 
 " Carry," it was just too pitiful. The Chaplain 
 wrote to her for him, and again after his death. 
 
 He and a young man from New York both died 
 last Sunday night; the other one never had his 
 senses after he came in, so we could find nothing 
 out about him; but he was always talking of his 
 mother; and when I called him Charlie he said, 
 * That s what mother called me; she always said 
 Charlie." He seemed to want me with him all 
 the time, would look around for me and get right 
 out of bed to follow me as soon as I left him. 
 They lay at extreme ends of the ward, so I just 
 
54 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 ran from one to the other all day. One died at 
 eight and the other at nine o clock, so I could be 
 with both. I never leave a man to sleep or to eat 
 when I think he will soon die ; it seems at least as 
 if a woman ought to close these poor fellows eyes ; 
 no mother or wife or sister about them. I feel 
 that I must be all to them then, and the last word? 
 of many dying men have been thanks for what I 
 have done. It is so splendid to be able to do any 
 thing for them ; I do not lose my interest or enthu 
 siasm one bit. Everybody said, when I first came, 
 " Oh, you 11 get over this after a while and be 
 hard just like us," but I never can. If possible, 
 I feel more than then. 
 
 Such a pleasant thing happened to-day. It was 
 snowing, and I was on my knees trying to make 
 my fire burn, when came a knock, and in walked 
 a young man. I thought I d seen his face, but 
 still it was so changed, I could not place him; he 
 had to tell me who he was. He was one of the 
 Culpeper boys who left for some Northern hos 
 pital the first of September. He was wounded 
 through the body, and was very sick while under 
 my care. He had just got back to the Post Camp 
 to join his regiment, and came at once to see and 
 thank me. The tears ran down his cheeks when 
 he told me how he missed my care and how sick 
 he had been since he left here. His wound re- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 55 
 
 opened and fever ensued, and for three days he 
 did nothing but call for Miss Mary (that s what 
 they call me, my name is so hard). When he 
 came to his senses they all bothered him so; but 
 he told them he could never be shamed for that; 
 I was the best nurse and the best woman he knew, 
 and if all the nurses were like me many a poor 
 boy would get well who had died. He says that 
 all the other boys who went at that time said the 
 same. Of course I felt real grateful, but I think 
 the feeling was more for my friends and Lexing 
 ton than for myself. I should so hate to disap 
 point them, and am so proud when I make them 
 a pleasure. 
 
 One morning last week I heard that the First 
 Massachusetts and all that division were moving; 
 so I asked Dr. Stewart for an ambulance and went 
 out to the camp, hardly hoping that I should see 
 them, as all said I would be too late. How glad I 
 was I went! It was the finest sight I ever saw. 
 Far and near they were breaking camp, and from 
 a high hill we saw the whole division in motion; 
 it was grand. We had a chance to speak to every 
 body we knew, and to bid them good-bye. They 
 expected a fight immediately, but as yet we have 
 not heard of them. It made me sad enough, 
 though, to see them all going. I thought how 
 many of them would never come back. They 
 
56 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 were in splendid spirits longed for a fight the 
 best kind. That s the only time I ve been out 
 of the house since I wrote you last. 
 
 The disastrous battle of Fredericksburg, with 
 its great number of killed and wounded, took 
 place on December 13. Worn out with excitement 
 and fatigue, and justly indignant at the inadequacy 
 of the preparations for caring for the suffering 
 men, Mrs. von Olnhausen wrote : 
 
 Monday night [December 15, 1862]. 
 
 To-day has been such an awful day, bringing 
 in the wounded from Frederick. The whole street 
 was full of ambulances, and the sick lay outside 
 on the sidewalks from nine in the morning till 
 five in the evening. Of course, places were found 
 for some; but already the house was full; so the 
 most had to be packed back again and taken off 
 to Fairfax Seminary, two miles out. I have been 
 so indignant all day, not a thing done for them, 
 not a wound dressed. To be sure, they got dinner ; 
 but no supper. They reached town last evening, 
 lay in the cars all night without blankets or food, 
 were chucked into ambulances, lay about here all 
 day, and to-night were put back into ambulances 
 and carted off again. I think every man who 
 comes a-soldiering is a fool! 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 57 
 
 Sunday night [December, 1862]. 
 
 This has been as blue a week as ever I passed. 
 Tuesday night (I mean Tuesday week) two 
 women arrived, one to see her sick son and the 
 other her husband; one came from western Wis 
 consin and the other from northern New York. 
 Dr. S. had just made a new law forbidding visitors 
 to stay in the house; but they were so very poor, 
 and had come so far and felt so bad, I could not 
 bear to see them. So I, bold as a sheep, really 
 decided to face the doctor and to beg him to let 
 them stay. At first he said decidedly, " No ; " 
 but you know how I hang on and grow braver; 
 so finally to get rid of me, I guess he said, 
 " Yes, if you will take them into your own room." 
 Oh, dear! now I had just got so nicely settled 
 and so snug ; but of course I could not refuse, and 
 would not, under the circumstances. One of them 
 is very sweet, but the other is a real prairie woman, 
 all but the sunbonnet. Thursday night came a 
 new woman, from western Massachusetts. Dr. S. 
 sent for me and asked if I had any objection 
 to receiving this Mrs. M. as sharer of my room, 
 since there was no unoccupied room fit for her at 
 present. He seemed to forget that I had two ladies 
 already hidden there. Of course I had to take her, 
 although I did hate it so bad. So that night we 
 had four, and only bedding for two, and the room 
 
58 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 not large. Next morning the Wisconsin man died, 
 and his wife left that night; but before she left 
 down came Miss Dix with two nurses, one to 
 superintend the low diet and one as nurse; as 
 Doctor was not in, and she must return to Wash 
 ington, she begged me to take charge of them till 
 his return. Now here were six of us, and my 
 gentleman not returned when night came! I 
 managed to find two empty beds in the ward to 
 put them in, but all day Sunday imagine my utter 
 despair! All of them sitting here the whole day, 
 and Monday and Tuesday; who could write? I 
 only felt like bawling. I could not keep the room 
 decent, and they all looked so forlorn and, mind 
 you, they had to furnish their own food and cook 
 it themselves, so my stewer was always going. 
 I could not wash or dress, or in fact do anything; 
 and the ward is kept so cold I could not sit any 
 where with comfort. I had so many errands to 
 do for them I was quite worn out. 
 
 At last, Wednesday, Dr. S. came; one nurse 
 he rejected, the other he retained ; and to Mrs. M. 
 he assigned a ward ; but we were still four, 
 all widows, all old, and all but me exceedingly 
 pious, and ministers widows at that. Sometimes 
 we would have jolly laughs, though, for all the 
 trouble; and Mrs. B., the one who will take charge 
 of the cooking, is lovely, just such a woman as I 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 59 
 
 like. Yesterday, Mrs. B. got her room, and out 
 of pity to me she let Mrs. M. sleep in it. So I 
 expected to have at least a bed again; when, just 
 at dark, came in another nurse with a note from 
 Miss Dix to please give her Sunday quarters. So 
 I took the blanket again and don t mean to expect 
 any more peace; they have every one been sitting 
 here all day, and I had to wait for them to go to 
 bed to get a chance at you. 
 
 We have been sending off this week every one 
 who could be moved ; and you may believe it s 
 been a pretty blue time with me, I have had so 
 many of them so long under my care. All have 
 been sent to New York on the Daniel Webster; 
 thanks to that last splendid box, I have been able 
 to make many of them comfortable. Not one 
 left without some warm garments. I expect they 
 will suffer much as it is, but I m glad they are 
 getting near home. Poor fellows! some of them 
 are so lean and miserable. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 ARRIVING at the Mansion House Hos 
 pital in August of 1862, Mrs. von Oln- 
 hausen seems to have conquered the 
 prejudices of the surgical staff by the beginning 
 of 1863. Therefore that year was to prove a 
 happier one. The long strain of work, however, 
 together with the evil climate of Washington, 
 brought upon her, in June, 1863, a serious attack 
 of dysentery. This so reduced her that she was 
 obliged to ask for a furlough and to return, with 
 some of her relatives who had come for her, to 
 Lexington. 
 
 Her letters during this first half of 1863 need 
 little comment. They chronicle, in her amusing 
 way, the conciliation of her first head-surgeon and 
 the coming of a successor; her temporarily suc 
 cessful but eventually disastrous warfare with a 
 most " unjust steward ; " and the varying duties 
 and pleasures of her busy life. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, Sunday evening [January, 1863]. 
 I suppose you just think I never am going to 
 write again; but I can t help it, I live in such a 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 6 1 
 
 state of confusion all the time. There is always 
 somebody new quartered upon me. I have had 
 a " game " leg and so many bad sick ones, and 
 now I have lost one poor boy. His death was 
 such a mystery to me, for when 1 he did not die 
 of lockjaw, which I expected from the appearance 
 of the wound, I could not believe how he could 
 die so soon. He died Saturday ; and the Tuesday 
 after, at noon, came his poor father and mother. 
 It was dreadful to have to tell them he was 
 dead and buried. I never witnessed more intense 
 grief; for he was their only boy, and they were 
 so proud of him. But he was the wickedest boy 
 I have ever seen die; almost his last breath was 
 an oath ; and I could not make him say one word 
 for his father or mother. I tried so hard to make 
 him talk of them. How his poor mother did long 
 to have one word from him; I had to invent a 
 bit just to make her a little comfort. They were 
 such nice, respectable people; and stayed until 
 Friday, in my room all the time. You may 
 think how they were in my way, though I could 
 not say " No " to them. 
 
 You will be glad to know the change in Dr. S. s 
 
 1 The use of " when " for " if," which is found so often in her 
 letters, was caught evidently from Mr. von Olnhausen, who could 
 not rid himself of the German wenn. Other German words and 
 idioms crop out frequently in her letters, especially in those written 
 during her residence in Saxony. 
 
6 2 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 treatment of me. I guess he finds it is creditable 
 to him to have some ladies around. He is most 
 polite when he meets me; and the night we were 
 expecting the wounded he came to my door and 
 asked me to go through my ward with him. It 
 was nine o clock, but the rooms did look nice, 
 the beds all so clean, and clothes for each man 
 laid out, such bright fires and warm and cold 
 water, sponges and everything else ready. He 
 was so pleased, and said he had found no other 
 ward in such order. Then he turned and asked 
 me if he might come to my room for a few mo 
 ments, he had something to say to me. When 
 there he told me he had reason to believe that 
 I thought he did not like me, and he himself knew 
 he had been sometimes rude to me, for which he 
 apologized. " But, madam, you are mistaken ; I 
 am more than satisfied; I would have you leave 
 on no account ; you have done and are doing more 
 to elevate the tone of this hospital than any one 
 in it, and anything you ask for your ward or for 
 yourself I will grant; only always come to me; 
 don t send through a third person." Now this 
 was real nice, was n t it ? Everybody likes to be 
 appreciated. He said, too, he had been watching 
 me for a long time and knew all I d done, 
 " and more than that, every doctor and every man 
 in the house likes you." I wish you could hear 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 6 3 
 
 his voice; it is about three times louder than a 
 bull s. He said he knew people called him a Rebel ; 
 but he denied the charge stoutly and spoke right 
 feelingly of his honor to the flag. He finally de 
 clared, " With you and Mrs. B., madam, this 
 house shall be the first hospital in the country ; " 
 and you have no idea what a change there is here 
 since she came. She is matron, has the sole charge 
 of the low diet which is the most important in 
 the house so we are entirely relieved of that 
 horrid cooking; and she does make such nice 
 things, all sorts of delicious delicacies, that one 
 can see the men improve. 
 
 She is a most interesting woman and has had 
 such a sad life. Her only boy was killed in the 
 army. She was at Antietam when her son-in-law 
 came to tell her that her boy was dead. From 
 that moment she was stark mad; they took her 
 home to Chambersburg, forty miles ; she was so 
 bad that the next day they took her, by all the 
 doctors advice, to the asylum at Harrisburg, her 
 daughter and son-in-law going with her. While 
 they were making arrangements for her entrance, 
 she was temporarily placed in the room where all 
 the worst insane were, and there she came to her 
 senses, just think of it, her full and entire senses! 
 She turned to the doctor and said, " Doctor, they 
 have brought me to a mad-house; what is this 
 
64 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 for? " He tried to soothe her; she demanded to 
 see her daughter ; but they supposed it was another 
 phase, so the daughter went off without seeing 
 her at all, fearing to injure her. She was taken 
 to her room, and there were two women always 
 with her night and day, everybody supposing her 
 insane and paying no heed to her. She demanded 
 to go home; of course they would not let her, 
 and there she was kept ten days with her ter 
 rible grief for her dear boy and in this awful 
 life. Then she told her daughter, in a letter, that 
 when she did not come immediately and take her 
 home she would disinherit her and never see her 
 again while she lived. Of course, the poor girl 
 came and took her right away, though the doctor 
 opposed her ; but she saw at once that her mother 
 was entirely sane. Mrs. B. stayed in Chambers- 
 burg two days and then came right to Miss Dix, 
 who treated her so tenderly and beautifully, keep 
 ing her busy now in one hospital, now in another, 
 till she was over the worst of her grief and her 
 health was established. Then she brought her here 
 for good. * 
 
 We had quite an entertainment New Year s 
 night (quite stupid, I mean). Of course all the 
 doctors made lengthy speeches, and then there was 
 tremendous howling of patriotic songs. There 
 were lots of outside ladies, all dressed up fine, in 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 65 
 
 front; and, for the patients, a cake big as a cart 
 wheel and heavy as lead, which was capital. G. 
 will remember how fond I am of cake with a 
 " stripe," though I don t think it is the best diet 
 for sick people. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA [January or February, 1863]. 
 
 I m sure you will be surprised at my long 
 letter to the Society [Lexington Soldiers Aid 
 Society] , and, after all, so little that is satisfactory 
 said in it; but you know just how hard it is for 
 me to write duty letters. Do look over the spelling, 
 especially Pyemia. I don t know if it should have 
 a y or an i in it. I only spelled it as it sounds. 
 You see one word was wrong in the very first; 
 there may be a dozen. When you think I have 
 said too much you might condense it; I could, 
 now it is done, only I have no time to copy. 
 
 Do give me some clue to the P. family. I have 
 a vision of old P. ; what is he? I can t place him, 
 but somehow it seems like he was connected with 
 L. in some funny way. Did she ever have him 
 for a pet chore man (I wrote it " chaw " first) ? 
 Anyway the poor boy looks bad enough. I don t 
 exactly fancy the hospital he is in; but his bed 
 looked clean and I guess he is well taken care of. 
 I promised to go and see him every day, so I shall. 
 How I wish he could have been with me ! I would 
 
66 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 have felt so proud to have a Lexington soldier in 
 my care. 
 
 Do you know, I grow just as mean as a pig with 
 my things ! I won t give a single well man a thing, 
 only those who are going off to camp. It s come 
 to be a regular thing for all the clerks and detailed 
 men about the house to ask for this or that; but 
 I always tell them, " No, they are sent for the sick 
 soldiers and not for well men shirking duty and 
 lying around hospitals! " I used not to be so sav 
 age, but I have got perfectly disgusted with these 
 men. They are just too lazy to do duty, and so get 
 big pay and "laze" around. There are so many 
 invalids who could do all they do, and they might 
 be fighting. When you could once see the abuse! 
 Look into the kitchen, for instance, and see the 
 great, strong men who are cooking ; then you d 
 be mad, too ! 
 
 Isn t it too bad the apples have not come? I 
 feel so disappointed, but Dr. S. is sharp after them. 
 He, by the way, is good as pie to me. Speaking 
 of pies, you did not send me one ; but them dough 
 nuts and that there square gingerbread was too 
 dolicious. I feel pretty mean about giving the 
 last, and the first we ate in our own room. My 
 brains are baked in my head, but I ve got wound 
 up and it s one dem d grind now. The fire is so 
 hot, and if I move my chair one inch the leg will 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 67 
 
 come out. It J s a " compound comminuted frac 
 ture " and takes too much time to set it often. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, February, 1863. 
 
 I must tell you about a little excursion we made 
 on the I4th. Dr. S. gave us leave (Mrs. B. and 
 me) to go down to Mt. Vernon with some of our 
 men. He said we could take but twelve, as the 
 tug could get only within a mile of the shore, 
 and that we must row in a small boat. First we 
 must take those who had been longest wounded 
 and after that all the amputations. He gave us 
 a little tug to go in, the best and fastest on the 
 river, and I wish you could have seen us set off, 
 seven pairs of crutches. It would have done your 
 heart good to see how happy the poor fellows were ; 
 think ! for six months some of them had been shut 
 up and had hardly stepped on the ground. They 
 were just as gay with us old nurses as if we had 
 all been young. I told them, coming home, that 
 the only omission, for St. Valentine s, had been 
 that nobody had asked us to marry him; so they 
 all began at once. The one-legs had the best of it, 
 for they are sure of eight dollars a month. 
 
 I thought I might be able to tell you a little of 
 Mt. Vernon and my impressions, but that would 
 be impossible. I m convinced that one ought to 
 be alone there, or at least with one s best friend, 
 
68 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 everything seems so sacred. You feel that you 
 stand in the presence of the spirit, at least, of 
 Washington ; and I could almost believe I saw him. 
 It seemed wicked to speak aloud. The rooms are 
 unfurnished and most desolate, and the old harpsi 
 chord sounds unearthly. The mantel-piece and 
 hearth in the dining room are splendid. The carv 
 ing is in strong bas-relief to represent agriculture 
 in all its forms. Would you believe that some 
 vandals have broken horns from cows, arms from 
 milkmaids, and legs from dogs and boys to take 
 away as relics ? Is n t it shameful ? The view 
 from the front of the house is splendid; such a 
 beautiful river, with the fort and hills opposite. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA [March, 1863]. 
 
 We have been having a general turn-up and 
 turn-out, and so have much to talk about; every 
 day brings some new thing to light. Dr. S. is 
 promoted and leaves here for some other field. He 
 made his farewell to-night and was much affected 
 at parting. He has been to me as kind as a brother, 
 and has regretted so many times that he did not 
 know me at first. 
 
 Our new doctor in charge is Dr. Page. I don t 
 know where he comes from. I saw him this morn 
 ing for the first time; he is nice looking and 
 gentlemanly, and I m particularly pleased, for he 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 69 
 
 found much fault in every ward but mine, and in 
 mine he praised everything. The fact is I have 
 the best attendants in the house, and they will do 
 anything for me; so it is not much praise to me, 
 after all; and then, at present, I have the only 
 sick in the house ( I mean badly wounded and 
 you d better believe they are well bandaged up 
 inspection days; they have to like it). I am quite 
 impatient to know where I shall be located. There 
 was talk of New Mexico and New Orleans; but 
 nobody knows yet. 
 
 The river is black with ducks ; but they are too 
 dear to buy, and I have no time to go shooting. 
 Sometimes in the early morning I can hear all 
 the birds sing ; but, after that, these army wagons 
 constantly moving deaden any sound, and not a 
 breath of the country reaches us. Now the lizards 
 and beetles are waking up and I long to be out 
 in it. If the weather would only be warm and 
 pleasant we might go out, now that we have lei 
 sure, only the mud is so frightful. 
 
 We have just heard that by the last of the week 
 every bed in the house will be full; the sick and 
 wounded are all to be sent from the front. I am 
 sorry the sick are coming; I never want another 
 sick man in my ward; I like all wounded. Don t 
 you feel hopeful now about the war? These 
 reforms are splendid and so needed. I believe 
 
70 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 now all will go well. How poor the Rebs 
 must be! 
 
 I thought it best not to trouble you with an 
 account of how we have been living lately, 
 everything cut off, nothing but coffee (so poor and 
 with hardly ever milk) and dry bread for break 
 fast; for dinner bread and meat (and such meat! 
 always the tail or neck or some other nasty part), 
 and at night coffee and bread again. Being hun 
 gry is nothing to being so insulted. We knew we 
 had a right to all our rations; and while Dr. S. 
 was here we always urged Mrs. B. to ask him, and 
 so put us out of the power of these cooks. They 
 hate us because we are decent women and will fight 
 for the soldiers rights, thus cutting off their re 
 sources. For some reason she never would; she 
 thought he would believe us selfish or something. 
 
 One day it was past all bearing. I was posi 
 tively so hungry I could have eaten cat s meat. 
 I sat over the fire after supper, tired and hungry 
 and wondering if the good I did was balanced 
 by my suffering (more from insults than any 
 thing else), when all at once it struck me to go 
 to Dr. Page myself. It was eight o clock; I found 
 him alone, and he listened to all my story. He 
 seemed so surprised at it, said we had not even one 
 privilege we were entitled to, called the Steward 
 who is just the meanest, hatefullest (oh, help 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 71 
 
 me to a word, I don t care if it is profane) man 
 that ever lived and told him that in future we 
 were to draw our own rations and have our own 
 cook. I felt so elated, and when I announced it 
 next morning the women actually embraced me. 
 
 Well, we waited for five days; no rations, 
 though we kept demanding them. Then we were 
 cut down short enough; deprived even of sugar. 
 Thereupon I sent word to H. (the Steward) that 
 when the rations did not come at once I would 
 appeal to Dr. Page again. So the rations for ten 
 days (that s the time for drawing) came; but 
 there was such a little allowance that we had to 
 buy half we ate. I got some soldiers who had 
 been in the Quartermaster s department to look 
 at them ; and they said we had not a third of what 
 we ought. So up to Dr. Page I went again and 
 told him of the matter. He called H., who swore 
 we had full weight of everything. I said, " Doc 
 tor, just make us independent of this man; let 
 us draw direct from the Quartermaster." " Cer 
 tainly, when you like it;" and he signed our requi 
 sition for eight women. 
 
 Mrs. B. and I went down, taking a boy along, 
 to bring the rations up. Judge of our conster 
 nation when it took a cart to carry them ! Eighty 
 pounds of meat, eighty pounds of flour, and 
 so much beans, rice, molasses, vinegar, pork, 
 
72 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 tea, coffee and sugar, enough for every lux 
 ury. We acted like fools. I was really ashamed 
 to find myself so rejoiced, even candles. We 
 called all the women down to see, and the cooks 
 were all so mad, knowing we were out of their 
 clutches, they could have bitten us. We went 
 out and traded off sixty-two pounds of meat and 
 got $5.25 for it in cash; this buys our butter 
 and milk. Then our flour we exchange with 
 a baker, pound for pound, so we can have cake 
 and pies sometimes; and we shall keep our beans 
 and rice till we get a bushel of them, and then 
 change them off. Is n t it nice ? And yesterday 
 all gave a little, and the rest we took from the 
 five dollars, making enough to get us cups and 
 saucers, white plates and dishes. You can t think 
 how nice our table looked; the luxury of a cup 
 after drinking eight months out of a tin or earthen 
 mug was too much. I would not have anybody I 
 love connected with the Quartermaster and Hos 
 pital department for the world; they cannot have 
 power, it seems to me, and be honest ; it is proven 
 every day. A good boy comes in and, if he has 
 some talent, is given something to do in that 
 department. From that moment he begins to fall, 
 puts on such airs, and pockets all he can. 
 
 When our own battles were settled, then it was 
 time, when good feeding had given us a little 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 73 
 
 strength, to put in for our patients ; so last Sun 
 day morning I opened fire. Dr. C. has that de 
 partment, so I attacked him ; but he was mad when 
 I told him the patients would starve only for the 
 nurses, who had to buy everything the sickest men 
 ate. He denied it, and said he knew his nurse did 
 not do it. So she was called, and said she did; 
 then the others were called; and, at last, we had 
 about every nurse and doctor in the house growl 
 ing and snarling. Dr. C. said they had every 
 thing according to the new diet-table; some of 
 the doctors denied it and some of them backed 
 him up; at last we all adjourned to some under 
 ground room (the bread-room) to read the table 
 list, when it proved that they got nothing in the 
 quantity even that was ordered there; and as to 
 quality, Lord help them! How I wish you could 
 have heard the row ! It went on all day ; even in 
 the evening everybody was called up and talked 
 to ; and the result is that it has been a little better 
 this week, though far from the mark, and soon 
 (if it grows less every day) it will be back to 
 the old standard, for that wretch H. or somebody 
 will miss the money and get it back if possible. 
 So you see our path is not all rose-leaves, and 
 you can see, too, one of the many impositions 
 put upon the noble fellows who are throwing 
 away their lives for such men as these. Are all 
 
74 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 men naturally bad? That s going to be the only 
 religious question I shall study in the future. I 
 guess this war will make me religious, for one. 
 I am getting a good deal more patient and for 
 giving than I used to be, but I 11 never forgive 
 the soldiers enemies. I can sooner forgive the 
 Rebels who kill them. 
 
 You wonder the boys don t answer the notes 
 [written by Lexington ladies and sent with the 
 clothing] ; you don t know how modest they feel. 
 Then, too, I suppose many of them are not much 
 used to writing. Moreover, they had some rebuffs 
 
 from that Miss ; she wrote to them and they 
 
 answered; and then she thought she would be 
 motherly, advise them about their spelling, etc., 
 and that mortified them. Of course the letters 
 were shown all around, so it s given them all a 
 holy horror of writing to strange women. 
 
 Blue Eyes, my pet boy, leaves me to-morrow; 
 he is too lovely, so confiding and sweet; he is 
 to be discharged. I suppose he cannot walk for 
 a long time, though his wound is quite healed. 
 I shall be bluer than ever when he goes. T., too, 
 goes home to-morrow. I never have told you 
 about him; he is too mean to live. He is dread 
 fully mad they gave him his discharge; says he 
 meant to stay round the hospital this summer, as 
 it s the easiest way to get $13 a month. He s 
 the first mean Massachusetts man I ve met. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 75 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, Friday [March or April, 1863]. 
 
 I hardly know whether I have a head on my 
 shoulders; since last summer I never saw such 
 times here, sick coming and going all the time. 
 I Ve forgotten where I left off and can t think 
 what to tell first. I believe I told you about the 
 amputations we had; those boys were so sick for 
 so long; but that was a hard time! Dr. B. away, 
 and so much resting on me, and such wounds to 
 dress. The arm boy wiggled through and is still 
 alive. He is just as disagreeable as ever; but it 
 is only since four days that we have thought he 
 could live. But that other splendid man dies. I 
 never felt sorrier; he was such a noble fellow 
 and so good and patient. He wanted me by him 
 all the time, and would not let any one touch him 
 but me; he died the Sunday after I wrote last. 
 
 The very night he died they " piked " the 
 wounded in upon us from that cavalry fight. 
 They were all badly shot, and the amputations had 
 all been performed on the field. I had an Eighth 
 Illinois boy with the leg off nearly to the body; 
 he was almost pulseless when he came, and was 
 so much exhausted with the long ride that it was 
 twenty-four hours before we could get him warm 
 at all, and he has been lying in a hopeless state 
 ever since. He dictated such a beautiful letter 
 to his sister, though it was almost impossible to 
 
76 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 keep him awake for more than a minute at a time. 
 He died yesterday morning, and I felt as if half 
 the ward was gone. I had to write his sister; it 
 is so hard to write such letters. He was a better 
 kind of a boy than I was used to seeing in Illinois. 
 
 You would have to be here to realize how busy 
 I have been. We have no low-diet cook now 
 since Mrs. B. gave it up, and it s so hard going 
 up and down four long flights of stairs for every 
 thing; for we can t even warm a drop of water 
 up here. Often I make the journey ten or fifteen 
 times a day. If it were not for this, I would like 
 my ward better than any other in the house; but 
 it takes the wind. 
 
 You can form no idea of our disturbed nights, 
 constant alarms and the backward movement 
 of the army. The continual rattling of heavy 
 wagons and the guard patrolling and challenging, 
 one cannot sleep much. I have not felt fully awake 
 in a fortnight ; and when the noise outside is a little 
 less, comes the watchman with, " Somebody has a 
 chill, or a pain, or wants to see me," so all nights 
 are disturbed ones. You know what a dumb sort 
 of feeling one has after a succession of such nights ; 
 so you can expect only stupidity from me. Sun 
 day evening was the crowner of all; I never can 
 forget it. We were all day expecting the wounded, 
 all who have been lying down front; those poor, 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 77 
 
 neglected soldiers, some seventeen hundred in all, 
 were brought to this place. Such a dreary sight ; 
 the streets perfectly jammed with the poor blessed 
 cripples, ambulances, stretchers, beds, crutches, 
 everything. It was just horrible. It was twelve 
 o clock when the last boat-load arrived ; the attend 
 ants were all tired out with lugging them, and yet 
 there were still hundreds not cared for. Two 
 boat-loads had to be reloaded and sent to Wash 
 ington. Think of those poor sufferers! I had 
 not a single attendant to do a thing. W. and 
 "Jack the Giant Killer" had them all to wash; 
 and I helped do that and dressed all the wounds 
 besides. I had fractures to put up and anterior 
 splints to make, all without one word of advice. 
 Dr. F. has been my doctor since Dr. B. went ; but 
 he has another big ward and was also officer of the 
 day, so could not leave for a moment. He sent 
 for me and said he should leave everything for 
 me to manage as I thought proper. Dr. Page came 
 up about twelve and was so pleased with what I 
 had done. It was nearly morning when we got 
 to bed. 
 
 Monday and Tuesday went off splendidly. I 
 had all the work I wanted and such " bully " 
 wounds to dress ; but Tuesday night came another 
 despatch from headquarters that every man who 
 could be moved must leave next morning for 
 
78 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 r 
 
 Philadelphia ; so before I had got interested or 
 
 could distinguish one man from another I lost 
 them all. They were such a nice set of men, 
 all from the Twelfth and Sixth army corps, and 
 such brave boys ; was n t it too bad when we had 
 got them all cleaned up and straightened out to 
 have them go again? They left me only six of 
 the new cases. I have eleven in all. It was harder 
 to have them go than come, I think; they did 
 not want to leave, either. This has been the most 
 confusing time I have known since last summer. 
 Mrs. B. is quite worn out; she had so many bad 
 thigh fractures which could not be brought 
 upstairs. 
 
 Sunday night [March or April, 1863]. 
 
 I shall give up, I cannot write; I have tried 
 fifty times since this was commenced. You can t 
 know all I have done these last two days; more 
 patients have come and gone, and now I have 
 only ten left in my ward; but I have been into 
 two other wards helping, or rather putting up 
 anterior splints; for you will feel quite proud 
 to know that I can put them up so the surgeons 
 say better than any one in the house. At any 
 rate, Dr. P. of Boston is lying here with his leg 
 very badly fractured; he is not in my ward, but 
 Dr. F. sent compliments for me to come and dress 
 it. He and two other surgeons stood by while 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 79 
 
 I worked; they never gave one word of advice, 
 just stood and looked on; and when I had finished 
 they all said they never saw one so well put up. 
 I felt so glad, for you must see it was no small 
 compliment. The patient himself is a fine sur 
 geon, and he was most delighted of all. I know 
 this sounds very egotistical, but at present my 
 passion is wound dressing, and I will excel. 
 
 Major Higginson, of the First Massachusetts 
 Cavalry, is in the house. He is such a pleasant 
 man, cousin to the minister; he so wants to come 
 into my ward. His father is here to take him home 
 when he is well enough. Besides three sabre cuts, 
 he has a bullet in him. He asked me to come down 
 every day and see him, for he has such a hateful 
 nurse. He used to be Lieutenant in the Second 
 Massachusetts, Company E. Is n t it provoking 
 I never can get Massachusetts boys in my ward? 
 
 I m in for the war until discharged ; I can t for 
 a moment regret it; I could never be contented 
 now at home remembering what I can do here 
 and how many need me. I know that all are not 
 fitted for this life, but I feel as if it were my 
 special calling and I shall not leave it, if God gives 
 me strength, while I know there is a Union soldier 
 to nurse. You can have no idea how one s patriot 
 ism grows while one sees those poor fellows lying 
 so piteonsly. I can t see how such a thing as a 
 
8o Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Copperhead can live. Do kill every one in Lex 
 ington. How I do wish every one of them was in 
 the Rebel lines to be shot down! 
 
 The town is full of rumors to-day. They say 
 we are having the best of it; but what can one 
 believe? We heard cannonading last night, but 
 far off. I suppose the Second [Massachusetts] is 
 fighting again ; it always fights, you know. I don t 
 have any time to enjoy my new clothes; I can t 
 even glance in the glass to see how I look in them. 
 I had my old bonnet " newed " up, and it looks 
 delicious. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA [April or May, 1863], Wednesday. 
 We went to Washington yesterday, sightseeing, 
 Mrs. B. and daughter, Mrs. M. and I. We did 
 the Smithsonian thoroughly, and then went to 
 the Capitol; whereupon it commenced raining 
 like piker. We had a fine chance to see every 
 thing, for we could not get away, took a lunch 
 there (about the poorest ever was eaten), but had 
 finally to come back again. We have to go again 
 one day this week to finish up the business. I wish 
 you could see some of the green specimens we 
 met yesterday; it was better than all else. Such 
 shocking, " muggins " women ; they had to sit in 
 every chair and stand in every place, and they 
 talked about the piles of babies (cupids and 
 angels) painted on the walls; "didn t see what 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 8 1 
 
 they painted them there for." They went into 
 all the private rooms and asked so many questions ; 
 they " had n t no umbrel and no gums, and did n t 
 see what they was going to do." I concluded the 
 unterrified democracy had got around, sure. I 
 suppose I seemed just as verdant, but I did n t 
 feel so. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, Wednesday [May, 1863]. 
 
 W. has just come back to me wounded in the 
 head. We hope not badly; but he is in a very 
 exhausted state, as when he went into the field 
 he was not fit for it, and they had never stopped 
 marching from Monday morning at three o clock 
 till Sunday, when he was wounded; just march 
 ing and fighting all the time. Poor fellow, he was 
 so overcome when he got here; he is sleeping 
 now, and when he wakes the doctor will examine 
 him, and I shall know better how he is. The 
 glorious Second [Massachusetts] has won new 
 laurels. He says he would rather have been the 
 meanest private in that than a general anywhere 
 else. This is a bad storm for our poor fellows, but 
 let us hope for the best. I feel sure we shall win. 
 How I hate my Reb wounded ; they are so exult 
 ant, too, this morning ; I m sure they have heard 
 something. I don t think I can dress their wounds 
 any more. Aunt Mary S. asked them if they 
 were well treated. " Oh, splendid, madam." " I 
 
 6 
 
82 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 am glad to hear it," she said, " I like even my 
 enemies to be well treated." " Oh, madam, you 
 are not Secesh then ? " " No, sir, not a drop of 
 traitor blood runs in my veins." She looked bully 
 when she said it. 
 
 There is a lot of fun made about turning the 
 boxes over to the hospital. To-day one of the 
 nurses was telling her doctor of my box and the 
 fine dresses it contained ; she is rather " soft," 
 and said I had such a lovely lawn and a balmoral 
 skirt she wanted. So he wrote an order, and sent 
 it in, for "One purple lawn dress and one balmoral 
 skirt to be delivered to the nurse on the third 
 floor." It took some time for Mrs. B. to get the 
 matter through her wool. 
 
 I m reading Les Miserables to W. to try to 
 make him contented. I read it as I would like 
 to have it read to me, on the jump and skip plan. 
 
 A lot of women came in to-day just as I was 
 dressing " Blue Beard s " wound. One of them, 
 as she saw it, just gave a stagger and fell up 
 against the wall. She was pale as could be, and 
 I thought would faint. All the women crowded 
 around, and one young one said, " Oh, I always 
 thought I should so like to be a nurse." She 
 looked about as much account as a yellow cat. 
 
 His wound, by the way, is n t doing very well ; 
 but he s such a nice fellow, the beau ideal of a 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 8 3 
 
 soldier in bearing, and looks so prompt and trig, 
 and is real good and patriotic. He wants to go 
 back to the field, but I m afraid the poor fellow 
 never will. He won t be idle, so he has taken the 
 diet and dispensary books and the light work of 
 the ward. My big Jack is getting better and will 
 soon be off again; he, too, is a real nice fellow. 
 I want to make him wound-dresser, if we ever 
 have any wounded, but he would rather be in the 
 field. Oh, the shirks there are in this army; so 
 many cowards to one brave man! 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, VA., Sunday, May 17, 1863. 
 
 We have been expecting some wounded all day 
 from Fairfax Station; there was a fight with 
 the Guerillas and Vermont cavalry and some New 
 York regiment; but they have not come yet; 
 probably, as usual, they will come in the night. 
 
 You ask about our rations. The drawing of 
 them is a fixed fact ; every ten days Mrs. B. and I 
 go down with our requisitions, and, now we begin 
 to understand it, you can t know how nicely we live. 
 It takes some dickering, but she is good at that, 
 and we have such a surplus. Of our meat alone 
 (fresh beef) we can always sell seventy-five 
 pounds, and sometimes ninety. A butcher buys 
 it at government price (8^ c.), and pays us cash; 
 this buys butter, eggs, other kinds of meat or 
 
84 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 " garding sarce;" the milkman takes pork or 
 molasses for his pay; and the baker gives us 
 bread, pound for pound, for our flour. We have 
 pie or cakes now and then, and no more growling ; 
 every one is pleased at the table. We bought some 
 cups and saucers and spoons (we used to have 
 mugs or tin cups and one huge iron spoon put into 
 the sugar), and our table now looks quite like 
 white folks. 
 
 I can t help liking Dr. Page, nor do I see who 
 can; he never talks to any one, but he makes all 
 the reforms we ask for. The patients for the first 
 time get enough to eat, and good food too; and 
 we have only to complain (I mean a just com 
 plaint) and he rights it. 
 
 I have not told you how near I came to going 
 to the front. Miss Dix promised to take me; for 
 a couple of days I got entirely ready and then 
 went in to dress my wounds ; I have such a stupid 
 set, I had no one to trust. I set two men to watch 
 for the mail boat; we can see it all the way from 
 Washington. They sat at the windows, and I 
 worked away on those devilish Rebs, when, hap 
 pening to look out, there I saw the boat at our 
 wharf just starting again. I could have killed 
 the men; but after all it was just as well, for W. 
 was very sick that day and the next, and I had to 
 be with him every moment. I don t know what 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 85 
 
 Miss Dix will say, but I sha n t tell her it was 
 stupidity. As W. was so sick, I can say it was he 
 who kept me. 
 
 Monday morning [May 18, 1863]. 
 
 I was interrupted yesterday, and last evening 
 I had to go to church; so I must hurry up this 
 morning and get this in the post. We have been 
 having such fusses and cross-fits all over the house 
 this morning, about these Rebs, that I feel not at 
 all disposed to write. Some of the nurses are so 
 clever to them, always running and cooking for 
 them, that I ve got out of all patience. I say 
 what is good enough for our men is too good for 
 them. Mrs. M. sometimes gets one of hers three 
 breakfasts before he is suited. I wish I had him 
 in my ward ; there d be one hungry man in the 
 house unless he ate what I gave him first. How 
 susceptible some women are to flattery; they (the 
 Rebs) really do have twice the privileges that our 
 Union boys have. 
 
 I hope before I write you again we shall have 
 our house filled up once more; I am so tired of 
 this idleness. Those wounded expected yesterday 
 did not come, and we almost despair. I wish the 
 army would move again; but I still believe in 
 Hooker, and expect much from him as soon as 
 the two years men have done going off. I hope 
 you will never notice the nine months 5 men; they 
 
86 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 are not worth " shucks." Don t go to the show, 
 will you, when they come home? They just 
 lie round hospitals; this has been full of them, 
 lazier than hounds. All they want is the bounty 
 and to get home. All the Rebs they see are the 
 prisoners. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA [May, 1863]. 
 
 On Monday morning news came that a boat 
 load of wounded men were on the way for us. 
 They arrived about five o clock, such a sick, 
 neglected set as one could ever see; they were 
 some of those who had been in the Rebs hands 
 and had had nothing done for them till they got 
 over the lines, and then very little, for the ac 
 commodations are miserable in those tents. I have 
 no patience at all at so many being kept there; 
 it s such a shame that so little is done for our 
 wounded to get them to comfortable quarters. In 
 every instance it s been so; a week at least must 
 elapse before anything is done for them. Who 
 does or can control this, I wonder? I got nine 
 for my share, for they had to be distributed all 
 over town. As they are the first wounded that 
 have come for a long time to Alexandria, all are 
 greedy as cormorants to get some. 
 
 I expect you will want a full history of mine, 
 so I 11 begin at the beginning ; and the beginning 
 is that a more wooden, stupid set of dough-heads 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 87 
 
 never lived than my attendants, the whole "biling" 
 being green, nine-months Vermonters. I shall now 
 fully understand "Green Mountain Boys." I never 
 completely realized my loss in all my dear, good 
 boys till that day. I thought I never should get 
 the patients washed and into bed. At last, in 
 despair, I had to press poor W. into the service, 
 though I knew it would bring on fearful excitement 
 and that it would be hours before he could sleep; 
 but he insisted, seeing my despair, on bossing the 
 job, and at last they were comfortably in bed. 
 Until you could once be in a hospital and see the 
 state of the men as they come in, especially of 
 those who have the blood of three weeks upon 
 them and the dirt of as many months, you can 
 form no idea of the undertaking. But the sat 
 isfaction on their faces when all is done and 
 they are finally at rest is very great. Especially 
 when a woman is near to nurse them, they seem 
 so grateful. 
 
 These men are all of the Eleventh Corps, and 
 every one was shot in the first moments of the 
 attack. They are all Germans but one, and he is 
 Irish. I don t believe he ran ; he is a spunky little 
 fellow and bears pain " bully." He always smiles 
 when I dress his wound, and only grits his teeth 
 a little when I stuff the lint in. Next to him lies 
 the hero of the ward, a little German boy of seven- 
 
88 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 teen. A piece of shell struck him just by the 
 lower part of the right ear, glancing upward a 
 little, ploughing through the cheek to the bone, 
 and cutting off the end of the nose. It is almost 
 impossible to give chloroform to patients when 
 the mouth is being operated upon, and he said he 
 did not care for it ; so they performed without any. 
 He never even frowned; the only indication of 
 pain was the shaking of his foot. The room was 
 filled with doctors and lookers-on, and they did 
 nothing but marvel. He can t speak one word 
 of English, is so interesting, and must have been 
 very handsome. The other two in that room are 
 not so badly wounded; only they have been so 
 long neglected that they need much care. 
 
 In the next room lies a handsome German with 
 a fractured arm. The next is wounded through 
 the lungs, the ball coming out at the back under 
 the left shoulder. One has a sabre-cut over the 
 head ; but it s a flesh wound, and he will soon be 
 right. Next is a boy of seventeen who was shot 
 through the left elbow. But the great case of the 
 house is my " mouth " man, a really noble fellow. 
 He, too, is German, as all the rest. The ball en 
 tered just at the point of the collar bone nearest 
 the throat, and lodged in the right shoulder- joint 
 fast and firm, just in the ball of the joint. It was 
 an hour and forty minutes from the time they be- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 89 
 
 gan to operate upon him till all was done; it s per 
 fectly wonderful how one can live after such an 
 operation, but he is doing splendidly. Worst of 
 all is that my doctor went off Thursday and left 
 me with all these important wounds to take care 
 of, and not a person except these stupid men 
 even to help dress. I have felt so anxious and 
 responsible. 
 
 Here I have been writing all this and not telling 
 you one word of the excitement around us. For 
 the last week all sorts of rumors have been afloat 
 of the invasion of Alexandria; preparations have 
 been making all around, rifle pits dug everywhere, 
 arming negroes, mounting batteries and such 
 things, even the bridge made ready to be destroyed 
 at a moment s notice, and no one permitted to go 
 out of town; but still no one exactly believing, 
 half ridiculing; till to-day matters begin to be 
 serious. Rifle pits are dug across all streets lead 
 ing to the commissary departments, for here lie 
 all the stores for the whole army of the Potomac. 
 Just at the corner of our hospital and just under 
 my window one is dug, and a battery of four guns 
 planted; so we shall have some shooting (I mean 
 if they come), and since I began to write up comes 
 the orderly, counts out every man in the hospital 
 able to shoulder a gun, and arms them all, so that 
 at a moment s warning they may be ready. 
 
90 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 I don t feel the least frightened for myself, but 
 it s horrid to think of these poor wounded fellows 
 and what they would suffer. The town is full of 
 Secesh just waiting for a raid in order to come 
 out openly; and they could fire every hospital at 
 once. I only hope the newspaper reports won t 
 alarm you at home. 
 
 General Clough, the military governor of this 
 place, was in here to-night, and says the enemy 
 are within ten miles of us, but how strong he 
 does n t know ; of course they are in some force 
 or they would not venture near so many forts 
 as guard this town. Guards are patrolling the 
 streets, and "Halt!" is the continuous cry. I 
 sent a man out for ice to-night, and they snapped 
 him up. I assure you it s very exciting; of course 
 much is said that is not true, but there must be 
 some cause for all this fuss. I m so glad my 
 Secesh men are all disposed of. They Ve been 
 sent to Washington. There are only four in the 
 house now, and those have a guard placed over 
 them to-night. Last night the long roll beat from 
 twelve till two; it sounded good. 
 
 I am glad you liked W. s face; I think it s so 
 good and manly. He begins to look like himself 
 again; his hair has grown out a little, and the 
 wound is entirely healed. Dr. Bellangee 1 scolds 
 
 1 Assistant surgeon, in charge of Mrs. von Olnhausen s ward; 
 subsequently surgeon-in-chief at Morehead City. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 91 
 
 me because I closed it so nicely ; says it is not half 
 enough of a scar; but his others are bad enough 
 to do him credit. You would have laughed to see 
 him, he was so funny sometimes. One time he 
 saw some Secesh women passing along; he flew 
 out after them and pulled them by the sleeve: 
 "Here, you Secesh women, you hunting for Rebs? 
 Well, turn to your right and look in the first right- 
 hand door, and there you 11 see a bully old Reb " ; 
 then he made a profound bow, ran back, hopped 
 into bed, and looked as innocent as if he d done 
 nothing. They were scared enough, and mad too. 
 Another time he threw his old slippers at two and 
 said, " My new ones are too good for Rebs ; they 
 came from Lexington." They excited him so 
 that the doctor forbade their coming through this 
 hall. 
 
