and seemed to hurry our preparation.  Dr. McAllister was everywhere, superintending the removal with the energy natural to him.  In the court-house all was confusion.  Boxes were hastily filled with bedding, clothing, etc., thrown in helter-skelter, hastily nailed up, and as hastily carted down to the train.  Sick and awfully wounded men were hurriedly placed upon stretchers, and their bearers formed an endless procession to the rough cars (some of them lately used to transport cattle, and dreadfully filthy).  Here they were placed upon straw mattresses, or plain straw, as it happened.  No provisions were to be had except sides of rusty bacon and cold corn-bread.  These were shovelled into carts and transferred to the floor of the cars in the same manner.  There was no time to cook anything, and the chances were whether we would get off at all or not.  Procuring a large caldron, I dumped into it remnants of the day’s dinner,—­a little soup, a few vegetables, and some mule meat.  The stoves had all been taken down, but there was a little cold cornmeal coffee, some tea, and a small quantity of milk.  This I put into buckets; then, importuning the surgeon in charge until he was glad to get rid of me by assigning me a cart, I mounted into it with my provisions and jolted off to the cars, where hundreds of tortured, groaning men wore lying.  There I met Dr. Gore (for both hospitals were to be moved on the same train), who helped me to hide my treasures and to administer some weak milk punch to the sufferers.  Meanwhile, the pine-wood fires kindled in the streets all around the hospitals made the town look as though it was on fire, and threw its weird light upon masses of soldiery,—­cavalry, infantry, artillery,—­moving in endless numbers through the town, shaking the very earth with the tramp of men and horses and the heavy rumble of wheels.  The men were silent, and looked jaded and ghastly in the lurid light.  Some had bloody rags tied about head and hands, their breasts were bare, the panting breath could be heard plainly, their eyes shone fiercely through the grime of powder and smoke.  They had been fighting, and were now retreating; still they marched in solid column, nor broke ranks, nor lost step.  The faces of the officers were grave and troubled; none seemed to observe our frantic haste, but all to look forward with unseeing eyes.  I did so long to have them rest and refresh themselves.  During the whole of that eventful night my cheeks were wet, my heart aching sadly.  Before daylight we were off.  Railroads at that time were very defective and very rough.  Ah, how terrible was the suffering of those wounded men as they were jolted and shaken from side to side! for haste was necessary to escape the enemy.  About noon the train came to a full stop, nor moved again for many, many hours,—­hours fraught with intense suffering to the sick and wounded, as well as to all who shared the hardships of that journey.  It was reported that the enemy were passing