the body of her murdered husband, stained with his blood, yet resisting all attempts to remove her.  Dr. Thornton having severely punished a case of insubordination, the culprit swore vengeance, and had fulfilled his oath in a most complete though cowardly manner.  Just after dark, as the doctor was sitting at supper with his wife, a voice at the gate called his name.  He answered the summons at once, followed closely by Mrs. Thornton, who, standing upon the doorsteps, saw and heard the murderous blow which laid him dead at her feet, stabbed to the heart.  For many hours horror and grief dethroned the reason of the wife.  After I had persuaded her to go to her room, she continually insisted upon washing her hands, which she shudderingly declared were red with his blood.  Subsequently she struggled successfully for composure, pitifully saying, “He liked me to be brave; I will try,” and with remarkable fortitude she bore up through the trying ordeal which followed.  In my ministration to Mrs. Thornton I was assisted by a lady whose name is well known and well beloved by the soldiers of the Army of Tennessee,—­Mrs. Frank Newsome.  Of remarkable beauty, sweet and gentle manners, deeply religious, and carrying the true spirit of religion into her work, hers was indeed an angelic ministry.  We had never met before, but in the days of my early girlhood I had known her husband, Frank Newsome, of Arkansas, who, with Randal Gibson, of Louisiana, Tom Brahan, of Alabama, and my own husband (then my lover), studied together under a tutor in preparation for the junior class of Yale College; they were room-mates at a house in the same village where my mother resided, and I had known them very well.  Dr. Newsome had died some time before, but his having once been my friend proved a bond of sympathy between his widow and myself.  Although our pleasant intercourse was never again renewed, I continued through the years of the war to hear accounts of Mrs. Newsome’s devotion to the Confederate soldiers.  Duty requiring my presence at the hospital, I was compelled to leave Mrs. Thornton, who soon after returned to Kentucky.  I never met her again, but remember her with unchanged affection.

Dr. Gamble, of Tallahassee, Florida, succeeded Dr. Thornton as surgeon of the post at Ringgold.  He was one of the most thorough gentlemen I ever knew, as courteous to the humblest soldier as to General Bragg, who was then and during the summer a frequent visitor.  His wife lay for some months very ill at some point near Ringgold.  Mrs. Gamble, who, with her lovely children, was domiciled at Cherokee Springs, three miles distant, was also a delightful addition to our little circle.  She was thoroughly accomplished, of charming manners, although perfectly frank and outspoken.  Her musical talent was exceptional, and her lovely voice, coined into Confederate money, was freely given in aid of all charitable objects.  She was a frequent visitor at my office, walking into