the war fast enough,” though what that had
to do with the suffering soldier, my dull com
prehension failed to see.” Jones wanted first
to “ see his wife” about it, and Smith had al
ready given to the Pittsburgh Fair, before he
knew Philadelphia was to have one, which to me
didn’t look fair at all. So it went, Mr. Editor,
with your humble servant, and probably to
many other of your humble servants, who
worked on the Committees, but I am happy to
say, the long and dispiriting lane had its turn
ing at last.
I soon found that Philadelphia—great, gene
rous, loyal Philadelphia, was true to herself and
the cause, that our country has so much at
heart. In the course of my wanderings, the
“Pecksniffs” began to count in the minority,
and the “ Brothers Checryble” to assume mag
niticient proportion in my memorandum book.
Those of the latter class received me with a
genuine hospitality, were polite in their de
meanor, and expressed themselves as thankful
for the opportunity of aiding, to the best of
their ability, the cause of loyalty, of Union,
and of genuine charity. How well they ful
filled their promises may best be known by
walking through the rooms of our beautiful
Fair, and inspecting the rich and varied arti
cles which the wealth and liberality of our
citizens have here gathered together.
Yours, respectfully,
A Committee Man.
HOW THE SANITARY IS WORKING IN THE
FIELD—NO. 5
[From Our Correspondent with the Army of the Potomac
White House, Va., June 8, 1804
The burial of the dead is a most laborious
and interesting branch of the works of the
Commission. It is entrusted to one gentleman
to superintend, and it may surprise you to
know that so few burials have occurred here
since this water base has been established.
Those who are killed in battle, of course, are
not estimated in the records, but of the
wounded who are brought to these hospitals,
there have been eighty-seven deaths. It is pos
sible that a few may have been buried by their
friends outside of the cemetery, and a very
few removed to their families, but the number
above stated have all received Christian burial,
and (heir names, and the number of their
graves, carefully recorded in a book provided
for the purpose.
There are several ladies engaged in special
duty here, and they all are at liberty to draw
on the supplies of the Sanitary Commission.
That they use their liberty and distribute
abundantly, is most manifest; they do so with
the grateful assurance on the part of the Com
mission that their distributions are generally
made with judgment, as it is certain they are
with earnest interest in the cause of humanity.
Ottb Daily IFjk-iaiE.
I will only refer now to Mrs. Holstien, and
her assistant Miss Brower, who have a little
tent which is their home, and adjoining it is
what is known as a “fly,” under which is the
kitchen. A “fly” is a canvas roof, supported
by poles, as a tent, but without walls or sides.
It is secured to the ground by cords, and is
thus open for some feet above the ground.
The interior space of this fly is secured from
intrusion by fly boards along the sides, which
serve as tables. This is the light diet
kitchen of the division of the corps to which it
is attached. In describing this, I describe all
the other tents used by the ladies here for the
same purpose. What is meant by a light diet
kitchen may be best known by observing its
issues. The daily average of Mrs. Holstein’s
kitchen is reported as follows: “1 pound of
tea; 14 cans tomatoes ; 2G cans beef; 20 cans
soup-bouilli; G cans chickens; 92 boxes jellies;
4 dozen cans milk; 50 papers corn starch; 35
farina; 24 chocolate; 3 buckets sugnr; 12
bottles of whiskey; 4 tubs lemonade; 1 tub
porter sangaree; 7 buckets milk punch; 2
large cauldrons farina and corn starch; 4
small do; 2 large cauldrons of soup ; 2 small
do; 1 barrel soft crackerß ; 72 box hard tack ;
1 box dried rusk ; 12 bottles home-made wine
for flavoring.”
If the Restaurant Department of the Phila
delphia Fair can do as well as that at each of
its tables, and if the money flows in return as
freely as do the thanks and praises of the sol
diers, the Sanitary Commission may expect a
very large revenue. More of this hereafter.
Conversations with the soldiers reveal strik
ing examples of heroism and fidelity to the
cause of human freedom, for which our country
is now suffering. I will give a few:
1. A tall, fine-built man, lying on a cot,*
and turned nearly over upon his face, in con
sequence of a severe wound in his hip, as he
was in conversation with a visitor, said, “ You
have no idea, sir, of a soldier’s life. You
sympathize with us and try to do us good;
you do us good ; we thank you for it, but yet
you do not realize our condition. War is
terrible. Soldiers learn to endure almost
everything. I served three years and have
now re-enlisted. I regret that I was wounded
so soon, I did want to see the battlements
of Richmond, but I am content, if our
army will only soon see them. On being
asked why he re-enlisted if he thought war
was so terrible, and the life of a soldier so
hard, he replied, “why do you ask me sir?”
The inquirer said, “ Because I want to dis
cover your true feelings and opinions about
the war and the country.” He then responded:
“I have left a wife at home, (I wrote to her yes
terday)—and a mother—(l wrote to her to
day)—but I thought three years ago that the
* In these hospitals, most of the men have no cots or
boils, hut are laid upon their blankets on the ground.
c ountry needed my services, and I gave them.
I thought so after my time expired, and I went
in; I think so now, and lam suffering for my
country ; she is worth suffering for.”
2. A lad lying near by him had lost one of
his legs, and as he was supported on a rest,
overheard the conversation, and said: “Yes,
I’m suffering too, I’ve given ’em a leg, but I
only wish them fellers in the North, who don’t
love the Union, would come down here and
lose a few legs and arms, and then they would
love their country a little better. I think I’d
rather stay here than go home, and have peo
ple to laugh me in the face, and say, “it
serves you right, you ought to have let the old
Union go, and saved your leg. They don’t
care for us, or for any body, but themselves
and their party.”
3. A cheerful, hatless, shoeless fellow, was
hobbling along on crutches yesterday, in a
complete suit of new red flannel —shirt and
drawers—and a new pair of woolen stockings,
which he had Btrctched over his drawers after
the manner of cavalry boots. His hair was
short; and his broad, cheerful face shone with
fun as he exhibited himself in the street of the
camp. He was quite badly wounded in the
thigh, and could not walk without crutches.
“I’m going out,” said he, “in my Sanitary
suit—l’m walking now. On to Richmond,
boys ; I expect to be back to the lines again in
a couple of days. This war must be done
right; don’t give up, fellows! ” So he went by
the tents of his companions, exciting their
merriment by his appearance, and awakening
spirit and zeal in all.
4. A relief agent handed in the following
note: “As I was distributing stationery, and
writing letters for the boys in one of the Fifth
Corp hospitals, I met a poor fellow who had
both legs and one arm amputated. He looked so
cheerful that I playfully said to him, ‘ the
rebs gave you a hard rap this time, did’nt
they?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied, with a smile, ‘ they
gave me a big dose this lick. ’ "
Everybody remarks the cheerfulness, pa
tience and loyalty of the wounded. In the
front, where supplies are less abundant, where
fighting is going on, and where men fall in
death by thousands, the same spirit of perse
verance, endurance, determination exists, in
evidence of which I present the following let
ter received yesterday:
“ There is nothing cheers the men more than
to know that the North is true to the Union,
that their friends honor the cause of the Union,
and will honor them as its defenders. ‘ What
do they think of us at home ?’ ‘Do they
think we are faithful and true?’ Let us an
swer these questions as they only should be
answered. ”
Yours, faithfully,
PRINTED by Rinowalt A Brown, 111 A 113 South 4th
Street, Philadelphia, for the Great Central Fair in
aid of the United Statea Sanitary Commission.