 I often wish you could see some of the letters 
 I receive from the men when they go away; I 
 sometimes think I 11 send them to you. Of course 
 many of them are poor " or n ry " specimens, but 
 they are so earnest, and some of them beautiful in 
 sentiment. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA [May, 1863]. 
 
 We have not had any wounded brought from 
 the front yet; but they brought sixteen Rebs 
 from Warren ton (Mosby s men), all shockingly 
 wounded. I had four brought into my ward. I 
 
92 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 did hate to have them, and felt at first that I could 
 not take care of them ; but two were so bad I had 
 to pity them, even after I heard the worst things 
 about one of them. He was a boy only sixteen, 
 so lousy and dirty you could not see his skin, and 
 with long hair, as they all have, like a girl s. He 
 had been fighting but two months, and was an 
 only son. His home is just a little way from here, 
 and his voice was like a child s; and yet when, in 
 the early part of the fight, one of our men had 
 been surprised, had surrendered, and had handed 
 his revolver over to him, the boy shot him dead. 
 It seemed impossible for me to dress his wounds; 
 but his sufferings were so terrible that I forgot 
 for the time how wicked he was. He told me he 
 was sorry he had ever left his home. He wanted 
 so to.get well, and kept saying, " Good lady, can t 
 I get a discharge from this hospital? I want to 
 go home." Poor little fellow! his mother should 
 have kept him there. I saw in another hospital, a 
 few days ago, a little boy only fourteen who had 
 been through all that Peninsular Campaign. How 
 homesick he was, and how tired of soldiering! 
 He was a drummer boy. I believe they have sent 
 him home. 
 
 I wish you could see my little turtle; it is not 
 bigger than a cent and is real pretty. Every night 
 it crapples out, and I have such a hunt for him. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 93 
 
 Yesterday I found him in Mrs. M. s bed. Then 
 I have a snail that I found at Mt. Vernon last 
 winter; he, too, goes wandering. Every time 
 we are to have a storm he is as big as a quarter- 
 dollar. I keep a pan with wild flowers and roots 
 in it for them to live in, and give them meat and 
 sugar to eat. I always hunt for beetles whenever 
 I go out, and have some live ones. May Day I 
 spent over the river alone; it is always a pretty 
 sad day to me. 
 
 One of my men, who has been to New Jersey 
 on a furlough, says that the Copperheads offered 
 him, if he would desert and stay at home, fifteen 
 dollars a month and house-rent free, and agreed 
 to protect him if our people attempted to arrest 
 him. He was mad, and made such a flaming 
 speech to the crowd that a Union man stepped up 
 and gave him twenty-five dollars for his family, 
 and said if they wanted anything they could come 
 to him. Bully for my man! I wish you could 
 see this river now; every few hours a boat-load 
 of prisoners goes past; to-day, it is said, three 
 thousand have gone up. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA [May, 1863]. 
 
 It is dreadful living so near the field of battle 
 [Chancellorsville]. It s only about forty miles 
 from here; and yet you get the real news as 
 soon as we, I mean, reliable news. From the 
 
94 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 heights about the town, we can hear the guns, 
 and boats are constantly passing up and down; 
 and yet there are a thousand false to one true 
 rumor. For two days it was said Hooker had 
 failed and that his loss was fearful; I mean they 
 said so, not the papers. I never passed two such 
 days as those were. Then came the good news; 
 and I almost felt that, even if our dear friends 
 are wounded, it was such high honor to be 
 wounded fighting under such a soldier and for 
 such a cause, they were to be envied. Does not 
 this war make one pious, though? I feel like 
 praying all the time. I did not know till now 
 how strong my faith in God and his power was; 
 now I am constantly turning to him. It is useless 
 trying to tell you how I miss my dear friends, 
 every one gone now except Sergeant G., and he 
 leaves next week. I feel as if I must go, and yet 
 I m near the front here, and if mine need me I 
 can be with them. 
 
 You will think we are always having fusses here, 
 but such a house ! Sunday, when Dr. Page 
 went into Mrs. B. s store-room she asked him for 
 some things that the men in the dispensary had 
 refused to give up, but that had been sent to her 
 by the Sanitary Commission. Dr. Page told her 
 he thought the dispensary was the proper place 
 for them, and that, furthermore, he meant to con- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 95 
 
 fiscate everything sent to the nurses in the way 
 of delicacies or clothes. You may bet my back was 
 up ; so yesterday morning I went to him and asked 
 if he was in earnest ; he said, " Yes." I told him 
 that rather than give what things I had to those 
 miserable, drinking boys, I d throw them from 
 the windows. " Do they drink? " " Doctor, you 
 know they do, when you look in their faces. My 
 friends send those things for soldiers, not for 
 clerks and stewards who, I know, constantly invite 
 their friends and treat them to delicacies and 
 wines." "Are you sure?" "Yes, within a 
 week." So I explained what I knew; also that 
 they had used a large quantity of choice stores left 
 with them, subject to my particular order only, 
 by a Philadelphia lady who was not permitted to 
 bring them upstairs. I had never had but two 
 orders rilled, and then all was gone. I told him, 
 moreover, that I thought it was wrong to place so 
 much temptation before mere boys. " I agree 
 with you," he said ; " and now, when I will take 
 all the wines and liquors from the dispensary, will 
 you take charge of and deliver them ? " I told him 
 I thought there were others better qualified than 
 I (meaning Mrs. B.). " Ha! you come with con- 
 plaints and then shirk responsibility!" So I ac 
 cepted at once rather than be charged that way; 
 but I went right to the Chaplain and told him he 
 
96 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 must go and beg Dr. Page to put Mrs. B. in my 
 place; it was so wrong to take it from her. I 
 knew she would feel hurt, told him I was a dough- 
 head, and that he must say so. He talked the 
 doctor over, and now she is to have them. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, Sunday [June, 1863]. 
 You must have been surprised at my letter an 
 nouncing W. s return so soon after his leaving. 
 I was so stunned at seeing him I don t know what 
 I wrote about him. Anyway I knew nothing of 
 his wound or what he had gone through to get 
 here until after that; so I have no fear of giving 
 a twice-told tale. You can form no idea how 
 utterly prostrated he was with fatigue and loss 
 of blood and the shock of the ball. From Monday 
 morning, at three, till about eight on Sunday 
 morning, when he was wounded, the regiment was 
 marching and fighting all the time. In fording 
 the Rapidan the water was up to their arm-pits; 
 they charged on a body of about one hundred and 
 fifty Rebs (I think he said), who were building 
 a most substantial bridge across the river, and 
 took them all prisoners. He said the boys were 
 just as full of fun as if they had waded in for 
 play; when they saw a Reb hiding or skulking 
 off, they would call, " Come here, Johnny Reb " 
 (they all call them that name), " we won t hurt 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 97 
 
 you." It was about four o clock, they were all 
 wet through, the night was cold, not a fire was 
 allowed, and they just bivouacked in the woods 
 without any cover. What these poor souls have 
 to suffer ! 
 
 When W. first fell, all supposed he was killed; 
 he was insensible. When he came to, G. and M. 
 another noble fellow were kneeling beside 
 him, tears rolling down their cheeks. They had 
 only time to say good-bye and receive his messages 
 when they had to leave him. After they had ex 
 hausted their ammunition (he had fired forty 
 rounds before he fell), they were ordered to the 
 rear to replenish, and bore him along so tenderly, 
 saw him cared for at a hospital, and went to the 
 front again. He does n t know how long he stayed 
 there; but before night the hospital was shelled, 
 and he only remembers hobbling up. He must 
 have got to another hospital, as, early in the morn 
 ing, that was shelled, and again all were started 
 off somewhere else. He took the road to Falmouth 
 with the one idea to get back to Dr. Bellangee and 
 myself. He walked some time; then a negro came 
 along, took him into his wagon and drew him 
 some four miles; the driver s road was then an 
 other way, so he laid him down to wait again. 
 Soon a white man with a government wagon came 
 along, but refused to take him up. W. threatened 
 
 7 
 
98 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 him, when the man got down and lifted him in. 
 He says the horror of that ride can t be told ; the 
 man drove so frightfully over such an awful road. 
 At last he reached a hospital in Falmouth; as 
 he lay there quite exhausted, he heard some one 
 say, " The cars leave in half an hour for Aquia 
 Creek." He inquired the way to the station, and 
 only remembers getting on the platform when the 
 cars started. Then he only knows he passed the 
 night in a hospital there, and some one gave him 
 his bed. All this time he had eaten nothing (and 
 in fact since they had started on that Monday 
 morning he had never eaten the three days rations 
 in his haversack). Again some one said near 
 him, " The boat leaves directly for Washington." 
 He asked if he could not go; they told him, not 
 without a permit from the Provost-Marshal, and 
 there was no time for that; so he remembers 
 stealing out in the rear, to avoid the guards, and 
 coming down to the wharf. Just as he crossed 
 the plank, it was taken in and the boat started. 
 This was about four. He remembers nothing 
 again until he was at the wharf, some time in 
 the night, at Washington, lying on the floor, so 
 cold, and begging some one to close the doors. 
 
 Next morning he went up to the Sanitary rooms 
 near there, had his wound dressed for the first 
 time, he thinks with camphor, by some fussy 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 99 
 
 old woman who " deared " him and, though so 
 miserable, made him laugh, she " poor-thinged " 
 him so. He then asked to be sent to Alexandria; 
 again they told him he must first go to the Provost- 
 Marshal, and that his office was two miles off. He 
 knew he could not get there, so he inquired the 
 way to the Alexandria wharf. All this time seems 
 just like a dream to him ; he said he was conscious 
 of no pain or of any other thought, except " When 
 I get there it will be all right." He walked half 
 a mile to the wharf; they refused to take him, 
 but said perhaps the government tugs would, and 
 they lay back where he started from; so back the 
 dear soul struggled again. Is n t it pitiful ? He 
 just asked a tug if they stopped at Alexandria, 
 and they told him yes (so strange all this time 
 nobody questioned him, when usually one can t stir 
 without a challenge). He walked on board, sat 
 down in the coal hole, and remembered nothing 
 more till he was walking up the stairs here. 
 
 Dr. Bellangee and I were both sitting down after 
 having dressed the wounds, hearing the news read ; 
 the papers had just been brought in when he opened 
 the door. I saw this poor, dusty fellow all covered 
 with powder and blood, all bent, leaning on a stick 
 and looking so old; I never dreamed it was W., 
 nor did any one, till he said, " Well, they ve 
 plugged me again." We all rushed round him, 
 
I oo Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 and every one burst into tears, even the doctor 
 could not command himself. W. just fell on the 
 nearest bed, and the tears gushed out. He said 
 so piteously, " I m here at last." I can t tell you 
 what we felt. In a moment the room was full, 
 clerks, doctors, everybody who could hobble came 
 in. His eyes looked frightfully dilated and star 
 ing, and he was frothing at the mouth as if crazy. 
 After we recovered a little from our shock the 
 doctor took him to a room by himself, examined 
 his wound, and forbade his speaking or being 
 spoken to, even by me. The room was made per 
 fectly dark, and there the dear fellow has lain ever 
 since, just between life and death. Yesterday noon 
 his eyes contracted, and he began to show symp 
 toms more favorable. 
 
 Dr. B. says he cannot understand how he ever 
 got here in the state he was in; he never knew 
 such an instance of will overcoming bodily suffer 
 ing. He thinks now the skull is not fractured ; 
 only that the brain is shocked, and that with care 
 ful nursing he will soon be well. You can judge 
 a little how weak he is, as he is allowed only one 
 cracker and a tumbler of milk a day. It is a 
 frightful responsibility, for the doctor says it all 
 depends on me now; that one over- feeding will 
 kill him. I have written you a long chapter on W. ; 
 but he is our only wounded one yet from the grand 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse i o i 
 
 fight. You will be surprised we are so; every 
 moment we have been expecting the wounded, but 
 all the boats go by to Washington. I m so sorry ; 
 I long to have them to care for ; but I won t begin 
 to make comments. I am so harassed by the thou 
 sand rumors, I mean to hear or believe nothing 
 till I know for certain. 
 
 I think I told you about the fuss we had with 
 Dr. Page, H., etc., about some things the Sanitary 
 Committee sent to Mrs. B., an elegant lot for 
 the expected wounded. When she at last got 
 them, those miserable toads had eaten and drank 
 everything but twelve cans of milk. Twenty-five 
 pounds of sugar, twelve bottles of pickles, twelve 
 bottles of cordial, and some other things had all 
 been confiscated by them for their own use. Is n t 
 it a shame? Just look how the people at home 
 are cheated and duped! I wonder anybody there 
 ever trusts any one concerned in the war. 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 AS already stated, in July of 1863 Mrs. 
 von Olnhausen was furloughed because 
 of illness. Returning to Lexington for a 
 month or more, in September she again reported 
 for duty. A few pages (the last she wrote) of 
 her Autobiography will best sum up this period 
 and the changes in her duties which it brought 
 about. The letters which follow the Autobiog 
 raphy cover her experiences during the remaining 
 months of 1863 in a new field of work, the 
 just established hospital at Morehead City, North 
 Carolina. 
 
 Although it is unsafe to criticise without full 
 knowledge of the facts and conditions, it would 
 seem to have been more appropriate to send a 
 woman of such enthusiasm for surgical nursing, 
 of such personal courage, and of such physical 
 vigor, to the front rather than to a hospital then 
 so remote from hostilities, and in which medical 
 cases were almost certain to preponderate. Mrs. 
 von Olnhausen always was restive in Morehead 
 City, and never was persuaded that she might not 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 103 
 
 have done far more for the soldiers had she been 
 sent to a field hospital, or at least to one close to 
 the seat of war, where she could have devoted 
 herself wholly to the care of severe wounds and 
 capital operations. Miss Dix was doubtless greatly 
 influenced by the wishes of Dr. Bellangee, who 
 naturally desired to retain so reliable a nurse and 
 so devoted a friend in this Morehead hospital, 
 which he himself had organized. 
 
 \From the Autobiography^ 
 
 There was at this time an epidemic of dysentery 
 all through the hospital, and at last I was taken 
 sick with it, and remained many days half con 
 scious. All the nurses declared they were too busy 
 to attend to me, so I lay alone most of the time. 
 In the mean time the house surgeon attended me 
 very carefully, and ordered a convalescent to sit 
 in the room and supply my wants. He was the 
 funniest little man I ever saw, a shoe-maker 
 who got a big bounty as substitute, but whose legs 
 were so short that he kept falling out of the ranks. 
 He finally got sick, and was sent here. He had 
 big, round blue eyes, and in my half-delirium they 
 looked as large as a cup. He was a German, and 
 never took those eyes off me. He sat by the door 
 from morning till night, never moving except to 
 eat his meals. At last my friends came, and as 
 
1 04 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 soon as I could be moved I was taken home on 
 leave of absence. 
 
 After all the turmoil of that life it was so de 
 lightful to be quiet; but I soon began to recover, 
 and in a month started back to Alexandria. When 
 I got there, everything seemed different, as most 
 of the nurses had been discharged and nearly all 
 the doctors changed. I found two- letters awaiting 
 me. One was from my old house surgeon, Dr. S., 
 asking me to come to him at Chattanooga and take 
 charge of a large hospital with a friend of mine. 
 The other was from my old ward surgeon, Dr. 
 Bellangee, who was now in charge of a large hos 
 pital at Morehead City, N. C, asking me, and also 
 the same friend, to come there. We decided to 
 take the latter place. We had a tiresome passage 
 from New York to New Berne, and were glad to 
 get on shore. New Berne seemed pleasant, and I 
 would gladly have stayed there ; but Dr. Bellangee 
 was waiting to take us at once to Morehead City, 
 where his hospital was established. He had done 
 wonders in the short time he had been there. 
 Eight barracks had been built, each containing 
 about seventy-five beds, some of them already fitted 
 up. This was certainly the best hospital I saw in 
 the war. We had an excellent steward who pro 
 vided most liberally, and we had everything the 
 sick and wounded could ask for. Dr. Bellangee 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 105 
 
 was a martinet about the hospital, seeming to be 
 always everywhere. His skill in surgery was 
 wonderful, and his care unceasing. 
 
 Morehead " City " was made up of about ten 
 houses, and was the terminus of the railroad, so 
 transportation for the wounded from New Berne 
 was easy. There were at first very few patients, 
 and I feared we should have too little work; but 
 they began to send us patients from the over-filled 
 hospitals in New Berne, and there were some skir 
 mishes between the pickets around us, so we soon 
 had no cause to complain. At first we had an 
 assistant surgeon (so called) who was very tena 
 cious of his rights, and once threatened me with 
 discharge because in the middle of the night I 
 applied a mustard draft, without consulting him, 
 to a man who had colic. He said it was a surgical 
 operation, and that I had no business to perform 
 it. Dr. Bellangee, when complained to next morn 
 ing, laughed quietly, wrote out a permission for 
 me to use mustard if very necessary, read it to the 
 surgeon, and sent it to me by his orderly. After 
 that I could have covered the men with plaisters 
 if I had chosen. 
 
 After the corruption and constant fusses of the 
 Mansion House, ruled by unscrupulous cooks and 
 a more unscrupulous steward, one can t describe 
 the peace of this hospital. One thing was rather 
 
1 06 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 strange in Morehead City; not until the last few 
 months of the war did the Sanitary Commission 
 ever reach us. It was impossible to get any liquors 
 or any delicacies except such as were sent me from 
 Lexington. Those friends, I am thankful to say, 
 never failed me. I am sure none of the men who 
 knew me will ever forget Lexington, though they 
 will have long ago forgotten me, for my foreign 
 name was too hard to remember. I was always 
 called Madam, or Mrs. O., or Mrs. Von; some 
 times they twisted the O into all sorts of words. 
 My little Reb, when he wrote me, called me 
 " dear Mrs. Woe," and some have written to the 
 care of the Lexington Post-Office, directed to 
 Mrs. Zaugh or Mrs. Owe. 
 
 It was singular how one could detect the nation 
 ality of a man, however poor English he might 
 speak, by the way he bore suffering. Our men 
 (I mean Americans) were impressible; the mo 
 ment they were housed they were so cheerful and 
 determined to get well that they usually did from 
 sheer grit, however badly wounded. The Ger 
 mans, though equally plucky in bearing pain, lay 
 back with such a resigned manner, a sort of " As 
 God wills " air. An Irishman complained of 
 everything, and a Frenchman was the hardest to 
 please of all ; he was always worse hurt and more 
 wounded than any other. Our Yankees were 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 07 
 
 always ready to help and amuse others when them 
 selves suffering ever so much, and it was every 
 where remarked how much more quickly they got 
 well. The poor Rebels were so discontented at 
 finding themselves prisoners and wounded, and 
 had been so badly fed, that their wounds were the 
 hardest of all to heal, and it was some time before 
 one could make them hopeful for the future. They 
 believed, too, that if cured they would be sent to 
 Northern prisons and treated as our men had 
 been by them. While in the ward I treated and 
 tended all alike, much to the disgust of some who 
 looked on. 
 
 In view of some of the references to her Seces 
 sion patients in Mrs. von Olnhausen s earlier let 
 ters, it may seem that this last statement is rather 
 too complacent. Her friends, however, will ap 
 preciate that however she might rail at these 
 Rebels, her humanity was too deep to permit of 
 her neglecting them in the slightest degree. 
 
 The following letter, descriptive of her return 
 journey to Washington, shows how ready she was 
 to extract entertainment from the most untoward 
 circumstances. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, Sept. 4, 63, Friday. 
 
 I arrived here yesterday morning. Had time 
 in Washington to fly to Miss Dix and report, and 
 
io8 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 get the boat; and thought I should write at once; 
 but Mrs. B. wanted me to go right back to Wash 
 ington with her, so I was too tired when I got 
 home to think of anything; but I will begin at 
 the beginning. 
 
 All F. s notes and telegrams did not one bit of 
 good. I had a lonely ride from Boston to the 
 [Fall River] boat; but the last part of the route 
 a pleasant woman from Ohio sat with me and 
 offered her husband s services. I told her, how 
 ever, the conductor would attend to me. He went 
 on board and was most polite, but could not find 
 F. s friend; so I went into the cabin, and that s 
 the last I saw of anybody. I waited till nine 
 before I gave up. I don t know how many times 
 I sent, and finally word came that all state-rooms 
 had been engaged for two weeks to come ; so then 
 I began to hunt for a sleeping place. By great 
 persuasion I got one on the floor, close by the gang 
 way. Such a crowd you never saw. One hundred 
 and fifty women and babies got on at Newport, 
 and every one was sick; the sea was very rough, 
 and even the poor little babies were as sick as their 
 mothers. One woman, a lady, too, had five chil 
 dren, one a baby; they all were so sick, she just 
 laid the baby on the floor and left it. I took it 
 up and held it till it slept, and then laid it on 
 the foot of some one s bed. You never saw such 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 109 
 
 a sight; every one who came in or out stepped 
 over me. 
 
 We had such a jolly old stewardess. A waiter 
 from upstairs came down in the middle of the 
 night and wanted Mrs. F. ; said that her husband 
 was sick as death, and she must come right away. 
 The stewardess called out for Mrs. F. ; nobody 
 answered. " How can I find her? " she said. He 
 went and came back, saying, " Mr. F. says you 
 can find her in a berth in the back part; you will 
 know her by a great pimple she has. I disremem- 
 ber where he said it was." " How can I find out 
 Mrs. F. and her pimple? You go back and tell 
 Mr. F. if he wants Mrs. F. and her pimple he 
 can come and hunt her up ; I ve got business 
 enough of my own to attend to." The man went 
 off, and just then Mrs. F. appeared in full undress, 
 very sick, and tugging a very sick baby. Stew 
 ardess and I were glad to have our curiosity 
 relieved with regard to the whereabouts of that 
 pimple; it was on one side of her forehead and 
 might modestly be called a horn, it stuck out so 
 far. She sent word to Mr. F. that she and baby 
 were too sick to live, and he must come right to 
 her. No Mr. F. appeared, and she and her pimple 
 retired for the night. 
 
 Another woman kept calling, " Oh, stewardess, 
 do come help me, I am so sea-sick." She was 
 
l io Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 flying around making beds, and said, " Every one 
 must do their own sea-sickness ; I ve got a hun 
 dred and fifty beds to make, and that s as much 
 as I can do without doing your sea-sickness." 
 Four women were sitting together, and all so sick ; 
 she brought one basin and said, " There, you must 
 all be sick in that, I have not half enough to go 
 round." Altogether, it was a very funny night. 
 
 We were delayed by the fog, and it was eight 
 before we got in. I gave my checks to the express 
 man, and then had to wait till eleven before I 
 could get my trunks. The ride to and through 
 Philadelphia was as dreary as anything could well 
 be. I sat beside a copperhead who made me 
 furious, so I tried to go to sleep. I think the 
 horse-car arrangement through Philadelphia is 
 too mean for anything. I never was so sleepy 
 and so cold. 
 
 At twelve I got into the night car, and might 
 have had a good sleep except for an English 
 cockney girl who "set up for shapes" and could n t 
 go to bed because a man was sleeping in the same 
 car. " Mama, ow can I go to bed when there 
 is a man here?" "Well, dear, he has a right 
 here." " But, Mama, what orrid customs ! You 
 see, ladies, I have only just crossed the water, and 
 it s so ard to get used to the customs, we think 
 it s so hawful to sleep with a man in the room." 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 1 1 
 
 It turned out afterwards she had lived here all her 
 life and had been to England only on a visit. The 
 man lay and laughed loud as he could. She opened 
 her sack and asked Mama " which wine she would 
 ave, port or sherry." She took a big horn, and 
 then regularly undressed, for all her scruples, right 
 in the alley, and finally looked into this man s berth 
 and said, " Ow can you sleep with the curtains 
 so close, no hair ? I must have mine open and the 
 port side door too ; " at first she had insisted on 
 pinning his together herself. All this while a 
 funny man was, with many inducements, persuad 
 ing her to sleep in the car ; her modesty seemed to 
 vanish with him. She talked for two hours, and 
 then my bunk broke down and I came near mash 
 ing her to death; the fright silenced her, and I 
 got another bunk and finally slept. 
 
 Miss Dix was glad to see me, and is decidedly 
 of the opinion that I must go to New Berne. I 
 have seen a plan of the hospital and it is splendid 
 there, with many wounded men who need a sur 
 gical nurse ; but when I got here Dr. Page was so 
 glad to see me, and said he wanted me so much 
 that I don t know what to do. I shall let Miss Dix 
 decide when she comes this afternoon. The Man 
 sion House is dreary enough; I don t believe I 
 can stay here. 
 
 We have got into a fine scrape with our mess. 
 
1 1 2 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 H. (we think it was he) has sued the butcher (I 
 mean Government, through his information) and 
 fined him (the butcher) fifty dollars, which he 
 had to pay. Of course, Mrs. B. appealed, and the 
 trial has been going on for a week, till to-day it s 
 decided against us. Now we have fifty dollars 
 to pay and, besides, lose thirty dollars worth of 
 meat which they have confiscated because, owing 
 to the fuss, it was left over till this month. All the 
 nurses except Mrs. W. and us two refuse to pay 
 their part; so we do it alone. Mrs. B. has ad 
 vanced me the money till pay-day comes. Miss 
 Dix says she will take it to higher authority, 
 and Dr. Page says that after we had drawn the 
 meat, we had a right to do what we liked with 
 it. I know there is no right or justice in it; 
 but what are we to do? So now we are back 
 on bread and beef; the only thing is we have 
 enough of these ; but, oh, it s hard living after 
 home fare. There can never be an end to fusses 
 in the Mansion House. 
 
 TRANSPORT SHIP, PIER 12, 
 NEW YORK, Tuesday [September 8, 1863]. 
 
 Were I to write all my adventures since my 
 last letter to you, I would have to write a longer 
 one than you would care to read. I saw Miss Dix 
 after I wrote, and she decided I must go to New 
 Berne anyway ; so I had to tell Dr. Page. I hated 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 113 
 
 to tell him and the Chaplain, for they have both 
 been such good friends to me. Dr. Page asked 
 me to stay; but I told him it was impossible; I 
 could not remain where H. (the Steward) was. 
 Then he asked me would I come back to him 
 when he had a hospital without H. He wanted 
 me to promise that I would; so I did, and the 
 last thing he said at parting was that I must 
 keep my promise. After I went out, Dr. B. re 
 ports that he said, " There goes the best and 
 truest woman I ve met in the service; I like 
 every inch of her." 
 
 Miss Dix said we would have to leave about 
 Wednesday; so Saturday I went to Washington 
 to see Mr. U., the beetle man. I did all my pack 
 ing that evening, and Sunday, at three, we left 
 the Mansion House, for a while I hope. But now 
 hear the worst of it ! Just as we were getting into 
 the ambulance came an order for our arrest and 
 search ! There s a sister for you ! That devil H. 
 sent information to Dr. Page, who was out of 
 town, that we were removing large quantities of 
 hospital stores, and so he ordered the officer of 
 the day to arrest, etc. ! Dr. Barnes happened to be 
 the man. He came right to Mrs. B. and told her 
 that rather than do it he would be " broke of the 
 service." He sent off for the Chaplain, who came 
 in furious. Now the only stores we took with us 
 
 8 
 
1 14 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 at all were a box he gave us, which had for a long 
 time stood in the store-room, but had never been 
 unpacked, and those things I brought from home. 
 I found it would cost too much to bring anything 
 more. Mrs. B. did not tell me, so I did not under 
 stand at all the fuss. If I had I never would have 
 left so. I would have insisted on an examination 
 and have brought H. to grief. The first I knew 
 of it was when we were half-way to Baltimore. 
 I don t blame Dr. Page at all. Mrs. B. is furious 
 with him; but of course he knew nothing of the 
 truth, and had to act as he did. I am prepared 
 for anything now! All the clerks and stewards 
 were around to see the fun, and must have been 
 much disappointed. 
 
 Such a ride to Washington as we had was never 
 known; the road was crowded with soldiers and 
 horses, everything moving, all showing a battle 
 is soon to come, I think. The dust was so thick 
 we had to stop for it, and some of the horses even 
 fell down the embankments. Then came up a 
 frightful storm and nearly drowned us. When 
 we got to Washington there was no sleeping-car, 
 not even a hook to hang our things on. It was 
 such a long, sleepy ride, ending in that horrid 
 horse-car arrangement through Philadelphia. It 
 was very early morning when we got here, and 
 we could not see the proper authorities till ten, so 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 1 5 
 
 we went "bumming" around to find a breakfast. 
 How forlorn a city is early in the morning. 
 
 The captain said we might come on board to 
 night, though he should not sail till some time 
 to-morrow. So we came with our traps this 
 evening. Could you see us ! Such a dirty vessel, 
 a half-and-half, sometimes steams and sometimes 
 sails, both poorly, I guess. I wish you could see 
 the cockroaches, too; there never was the like 
 before, I think; everything is covered with them, 
 and everything black with smoke. I think, too, 
 every one is drunk on board ; which does not make 
 it any too comfortable. When one goes nursing, 
 all things must be expected. The captain says if 
 the weather is good we shall be there in three days. 
 I am glad to go to sea at last, but somehow I feel 
 so strange; I seem to be drifting about without 
 any will of my own. Miss S. would have a nice 
 chance to talk " Heavenly Fatherish " ! 
 
 NEW BERNE, 1 N. C., Sunday evening [September 13, 1863]. 
 
 We are so far safe on our journey, as you will 
 be glad to learn. We have still thirty miles farther 
 to go, and shall then, I hope, find friends and a 
 comfortable home for a while at least. Dr. Bel- 
 langee s hospital is at Morehead City, instead of 
 
 1 Spelling adopted in official reports ; but elsewhere one finds 
 also Newberne and Newbern. 
 
1 1 6 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 here, and it s been such a bother to get things 
 straightened out. We leave here in the morning 
 at nine, so in my next I shall be able to tell you 
 all about it. That night I wrote you from New 
 York I did not dare tell you how homesick I 
 already felt. I think you would have been hardly 
 willing for me to go if you could have seen me in 
 that dirty, miserable ship. I did not dare think 
 of home, or that it was only a week since I had 
 left you all; it seemed a month by that time. I 
 can t describe that ship, no words can; if there 
 was one redeeming thing about it, I would tell it. 
 It was owned by Jersey people; every one from 
 cook up was hail-fellow, nobody saw to anything, 
 the cabin was never cleaned while we were on 
 board, and as to the other places, you can have no 
 idea of the filth. How I ever could be brought 
 to sleep in that berth amazes me now; it was 
 frightful. Of course I passed all my time, except 
 the few hours I did sleep, entirely alone on deck; 
 for Mrs. B. was sick from the time we started, and 
 nobody was even civil. There were lots of officers 
 on board, everybody drank, and all were sick a 
 good part of the way, except Colonel C. and 
 myself. The first night was pretty frightful; the 
 old tub rolled badly enough. We were about 
 thirty miles below Navesink lights when a storm 
 came on, and the captain had to run back to Sandy 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 1 7 
 
 Hook, where we lay till next day at ten. My! 
 were n t the people sick ! 
 
 Yesterday morning we got to Cape Hatteras, 
 where we lay all day. I went ashore in the tug 
 and wandered about as I liked. There are two 
 forts there, garrisoned with North Carolina 
 troops; they don t look like our Northern sol 
 diers; but such a beach and such waves I never 
 saw, miles of it, and the breakers are fearful. 
 The beach, though so beautiful, is very danger 
 ous, being full of quicksands. At noon Ensign 
 Livermore of the gunboat stationed there came with 
 his gig and invited Mrs. B. and me to dine with 
 him; he is a Massachusetts man and was most 
 polite. The captain of the tug, too, invited us 
 to dine with him; so we had no lack of attention. 
 The fact is women are so scarce they are appreci 
 ated. Then, I expect, on the ship the men were 
 mostly young and thought we were two old cats 
 and of no account ; but since I came ashore I find 
 they all thought I was Secesh and going over the 
 lines. I remember two or three asked me if I was. 
 I answered no ; but as B. used to say, " did not 
 feel like talking," so did not enlighten them. I 
 would have been furious if I had thought they 
 took me for a Reb. We got in here this morning 
 by daylight. It is such a lovely town, not the 
 streets or houses, I mean, but the trees, every 
 
1 1 8 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 street so beautifully shaded, and with such large 
 gardens. I wanted to go to the fort, but a big rain 
 came, so we have had to stay in. I shall be glad 
 when we are quiet and settled; a fortnight of 
 rushing around is as much as I want at a time. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, N. C., September 24, 1863. 
 
 I can t tell exactly what my impression was in 
 getting here; it looked forlorn enough. We are 
 thirty miles from New Berne, cars once a day. 
 Dr. Bellangee received us most kindly; at once 
 took us over the grounds, but did not give us our 
 places for a couple of days, most of which time I 
 spent in the woods about us. The open sea is 
 only two miles away, and the air is splendid; 
 enough of it, too, for it blows a tempest. All 
 is in such an unfinished state yet here; but Doctor 
 is driving the men to get them on. Six of the 
 large barracks (forty-five beds each) are com 
 pleted, three or four more are to be soon done. 
 They are not all filled yet, but there is some talk of 
 breaking up the New Berne hospitals and sending 
 all the sick here, which I should think would be 
 done, it s so unhealthful there. We have only 
 two hundred yet here; most all are Massachu 
 setts men, the Seventeenth, Twenty-third, and 
 Twenty-fifth ; and two or three more lie all around 
 here ; the Twenty-eighth, too, is in New Berne. It 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 1 9 
 
 seems good to have Massachusetts men sick; but 
 most all are too well to be interesting. Night 
 before last, about one, a train came down express ; 
 next morning I was told that the Second Massa 
 chusetts had come to garrison a fort near here. I 
 tell you it made my heart beat; but I soon found 
 it was the Second Artillery. It s only been from 
 home five weeks, and already so many are sick 
 with chills. I have three of them very ill with 
 fever. 
 
 I told you I was too mad last Sunday to write; 
 the reason was we had planned to go on a little 
 excursion, all the mess ; but the Chaplain made 
 a fuss and stopped it, and asked us as a favor to 
 go to church, at three. That was bad enough; 
 but after we were done there, and thoroughly 
 shrived, Dr. Bellangee stood up and said he would 
 excuse no one, and expected us all to follow him 
 and go to dress parade of the Eighty-sixth (I 
 believe), that lies near us, and after that attend 
 services there. I asked to be excused, but he said 
 no. You may think I was mad; here we were 
 marched out like so many cats, first the two 
 doctors (Doctor has only one assistant) ; then the 
 steward; after them we two; and after us all 
 the lame, halt, and blind by twos over this sand 
 for a quarter of a mile to see the poorest drilling 
 I ever saw and hear the worst preaching. I got 
 
1 20 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 so thoroughly cross that I could have sworn every 
 moment. To crown all he would not then excuse 
 us, but made us all march back again. I would 
 not speak another word the whole evening. Did 
 you ever get that mad you would not be satisfied ? 
 That s the way I was ; I could not even sleep. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, September 28 [1863]. 
 
 I was so glad to get your letter yesterday, and 
 should have answered it immediately, but was sick 
 in bed. I can t know the cause, for I m sure it 
 could not be too much eating, as in all our poor 
 eating this beats all. I don t mean in quantity, 
 for I never was in a hospital so liberally fed ; but 
 as I can t eat salt horse, and never did like potatoes 
 and onions, and, until this week, we have had to 
 buy all our bread, which has been both sour and 
 heavy, I don t think it was eating that did it. I 
 felt weak as a rat yesterday, but am all right 
 again, and such a beautiful day never was seen. 
 
 We had a very bad storm last night and looked 
 out for wrecks this morning, but can see none. 
 The surf sounds so grand, and it s just like a 
 June day. So many mocking-birds are singing, 
 and, as we have had no frost yet, it s beautifully 
 green in the woods. I believe I begin to feel a 
 little less homesick, but am no better contented 
 with my work, and have fully determined not to 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 2 1 
 
 stay here long. As far as the doctor goes, I could 
 not ask better ; he is kind as can be, and gives us 
 every privilege; but I really have nothing to do. 
 I should die to have so little work ; I don t believe 
 in wasting time so. I am sure I m equal to better 
 things. I certainly did not come into the service 
 to play; and every walk I take I feel as if I were 
 a real humbug. I have only one man really sick, 
 and those I ve had never stay sick more than three 
 or four days ; as soon as they breathe this fine air 
 they get right up. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, November 12 [1863]. 
 MANSFIELD HOSPITAL. 
 
 I first of all must ask forgiveness for neglecting 
 so long to write ; but you see I every day expected 
 Miss Dix s answer, and then, though it came three 
 or four days ago, I felt so disappointed at its not 
 containing an immediate recall that it put me out 
 of heart for writing. Excuses over, I 11 tell about 
 Miss Dix s brief letter, same old style : " My 
 child, be patient; not one nurse in any hospital 
 has much to do just now, but you ll soon have 
 enough to do. I may send you to Nashville or 
 Hilton Head, circumstances will determine which ! 
 In the mean time do not leave without authority ! " 
 So I wait ! Don t think I shall leave here without 
 regret, for really I never have had so many friends 
 in any place. 
 
122 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 This climate is beautiful; only one frost yet, 
 night before last, and that slight; and the sea 
 always so grand, and making it so healthful. Then 
 these boat excursions are too jolly; always some 
 adventure. Getting aground and having to wait 
 for hours for the tide is a common experience. 
 The people, too, are such a different race from any 
 I ve ever met before ; they beat Illinois hollow. 
 Here they sit from morning till night in their 
 cabins, with their snuff sticks, chewing, chewing, 
 never reading; sometimes spinning or knitting 
 a little; looking so vacant; living on fish and 
 " Eupon " tea. I don t know how the word is 
 spelled, but it sounds like that; it s an evergreen 
 something like myrtle; they parch the leaves and 
 then boil them. To me it tastes like senna. They 
 have very little flour and less cornmeal; but the 
 everlasting sweet potatoes are everywhere. Such 
 a life ! You can t make them talk. There they sit 
 and chew or pipe. They need us. This Shackel- 
 ford Island opposite us is I don t know how many 
 miles long. It s very narrow, never half a mile 
 wide. The best house on it an Irishman would 
 be ashamed of. They are all fishermen, and it s 
 said there is not a Reb on the whole island. 
 
 I am going to give a picture of one of my days 
 and then I 11 have done. I rise at reveille (six). 
 I never go into the ward before breakfast, so I 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 123 
 
 have time to bathe and dress at my ease. Break 
 fast about seven. From there I go to the cook 
 house to see what the bill of fare is for the day; 
 then over here in time for the surgeon s call at 
 eight. I go all around with the doctor, do what 
 I have to do in this ward (Division i) ; then, at 
 nine, Doctor and I go to Division 7, a big ward 
 for commissioned officers I have charge of. I 
 stay another hour there, then over to the cook 
 house, make my puddings, back to Division i in 
 time for the mail at eleven, over to the cook-house 
 to see that I get the best that is going for my 
 trays, back again to my wards to see dinner dis 
 tributed, then off to my dinner in another direction. 
 After dinner I pass an hour or two in this ward 
 (here are all the sickest men), unless we go for 
 a walk. At four I go to the cook-house again 
 to see about supper, canter back to give it to them, 
 then canter off to supper. Evenings I generally 
 pass with Mrs. B. Tattoo at eight; but we don t 
 have to mind that; ten is our hour for breaking 
 up. So you can see what every day is when we 
 are not off sailing. All this cantering round is 
 very healthy, as you must know. I m always in 
 the open air. 
 
 I send you this little rough sketch of our hos 
 pital grounds, so you can see where I live. It is 
 quite a walk to the different places I have to visit 
 
1 24 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 through the day. These large barrack wards each 
 have forty beds and can hold more. Just now there 
 is hardly an empty bed in the whole hospital, but 
 there are no sick men except in Division i, and 
 these have only chronic diarrhoea; just have to 
 have their diet regulated and to lie in bed; they 
 need no other care. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, December 10 [1863]. 
 
 Still here ! How much longer I m to write 
 from this I don t know; and there are thousands 
 now who need me. I feel so discouraged. I have 
 a mind to cut Miss Dix altogether and run away; 
 you can t know how impatient I feel. She told 
 me in her last brieflet to wait with patience 
 till the sixth, and then she should write again 
 and assign me to another place. That is why 
 I did not write Sunday; I wanted to await her 
 letter. It has not come, and I m mad as a pig. 
 Really you can t know how I want to get out of 
 this. 
 
 Yesterday they brought me a wounded Rebel, 
 not wounded by fighting, but in making shingles 
 or something. He cut his hand fearfully, and 
 the artery was entirely severed ; it keeps bleeding, 
 so he has to be watched day and night. It s 
 pretty tedious to have to sit all day looking at the 
 very dirtiest paw you ever saw. He is so fright- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 125 
 
 ened about himself. This and the nigger who was 
 shot, all for love, are the only wounds I ve had 
 to dress, so I am forgetting all I knew. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, December [1863]. 
 
 The whole hospital has been in such a state of 
 consternation and trustification the last ten days 
 it s been impossible to write or do anything one 
 ought to. News came at that time that this hos 
 pital was to be broken up and all scattered to the 
 winds. Nobody knew for why, only that it was 
 to be done. I was sure then of leaving, expecting 
 perhaps to have to go home, when Miss Dix did 
 not order me somewhere; but Thursday night, 
 about six, the Inspectors arrived. We were not 
 expecting them, and had made no preparations. 
 Dr. Bellangee suggested waiting till daylight; but 
 they thought to catch us, and started about eight 
 with lanterns, blundering round, waking up the 
 sick men, and poking into everything. There were 
 six of them. Next morning they started early, 
 without Dr. Bellangee, and went over all again. 
 When they left the doctor, they said it was inevi 
 table that the hospital be closed; the orders were 
 peremptory from General Butler (who had never 
 seen the house anyway). When they got back to 
 
 headquarters, Dr. McC. said " he was if it 
 
 should be closed ; it was the best regulated hospital 
 
i 26 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 he ever saw, everything was as near perfect as 
 could be." Dr. Bellangee was radiant, for he did 
 not know where they would send him to, and was 
 so nicely fixed here. The weather is beautiful, 
 like spring; we still go boating and rowing. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 DESPITE her continued pleadings to be 
 sent to the front, Mary von Olnhausen 
 remained at Morehead City throughout 
 the greater part of 1864. Her impatience at inac 
 tion was very great during the early months of that 
 year; but the numbers of sick and wounded grad 
 ually increased ; a large influx of refugee " poor 
 whites " gave scope for her extraordinary loving- 
 kindness; and, in the fall, came an enemy worse 
 than the Rebels yellow fever for her to do 
 battle with, especially in trying to rescue from its 
 grim clutches her beloved Dr. Bellangee. Her 
 devotion and skill could not, however, save him; 
 and soon after his death, worn out in body and 
 mind, she herself contracted the disease and lay 
 for many days critically ill. Her care for others 
 was requited by the tender nursing which at this 
 time she herself received; and as soon as it was 
 possible she was taken North to that Lexington 
 which she always looked upon as her haven of 
 refuge. The following letters cover these nine 
 months of impatience, of ever-increasing work 
 
128 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 and responsibility, and, finally, of the great sorrow 
 which came in the death of her dear chief. 
 
 January I [1864], 12 A. M., Friday morning. 
 
 Happy New Year, and many kisses to all at 
 home! 
 
 I was going to have such a good time writing 
 and watching the Old Year out, as I have done 
 for many years, and singing my one hymn, when, 
 just as I had got a letter written to C., came 
 in Captain C., wet through to the skin, cold as 
 the iciest of ice, hungry like a wolf, and, more 
 than all, with a badly sprained ankle (I m hanged 
 if I know how to spell that last word is it k 
 or c?). Of course, I had to leave all and attend 
 to him, and so at twelve, instead of having written 
 you a good, cheerful letter, as I should have done, 
 I was suaging (N. C. dialect) his swollen limb 
 (can t venture that other word again), and only 
 had time to begin this and sing my hime. 
 
 Now to-day I m all down in the bluest depths, 
 cross or something, and impatient, forgetting in 
 my wilful wickedness that the good God has given 
 me anything this past year to be thankful for, 
 even in this sterile spot, and only remembering 
 friends and joys that I can t reach, and looking 
 gloomily backward instead of hopefully and joy 
 fully forward as a good, pious Christian ought to 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 129 
 
 do and does. I m sure I would be pious if I could, 
 but I ve tried and tried and can t catch the spirit ; 
 either I don t know how, or the Lord won t help 
 me; "I se so wicked, pears like." Anyway I m 
 not always so desponding, thank fortune, and am 
 sometimes singing praises all day long. Good 
 Lord, deliver me from this slough ; I m in it fairly 
 up to the chin. 
 
 To read the following letter, and to remember 
 that the writer of it was then nearly fifty years 
 old, is to gain some idea of the abounding energy 
 of this " second-best belle." 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY (as usual), January 3, 1864. 
 I am so discouraged about writing, I have no 
 heart to. First of all, now let me darn my com- 
 mander-in-chief. Here she will keep me for the 
 rest of my life, I suppose. She wrote to Dr. Bel- 
 langee to ask if he was satisfied with his nurses 
 and could make them useful. Dr. B. of course 
 wrote, yes ; and so I m to remain. I feel so dis 
 heartened, I can t get over it. To be sure, just 
 now we have two very bad typhoid cases ; but they 
 can t last much longer, and then I shall be out of 
 a job and can just loaf. For the last fortnight I 
 have had a ward cram-full; but every one is up 
 for discharge or furlough, and there are no more 
 
 9 
 
i 30 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 sick here; so then what 11 I do? Why can t 
 somebody want me and make me come? 
 
