town in the evening to ride out with her husband.
During the summer, Mrs. Bragg passed many days of convalescence
at the lovely cottage-home of Dr. and Mrs. Gamble,
at Cherokee Springs, but she was quite too feeble
to come into town very often. Religious services
were frequently held in the beautiful grove at the
Springs; these I attended as often as I could be spared,
Mrs. Gamble always sending for me and sending me back
in the ambulance. Later a convalescent camp was
established there, and then I rode out on horseback
every evening to look after my “boys,”
until the transfer of Dr. Lee as surgeon in charge
and Mrs. Lee as matron rendered my services no longer
necessary. Very pleasant memories cluster about
the room in the court-house at Ringgold assigned to
my special use. I often seem to hear once more
the sweet music of “General Blandner’s
lute,” sometimes accompanied by the clear soprano
of Mrs. Gamble, sometimes by our blended voices.
I remember as distinctly as if it were only yesterday
the kindly faces and cheerful voices that smiled upon
and greeted me as I ran in from the wards to take a
few moments’ rest. I had collected and
kept on the shelves in my office a great many books
for the use of convalescents, who were my most constant
visitors. The mantelpiece was decorated with articles
of curious workmanship and miracles of beautiful carving
(the gifts of my patients), variously inscribed.
There were cups and saucers, with vines running over
and around them, boxes which simulated books, paper-cutters,
also rings made of gutta-percha buttons, with silver
hearts let in like mosaic. I was as proud of them
as a queen of her crown-jewels, and always kept them
on exhibition with the precious notes of presentation
attached. Had I retained possession of these
treasures, I would have proudly bequeathed them to
my children; but, alas! these, like everything else,
fell into the hands of raiders. Many officers
of distinction visited my little sanctum,—not
only surgeons from other posts, but men of military
distinction, clergymen, and others. General Bragg
came frequently for a time, also Bishop Beckwith,
and many others whose faces come to me while their
names elude the grasp of memory. I welcomed them
all alike, for I have never felt a prouder heart-throb
in the presence of an officer, no matter how exalted
his rank, than while viewing the shadowy forms of my
convalescents or answering their earnest greetings
as they passed in and out of my office, or rested
awhile in my one easy-chair, or, still better, came
with buoyant step and bright eyes to bid me farewell
when ready to report for duty, never failing to leave
with me the “God bless you!” so precious
to my soul.
Some of the poor fellows who were wounded at the battle of Murfreesboro’ now began to suffer from gangrene. Tents were pitched outside the hospital for such cases, and it was often my fate to stand beside these sufferers while the surgeon removed unhealthy granulation with instruments or eating acids, or in other ways tortured the poor fellows to save life.