 You will be surprised to know I went to a real 
 ball New Year s night. All sorts of fine doings 
 over at Fort Macon. Dr. Bellangee would not 
 take a denial from Mrs. B. or me; so we had to 
 go, though I really had nothing to wear. I 
 patched up that purple skirt of mine, and the white 
 waist that D. gave me; but I had no gloves or 
 boots, only thick ones, and felt rather shabby ; and 
 then having hardly a spear of hair! I was not 
 first-best, but, as there were only seven ladies, I 
 had to be a belle, and so danced continuously. 
 
 You can have no idea of the storm that night; 
 it never rained harder. The sea was fearful. We 
 went a mile to the station on a hand car, and then 
 took the tug to the Fort (two miles) ; it was 
 about as wild a night as one would care to put to 
 sea in; and just after we arrived there came up 
 the awfulest thunder-shower you ever heard; it 
 sounded as if all the guns in the fort were ex 
 ploding. Our party of five ladies was the only 
 one that ventured out. There were thirty-seven 
 invited (ladies, I mean) and they had made big 
 preparations. The dance-hall was trimmed with 
 flags and evergreens, the music was good, and the 
 supper fine; but it was the dullest affair I ever 
 went to. All were so disappointed that it was 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 3 1 
 
 impossible to get up any life. It was so stormy 
 we could not leave till five in the morning; and 
 then when we got to the station the mule who 
 dragged our hand car down had run away, and 
 the nigs had run away too; so we had to come 
 that mile on our tired pedals. It was a tough 
 walk with the gale dead ahead, and nearly blowing 
 us off the track into the sea; for it is only a pier 
 that the cars run on. I flattered myself I d have 
 an hour s sleep anyway ; but just as I got upstairs 
 they came and said F. was worse. As soon as 
 I looked at him I saw he would n t live long, so 
 just hurried off my ball fixings and stayed with 
 him till he died, about nine that morning. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, January 19 [1864]. 
 I have only a few minutes just to tell you how 
 tired I am and let you know where I am. For the 
 past ten days I have had no attendant but one 
 Frenchman, who does not speak a word of Eng 
 lish. When this last call was made for all able- 
 bodied men to return to their regiments, my 
 watchman had to go; and the same day both my 
 attendants (of course, broken-down invalids) were 
 taken sick, one with typhoid and one with acute 
 dysentery, so I had to watch all day and part of 
 every night, besides doing extra cooking and all 
 kinds of work through the day. Of course I 
 
132 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 am tired out; as you may see when I say I have 
 fourteen patients all in bed, ten with the worst 
 kind of typhoid pneumonia, so they have to be 
 lifted and fed and washed, as they can t raise a 
 hand. I have not left my ward, except to eat, 
 since I wrote last. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, February 5, 1864. 
 
 I wrote you on Monday that news had come that 
 New Berne was attacked. On Tuesday, about 
 twelve o clock, a despatch came that Newport 
 Barracks, ten miles from this, was attacked by 
 a large Rebel force. It was held by the Ninth 
 Vermont, one company of the Second Massachu 
 setts Heavy Artillery, and a single company of the 
 Nineteenth Wisconsin. Colonel Jourclan of the 
 One Hundred and Fifty-eighth New York started 
 from here immediately with what few men he had 
 left (the best had already been sent in defence of 
 New Berne), and two field-pieces and a few men 
 from Company C of the Massachusetts H. A., 
 leaving this place almost defenceless. I forgot to 
 say that all the night before the cars were running, 
 bringing down arms and ammunition for the re 
 cruits of the One Hundred and Fifty-eighth and 
 Second; until they were brought there was not a 
 single gun left in the town; smart, I think. 
 
 Well, to go on with my story. Jourdan started 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 133 
 
 with his raw recruits, but the cars were attacked 
 and he had to come back. Soon the negroes began 
 to flock in ; they came by hundreds, such frightened 
 beings, leaving everything except their children 
 behind them. The gunboats (one, I mean, a small 
 one) came up and lay opposite the town. Every 
 citizen was compelled to take arms, and every 
 negro was put to work on the entrenchments. 
 
 Such a scurrying time you never saw. All the 
 company stores were sent on board the ships, and 
 all the stores of the regiment too; and every one 
 began to pack his traps. Everything seemed to be 
 thought of except the patients. Mrs. B. was in 
 a fine stew packing her trunk. By dark we could 
 see Newport Barracks burning, but could learn 
 nothing of the men who defended it. You never 
 did hear of such a night, I guess, as that was, 
 the citizen women screaming from every house, 
 so loud that we could hear them, because their 
 men were compelled to fight and, of course, to be 
 killed without mercy; the terrified negroes con 
 stantly arriving; the thousand reports brought in 
 each moment; the occasional firing of a gun by 
 some very scared sentry ; and always such a rush 
 ing to and fro. I utterly refused to pack or budge 
 unless the patients went too; but, at one o clock, 
 C. [hospital attendant] insisted on my sending my 
 traps at least to the Fort, if I would not go myself. 
 
1 34 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Flying men had begun to come in, some slightly 
 wounded, all with alarming stories; and some of 
 those at the fort which defends the town (Fort 
 Heckman) could hear the Rebs chopping trees, etc. 
 
 So I began to pack. War packing is a pretty 
 hopeless job at any time; under such pressure it 
 was impossible to choose. I wanted my treasures, 
 and C. said to take the dry-goods; so it was war 
 between us. However, I managed to smuggle in 
 my best traps; but I began to realize how incon 
 venient they are unless one is decidedly fond of 
 them. We got through at last, and then went 
 out to watch the beginning of the expected battle. 
 There were not three hundred men in all, and the 
 Rebs were said to be five thousand strong. The 
 moon came up, and it was such a lovely scene, 
 the signals from the two forts and the gunboats 
 (two at the station and one at Fort Macon), the 
 frogs singing as if nothing were going on, and 
 the air so warm and still. We sat for hours, and 
 only when the morning broke went to bed. The 
 patients had at last fallen asleep, and broad day 
 light found them still sleeping. I had to give big 
 doses of morphine to accomplish even that. 
 
 Well, the night was over, and the Rebels had not 
 come, and everybody was quite worn out. The 
 excitement was intense, cut off as we were from 
 all communications, and just waiting to be " took." 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 135 
 
 About ten in the morning news came that the 
 Ninth Vermont and Mix s New Cavalry (I for 
 got to mention them) had crossed the Newport 
 River, burned the railroad bridge, and come down 
 on the other side to Beaufort. I must tell you first 
 how this place lies: we are on a very narrow 
 strip with Bogue Sound on one side and Calico 
 Creek on the other; then another narrow strip, 
 and then Newport River; so you see they had a 
 good distance to get round. They were soon 
 brought over here, and people felt a little relieved 
 to have some more help. At first it was supposed 
 half of the men were killed or prisoners, but they 
 have been gradually straggling back, so now but 
 few, comparatively, are not accounted for, only 
 the Nineteenth Wisconsin has not been heard 
 from. I 11 bet they fought; that is a bully regi 
 ment, and we fear that all who were left are 
 prisoners. 
 
 Now here was another day and night, con 
 stant alarms, everybody all ready for flight. Doc 
 tor gave shelter in one of the barracks to about 
 a hundred negro women and children who had 
 to be fed and cared for, besides the sick and tired 
 soldiers pouring in all day; but at least we had 
 more soldiers in the forts, though they were tired 
 ones. Still the Rebels did not come. All day 
 yesterday (Thursday) we could see fires in all 
 
1 36 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 directions, perhaps turpentine and perhaps homes 
 of loyal men. About two we could see parties of 
 people moving about on the opposite side of the 
 creek a mile and a half away, and big fires too; 
 now it seemed inevitable that we were to be " done 
 took," and I guess no one lay down quite easy 
 in his bed. But morning found us all right, 
 and, later, the Spaulding came with the Twenty- 
 first Connecticut, old fighters, and, they say, good. 
 Anyway, at two they, with the Ninth Vermont and 
 Cavalry, started on an expedition; the cars took 
 them up seven miles and left them to proceed to 
 Newport Barracks on foot ; of course, by this time 
 the Rebels were miles away. I have no doubt 
 reinforcements will be sent to our help from New 
 Berne unless that is taken, and I reckon it is not, 
 though it has been surrounded; but they have 
 many forts and gunboats. All communication is 
 cut off, the bridge burned and telegraph destroyed, 
 so God knows how they may be; anyway, all are 
 sure of a quiet night, and I have, as you see, a little 
 leisure to tell you about it. I have been so often 
 reminded of Mrs. Bluebeard and her sister Ann, 
 for there has been such a constant watching from 
 high places for reinforcements, and my gallery 
 has been the principal scene of action all the day : 
 " Do you see any steamers ? " " Nary a steamer," 
 till the head was almost off. I believe Madam 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 137 
 
 was going to have her head off; I ve almost for 
 gotten the modus operandi. 
 
 Through all this I have been so provoked that 
 I could not get up one bit of a scare or even excite 
 ment; I could not even feel anxious. Of course 
 I could not sleep for the everlasting hubbub, but, 
 I don t say it for boasting, I could n t see it. It 
 seemed to me quite a nice phase in war life. Had 
 I really believed the Ninth and Cavalry made a good 
 stand and had really lost many men, I might have 
 felt different ; but as they once passed six months 
 in Chicago as paroled prisoners, and Harper s Ferry 
 was all the fight they ever were in, I believed they 
 would skedaddle ingloriously, as I believe they 
 did, and as we most of us here meant to. I may 
 be unjust, but that is what I say. Anyway, one 
 thing they did, and that was mean; they burned 
 the long bridge behind them, completely cutting 
 off the retreat of the Cavalry and the Second 
 Massachusetts [H. A.] and poor Wisconsin, so 
 they had to swim for it; and it is said many of 
 the Second boys were drowned; anyway, they are 
 missing yet. 
 
 They talk of many wounded and killed, but they 
 brought only three into Beaufort, and one or two 
 have straggled in here. All that came I have in 
 my ward. The Ninth had been recruited by four 
 hundred; the recruits arrived at eleven and were 
 
138 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 attacked at twelve; rather soon to begin, but it 
 is said they stood up well. It seems, though, that 
 the most who are missing are the new ones. One 
 sad story I have heard: two brothers stood side 
 by side, and both were killed within a moment of 
 each other; a hard sorrow for the poor parents 
 at home. I fear I have not given you a very 
 graphic account of what has really been quite an 
 interesting episode in our life; but it is so hard 
 to tell stories good. 1 
 
 I sometimes am tempted to send you a nigger; 
 I know such a nice servant, and she wants to go 
 North. I have a little one to take care of my room 
 and run my errands. If her nose were in order, 
 she would be quite charming ; but I am constantly 
 charging on her for that, and it is quite wearing; 
 especially, too, as I have to supply her the needful 
 apparatus, which she is continually losing. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, February 25 [1864]. 
 
 I have had my hands full of wounded at last. 
 I have twelve wounds to-day, all, I reckon, that 
 were wounded in that bloody battle of Newport 
 Barracks. My crowning was a Rebel who was 
 brought to me to-day with a good Union ball 
 through his lungs; such a gaunt, haggard, ema 
 ciated specimen of humanity you never have seen, 
 
 1 For these skirmishes see " Official Records of the War of the 
 Rebellion," Series I. vol. xxxiii. p. 47. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 139 
 
 because such kinds of men are never found up there ; 
 they are peculiar to North Carolina, a true type 
 of all. When I should tell he was dirty, you could 
 not then understand the word in its full sense; 
 you must see a Southern soldier first to under 
 stand. I had him washed and cut and clothed, 
 and now I hope to be able to approach him without 
 having my nose tied up. The poor fellow, though, 
 is very grateful and very sick. He was left, with 
 another, when the Rebels retired at their leisure; 
 but before they left him they stripped off all his 
 clothes ; they could not afford to leave even those. 
 I have put him in a room with my pet patient, 
 Will S., of the gallant Ninth. Now Willie is a 
 real character, and I expect there will be some fun 
 there; he has a ball in the back of his head. He 
 makes so much fun of his wound and the way his 
 face was pointed ; often asks me if I had not rather 
 be dressing that than his nose, which would prob 
 ably have been the seat of the injury if he had 
 minded his old mother and not run ; but, he says, 
 somehow the legs would go that way spite of all 
 he could do. He declares that in the midst of it, 
 thinking about her, he said to himself, "Land, she 
 would run too, if she was here and saw all those 
 darned Rebs after her ; " and that was the last 
 thought he had for some time. He is such a homely 
 fellow, and with his shaved head and bandages 
 
140 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 would make a capital scarecrow. Poor man! it 
 is doubtful if he gets well, and he knows his 
 danger ; but it does n t stop his fun at all. 
 
 Another good patient I have is Tom G., of the 
 same regiment. He is shot in the right arm, near 
 the shoulder. There is constant danger of hemor 
 rhage, and he is in intense pain (probably the nerve 
 is severed) ; but he bears it splendidly, and is 
 always ready to laugh. His companion is a cross 
 Frenchman who had a bad wife and hates women ; 
 so he kept his head always covered when I came 
 near him and never spoke, only moaned. He 
 is slung up in an anterior splint and hates the 
 "damned machine;" but somehow, lately, he 
 has got to liking the " damned " women better, 
 and really looks at me with smiles, and, to-day, 
 asked me to write an English letter to his dear 
 cousin Margy; so I think I have conquered him 
 with kindness, and made him have a better opinion 
 of women generally. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, April 3 [1864]. 
 
 All the boys want me to write their letters to 
 you; but I tell them no, they must get some boy 
 to write. I have to write for five of them every 
 week, often several letters, and it is about as 
 hateful a thing as they could set me at. When 
 practice makes perfect, I shall be a good letter- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 141 
 
 writer before I die, if the war lasts awhile. I 
 think, had I known this part of my duties, I never 
 would have enlisted. Sergeant H. almost wore 
 me out; he had so many kinsfolk, and every day 
 somebody must be written to. It is so hard to 
 express other people s thoughts. Smith s, now, 
 are entertaining; he dictates and I write what 
 he says, when I can for laughing. 
 
 The " terrible schoolma ms " of the following 
 letter do not appear in any earlier correspondence. 
 Probably the letter referring to them has been 
 lost. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, May 6 [1864]. 
 
 I have only a few moments just to tell you the 
 Rebels have not got here yet, though some people 
 are hourly expecting them; not so I. I still be 
 lieve they will not venture here. The town is 
 full of rumors and nothing is known. The train 
 was cut off yesterday, and the wires severed; the 
 last news was that they were fighting hard at 
 New Berne, and that terrific Ram was there, and 
 all sorts of horrid things. 
 
 For us, we are full of refugees; three hundred 
 and fifty women and children came here the day 
 after I last wrote you, and since then Bedlam 
 has been let loose. The schoolma ms seemed ter 
 rible, as I told you; but think of so many dirty 
 
142 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 women and children let into the grounds. They 
 occupy two big barracks; some of them have not 
 a change of clothes. They had only an hour s 
 notice to quit Washington [N. C.]. You cannot 
 know anything of squalor till you see these people, 
 all piping and chewing and crying everlastingly; 
 perfectly satisfied to sit on the floor without mak 
 ing an effort to better their condition, only by an 
 extra chew of snuff. We can t even make them 
 wash themselves or their clothes; everybody is 
 busy doing for them, for something must be done. 
 I never before knew anything of war horrors; 
 you should see and hear them to believe. Some 
 of these women s husbands have fallen into the 
 Rebels hands; of course they are murdered, as 
 not a North Carolinian has escaped, they say. 
 You have already seen how the Rebels treated the 
 negroes; the men were marched out in squads, 
 made to dig their own graves, and then murdered 
 and thrown into them, one at a time. I saw a 
 man yesterday who saw it. Every child, even, 
 who was found with a bit of black on it was 
 treated in the same way. Our men at Plymouth 
 were all stripped, and in an hour every Rebel was 
 dressed in our uniform. Both Plymouth and 
 Washington are destroyed, and, they say, Roanoke 
 is also taken. All those places were won by such 
 hard fighting and so hardly kept, so much life lost, 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 143 
 
 and now to be given right up again ! It is too bad ; 
 what do they mean to do? 
 
 I must tell you of my new charge. I have 
 selected from the lot three of the lousiest, dirtiest, 
 raggedest little things you ever saw in your life, 
 and brought them here to take care of. The oldest, 
 a girl, is blind, and so ignorant and forlorn. They 
 had not a person in the world to take care of them, 
 not a bed to sleep on; the little boys are really 
 pretty, but such sights as they were when I brought 
 them up here; not a spot on their bodies that 
 is n t sore. Of course, the first thing I did was to 
 strip them and burn everything they had on, and 
 they were literally naked in the world. The 
 mother and baby died a few days since, and the 
 father is a soldier in the Second North Carolina, 
 God knows where. I have been sewing my hand 
 off to get something made for them, and now have 
 them quite decent. I give them a scrub in soap 
 and water every night, and the poor little things 
 are looking more human now. Of course, they 
 are a great care; but I had to do it; those poor 
 blind eyes were too strong for me. Her name 
 is Angelico ; she has a new coat and shoes for the 
 first time, and is really smiling; but she has 
 awfully dirty habits, and I tell you the " Heavenly 
 Father feeling " comes in play often. I shall keep 
 them till some provision can be made for them by 
 
1 44 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 the Government, or the father can come for them. 
 One of the soldiers will adopt the youngest if his 
 father will give him up entirely. 
 
 The monotony of the summer s work was re 
 lieved, as occasion offered, by camping out on the 
 ocean side of Shackelford Island (see p. 122), 
 where, with other women of the hospital staff, 
 Mrs. von Olnhausen spent many a pleasant hour 
 bathing, walking, and searching for shells and 
 sea-weeds. 
 
 August 22 [1864]. 
 
 I have been to the sea for a day or two, and 
 yesterday (Sunday) a big storm came; the tents 
 are old and leaky and so Dr. Bellangee sent for 
 us. The storm was fearful, and it is two miles 
 to cross; but Dr. Cowgill thought it was safer 
 in the boat than there, and such a sail as we had 
 over ! The sea was awful, and the wind, in gusts, 
 dead ahead. Soon after we started I guess every 
 one wanted to be on shore again; but there was 
 no going back without swamping, so on we came. 
 We were two hours getting over and were wet to 
 the pelt. Then the boat shipped water and had 
 been at the wharf only a few moments when she 
 sank, kerflop! I assure you I shall never go to 
 sea in such a storm again. 
 
 I can t yet tell for certain about my coming 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 145 
 
 home; though, unless pay day comes, it would 
 be impossible anyway, for I would not go with 
 out a little money ahead. And I must tell you 
 of a very foolish thing I did. That Mrs. C. 
 (schoolma m) who was here awhile ago had a 
 big wardrobe and no money ; she came to me with 
 such a pitiful story about her child, etc., and 
 wanted me to buy some of her dresses. At first 
 I ridiculed the idea; but she was persistent and 
 sorrowful; and finally, Mrs. B. also came and 
 urged. I told her I was no judge of the worth 
 anyhow; she said she would be umpire, and as 
 she has kept store, etc., and is very shrewd, I 
 thought she would be fair to me ; so I took three 
 dresses and some laces. Well, after I paid her 
 and showed my bargain, everybody laughed at me ; 
 and I for once see the truth of " a fool and her 
 money." I guess nobody was ever so taken in! 
 Wasn t it real shabby in Mrs. B., and she, too, 
 laughs ; and worse than all, C. told around among 
 all the employees of the hospital that I was such 
 a green woman; that I insisted on buying her 
 clothes ; she kept refusing, but it was no use, have 
 them I would, and now she had to make fresh ones 
 just to gratify my whims! So all that pay went 
 for nothing; as I certainly would never wear one 
 of them here. 
 
 You are real comforting in saying it s fortunate 
 
 10 
 
1 46 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 my children all died, when I mourned so for 
 them! You can t know how I missed Franky; 
 he was such a dear little boy. You ask what has 
 become of all those people; they are scattered 
 about in tents and shanties and live not half so 
 good as pigs. I came across one woman yester 
 day, in my walk, who was living with her daughter 
 and granddaughter under a quilt spread over a 
 pole. It was just high enough to sit in, the bed 
 was spread right in the sand, and such a bed ! and 
 such an unhappy old woman ! as you may believe. 
 She was driven from a good home, where she 
 had been born and expected to die. She had a 
 nice farm, well stocked ; but would be Union and 
 so had to fly for her life. They robbed her of 
 everything; but she says it doesn t matter much; 
 she had rather be so than one of them! I have 
 heard so many old women say the same thing ; the 
 young ones only seem bad! I have seen so much 
 misery since I have been in North Carolina that 
 I forget all I have ever seen before! Our Illinois 
 farm was princely. It will either harden me to 
 stone or else take away every bit of selfishness 
 from me. 
 
 August 23 and September 4, 1864. 
 
 A fortnight ago I got so far along, and since 
 then I m hanged if I ve had a minute to write or 
 do anything (only when I am too tired) till to-day. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 47 
 
 The nigs * are more than I can stand ; they bully 
 me so I don t know where I am. One of them told 
 me this morning " she d give me a shakin down 
 yet fore she got t rough ; " which sounds so re 
 spectful that I Ve been quite satisfied with myself 
 and my dignity ever since. She is a miserable- 
 looking little article, too, black as night, and with 
 such thick lips. I made her fold some dressing- 
 gowns over for the fifth time, and she thought that 
 was once too often considering she had washed 
 them over twice! Now you can see the good of 
 giving me such a place. I m no more fit to manage 
 them than those of their own color. But this week 
 has brought me all right so far as work goes; I 
 have made things shine, and now defy any one 
 to find fault; they gave unconditional praise on 
 inspection this morning. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, September 18, 1864. 
 This life is more monotonous now than I ever 
 knew it before ; it s the same thing each day, 
 varied a little, when the cars come, with the hope 
 of mail and the rumors of the fever which is raging 
 at New Berne. Some say it is the yellow fever 
 and some that it is congestive chills; anyway it is 
 alarming, as so far all have died in a short time 
 after being taken. I only half believe the stories; 
 
 1 In the laundry, of which she had been put in charge. 
 
148 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 but every one who comes down seems tolerably 
 frightened, and many families are moving away. 
 Thus far it is confined mostly to citizens; few 
 soldiers have been attacked. If it should prevail 
 to a great extent, of course it is my duty to go 
 there, and I suppose I shall. I have no fear of it, 
 and only doubt whether I could do much good; 
 but still I shall try. 
 
 September 24, 1864. 
 
 I must write you a short letter, fearing you will 
 be anxious about the fever at New Berne; so far 
 we are all well here. One woman who came from 
 New Berne with the disease has died, and one case 
 has appeared in the hospital; but still it seems 
 almost impossible that it can prevail here, this is 
 such a healthful place and so clean too, thanks to 
 Dr. Bellangee. He stayed here only one day, and 
 then was ordered up to New Berne to take charge 
 of the Health Department. He is made President 
 of the board and is doing sweeping work there; 
 he wrote to-day that he is making a fearful 
 amount of enemies, and is constantly exposed to 
 danger, but he would shirk nothing; that he con 
 sidered it his duty as long as God spared him. 
 
 He wrote to his wife and me together, begging 
 me to stay by through this crisis; that he should 
 feel such courage if he knew I was here to do my 
 share. He would not hear of my going to New 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 49 
 
 Berne. You see I had my papers all arranged to 
 go Monday on the Petrel, that sails from this port ; 
 but I found him so sad about it I gave it up. I 
 had anticipated so much pleasure in being at home ; 
 but that must be deferred now till another time. 
 I hope the fever will soon abate, and then I shall 
 think again of starting. I will send a bulletin 
 every few days, so don t be worried about me. 
 
 September 28, 1864. 
 
 I am sure you will be glad to hear from me if 
 only a few words. I am so sorry to tell you that 
 our dear doctor was brought back here yesterday so 
 sick that I can t tell you how he is. That fearful 
 fever, no one can say how it will terminate; but 
 his symptoms are not so bad as some who have 
 come here. 
 
 September 30, 1864. 
 
 I did not write yesterday, as it was such an 
 anxious day with us all. Doctor was very sick all 
 day, and I could not leave him for a moment. To 
 day he is still bad; but the symptoms are all en 
 couraging, and if he holds out as he is now till 
 after four o clock this afternoon, we feel as if all 
 danger would be passed, I mean the frightful 
 part; of course he will be fearfully prostrated, 
 and it will require all his iron constitution to carry 
 
150 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 him through till Monday, when he will begin to 
 rally. 
 
 Till you are with it you can have no idea of 
 this dreadful fever; nothing else approaches it 
 except cholera. The effect upon the spirits would 
 alone be distressing enough; but then the agony 
 of the patient, and his consciousness of the danger 
 add so much to the horror. No one expects to live, 
 and when the black vomit comes that look of 
 despair with the " There is no show for me any 
 longer " makes your heart just full. 
 
 The news from New Berne is bad enough to-day ; 
 the fever seems on the increase and the weather 
 is still warm; this morning was fearful. We are 
 still spared here; no cases except those brought 
 from there; and though the doctor so far is the 
 only hopeful one, yet there were many more cases 
 in New Berne cured this week than last. Perhaps 
 they treat it better ; though it is often the fact in 
 this epidemic that after the third week the pro 
 portion of cures is much greater. It seems it ap 
 peared as early as the first of September, but they 
 have been trying to keep it dark ; called it conges 
 tive chills, etc., and took no steps to remove the 
 causes even, till Dr. Bellangee went there. 
 
 The world has to thank Dr. - , a Massachu 
 setts man, who has been Health Officer there, for 
 all this. He has allowed everything to accumulate 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 5 1 
 
 and has never remonstrated, not even with the 
 Quartermaster, who filled in a whole square of the 
 dock with condemned beef, pork, and vegetables. 
 The barrels were thrown in just as they were, full, 
 and were then covered with about three feet of 
 earth. The fever originated there, and not one 
 in that quarter got well. It then spread all over 
 the town. Moreover, the town has never been 
 drained, and every vault and sink, even of the 
 hospital, is in an awful condition. It s too bad 
 that so many lives should be sacrificed to such 
 wanton neglect. It is said that dead hogs and 
 dogs and other animals come floating down those 
 two sluggish streams that surround New Berne 
 (the Neuse and Trent) and make into an eddy at 
 the piers; there they lie, putrid, till they finally 
 melt away. What can one hope from such a town ? 
 I would gladly go there and do my share of it. 
 Can I be too glad, though, that I am here to nurse 
 the doctor? He needs me so much. The boys 
 turn pale when I speak of going; so, unless some 
 thing particular happens, I shall not go at present. 
 Is n t it singular that black people do not take 
 the fever? Some yellow ones have had it; but 
 not one black. The poor refugees die with it on 
 short notice. Those all-suffering people have had 
 more than their share, measles, small-pox, 
 worms, and now fever; not many will be left to 
 
1 5 2 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 tell the tale of suffering by the time winter is over. 
 What can the poor things do, so broken now, in 
 their crowded tents, God help them ! 
 
 October 2, 1864. 
 
 What do you think the New Berne paper of yes 
 terday says ? " Some people for some reason are 
 trying to get up a panic, saying we have some 
 infectious disease here, which is perfectly false; 
 typhoid and swamp fevers are prevalent, but to no 
 alarming extent, and there is no epidemic pre 
 vailing." Is it not a shame to publish such lies? 
 Friday and yesterday each there were twenty-five 
 burials, all of yellow fever. Whole families are 
 found dead in their houses; four were found 
 yesterday, the wife lying across the feet of her 
 dead husband, and both children dead beside them ; 
 and with this knowledge, to say such lies ! I hope 
 to come home this fall, but that will depend on 
 how long this sickness lasts. When the fighting 
 commences at Wilmington, I suppose I can t come ; 
 and, if it is late, the long sail in these vile tempests 
 is rather an objection. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, October 5, 1864. 
 The news from New Berne grows worse each 
 day, and sick men are continually being brought 
 here; but I have not time to look after those in 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 153 
 
 my ward now ; Dr. Bellangee claims me first and 
 all. 
 
 Dr. Hand wrote yesterday : " The fever grows 
 worse ; God only can help us. I m dreadfully 
 blue and exhausted, I can scarcely get upstairs 
 to bed after my work is done." He is medical 
 director of this department, and so far the only 
 surgeon who has escaped ; but they say he is worn 
 to a skeleton. After Friday, this port is closed 
 to all except gunboats. There is no doubt that 
 Wilmington is to be attacked; so now God only 
 knows when I shall get home. The quarantine 
 is twenty days, even for letters, in New York ; so 
 I fear you will be very anxious about me. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, October 14, 1864. 
 
 I don t know how I can tell you the mournful 
 news of our dear friend s [Dr. Bellangee s] death. 
 My last letter was hopeful of his recovery ; but an 
 hour after it had gone he was taken worse and 
 suffered more than I am sure any poor mortal 
 deserved. I can hardly remember the particulars 
 now, it was so pitiful to us all. He suffered con 
 stantly, notwithstanding quantities of chloroform, 
 till three in the morning, when he died ; his screams 
 will never be forgotten. 
 
 Last night another very sick patient was brought 
 to me, a Mrs. N., mother of Mrs. Colonel A. of 
 
154 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Boston. The Colonel and she have both died this 
 week, and no one would take in or keep this poor 
 old woman, who has the fever; so Doctor [Palmer] 
 and I concluded we must. I dread another such 
 trial, of course; but what can one do when all are 
 suffering so? I also have a sick doctor from New 
 Berne Hospital, so I can only keep on working 
 until God sends us frost. 
 
 Our hospital is full of sick, though so far only 
 those are taken who have been brought from New 
 Berne ; no case has originated here. In Beaufort it 
 is different; there the fever appeared of itself, the 
 first victims being Colonel A. and his wife. I have 
 had, besides all this nursing, to pack everything for 
 Mrs. Bellangee, think for her, and take charge of 
 the House; and now I am at the station with her 
 waiting for the ship to sail that will take her from 
 this sorrowful place. She is so disappointed that 
 I will not go North with her ; but I see clearly my 
 duty is here. I could not leave Dr. Palmer now in 
 his trial. 
 
 This is the first time I have sat down to-day, 
 and with no sleep last night I feel drowsy and 
 stupid enough; but I would not let the ship sail 
 without these few words. I know you think of me 
 often now ; but don t feel anxious. I am perfectly 
 well with the exception of being tired, and am 
 really glad to be where I can make comfort to so 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 155 
 
 many. I can t tell you how grateful I felt when 
 the rumor went out that I, too, was to leave to 
 day. The boys all came to me with : " Mrs. O., 
 don t leave us, you are all we have now; what 
 can we do without you? " and their gladness when 
 I told them I would stay ! Dr. Palmer just kissed 
 my hands and went away. I am real egotistical, I 
 know; but I can t help it; I am a little weaker 
 than usual from being over-tired. 
 
 This " little weakness " developed quickly into 
 yellow fever, of which she had an extremely 
 serious case. When sufficiently convalescent to 
 bear the journey, she was taken North to the 
 frosts and healing air of Lexington. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 RETURNING to Morehead City in Decem 
 ber, 1864, Mrs. von Olnhausen remained 
 there until early in the following April, 
 when she was transferred, first to Beaufort and 
 afterwards to Smithville, North Carolina. Dur 
 ing this period the war came to an end through 
 the surrender of Lee, and President Lincoln 
 was assassinated. The demoralization inseparable 
 from the ending of a great war made itself plainly 
 felt in the hospitals; and the disorganization of 
 these last months was almost as great as that of 
 her first experience, at Alexandria. Remaining 
 with the hospital at Smithville as long as there 
 was any need for her services, she at last received 
 her discharge in the closing days of August, 1865. 
 Laden with birds, animals, curios, and kindred 
 " traps," and accompanied by a " Contraband " 
 man-servant, she returned in the late summer to 
 the welcome of her Lexington homes. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, Sunday, December n, 1864. 
 
 Back once more in my own room, so much bluer 
 than I expected to be. I half determined not to 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 57 
 
 write at all, I felt so homesick. I arrived here 
 yesterday morning, after being a whole week on 
 my journey, thoroughly tired, for it was such a 
 roundabout way to come. Most of the time we 
 had bad weather and not a soul for company; so 
 it made the time seem even longer. 
 
 I left New York Monday, and had the usual 
 tiresome ride to Baltimore; but the cars were 
 detained, so the boat had already left for Fortress 
 Monroe, and I must wait till the next day. I went 
 to Barnum s, and the first stupid thing I did was 
 when the clerk asked me my name. I could not, 
 for a moment, remember it at all; he stared sus 
 piciously at me, till at last I told him. I also said 
 I wanted the valise and largest trunk sent to my 
 room. When they were brought up I found the 
 trunk had been opened, and the blankets taken off. 
 I asked why, and the porter said it was too hard 
 to carry with them on; but afterwards, when I 
 came to open the trunk, I found the reason. I sup 
 pose, from my hesitation and having so much 
 luggage, they took me for a " torpedo woman " or 
 some kind of a fire-critter; and I did not blame 
 them, I was so stupid. 
 
 I had a nice walk round town next day, and 
 at four we left. The boat was crowded and my 
 berth was right over the engine, so it was pretty 
 warm; but a shower came in the night and gave 
 
158 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 me a wetting, through the skylight, which cooled 
 me off. We arrived about seven in the morning 
 at the Fortress, and found there were no outside 
 boats for two or three days; so I took the canal. 
 It rained so I could not go about at all, excepting 
 to the Provost s and Quartermaster s; and at ten 
 we left for Norfolk. In two hours we were there 
 and had to fly round to get transportation, as the 
 boat was ready to start. It still rained, and I was 
 by this time pretty uncomfortable, as you may 
 believe. In fact, I never before started from home 
 so badly prepared for a journey; I had nothing 
 comfortable. You know I had no change of any 
 thing. The boat was a dirty little affair, and I 
 was so glad I had enough of my own to eat. 
 
 That night we got nearly to the mouth of the 
 canal, where we found a gunboat sunk, and a big 
 boat jammed with her in attempting to pass. It 
 was fast, and the prospect was rather dismal, as 
 her own machinery was powerless, owing to the 
 wheels being fast, and our boat seemed too small 
 to move her; but they put on steam, bumped at 
 her for two hours, and at last crowded her out. 
 Then we changed boats, as there was no room to 
 turn. She still had to poke the big boat out of the 
 canal, so it was nearly morning before we started 
 again. 
 
 Dr. Palmer s Lieutenant-Colonel Clark was on 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 159 
 
 board ; he had just been on a raid into Rebeldom, 
 had captured all the forces he met, together with 
 ninety bales of cotton, eight wagons, twenty mules 
 ( he had to shoot those, for he had no room to bring 
 them back) ; had burned a great quantity of stores, 
 and had pitched a hundred sacks of salt into the 
 river. He had to work in a hurry, for there was 
 a large force in reserve, and every moment he was 
 expecting them. His force was very small, only 
 two or three hundred in all; and just as they 
 were off the Rebels came in sight. He was most 
 proud of his success, and well he might be; every 
 one here praises him. 
 
 When we reached Roanoke, we found everybody 
 in great excitement there. All the soldiers had 
 been taken away, and most of the gunboats ; also 
 the regular boat to New Berne. So again we had 
 to wait till two that night before the mail-boat 
 came down to take us. I wandered about the 
 island alone, and poked into many shebangs. One 
 woman was just eating dinner, and invited me to 
 partake. I was cold and hungry after the walk; 
 and although the tablecloth was a salt sack, and 
 dirty at that, and the fork had but one prong, and 
 she had only corn bread and biled pork and greens, 
 I laid aside fastidiousness and sat with her. The 
 coffee really did taste good, though the sugar 
 looked dubious and there was no milk. But it was 
 
160 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 wet and warm, washed the grub down, and made 
 the old lady happy, because I was a Northerner 
 and not proud. She was very strong Union, had 
 suffered all that one can, was seventy-four years 
 old, and had not one cent left in the world. Her 
 clothes she buried before she left, and was next 
 day going back to Plymouth to try to find them. 
 She was very well known there, and liked; and 
 when the town was being taken two officers, know 
 ing her, and how much she would suffer if left, 
 took her and ran down to the boat, she being the 
 last to escape. One of the officers was captured. 
 The run nearly killed the old lady, she said. With 
 the fright and hurry, her breath was clean gone, 
 and she fell down helpless. She " likes us Yanks 
 enough." 
 
 It was a real cold day, but I kept walking; it 
 was better than staying in the lonely boat with 
 nobody but two " China ry " girls to stare at one. 
 I went back at sundown, and the old lady was 
 so anxious for fear I should miss the way (as if 
 one could in that little, one-horse town) that she 
 went to the boat with me. I was sorry, afterwards, 
 that I did not take her on board and give her some 
 clothes ; she would have been so glad. I gave her 
 some money and she was very grateful. 
 
 The Sound was rough, and everybody was sick, 
 and there were no berths on board. The benches, 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 6 1 
 
 of course, were as hard as boards could make them. 
 In fact, the last bed I slept on till I got here was at 
 Baltimore. The night before I passed on the nar 
 rowest kind of a seat, all " booted and spurr d," and 
 the consciousness of a tumble never left me. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, December 25 [1864]. 
 
 I should feel " meaner than pusley " for not 
 having written if I had not a tip-top excuse. I 
 never did accomplish so much, I think, in one 
 week before. Tuesday brought your letter, also 
 the box; but then I was too deep in Christmas 
 preparations to think of anything else. You know 
 we have never been paid yet. The black women 
 were perfectly destitute, they really had nothing 
 to wear, and such unmitigated growling. So 
 Doctor said I had better take some bed-ticks and 
 give them dresses; also some coarse undercloth 
 ing. The Sanitary, furthermore, had given me, 
 a long time ago, some bed-sacks of lapping. I 
 knew it was no use to give them anything unmade, 
 as they would botch it so; so I commenced and, 
 more than that, executed the gigantic undertaking 
 of making the clothing all up. Now that was a 
 work. I sewed literally night and day. Friday 
 I was in despair, and made a sewing-bee; called 
 all the neighbors in, and so by night got nearly 
 done. 
 
 it 
 
1 62 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Besides working for the nigs, I had all those 
 refugee things to fix up and arrange. It took 
 some judgment to parcel them out; but every 
 thing was done by last night. Moreover, the box 
 came yesterday, just in time to distribute. 
 
 Our harbor has been full of the fleet. It was 
 splendid : sixty ships and eight monitors. They 
 sailed out Friday and Saturday week for Wilming 
 ton. Doctor took us down to see them, and we 
 went on board the double-turreted monitor, the 
 Monadnock. How I wish you could have seen it! 
 I don t see how anything could hurt her ; four 
 feet of wood, and seven inches of wrought iron, 
 and such turrets, and such guns ! The shells were 
 fifteen inches and they carried five miles, sure. 
 Well, they all sailed out and we expected, Sunday, 
 to hear the attack, for though it s ninety miles 
 we can hear them; but no guns came. 
 
 Tuesday the transports, with General Butler s 
 whole force, commenced coming in for coal and 
 water; they had been lying off Wilmington six 
 teen days, on half rations, expecting the fleet. Of 
 course there was somebody wrong, as usual. The 
 men were suffering terribly, crowded into the 
 ships, expecting to be only five days and not 
 allowed to bring even a change of clothes, not a 
 knapsack even; all was to be sent after them. 
 They had waited, as I say, sixteen days, and many 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 163 
 
 were sick. Then we had an awful storm and the 
 coldest weather I ve ever known here ; so many 
 of them were frostbitten. The ships were brought 
 to the wharf, one by one, and the men allowed to 
 land while the ships were cleaned. They were like 
 wild men, and no one could blame them. Our 
 hospital was full of them, wanting everything, 
 officers and men alike; for the little that was to 
 be bought in these stores was sold at once. 
 
 The day of my " bee " I was sitting here with 
 a room full of women, when who should come in 
 but Dr. Barnes (medical inspector of the whole 
 troops here) ; I was so glad to see him, and he 
 seemed pleased, too. He stayed to tea, and was 
 too glad to get something to eat; for they had 
 had nothing but salt pork and hard tack for many 
 days. He said it was the first " square " meal he d 
 eaten for a long while. He appealed to the benev 
 olent ladies of Lexington, said he remembered 
 them, and claimed their charity; for he was both 
 lousy and dirty, and did not even blush to own it. 
 He left that for General Butler to do, who got 
 them into that condition. I had nothing for him 
 but a clean handkerchief; but Dr. Palmer gave 
 me a suit of " Sanitary " for him, and he went 
 away rejoicing. 
 
 They sailed yesterday afternoon, so are now 
 fighting. We hear the guns all day very plainly; 
 
1 64 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 the firing is continuous. The news has come that 
 Fort Fisher has surrendered, and the troops are 
 landing. I suppose by this you will have heard of 
 the trick played on them of the ship being chased, 
 rigged like an English vessel, loaded with powder. 
 Friday night it was accomplished; we felt and 
 heard the report here; it must have been terrible 
 there. Every one started from sleep; the report 
 is that it shattered the town awfully. 1 We are all 
 so anxious here to know the result of to-day s 
 fighting. It would be a nice Christmas gift to 
 the Nation when we could gain that Secesh place. 2 
 
 Monday [December 26]. 
 
 I was stopped yesterday, for Kitty P. came for 
 me to go sailing ; and then in the evening we went 
 to the negro meeting, where we laughed our fill. 
 How I wish you could go to a real nig meeting 
 and hear them exhort. One man kept asking if 
 we did not hear the " strumpets of de Lord a- 
 calling and a-calling : I hears the strumpets all 
 round me, Bress de Lord forever. Then he 
 " prayed de Lord to fire up his coal ; " I guess he 
 is a fireman. To-day I m having a grand row 
 with the nigs. They got so stupid and behind 
 hand I ve sent two off, and the work drags. 
 
 1 As a matter of fact, it was a complete failure. 
 
 2 The Union forces were repelled at Fort Fisher on December 
 25, 1864, but took the fort by assault on January 15, 1865. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 165 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, January, 1865. 
 
 They say the paymaster comes to-morrow, and 
 will pay us four months if we will sign four 
 months rolls; but all declare they won t. It will 
 soon now be twelve months pay due us. Is n t it 
 real mean ? It is so in no other department. Some 
 of the men have such pitiful letters from their 
 families, wanting everything and blaming them, 
 saying that other women must get their money. 
 I see a good many swollen faces after the mail 
 comes in; and some of the letters make me cry, 
 too. There is certainly money somewhere. Some 
 lay it to the paymaster, who is speculating in the 
 coupons, and some charge poor Butler with the 
 whole sin. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, Thursday, January [? 19], 1865. 
 
 Happy ! Two hundred wounded and I the only 
 wound-dresser in the ward; they are just arriving. 
 I shall have all I can do now, and the best kind, 
 too! Send me a box of all you know I want for 
 wounded men, especially rags and long bandages. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, Sunday, January [?29], 1865. 
 
 I have forty-four beds. I have taken the ward 
 just back of the carriage house, Ward 6. It is 
 right clean, one of the best of the lot, and I have 
 such good attendants and have everything about 
 my own way. Dr. Palmer has much more faith 
 
1 66 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 in me, of course, than I deserve; but I can t help 
 seeing myself that there never was a ward of badly 
 wounded men doing so well as these; he can t say 
 enough about it. I am sure of one thing, that I 
 have lost nothing in being down here; my judg 
 ment is clearer, and my nerves are steadier than 
 ever. 
 
 How I wished to-day after I was ready for in 
 spection that you could have looked in and seen us 
 all, the men so jolly and clean and comfortable. 
 They look to me for everything. Doctor has so 
 much to attend to that he really leaves more to 
 me than he ought ; so they think I m supreme. 
 Sometimes he does n t come in all day, unless I 
 send for him. 
 
 How you would like one old Englishman I have ; 
 his arm is amputated at the elbow, and such a job 
 never was done before. It is meant for a flap, 
 and I guess they took the whole meat down to the 
 hand and just rolled it up and sewed it there. He 
 is so enthusiastic about the battle. It was a splen 
 did charge, taking that fort [Fisher] ; the men 
 were glorious. He was not wounded until just 
 as they were entering; he had just got upon the 
 parapet. His Captain ran up to him; he said: 
 " Never mind, Captain, this is worth an arm, 
 we ve beat em. If we had gone back as we did 
 before, I would have wished it was my life. I 11 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 67 
 
 pull through it;" and he has, sure enough. One 
 of my men has been wounded in six different 
 battles ; such a banged-up fellow you never saw. 
 Now he has a bullet through the wrist and one 
 through the side; he is very sick, but is so brave 
 about it. I like to take care of such men. 
 
 At first I had some Rebels in my ward; but 
 I made the doctor take them out and fill the 
 ward up with Union. The Rebels make me so 
 mad, and are so presuming, too. It was always 
 "Madam, will you look at my wound?" Now 
 I did n t want to see their wounds, unless they 
 were going to die from them. You can t tell how 
 wicked that book 1 has made me toward them. I 
 can t be good, and it makes me furious to see them 
 treated just as well as our men. The only way I 
 could spite them was to give them one less blanket 
 than ours had. One little boy I keep ; he declared 
 before all the Rebels that he and all his family 
 were always Union, that he never wanted to fight, 
 was a conscript and was glad to get away from 
 them. He said : " I know if they get me again I 
 shall catch it for saying this, but I 11 never go 
 back to them, I d rather die here." When we 
 were having the others moved, he begged me not 
 to send him with them. " I shall die sure if I 
 leave you, Mrs. Woe" (that is a hard name). 
 
 1 There is no other reference to show what "book" is meant. 
 
1 68 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 But my most interesting patient is a man who 
 has had resection of the larger bone of the left 
 arm. He is such a splendid fellow. He has the 
 rheumatism in both legs, so he can t move them, 
 and ought to be cross as a bear; but instead of 
 that just looks like a saint. He is married, and I 
 have to write his letters, and he dictates so love- 
 lily. By the way, there never was a prettier room 
 than mine. It is too lovely (I mean for down 
 here). My decorations are so jolly, and my dog 
 barks all night, and altogether I have a nice life, 
 and if we only could have warm weather my cup 
 would be quite full. 
 
 I must tell you about the war between our two 
 chaplains. It is too funny. B., the old man, is 
 a presidential chaplain, he says; the other, L., is 
 some side branch. I don t understand how he 
 comes in; but they are so jealous of each other. 
 First one orders the house closed when the other 
 is going to preach, and then the other retaliates; 
 so between them we get no preaching. Last Sun 
 day night B. ordered the fire and the lights put 
 out. L. pitched into him and then complained to 
 Dr. Palmer. Old man denied his guilt; so Dr. 
 Palmer ordered them both before him at eleven 
 next day. Each refused to meet the other; but 
 Doctor told them unless they obeyed he would 
 order them under arrest. So they came, sword 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 169 
 
 in hand. Doctor could not get in even a side cut. 
 At last he got the floor for a moment, and then 
 he told them he never had too much faith in Chris 
 tian doings, etc., but now what little he had was 
 destroyed. " He was about sick now of any chap 
 lain, and unless they stopped immediately he would 
 report them both at Washington. It was a dis 
 grace, etc." He ran them hard for an hour, until 
 both promised to do better in future. 
 
 Next day a man was to be buried. B. waited 
 at the office gate to join the escort, instead of going 
 to the dead house. L. got the start of him, was 
 on the spot, and came along booted and spurred. 
 B. flew out, ordered him off, etc. L., having the 
 fear of the law, meekly, but with black looks, dis 
 mounted and proceeded, with the help of another 
 man, to boost old B. on ; then the stirrups were too 
 long, so they must be fixed. All this time the 
 dead man and escort were waiting. Finally, when 
 all was adjusted, the cortege started ; and then B. 
 found riding was not so easy as it looked, and 
 wobbled about in the saddle till he nearly rolled 
 off. One of the bearers came to his help, led the 
 beast, and held the rider stiff. So at last the pro 
 cession passed out of sight. I thought we must 
 die laughing. B. was " poorly " and quite lame 
 for two or three days after that ride. 
 
 Yesterday L. s removal came, so B. is bigger 
 
1 70 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 than a gobbler to-day, talks about his stupendous 
 duties, etc.; but when the bugle sounded for 
 church the poor old thing s ears didn t do their 
 duty, and his watch had been forgotten to be 
 wound; so when the people had sat for half an 
 hour, they went home. When nearly an hour had 
 passed, he scrambled off himself to church and 
 found it empty; he waited another hour before 
 he knew he was too late. This was a poor begin 
 ning to his " stupendous duties." 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, February 7, 1865. 
 
 I cannot mention anything in the box that I 
 do not particularly want, especially the eatables 
 (which you will believe). I wish you could have 
 looked in and seen us after we had dragged out 
 the last parcel and were resting from our work. 
 We all sat on the floor and commenced eating. 
 Doctor would taste of everything, and how we 
 did eat! We had to open just a bottle of that 
 currant wine; it was so good, and we felt pretty 
 tired, if we were not sick. After all, we could not 
 decide which cake was best, or whether the cake 
 was better than the cheese, or the pie best of all; 
 and you will no doubt be disgusted to know that 
 we ate a whole one between us. 
 
 Monday evening I gave a little feast in my 
 room, had the Palmers and some others, and 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 171 
 
 myself. I made chocolate, and Mrs. Palmer made 
 some hot biscuits. You can t know how they 
 tasted with the butter; every one agreed in de 
 claring they never tasted anything like them. 
 C. had two chickens roasted and shot six robins. 
 I never saw people enjoy a supper so much; 
 one must live down here and as we do to know 
 that. We had the supper in C. s room; he took 
 out his bed, and the table looked splendid. We 
 had celery, too; and the pies and cake and olives 
 and cheese and pickles could n t be beat, but, 
 oh, that bread and butter! After supper we 
 played euchre and whist till quite late; so you 
 see it was a real Northern affair, and ought to 
 have been noticed in the papers. 
 
 My refugee treasures are priceless. I am 
 packing such a nice box to send down to the 
 light-house ; everything pretty I ve reserved for 
 my little Caledonia Royal, the keeper s youngest 
 daughter, and the little half-witted girl, Mary 
 Francis G. I ve sent Mary Francis warm clothes 
 and some of the playthings. I sent the ball to her 
 little brother. He is a nice little boy, about three, 
 but smokes all the time. Mrs. G. says it costs her 
 more than a dollar a week to keep her and the 
 children in tobacco. Send on your missionaries! 
 
 My ward is really doing splendidly. I have 
 lost only one man, and that was inevitable ; nothing 
 
1 72 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 could have saved him ; his whole spine was affected 
 by a grape shot. All the amputations are nearly 
 healed. These barracks are so good on account 
 of ventilation. They have been rather cold, but 
 I guess our worst cold is over, and there is no 
 more smell of wounds than if I had none, though 
 there are forty-four, and almost all bad cases. 
 We have had any quantity of inspectors, directors, 
 etc. ; all are so pleased with our hospital. Orders 
 have come to-day to extend its capacity to six 
 hundred, immediately, by tents; so to-morrow 
 they will commence putting them up. This looks 
 like work in North Carolina; and the constant 
 arrival of troops makes it so animated here. 
 Twelve hundred of the Constructing Corps ar 
 rived Sunday, and are camped close to us, pon 
 toons, and mules (400) that roar all the time. 
 We have to keep a guard all around the grounds 
 to prevent the rascals from stealing everything. 
 I expect to have all the work I want; for the 
 care of the wash-room is no light duty, with so 
 many clothes to look after. I expect never to have 
 a minute when we get full. 
 
 February 9, 1865. 
 
 C. and Doctor have been off the past two days, 
 trying to find a place to pitch our tents, as it 
 is decreed that we are really to leave here and 
 tent it somewhere. They have about decided on 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 173 
 
 a place a mile out of Beaufort. How I do hate 
 it ! Had it been the beach [on Shackelford Island, 
 where the summer camp had been], I d have been 
 satisfied, though the impossibility of transportation 
 made that useless to think of ; but Beaufort is such 
 a fleay, dirty-smelling hole, and full of Secesh and 
 rum-holes, and gambling of all kinds going on 
 there, the whole thing will become demoralized 
 like that Beaufort hospital. Doctor looks anxious, 
 and I am worn enough. As we lived last summer 
 with every convenience, tent life was jolly. We 
 were perfectly isolated and so independent; but 
 it is another matter to live in a crowd, as we shall 
 there; it is like living on the housetops. 
 
 The outrage of turning us out seems greater 
 every day, and the spite of it is too much. To 
 think that to-day a surgeon of a nig regiment 
 has come in and taken one of our barracks (mine 
 that I moved my wounded men from) and filled 
 it up with his sick men ; and yet they say they must 
 have them for military purposes, when we could 
 have and should have taken the same men if we 
 had stayed. I can t see the difference or the 
 justice. 
 
 I had a letter from one of my wounded men at 
 New Berne, and he put on the direction "not to be 
 pronounced like the numeral, but literally o n e." 
 It seems they have to dress each other s wounds 
 
174 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 now. You will be glad that they had not to sleep 
 on the ground, as we first heard ; the sick really 
 did, but this academy is a wounded ward and kept 
 alone for that, and they had no wounds, so it was 
 fortunately empty. 
 
 Perhaps you will be glad to know, too, that 
 Dr. Hand, medical director, sent me word by 
 Dr. Palmer that his nine surgeons, after exam 
 ining those wounds, said they had never seen 
 wounds so well dressed and such bad wounds so 
 soon getting well; and, for himself, that I was 
 the best wound-dresser in the country. I feel 
 uncommonly satisfied, as these men a year ago 
 were all opposed to female nurses and " poohed " 
 at the idea of one being useful. It is rumored to 
 day that Longstreet is at Goldsboro with fifteen 
 thousand men; if so, we must soon have more 
 wounded, as twenty thousand have left New Berne 
 these last few days. They have not even a provost- 
 guard left there; all are taken to the front. 
 
 How I shall mourn for my dear little room ; it 
 looks so friendly to-night. You d die with the 
 traps, but they are such treasures to me, and each 
 has its story. My owl looks down with approving 
 eyes as I write. My crow almost caws, and my 
 furniture is all so jolly, if it is pine boards cov 
 ered with an old dress. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 175 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, February 18 [1865]. 
 
 I want to tell you of the arrival of the box, 
 which came last night, much to my joy and the 
 comfort of my patients. Rags had become so 
 scarce I was picking up the bits blowing about the 
 land. I never was in such straits before. The 
 Sanitary Department had not even one of their 
 old bandages to spare me. No delicacies ever 
 looked so good to me as those rags. 
 
 We are terribly excited here just now; they 
 threaten to break up the hospital and turn us all 
 over to Beaufort. How mad we shall be to go to 
 those dirty traps; but Sherman s Commissary 
 General is here, this is to be the supply base, he 
 has already taken possession of most all the pri 
 vate buildings outside the grounds, and now wants 
 these. Won t it be too bad to have such desecra 
 tion ? However, I Ve hopes it will take more than 
 the General of New Berne to do it. 
 
 My wounded men are doing splendidly. So far 
 we have lost only one, which is surprising, for 
 I never saw worse wounds; but I guess it did us 
 all good not to have any wounds for so long; we 
 take all the better care of them now. A good many 
 Rebs have died, for they are in bad condition every 
 way; and then I never have done any of them, 
 except the two in my ward, the little boy with 
 out the arm and the carotid-artery man. These 
 
1 76 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 two everybody said must die, so I thought I d 
 make them live. It s the little one who calls me 
 Mrs. Woe; the old Englishman calls me Mrs. 
 Hoe; the man without the foot, Roe; and the 
 man with the arm, Mrs. No; as to all the other 
 names, I can t tell them; everything which has 
 an O in it seems to fit. They are a grateful set 
 of boys as ever lived, and I feel never tired of 
 doing for them. In fact, we all have to spring" 
 night and day almost; we never had so much 
 before. I wish I could get rid of the old laundry ; 
 but the fear of some disagreeable old cat makes 
 me rather do it myself. I mean some day, though, 
 to take a little walk; it s long now since I ve been 
 out of the gate. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, March i [1865]. 
 
 I did not write Sunday, and how could I ? Such 
 discouraging news as we got that day. I just 
 could do nothing after Doctor came and said our 
 hospital was to be broken up. Is it not too bad? 
 Every day since, the news has been fluctuating: 
 now it is to be broken up altogether, now trans 
 ferred to Beaufort, to New Berne, and the last 
 news to-day is that it is to be transferred bodily 
 to Smithville (or field), opposite Fort Fisher, on 
 the seashore. Now this may all, or part, or none, 
 be true; but still we are in an exercised state of 
 mind, to say the least. We were just all so satis- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 77 
 
 fied and don t want any change, and everything 
 is going on so well. I never in all my hospital 
 life was so nearly happy; everything and every 
 body is just right. I suppose you are tired to 
 death of my wounded, but how can I ever tire of 
 them ? I never saw such wonderful results before. 
 We have not lost a man, though we had such 
 terrible cases; and when I look around and see 
 them all so cheerful and grateful, I am glad I 
 am strong enough to be an army nurse. I 
 expect you will think I am the greatest egotist 
 in the world; but how can I help being a little 
 exultant ? 
 
 We have all sorts of visitors. Dear me, one 
 more telegram has just come that we are to move 
 at once, to-morrow morning; everything must be 
 moved, everything packed, the Commissary takes 
 possession at once. We are ordered to New Berne. 
 How I do hate it, there of all places; I can t tell 
 you how I feel. What disposition they will make 
 of me I don t know; if possible, I shall stick to 
 Doctor. 
 
 MOREHEAD CITY, March 5 [1865]. 
 
 The final telegram came, and we were to leave 
 for New Berne Thursday morning at eight o clock ; 
 cars were to be punctual, and every patient must 
 be at once transferred to Foster Hospital. I was 
 up at four o clock; and by eight had every ward 
 
 12 
 
178 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 dressed and ready, and those who were to be re 
 moved on beds made comfortable for the journey. 
 I rushed to my room, not even waiting for my 
 breakfast, to make myself ready to accompany 
 them; for I was to go and remain over night, at 
 least, to see that they were made comfortable. 
 All the while the packing was going on, all 
 beds were returned to the store-room; all linen 
 sent to the wash-room; all medicines packed and 
 stored: such were the orders. It was confusion 
 of the worst sort, such hurrying about, such 
 anxious waiting. 
 
 So we waited and waited till four ; when a tele 
 gram came that the patients were not to be sent 
 till the next morning. Now see again the con 
 fusion! The medical director arrived, beds were 
 again unpacked, fresh linen issued, supper pre 
 pared, and, although no one wanted to leave, 
 wretchedness and tiredness were on every face. 
 You know how hard it is to wait. Some that had 
 not been out of bed before, excepting long enough 
 to have it made, had been all day sitting up and 
 were fairly sick by the time I could get them in 
 bed. That evening, Dr. M., the medical director, 
 said he thought, after all, the worst sick and all 
 the wounded would, for a time at least, be left; 
 so I went right down and told the men; you 
 can t know how glad they were. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 79 
 
 Next morning I went in to dress them, when 
 Dr. Palmer came and asked me how many it would 
 be safe to take. I told him of Dr. M. s promise; 
 he said they had another telegram ordering all that 
 could travel to come at once. He took all but 
 twelve with him ; so short a notice that I had not 
 time to dress half their wounds. Then, when 
 packed in the cars, they lay there four hours with 
 out dinner before they were finally taken to New 
 Berne. Again the ward was all torn up, as that 
 one, being more isolated, was wanted for the 
 Quartermasters ; so I took Division 2, and worked 
 all day to get it in order; still Doctor made me 
 hold on. 
 
 Yesterday (Saturday) I had everything ready, 
 but a big rain came up; and to-day it is too cold 
 to move them; so they still lie in the old, dis 
 mantled ward. 
 
 Meantime I am more than discouraged; I am 
 utterly disgusted with the selfishness of these men. 
 Was ever such an outrage on our soldiers? The 
 wards that have been emptied of our poor sick and 
 wounded fellows were immediately filled with the 
 dirtiest niggers you ever laid eyes on, not even 
 employees of the army, but hangers-on and fol 
 lowers from the Tennessee and Sherman s army; 
 such dirt and filth cannot be equalled. The third 
 ward is filled with ox-bows, tent poles, and wagon 
 
i 80 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 tires, hundreds of old traps. Not a white man 
 or even a black soldier brought in; the whole is 
 for spite. The Quartermasters and Commissary 
 saw with envious eyes the front row of buildings, 
 all houses built before the war, and claimed them 
 as quarters for themselves. Of course the doctor 
 refused ; then they set to work to take everything, 
 wrote to General Schofield that they were all needed 
 for military purposes, and wanted his order at 
 once. He, knowing nothing of the truth, sent it, 
 and now we have been staving them off just to 
 get time till he comes, which he was expected to 
 do to-day to see for himself and decide for us. 
 Meantime, when the hundred and fifty who were 
 sent from here arrived in New Berne, four hundred 
 men had already arrived from different regiments, 
 and only provision made for our lot; they com 
 ing last, the* most of them had to lie round in 
 churches and anywhere they could settle, most of 
 them without even blankets. If this is justice, I 
 hate it forevermore. 
 
 Dr. Palmer went to New Berne last night to 
 return to-day; but instead of him comes a tele 
 gram to be ready to store seventy hospital tents. 
 Now, whether this means breaking up here or 
 extending this one, we can none of us guess till 
 he comes back in the morning. Such a state of 
 uncertainty as we are in is decidedly unpleasant. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 8 1 
 
 The town is full of troops, and the hubbub outside 
 is worse than in. These officers keep coming to 
 the houses and saying, " When will this be 
 vacated?" so arrogantly. They stand before our 
 doors and say what they intend to do when they 
 get the quarters. If they are remonstrated with, 
 they fall back on " We re from Sherman s army," 
 as if that could cover all enormities. I am getting 
 about sick of Sherman s army, if this is the way 
 we are to be treated by them. 
 
 My men are all ill to-day ; the news from their 
 comrades and expectation of being served in the 
 same way are enough to make them so. One of 
 them died last night ; we had never thought of his 
 dying from his wound, but the excitement of 
 Thursday and thinking he had got to leave his 
 doctor and nurse were too much for him. They 
 all cried so much that morning, and two men who 
 were taken away on stretchers went weeping like 
 children ; think now what a trial for me, and of my 
 anxiety about them ! Two more I have very little 
 hope of ; they have both failed so these two days, 
 and my carotid-artery man, that I was so bound 
 should live, grows worse every hour. I was in 
 hopes he would live, though he was a Rebel, for 
 Doctor s sake ; and I am sure he would, except for 
 this ; but he was foolish enough to believe that no 
 one could save him but me, and he cries about all 
 
182 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 the time. He does n t give his old answer to my 
 morning greeting, " I m right piert, madam " any 
 longer; just his lips tremble, and he says, " I m 
 bad off, I am losing courage." I hate to be in the 
 ward now, but still I do my best to cheer them up. 
 
 In the interval between this and the following 
 letter the transfer from Morehead to Beaufort 
 evidently was made. 
 
 BEAUFORT, N. C., April 9, 1865. 
 
 As I am going to write a real growling note, 
 I, of course, don t expect it to be read except in 
 private circles; but this has been such a real 
 Pandemonium this first week that I must " speak 
 in meeting." I told you last Sunday that our 
 dear doctor [Palmer] had left for Goldsboro for 
 an indefinite time, leaving us in charge of a 
 drunken, ignorant, bad man without a particle 
 of principle or judgment. Well, to begin with, 
 Monday he did not rise till twelve o clock; not 
 another surgeon on the grounds and so many 
 sick patients. I felt equal to the wounds; but 
 still, as I had two cases of hemorrhage, it would 
 be rather satisfactory to have a surgeon one could 
 speak to. 
 
 Well, I never had a surgeon in my ward of 
 fifty patients till Thursday, when Dr. Salter, 
 post-surgeon, and such a good man, came 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 183 
 
 to the rescue. I met him and told him how it 
 was; as he is a great friend of Dr. Palmer s, 
 he quickly volunteered to tend the wounded for 
 a few days. He was needed by that time, as 
 I d given all the medicine I had in the ward, 
 and, of course, could not make a prescription. 
 So far, good. In the mean time C. [attendant] 
 has been very sick, not so bad as last spring, but 
 sick enough to need constant care. He pulled 
 through without a doctor; I knew what to do for 
 him. 
 
 I told you a telegram had come that we were 
 to take five hundred patients; they never got 
 here till to-night; God help the poor souls now. 
 They came cold and hungry. C. went to the 
 doctor and said, " These men must have some 
 thing to eat when they land, they have been 
 short of rations all this time;" and he answered, 
 " Damn it, a man can live a week without eat 
 ing." But C. did, for all that, have a good hot 
 supper for them. Only a hundred have landed; 
 the wind blows so they could not get them on 
 the lighters. The boat lies in the stream two 
 miles off. 
 
 But this is not the worst; there are a hundred 
 and fifty without a bed or blanket to sleep on, 
 and, what is more, no prospect of one. You see 
 what they have to expect, those other four 
 
184 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 hundred who have been lying seasick and heart 
 sick and hungry on the swash for two or three 
 days. Isn t it damnable? The churches were 
 ordered to be taken for them, but no other pro 
 vision has been made. Whether it is the fault 
 of medical purveyor or director I can t say; but 
 certain it is there is no one here to make an 
 effort. You can t know our loss in Dr. Palmer; 
 had he been here, all would have been right. 
 There are seventy tents pitched with only the 
 sand to lie on. If we had one blanket apiece, it 
 might do; but we have not one. I have cried 
 and stormed and raved till now I have come to 
 my room and won t even hear a sound. I say, 
 God help them; and the drunken wretch has 
 throughout behaved like an imbecile. I hope he 
 will get his reward when the war is over. 
 
 Positively this week has been worse than any 
 Alexandria doings. I could not begin to tell you 
 all the annoyances, but will give one little item : 
 though we had so good cause for rejoicing [over 
 Lee s surrender], still, with so many sick men, it 
 was no time to illuminate the hospital, especially 
 this one, which in case of fire has only one nar 
 row stairway, and has, in the third story, over 
 a hundred patients; but between him and C. it 
 must be done. Just as the lights were in full 
 blaze, one poor fellow went to heaven; he looked 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 185 
 
 up so scared and then lay back dead. Another 
 one died before morning. 
 
 After the lights were out, the doctor, with the 
 crowd generally who had collected around the 
 hospital, composed of artisans, navy officers, nig 
 gers who were impressed with a guard to be made 
 to sing, and all nicely drunk, started on a lark. 
 They went all over town, screaming and shout 
 ing, came back to the hospital about twelve, woke 
 up all the patients, then went to Mrs. Palmer s, 
 who was alone with K., and scared her out of 
 her life, came back at one again, and had another 
 row. Finally the officer of the day came and told 
 them he knew his duty and would perform it. 
 They were for fighting him; but some one was 
 wise enough to advise them to go home; so at 
 last we had peace. 
 
 I don t know how late it was when he arose. 
 I did not see him till morning, when he borrowed 
 my key to the store-room. I sent it by the boy; 
 and when I went for it, he had given it to C. 
 with orders not to let me have it again. My own 
 key ! I went right to C. and took it from him. 
 I told him not to dare to refuse it. Of course 
 he gave it up, for he knew what Dr. Palmer 
 would say; but he wanted so much to keep it. 
 I should like to see any one get it again but 
 Dr. Palmer. 
 
1 86 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Now comes the news, through him, that Doctor 
 is not coming back and that we are to have a new 
 surgeon-in-charge. I am in despair. The im 
 pression is that Dr. Palmer is to have a hospi 
 tal at Wilmington, where he is now. If he is 
 not to return, you will have the pleasure of soon 
 seeing me at home, for my experience with Dr. 
 M. has quite sickened me of hospitals. I have 
 had such good surgeons since the first, and have 
 been always so respected that it is hard now to 
 get a bad one. 
 
 Now you know I am an old grumbler and are 
 disgusted with me; but I have not told you nearly 
 all; enough, however, to let you see how hateful 
 this week has been. 
 
 Did I tell you about General Meigs coming 
 here to see me, and how polite he was? Well, 
 he did. Miss Dix, his partner and friend, had 
 recommended me so highly, and he saw our need 
 of a bathroom and of various other things. After 
 he had written the order for these, he turned to 
 me and said : " Madam, they have to thank you 
 for anything that is done for this hospital. Miss 
 Dix s high recommendation of you alone brought 
 me here; tell me if there is anything else I can 
 do for you." Think of a live General, with stars 
 and all, saying that to me! I bet I felt proud! 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 187 
 
 BEAUFORT, April 21, Sunday ("I guess"). 
 
 I would rather be in bed to-night than writing 
 letters, for I am cold as ice and so tired; it has 
 been a miserable kind of day; it took so long to 
 get through my wards, and then I have so many 
 little things to see to. My old habit of playing 
 off Sunday won t do now; I never get any time, 
 and after all is done so many want letters writ 
 ten that I never have a moment in my room. All 
 my leisure to-day has been spent in packing, for 
 I don t know what moment Doctor may send for 
 me. Dr. Palmer, I mean; and I want to be 
 ready when his summons comes. I am so impa 
 tient to be off. 
 
 He wants all the old hands he can get; he has 
 a thousand patients by this, and only green hands, 
 besides C., and W., the chief clerk. I think Dr. 
 Salter was real good to give them up, but he is 
 such a true friend to the doctor. God knows 
 what would have become of us during the M. 
 reign if he had not come to help us out. I shall 
 sometime tell you all about that terrible time. I 
 feel too indignant now to talk about it, but I m 
 more down on whiskey than ever. 
 
 This has been a long week, though I have had 
 so much to do. They have at last fitted up my 
 linen room, and we had a large requisition of 
 clothes come, and I have just made order there. 
 
1 88 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 It is a job to lift and pack this heavy linen, but 
 it pays; for on inspection they all admire the 
 order there. We got a splendid woman in charge 
 of the low diet, a Mrs. Bickerdyke. 1 She began 
 with the war, knows all about cooking, and can 
 cook forty things at once. I never saw such a 
 worker; she stirs round the cook-house with a 
 big meat fork or ladle upraised, and looks as if 
 she would annihilate them all; but there is no 
 more pilfering; the sick men get all their dues 
 while she is around. Yesterday one of the cooks 
 stole a custard pudding, and, though she had a 
 dozen others, she missed it at once, and stormed 
 around till she found it. Then she turned on 
 him; when he said he laid it aside for a sick 
 officer, he " got it," - first for the lie and then 
 for the steal. She knows all the celebrities, had 
 charge of the Western and Southern departments, 
 *knows Sherman well and Grant too; has many 
 notes from both. She is the most independent 
 woman I ever knew; altogether she is a char 
 acter. Miss Dix likes her very much and urged 
 her coming here at once. She goes to Smith- 
 ville as soon as she gets this shebang running 
 right. 
 
 It is so lonely here I could not stand it long, 
 
 1 See Mary A. Livermore s "My Story of the War" [Hartford, 
 1888], p. 476. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 189 
 
 especially with the terrible calamity that has be 
 fallen us [Lincoln s assassination] ; I can think 
 of nothing else. To-day is the first paper I have 
 seen with any account of it, one of the I7th. 
 The only comfort I have, when any calamity 
 comes, is in remembering Gustav s words: "Now 
 be sure, my Molly, Heaven helps;" and out of 
 this may come some great good. The sacrifice 
 of such a true, good man may be necessary to 
 show the world how bad the South is; and, then, 
 he was perhaps too much a Christian gentleman 
 to deal justly with such men. Oh, dear, when 
 will the end come and what will it be? I begin 
 so to long for peace and to be at home. 
 
 BEAUFORT, April 30 [1865]. 
 
 This has been such a long, anxious week, wait 
 ing for a summons from Dr. Palmer, and every 
 moment expecting to leave. You see, in anticipa 
 tion of my leaving soon, they sent all my wounded 
 men North on Tuesday, and I had not even the 
 comfort of taking care of them. Lord knows, 
 though, I have had work enough to do. I have 
 just had shelves put in the linen room and had 
 order to make there, besides crowding two weeks 
 washing into one, which has been hard work, for 
 I have not half help enough. With all the nig 
 gers here, I can t get enough to do the washing. 
 
1 90 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 I must be there nearly all my time to keep what 
 I have at the tubs. For all this I thought the 
 week would never end. I packed almost every 
 thing the first of the week, and every day want 
 something which, of course, lies at the very bot 
 tom of the trunk. 
 
 The guns from the fort in memory of Lincoln 
 were sad enough; every half hour their solemn 
 booming came to us, and every one seemed so 
 impressed by them. There has been some demon 
 stration in this miserable, dirty little town, a black 
 rag now and then ; but the show is very scarce. 
 
 The town is cram-jam full of returned Secesh, 
 all swelling about in their uniforms, swaggering 
 as usual, saying the South is not beaten yet, 
 it is just unlooked-for circumstances that have 
 brought her where she is. Would n t you think 
 they had had enough by this time? There are 
 rows every day among the returned and our sol 
 diers. I hate the very sight of them. 
 
 I had a time this morning with one of the 
 women. Once a month she has had a series of 
 hysteric fits, and the last time they lasted a fort 
 night, with constant doctoring and some other 
 of the women always to watch her. I did not 
 know the trick, and when they came on yesterday, 
 I began again, till Doctor told me she was really 
 us well as I; if she had been whipped out of the 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 1 9 1 
 
 first one, she would never have had a second. So, 
 when they came this morning saying that Dorcas 
 was dying, could not speak, etc., I rushed up and, 
 first thing, gave her ears a rousing slap; then a 
 real good shaking was administered, accompanied 
 by a right smart scolding. She soon winked her 
 eyes (it s wonderful how long she could hold 
 them open), and then she began to cry like any 
 other nigger; so I administered another dose of 
 each, topped off with a dose (full strength) of 
 asafcetida, turpentine He, and some other nau 
 seous pizen mixtures. The girls all stood around 
 crying, thinking it was too bad. I asked them 
 what for; they said they could not help taking 
 on so. If I d been big enough and strong enough, 
 I would have slapped them all; as it was, I shut 
 them all out of the room and left Miss Dorcas 
 alone, with orders for no one to approach her 
 under pain of immediate dismissal from the hos 
 pital. When I went there at noon, my lady was 
 up, in full feather, eating a hearty dinner of beans 
 and pork; so now I understand treating hysteria 
 as well as wounds. 
 
 I have such a funny little man for a page. He 
 is a Second Massachusetts man, and was in Chat 
 tanooga, Atlanta, and Nashville, being one of the 
 July recruits. He is a Russian, and had been 
 only three days in the country when he enlisted. 
 
192 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 He says " he fight for freedom," was probably a 
 serf (though he says not), and is certainly a Jew. 
 He is the only Second man we have ever had 
 here, so I claimed him right off; as he is a tailor, 
 I had need of him in the linen room. Last week 
 he got tired of mending, and said : " Lookee here, 
 I can find work to do, silk dresses make, all lady s 
 work do; I am woman tailor in mine country. 
 Can I not make you dress ? " I remembered my 
 long-talked-of double silk-muslin dress; so gave 
 him the materials, and my black calico for a pat 
 tern, locked him in my room, and left him to his 
 fate. Before the next evening he had everything 
 completed, and much better than I could have 
 done, even trimmed with black silk. I was in 
 ecstasies, and sent Uncle Massachusetts (my other 
 old man) up to town to buy me a calico. He 
 brought me back a flaming pink one, saying he 
 knew I liked pink, for I always had pink roses in 
 my waist. That was made in a jiffy. Then I 
 gave him my old purple calico to cut over, and 
 so on, until he has repaired and made over every 
 dress I had. Everything is in complete order for 
 summer; he can wash and iron those that needed 
 it ; I never saw such a useful man. 
 
 When I am in the room, he amuses me so with 
 his talk, half German and half broken English, 
 with now and then a Russian word that makes 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 193 
 
 me expect to see his head come off, it sounds so 
 hard. Sometimes he says, " Shall I tell you a 
 story die Bublee (Bible)?" So he begins to 
 chatter about Pharaoh and Moses, particularly 
 Joseph and the other old fellow and that naughty 
 wife of his. He is so quaint and in earnest that 
 you can t but be interested; anyway in one week 
 he has done more than I should in a year. He 
 lives in Boston, and we will all have him sew for 
 us when we get home. He says he has a " gal," 
 but she is too cross and too old for him, only she 
 has his four hundred and fifty dollars bounty 
 money and he must marry her to get it. " Then 
 I guess I run away." He does n t know anybody 
 in the regiment, only his captain, Fellen, he calls 
 him ; I don t know who he is. He was sent back 
 to the hospital from Alexandria, and his legs are 
 so short he could only march as far as Goldsboro 
 and was again sent back; he is invaluable to me. 
 I am to take him to Smithville when I go, if I 
 ever do. 
 
 We were mustered to-day, probably for the last 
 time for most of us. I shall stay until the last 
 gun fires if there is anything for me to do. Did 
 I tell you about Mrs. Bickerdyke, who has come 
 down here from the Western army and is cook 
 ing for this hospital? She is perfectly splendid. 
 To be sure, she snubs me and everybody else; 
 
 13 
 
i 94 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 but, Lord, how she works, and what good things 
 she makes ; our men are better fed now than they 
 would be at home, even the best of them. She 
 has many stores of her own, fruits, etc., but those 
 are nothing to her cooking of the common food; 
 she talks bad grammar and jaws us all, but I 
 don t care; her heart is the best, and she will 
 make most every soldier live, and how she hates 
 a Reb! She is never afraid of any one. Once 
 old Dr. S., of Alexandria, was around inspecting 
 her kitchen, drunk. He found fault with every 
 thing; she took him by the nape of the neck, led 
 him out, called a guard, and told them to take 
 this drunken man to headquarters and she would 
 have him court-martialled. He was afterwards 
 glad enough to apologize and to get out of that 
 place, or she would have done it, sure. 
 
 To-night the rumor has come that Booth is 
 killed and taken to Washington; somebody saw 
 somebody who said he saw a paper, that is the 
 way we get all the news; if it is true, it is too 
 good a death. I would have liked to boil him in 
 my boilers over a slow fire, or to have my girls 
 chop him up in the chopping-tray. 
 
 BEAUFORT, Wednesday. 
 
 I was so unexpectedly pleased last night at 
 C. s appearance; he came down to take me to 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 195 
 
 Smithville; we leave here to-day at noon by 
 cars to Goldsboro , etc. They have about seven 
 hundred patients at Smithville. C. says it s a 
 pleasant, clean town. The worst is there are 
 three other nurses there! It will be rather funny 
 moving four boxes, two trunks, two chairs, and 
 a table, two dorgs (mine and Doctor s), looking- 
 glass, and Jack [the Russian] with his knapsack; 
 he is the guardian angel over all. I asked him 
 to do something for me last night ; he said, " I 
 do anything for you; when you tell me, I fall 
 down dead in the water," meaning, throw him 
 self overboard. 
 
 SMITHVILLE, May 14 [1865]. 
 
 At last I am here where I have so longed to 
 be. We left Beaufort Wednesday afternoon, at 
 five, in the cars. I was at last really on the 
 way, seated in a box-car with all my boxes about 
 me. They told us we should have a hard jour 
 ney, so I was prepared for anything we might 
 encounter. There was no passenger car on the 
 route, and this had been especially used for trans 
 porting sick and wounded from the front; so the 
 lice and fleas! to say nothing of the dirty straw 
 with which it was filled. We rode all night. 
 There were five in our party, and a number of 
 drunken officers, some of whom were Rebels, so 
 the ride was not the most agreeable in the world. 
 
196 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Everybody was lying round on the straw; there 
 was not a seat excepting the trunks and boxes. 
 The first misfortune was that C. let my mocking 
 bird loose; I could have cried, only that he was 
 so sorry. 
 
 About seven in the morning we arrived at 
 Goldsboro ; it is a pretty town and very little 
 affected by the war; everything seemed intact 
 but the fences; those are mostly gone. We had 
 no time to go to the hotel for breakfast, as the 
 Quartermaster said the train would leave imme 
 diately; so I ran into the first house and asked 
 the woman, whose breakfast was on the table, 
 for a cup of coffee. She gave it willingly, but 
 she was rabid Secesh and kept talking about the 
 troubles she had seen. After all our hurry we 
 did not leave here till ten. We sat there on a 
 platform car in the hot sun till I thought I should 
 bake. I was so glad to get started again. The 
 cars were crowded with returning Rebels, full of 
 discontent with " Yanks," but glad the war was 
 over and to get home. Some of them talked real 
 saucy; but I quickly shut them up. It was five 
 o clock when we got to Wilmington. The coun 
 try is lovely in some parts, perhaps not really 
 so, but it is so long since I have seen green fields 
 and woods. You would hardly have known us 
 for smut and dust when we arrived. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 197 
 
 I had hardly got bathed and brushed when in 
 came Dr. Barnes. He had a message in his 
 pocket, just received from Dr. Palmer. He (Dr. 
 Barnes) had telegraphed to Dr. Palmer: "Is 
 Mary von Olnhausen with you? If so, can you 
 spare her to go to Raleigh?" Dr. Palmer s 
 answer was : " Not here, but expected every 
 moment; can t spare her." He was for taking 
 me off without more words, as he has eight hun 
 dred sick and wounded there, and no nurse. If 
 I had been going to any one else but Dr. Palmer, 
 I would not have hesitated; but I knew it would 
 disappoint him so much. 
 
 Dr. Barnes went from me to General Abbott. 
 In talking of the war, Mrs. Abbott said, " Doc 
 tor, have you ever met Mrs. von Olnhausen?" 
 "I have just left her," said the doctor; so in 
 ten minutes he was back with the General, who 
 would not hear an excuse, but took me off to his 
 quarters. They are quite splendid, and I had such 
 a warm welcome from his wife (I told you I 
 knew them in Manchester), and such a pleasant 
 visit with them. Next morning the captain sent 
 for me as the boat was starting. General Abbott 
 sent word that the lady had not breakfasted, and 
 that the boat must be delayed till she came on 
 board, so much for being a General s guest. 
 
 The sail down is very nice and of much inter- 
 
198 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 est; the river is full of obstructions, with many 
 sunken boats; they think the torpedoes are about 
 all out of it. The forts, all except Fisher and 
 Caswell, are already dismantled and their banks 
 are crumbling. Indeed, I was surprised, all the 
 way through, to see so few traces of such recent 
 fighting. 
 
 My ward is a large one, over sixty beds, all 
 with wounded ; it s not quite completed. Yes 
 terday and to-day I have been helping generally, 
 and need enough there is of help. One thing I 
 did which I suppose you will all be shocked at, 
 though the patients have been too glad. I shot 
 three big pigs from the cook-house door, one 
 at the first shot and two at the last. We could 
 not lay a thing down that they did not devour. 
 They would come right up to the tents or cook 
 house; nobody would take them, and it required 
 all of us to keep them away. I said I d shoot 
 them and take the consequences if they would 
 bring me a gun; so when the gun was brought, 
 I was bound to do it. The most I have to boast 
 is that I shot them all through the heart. Doctor 
 has appointed me chief huntsman, and the pa 
 tients had a bully dinner, and, more than all, I 
 think the Rebels will have a wholesome fear of 
 me when I meet them with a weapon in my 
 hands. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 199 
 
 I long to be settled down to work and to have 
 the thing fairly running; but it takes so long to 
 start a new hospital. Moreover, every one now 
 seems indifferent; you can t make him work. 
 All they think of is getting home. For myself, 
 I wait patiently till it is all over; this hospital 
 undoubtedly will be the last to be broken up, and 
 I shall stay, at least, till Dr. Palmer goes. This 
 is a most dilapidated town, right opposite Fort 
 Caswell, and with a fort in its very centre. 
 Doctor s house is close by it and a quarter of a 
 mile from the camp, so it is quite a walk through 
 the sand. I hope soon to be nearer. Last night 
 I took a horseback ride of about three miles; we 
 passed many redoubts and rifle-pits, but all in 
 disuse now. It is such a sandy, uninteresting 
 country all around here; but any country is 
 better than none, so I enjoyed the ride. 
 
 SMITHVILLE, May 21 [1865]. 
 
 What do you say that I did not write my 
 usual Sunday letter; were you mad as a pig? 
 Well, you would have been if you had had as 
 bad a stomach-ache as I did all day. I never did 
 have a worse one. If I d had courage to write 
 the letter, it would have been a succession of faces 
 such as only I can make, varied with interjections 
 that you don t like to hear. As to writing Mon- 
 
200 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 day and Tuesday, or any other day this week, it 
 has simply been impossible. I have had all I 
 could do early and late to get clothes enough 
 washed to have the men clean by Saturday night. 
 The clothing has been neglected, was scattered 
 everywhere, and was so abused. 
 
 My house is all done, so now I can tell you 
 about it. Perhaps if I had written a true ac 
 count last Sunday you would have felt that it 
 was about time to leave the army and retire to 
 private life. I certainly felt so nearly all that 
 week; it seemed impossible that order ever could 
 come. I thought by being at the camp I could 
 expedite matters, as I saw no prospect of a 
 laundry or ward while I was a quarter of a mile 
 off and the sand so deep it was killing us to walk 
 it so many times a day. So the doctor had a bed 
 temporarily put up in the light-diet cook s pas 
 sage-way (the only spare place he could find), 
 while he hunted up quarters. Now there was an 
 agreeable situation, from five in the morning 
 a constant stream of darkies and cooks passing 
 through, for it was the only store-room. I could 
 not rise, of course, till one of the women gave 
 me a chance to dress in her room. 
 
 Doctor finally found a house that would do 
 for linen room and my quarters, using a big tent 
 for laundry. It was the very best he could do, 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 201 
 
 unless he went far from camp; but such a for 
 lorn, dirty, tumble-down old hole you never saw 
 in the North. Anything to get a house; so by 
 Wednesday I had my room ready and fell asleep 
 in it. Luckily the lamp was burning, for I felt 
 afraid to sleep there in the dark alone. Some 
 thing wakened me after an hour or so; and on 
 opening my eyes I saw the biggest kind of a rat 
 gnawing a piece of candle on a stand at my side, 
 and another in the corner of the window appar 
 ently ready to charge on me if I made a move. 
 I felt perfectly faint with terror; there are no 
 windows in the house, only wooden shutters. I 
 screamed to Jack as loud as I could, as if the 
 poor soul could hear me; he sleeps in the work 
 room, which, as usual, is some way from the 
 house. No Jack came; but the noise I made 
 scared the rats and they walked leisurely away, 
 taking the candle with them (the piece, I mean). 
 I sat up in bed and, happening to look at the 
 wall, how can I describe the bedbugs! They 
 were swarming from every crack and hole; they 
 were countless. How the rest of that night was 
 passed you may guess. 
 
 The next day I was back in the diet-cook s 
 passage again. I liked the men best of the three. 
 Then I began charging on the beasts with hot 
 water by gallons, with mercurial ointment, and 
 
202 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 after that with two coats of whitewash, and with 
 carpenters and chloride of lime for the rats. I 
 got back again Wednesday and can for a while 
 sleep comfortably. The house is cleaned and 
 whitened and made close from top to bottom, 
 and it really looks quite jolly. I have all my 
 traps about my little room, and the doctor con 
 fiscated a bureau and a settee for me; so I am 
 proud. 
 
 Jack has taken a little room nearer to me, one 
 that I used for a soiled-clothes room. What 
 could I do without the dear soul? He is just 
 as devoted as one can be. He heard the orders 
 read for all Sherman s men to go to Washington 
 to be mustered out; for a little while he was 
 delighted, got his knapsack ready, and danced 
 round. I did not say a word against it, (how 
 could I?) but I felt real bad. In about an hour 
 I missed him ; he came back directly clapping his 
 hands and saying, "I no go, I no leave you ; I 
 tell Dr. Palmer and he say I stay." Dr. Palmer 
 reports that Jack came with eyes full of tears and 
 said : " Doctor, I can no leave Mrs. O. I fall 
 down dead before I leave her. I love her like my 
 mother." Doctor was much amused with his 
 devotion, and told him he could stay as long as he 
 would. He is always doing something for my 
 comfort, in such a funny way too. My bird and 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 203 
 
 dog are his especial delight. He makes no friends 
 excepting them. Altogether he is a character of 
 my army experience. 
 
 This is certainly the strangest part, if not the 
 hardest ; and yet I really have enjoyed being here 
 ten times as much as in Beaufort. I would not 
 change for anything. I have the care of twenty 
 washerwomen; a great care it is, too, and with 
 such an amount of back washing to make up. My 
 ward is ready for me now. I have about thirty 
 wounded, but I can tell you more about them 
 in my next, as I ve seen them only now and 
 then. 
 
 We have about four hundred patients here, 
 mostly recruits and bummers. I never saw such 
 an uninteresting set of men, all homesick and good 
 for nothing, wanting simply to get home. It 
 seems only a certain portion after all are to be 
 mustered out. I don t know what these fellows 
 who must stay will do. I thought, of course, all 
 Sherman s army were going home. 
 
 My letter is more than usually stupid, but I am 
 undergoing such a biting from the fleas I can 
 hardly write. The other day I could not stand it 
 a moment longer, rushed into my room and went 
 hunting; the result was thirty fleas, the biggest 
 louse you ever saw, and in the covering of my 
 hoopskirt an enormous bedbug had built her nest 
 
204 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 and laid her eggs, fairly domesticated herself 
 and seemed settled for the summer. What do you 
 think of that? North Carolina forever! 
 
 SMITHVILLE, Sunday, June 4, 1865. 
 
 I have my little shebang and laundry in perfect 
 order. The tent for washing is the best in the land, 
 and my hut, white inside and out, is too lovely for 
 anything; and I can have a clean spread on the 
 floor every day, since I control the wash. The 
 whole arrangement is much better here than else 
 where. None of the women live on the land ; they 
 draw their rations every Saturday for the week. 
 I give them Saturday afternoons and pay them 
 all off before they leave. They have a dollar and 
 fifty cents a week. I have four white women and 
 fourteen nigs; if they stay away for half a day, 
 I cut them down, so I have to call the roll twice a 
 day. It makes me a heap of trouble; but I am 
 sure of the work, and as there are no sevens or 
 nines in the figures I get on amazingly well. 
 
 Two of my men are Rebels, mortally wounded, 
 one through the lungs. The other has had a re 
 section of the upper third of the left arm done by 
 a Rebel surgeon, and done accordingly; he forgot 
 to look and see that the elbow joint was shattered. 
 I have so little patience with these surgeons. One 
 of my boys was a prisoner in Andersonville several 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 205 
 
 months; his limbs are full of scurvy scars. He 
 is now wounded in the foot ; he says he has never 
 had enough to eat, and has that gnawing at his 
 stomach all the time, no matter how many rations 
 he gets. It is a real disease with so many of them. 
 Another poor fellow was eleven months a prisoner 
 for refusing to work in the fortifications about 
 Richmond; they knocked him down, stamped on 
 him, broke four of his ribs, and kicked his front 
 teeth out. He said to them, " Do all you can, but 
 I 11 never work on a breastwork or fortification 
 for you to kill one of my own men from." They 
 tried starving, and finally brought him to that 
 horrid Salisbury, wounded and worn, and left him 
 without shelter till both of his feet were frozen to 
 the knees. Luckily some comrade got ice water 
 and bathed them till the frost was out or he would 
 have lost them both, as so many did. He is to me 
 such a hero, but after all he suffered he says 
 nothing was as bad as the hunger. He says about 
 a thousand consented to work; those were better 
 fed just to tantalize those who would not. He is 
 a handsome little fellow as well as brave. 
 
 The medical director says this hospital will re 
 main here all summer at any rate, so I suppose 
 there is no chance of coming home at present, and 
 it seems not well to go for a furlough when prob 
 ably the fall will see us all at home. 
 
206 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 I hear all the pickets are to be drawn in to 
 morrow. I am so glad ; it will be nice to be able 
 to walk out in the country again without being 
 obliged to run for a pass. It is a long time since 
 I have had that privilege. You can t make eyes at 
 pickets; they just won t let one go past. Only the 
 Massachusetts Second H. A. would, about More- 
 head. They knew me, and used to say, " When 
 I go back on my beat, you just slip by." 
 
 SMITHVILLE, Sunday night, 12 o clock. 
 
 This last week has been hateful. I wrote you 
 that a brigade of soldiers were coming; well, sure 
 enough, they came, and a greater set of scalawags 
 never lived. I never heard of such men; they 
 broke into houses, smashed ever so many heads, 
 insulted women, stole horses and everything else 
 they could steal, even went into Dr. Palmer s 
 stable and carried off one of his horses. They were 
 drunk and rowing all the time, and every one had 
 to go armed. I had Doctor s double-barrelled gun 
 by my bed, and only that I was smart enough to 
 have shot those pigs I think I had been attacked, 
 sure; for a lot of them came into the yard one 
 night. Then one of them said, " You better let 
 her be, she 11 shoot you, and she can shoot, too, 
 for I see her shoot three times and kill every pop." 
 He did not say it was pigs I popped, so I guess 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 207 
 
 they thought it was men. They went off growling 
 and vowing they would kill my dog, who was bark 
 ing furiously. What a dog that is! His horror 
 is a nig or a Reb; one cannot come into the yard 
 when he is unchained. 
 
 SMITHVILLE, June, Sunday. 
 
 Thursday I went to Fort Fisher with Doctor 
 and his family and some others ; and that was truly 
 a most delightful day, though the thermometer 
 was nearly out of sight and the sand ankle deep; 
 but the cool sea breezes were delightful, and, then, 
 it is probably the greatest battlefield in America, 
 and the first I have ever been on except New Berne, 
 and there every trace had disappeared. But here 
 all was so fresh and so wonderful to see. I wish 
 I could describe the Fort or even give you a faint 
 idea of the work our men had before them. The 
 long unsheltered road they came down in the face 
 of such a terrific fire seems too much for any stout 
 hearts (they landed up the beach two miles) ; and 
 the rushing forward of the hundred and fifty for 
 lorn hope, all volunteers and armed with only axes 
 to cut away the stockade to make an entrance for 
 the troops (which the fire from the gunboats had 
 failed to do) was perfectly heroic. Besides the 
 sharpshooters at the stockade, stationed so closely 
 with loop-holes to fire from, there were rows of 
 rifle-pits to receive them if they succeeded, and the 
 
2o8 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 constant shower of shot and shell of all kinds. It s 
 wonderful how one lived to strike a blow, and yet 
 it was done, though almost all fell. 
 
 Friday. 
 
 There is the greatest excitement here over a 
 tent fly that was missing. Some circumstances led 
 Doctor to believe that one of the " first nine " in 
 town (a pilot who has made "whips" of money 
 during the war in the blockade runners) had it, as 
 he was seen often talking with a hospital scala 
 wag. So, Wednesday night, the doctor called and 
 told him he was informed he had a fly belonging 
 to the government. He swore as a gentleman and 
 also by a solemn oath " on the square " as a man, 
 that he had n t it or any hospital property. Doctor 
 told him he was sorry to proceed farther, but he 
 must, circumstances pointed him out so plainly, 
 and gave him his choice, to permit him and his 
 stewards quietly to search or to have the provost 
 guard. T. tried all arguments and, finding the 
 doctor determined, said he thought he could tell 
 him where some of them were. So he told of a 
 man in the country who had two. He thought 
 surely then the doctor would go off. Not so. 
 Doctor said, " Come, take your choice." " Well, 
 Doctor, if you won t betray me, perhaps I can find 
 two of them ; " so he went upstairs and brought 
 them down. Doctor had missed only one. Then 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 209 
 
 T. said he bought them of that bad man for five 
 dollars each, such a lie ! The first cost of one is 
 about seventy dollars, and these are of the very 
 best duck. Doctor went right off, got a guard, 
 and searched the house; it was eleven at night, 
 and the man s wife, Mary, was in bed. When 
 they went into her room, he said, " Don t be 
 alarmed, Mary, cover up your head, these rude 
 men sha n t hurt you." Such a homely, snuff- 
 chewing thing you never saw ; if he had anything 
 else, it was under Mary, and Doctor was too fool 
 ishly polite to search her bed. 
 
 Well, all this developed other things; so they 
 commenced yesterday morning and searched every 
 house in town, and it was truly wonderful what 
 they found. Not a single house where there was 
 not something, quantities of bed linen, guns, 
 three new flags, crockery, buckets, tinware, even 
 hospital slippers. The boys had lots of fun out 
 of it. Nobody knew how anything came in the 
 house; "Why, it had been there years before the 
 Yanks came." The fools could not read, and 
 there was the hospital mark on everything! 
 
 Anyway this is the worst set of soldiers ever 
 did live, all recruits and bounty jumpers who steal 
 everything and sell it again for a trifle. The 
 richest man in town, whose wife is just going 
 North for a summer tour, after her four years* 
 
 14 
 
2 1 o Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 imprisonment, had a quantity of linen spreads that 
 they were using for table-cloths. She " had not 
 the least idea how they came in the house." A 
 guard has gone into the country to-day expecting 
 to make a great haul, having heard of a lot of 
 things that were seen out there. 
 
 Doctor is almost discouraged ; everything seems 
 to happen down here in Smithville ; of all the places 
 I ve been in yet it is the meanest. It might be so 
 pretty, too, and is, indeed, now. The crepe-myrtle 
 grows here like the lilacs at home, only much 
 larger; but every house has many trees of it, and 
 the beautiful china pink of the blossom against 
 the rich live-oak foliage is perfectly lovely. One 
 peculiarity of the town is its thousand swings, 
 sometimes as many as three or four in a yard. 
 Everybody swings, nigs and whites; these moon 
 light nights every one is flying through the air. 
 Dr. Curtis says it is only since the war that it has 
 become a feature of the place. I guess the ropes 
 have washed in from the wrecks of the blockade 
 runners. 
 
 The town is full of returned Rebels who are 
 insolent as they dare to be, excepting those who 
 have been prisoners ; those all say they have been 
 treated as well as if they had been one of us and 
 are, consequently, a shade more polite; but the 
 spirit of secession is not laid yet. Can you believe 
 that many of them still think slavery will be re- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 2 1 1 
 
 established? Can one have a stronger proof of 
 their ignorance? Imagine these millions of men 
 who have been fighting for their freedom brought 
 back to chains again! 
 
 Five hundred sick and wounded colored soldiers 
 have been admitted since I wrote, all waiting to 
 be discharged. They are many of them of the 
 Second Maryland, the first regiment of blacks that 
 I ever saw, on their march through Alexandria. 
 They are a splendid set of men, have always been 
 at the front, and are so much better disciplined 
 than the white soldiers who are here. One who 
 stands guard at my house has had five bullets 
 through him, and yet has lost only three months 
 and never had a furlough ; he is such a manly 
 fellow, says his old father in Baltimore told him 
 and his two brothers never to come back to him 
 unless they had proved themselves true soldiers 
 and good men. 
 
 SMITHVILLE, August 28 [1865]. 
 
 My two little pet birds are devoured by wretches 
 of cats, and this morning my only other mocking 
 bird was dead in his cage. I am so mad, as now 
 I have only the two cats and the redbird; I hope 
 these will live until I get home. I feel impatient 
 to be off, have commenced packing, and am having 
 everything washed, wearing all my cast-offs so as 
 to be ready at a moment s notice. I don t expect 
 to get off this week, but will the first of next. 
 
2 1 2 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 We are sending the patients away as fast as we 
 can, and they are already reduced to fifty, so my 
 cares are very light. As I have only a few women 
 to look after, I have time to repair breaks, etc. 
 How I m longing to see you and hoping to have 
 a letter ; that is my best comfort. Soon you won t 
 have my scribble to decipher, but will have me 
 chattering. I shall be a change, at least. 
 
 This was the last letter from the Civil War. 
 How highly valued were the services that she had 
 given to the soldiers during these three years and 
 more is made plain by the following letter from 
 the last surgeon under whom she served, Dr. 
 Palmer, a letter heartily endorsed by Medical 
 Director Hand and Major-General Palmer. It is 
 addressed to her brother-in-law. 
 
 U. S. A. GEN L HOSPITAL, 
 
 SMITHVILLE, N. C., July 4, 1865. 
 
 SIR, I have recently received from the office of 
 the Surgeon General, U. S. A., a Circular Order, 
 directing me to forward to him " the names of those 
 ladies who have rendered valuable services, gratui 
 tously, for more than three years past, in attendance 
 upon sick and wounded soldiers in Hospitals." 
 
 This Order was designed, I suppose, to secure some 
 public and striking recognition of the services alluded 
 to. I think this is right. 
 
 But there is a class of ladies who have rendered 
 extremely valuable services to the sick and wounded 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 2 1 3 
 
 Union soldiers in hospitals, but who do not come 
 within the terms of the Order above mentioned. The 
 Volunteer Nurses, who worked under the supervision 
 of Miss Dix, received, from the Government, twelve 
 dollars per month. Many of these women were so 
 self-sacrificing and faithful and efficient, that we who 
 live to enjoy Freedom a second time won, and, I hope 
 forever won, can scarcely manifest, adequately, our 
 gratitude to these women. 
 
 And among all the female nurses whom I have 
 known or heard of, not one is better entitled to emi 
 nent and substantial notice than is Mrs. Mary Von 
 Olnhausen of Lexington, Mass. 
 
 From my own observation, and from the state 
 ments of our lamented friend, Surg. J. B. Bellangee, 
 I conclude that the services rendered by this lady to 
 the sick and wounded soldiers, and thus to the Gov 
 ernment, and to us all, have been quite equal in 
 value to those afforded by any other person in her 
 sphere of labor. 
 
 Her whole soul has been in the work. She very 
 early acquired a marvellous dexterity in the manage 
 ment of the wounded. Thus, with her wonderful 
 physical endurance, she was able to do more good 
 than any nurse I ever knew. She was literally untir 
 ing in her labors. By her zeal and usefulness and 
 general deportment, she entitled herself to the respect 
 of us all. 
 
 Soldiers who owe their lives to her care and skil 
 ful attention are scattered, now, over nearly all the 
 Northern States. They will remember her with grati 
 tude. I presume that is all she will wish for. I sus 
 pect that Mrs. Von Olnhausen is not ambitious for 
 
2 1 4 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 notoriety or fame. But I take the liberty to suggest 
 that the citizens of Massachusetts may with propriety, 
 and honor to themselves, offer to Mrs. V. O. some 
 substantial testimonial, which shall manifest their 
 appreciation of her services and at the same time do 
 her good. She is in every way entitled to all she will 
 receive, and ought to feel no delicacy in accepting it. 
 
 This statement of mine is prompted in part, by 
 hearing that the friends of Mrs. George, a Female 
 Nurse, who " died at her post " in Wilmington a short 
 time since, had purchased, for presentation to her, a 
 home in the State in which she had been a resident. 
 To me this was suggestive. A fee simple, in a piece 
 of land, is worth a thousand golden trinkets. 
 
 I suppose you know Mrs. V. O. and are her friend. 
 So, without apology for writing to a stranger, I simply 
 hope that you and her other friends may some time 
 act upon the suggestion given. I know many whom 
 you will never see who will gladly take part with 
 you. Yours respectfully, 
 
 J. M. PALMER, 
 
 Surg. 3d N. Y. V. in Charge Hosp. 
 
 Endorsed: MED. DIR. S OFFICE, 
 
 NEWBURN, N. C., July 17, 1865. 
 
 Mrs. M. Von Olnhausen has served in hospitals 
 under my direction for nearly two years past, and I 
 take pleasure in endorsing all the statements of Surg. 
 Palmer. This lady has won the respect and confi 
 dence of all brought in contact with her ; and by her 
 devotion to the sick and wounded soldiers has de 
 served all a grateful country can do for her. 
 D. W. HAND, 
 
 Colonel and Med. Dir, Dept. N. C. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 215 
 
 August 2, 1865. 
 
 I most cheerfully endorse all that has been said 
 herein of Mrs. Von Olnhausen. I believe that this 
 lady has done more good in the hospitals than any 
 other female nurse I ever saw or of whom I have 
 ever heard. I. N. PALMER, 
 
 Bt. Maj. Genl. U. S. A. (late Comdg. Dept. of N. C.). 
 
 A more formal and more general testimonial 
 of the value of her services follows. Signed, 
 as it is, by Governor Andrew and other State 
 officials, it is in a measure a definite recognition 
 by Massachusetts of the good she had done in the 
 cause of that State and of the Union. This testi 
 monial would have proved of the highest value to 
 her five years later had it not been for a misfortune 
 involving it, which will later appear. 
 
 Admitting as we do, that the noble and patriotic 
 devotion of the Soldier has not been fully appreci 
 ated, we feel that the devoted service of the truly 
 PATRIOTIC WOMEN, who have served so FAITH 
 FULLY at the bedside of the Sick and Wounded in 
 Camp and Hospital, demand of us our most pro 
 found gratitude. 
 
 That although we have no fear that History will 
 fail to do full justice to this noble band of PATRIOTS, 
 yet in many cases those who have received kind at 
 tention, and the friends of such, cannot be satisfied 
 without some more substantial manifestation. 
 
 In no case can a proper manifestation be more 
 deserving than to Mrs. Von Olnhausen, than whom 
 
2 1 6 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 no one has been more self-sacrificing, no one has 
 labored with more success or with a more honest 
 purpose. 
 
 We are therefore most happy to have this oppor 
 tunity to make manifest in some slight manner our 
 feeling and regard for the truly noble and PATRIOTIC 
 CHARACTER of her we are truly proud to call our 
 Friend. 
 
 (Signed) J. M. PALMER, 
 
 Surg. 3rd N. Y. Vols. formerly in charge of U. S. A. Gen. 
 Hospitals " Mansfield " and " Smithville," N. C. 
 
 JOHN A. ANDREW, 
 
 Governor of Massachusetts. 
 WM. SCHOULER, 
 
 Adj. General of Mass. 
 
 WM. I. DALE, 
 
 Surgeon-General of Massachusetts. 
 
 NEHEMIAH BROWN, 
 
 A. A. G. of Mass. 
 
 JOHN CUMMINGS, JR. 
 I. H. SPRING. 
 H. L. SIMONDS. 
 CHAS. CHOATE. 
 FRANK WRISLEY. 
 ANSON P. HOOKER, 
 
 As st. Surg. Genl. Mass. 
 
 WM. C. CAPELLE, 
 
 Capt. Mil. Asst. to Surg. Genl. Mass. 
 
 JOSIAH BARTLETT, M. D. 
 HENRY I. BOWDITCH, M. D. 
 W. T. MCALPINE, 
 
 I st Lieut. 2nd Mass. Infty. 
 
 JAMES VILA. 
 EDWARD WHITNEY. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 SCARCELY had Mrs. von Olnhausen re 
 covered from the fatigues of her Civil Wai- 
 campaign than she determined again to 
 take up the more difficult, because more monoto 
 nous, duties of life on the Illinois prairie. Dur 
 ing her three years absence her brother s wife had 
 died, leaving, besides the four other children, an 
 infant boy. 
 
 This second experience of the Western prairies 
 was far harder than the first, and was probably the 
 most " strenuous " period of this active and un 
 usual life. To bring up a baby, to control four 
 other children, to cook, sew, wash, and mend for a 
 large family, is far from easy under the best of 
 conditions ; to do all this under the hard circum 
 stances of frontier life is appalling. But Mary von 
 Olnhausen could extract sunshine out of the 
 sourest cucumbers, and the very hardships of her 
 life were made sources of simple pleasures for 
 herself and the children of whom she took such 
 admirable care. The long journey to the "timber" 
 to get the winter s wood became, under her man- 
 
2 1 8 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 agement, a pleasure excursion; the planting and 
 the harvesting, when neighbor A must borrow all 
 neighbor B s family and men, and must, in turn, 
 send all his family and men to B s, became a bus 
 tling picnic-time, the sixteen hungry extra men to 
 be fed making her already busy hands but fly the 
 faster. The good years, when there was an abun 
 dant crop but no market, and the bad years, when 
 there was a good market but no crops, would seem 
 to have been equally disheartening ; but they never 
 discouraged her. Always she was seeking, and 
 her optimistic, childlike nature was ever finding 
 the beautiful, where others would have seen only 
 the dreary and the squalid in the nature and the 
 human nature of that monotonous, semi-civilized 
 prairie-land. Possessed of a keen sense of humor, 
 she extracted the last possible drop of enjoyment 
 from the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies of that 
 extraordinary folk which, dazzled by the richness 
 of the new soil and the glamour of frontier life, had 
 drifted into her neighborhood from every corner 
 of the United States. With what unction she used 
 to tell of the woman who, in the neighborhood 
 prayer-meeting, thanked God that she had had a 
 change of heart on " Tuesday, at three, by Mr. 
 Phinney s clock;" of the relatives from far and 
 wide who came to the funeral of one of her 
 brother s hired men and camped in his house, as 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 2 1 9 
 
 was the prairie custom, for three weeks; of the 
 extraordinary sayings and doings of a neighboring 
 family of poor whites who exhibited amazingly 
 the primitive instincts of the untutored and un 
 moral mind. In her failure to record these ex 
 periences we have lost what would have been a 
 distinct contribution to the social history of the 
 middle West. 
 
 In the summer of 1870 came news of the Franco- 
 Prussian War. Mrs. von Olnhausen was immedi 
 ately fired with a wish to go, being inspired both 
 with professional zeal and with ambition to be 
 of service to her husband s countrymen. She had 
 never been abroad; with a good knowledge of 
 French, she had almost none of German ; she was 
 aware that every difficulty would be put in the 
 way of foreign nurses; she had no money, and 
 none of that held by the German organizations of 
 America was available for such a use as this. But 
 she begged sufficient funds from her friends; 
 secured, as was easy, letters from those who were 
 competent to speak of her services in the Civil 
 War ; l began vigorously to study German ; and 
 in October of 1870 set sail for Liverpool. 
 
 1 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
 OFFICE OF SURGEON GENERAL. 
 
 BOSTON, October 17, 1870. 
 
 It gives me pleasure to state, that the bearer, Mrs. Mary Von 
 Olnhausen of Massachusetts, United States of America, recently of 
 
22O Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Thence she made her way without difficulty to 
 Berlin, and, after the red tape inseparable from 
 war-time, secured permission to go to the front, 
 which, then, was not far from Paris. But, on her 
 way from Berlin to the seat of war, a misfortune 
 of the \vorst sort befell her in the loss of her only 
 trunk, containing all her letters and credentials, and 
 all her clothing excepting what she wore. Her 
 supply of money failing to cover any such contin 
 gency as this, she really suffered throughout the 
 campaign for lack of warm clothes; and the loss 
 
 the State of Illinois, distinguished herself during the late war by 
 her devotion to our sick and wounded soldiers. 
 
 So continuous and disinterested was her humane service, that by 
 direction of the late Governor Andrew of Massachusetts, a letter of 
 thanks was addressed her by this Department, and she is cordially 
 recommended to the consideration and courtesy of all engaged in 
 ameliorating the hardships of war, now present abroad. 
 
 WM. I. DALE, 
 
 Surgeon-General of Massachusetts. 
 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR RELIEF OF MISERY OF 
 BATTLE FIELDS, NEW YORK. 
 
 NEW YORK, BIBLE HOUSE, October 21, 1870. 
 
 I desire heartily to commend Mrs. Olnhausen, the bearer of this 
 letter, to all the officers and friends of the International Associa 
 tion for the Relief of Sick and Wounded Soldiers, in Europe, as a 
 woman of great worth, devotion, and experience, meriting the full 
 confidence and respect of all who value self-sacrifice, patient and 
 persistent labour in the humblest details of service to suffering 
 humanity. She goes to offer her services to the sick and wounded, 
 and any who can aid her in getting to work in this blessed business, 
 will merit the blessing of God and the friends of humanity. 
 
 HENRY W. BELLOWS, 
 President of the American Branch of the 
 International Asso. for Relief t etc. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 221 
 
 of her credentials, of course, gave her endless 
 trouble. She wrote not a word of this, however, 
 to her friends in America; and they knew nothing 
 of her loss and her discomforts from this source 
 until the following March. Then came letters 
 from the Consul at Nancy announcing that an 
 unclaimed trunk containing letters and luggage, 
 which he described, had lain there for many 
 months. This misadventure accounts for many 
 of the difficulties which Mrs. von Olnhausen was 
 to experience, and explains the note of discourage 
 ment, so unusual with her, which runs through 
 many of her foreign letters. 
 
 Leaving Berlin on the loth of November, she 
 stayed at Nancy five days, seeking the lost trunk. 
 Thence she was forwarded, via Epernay, Reims, 
 Thierry, and Meaux to Lagny (all this taking ten 
 days), there to await orders from Versailles. But, 
 though she waited more than three weeks and 
 used every effort to be sent forward, she could 
 secure neither the necessary permission nor the 
 essential transportation. Finally, she determined 
 to go back to Epernay to seek employment in the 
 English ambulance there. They, however, could 
 give her no place, but sent her on to the ambu 
 lance at Metz, where she stayed only two days. 
 Going thence to Orleans, armed with letters to 
 American and English surgeons, she served for 
 
222 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 short periods in various ambulances, notably at 
 Meung, until she found at last, in January, 
 1871, definite and established duties at Vendome, 
 upon the Loire, about midway between Orleans 
 and Tours. Her letters and journal give, in far 
 less detail than is to be wished, the chronicle of 
 these difficult and discouraging wanderings. 
 
 VICTORIA HOTEL, LIVERPOOL, ENG., November i, 1870. 
 I m here in the smokiest of towns, and so con 
 fused with the noise of landing that I hardly know 
 myself. Mr. [Thomas] Hughes came to me this 
 morning and asked to introduce himself. He 
 said he had often wished to speak; but I seemed 
 so absorbed in my German that he would not be 
 intrusive. He spoke nicely of America, and gave 
 me much pleasant information. We talked all the 
 morning, and when we parted on the pier he gave 
 me his card and made me promise, when I came 
 through England, to send at once to him and he 
 would show me everything in London worth see 
 ing, and would even take me to Miss Nightingale, 
 who, though a great invalid, will always see him; 
 so I felt quite proud. They all had supposed me 
 some forlorn German Frau who could speak no 
 English, as they heard me speaking only to the 
 German passengers. When they had known Ger 
 man themselves, they would soon have detected me. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 223 
 
 It s too funny how I dare blunder along as I do ; 
 but, after all, courage is the best, and it s not so 
 hard as learning to wash. I start at one to-day 
 with my Prussian officer, who speaks no English, 
 and we shall have drole times making mouths at 
 each other. He has only three bird-cages and a 
 parrot who talks continually, so imagine us en 
 route. 
 
 BERLIN, November 4, 1870. 
 
 At last I am in Berlin, where I have so long 
 wished to be. This has been a day of pleasure. 
 I am at a little hotel, second class. Herr L., who 
 wanted first to see his family and gladden his five 
 children with his live-stock, advised me to rest 
 to-day ; to-morrow he will come at eleven and take 
 me to see Mr. Happ. So, after a bath and break 
 fast, I started out alone to see the town and air 
 my German. It has been splendid. I hope I shall 
 go again, but it s impossible to know till I see those 
 I have to. I hope to be sent at once to the front. 
 
 BERLIN, Thursday, November 10, 1870. 
 
 It seems a hundred days since I came here, I 
 have seen and done so much. I am to go to Reims. 
 I am sent to the Sanitary Association, who will 
 put me at once where I wish to be. If I am not 
 satisfied there, I am to be sent to any place I like. 
 
224 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 It was a great favor, my going at all, as there are 
 very strict orders for no one to be sent ; but being 
 an American and coming as I do with letters from 
 Dr. Bellows and the others has helped. I must 
 say I began to feel a little anxious, fearing I should 
 never get off. In the mean time I have spent most 
 delightful days wandering about the city, which is 
 truly beautiful. Wherever I saw people going in 
 I went too; so I have seen much. 
 
 CHATEAU THIERRY, November 20, 1870. 
 After I had delivered my letters, one of which 
 was to a Fraulein von somebody, I went to visit 
 the two hospitals she has under her care, and no 
 words can tell about them. In our most disor 
 ganized days in our worst field hospitals I saw 
 nothing like it. The beds were abominable, the 
 patients dirty and, it seemed to me, in every way 
 uncomfortable. The rooms were not even ^//-ven 
 tilated, and I could n t see that anybody was doing 
 anything but eating and drinking; that seemed 
 continuous. You would not believe me if I told 
 you all she drank on one round right out of the 
 bottle ; I would have had to occupy one of the beds 
 before the first half-hour. Her face was ruddy as 
 the wine before we parted; every person we met 
 she stopped to tell how much she had to do; and 
 yet all that day she did nothing but talk, drink, 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 225 
 
 and eat. Twice we had coffee, and she always took 
 out her little flask of brandy; " Sary Gamp" 
 could not have liked it better. How " von " tells ! 
 Otherwise I think she would not stay long in the 
 position. She went with me to the French 
 woman s where I am billeted, and talked steadily 
 in German, although neither understood the other ; 
 it was very funny to hear them. The Madame 
 fired the last shot by saying " Good-bye, lady of 
 the Grand Nation. It is time you too were in 
 Prussia with its three hundred and fifty thousand 
 soldiers ! " 
 
 There are no more letters extant covering the 
 period of the next five weeks; but in place of 
 letters we have the journal kept scrawlingly in a 
 little black book. It begins with a pencilled itin 
 erary, but is silent as to route and experiences from 
 December 19, 1870, to March 30, 1871, that period 
 being partly covered, however, by somewhat frag 
 mentary letters. The dates in the diary are hope 
 lessly confused, Mrs. von Olnhausen finding it 
 difficult, throughout her life, to know which of her 
 busy days was which. 
 
 Left New York 226. October, 1870. 
 Arrived 32d October ( ? Nov. I ) , Liverpool. 
 Arrived 5th November, Berlin. 
 15 
 
226 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Left Berlin loth November. 
 
 Arrived at Nancy I2th November. 
 
 Left Nancy I7th November. 
 
 Arrived at Epernay ifth November. 
 
 Left Epernay i8th November. 
 
 Arrived at Reims i8th November. 
 
 Left Reims iQth November. 
 
 Arrived at Chateau Thierry igth November. 
 
 CHATEAU THIERRY, November 20, 1870. 
 
 So dark and late and muddy when I got here 
 that I was not prepared to see such a lovely town 
 as it is. I had some difficulty in finding lodg 
 ment, but at last was housed. I wanted supper 
 and wine. The people, at first, were cross and 
 unwilling; but I took the high hand and let them 
 know I zvould have it. After a while it went better, 
 when they learned I was American ; so I had a 
 good bed and the best of coffee ; and, besides, they 
 cleaned the mud from my clothes and shoes. One 
 has to put on high airs with these people. When 
 I got here, I found I must be delayed some days. 
 The railroad is torn up to Meaux. This is so 
 discouraging. 
 
 November 24, MEAUX. 
 
 At last I am so far on my way. Dr. Schmidt 
 gave me transportation with his Colonel. I started 
 in the coupe of a big wagon, in charge of a friend 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 227 
 
 of his. After a little the Lieutenant of the com 
 mand offered us his chaise. That was very nice; 
 but my companion was very drunk from too much 
 port wine, quarrelled with the officers, and drove 
 over everything except the houses. So, at noon, 
 when we halted, the Lieutenant claimed his chaise 
 and drove me the rest of the way to Meaux over 
 the most beautiful road, smooth as a floor and 
 lined with double rows of trees. Everywhere were 
 lovely views and such picturesque villages. I was 
 not at all tired, though we drove fifty miles. 
 
 I had a letter to Count Gleist, who, though it was 
 so late, received me kindly, with promises to do all 
 he could for me. He gave me such pleasant 
 quarters with the nicest of French ladies. When 
 she found I was American, she was so pleasant, 
 gave me a nice dinner, and we sat till late talking, 
 really talking, though my French is very bad. 
 She understood a little German, however. She 
 has seen much suffering through all the wars, is 
 a Bourbon, and does not believe it possible for 
 France ever to become a Republic, so also I. 
 In the morning I found such nice coffee and deli 
 cious bread and butter ; and then went, by appoint 
 ment, to Count Gleist. He promised to send me, 
 during the day, to Lagny. Though it is winter, 
 the flowers are blooming in the fields and gardens. 
 The garden of old Madame is very fine, and her 
 
228 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 house is filled with flowers. She sits all day em 
 broidering altarpieces. Her only son is a colonel 
 at Paris. 
 
 November 25, LAGNY. 
 
 It was quite dark when we left Meaux, but we 
 were here by seven, and I was brought, by the 
 Count s direction, to the cloister. Just as I arrived 
 came also some Protestant Sisters from Stuttgart, 
 the freshest, nicest-looking girls, all eager to go 
 to work. We had a very merry evening and slept 
 in the large dormitory together. This was a 
 boarding-school ; but is now a hospital, as is every 
 large house in the town. It is a very little place, 
 with but few wounded in it. I did not expect to 
 find them here; but this is another step. I have 
 letters to Count P. with orders to send me farther. 
 Always farther! When shall I come to the end? 
 I have sent to him, and he will see me at one 
 o clock; so I wait here in this dismal abode. It s 
 raining hard and there is nothing to see; so it s 
 rather forlorn. An English doctor is here who 
 offers to be my guide to the Count. 
 
 Saturday [November 26]. 
 
 I went with the English doctor to see Graf P., 
 who promises to do all for me. I have such hateful 
 quarters in a cloister. The Sisters are more than 
 horrid to the " Deutschers," though they treat me 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 229 
 
 a little better, being an American. I have no fire 
 in my room except a foot-stove which carries me 
 back to the days when I had such beautiful times 
 in the old garret. I hate black bread; but they 
 do make good coffee. This is the first day that I 
 have lost courage; but it s impossible to feel jolly 
 with stone walls all around and so cold. If I 
 could have only one letter from home, I would feel 
 quite happy ; but so far I have heard not one word 
 since I left so long ago. 
 
 Sunday [November 27]. 
 
 I went to church with the Mother, both fore 
 noon and afternoon. It s such a ridiculous little 
 church, rigged up with painted windows giving 
 such an abominable light. After church I took a 
 long walk with the Mother through the town. 
 This terrible war ! The place is full of destruction : 
 beautiful villas entirely destroyed; furniture, pic 
 tures, glass, all broken in pieces ; trees and shrubs 
 torn up ; marble statues all in ruins. Every house 
 not destroyed is occupied as a hospital or bureau. 
 In one house a large library had been destroyed; 
 not a book that was not torn to pieces. It was not 
 a cheerful walk. 
 
 Monday [November 28]. 
 
 While waiting for an answer from Versailles, 
 I must amuse myself; so I walk about the town. 
 The Mother took me to several hospitals, where I 
 
230 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 saw much suffering and very much dirt. They are 
 twenty years behind us in all sanitary matters, 
 no ventilation, no proper food, dirty beds, men 
 lying in their clothes, not even the floors swept. 
 I m disgusted. 
 
 We can hear the cannons distinctly, this is the 
 third day. From one part of the city we can see 
 two of the forts around Paris. To-day I hear the 
 French saying that the Germans are defeated; at 
 any rate, the Sisters are quite gay over some news. 
 
 Tuesday [November 29]. 
 
 Went this morning to see Count P. He has 
 had no letter yet, but promised to come after 
 twelve to see me. He and Dr. H. came together. 
 Count P. was indignant that I had such quarters, 
 and took me at once to a nice house on the hill. 
 The garden is full of flowers and I have a good 
 fire. It is pleasant to be warm again. A good 
 Deutsch Sister from a near-by hospital sends me 
 my food ; and now while waiting I would be really 
 happy if I could have only one letter from home. 
 I have written so many. 
 
 Wednesday [November 30]. 
 
 I took a long walk in the country and had such 
 a good time. I went to a village about two miles 
 away. The people called out " Dutch, Dutch ; " 
 they saw the cross on my arm. Can anything in 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 231 
 
 the world be dirtier than these French peasants? 
 I have never yet seen a nice face; and when one 
 sees the bent figures of both men and women, one 
 can believe the French nation is decadent. How 
 can such mothers bear heroes? 
 
 Thursday [December i]. 
 
 Last night the first wounded from the battlefield 
 arrived, and this house is made an officers hospital. 
 Among others was brought a Colonel wounded in 
 both knees and in the ankle. I have been up all 
 night. The poor man is suffering more for his 
 sons than for himself ; he has two, both wounded, 
 and he knows not where they are. The whole 
 street was full of wounded men. I feel as if I 
 were back again in our War ; only here there seems 
 no order at all; everybody flies about distracted. 
 The way they dress wounds is abominable; they 
 are not even where we were in 62. The surgeons 
 have had a consultation over the Colonel, and have 
 decided that he is too old for amputation. In 
 America they would have decided differently, I am 
 sure. So they have put the worse wounded leg 
 in a plaster of Paris bandage. God only knows 
 how it will be. 
 
 Friday [December 2]. 
 
 A whole deluge of Sisters have come from Stutt 
 gart. They insist upon coming in and taking 
 
232 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 everything out of my hands. I stand my ground 
 as well as I can ; but they have the whip hand, for 
 they can speak better than I. Anyhow I won t do 
 servant s work ! I m an officer or nothing. I 
 want to go farther forward at once ; but Count P. 
 will not let me stir until he has the long-waited-for 
 answer from Versailles. 
 
 The Colonel has revived so much. I have been 
 to other hospitals to-day, and I can hardly contain 
 myself to see the treatment of the wounds. It 
 seems actual murder. We never treated ampu 
 tations so badly ; head, hands without any care, 
 and the men allowed to eat all they will. I can 
 see now how good our surgeons were. One good 
 thing they have here is carbolic acid in all its 
 forms; this alone will doubtless save many lives. 
 
 Saturday [December 3]. 
 
 I can t get up the least enthusiasm. In the first 
 place, I have n t enough to do, nor can I get it. 
 I think there is one woman to every two wounded 
 men, all with caps or some such costume, and 
 calling one another " Sister." Prince von Weimar 
 was here to-day, and I asked him to send me 
 forward; so he gave me a letter of introduction; 
 but Count P. says I cannot go yet. I m pretty 
 mad! 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 233 
 
 [LAGNY], Sunday [December 4] . 
 
 The day is not marked, as with us, by inspection, 
 though, Lord knows, it is needed. I have come 
 out of the hospitals to-day feeling just grieved to 
 see how everything goes here. And there is no 
 excuse, for the houses are large and supplied with 
 every convenience, and there is an abundance of 
 food ; but it is cooked like Satan. I have not had 
 a bed since the wounded came; but that would 
 be nothing if I could eat once a good meal. I can 
 drink the wine; but I don t like it, it s so sour. 
 
 [LAGNY], Thursday [December 8]. 
 
 The days are all about alike. I do what I can; 
 but it s useless breaking my head against these 
 time-worn customs. Thus far every amputation 
 within my knowledge has died, excepting one; 
 and if he does n t he s a fool, for there is no reason 
 why he should live. There has been no amputa 
 tion in this hospital, I am glad to say; if there 
 were, I would have to fight. 
 
 [LAGNY], Friday [December 16?]. 
 
 There has been a snow-fall. Till now the gar 
 dens have been green, and with so many vines and 
 flowers blooming ; but this ends them. I ve been 
 out hunting for a washerwoman, and have found 
 a little Frenchwoman who will do. She is the 
 
234 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 only decent-looking one I have seen, and she s no 
 beauty. 
 
 It is some days since I wrote. I have since 
 then left the hospital I was in, and have been for 
 some days in the Pension Fleury, the vilest place 
 for dirt and smell I have ever been in. The Sisters 
 are Catholic, and so mad because I am here. I 
 have seen a number of operations, and never have 
 I seen anything so abominable. One amputation 
 occupied nearly an hour, and was performed by 
 three surgeons who, in the end, were covered with 
 blood. The patient of course died in four hours; 
 why he did not die during the operation is a mys 
 tery. I was disgusted, and said so to Dr. D., 
 who agreed with me, in words at least. I have 
 determined to leave here anyway. If I cannot go 
 forward, I will go back, and join the English 
 ambulance at Epernay, or else go to Zwickau [her 
 husband s birthplace]. I cannot get transporta 
 tion any farther. This hateful Count P. has re 
 fused me even to Meaux, though I have a letter 
 from Prince Weimar saying I shall go. Whether 
 it is that I am not Catholic or that I am American, 
 I do not know. I will not stay here much longer. 
 There are crowds of Sisters here. Every cook and 
 chambermaid in Germany who wants an adventure 
 seems to have put on some peculiar cap (they wear 
 no bonnets) and started out. Banded together by 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 235 
 
 dozens, they fairly storm a hospital, and after a 
 day or two all are driven out by them. I have not 
 a bit of a chance because I do not speak quite 
 fluently ; and now I Ve had enough. I will see 
 Dr. D., the chief, to-morrow, and get his per 
 mission to go back to Epernay. 
 
 My dear friend whom I nursed, Colonel , 
 
 is dead after all. When tetanus appeared, they 
 concluded to take off his leg. Dr. D. refused, 
 knowing that, without the operation, he might 
 live till his wife came, but that it was too late to 
 hope for his recovery. But some wise man from 
 Stuttgart came and said it must be done. They 
 had only made the first cut around when he was 
 dead. I am so sorry for his poor Fran; she came 
 next day, only to see his dead body. Poor wife, 
 she has already lost one son in the same engage 
 ment, and the other lies hopelessly wounded an 
 hour s ride from here. La guerre! 
 
 December 17 [?], LAGNY. 
 
 I depart to-morrow, at five o clock, for Epernay. 
 I have been for some time quartered on a French 
 dame who seems really sorry to have me go; but 
 I leave here without a single regret. It is the 
 forlornest place that can be thought of, so dirty, 
 so disorganized in every way, not a decent hospital 
 in the town. What can be expected when all the 
 
236 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 wounds are dressed with raw cotton, carbol oil, 
 flannel bandages, and oil silk, besides a heap of 
 nasty lint? Not a single amputation of the leg, 
 so far, has lived ; hardly one of the arm, and those 
 are doing badly enough. Every wound, for a 
 finale, is covered with a triangle of cotton; these 
 triangles are a peculiar German institution and are 
 used for everything. How I do long to have one 
 wound in my own hands! 
 
 1 8th, EPERNAY. 
 
 I arrived here this morning and have seen the 
 English Dr. Frank, who was so kind; but I have 
 no chance here. He has a whole band of English 
 Sisters, who, by the way, can t speak one word of 
 German or French, and yet all goes good. It is the 
 only hospital I have seen in the least approach 
 ing ours excepting Dr. Brigham s at Noisiel. Dr. 
 Frank gave me quarters in his own house, and I 
 passed such a delightful evening with him and Dr. 
 Montgomery. I needed this little comfort, for I 
 was quite discouraged. He gives me letters to the 
 English ambulance at Metz ; so to-morrow I start 
 again. 
 
 [i 9 th.] 
 
 Rode all day and passed the night at F , as 
 
 it was too late to go to Metz. It was dark and 
 rainy and so muddy, and I had a half hour s walk 
 to my quarters. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 237 
 
 There is no entry in the journal until March 30 
 of the following year. The rest of her wanderings 
 towards the goal for which she had been always 
 aiming, Vendome, are partly chronicled in the 
 following two letters, all that remain of the many 
 which she must have written. 
 
 UNITED STATES CONSULATE, REIMS, 
 
 Friday, le 23 December, 1870. 
 
 I do think this is the last time I shall have 
 courage to write; I have come away back here 
 expecting to find letters, and not one here; but 
 the feeling that I must accomplish what I came 
 for prevents me from returning. Not one word 
 have I ever heard since I left New York; and 
 yesterday some one told me that he did not believe 
 a single letter of mine had ever left the office at 
 Lagny. What will you think if you have not 
 heard from me? I was so disgusted there I could 
 not stay longer, and found it was impossible to 
 ever get any farther; so I determined to come 
 back and join the English ambulance at Epernay. 
 I arrived there Tuesday ; 1 but Dr. Frank, who is 
 most lovely, had just imported a band of English 
 Sisters, and so needed no more, as he has less than 
 fifty beds and five or six Sisters; but he gave me 
 
 1 By the journal the arrival at fipernay was on December 18, 
 which was Sunday. There is a hopeless confusion of days and 
 dates at this period. 
 
238 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 letters to the English ambulance at Metz, so I 
 went there. 
 
 There they have only French patients, all old 
 wounds and beyond nasty. Such a place was never 
 seen. We don t know anything of such things. 
 
 I stayed there two days, but he (Dr. ) has all 
 
 French Sisters who won t work with any one else, 
 and he himself is an old fool. I m sure he never 
 saw a gunshot wound, or, indeed any. I have 
 before described the dressing of wounds here; he s 
 a little behind that even. Won t God punish such 
 murderers! I have seen more suffering than ever 
 in my whole life before. Our War was nothing 
 to it. 
 
 [Later.] I am now writing in the cars, for I 
 am on my way to Orleans with letters to English 
 and American surgeons; somehow I feel as if 
 this was the turning-point in my adventures. I 
 keep a journal of everything, so all you miss you 
 will know when I get back. I will not write one 
 word about my experience, for I know all letters 
 are watched; but at least you will hear that I 
 am alive and have been well ever since I came to 
 Europe. 
 
 ORLEANS, January 6, 1871. 
 
 I am sure of this letter finding its way to you, 
 and so I write with real good heart; one of the 
 English surgeons goes home to-morrow, and has 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 239 
 
 just told me that he will post it out of the war 
 region. 
 
 I had a very hard journey from fepernay, 1 I can 
 assure you ; and without the hope of getting to the 
 English ambulance I would have given up many 
 times. From Nanteuil to Meaux I came in a bag 
 gage car full to the brim with matter for the hos 
 pitals. We had to ride all night or, rather, make 
 stops all night, as such trains always do; and it 
 never was colder. My seat was a salt bag; could 
 anything be worse? I thought I should freeze, 
 sure. We had no light, and I did not know a soul. 
 I shall never forget the length of that night. Such 
 a Christmas morning! But the commandant at 
 Meaux gave me quarters in a cloister, and they 
 treated me well, gave me a warm chamber and 
 a nice dinner ; so I soon got comfortable and then 
 went to see Captain N., the English Chief of 
 Ambulance there. He was real good, and, as the 
 next morning he was sending stores to Orleans, 
 promised me a place in one of the wagons. 
 
 Captain N. said we left at seven, so I had coffee 
 and started before light ; found, of course, nobody 
 ready and the goods not loaded; so it was a long 
 wait till ten o clock, when the three wagons started 
 loaded so heavily and with all the drivers (Eng 
 lish) drunk from too much Christmas. The two 
 
 1 Through which she passed in going from Reims to Orleans. 
 
240 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 officers who conducted the expedition were very 
 cross and did n t know the way, and it never was 
 colder, so I have sometimes had a jollier ride. 
 
 We got only twenty-five miles that day to Brie, 
 a little town where the famous cheese is made. 
 I had quarters in a fine old house with two of the 
 funniest little old women and a nephew just like 
 them. They were evidently frightened out of their 
 wits, and seemed to think I would eat at least one 
 of them. They put one foot-stove (chauffer ette) 
 in my lap to warm my hands and one at my feet, 
 and flew round like two very old hens; they ad 
 mired everything I had on and myself generally. 
 The house was so damp that I wondered how one 
 could become so old in it. 
 
 We started rather earlier next morning, but 
 nobody felt just right yet and we had various acci 
 dents through the day. When we got to Corbeil 
 they refused to take the goods by rail (here the 
 road commences), so we went on to Juvisy. This 
 is the most remarkable town I have seen ; it is full 
 of chateaux, so old and fine. They said positively 
 here that we could not go on by rail ; they go only 
 by horses, having no engine; so we looked round 
 for lodgings. That was not to be thought of, 
 five thousand soldiers there and it but a very small 
 town. So, after dusk, we started again; every 
 moment seemed colder; and (give me an Amer- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 241 
 
 ican for all the English in an emergency) " we 
 ga ed and we ga ed " to find an old castle where 
 they said we could have quarters. We rode at 
 least ten miles round, and at nine o clock we found 
 it. A great, old, rambling place with huge halls 
 and rooms that it was impossible to warm. A 
 Colonel was quartered there with his regiment ; he 
 was very cordial and gave me his room. We had 
 a nice supper with him and some good wine; but 
 the bed was so miserable and the house so full 
 of noises that I could not sleep. I got up early in 
 the morning and took a long walk through the 
 grounds and garden, which are wonderful, sloping 
 away down to the Seine and full of statuary and 
 arbors, and so quaint and strange, with a most 
 picturesque old church. The place was the 
 Chateau of the Jesuits, ever so old. The 
 old fellows were turned out when the soldiers 
 needed it. 
 
 It was late when we left, and then we found we 
 were only one mile from Juvisy after our long ride ; 
 so stupid ! We went back to Corbeil, and there I 
 determined to go on. They left me and went back 
 to Meaux ; stupid things ! they could just as well 
 have gone on, for the next day I found a German 
 party who have much more than they, and, by 
 insisting, we got through. The first night we 
 only got back to Juvisy; there everything was 
 
 16 
 
242 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 unloaded and it looked rather bad for us. There 
 were five of the party : two doctors and two gentle 
 men from Frankfort going for wounded friends 
 to C. ; they were decidedly the pleasantest people 
 I have met all the way through, so jolly and yet 
 so gentlemanly. We could not even get anything 
 to eat, at first. Finally, one officer told us he would 
 give us something to eat if we would find a place 
 to cook it. He gave us coffee, canned beef, vege 
 tables, and pork; so with all our hands full we 
 started to search the town. Finally, after a great 
 run, we got a chance at a fire and two pots; and 
 by and by we had a capital dinner. 
 
 Then we had to find lodging for the night ; that 
 was more difficult. At last we came to a great 
 castle (this all sounds like " The Mysteries of 
 Udolpho") occupied by a regiment; at first the 
 Commandant said no; but when he found there 
 was a lady (and it was so horrid cold and already 
 dark), he said if we could sit up all night we might 
 come in. I would willingly have consented to 
 stand on my head, I was so tired and cold; so he 
 brought us through these elegant apartments into 
 such a splendid room (or rather hall, for it was 
 perfectly immense) filled with everything beauti 
 ful, exquisite paintings and statues and such 
 gorgeous furniture and books and music and an 
 immense marble fireplace full of wood, which was 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 243 
 
 best of all. We drew our chairs around the fire, 
 drank red wine, and laughed and talked till at last 
 we all fell asleep; and really it was a nice night. 
 As to the whole castle I will tell you about it some 
 time; it was wonderful. Some of the Orleans 
 family own it. I fear not much that is fine will 
 remain when the soldiers leave it. 
 
 We were fortunate enough to get a pack wagon ; 
 so we rode all day through the most lovely country 
 and by such charming towns and chateaux. It was 
 horrid cold, but I was bound to see everything. 
 Our party was very jolly and we had plenty to eat, 
 though it was frozen. We got to Etampes by dark ; 
 there we had to stay all night, and the crazy old 
 engine brought us here next day. It always breaks 
 down, but it was good to us. Here our party 
 separated, much to our regret. 
 
 I have been quartered with a most charming old 
 couple; he is one of Napoleon s old officers (I 
 mean the first Napoleon), and is so full of interest 
 ing stories; his wife was a great belle. They 
 remember all the revolutions, and I should be real 
 happy here only I can t get into a hospital; they 
 are sending all wounded away, and the Anglo- 
 American ambulance will employ only Sisters of 
 Charity, who won t work with any one else. But 
 Baron S. sends me to-morrow to Gien, where are 
 many fresh wounded; there I hope to find a 
 hospital. 
 
244 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 I m afraid to write one word of war news for 
 fear my letter won t reach you; but to-day the 
 news is not very favorable for the Prussians. They 
 have, however, been bombarding Paris for some 
 time, and at Juvisy, where we were so close to 
 Paris, we could hear the firing night and day. 
 There have been terrible battles the past three days 
 on both sides of us. I hope to get my letter from 
 Epernay. Oh, dear, I never expect you will; 
 though as to myself, if I get much more discour 
 aged, I shall go back. It s no use to ask you to 
 find me; write to Berlin, Poste restante. I will 
 find letters there, or perhaps may have a chance to 
 send for them. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 AT about this time Mrs. von Olnhausen 
 seems to have put herself, or to have been 
 placed, under the direction of the Johanni- 
 tern, or Knights of St John, those modern repre 
 sentatives of the old Knights Hospitalers. 
 
 By this Order she was sent towards the front, 
 by diligence, accompanied by a Knight of St. 
 John and by two unfriendly Sisters. In this not 
 wholly agreeable company, and worn out with the 
 long buffeting from place to place, the homesick 
 and emotional little woman was quite overcome, 
 on the second day of this journey, to see waving 
 from a beautiful chateau the American flag. This 
 proved to be the Chateau de Meung, owned by an 
 American but confiscated by the Duke of Mecklen 
 burg for the use of the German army. Here Mrs. 
 von Olnhausen remained two weeks, doing what 
 she could for the patients there under the difficult 
 circumstances of being almost totally ignored by 
 her fellow-nurses. So hostile were they that they 
 did not even inform her of the retaking of Meung 
 by the French, and made their preparations for a 
 hasty departure quite without reference to her. 
 
246 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Fortunately, the Knight in charge of the hospital 
 was more friendly, and made the diligence in which 
 the nurses were to be taken away wait until she 
 too could make ready for departure. 
 
 This last removal brought her to Vendome ; and 
 thereafter, under the direction of the medical staff 
 of the army (between whom and the Johannitern 
 there appears to have been much jealousy and fric 
 tion) she was given the recognition and the work 
 which she had so long sought. The Maire of 
 Vendome, moreover, at whose house she was 
 billeted, proved the best and most influential of 
 friends, giving her cause for everlasting gratitude. 
 
 Arriving at Vendome in the latter part of Jan 
 uary, she stayed there until the 3Oth of March. 
 As long a: the German army remained (it was 
 withdrawn from Paris on March 3), the condi 
 tions were most comfortable and agreeable for 
 her; but the general order for evacuation having 
 been carried out, she was left for several weeks 
 practically alone in the midst of a hostile popula 
 tion and in charge of critically wounded men. 
 This period, and the still more dangerous and 
 wholly futile journey, with eight patients, away 
 from Vendome, is quite fully covered by the ex 
 tracts from her letters and journal which follow. 
 That experience was the last of the many dis 
 agreeable adventures met with in France. Arriv- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 247 
 
 ing in Berlin, she was soon greeted by her late 
 husband s sisters (who had heard of her presence 
 in Europe only through the efforts of the officials 
 to trace the owner of the missing trunk), and was 
 taken by them to their home in Tharant, near 
 Dresden. 
 
 VENDOME, February 16 [1871]. 
 
 I have often had the excuse of feeling too sad 
 to write; but I think never, until now, of feeling 
 too happy. Yesterday, for the first time since I 
 left America, I have received letters from home. 
 I have tried to avoid telling you how unhappy I 
 have been about it, and always have spoken hope 
 fully when I have written; but now you must 
 realize how much I have suffered. I am so glad 
 I have had the courage to wait and not turn back, 
 as I have so often been tempted to do. To be 
 sure, the letters were all written last November; 
 but I m so grateful for that much. I have already 
 written you about my life here, which every day 
 I like better. I cannot say too much in praise of 
 the first doctor that I had. He was nearly as good 
 a surgeon as Dr. Bellangee; and the one I have 
 now is excellent, too. Moreover, they have learned 
 that they can trust me, and so they have practi 
 cally nothing to do with the wounds. 
 
 They are evacuating here as fast as possible, 
 and have already given up the school to the city; 
 
248 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 so I have now a large, fine room in the old hos 
 pital. And I have the same good luck with the 
 wounds that I had at home. I think, too, the men 
 like me as well perhaps better than if I were 
 a German. You would be surprised how well I 
 can speak both French and German. 
 
 The church, as I wrote you, is very beautiful; 
 and since I last wrote I have found time to go 
 in. I have seen no such paintings in France in 
 any church, and the old windows are most won 
 derful, though many of them were ruined when 
 they blew up the bridges. I often go in now, and 
 am quite friends with one of the priests, who wants 
 always to ask so many questions about America. 
 All the French seem to think that s the best land, 
 and I m treated with marvellous respect when they 
 find that I am American. 
 
 I still like the Sisters very much. They are not 
 imaginative damsels; but the older is well edu 
 cated and plays nicely; which is pleasant when 
 we have any time to spare. This, however, is not 
 often, for it is frequently nine o clock when we 
 sit down to dinner. However, hard work makes 
 good digestion, and I don t care how much I dream 
 so that I dream of home. 
 
 I suppose if we really have peace one of the 
 terms will be that the Germans shall leave France 
 at once; so we may all have to go. I shall be 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 249 
 
 really sorry not to see Paris, and I shall try my 
 best to get there. Aren t the conditions de 
 manded by Prussia hard? And they are starving 
 there in Paris while the world decides. Here we 
 can already live much better. The people are 
 bringing out their stores, and we don t get the 
 everlasting answer : " Rien du tout, du tout, du 
 tout," no matter what we asked for. I could 
 always get more than the Sisters because I told 
 them I was American; so off would come their 
 hats, and, after searching in some horrid, dirty, 
 old back place, they would bring something to 
 light. Speaking of this, I say the French people 
 are the dirtiest on the face of the earth. Their 
 houses, especially those of the peasants, are abomi 
 nations. You see, I poke into every house, under 
 some pretext, and have thoroughly learned their 
 " tricks and their manners." 
 
 The town is already full of people returning 
 from their flight. The small-pox has been dread 
 ful here, and so fatal. The bells are always toll 
 ing, and the priests forever singing in the streets 
 with candle and cross, followed by such a motley 
 crowd. They always go on foot, and it s no 
 short walk to the cemetery. It s well they have 
 something to do. The Mayor told me there were 
 more deaths here in the month of January than 
 had ever occurred before in an entire year. 
 
250 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Right in front of the window where I sit the 
 river runs, with only the street and a little garden 
 between ; already the spring birds are singing, and 
 the air is soft; and the street is full of market 
 people crying their different wares, with their 
 white caps and blue linen clothes, so unlike any 
 thing one sees at home. The wonderful old clock 
 in the town strikes the hours and quarters so 
 musically, and the sun shines so brightly on the 
 warm yellow stones, it makes one quite happy. It 
 has already struck the hour for my going to the 
 Hospice, but I still sit ; and now that Sister Marie 
 has brought me a strong cup of coffee (meaning 
 the coffee), I feel wonderfully content. I just 
 have seen a boy pull a fish from the river which 
 I have a great appetite for. He looks very ragged 
 and nasty (I mean the boy, of course), so when 
 I have done I shall go out and lay hands on him 
 (I mean the fish). A couple of sous will make 
 both him and me happy. 
 
 Dr. Lazarine [ ?] , who has been here a week with 
 the Sisters, has given us lots of good things. He 
 goes back to England to-morrow, and I shall be 
 sure then that this letter, which he takes, will 
 reach you. He is such a kind old man. Not one 
 of the doctors speaks one word of English. Oh, 
 yes, one of them does. A young fellow says " All 
 right," " Beautiful," and " My dear." Whenever 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 251 
 
 any one speaks to him in English he always makes 
 one of these for answer, he says he must keep 
 up his English. He is bright, and I think one of 
 the Sisters and he are quite in love; so perhaps 
 she will not always be a Sister. 
 
 I told you in my last that I should go on 
 to Meung; but now I shall not go. When my 
 doctors found that the Johannitern wanted me to 
 go there, they vetoed it at once, and said they 
 would give me all the work I wanted. So they 
 sent away the men who were well enough and 
 gave me all those who were really bad. There is 
 such jealousy always between the Johannitern and 
 the regular army. Since then I have heard that 
 the English ambulance is there. 
 
 There is no other letter for a month, but it is 
 clear that the interval was quietly spent in work 
 at Vendome, under fortunate conditions. Mean 
 while the preliminaries of peace had been signed 
 on February 26, the German army had entered 
 Paris on March i, and the return to the Father 
 land had begun. 
 
 VENDOME, Thursday, March 16, 1871. 
 
 I wrote a week ago that I should leave the next 
 day (Thursday), but just as I was getting into 
 the carriage the doctor sent me word it was im 
 possible for me to go, as they had received eight 
 
252 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 very badly wounded men from another hospital 
 and he wished me to have the care of them. I 
 was delighted, first, at the compliment, and then 
 because I wish so much to remain in France till 
 warmer weather ; it is so cold in Germany. I can t 
 tell you about these men; I have never seen any 
 so bad. They have had no care, have lain wet for 
 weeks, and have such sores and such indescribable 
 wounds. I am busy from early morning till nine 
 at night. 
 
 I have left M. Sarazen [Mayor of Vendome] 
 and am now with my friends the Mesdemoiselles 
 F., who are the loveliest, kindest, funniest old 
 women I have ever seen. The moment I enter 
 the house they dance around me as if I were a 
 queen; and when I undress they stand admiring. 
 All my clothes are folded like a child s, my shoes 
 cleaned, my bed warmed, and a bottle of hot water 
 placed at my feet ; and in the morning they are at 
 the bedside to see that all goes right ; while in my 
 dressing-room are a good fire and warm water. 
 I m sure they feel rather aggrieved that they can t 
 bathe me. They are so puckered up, so very little, 
 with gray hair so very much frizzled, and they talk 
 so fast. What one says the other always repeats. 
 They are aristocrats of the old days, have seen 
 terrible times, when their friends were dragged 
 to the guillotine under their very windows. The 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 258 
 
 brother, who is a fac-simile of the sisters, comes 
 to the hospital with me when it rains, and I find 
 him at the door when I go out. Everybody calls 
 me " Madam American." For the last two days 
 I have been indescribably happy, for I have had 
 the first letter from home since those written in 
 November. 
 
 This is such a pleasant old town. I believe I Ve 
 seen everything that one can see except the old 
 clock, which I am going to visit to-day. Now 
 that they have no longer fear of the soldiers (who 
 have all departed), the children are pretty saucy, 
 and when I put my head in the street call out, 
 Prusse, Prusse; so it is better for me not to go 
 alone anywhere. 
 
 Day after to-morrow the doctors and all the 
 hospital corps depart. I alone remain; but you 
 must not be worried about it. It is impossible to 
 transport these men by wagon, and the French 
 will not give us a train at present. I would not 
 leave these wounded men, though the doctor- 
 in-chief says I may go if I wish. I think the 
 French will respect me more, as I am American, 
 and I can interpret for the men, not one of 
 whom can speak a word of French. You would 
 be surprised to hear me jabbering French now, 
 and German; I have no longer any need of an 
 interpreter. 
 
254 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Sunday [March 19]. 
 
 This has been such a dull day and so long, the 
 patients are so sad. Four have died since yester 
 day morning. I feel to-night as if we should all 
 die here together. I have now nine left, three 
 wounded, four with typhoid, two with small-pox. 
 I have everything to do, and it is vastly harder 
 when the men are low-spirited and have so much 
 to fear from the French. My doctor came to pay 
 me a last visit on Friday evening 1 and spoke so 
 
 1 The following translation of a letter from this surgeon is of 
 interest in this connection : 
 
 VAILLY NEAR TROVES, April 30, 1871. 
 
 MOST HONORED LADY, I have just received your letter, and 
 although I have not read it because it is in English, which along 
 with several other languages I do not understand, nevertheless, I 
 will answer you circumstantially. Just as two soldiers who have 
 fought side by side are bound for their entire lives by this brother 
 hood of arms, so you, most esteemed friend, have always been the 
 faithful companion who sacrificed herself for the welfare of the 
 wounded ; and I have never found any one who was more self- 
 sacrificing in this service nor more reliable. I have often grate 
 fully remembered your forgetfulness of self in this great calling, 
 and have often reproached myself for having left you alone in 
 Vendome in spite of the fact that you desired to remain there. 
 With due regard to those poor people who had to stay behind, we 
 could not refuse your self-denying offer, and we were influenced, 
 too, to accept since we were sure of your capable help, and I am 
 convinced, although I have not yet read your esteemed letter, that 
 you have fulfilled your task as conscientiously as successfully. I 
 have often spoken of you and sympathized with you since you were 
 left alone in Vendome, so I am all the more glad now to receive 
 not only this token of your esteem, but also the news of your safe 
 arrival. 
 
 I am glad that you, at least, who have really earned it by your 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 255 
 
 nicely of my staying here alone; in the morning 
 when I saw them all passing before the house, I 
 felt strongly tempted to go too. 
 
 Friday [March 24]. 
 
 I have not found time to write one word since 
 Sunday. I find the patients here so different from 
 the soldiers at home. I have never known the 
 names of one of them. They accept everything 
 as their right, and are always so impatient and 
 obstinate, and it is not the same pleasure to take 
 care of them as in our War 
 
 The news from Paris is every day worse, and 
 
 self-sacrifice, are in my dear Fatherland and with your people, while 
 I am still far from my family my poor wife and my four-year-old 
 son. I am quite sad when I think of it, but when I consider the 
 numberless widows and orphans who, comfortless, await our return, 
 then I judge myself fortunate. 
 
 We had on our journey to Blois, then by rail over Orleans, 
 fitampes, Juvisy, Corbeil, Melun, to endure many hardships ; 
 afterwards we marched by way of Nangis, Provins, Villenauxe, to 
 Troyes. We have been encamped now for four weeks not far 
 from the latter place (nine kilometers), and the end is not in sight. 
 I shall endeavor to have your most friendly letter translated by a 
 comrade. It will please me very much, however, if you have time, 
 if you will write me a few lines in reply in German or French, 
 perhaps Polish, which I also understand or to have that done. 
 In case I find no one who will translate your letter for me, I should 
 be very glad if you would translate its contents briefly into German, 
 which perhaps you will do anyway, even though I find some one to 
 do it for me. 
 
 Farewell. I think of you with most grateful reverence, and of 
 your good heart. 
 
 With many greetings, your friend and admirer, 
 
 DR. SCHWERKE [?]. 
 
256 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 I think the sooner we are off the better. This 
 morning we had a telegram that we must leave 
 to-morrow morning, but two are too sick to go. 
 I hate to leave them, especially one who was am 
 putated the day before the doctors left. The other 
 it matters not, as he will die. The poor fellows 
 do not know yet that they must stay, and I dread 
 to tell them. I think they will die from fright. 
 Did ever such a people live as these French ! One 
 would think they had enough with such a war; 
 but now they must fight with each other. [The 
 uprising of the Commune began on March 18.] 
 The people are furious that the prisoners are still 
 detained in Prussia. 
 
 The next letter, written from Berlin on the an 
 niversary of the Battle of Lexington, gives quite 
 fully the story of the eventful weeks following 
 March 24. 
 
 BERLIN, Wednesday, April 19 [1871]. 
 
 I m just glad enough to be back here, feeling 
 that now I can hear regularly from you and you 
 also from me. You can t know what a cross it 
 has been to me, and nothing but my Yankee grit 
 ever carried me through. I think if I had found 
 nothing to do I never should have had the courage 
 to go back to America, though now you may feel 
 assured that while I had anything to do I worked 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 257 
 
 with might and main ; and you will be satisfied, I 
 think, with what letters I have from my doctors. 
 
 You will wonder where I have been all this 
 time. I wrote last from Vendome. I had all my 
 men that could go ready, and when I found those 
 that I could not take feeling so bad to be left 
 alone, I decided to go only to Blois, and then to 
 return and stay till they were better. Just as the 
 wagons were prepared, however, came a despatch 
 saying that I must wait a day or two; so I put 
 the men back in bed, and you may know that was 
 a blue day with all. Now they thought they never 
 would get back to the Fatherland. I began to 
 think so, too; besides, I had so little money left, 
 and, to keep them alive, I must buy them meat and 
 wine at least. 
 
 We waited a week, and it looked gloomy enough, 
 when Thursday evening, March 30, just as I had 
 finished my rounds, the Mayor came in with a 
 despatch from the Sanitdtscommission Agent at 
 Orleans that I must leave right off; so at six I 
 was at the hospital, and by eight we started. I 
 forgot to say, though, that in the night another 
 man died, so I had only eight to take with me. I 
 rode in the coupe of the diligence with the two 
 small-pox men, who were really better than they 
 looked, in fact, the only two who could sit up. 
 It was market-day, and the town was full of people. 
 
 17 
 
258 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 The Mayor was anxious on that account that we 
 should leave early, as they are bad enough with 
 the Prussians. Luckily we got off without being 
 seen by many ; those who saw us shouted and ran 
 after us; but the drivers were real good, and we 
 were soon out of their claws. For me the ride 
 was especially delightful after my long confine 
 ment; but the men were so tired and so hungry 
 and so cross! 
 
 When we got to Blois, we found we could not 
 go on to Orleans; there was a despatch awaiting 
 us that we must rest for three or four days. I was 
 not sorry, for the men were used up, and Blois is 
 full of interest; it has the most wonderful and 
 best preserved chateau in France. Nothing was 
 ready for us. They were breaking up the hospi 
 tal, so we had to wait an hour in the wagons. 
 Then the chamber was so cold, and the stove 
 smoked, and the horrid stone floors, which we 
 always find here, were so unbearable. As soon 
 as possible I had them in bed and a good supper 
 for them. The people were very kind and showed 
 the greatest sympathy for me, so I too had a nice 
 supper and a good enough bed; but as I had to 
 watch and do everything, having no one with me, 
 I could not rest much, for the men were too tired 
 to sleep. 
 
 After I had made them all comfortable in the 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 259 
 
 morning, I left my small-pox men for watchers 
 and went to see the town and the chateau. I was 
 gazing, bewildered with its marvellous beauty and 
 interest, when up came a man with a despatch 
 to the effect that we had twenty minutes to get 
 to the station. Such work ! I had all the men to 
 dress and prepare, while somebody got a carriage 
 and men to carry the stretchers. "Batterman," the 
 newly amputated man, I took in the carriage with 
 me; the others were on stretchers. I had only 
 one blanket to cover him, as I had to send the 
 others all back to Vendome; but I supposed, of 
 course, that there was a Sanitdts train for us. 
 
 When I got there, I found nothing but a pack- 
 wagon, and no straw, no mattress, not a thing; 
 and this man only fifteen days amputated ! Even 
 what little time I had was used up in quarrelling 
 with the Inspector of the Station. He said posi 
 tively I could not go ; there was no requisition for 
 me, and unless I paid full fare I must stay. I felt 
 amazingly like breaking down; but I brought all 
 my French eloquence to bear, told him I was the 
 same as an officer in charge of those men, and 
 go I must; so at last he brought me a paper to 
 sign stating I was an officer pro tern, in charge of 
 eight Prussian soldiers. Was n t it most lucky, 
 for I had spent my last cent that morning ? When 
 all was done, he said I had still ten minutes. The 
 
260 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 men were lying in the salon; those who had come 
 on stretchers had their own blankets ; but they had 
 taken Batterman s blanket to lay him on, and there 
 he lay with nothing over him. I had no time to 
 get anything for him; even my waterproof was 
 in the baggage car; so I took off my dress and 
 skirt to cover him and rode to Orleans without. 
 I had to sit on that dirty floor and hold his head, 
 and was nearly jammed to death, to say nothing 
 of the cold, for it was raining hard. We were 
 more than three hours getting there; I thought it 
 ten. 
 
 When we arrived no one was there to receive 
 us; what could I do? I thought every moment 
 two of the men would die. Some one brought the 
 Inspector, whom I shall always remember with real 
 affection. He was so good (though a French 
 man), sent at once for a mattress and blanket, 
 had the men put in the salon and a fire made, 
 and then sent for the Sanitdtscommission Agent, 
 whom he knew. After an hour that official came, 
 with a very red nose, and so fussy and so fright 
 ened that he did nothing but turn round. I was 
 disgusted with him. He insisted upon speaking 
 English, and the devil could not understand him. 
 My German is perfect in comparison. 
 
 He said he had everything prepared at the hos 
 pital, but how to get there was the question. I 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 261 
 
 made many suggestions, which were put aside. 
 After an hour s talk he decided on what I had at 
 first proposed : that the three wounded should go 
 on stretchers, the others with me in an omnibus. 
 Then a stretcher and six men had to be hunted 
 up (think of the condition of the sick all this 
 time). At last all was ready, when the Inspector 
 said we could not go without gens d armes; so 
 we hired two. Mr. S. C. Agent then concluded 
 he had something else to do; but I think he was 
 afraid to go. Anyway he let me set off alone. 
 
 The Prussians had left Orleans three weeks 
 before, and the people supposed all had gone. 
 When, therefore, they saw us, they hooted and 
 screamed, and one horrible old woman howled 
 out all sorts of curses, kicked up the dust over 
 us with her awful old wooden shoes, and shook 
 her head so that her gray hair fell over her face 
 and shoulders. I never saw such a fiendish face. 
 I could then understand what a revolution in 
 France meant. The men were dreadfully fright 
 ened ; but we got to the hospital safely, and I felt 
 glad enough. 
 
 I expected to stay there all night, but the 
 Mother said no stranger was permitted to stay 
 in the building unless sick. I was rather in de 
 spair; but I borrowed some money from one of 
 the men, and passed the night in the most miser- 
 
262 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 able of little inns, the master of which boasted, 
 while I was eating supper, that he had been a 
 Franc Tireur for three months. All the company 
 looked so too; but it was Hobson s choice with 
 me. As I was to be at the station at six, and must 
 rise early enough to have the men ready, I must 
 be as near as possible to the hospital. 
 
 I went immediately to bed, but such a room! 
 I feared I should over-sleep, so had told the man 
 to call me at five, sure. I thought I heard him 
 knock and sprang up; hearing the clock strike 
 at the same time, I hurried on my clothes and 
 opened the window to listen for the carriage and 
 the man who had promised to be there at half-past 
 five. I got so impatient as the quarters kept strik 
 ing and nobody came; at last the clock struck one. 
 I was too mad, and so cold. I would not undress 
 again, so passed the night in that miserable, half- 
 awake state till half-past five. 
 
 When I rang at the hospital gate, I found the 
 men nearly ready, and that the Sisters had given 
 them some bread; then I looked again for the 
 carriage and my gens d armes. Finally they came, 
 but not my stretcher-men; so I flew about the 
 street begging everybody I met to come. Finally I 
 picked up six of the lousiest, lost-looking wretches 
 ever were seen, and started for the station, the 
 same crowd following and " a-cussing." 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 263 
 
 About ten minutes after I got there Mr. S. C. 
 Agent arrived with twenty other men that had 
 been forwarded from little stations around; they 
 had all had small-pox and looked rather shabby. 
 He himself flew round like a parched pea. "What 
 had we better do? " was always the question, when 
 there was only one thing to be done, to get the 
 men in a pack-wagon speedily as possible, with 
 plenty of straw, which he ought to have had ready. 
 Thanks to my friend the Inspector, this was ac 
 complished, and the men were covered as well as 
 possible with all available coats and blankets, when 
 the bell rang. I had got only six of my men and 
 one other in my car when in rushed the Agent: 
 " Madam, here is a despatch saying all must wait 
 for the ambulance train, which comes at nine 
 o clock." I saw nothing else to do but wait. 
 " Yes," he said, " you must do so, but I think 
 I 11 go as far as Juvisy and wait for you there; 
 it s so dangerous here! " 
 
 So my men were taken out again on the plat 
 form, and there I was left without one sou, one 
 friend. Again my Inspector came to me, put my 
 men again in the saloon, lent me five francs to 
 buy them a breakfast, and locked the doors to keep 
 out the crowd. Nine and ten came, but no train; 
 every five minutes the men would say, " Oh, Sister, 
 won t you go out and see if they are not here?" 
 
264 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Ever since I have been left alone with them I have 
 been Sister Anne to them, always looking out to 
 see if help was near. When twelve o clock came 
 and no cars, and the men got hungry and weary 
 beyond endurance, I went out for the last time, 
 determined to go to the Mayor and have them 
 taken back to the hospital ; when, behold, " the 
 cloud of dust," and directly the doctors were with 
 us. We all cried a little, and now there was no 
 more delay; the men were soon warmly in bed 
 and fed, and I had quarters with the two Sisters 
 (Protestant) who always go with the train. I 
 found them very dirty, but very hospitable; any 
 way it was so good to have this terrible anxiety 
 over, that I was content with anything. 
 
 Now commenced our journey. We went to 
 Tours, where, by the way, I met some delightful 
 Americans: Mr. Lee, from Baltimore, and his 
 wife, from Rhode Island; they were very nice to 
 me, and I spent such a pleasant afternoon with 
 them. They have done so much all through the 
 war for both sides; they live there while educat 
 ing their children. From Tours (which is, by the 
 way, a beautiful and rich city and less destroyed 
 by the soldiers than any other, for which they have 
 to thank Mr. Lee, who persuaded General Haupt- 
 mann not to quarter his soldiers on the people, 
 but in the casernes) we went back to Vendome. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 265 
 
 Was n t it abominable in this S. C. Agent to make 
 me take all that horrible journey for nothing just 
 because he was afraid himself to wait any longer 
 and dared not leave us behind ? 
 
 From there we have been journeying ever since, 
 through such a beautiful land. It s three weeks 
 to-morrow since I left Vendome the first time. 
 We have stopped at nearly all the large cities 
 through which we have passed long enough to 
 see the best part of them; at least long enough 
 to give one a desire to see them again. I espe 
 cially enjoyed Ulm, Munich, and Nuremberg; in 
 each we passed a day or more. In one we were 
 two days, so I made good use of the time. I 
 have kept a journal of all my journey. I know 
 such things are horribly stupid, or I would send 
 it to you. 
 
 Although this journal to which she refers covers 
 very much the ground of this letter of April 19, it 
 is by no means " horribly stupid," and it differs 
 sufficiently from the letter to make it worth while 
 to reproduce it, even though the facts are mainly 
 those already given. 
 
 [Front the Journal^ 
 
 BLOTS, March 30, 1871. 
 
 We left Vendome at nine this morning, my two 
 worst wounded in one wagon, the other six with 
 
266 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 me. All the rest are dead ; the last died last night. 
 I was glad when he died, for I could not have 
 brought him, and I hated to leave him in France. 
 The day has been beautiful, and the ride altogether 
 lovely. We found nothing ready for the men, so 
 had a half-hour to wait before I could have them 
 in bed. The chamber was cold, and the floor, as 
 always in France, of stone. We are in the 
 wonderfully beautiful Chateau de Blois, the most 
 beautiful in France. 
 
 My men were so tired and hungry, I fear they 
 will not sleep well. I have a bed in the next room ; 
 I dare not leave them, and, besides, I have no one 
 with me to do anything for them. I am very tired, 
 and am glad to hear that we must stay here for 
 two or three days to give the men rest. The people 
 seem kind and have given the men a good supper. 
 As I look up at the old walls, I cannot realize that 
 I am here alone. How did I ever dare to come as 
 I did, not speaking the language and not knowing 
 one person in France? I could not have come if 
 I had known how hard it was to be. Now that 
 I can speak it is different. 
 
 ORLEANS, Saturday, April i. 
 
 This morning I had so much to do, as I have no 
 one to help me except the Hussar who has the 
 small-pox. The men were tired and out of sorts, 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 267 
 
 I have never seen them so impatient. After 
 they were cared for, I went into the town with the 
 Hussar to buy wine and bread. The people fol 
 lowed us in crowds, and some of them spoke so 
 meanly. But I always answer good-naturedly, and 
 it generally ends in a laugh. But it certainly is not 
 pleasant to be alone in Frankreich. I am always 
 anxious for my men (not for myself), for the 
 French nature is so uncertain one can never know 
 what may happen. 
 
 After I came back I gave the men their dinner 
 and had a good one myself. The Sisters here 
 (Franciscans) are very kind, and seem delighted 
 to talk with an American. Then I went to visit 
 the Chateau de Blois. I can find no words to tell 
 how wonderfully beautiful it is. I did not stay 
 half long enough, for in the midst came a man with 
 a despatch saying that we must leave Blois in 
 twenty minutes. My Lord ! I had all my men to 
 dress and make ready for the journey to the sta 
 tion. They sent Batterman in a carriage, but the 
 others went on stretchers. 
 
 When I got to the station, I found no ambulance 
 train there, and, while I had requisitions for my 
 eight men, I had none for myself. So I had a 
 very stormy time with the Inspector of the rail 
 road. He said positively I could not go. I said 
 positively that I would, that I was an Officier 
 
268 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Americain left in charge of the men to conduct 
 them to Berlin, to which place they and I would 
 be transported. Until the last moment he held out. 
 Then he brought me a paper to sign, as is required 
 of all officers, and let me go. All this time my men 
 had been lying on the floor of the waiting-room. 
 They had taken Batterman s blanket to carry him 
 in, so he lay there with nothing over him. I de 
 manded a pack-wagon to carry them in, as they 
 could not sit ; so they were put in one. As Batter- 
 man had nothing under him but his blanket and 
 nothing at all over him, I had to take off my dress 
 to make him warm, and I thought he would die 
 before we got to Orleans. It is not yet three weeks 
 since his leg was amputated, and it is marvellous 
 that he survived that ride. I cannot tell how I 
 pitied that man. I had to hold his head all the 
 way, and was myself cold enough when we reached 
 here. 
 
 There was no one in waiting for us, and I did 
 not know what to do ; but the Inspector was very 
 good, and had the men taken into the waiting- 
 room. He then sent for the Agent, who ought to 
 have been on the spot. It was an hour before he 
 came, and then with so much cognac in the head 
 that he was little better than no one. Besides, he 
 is so afraid. I never saw a man so frightened. It 
 was a full hour before he got together the men to 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 269 
 
 carry the stretchers, and a carriage for me. Then 
 we must have gens d armes to accompany us, as it 
 is not safe here without them. It was rather a 
 mournful procession to the hospital, and such a 
 gloomy place when we got there. The men were 
 all tired out and were glad to get to bed. The 
 hospital is the Hotel Dicu, in charge of the Do 
 minican Sisters, who dress in white, and from the 
 time they enter the house till they die never step 
 out of it. 
 
 The old Mother who is cross enough would 
 not let me stay there; so, though it was dark, I 
 had to hunt up a lodging for the night, as we are 
 to leave for Juvisy at five to-morrow morning. As 
 I have not much money, I could not be fastidious, 
 so am in a miserable little inn in which the people 
 all look like robbers, with most villainous faces. 
 They set before me a scanty supper which I had 
 no appetite or heart to eat. 
 
 ORLEANS, Sunday, April 2 [1871]. 
 
 This is a day. I m sure I shall never forget it. 
 It began altogether wrong, for I thought I heard 
 the knock on the door which I had ordered the 
 woman to give to waken me. As the clock was 
 striking, too, I leaped out of bed and dressed in 
 a hurry. Then I went to the window, which is 
 opposite the hospital gate, to wait for the carriage 
 
270 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 and the men who promised to be there at five. 
 After waiting till the clock struck again, I dis 
 covered it was only one, and that I had been 
 dreaming instead of really hearing the knock. I 
 was too mad. So to bed I went again, almost 
 frozen and with boots and clothes on, altogether 
 so miserable. Of course I slept no more, and felt 
 as though I were a hundred years old. Finally I 
 got admitted to the hospital, made my men ready, 
 and then waited so impatiently. When it was 
 nearly six, I took a man and we went to hunt up 
 somebody to help. Finding somebody at last, we 
 reached the station just in time to put the men 
 in the pack-wagon. This time there was plenty 
 of straw, and I thought we were to be quite 
 comfortable. 
 
 I had seated myself on my box for a little rest, 
 when the Agent (the same man I saw yesterday 
 and who has managed the whole concern) rushed 
 up and handed me a despatch to the effect that 
 the ambulance train would be here at nine, and that 
 I must wait for it. So we had just time to get the 
 men again on the platform, when the train went off. 
 I begged the Agent to stay and help me; but he 
 said he had all his things in the car, and that he 
 did not like, anyway, to stay longer in France. So 
 the miserable man went off, leaving me with those 
 terribly sick, tired, and hungry men, and with not 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 271 
 
 one cent of money, and with no one to help me 
 except the Hussar. I have never been so near 
 despair; but I had no time for that. I hunted up 
 the Inspector, who was kind and had the men put 
 into the salle; and here I must wait with them for 
 the train to come. They had had no breakfast, and 
 I was too sorry for them. Again I had to apply 
 to the Inspector, who lent me some money to buy 
 them a breakfast. 
 
 At last nine o clock came, but no train, so 
 ten and eleven. I was at my wits end. The eight 
 men were all crying with pain and cold, the room 
 was full of French soldiers and " blue blouses," 
 who were so hateful, and, if the train should not 
 come, what could I do ? When at last I saw three 
 doctors at the door, I could not keep the tears down. 
 They were so nice, and had the men put into the 
 cars at once and fed. There are two Sisters ( Prot 
 estant) on the cars who have lived thus for five 
 months. They have given me a bed in their car, 
 so I am right comfortable. After dinner we went 
 into the town. The people are bad enough, and it 
 would take very little to make them wicked. We 
 leave here at ten to-night for Tours. 
 
 TOURS, April 3, Monday. 
 
 We arrived here at five this morning. We find 
 two wounded men here, but there are many in the 
 
272 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 little towns around; so we must wait here some 
 days until all are brought in. 
 
 April 4, TOURS. 
 
 I was so disappointed this morning. The doc 
 tor went to Meung and promised to take me 
 with him; but, after all, left me, for some rea 
 son. Some one told me there was an Ameri 
 can family here, by the name of Lee, who had 
 done so much in the war; so I got their address, 
 called, and was so delighted with them. They 
 were most cordial, and I stayed the greater part 
 of the day with them. It was so good to hear 
 American news. She told me so much about the 
 war that I had not known before. After I left I 
 took a walk around the town. 
 
 [TOURS], April 5, Wednesday. 
 
 This morning I took a walk to the Chateau de 
 Beau Jardin, which has been used for a hospital, 
 but which I was not permitted to enter. I am the 
 only one that dares to leave the cars, and every 
 one thinks me rash; but I find the people very 
 polite and kind. Somehow I always find such 
 pleasant people wherever I go. The doctor has 
 returned this evening with ten sick and wounded 
 men. We leave at ten o clock to-night for Ven- 
 dome. I have no patience when I think how badly 
 this thing has been managed. I could have had 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 273 
 
 my men so comfortable all the while in the hos 
 pital instead of taking that hard journey, had it 
 not been for that stupid Agent. It is a shame to 
 give such a man such a place. He was sent here 
 to hunt up the wounded, and he has left without 
 giving the doctor any information at all, just 
 frightened out of his wits. 
 
 April 6, Thursday, VENDOME. 
 
 This morning finds us at Vendome. A week 
 ago to-morrow we left here, and now we are back. 
 It seems a month. I had such a horrid, anxious 
 time. I must go to my friends the first thing ; so, 
 as soon as we had seen the doctor, to learn how 
 long we are to remain here, we (the two Sisters 
 who travel with the train and myself) went to the 
 Ruins and to the Cathedral, which is well worth 
 seeing, and then to the F. s. 1 They were so 
 cordial and glad to see me, and insisted that I 
 should stop with them; but that I could not do, 
 as we may leave at any moment. We await only 
 a despatch from St. Calais. 
 
 It was well that I did not stay in the town ; for 
 the doctor sent for me at nine o clock to ask if 
 I were willing to go to St. Calais for him. The 
 snrgeon-in-chief had gone to Blois, he (the doc 
 tor) could not leave, and I was the only one who 
 
 1 See p. 252. 
 18 
 
274 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 could speak French. I was delighted, of course. 
 Besides, I can go where I will without fear, as 
 all in the town know me, and I have only to de 
 clare myself an American to find friends every 
 where. So early in the morning I shall go into 
 the town to find a carriage and start for St. Calais. 
 
 April 7, Good Friday, 
 
 I have passed such a pleasant day. It is a 
 beautiful drive to St. Calais, and the little town 
 is a charming place, lying under the hills, so white 
 and clean, and with a curious old church in the 
 Roman style, with quaint carvings and statues. 
 There is a ruin, too, very old. I had time, while 
 the horses rested, to see all. I then started back 
 with my one poor fellow who had been so long 
 lying in the hospital here alone. At first he did 
 not want to come. He felt safe in the hospital, 
 and thought, when he got out, the people would 
 be so bad to him. But after we started he was 
 very glad, and arrived here not so much tired as 
 I expected he would be. It was quite dark when 
 we arrived, and, as we leave in the morning, I 
 shall not have time to say adieu to my dear friends 
 here. 
 
 April 8, Saturday, CORBEIL. 
 
 All the day we have had the most charming 
 drive through such a lovely land. As we near 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 275 
 
 Paris, it becomes every moment more beautiful. 
 We left Vendome very early, stopped at Chateau 
 , found two men there, and stopped for an 
 hour at - . The country is here very beautiful, 
 the fruit-trees all in blossom, and everywhere such 
 splendid chateaux. Wherever we stop the people 
 flock to see the cars, the first ambulance train 
 they have ever seen. Everywhere we heard such 
 bad news from Paris. In one place, near Juvisy, 
 we saw from the cars a long artillery train com 
 ing from one point to attack the city in another. 
 The most demoralized soldiers (not even except 
 ing the Southerners after the War was over) that 
 I have ever seen are these Frenchmen, dirty, 
 ragged, haggard, miserable-looking fellows. I 
 cannot conceive how the army ever had the pres 
 tige that it had. Such women and men as one sees 
 in the fields cannot bear heroes. Juvisy looked 
 bright and pleasant. It is a lovely town; and I 
 saw the two castles where I passed those two 
 nights here. I m glad it s not so cold now as 
 then. There are still Prussian soldiers here. It 
 seemed very good to see them again. 
 
 (?)], April 9, Easter Sunday. 
 
 We stayed at Corbeil till the afternoon. I took 
 a long walk, and heard Mass in the old church. 
 I never saw such stupid girls as these Sisters. 
 
276 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 They are content to stay in the cars and never 
 see one thing. It was just so with the two Sis 
 ters in Vendome; all the time we were there they 
 saw nothing, and yet were never half so much 
 with their men as I was. We used to walk, and 
 I must always say " Look there," or they would 
 see nothing. " Born blind." It s my third visit 
 here, so I feel quite at home. We ride as far as 
 Sans to-night. 
 
 CHAUMONT, April 10, Monday. 
 
 We arrived here at noon and stayed all the rest 
 of the day. I was so provoked that I did not see 
 the town, which is very lovely; but they told me 
 we might go at any moment, as we were only 
 waiting for a despatch. Nothing is so dreary as 
 waiting at a railroad station. The day, too, has 
 been so beautiful. 
 
 [NANCY], April n, Tuesday. 
 
 We left Chaumont only this morning. The ride 
 has been very nice to-day, especially the last part, 
 as we neared Nancy. The crops are all in, and 
 the grain looks miserable. I don t see what the 
 people will do another year for food. We arrived 
 at Nancy some time in the night. 
 
 April 12, Wednesday, NANCY. 
 
 All the day long I have been in the city, in 
 the morning with one Sister, in the afternoon with 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 277 
 
 the other, so I am thoroughly tired to-night. I 
 saw only my friend the German Sister at the 
 convent De la bonne Chretienne. The person I 
 most wished to see, von Havernich, is not here. 
 I shall never forget that man s kindness to me 
 [presumably while seeking her lost trunk] when 
 I was here a stranger. He had gone to Metz for 
 the day. 
 
 April 13, Thursday. 
 
 We left Nancy and have travelled all day 
 through Lorraine. Immediately one can see that 
 he is in another land. The German element is 
 very perceptible, the houses and villages are so 
 different. The people mostly speak German, too. 
 
 April 15, MUNICH, Saturday. 
 
 It is delightful to be here, it s such an interest 
 ing city. I intended, after breakfast, to go alone 
 into the city, but it rained hard. Besides, the 
 doctor sent word that all must stay in, as the 
 queen comes. I have not the slightest desire to 
 see her; but one must obey orders. (Later.) 
 The queen has been here; but I did not see her. 
 The Sisters are quite enthusiastic over her amia 
 bility, etc. It still rains. I m disappointed, for 
 Gustav has told me so much of Munich, I want 
 to see it all. 
 
278 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 April 1 6, Sunday, MUNICH. 
 
 We are entertained by the Sanitary Commission, 
 so we have everything good to eat and drink; 
 and after breakfast the gentlemen took us for a 
 drive past the University and to see the statue of 
 Bavaria. That alone is worth coming here to see. 
 The Temple is beautiful, too, in the court of which 
 it stands, and is filled with busts of illustrious men. 
 It looks out on the immense plain where the Octo 
 ber festival is held, so vast, so green, and the whole 
 city lying beyond. From there we went to the 
 cemetery, filled with beautiful works of art, but all 
 crowded and jumbled together. The saddest sight 
 I have ever seen is the dead house, where all the 
 dead must lie three days in full dress with wreaths 
 and flowers, uncoffined for all the world to see, 
 before they can be buried. I think there were 
 twenty there, some children of only a day or so, 
 and some people so very old. We leave to-night 
 at nine for Nuremberg, where we stay a day. 
 
 NURNBERG, April 17, Monday. 
 
 This is the most marvellous old town I have 
 ever seen. Every house is a study, the people are 
 so friendly, and the streets are so crooked and 
 steep and queer. We went first to the churches, 
 and then to the Fortress and Museum, where are 
 kept all the horrible instruments of torture. I can- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 279 
 
 not realize that so late as 1863 a man was here 
 tortured, with his wife, for stealing. They were 
 put into a large cradle filled with iron spikes, and 
 there rocked for some hours. The woman died, 
 I m glad to say ; but the man lived and was after 
 wards imprisoned for eight years. Here were the 
 wheels and ladders, racks, iron whips, iron masks, 
 - 1 cannot remember all the horrible things I saw. 
 We went then to a beer house four hundred years 
 old to drink beer and eat sausage and Sauerkraut. 
 
 FULDA, April 1 8, Tuesday. 
 
 The ride has been very fine to-day among the 
 mountains, their high points crowned with old 
 castles and ruins, the little villages with their red 
 roofs looking so cosey, the people, when we stop, 
 so friendly. We stopped for a while at Neuhof, 
 and I was so struck with the people as they came 
 from the little church. Every one had a bright 
 handkerchief tied on the head, a large woollen 
 scarf crossed on the breast and tied behind, and 
 a strip of velvet around the skirt, the colors being 
 of every conceivable shade. The effect was beau 
 tiful. They had such sympathy for the sick men 
 and for us who cared for them. One woman tried 
 to give me two little pieces of money. I could 
 not take them, but the act touched my heart with 
 such a glow. I wish now I had taken one as a 
 
280 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 memento. She looked very poor, and told me that 
 she had lost her only son in the war. Fulda seems 
 to be a fine and rich city, but we cannot see it. 
 We leave all our sick here; I do not know why. 
 Only two or three go to Berlin with us. 
 
 April 19, BERLIN, Wednesday. 
 
 We arrived here at noon to-day. I hurried for 
 letters, but found only one, of January, from J. 
 It s so strange, and has quite dampened the spirits 
 I was in at getting here. I have to comfort 
 myself writing to them and also to Madame von 
 Roemer [her sister-in-law]. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 ARRIVING in Tharant in April, 1871, 
 Mrs. von Olnhausen shared the life of 
 her husband s sisters and other relatives 
 for more than two years. As will appear, this 
 visit was interspersed with journeys to Berlin, to 
 the family-seat at Zwickau, to Prague, and, in the 
 spring of 1873, to Italy and France. This longer 
 journey was taken in the capacity of companion 
 to a widow whose nervous invalidism made the 
 care of her an exacting and not altogether pleasant 
 task. Glad as Mrs. Olnhausen was to get this 
 wider view of Europe, she was not a little re 
 lieved when the time for ending this temporary 
 companionship came, and she could return to what 
 was now a home to her in Saxony. The von 
 Olnhausen relatives were most cordial and de 
 voted, and urged her to remain with them indefi 
 nitely; but their brother s wife was too sturdy an 
 American, was too deeply attached to Massachu 
 setts and to Lexington, to permit of her staying 
 abroad longer than until the fall of 1873. 
 
282 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 The letters from Germany are very voluminous 
 and are practically intact. But the greater part 
 of their contents is of too personal and intimate a 
 character for publication. Sufficient extracts will be 
 given, however, to present the extraordinary jux 
 taposition of a perfectly unconventional American 
 and her strictly conventional German sisters-in- 
 law, brought up in the atmosphere of genera 
 tions of Freiherr tradition. Their brother s 
 widow was an unending surprise and shock to 
 them. She was as scornful of German usage as 
 of the intricacies of German grammar. To her 
 the elaborate etiquette of the German upper class 
 was as superfluous as the cases and genders of 
 the elaborate German tongue; and she usually 
 flouted both. To her the limitations placed upon 
 the actions of their women were as absurd as the 
 variations in their conjugations; and she took a 
 free-born American s delight in ignoring the one 
 and the other. But her unconventionality, and 
 her love and practice of liberty, could not con 
 ceal, even from the eyes of German tradition, 
 the nobility of her nature, the fundamental good- 
 breeding of the real gentlewoman. And, how 
 ever she might scorn local and extraneous usages, 
 she was too true a woman ever to go counter to 
 essential courtesies. Therefore not simply as the 
 widow of their dearly loved brother, but for her- 
 
 \ 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 283 
 
 self, those fine old German aristocrats took her to 
 their hearts, and took her also of course with 
 apologies for America, but never with apologies 
 for her into that exclusive society which the 
 average American can see only from outside. The 
 following letters, shorn as they must be of person 
 alities, can give but an inadequate picture of that 
 life which, in their entirety, they set forth so well. 
 Those previous to June 15 are too personal to be 
 given. 
 
 THARANT, June 15, 1871. 
 
 The paper you sent is the only American paper 
 I have read since I left America. How long ago 
 that seems ! Do send me the other one you spoke 
 of, if you can find a copy. I wish to see my 
 self in print. As to the story of the Irishman s 
 leg, I ve forgotten about it ; did I really cut 
 it off? 
 
 I told you in my last about J. [Frau von 
 Roemer] ; she perfectly worships Gustav s mem 
 ory, and is good as pie to me because he loved 
 me. I think, as she and L. [Frau von Rohr- 
 scheidt] say, they would carry me on their hands 
 when they could. L. s husband was a Colonel, 
 who died a little more than a year ago; he had 
 six children when he married her, and they had 
 three; but all of them love her so much. One is 
 a Colonel, one a Major, two were Captains, and 
 
284 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 have left the service. Of these one has a rich 
 wife and immense estates, the other married a 
 noblewoman in every sense of the word; she 
 had no money, though, so he is a coal-merchant; 
 and all the family, except the mother, are so in 
 dignant when they see the wagons go by with 
 von Rohrscheidt on them. He says he is much 
 prouder of that title than if he were idle and were 
 called Count, and he means, too, that his children 
 shall be so proud of it that they will add it to 
 their coat-of-arms. 
 
 You ask me how I look. I m not so horrid 
 fat now, though I am by no means wasted; but 
 my clothes feel more comfortable, and, when my 
 hair is dressed, for an old lady who must wear 
 glasses I look pretty spranky. J. is so interested, 
 as is L., in all of you. She remembers everything 
 Gustav ever wrote about you all, and I think reads 
 his letters over every week. The dear Uncle K. 
 is dead ; when he heard of Gustav s death, he said 
 he wanted to live no longer. He placed all his 
 letters on the table, and always had them there 
 till he died ; read them over and over, and often 
 said he had nothing more to live for now his dear 
 son was dead, for he always had felt Gustav was 
 his son. I have seen Uncle K. s sister, a proud 
 old lady, in Dresden ; she kissed me, held me long 
 in her arms, and said I was a happy woman to 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 285 
 
 be loved by such a man. She is such a wonderful 
 specimen of an old-fashioned lady, so straight, 
 so well and richly dressed, and so ceremonious; 
 I guess she never forgets herself. She is eighty- 
 five, is such a little thing, and steps around like 
 a princess. She seemed to me just like some fairy 
 godmother who could turn us all into gold and 
 silver if she would. I shall pass a day with her 
 soon. 
 
 Before I finish my letter I must say a little 
 about the German fighting. I agree that they 
 are good fighters, but not that they are the best 
 soldiers in the world. I have had a chance to see 
 both wars, and I m sure I don t boast in saying 
 that the Americans were the better of the two. 
 We had a much worse enemy to contend with. 
 What had the Germans? A people who at first 
 did n t want to fight, hated their leaders and Em 
 peror, never had one good general, were perfectly 
 unprepared and undisciplined, were badly clothed 
 and fed from the first, and felt their inferiority. 
 The leaders had no faith in the men, and the men 
 no faith in the officers. Two of the best fought 
 battles were lost by the disobedience of the sol 
 diers, who would have fires though strictly for 
 bidden. There was no sentiment on either side, 
 as with us, and the Germans had only to go right 
 along and take, or buy, everything. I like the 
 
286 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Germans well enough, Lord knows; but I want 
 to see them fight with a real nation before I 
 quite yield the palm to them. When I think 
 of all we had to contend with, I think again 
 that that was the War of the world. 
 
 THARANT, July 13, 1871. 
 
 Although I fully enjoy European life, when the 
 time comes to go home, I shall be ready to enjoy 
 more than ever our own land. I feel every day 
 more proud that I am an American. Only by 
 going to America can one get out of the narrow 
 circle that binds one down here, especially in the 
 life of the aristocrats. I guess the Burghers know 
 how to have a better time ; the fear of what people 
 will say is not so great with them. For my part, 
 I don t care. I won t do anything unladylike, or 
 what I think is so, but if I choose to go through 
 the street of this little town without gloves or in 
 a calico morning-dress early in the day, I do it; 
 moreover, I speak to people, even if they have 
 not a half-dozen titles. As to saying all the polite 
 things that one must say here, that s entirely too 
 tiresome. 
 
 I came back [from Dresden] the 3d of July; it 
 was the first morning of the return of the soldiers, 
 and I found the town beautifully decorated with 
 triumphal arches, and with garlands and wreaths 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 287 
 
 hung from every house. As the soldiers marched 
 through, the ladies, all dressed in the Saxon colors 
 (white and green) and looking very charming, 
 threw bouquets, and gave them beer and bread 
 and butter. The castle of Count Zokorisky (have 
 I told you about him?) was hung with garlands 
 and flags and looked splendid. Even the old ruins 
 were decorated. 
 
 The first regiment, the Crown Prince s favorite, 
 was quartered here. All the officers are noblemen, 
 and the people were, consequently, delighted to 
 have them. The sisters would not have officers, 
 so had each two or three soldiers, who were fed 
 and cared for like children. It seemed as if L. 
 could not do enough for them, besides beer and 
 all sorts of things for dinner, they must have a 
 bottle of wine and cigars, and she was always 
 cooking for them. 
 
 I believe every day but one the city has given a 
 concert, sometimes ending with a dance. We go 
 at three with our work (the German women would 
 die without their knitting), and talk over coffee, 
 being always joined by some acquaintances. Not 
 the least amusing part is watching the people. 
 When we have been at home, we have had many 
 visitors; for L. s husband was formerly in the 
 same regiment, and all the older officers were 
 friends. Twice we were serenaded, too; so with 
 
288 fdventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 the continual repairs necessary to bring my shabby 
 wardrobe up to the required elegance, you can see 
 I had really not a moment to write. 
 
 For the Grand Review I received a ticket to 
 go with all those who nursed in the war. The 
 Tribune was especially for us; we all wore our 
 Sanitary scarf with the red cross, and there was 
 not a better place to see in all the city. I went 
 in from here [to Dresden] at six in the morning, 
 took coffee with the S. s, and then drove in their 
 carriage to see the decorations of the city, which 
 were the finest I ever saw. This took two hours, 
 and we came back for breakfast at eleven. Then 
 we went to the Tribune, which was rather killing, 
 it was so hot, and it was twelve before the proces 
 sion began. 
 
 First came the king, a little, old, bent-up man 
 in uniform, looking not at all kingly; then the 
 queen, who looks good, with her daughter and 
 grand-daughter, the Crown Princess and Princess 
 George, who every one said was handsome, but 
 not one of whom looked so to me. I was so mad, 
 too, that they did n t have crowns on their heads 
 and sceptres in their hands, with spangled gar 
 ments, as we always see them painted. I know if 
 I were a queen, I d be one. 
 
 Processions are always alike, I suppose, but 
 really this did not seem half so fine as some I ve 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 289 
 
 seen at home. I was quite disappointed in it. I 
 think, in the first place, the soldiers don t compare 
 with ours, and there was so little enthusiasm with 
 both the soldiers and the people. I remember the 
 review day [of the troops returned from the Civil 
 War] in Boston when every step was a heartfelt 
 ovation. 
 
 At nine in the evening we went out to see the 
 illuminations, which were n t very good, after all ; 
 and then came a thunder-gust and blew them all 
 out and sent us scampering home. 
 
 I am not even allowed to dress my hair ; every 
 thing is done for me as if I were a child, and 
 such people! I suppose these grandees would be 
 shocked to know I had ever stood at a washtub 
 three days at a time. I, too, begin to forget all 
 about it, and already am very much like the young 
 damsel who forgot what a rake was. 
 
 [ Written to a child] 
 
 THARANT, July 26, 1871. 
 
 I must first of all tell you about the Children s 
 Festival (Kinder fest) yesterday, which was so 
 beautiful. Ever so many years ago somebody 
 died and left money to the city for giving every 
 year, in July, a festival to the children (that was 
 a good man, I m sure, and for that deed he must 
 have gone straight to heaven) ; so every July 
 that comes. Rich and poor all unite on that day. 
 
 19 
 
290 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 There were hundreds there; all the children must 
 have a wreath, and, however poor the mother is, 
 she will have a white, or pretty calico, dress for 
 the children. Even the babies in the wagons had 
 wreaths on. In the morning at five o clock the 
 drum beats all through the town to waken them. 
 They are all washed and dressed neatly, but not 
 in their best (that comes later), and all meet in 
 the market-place, where they form a procession 
 and march with music and singing to the school 
 garden, where a tree is planted. They go all 
 through the town with banners (I forgot to say 
 that the teacher makes in the garden an address, 
 the preacher a prayer, and they sing a hymn, all 
 very short, but nice). The sheriff goes before 
 with two other officials, and orders everybody out 
 of the road. 
 
 After this they all go home for rest till three 
 o clock, and then come together, old and young, 
 in a large garden here with a wonderful lawn, and 
 there they dance and play all sorts of plays, and 
 sing and have a feast, a very simple one, beer 
 and a kind of buns, and bread and butter. Every 
 year they make a subscription among the people 
 and have a lottery; the teachers give each child 
 a ticket, and every one has a prize; and it s so nice 
 to see the bright faces. They all go home in the 
 twilight as far as the market-place with music 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 291 
 
 and banners; there the teachers say adieu, and 
 all the little white darlings scamper home with 
 their treasures. It was so pretty, and everybody 
 had such a good time. 
 
 The children here have such a pretty fashion; 
 after they have eaten, they go all around the table 
 and kiss the hands, and to the father and mother 
 they say, " I thank you for my dinner," or what 
 ever meal it is (ich danke filr mein Essen) ; is n t 
 it nice ? Another pretty thing is, the youngest one 
 at the table always is called upon to ask the bless 
 ing. It was so lovely the other day ; some friends 
 were here with a little girl of four years; she 
 folded her little white hands and spoke so rever 
 ently; it was beautiful. 
 
 This is a queer, quaint old town altogether; 
 a stream about ten feet wide runs through the 
 middle of it ; on each side is the street ; of course 
 it s very crooked because it follows the stream. 
 Then everybody has put his house just where he 
 wanted it; so there are all sorts of angles, now 
 wide, now narrow. Nearly close behind the 
 houses rise the mountains, so most of the gar 
 dens are terraced up; the stream is crossed by 
 little foot-bridges, very shaky and badly railed; 
 so every now and then somebody tumbles in, and 
 is taken out with broken bones. This week a lady 
 died who fell in one dark night; but still nothing 
 is done about it. 
 
292 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 THARANT, July 28, 1871. 
 
 Sister L. has the most wonderful hens for lay 
 ing I have ever seen; I don t know what breed 
 they are; some are speckled and some black. She 
 always keeps ten and a cockerel (I m sure I don t 
 know how to spell that word) ; and from the first 
 of March till to-day they have laid seven hundred 
 and eighty eggs. Sister has a regular hen-book, 
 which is kept with such care; all she buys for 
 them and all they do. She is very methodical in 
 everything; indeed, I think all the people are 
 much more so than by us. Everything is kept 
 under lock; the sugar-bowl (or rather box) is 
 always locked, and the tea too. All the drawers 
 and closets, and even the comb and brush box, are 
 locked; for my life I can t get used to this cus 
 tom, and they are always running after me with 
 my keys, which I m sure to leave in the lock. 
 
 Sister gives her maid twenty thalers a year and 
 her living, and how she does have to work ! Ours 
 would think they must die with it all. Nobody 
 has carpets; so all the floors have to be scrubbed, 
 great brass door handles and locks must shine 
 every day, brass pots and pans for cooking in 
 numerable glisten like gold, every morning the 
 windows must all be wiped and very often washed. 
 Moreover, there are the hens to feed, the garden 
 to tend, all the ironing to do, and most of the 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 293 
 
 washing, the stone stairs of the house from top 
 to bottom to whitewash once or twice a week, all 
 the errands to do, besides all the ordinary house 
 work, which is not light. What would Miss Biddy 
 say to this ? And all without a murmur. The ser 
 vant women save money, and some time will marry 
 and be able to buy a cow and pig, and perhaps a 
 dog and wagon to carry their milk to market. 
 
 STERNE, near PRAGUE, August 19, 1871. 
 I tried to write you before I left Tharant, but 
 it seemed impossible, for we would make the 
 house very fine for the mother when she comes 
 home. You see these Deutchers [sic] would go 
 on for hundreds of years and never move a chair 
 or table from its original place ; but I saw at once 
 so much that could be bettered. I took advantage 
 of L. s absence and whisked everything about. M. 
 [Fratilein von Rohrscheidt] at first looked on in 
 surprise ; but pretty soon the same spirit came over 
 her, and, whit, the whole aspect of the house was 
 changed. We sawed down uncomfortable tables 
 and chairs, took off doors and hung curtains in 
 their place, and hung the mirrors so that people 
 could see their elegance in them. I knew if I 
 did not do all this myself, M. would never dare, 
 and I m sure L. will be pleased because I have 
 done it; she is quite foolish about me. 
 
294 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 The entrance to Prague is most beautiful, 
 especially through the Baumgarten, which is the 
 pleasure-ground; and the view of the city with 
 its hundred towers and its splendid castles can t 
 be described. 
 
 We got up ever so early, for the children (L. has 
 four) wanted to see the wonderful [great-] aunt 
 from America, and there was no sleeping after 
 they were awake. The moment we had coffee the 
 children were made ready, and we all came out 
 here with our work into this immense garden, 
 " King s Garden ; " and here we have sat all day 
 long. Look where you will are groups of people 
 sitting at tables or on the grass, eating, drinking 
 beer, knitting, or sewing. Hand-organs are grind 
 ing, and everybody, when a drum is played, joins 
 in the wild dance, mothers with their children, 
 maids with their little boys and girls ; it s too 
 pretty. 
 
 This is a favorite summer place, with the most 
 abominable holes to sleep in; but nobody stays 
 a moment indoors. After they have had coffee, 
 all take dinner and supper here. Living is so 
 cheap in this land; there were to-day three of us 
 grown people and four children, and our whole 
 dinner beer and all cost not quite fifty cents; 
 and we had a right good one, Schnitzel (veal 
 cooked in some good way); Dampfnudeln (I ll 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 295 
 
 send you the receipt for them) ; beef with ale 
 sauce (which is real good), and beer. That I 
 don t drink, so I had a glass of white wine; but 
 you should see the Bohemians once drink no, 
 not drink; they open their mouths and let it run 
 down, men, women, and children. There has 
 been no rain here for some weeks, and the leaves 
 are falling from drought. The wells are kept 
 locked, and all the washing water must be bought 
 and brought up the steep hill on the backs of 
 these poor, overworked women in a kind of wooden 
 tub, which is so heavy. It makes my heart ache 
 to see how the poor must work here, especially the 
 women. 
 
 All the children here the babies, I mean 
 are wrapped up to the arms in a feather or down 
 pillow, which is bound around and around with 
 bright ribbon. Think of it, and the thermometer 
 at ninety; and when they go in the wagon they 
 are covered with a down cover besides. I want 
 to fight with every mother over this; but they all 
 say the babies would die without it. 
 
 Good-night; I hope you will sleep better than 
 I know I shall, with the windows closed and 
 with four children, a maid, and three grown 
 people in two little rooms; it is worse than the 
 prairie. 
 
296 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 THARANT, September 9, 1871. 
 
 Monday I took my last turn around the city 
 [Prague] and felt quite mournful that I should 
 not see it again. I wanted especially to visit the 
 old Jew quarter once more. With all its filth and 
 smells, it is most interesting. One is carried back 
 so far on seeing that old church which was built 
 in five or six hundred. One feels really dumb in 
 such a place. 
 
 I went once more to the Hradschin, the palace 
 of the kings for many centuries. I wanted to see 
 the hungry tower that no one else cared to visit, 
 they think it s so horrible. On the first floor are 
 the cells where the state prisoners are confined for 
 life. Those are bad enough; but below them is 
 where those who were to die from hunger were 
 placed. Around the central hall are the smallest 
 kind of cells, where men were chained to an 
 immense beam running across a grated window. 
 Here they must listen unceasingly to the cries of 
 those chained in the circular hall to a stone bench 
 running around the chamber. In the middle of 
 this chamber is a round hole, which is the en 
 trance to another very deep cell, into which men 
 were lowered by a rope. One by one they were 
 let down into this hole to die of hunger, and those 
 above must hear the howls and ravings of these 
 wretches, unable to help them, and knowing it to 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 297 
 
 be their fate also to die in the same way. Men 
 lived generally eight or nine days in the hunger 
 cell, and then the bodies were thrown into a still 
 deeper hole, and the stench from that made it even 
 more dreadful. I have no patience when one talks 
 of the " good old times." 
 
 I felt as if the dust of ages had settled on 
 me when I came out of Prague, all is so quaint 
 and " old-timey " there. Of all the places where 
 one can live cheaply, too, it is the first. For a 
 half-thaler a day one is luxurious. The wine 
 is delicious and too cheap, and the grapes are 
 displayed in piles; one can eat all he will for two 
 kreutzers. 
 
 When we got back here, the whole house was 
 hung with garlands and wreaths, the loveliest tea- 
 table was set out with flowers, and such a nice 
 supper was ready. The Sisters were here to wel 
 come us. 
 
 L. is the dearest soul in the world, but she has 
 lived in the narrowest circle, and is constantly 
 afraid of running against some old-time custom. 
 For instance, no lady was ever known to drive 
 here. Day before yesterday a Frau von K. offered 
 us her horse and carriage, but only three could go 
 in it ; so I said I d drive, and then we all three 
 could go. L. was horrified, said that had never 
 been known in the annals of Dutchland; and it 
 
298 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 took all my persuasive powers to coax her to go. 
 Now she must explain to every one that American 
 ladies are so independent, and that the richest and 
 most elegant all do so there. It s so absurd. I 
 hope I sha n t do anything to disgrace my nation 
 ality, but I feel strongly tempted sometimes to do 
 something outrageous. Now the ice is broken, I 
 shall have many good rides about this beautiful 
 country, for Sister was overjoyed at my not land 
 ing her in a ditch, and will gladly go again. 
 
 THARANT, November 20, 1871. 
 
 We went to a grand tea-party one night last 
 week. First place, as soon as we came in, tea 
 seasoned with vanilla was handed round, with 
 cake and Zweiback, a kind of rusk. Then cards, 
 talk, and a little music; and at nine supper, in 
 cluding five kinds of sausage (Wurst), herring 
 salad, Russian salad, sour " gouegous " (pickles 
 done like Sauerkraut), roast veal cold, roast mut 
 ton, coffee, two or three kinds of cake, wine, 
 grapes, and pears, cold chicken, jelly, and, last of 
 all, Sandtorte, the most horrible old cake made 
 out of potato meal, that everybody thinks is too 
 nice; it s just like sand. After this more cards, 
 music, and talk ; consequently a very wakeful 
 night and a fit of indigestion next day. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 299 
 
 THARANT, Sunday, November, 1871. 
 
 Once a week we all meet and sew for some 
 poor children, and on Tuesdays is the Erhol- 
 ung, when all the aristocrats meet in a hall. 
 Till tea, we have reading, singing, or theatricals, 
 and after that the old folks retire to the walls, 
 and the young ones dance till nearly morning. 
 These have only just commenced, and promise to 
 be quite nice, but the ceremony ! At the last 
 one there were seven Earls, and I don t know how 
 many Barons, most of them being students in the 
 Forest Academy, besides so many from the town! 
 This would give some of our people who come 
 abroad talk for a lifetime. " My friend the Earl, 
 etc. " Somehow I m not a bit impressed with 
 the imposing situation. I see nobody more ele 
 gant and truly aristocratic than I know at home, 
 who are only Mr. and Mrs. ; but I really do enjoy 
 seeing the life here, and I have come to be very 
 critical, though I keep my thoughts to myself. 
 
 On the twelfth is to be the great ball of the 
 year, where I expect to be overwhelmed with the 
 greatness of the occasion. It s the king s birth 
 day. I m so mad ; I m considered too old to 
 dance! Of course I really am, but I do like to 
 so much. However, the next best thing is to get 
 beside some other pleasant old lady or man and 
 laugh over all one sees. It s rather the fashion 
 
300 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 to talk with me just now, as I m the first Ameri 
 can woman who has ever been here in society, and 
 it is rather refreshing, I guess, to see something 
 or somebody new. I think I ought to go about 
 with a striped dress, and with a liberty cap on my 
 head, for everywhere I go I am known only as 
 "The American;" the children all call me "Tante 
 Amerika; " and as I m always presented as " my 
 sister from America," I m more often addressed 
 as " Frau Amerika " than by any other name. In 
 France I was always called " Madame Amerique," 
 so I have to mind my P s and Q s that I do noth 
 ing to discredit my dear land. 
 
 THARANT, February i, 1872. 
 
 I feel sorry that I have not written for so long; 
 but, you see, when a fellow goes every night to 
 a party or ball, and all the day has to make ball- 
 plunder between the gaps, how can he write? I 
 never dreamed I could come to such a life; truly, 
 for the last twelve days we have not been a single 
 night at home. I m at my wits ends what I shall 
 wear. I have turned and twisted my whole ward 
 robe many times; for one can t wear the same 
 thing twice, and the fortune that is spent in deco 
 rations! I think every family has given or will 
 give a ball, besides the Erhohmg and theatricals 
 and coffee. I have been invited to two private 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 301 
 
 balls in Dresden, besides, where were the Crown 
 Prince and Prince George, with their wives; but 
 I had to decline; it would cost more than I pos 
 sess to buy toilettes for them. 
 
 I wish somebody who really liked great people 
 had my chance. I m sure they d come home 
 quite set up with their titled friends. I suppose 
 I m too old to appreciate such things ; anyway, I 
 don t find I have any taste for the great world. 
 I am sure, though, if I were young and handsome I 
 should be entirely spoiled ; for everywhere I go I 
 receive so much attention. But I m more con 
 tented to sit in a corner and see all, and have 
 something to tell you about when I come home. 
 
 Sister is in the city; she is full of business 
 these days, as she gives a great dinner on my 
 birthday (Saturday). All the family are invited, 
 and she has been cooking for it the entire week; 
 the house is scoured from top to bottom, fresh 
 curtains are everywhere, and garlands and flowers. 
 Such a fuss ! You would think it was the queen s 
 instead of my birthday; and when I think of the 
 contrast, I don t believe it is I who write it. We 
 are to dine in the big room upstairs, and all the 
 best china and glass is already there. 
 
 If J. does n t come and take me, I shall go to 
 Russia to tend the wounded, if the talked-of war 
 with England comes off, unless we have the 
 
302 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 predicted war with Spain, when, of course, I shall 
 immediately find the place where I am needed. 
 My last experience in France has given me many 
 new ideas with regard to the treatment of wounds ; 
 my long rest and good feeding have given me 
 strength to go through a great deal ; and my idle 
 ness has made me long for something really ear 
 nest to do. I feel like a wild horse with the bit in 
 the mouth. Of course I don t dare speak with the 
 sisters about all this ; they can t even hear of my 
 going anywhere. J. is too funny; she is just 
 such a lover as Gustav was, and I never open 
 my mouth to speak that she does not fix her eyes 
 on me. She often says, " Yes, Marie, I know now 
 how Gustav loved you." The sisters all have said 
 so much about me that it makes the people here 
 most attentive to me. Everywhere I go, you d 
 think the queen had come. Then, too, I suppose 
 my hodge-podge language is amusing. 
 
 THARANT, February 3, 1872. 
 
 I am just as happy as I can be this evening, and 
 you too will be for me when I tell you that I have 
 at last what I have so long wished for, a gold 
 watch. This has been such a pleasant day. The 
 morning was beautiful, as the 3d of February 
 always is. Sister and M. came to me very early 
 with such heartfelt wishes, and I found a birth- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 303 
 
 day cake and many flowers when I went to break 
 fast. Then came my little maid, Minna Batch, 
 with a wreath and a picture of a ship, and the 
 best wishes written in a very crabbed little hand 
 by herself. The others all came together, and all 
 brought me flowers. The dinner was splendid. 
 Many toasts were drunk. We drank many times 
 to you all at home; then, after dinner, coffee and 
 a good quiet talk together ; and so we sat till nine, 
 when they went home. I ve had telegrams and 
 letters from all the relations, and feel quite set up 
 with the fuss they have made over me. 
 
 THARANT, May 16, 1872. 
 
 This has been such a long, dreary time. I did 
 not tell you why I wrote so little, for I would not 
 make you anxious ; but Sister L. has been so sick 
 we have not hoped she could ever be well. I found 
 it was better that one of us took the house ; so, of 
 course, I did. I ve had a regular siege of cook 
 ing and general housework, for our one maid is 
 generally running errands. There are, in a Ger 
 man house, five regular meals to get: the morn 
 ing coffee and rolls, the nine-o clock breakfast, 
 the twelve-o clock dinner, coffee and cake at three, 
 and the Fesperbrod, consequently much dish 
 washing and cooking, besides providing for the 
 outside company coming at unreasonable times. 
 
304 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 At night, moreover, coffee and something to eat 
 for the watchers. I ve done it all with real good 
 will, for no one else could, since M. has not left 
 her mother for a moment. She was so sick, and 
 such doctors ! The first is the family doctor, 
 not so bad when one is not much sick. We all 
 wanted another doctor, however, so he said we 
 must have the one he usually consulted with. I 
 wonder if any of you are old enough to remember 
 an old doctor that used to come to see Grandma 
 Phinney ? I can t recall his name ; but he was un 
 common fat, had great warts on his nose, stuffed 
 it forever with snuff, coughed and wheezed, and 
 had his pockets full of herbs and things that smell 
 so bitter and nasty. Well, this second doctor was 
 just his twin cherry. He came and thumped and 
 punched a little, and said it was rheumatism, with 
 a high degree of cold. We must sweat it out; so 
 he ordered that she be wrapped from head to toe in 
 tow smoked with Wickrauch [vetch-smoke (?)], 
 if you know what that is. I only know it smells 
 good, and is used as incense in Catholic churches. 
 Think what that poor soul endured for eighteen 
 hours; even the hands were packed. At the end 
 of that time she lost all patience and hope, and 
 said she would willingly die, but she would not 
 suffer that a moment longer. We, too, were 
 past all patience, and finally telegraphed to the 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 305 
 
 son in Dresden to bring out a new-school doctor. 
 He came with a good one, who examined Sister 
 thoroughly; and from that time, with his treat 
 ment, she began to mend. 1 
 
 THARANT, August 19, 1872. 
 
 Our ride home [from Prague] was too pleasant; 
 such a nice day, but we had one adventure. Mr. 
 C. [an American] must rush out at Bodenbach 
 for a cigar. Waiting for his change made him 
 late, so he jumped on after the starting of the 
 cars, which is a high crime here. Of course the 
 people called out; some said, "Jump off," and 
 others, " Hang on tight." He, not understanding, 
 was quite cool, and was making his way towards 
 me, when it whistled down-brakes. The cars 
 stopped and he walked in. Then you should 
 have heard the storm, the conductors all talk 
 ing together, and the Inspector furious. Mr. C. 
 sat cool, and it only made them madder. I told 
 them he could not understand, that he was an 
 American, and " sich like." They said they did 
 not care what he was; but when I appealed to 
 their mercy, saying that I was alone there, they 
 consented to let him go on, and we thought it 
 was all over. On arriving at Dresden, however, 
 the door was thrown open, the Inspector of the 
 
 1 She survived, however, only about two months. 
 20 
 
306 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Dresden Station rushed in and said Mr. C. must 
 come with him, as a telegram that he must be 
 punished had been received, and marched him off. 
 Of course a big crowd collected, and everybody 
 hollered, and nobody stopped to hear, till I got 
 the floor and told them how it all happened ; that, 
 as he spoke only English, all was lost on him. 
 " I 11 make him hear," the official roared, and 
 called for some other Inspector who could speak 
 English. The man came, and after much conver 
 sation they finally condescended to forgive him, 
 with particular injunctions never to do so again. 
 He said very meekly he wouldn t! and the dis 
 appointed crowd dispersed. 
 
 THARANT, October 24, 1872. 
 
 The ride to Neumark is so nice, and I saw 
 for the first time Schonfels [birthplace of Herr 
 von Olnhausen], which is on the route. You can 
 think how I felt on seeing it. The two old castles 
 can be seen far and wide; and, what is more, I 
 was not one bit disappointed in them. After we 
 got home [to Zwickau] we sat long in the twilight, 
 and talked of ghosts and old times, till one began 
 to feel cold chills over the back, as if ghosts of 
 frozen mice were walking around ; and the old pic 
 tures looked even more hideous than by daylight. 
 It was proposed to go up to the garrets and hunt 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 307 
 
 for spectres. Some one said we must have a lan 
 tern, and just as I remarked, " No ghosts, of 
 course, bring their own lanterns," the door opened 
 slowly and one stalked in. You will not believe 
 how we were all startled to see this immensely 
 tall, white woman floating in with a lantern nearly 
 a yard high and half as large round, a very ghost 
 of a lantern. We all started up, for we had not 
 missed Arthur, who had quietly stepped out, and, 
 remembering these old things stored away, had 
 improvised the whole scene. 
 
 Monday morning at nine S. sent the carriage 
 to take us to Schonfels. It s about an hour s ride 
 from Zwickau. We had many wreaths for the 
 dead there, so first of all we went to the Pastor s 
 to get the key to the tomb. Here it seemed like 
 some old dream; the loveliest little woman, so 
 young and fresh and bright, came out of the 
 kitchen and said she was the wife and would call 
 her man. Soon he came down from his study, a 
 bean ideal of a German preacher, so intellectual 
 and so simple in manner. The house was a pic 
 ture of neatness and comfort. She brought us 
 wine and cakes, and invited us to come and dine 
 with them; but we had our own dinner with us, 
 and we wanted that day to dine alone in the 
 castle. The Pastor went with us to the church 
 yard and opened the vault, which was hung with 
 
308 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 garlands for one of the old Hempels who left a 
 sum of money with which to give the children a 
 feast every year. So each year the children walk 
 in procession, carrying wreaths and garlands, the 
 vault is opened, and every tomb is decorated. This 
 is n t an Olnhausen tomb ; they are all buried in 
 Wiirttemberg. 
 
 Then we went to see the old church, which, by 
 the way, was so injured by the earthquake last 
 March that the tower had to be taken down and 
 the whole rebuilt. It s full of interesting old 
 monuments and slabs, flags and battle relics. 
 After this we started on our pilgrimage, first, of 
 course, to New Schonfels. 
 
 I don t believe a pilgrim to Jerusalem or Mecca 
 ever felt more deeply than I did on nearing the 
 long-talked-of home of Gustav. The owner knew 
 J., and gave us permission to go all over the place. 
 The house is inhabited only at night, the old man 
 and woman going there to sleep; so we were un 
 disturbed. Everything remains nearly as when 
 the Olnhausens sold it. The man has grown 
 poorer every day, so nothing has been done to 
 improve it; the old stag horns still hang in the 
 hall, such horns as one never sees now, and 
 stuffed birds shot by hands long dead are still 
 ranged around. The same old papers on the walls 
 and the immense wardrobes of polished oak, some 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 309 
 
 of them so beautifully carved. Gustav seemed to 
 be by my side all the time. How often he has 
 described it all to me! The old nut-trees that he 
 loved so much are all dead; but the clock-tower 
 is just as it was, and the old clock still rings out 
 the hours to the village below. It must have been 
 splendid in old times. The immense hall, on en 
 tering, and the broad old stairway are so fine, and 
 there is such a view from the windows. We wan 
 dered about the park for a couple of hours, and 
 on our return the old lady had a cup of coffee, 
 and such bread and butter for us as I have not 
 tasted in Germany. Her husband is most anxious 
 to sell the place. When we came away, he brought 
 me down one of the stuffed hawks as a remem 
 brance from the old place (another trap!). 
 
 Then we went to the other castle, the von 
 Roemers . This is much higher and much older, 
 and remains just as it was built. It is round, 
 enclosing a court with very few windows on the 
 outside, an old tower rising from the centre, bal 
 conies all around from the first story, and such 
 a gloomy aspect inside, just the tower and walls 
 with the irregular windows. The old stairs lead 
 ing to the chapel are so neglected, covered with 
 the same stones, old bones, and clumps of grass, 
 bits of broken glass, and spider-webs that have 
 been there for hundreds of years. There is one 
 
3 1 o Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 large hall where the whole Roemer family must 
 meet once a year to hold council over the gains 
 and what shall be done with them. The senior 
 of the family has a right to live here, but hardly 
 any one in his senses would do so. J. was mar 
 ried here, and, as she is the senior s widow, has 
 a right to live here always. She tried it for some 
 years, but finally gave up her right. 
 
 They have lately dug up an old member who 
 had long disappeared. He was a watchmaker 
 [(?) manufacturer of watches], and has lived 
 long in England. He finally announced his ex 
 istence, and as it is a law in the family that they 
 must pass some time of the year in Saxony or be 
 not recognized any longer, he came and fitted up 
 a few rooms splendidly, and has been here three 
 months, and goes now back to Berlin. We sent 
 up our names and he gave us permission to enter. 
 Everybody has much curiosity about him, he lives 
 so entirely alone; so we were most anxious to see 
 the old lion and his den. He came forward very 
 politely, and we tried our best to make him hear. 
 He put his hand up and said, " I m a little deaf." 
 No adder was ever deafer. I bawled my best and, 
 though he spoke English, which I tried at last, he 
 only stared the harder at me and said "What?" 
 in such an unearthly tone it took my wits all away. 
 So I left him to J., who managed to bring it into 
 his head what she wanted. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 3 1 1 
 
 He got the key, finally, and was a fit warder 
 for such an old rumple of a castle, a little, thin, 
 dirty, brown old man with a very brown wig and 
 white bristly hair cropping out, and such a wheez 
 ing and shaky tone; and such a suspicious look 
 as he cast upon us every now and then, on me 
 particularly, as I was n t a Roemer and could n t 
 make him hear. I wanted to go into the cellars, 
 which are very deep and large, but Sister has not 
 the taste for such things, and nobody in the castle 
 has ever been there; so I was obliged to come 
 away unsatisfied. All around the wall is the old 
 moat, of course long empty. Indeed I can t see 
 where they ever found water to fill it. Outside is 
 such a delightful walk on the banks looking out 
 far as one can see, the other castle, the church, 
 and the village all beneath you, and on hills away 
 off other old castles. It was a splendid view, and 
 enough in itself to pay for the clamber up the 
 hills; but everything is so neglected and dirty, 
 -even the village looks more like a Bohemian 
 than a German one. By the time we came down 
 the hill I felt a thousand years old, and the day 
 seemed endless. As we went along, the people 
 came out from every house and greeted the 
 gnddige Frau. 
 
 A. took us to Neumark, much to my chagrin, 
 where we took tea with the family and then rode 
 
3 1 2 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 late into town, bewildered, tired, and actually be 
 witched, so that all night I could not tell if I 
 were waking or sleeping. Tuesday S. sent the 
 carriage to take us to breakfast, and then she, 
 the sisters, and I took a most delightful walk to 
 the world-famous swan lake. Perhaps you ve all 
 read the fairy story of the swan Knight ; l here is 
 the very place where it all happened. I am going 
 to translate and send it to you if you have n t. 
 It s so pretty, and is about as long as Walden 
 Pond [Thoreau s "Walden"]. Many swans are 
 there, and gay little boats, and a big restaurant, 
 and pretty paths all about; it is the pride and 
 glory of Zwickau. 
 
 THARANT, December 8, 1872. 
 
 I write with ashes of humility on my head to 
 think of my being hateful so long, and I have 
 so many things to write about too. I never ex 
 pected, after the week I spent in Dresden (which 
 was the golden wedding 2 one), that I should wait 
 so long to tell about it. The Thursday of that 
 week was the christening of A. s child, to which, 
 of course, we were invited, M. to stand god 
 mother and I to help eat. There were six in the 
 christening party. M. s partner was a jolly man, 
 
 1 The story of Lohengrin ? The arms of Zwickau are quartered 
 with swans and castles, and the name of the city is (erroneously) 
 said to be derived from cygnus, 
 
 ? Of the King and Queen of Saxony. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 3 1 3 
 
 Herr von W., who did not know how to hold the 
 baby, and was withal so ashamed to do it; for, 
 you see, everybody who stands up has to take the 
 infant by turns. 
 
 The table around which they stood was trimmed 
 lovelily with flowers, and there stood upon it a fine 
 bouquet and the water. The minister, in robes, 
 spoke for more than half an hour, giving a full 
 history of baptism and its consequences, which 
 was drier than dust, besides a prayer or two. 
 Then the maid held the baby while the six people 
 held a lace veil over it, upon which the Pastor 
 sprinkled water as he named it. Then he took the 
 child, crossed and blessed it, and the thing was 
 done. 
 
 They had a splendid supper and nice wine, and, 
 last of all, the ice with a stork upon it. The belief 
 is that whoever makes the stork fall will have the 
 next baby. It fell to a young and very diffident 
 doctor, who did not get over blushing all the 
 evening. The young people danced and had a 
 real gay time till two o clock. I was sleepy 
 enough to want to go home then, but the others 
 stayed later and had another supper. 
 
 Next morning we went to see the decorations, 
 which, on the whole, were tasteless enough, only 
 that so many flags flying are always beautiful. 
 The streets were crowded, with fine equipages 
 
3 1 4 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 rolling about. The people from out of Dresden 
 were having audiences and bringing in the pres 
 ents, so we saw much fine dressing; and fleas and 
 noise were abundant. We were tired enough by 
 two o clock, and glad to get home. We had a 
 good dinner and rest till evening, when we took 
 another turn to see the illumination. This, after 
 all, was not much, for the real sight was reserved 
 till the emperor should come. 
 
 Every window had busts of the queen and king ; 
 in one of them the wreaths had got pushed out of 
 place, and it had such a funny effect. This old 
 lady with her nightcap on (for it looked just so, 
 though I suppose it really was of superb lace), 
 with one eye covered, looked uncommonly drunk, 
 and he looked so rowdy I laughed and remarked 
 upon it. This frightened L. so. " For God s 
 sake, don t; if the police hear you, it will bring 
 trouble; " whereat I shut up, having a holy horror 
 of policemen. 
 
 The next morning we stayed at home, reserv 
 ing our strength for after dinner, when we were 
 to go to see the Emperor arrive. We got splendid 
 places despite the immense crowd. We had many 
 invitations to go to houses of our friends, but I 
 preferred being on the street, so we went over to 
 the Neu Stadt, on the square. The first thing I did 
 was to make friends with a policeman, who gave 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 3 1 5 
 
 us a front place and kept every one from coming 
 before us. There were some officers near who knew 
 everybody and named them to us as they came 
 along. We were so close, as they all passed in 
 open carriages, that we could have shaken hands, 
 and we got special bows ; but I cared most to see 
 our Saxon king, who is a noble old man, so good 
 and wise. He has the saddest, sweetest expres 
 sion. You know he is very learned in all sciences 
 and is still a great student. 
 
 Sunday we were early in the street. This was 
 the wedding day, and oh, the crowds! You see 
 the streets are so narrow all about the Schloss 
 that it seems much larger (the crowd, I mean) ; 
 and such a hateful crowd, too, knocking and push 
 ing. I was glad to find a corner where I could 
 see a little. At last I told them I should go into 
 the church. They all said it was impossible; but 
 who ever knew a Yankee who did n t do the im 
 possible? So I screwed round to the back of the 
 church, where the men go in, and pushed slowly 
 along through the crowd till I got a good sight 
 of the king and queen. Just then it began to rain, 
 the people rushed in, and with a great surge I 
 was pushed forward, unable even to move my feet, 
 directly to the line held by the soldiers right in 
 front of the whole party. Here I could see every 
 one of them so nicely, the king and queen kneel- 
 
3 1 6 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 ing together in one window, the empress alone in 
 another, and all the other dignitaries. A group of 
 officers stood near, and one of them told me who 
 they all were. Was n t this my usual extra luck ? 
 But, oh, that music! If they have such music in 
 heaven, one ought to want to go straight there. 
 One would think the firing of the cannons and 
 ringing of the bells would spoil it all, but it only 
 made it all the more wonderful. I always shall 
 rejoice that I was permitted to hear it. The king 
 and queen both looked so sorrowful. After an 
 hour they went away ; but the crowd did n t, as 
 High Mass was celebrated; and I was glad I had 
 to stay, for the whole music was so splendid. 
 
 [Immediately after the golden wedding followed 
 a short visit to Berlin.] 
 
 Monday morning we went to more sight-seeing, 
 and after dinner I called on Dr. R., who was not 
 at home, to my disappointment. From there I 
 went over to the hospital where my men were left 
 when I came back to Berlin. At first, though I 
 told them the date and some of the names, they 
 were quite indifferent, and said they doubted if 
 they could find them, it was so far back. Old 
 lazy things! Besides, it was after visiting hours. 
 Thereupon a young man who was sitting there 
 rose and said : " I know the names, Herr In 
 spector; this generous lady nursed us all in that 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 3 1 7 
 
 terrible time in Vendome. I was one of them." I 
 was so pleased and surprised, and, as he stood 
 on two legs and was so tall and fine looking, of 
 course could not recognize him; but he told me 
 (with some look of sorrow that I had forgotten 
 him) that he was one of my amputated men, and 
 had come back that same day to have his wooden 
 leg better fitted. Of course I had only seen him 
 bolstered up in bed, very pale and sick. Then 
 everybody flew round most politely, and an older 
 officer, the head of the hospital, came out and 
 took my hand, thanking me for what I had done. 
 Very soon I had the list of every man made out. 
 Only one was dead, the one wounded in the 
 thigh; the others had long been at home. The 
 officer told me they had often enough spoken of 
 me, and said some other things very pleasant to 
 hear. My Pole, too, said good-bye with tears in 
 his eyes, so I had a very comfortable ride home. 
 
 MENTONE, FRANCE, February 7, 1873. 
 About four we left [Milan] for Genoa. You 
 cannot conceive of anything more forlorn than the 
 route, just like our marshes, only the ditches are 
 planted with willows. It began to rain, too, and a 
 German gentleman gave me just at dark the de 
 lightful information that about nine we would come 
 to a place where a tunnel was broken through, 
 
3 1 8 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 and where we must all get out and take ourselves 
 for a two hours ride over the mountains. I wish 
 I could describe this getting out in a pouring 
 rain, every step over one s boots in mud, men and 
 women screaming in every tongue, pulling you and 
 knocking you, cursing every moment, barely escap 
 ing being run over by such miserable beasts, too, 
 and finally being thrust into an omnibus with five 
 others in pitch darkness with a pair of horses that 
 had evidently been trained to go on only two legs 
 at once, the snapping of whips and shouting of 
 drivers and jolting of the carriage into holes that 
 seemed deep enough to swallow us, lighted up 
 now and then by the glare of a torch or a great 
 linen lantern (really coarse linen stretched over 
 an iron frame with a candle inside), soldiers stag 
 gering along, for we had a regiment with us and 
 they must all walk the whole route. Oh, dear! I 
 know you can t conceive of it all, and I m sure I 
 can t tell it. They say it is a splendid route by 
 day, the view from the hills is so fine; but at 
 night I would rather refuse to try it twice. Some 
 of the carriages came to grief, but ours stood the 
 test, and finally there was another struggle and 
 howling till we were again seated in the cars, 
 and were glad some time in the night to arrive 
 at Genoa, so " dead beat " that I could have slept 
 anywhere. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 3 1 9 
 
 As I left next morning (Friday) at eight, I 
 had no chance to see the town at all, except the 
 beautiful sea; and how welcome it was to me 
 after hungering and thirsting so long for a sight 
 of it. Nobody seemed to have any very definite 
 ideas of the route; some said it was just impas 
 sable, some said we could not come through to 
 Nice in two days ; but I determined to try. There 
 have been bad storms, and the road has been in 
 jured much. Of course, like all Italian roads, it s 
 about half built ; but it was not so very bad. Two 
 or three times we had to get out and walk over 
 the worst places, and we poked along slowly; but 
 we arrived at Nice at ten, having had the pleas 
 ure of having our trunks searched at the frontier 
 town. 
 
 I drove to the Hotel Luxembourg, where I found 
 Mrs. C. expecting and waiting for me. I was glad 
 to have the first interview over before I went to 
 bed; for I dreaded it, not knowing what sort of 
 a " critter " I should find her to be. To my de 
 light she was nice and cordial, and seemed so glad 
 to see me that I was entirely contented. 
 
 ROME, March 23, 1873. 
 
 I never saw such solemn people as in Rome. 
 No New England town can beat it, for there at 
 least you see contentment; but here extreme dis- 
 
320 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 content, only the beggars looking bright when they 
 have finally, with much screaming and running 
 after, succeeded in forcing a coin from you. But 
 you don t get rid of them as you hoped even then ; 
 for they still run and keep up the din, hoping to 
 fool you twice. A Miss J. that I know here is 
 very funny ; she said after a while she would give 
 only to the gray-haired ones; and then, she be 
 lieved, every beggar in Rome put on a gray wig. 
 Then she would give only to the babies ; and every 
 man, woman, and child appeared with one. A. 
 says she will give only to the blind, but it seems 
 as if every one was blind ; and even her good heart 
 was shaken when she had no more coppers, and 
 the blind man, opening his eyes, began to curse her. 
 
 While in Italy, Mrs. von Olnhausen received 
 the Iron Cross. 1 This, like the Victorian Cross, is 
 given for high bravery or special acts of noble 
 service, and has been but sparingly presented. It 
 is believed that Miss Clara Barton is the only 
 other American woman who has received it. Ac 
 companying the Cross was the following letter : 
 
 IMPERIAL PRUSSIAN EMBASSY. 
 
 DRESDEN, February 15, 1873. 
 
 Since His Imperial and Royal Majesty has deigned 
 to confer by means of a supreme order of the sixth 
 
 1 The Order of the Iron Cross was established by Frederick 
 William of Prussia in 1813. It was revived by King William, Jan 
 uary 19, 1870. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 321 
 
 of January of this year upon your ladyship the Cross 
 of Service for women and maidens, I have the honor, 
 in obedience to an order of the Imperial Chancellor, 
 to send to you hereby the Insignia in question and 
 also a document for the Constitution of the Order, 
 with the most obedient request to let the latter be 
 returned to me after the separate rubrics of the same 
 have been filled out. 
 
 May your ladyship receive the assurance of my 
 sincere respect. 
 
 The Royal Prussian Charge d Affaires, 
 
 ( Signature. ) 
 
 To Her Ladyship 
 
 The widow MRS. VON OLNHAUSEN, per Tharand. 
 
 Later she received a war-medal (of silver) for 
 non-combatants, together with a certificate for her 
 services; and earlier she seems to have been pre 
 sented with a medal of a more general character. 
 After her return to America, a decoration still 
 more rarely given, described as a Cross of Merit, 
 was forwarded to her, but never reached her. At 
 the time of Prince Henry s visit this was called 
 to his attention by some friend of hers; and it 
 was promised that another cross would be sent 
 to her. Her death so soon followed that the 
 promise, even had it been remembered, could not 
 have been redeemed. 
 
 THARANT, May, 1873. 
 
 I must tell you about the wedding. Have you 
 ever heard of Polterabend? The night before 
 
 21 
 
322 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 the wedding everybody who will give presents is 
 expected to come and personate some character, 
 or deliver an original poem, or do something to 
 make fun for the others when he presents his gift. 
 Generally, too, they dance till morning. All day 
 long the relatives from a distance were arriving, 
 all sorts of big folks, with much gold lace and 
 decorations on the men, and fine old lace and 
 diamonds on the women. It was a hateful thing 
 to me to have to be introduced to such a crowd. 
 We went at six, still bright light and everybody 
 gowned stunningly. Nobody else had the Iron 
 Cross, so I felt more dressed than they. 
 
 For an hour or two it was the hardest work I 
 ever did to get any one to talk; but after the tea 
 (delightfully flavored with vanilla!) came in, we 
 began to get more cheerful. In fact I guess they 
 were all hungry and cold, for it had rained all 
 day. Then the chairs were arranged as for tab 
 leaux, and the presents were brought in. Some 
 of the girls came in peasant costumes of their 
 district, and had got some clever person to write 
 verses, which were delivered in a half-scared, 
 stumbling way, but which still sounded very good. 
 One came as a flower-girl, brought a foot-stove 
 covered with flowers, and spoke some very neat 
 verses particularly well. Then came two for 
 esters, classmates of Roemer, with big sacks on 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 323 
 
 their backs and axes in hand. They had a long 
 address, which was pinned up on the wall just 
 outside the door, and first one and then the other 
 took up the discourse as one or the other lost his 
 place. It was very funny, each one striving to 
 get near the writing and never once looking at 
 the bridal pair. They are both full of wit, grace 
 ful, and handsome. One had in his sack a 
 splendid card-press, with counters and all sorts 
 of things elegantly carved from wood, with the 
 Roemer crest above all ; the other had a beer- jug 
 and glasses of white and green Bohemian crystal, 
 and a waiter for them of carved wood with the 
 arms at either side. One young forester came as 
 a fox, and made such a nice, foxy speech. He 
 ambled in and out so queerly, and pulled the 
 string of his mouth with his paw when he talked, 
 and insisted upon shaking hands at parting. His 
 present was a dozen silver-topped corks, repre 
 senting all sorts of animals and birds, on a silver 
 stand, with a corkscrew of silver. 
 
 At nine we had supper, and then every one 
 seemed contented and glad. Roast veal, tongue, 
 ham, salad, ice, and various half-sweet Dutch 
 things that I don t usually gorge myself on, and 
 a big bowl of punch which made everybody very 
 merry. I must not forget one of the old Polter- 
 abend customs. All the outside friends come and 
 
324 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 dash against the door all sorts of crockery; such 
 a smashing as one hears all the time! The more 
 beloved one is, the more is smashed. Everybody 
 saves up his old broken ware for such occasions. 
 We could hardly get out when we would go 
 home. 
 
 We left in a pouring rain, and woke up in the 
 morning to find it still pouring. It was too bad, 
 for the church stands so high and has no road to 
 it. The hour was to be twelve, and we were all 
 to walk in procession the whole way from the 
 house with bare heads. The bridal veil did not 
 come; it was promised the night before, but, of 
 course, failed; so they waited and waited. The 
 bells began to ring, but the Pastor was notified 
 that he must wait awhile. At last a woman with 
 a dog-cart came flying along with the veil, and 
 the toilet was made. Then the bridegroom was 
 not ready. In the mean time came messages from 
 the bell-ringers saying they were worn out, as was 
 the parson too. At the foot of the hill it rained 
 like sixty, and we had to rush into the school for 
 shelter, much to the disturbance of the scholars. 
 There we had an eternity to wait, till finally we 
 began the ascent between the drops. The little 
 girls were to strew flowers, but they quite forgot 
 to do it, they were so taken up with their fine 
 dresses. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 325 
 
 The church was crowded and as cold as a cellar, 
 and everybody had a red nose and wet feet. The 
 parson discoursed a full hour, mostly upon the 
 greatness of the old Roemer house and upon its 
 honors; and was too stupid for anything. Then 
 the same rain to go back in as far as where we 
 could take the carriages. The dinner was at the 
 hotel at the end of the town. Over fifty guests 
 were at table, and there was a constant ringing 
 of glasses and wandering about drinking toasts. 
 So it was rather a confused time, and some of 
 the dresses were quite ruined. After the hearty 
 part of the dinner was over, one of the bridesmen 
 and maids (as the custom is here) went up to 
 the bride, took off the veil and wreath, and put 
 on a jaunty cap, making a very nice speech that 
 " she is no longer young Fran, but wife become," 
 and wishing all sorts of good and noble wishes. 
 
 After dessert the happy pair were to go to 
 their temporary home, one of their vineyards, 
 where they are to pass two weeks. They found 
 their coachman was in a drunken sleep, and it 
 took long to arouse him ; so they were an hour 
 late, and after the first adieus, came back and 
 took ices and coffee. Then there came a thunder 
 storm ; but finally they started, and then the rest 
 danced out the bride s wreath and the groom s 
 bouquet to see who would be the next bride and 
 
326 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 groom. After that, somebody had the temerity 
 to propose a dance; so the Pastor left and the 
 mamma and the sisters retired to the next room, 
 and the others danced till eleven, when we were 
 all glad to go home. 
 
 THARANT, June 6, 1873. 
 
 I forgot; I have a pleasant piece of news for 
 you. Sorge [a brother-in-law] sent especially for 
 me to come in, and when I came, appeared with all 
 his orders on and presented me with one that he 
 had been commanded to give me, together with a 
 certificate of my services in the war. 1 I was so 
 surprised and delighted, too; so now you see I 
 have two from the good old emperor, and, if I 
 don t love him forever, whom can I love? I have 
 my photograph taken with them both, and so soon 
 as they are done shall send you one. I know it s 
 
 1 BERLIN, June 14, 1873. 
 
 It gives the undersigned Department great pleasure to be able to 
 send to Mrs. Mary Olnhausen of Lexington, North America, the 
 war medal for 1870-71 for non-combatants and also the certificate 
 for the great service which she has rendered the wounded ; which 
 [medal and certificate] were granted to her by the supreme cabinet 
 order of December 19 of last year. 
 
 Your most honorable body is most obediently requested to pre 
 pare the respective Insignia for the lady in question according to 
 agreement. 
 War Department Military Medical Department. 
 
 (Signature.) (Signature.) 
 
 To the Royal High Commissioner of Buildings, 
 
 Honorable Mr. SORGE, Dresden. 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 327 
 
 the stupidest vanity, but everybody here insisted 
 so that I did it. 
 
 THARANT, June 8, 1873. 
 
 Your letter of the i8th of May came yesterday 
 in the midst of very dirty work ; and I was so glad 
 both for the letter and a chance to rest a little, for 
 M. and I were grubbing in the cellars. We are, 
 of course, very busy now preparing for the auc 
 tion, which comes to-morrow week, and such a 
 pile of useless old things as were brought to light 
 could only be found in a German house. I see 
 more than ever how much sentiment is wasted in 
 this world. Both Sister and her M. would never 
 bring themselves to destroy or even part with any 
 thing that had ever had any sentiment for them 
 or anybody dear to them; and see now a most 
 unsentimental American comes and, without one 
 bit of heart in the matter, ruthlessly tears, burns, 
 and destroys the ganze thing. M. looks on as if 
 it were a church sacrilege; she won t bring her 
 self to help in the deed, but silently acquiesces. 
 
 We were all invited to a coffee-party, and as 
 they would not go without me, I had to go 
 against my will. If I were a good mimic, I could 
 make you laugh over it. I never saw so many 
 comical people together. Two sisters, Fraiilein 
 
 von , somebody ought to picture them ! In 
 
 the first place two such original styles of homeli- 
 
328 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 ness exist nicht. One is the energetic sort, head 
 very far back set; talks housekeeping and maids 
 unendlessly; eyes so wide open you don t catch 
 her napping; masterful of everybody, her maid 
 don t crib much from her; talks herself red in 
 the face over the slightest thing, and sees-out like 
 a mad dog if she is a little opposed; knows the 
 whole gossip of every house in town, with the 
 deepest sympathy inquires over one s most tender 
 affairs, and gives advice on all occasions. The 
 other has alarmingly red cheeks, but otherwise 
 pale; holds her head forward, a bischen sunken 
 in such a deprecatory manner, and always acqui 
 esces, jah, jah, going on all the time in a sort of 
 monotone that is a little wearing. Na! you must 
 see that. Evidently they like beaux, and they are 
 always adjusting something. 
 
 The lady of the house, too, is a character. She 
 is constantly forgetting names, and gets hope 
 lessly confused ; and her two daughters are always 
 trying to put her right, which, of course, always 
 goes wrong. Those coffees are, anyway, not the 
 most agreeable things; and then one is expected 
 to eat such a succession of fatty sweets that one 
 must have dyspepsia for a week afterwards. I 
 know I was just glad when seven o clock came 
 and we could go home. 
 
 The holidays lasted three days; on the third, 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 329 
 
 one of those sisters (the submissive one) came 
 out from Dresden in the evening train with her 
 maid; when in the depot a drunken student seized 
 her, and another her maid, and compelled them to 
 dance. Imagine the scene, this dignified gentle 
 woman, protesting all the while, being wheeled 
 around in such an undignified manner, and the 
 whole crowd looking on and enjoying it. 
 
 THARANT, July i6> 1873. 
 
 The 1 4th I went in to Thode s [her banker], 
 and he telegraphed a second time for the " Mara 
 thon," 3 ist; and this morning I have the answer 
 that my berth is engaged; so now it s about cer 
 tain I shall sail in that. I shall allow about a week 
 for the journey to Liverpool, as I want to stop a 
 day in Hamburg, and, if possible, see a little of 
 at least one city in England. London is out of 
 the question. I shall take the shortest and cheap 
 est route ; and, anyway, now I am certain of going 
 home, I shall not enjoy much that I see. It is a 
 very exciting time with me now. The parting 
 from my friends here is very hard, and yet the 
 desire to see you all quite deadens the pain. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE " wonderful aunt from America " 
 might have remained many years on 
 the other side of the Atlantic and have 
 found an unflagging welcome in the households of 
 her late husband s kin. As her later letters make 
 clear, however, she was eager to get home; not 
 simply because of a natural wish to see her own 
 people, but also and chiefly because long-continued 
 idleness had become irksome to her. Her first 
 thought, therefore, after recovering from the ex 
 citement of the home-coming, was to find some 
 position where she might be usefully employed 
 and might at the same time earn her own living. 
 Independence, both in purse and in dwelling-place, 
 was essential to her happiness. At any time during 
 the remaining thirty years of her life, shelter and 
 leisure in the homes of her many relatives would 
 gladly have been hers; but however welcome she 
 might be, such a life was practically impossible 
 to her. She could scarcely exist in an ordinary 
 household. She must have her own gods about 
 her, must keep her own house however tiny 
 in her own Bohemian way. Possessing hosts of 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 331 
 
 friends, she must be able to have them always 
 about her and to entertain them with " picnics " 
 of her own devising. She must be free to go 
 about visiting, to the theatre, upon expeditions of 
 all kinds without question except of her own good 
 sense, and without responsibility except to her own 
 high breeding. Above all, she hated the thought 
 of dependence upon others for her daily bread. 
 So to the very end of her long life she earned that 
 bread herself ; J and even after her eightieth year, 
 when the fact of her living by herself was a source 
 of great anxiety to her friends, she could not be 
 persuaded to give up the independence which, sur 
 rounded by her " traps," she so much enjoyed in 
 her hospitable quarters in the Grundmann Studios. 
 About the time of her return from Europe, a 
 Training School for Nurses, affiliated with the 
 Massachusetts General Hospital, 2 in Boston, was 
 established, and to Mrs. von Olnhausen was offered 
 
 1 In 1888, through the exertions of Hon. E. D. Hayden, M. C. 
 from Massachusetts, she was given, by vote of the Congress, a 
 pension of twelve dollars a month. 
 
 2 From the Seventeenth Annual Report of Trustees of the 
 Massachusetts General Hospital (1883), p. 6: "This Institution 
 began in 1873 w i tn s ^ x pupils, who were allowed to take charge of 
 two wards as an experiment. It increased steadily till 1877, when 
 the nursing of the whole Hospital was placed in its charge. At 
 the present time (1883) the Training School consists of forty-two 
 pupils, twelve head nurses, a night Superintendent, and the Superin 
 tendent of the whole school, all these being under the supervision 
 of a Board of Directors." 
 
3 3 2 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 the position of superintendent. The writer saw 
 much of her at that time, and although he was 
 but a lad, remembers well her cheeriness and 
 breeziness, her kind word to every patient, her 
 untiring efforts to keep them buoyed up and en 
 tertained. That scrupulous attention to cleanliness, 
 too, and that wonderful skill in the treatment of 
 wounds which had distinguished her army service, 
 were again conspicuous. But, boy as he was, he 
 could see that his aunt had not the qualifications 
 essential for the post which, with unflagging zeal, 
 she was trying so enthusiastically to fill. She was 
 not systematic, and a hospital must be run as 
 if by clockwork. She was not autocratic, and 
 women seeking to be trained as nurses need the 
 firm and steady hand of high authority. She was 
 absolutely blunt and always ready to speak her 
 mind, and her experimental position called for 
 the utmost tact and discretion. She was by na 
 ture a person of violent likes and dislikes, and 
 her situation forbade the slightest exhibition of 
 favoritism. Moreover, wide and wonderful as 
 her experience had been, it had not given her a 
 thorough training in the principles of nursing, and 
 her mind had not been steadied and disciplined by 
 that higher education which, had she been born 
 fifty years later, she undoubtedly would eagerly 
 have sought. It is not to be wondered at, there- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 333 
 
 fore, that she did not succeed in a position demand 
 ing qualities which by nature and by education 
 were not hers. After a year or two at the Train 
 ing School it became inevitable that she should 
 resign. 
 
 Her next position, taken only temporarily, was 
 as matron of a small home for intemperate women 
 in New York City. Thence she went to Staten 
 Island as superintendent of a maternity asylum 
 which had been established, by private charity, in 
 a beautiful spot on the hills of the interior. Two 
 large estates, each with extensive grounds, had 
 been thrown into one ; in the two mansion houses 
 and in a number of cottages were sheltered sev 
 eral hundred women and their children; and the 
 work there carried on of rescue, of reform, of pro 
 vision for the future of the children was most 
 beneficent. Here was an occupation suited ex 
 actly to Mary von Olnhausen s temperament. Her 
 vigor and activity found full scope in the care 
 of the many buildings and the oversight of their 
 varied and ever-changing inmates; her unfailing 
 cheerfulness and her downrightness of speech 
 were excellent tonics for the unfortunate women 
 with whom she had to deal; best of all, her 
 unbounded sympathy and faith in human nature 
 surrounded those unhappy beings with an atmos 
 phere essential to the process of their regeneration. 
 
334 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 Living wholly with and for her charges, she had 
 at once to be housekeeper, head nurse, confidante, 
 steward, adviser. One hour she must devise means 
 of keeping secluded some erring member of society, 
 the next she must teach the cooks how to prepare 
 some wholesome dish for the sick, the next she 
 must advise with the trustees in regard to the plac 
 ing of a new lot of children. This woman must be 
 reasoned with, that scolded, the third taught to sew. 
 Learning, one day, that a murderously drunken 
 husband is pounding at the door, she drops his 
 frantic wife and children, who had sought refuge 
 with her, out of a window, pilots them through 
 the woods, herself drives them to a place of safety, 
 and returns to tell bold lies to the man thus cir 
 cumvented. Another day she must plan a cam 
 paign for the capture of a madman escaped from 
 an asylum and roaming over her grounds threaten 
 ing death to every one. These but faintly indicate 
 the kind of problems that were always meeting 
 her. Night and day she must be everywhere, 
 must think of everything, must be the motive 
 force and the guiding hand in this large and 
 difficult establishment. 
 
 This excellent haven of refuge, however, had 
 been built up almost solely by the exertions of a 
 splendid, indomitable woman possessed of large 
 means and of marked executive ability. She was 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 335 
 
 aggressive and positive ; Mrs. von Olnhausen, also 
 and equally, was positive, aggressive, and out 
 spoken. Both loved the work, and each was con 
 fident that hers was the only way in which it 
 should be carried on. It was impossible, therefore, 
 that sooner or later there should not be wide and 
 irreconcilable differences of opinion between this 
 organizer of the charity and the woman whom she 
 had placed in charge of it. After several years 
 of happy and useful work, the time came when 
 the position held by Mrs. von Olnhausen was no 
 longer tenable; and, with a sorrowful heart, she 
 gave it up. Then, rather than be dependent, she 
 accepted the position of housekeeper with a family 
 not far from Boston. 
 
 Meanwhile the Centennial Exposition, at Phila 
 delphia, had aroused us Americans to an appre 
 ciation of artistic decoration; and many women 
 had become fired with a desire to substitute for 
 the " tidies " and " antimacassars " of an earlier 
 generation really beautiful and artistic pieces of 
 embroidery. Although it was many years since 
 she had been a designer of fabrics at Manchester, 
 Mary von Olnhausen had not lost her facility of 
 hand or of invention. Always skilful with her 
 needle, her residence among German women had 
 taught her many new secrets of the embroiderer s 
 art; and her love and deep knowledge of nature 
 
336 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 made it possible for her to use flowers, leaves, and 
 vines, in designing, with an artistic freedom that 
 was a revelation to those whose ideas had been 
 bounded by the conventional abominations of the 
 " stamped " pattern. Establishing herself, then, 
 as a designer and maker of embroideries, she 
 soon found that this was indeed her vocation, and 
 that thus she might realize her wish to gain a 
 livelihood without losing the independence essen 
 tial to her happiness. 
 
 For more than twenty years Mrs. von Olnhausen 
 continued to follow this congenial work of produc 
 ing beautiful designs and exquisite embroideries 
 and of teaching others how to make them. Her 
 imagination seemed never to fail her, her fingers 
 lost none of their cunning, and, most extraordinary 
 of all, her eyes served her faithfully, under the 
 tremendous strain placed upon them, up to the very 
 end. All day, and far into the night sometimes, 
 she would sit over her designing, her swift fingers 
 fashioning beautiful curves and flower and leaf 
 forms, without any aid from instruments, and yet 
 the complicated lines resolving themselves at last 
 into a well thought out design of that freely con 
 ventional order which is of the highest degree of 
 decorative art. Or one would find her sitting with 
 a book propped before her, reading attentively, 
 while her fingers wove intricate stitches of em- 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 337 
 
 broidery. Always busy, she nevertheless read an 
 astonishing number of books in English, French, 
 and German and reached an opinion concerning 
 them that was of definite value. More than this, 
 she found time to go frequently to the theatre 
 and to hear much good music, her many friends 
 being only too glad to invite so vivacious and 
 appreciative a companion. Her room was always 
 open to, and was generally crowded with those 
 hosts of friends; and her greatest delight was 
 to prepare for them with her own hands a little 
 " feast," cooked as only she could cook. However 
 few the dishes and however primitive the table 
 furnishings, these " picnics " were made veritable 
 banquets by her wit and gayety. 
 
 Living at the "Pavilion," opposite King s Chapel, 
 until that house was pulled down, she had rooms 
 subsequently in various places in Boston, until, on 
 the conversion of the Winslow Skating Rink into 
 the Grundmann Studios, she established herself 
 there, and there remained, when in town, almost 
 to the end. Her residence in Boston was not, 
 however, continuous. It was broken by visits of 
 longer or shorter duration to the houses of her 
 sisters; and several summers were spent in Anni- 
 squam, that quaint village of Cape Ann, where 
 she took a building in which sail-boats had for 
 merly been constructed, and, with a few boards 
 
338 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 and bright chintzes, converted it into a charming 
 cottage. Its loft was divided into several rooms, 
 and from the sitting-room one stepped out upon 
 a balcony actually overhanging the waters of the 
 bay; its first floor was made into a huge kitchen- 
 dining-room, with wide double doors framing the 
 panorama of the Squam River, and with the sea, 
 at high tide, splashing and murmuring under its 
 very floor. 
 
 One winter was spent with a cousin in Warner, 
 New Hampshire; a part of another was passed 
 at Shackelford Island, that long sand-bar off 
 Morehead City where Mrs. von Olnhausen had 
 enjoyed so many pleasant hours during the Civil 
 War; and once more, after a visit to the Colum 
 bian Exposition and to relatives in St. Louis, she 
 went to take care of that brother to whom twice 
 before, on the Illinois prairie, she had given such 
 efficient help. This time, however, he was living 
 on the plains of South Dakota, and alone. His 
 children, now married, were more or less widely 
 scattered; he himself was obliged to be much 
 away; the lake on whose shores he had estab 
 lished himself had, as is so often the case in 
 that semi-arid region, vanished; and with it had 
 gone the hundred neighbors whom this rare sheet 
 of water had originally attracted thither. Not far 
 off, too, was a reservation for Indians, of whom 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 339 
 
 Mrs. von Olnhausen seems to have stood in a fear 
 most unusual with her. Many a long day and 
 grewsome evening, therefore, did she pass sitting 
 at the door of that Dakota house, the vast prairie, 
 broken only by the deserted houses, stretching 
 limitlessly before her, even the beloved nature- 
 sounds transformed, to her excited imagination, 
 into Indian footsteps, watching for her brother 
 to return. The easy care of the house was but a 
 meagre outlet for such energy as hers; the soli 
 tude of the prairie was a contrast too sharp for 
 one who had lived so long in a city and amid a 
 crowd of friends. From this last Western visit 
 she came back what, in spite of her seventy-five 
 years, she had not before been, an aged woman. 
 Her activities, her innocent pleasure-seeking, her 
 work for others did not cease ; but the marvellous 
 buoyancy of what had seemed eternal youth in her 
 was gone. 
 
 Mary von Olnhausen was so modest, she was 
 so much more ready to hear the stories of others 
 than to tell her own, that few realized what a 
 heroine of romance this little teacher of embroid 
 ery had been. The much-heralded coming of 
 Prince Henry of Prussia to this country hap 
 pened, however, to call the attention of the news 
 papers to her whom they named " The Little 
 Madam of the Iron Cross," and she was there- 
 
340 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 after much exploited. From Maine to California 
 the story of her life was carried; she became the 
 fashion; her room was crowded by persons with 
 and without introductions; orders for embroid 
 eries poured in upon her, and she existed during 
 the last months of her lifetime in a whirl of ex 
 citement that could not but prove too trying for 
 a woman of her years. 
 
 On the day of the Prince s coming, the Ger 
 man women who were received by him insisted 
 that she should accompany them. Entering the 
 room where the ladies were awaiting him, the 
 Kaiser s brother immediately noticed the Iron 
 Cross which she wore, and, ignoring formality, 
 grasped her hand and spoke to her in German. 
 Finding that she failed to understand him, he 
 then addressed her in English, inquired about her 
 services, and promised that a duplicate of the lost 
 " Cross of Merit " should be sent to her. The 
 newspapers made much of this recognition of her; 
 but her own simple account given in a letter to a 
 friend in North Carolina, who had sent her some 
 galax leaves, is the best : 
 
 BOSTON, March 10, 1902. 
 
 The leaves are most beautiful. I have never 
 seen any handsomer. They came the day I went 
 to see the Prince, but I did not take him any, and 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 341 
 
 have regretted since that I did not; but it was so 
 formidable, and I am such a fool, I only wanted it 
 over. He was most gracious, and not at all for 
 midable; shook my hand twice, just as any other 
 feller would. I am glad I had the courage now 
 to go, especially on account of the younger nieces 
 and nephews, who were so anxious for me to do 
 so. They have been making a great fuss in the 
 papers ; of course it s all exaggerated. Really, 
 the whole thing was what any one would have 
 done much better than I did, only I had the 
 luck. How splendidly you would have carried 
 out the meeting and handshaking! I forgot to 
 bow low or to address him with any title; so 
 stupid ! 
 
 It has been a hard winter for me, in the hos 
 pital and at home, and I am away behind in my 
 finances; but if the orders come as thick as they 
 have this last week, I shall soon be independent. 
 Nothing like being the fad for a while. I ve 
 waited forty years, and now, when I m so old, 
 it comes all at once. It has been a bad winter 
 here, they say. So far I Ve not been out, except 
 to ride; but I have some engagements for this 
 week, so shall have to trot around, besides work 
 ing night and day, for a while. How I long for 
 the spring and the birds and frogs! You have 
 had them long ago, I suppose. 
 
342 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 This is one of the last letters that she wrote. 
 Going soon afterwards to Lexington for a visit, 
 she was seized with apoplexy, and, without suffer 
 ing or return of consciousness, passed away on the 
 twelfth day of April, 1902. Two days later she 
 was taken to Mount Auburn Chapel; a flag was 
 pinned upon her breast by the Army Nurses As 
 sociation; a larger flag was twined among the 
 beautiful flowers upon her coffin; fitting words 
 of memorial were spoken by the Rev. Carlton A. 
 Staples, minister of the First Church in Lexing 
 ton, the church where, as a girl, she had come 
 every Sunday with her family; and she was put 
 to rest beside the dear husband from whom she 
 had been parted so many years before. 
 
 The life of which these letters give but inade 
 quate glimpses was interesting above all because 
 it was so intensely human. Its virtues were 
 common virtues, its shortcomings were common 
 faults; but both were intensified by the extraor 
 dinary vigor, by the unique personality of Mary 
 von Olnhausen. Her very presence breathed an 
 abounding vitality; and it was that, doubtless, 
 almost as much as her skill in nursing, which re 
 vived and stimulated into health again her many 
 patients. She gloried in making men live whose 
 hurts had been pronounced incurable. Between 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 343 
 
 her, the healer, and them, the suffering, there 
 was, for the time, a human bond as close as be 
 tween members of one family. For that reason 
 she could seldom perceive the faults or unworthi- 
 ness of any man who had been a patient in her 
 hands. But, as she liked with intensity, so she 
 hated intensely; and there was often as much of 
 unreason in the one attitude as in the other. 
 
 It is probable, therefore, that some of the dan 
 gers and discomforts which she experienced were 
 due not wholly to others, but, in a measure, to 
 herself. For she could not wheedle, she would 
 not placate, and she often placed dependence upon 
 the untrue, while distrusting the true friend. Her 
 nature was so open, however, that it is easy to 
 correct, as men of science do, for the personal 
 equation in her letters, and to see, as she saw, 
 the seamy side of battles, to learn, as she learned, 
 how quickly and surely war brings to the front 
 all the evil, hideous, barbarous passions of man 
 kind. Many of her experiences, however, were 
 too revolting to be placed upon a printed page, 
 many of her discomforts were too intimately as 
 sociated with individuals for it to be wise to pub 
 lish them. Nevertheless, these suppressions, the 
 still greater pruning of the letters through the 
 omission of personal references and of pages in 
 teresting only to her friends, have not been suf- 
 
344 Adventures of an Army Nurse 
 
 ficient to hide the rare character of Mary von 
 Olnhausen, to spoil the value of the varied pic 
 tures which she draws. Of an extraordinary phy 
 sique, she was not only ready, she was anxious, 
 to expend that vigorous health in service of the 
 most exacting kind. Loving intensely and hating 
 fiercely, she scorned to make selfish use of the love 
 of others, refused ever to feed hate with innuendo. 
 Generous to a fault, she would give her last cent 
 to relieve suffering, would share her remaining 
 crust with any one asking hospitality. Different 
 from other women, but never conspicuous; Bohe 
 mian, but careful of the prejudices of others; in 
 dependent, but not in tlie least self-assertive; free 
 of language, but hating everything coarse; exag 
 gerated in statement, but always scrupulous as to 
 the underlying truth; bold of speech, but tender 
 of heart; often deceived by human beings, but 
 never losing her sublime trust in human nature; 
 of no particular creed, but with abiding faith in 
 God, she exhibited in her eighty- fourth year, 
 as in youth and in middle age, the beautiful and 
 endearing qualities of childhood, she showed the 
 trust, the purity, the glad exuberance of a little 
 girl. 
 
 Her life, in a way, anticipated the development 
 of the nineteenth century. Not till the close of 
 that hundred years did men learn really to love 
 
Adventures of an Army Nurse 345 
 
 and to understand nature; she possessed that love 
 and knowledge as a girl. Not till well after the 
 middle of that century did women free themselves 
 from the thrall of Biblical and Puritan tradition; 
 she, as a young woman, quietly and modestly de 
 fied conventions, and lived, worked, and thought 
 freely, as do men. The chief triumph of the nine 
 teenth century has been in its understanding of 
 true philanthropy, in its putting into actual prac 
 tice, on a large and general scale, the Golden Rule. 
 Mary von Olnhausen early found her happiness in 
 living, in suffering, in encountering hardships for 
 the sake of others. She was too human to be a 
 saint, of too intense a vitality to be thoroughly 
 well balanced; but she was what the world most 
 needs, an unflagging, unselfish, optimistic moral 
 force. 
 
APPENDIX A 
 
 WHEN this volume was in press certain docu 
 ments came to light which show Baron von 
 Olnhausen to have been a schoolboy in Oehr- 
 ingen, Wiirttemberg, in 1823-24, a pupil at the Royal 
 Bavarian School at Augsburg in 1825 and 1826, a can 
 didate in Philosophy at the University of Munich in 1827 
 and 1828, and a chemist at Prague in 1833. From 
 other sources it has been learned that in 1840 he was 
 studying at Edinburgh University. 
 
 Excerpts, in literal translation, from some of the docu 
 ments follow : 
 
 Extract from the opinions relative to the pupils of the fourth 
 Gymnasium class, school-year i8-||. 
 
 von Ohlnhausen Gustav^ pupil of the fourth Gymnasium 
 class, son of a merchant, born at Zwickau, Kingdom of Sax 
 ony, age 1 6 years 7 months, 1 is recommended by his bearing, 
 modesty and mental capacity, which are further enhanced by 
 the gift of a pleasant speech ; and whose progress in religion 
 is good, in mathematics excellent. 
 
 1 [He must have been born, therefore, in February, 1809.] 
 
348 Appendix A 
 
 General Qualifying Remarks. 
 Capabilities great. 
 Industry very great, in mathematics excellent, almost 
 
 untiring. 
 
 Conduct excellent. 
 Progress very good. Twelfth among 45 fellow students. 
 
 AUGSBURG, September 7, 1825. 
 
 In the Lyceum class of the Royal Bavarian Institution of 
 Learning here, Mr. Gustav von Olnhausen, from Zwickau, 
 in the Kingdom of Saxony, has deserved, in the first semester 
 of the school year i8||, in the studies of the first year course 
 of philosophy and general sciences, being endowed with many 
 mental gifts, the following record : 
 
 Subject Industry Progress 
 
 Universal History Excellent Excellent 
 
 Latin Literature " Very good 
 
 Greek Literature " " " 
 
 Logic Very good " " 
 
 Metaphysics " " Excellent 
 
 Religion Excellent 
 
 Algebra Untiring " 
 
 Trigonometry " " 
 
 His mental development was exemplary. 
 
 This is attested by the undersigned authorities 
 
 [Signatures.] 
 AUGSBURG, August 20, 1826. 
 
 {Certificate} That the Candidate in Philosophy, Mr. Gustav 
 von Olnhausen, from Oehringen, in the Kingdom of Wurttem- 
 berg, has been at the University here for purposes of study 
 
Appendix A 349 
 
 from November 18, 1826, up to date, during this time has ob 
 served a faultless conduct in conformity with the requirements, 
 and has not committed any wrong with regard to proscribed 
 societies. This is attested, at his desire, at his departure from 
 this University. 
 
 MUNICH, August 14, 1828. 
 
 Royal University Rector 
 
 Dr. J. DOELLINGER. 
 
 Passport 
 
 Mr. Gustav Adolph von Olnhausen, who at present is in 
 Prague, as chemist, born here in 1809, and against whose stay 
 in Prague there is no objection here, since, more particularly, 
 there is no claim for military service, such facts are hereby 
 certified for his assistance. 
 
 Zwickau in the Kingdom of Saxony 
 City Council 
 
 FRIEDRICH WILHELM MEYER. 
 iSth December, 1833. 
 
APPENDIX B 
 
 IN the recently published " Life and Correspondence 
 of Henry Ingersoll Bowditch " [by his son, Vincent 
 Y. Bowditch, Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1902] ap 
 pears the following letter [vol. ii. p. 315] : 
 
 TO MRS. GEORGE L. STEARNS. 
 
 May 9, 1887. 
 
 DEAR MRS. STEARNS, I forgot to leave with you the 
 riddle l found in a book of autographs made chiefly between 
 the years 1610 and 1630. The riddle has the date of 1742, 
 and is signed by one Fulda, at that time the possessor of the 
 precious heirlooms of the family Von Olnhausen ; and which 
 had been carefully kept and transmitted to sons of that name 
 for one hundred and thirty-two years. The Von Olnhausens 
 dated their origin from a gallant Crusader, Heinrich Oln 
 hausen, who in 1388 had been made "Knight of the Golden 
 Spur" at Jerusalem. 
 
 The autographs collected by one of his descendants (an ear 
 nest student, between 1610 and 1630) of all the great person 
 ages (nobility with their illuminated coats of arms, professors 
 
 1 A M O R E S. 
 6. Sex fuge, 
 5. Quinque tene, 
 4. Quatuor fac, 
 Reliqua (RES) tibi sequcntur. 
 
Appendix B 351 
 
 of many universities, pastors of churches, great physicians, 
 and lettered young companions) were in two volumes, and by 
 marriage had come into Fulda s hands. He, with a true in 
 stinct, felt that they ought to be in the hands of his young 
 relative, the male descendant of the Von Olnhausens. There 
 fore in 1742 he transferred them to John Frederick Olnhausen, 
 telling him that he hoped that these precious relics of the good 
 youth of 1610 would stimulate his loving descendants to behave 
 as heroically as his predecessors had done, and he gave the 
 enclosed riddle, which as I have before stated I forgot to 
 leave. 
 
 To finish my story, I ought to tell you how they came into 
 my possession. Some few years before the war of the rebel 
 lion, a tall, middle-aged German came into my study, evidently 
 very ill, I saw at a glance. There was intellect and great 
 suffering seen in his face, but there was a serenity of manner 
 and quietness of speech which charmed me. I soon found 
 that he was hopelessly ill; his wife, an American woman, 
 flitted around him, watching tenderly every word that fell from 
 him. It was evident that they were poor. I advised him to 
 enter a hospital, and I visited him as a friend several times 
 before he died. I found that he was a patriot obliged to leave 
 Germany, and had sought this country, devoted as he thought 
 to freedom, and shocked he had been to find how rampant 
 slavery was here. Just before death he willed to me his 
 Schiller cup, from which he had drunk Rhenish wine from 
 the time of student life on the anniversary of the poet s birth. 
 He had brought the autograph books here, he being the last 
 male descendant of his race. His wife soon after his death 
 left the books with me for safe-keeping, when she entered as 
 a nurse the Northern hospital. After serving till the end of 
 the war, she went to Germany and offered herself, and was 
 accepted, as a nurse in the Franco-Prussian war. By a 
 strange coincidence, among her first patients was one named 
 Olnhausen. He was of the family of her husband. She sub- 
 
352 Appendix B 
 
 sequently lived there some weeks [years], and then returned 
 to America. 
 
 Excuse me for this lengthy story. When I fall upon the 
 history of a really excellent German patient or friend I find 
 much to interest me, and my pen flows on freely. 
 I remain very sincerely yours, 
 
 HENRY I. BOWDITCH. 
 
INDEX 
 
 ABBOTT, GEN., 197 
 Alexandria, 32-104, 107, m- 
 
 114, 156, 184, 194 
 Andersonville, 204 
 Andrew, Gov., 51, 215, 220 
 Annisquam, 337 
 Army Nurses Association, 342 
 Army-worm, 25 
 Augsburg, 347 
 Autobiography, 21-35, 4* 47~ 
 
 50, 102-107 
 
 BALTIMORE, Md., 157 
 
 Barnes, Dr., 113, 163, 197 
 
 Bartlett, Catherine, 3, 7 
 
 Bartlett, Dr. J., 3 
 
 Barton, Clara, 320 
 
 Beaufort, 135, 137, 154-156, I73~ 
 
 176, 182-195, 203 
 Bellangee, Dr., 90, 97, 99, 103- 
 
 105, 115, 118-130, 135, 144, 
 
 148-153, 213, 247 
 Bellows, Rev. H. W., 220, 224 
 Berlin, 220, 223, 244, 247, 256, 
 
 280, 310, 316 
 
 Bickerdyke, Mrs., 188, 193 
 Blois, 257, 265, 273 
 Booth, J. W., 194 
 Bowditch, Dr. H. I., 216, 350 
 Bull Run, 29, 43, 46 
 Butler, Gen., 125, 162, 165 
 
 CEDAR MT., 32, 35 
 Chancel lorsville, 93 
 
 Clark, Col., 158 
 Commune, The, 256 
 Copperheads, 80, 93, no 
 Corbeil, 240, 274 
 Cross of Merit, 321, 340 
 Culpeper, 35, 54 
 
 DALE, SURG. GEN., 216, 220 
 Dix, Miss D. L., 30-36, 49, 58, 
 
 64,84, 103, 107, 111-113, 121, 
 
 124, 186, 188, 213 
 Dover, N. H., 10 
 Dresden, 247, 284, 286, 288, 301, 
 
 305, 312, 320 
 
 , 221, 226, 234-244, 275 
 
 FAIRFAX STATION, 83 
 
 Fleury, Pension, 234 
 
 Fort Fisher, 164, 166, 176, 198, 
 
 207 
 Franco-Prussian War, 12, 219- 
 
 280 
 
 Frank, Dr., 236 
 Fredericksburg, 56 
 Fulda, 279 
 
 GEORGE, MRS., 214 
 
 Gleist, Count, 227 
 
 Golden Wedding, The Saxon, 
 
 312-316 
 Goldsboro, 196 
 Grundmann Studios, 331, 337 
 
 *3 
 
354 
 
 Index 
 
 HAND, DR., 153, 174, 214 
 
 Hatteras, Cape, 117 
 
 Henry of Prussia, Prince, 321, 
 
 339-341 
 
 Higginson, H. L., 79 
 Hooker, Gen., 94 
 Hopkins, Rev. H.,45, 53, 95, 113 
 Hradschin, 296 
 Hudson, Miss, 47 
 Hughes, Thos., 222 
 
 ILLINOIS, 20-30, 76, 122, 146, 217 
 Iron Cross, 320, 339 
 Italian Journey, 317-320 
 
 JACK (THE RUSSIAN), 191-195, 
 
 201 
 
 Johannitern, 245-251 
 Jourdan, Col., 132 
 Juvisy, 240-244, 263, 269, 275 
 
 LAGNY, 221, 227-235, 237 
 Larcom, Lucy, 9 
 Lee, Mr., 264, 272 
 Lee s Surrender, 156, 184 
 Lexington, 1-8, 14, 35, 46-50, 55, 
 
 60, 65, 74, 80, 91, 102, 106, 127, 
 
 155, 163, 213, 281, 342 
 Lincoln, President, 32, 156, 189 
 Livermore, Mary A., 188 
 
 MACON, FORT, 130, 134 
 Manchester, 10-19, 197, 335 
 Mansfield Hospital, 118-182 
 Mansion House Hospital, 32- 
 
 105, 111-113 
 
 Mass. Gen. Hospital, 19, 331 
 Meaux, 221, 226-228, 234, 239, 
 
 241 
 
 Meigs, Gen., 186 
 Metz, 221, 236, 238, 277 
 
 Meung, 222, 245, 251, 272 
 
 Monadnock, 162 
 
 Morehead City, 102-106, 115, 
 
 118-182 
 
 Mt. Vernon, 67, 93 
 Munich, 277, 347 
 
 NANCY, 221, 226, 276 
 
 Neumark, 306-312 
 
 New Berne, 104, in, 115-118, 
 
 132, 136, 141, 147-154, 159, 
 
 173-180, 207 
 
 Newport Barracks, 132, 136, 138 
 Nightingale, Miss, 222 
 Nine Months Men, 85-87 
 Nuremberg, 278 
 
 ORLEANS, 221, 238-244, 257-262, 
 266-271 
 
 PAGE, DR., 68, 70, 77, 84, 94-96, 
 
 101, 111-114 
 Palmer, Dr., 154, 158, 161-190, 
 
 1 9S> I 97> 199-202, 206-216 
 Palmer, Gen. I. N., 215 
 Paris, 230, 246, 249, 251, 255, 275 
 Parker, Theo., i, 12, 18 
 Pension, 331 
 Phinney, Elias, 1-9 
 Phinney, Geo., 20, 24-27, 217,338 
 Polterabend, 321 
 Poor Whites, 28, 122, 127, 142- 
 
 146, 219 
 
 Post Camp, 51-54 
 Prague, 281, 293-297, 305, 347 
 Prairie Life, 21-30, 217 
 
 REFUGEES, 141, 151, 162, 171 
 Reims, 221, 223, 226, 237 
 Richmond, 204 
 
Index 
 
 355 
 
 Roanoke, 159 
 Rogers, Thos., 2 
 Rome, 319 
 
 ST. CALAIS, 273 
 Salter, Dr., 182 
 Sanitary Commission, 38, 94, 98, 
 
 101, 106, 161, 175 
 Sarazen, M., 246, 249, 252, 258 
 Schoenfels, 11,306-308 
 Schwerke, Dr., 254 
 Second Massachusetts, 79-81, 
 
 119, 132, 137, 191, 206 
 Shackelford Island, 122, 144, 
 
 !73> 33 8 
 
 Sherman s Army, 179-181, 202 
 Smithville, 156, 176, 193, 195, 
 
 198-212 
 
 South Dakota, 338 
 Spain, War with, 51, 302 
 Staples, Rev. C. A., 342 
 Staten Island, 333 
 Sterne, 293 
 
 THARANT, 247, 281-293, 296- 
 305, 312-329 
 
 Thierry, 221, 224, 226 
 Tours, 222, 264, 271 
 
 VENDOME, 222, 237, 246-260, 
 
 264, 272-276, 317 
 Versailles, 221, 229, 232 
 Von Olnhausen, Gustav, 11-20, 
 
 61, 189, 219, 277, 283, 302, 306- 
 
 312, 342, 347-352 
 Von Roemer Castle, 309-311 
 Von Roemer, Frau, 1 2, 247, 280- 
 
 284, 287, 297, 302, 310 
 Von Rohrscheidt, Frau, 12, 247, 
 
 283, 287, 292, 297-305, 314, 327 
 
 WARRENTON, 91 
 Washington, D. C., 35-37, 5 2 > 6o> 
 77,80, 84, 90, 98, i or, 107, 113 
 Weimar, Prince, 232, 234 
 William, Emperor, 314, 320, 326 
 Wilmington, N. C., 152, 162 
 
 YELLOW FEVER, 126, 147-155 
 
 ZWICKAU, n, 234, 281, 306-312, 
 347-349 
 
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