February 21.—Mr. Nolan and Mr. Kelly are dead; one died on the 16th and the other on the 17th. They were members of the Eleventh or Sixteenth Louisiana Regiment. Both were unmarried.
We have had heavy rains ever since I returned, which is the cause of a great deal of sickness. The hospital is filled with patients who come in every day; many die, whom neither Mrs. W. nor myself ever see.
Our room is a front one, and a hall some ten feet wide divides quite a large ward from us, which is filled with typhoid and pneumonia cases. I counted seven men in the ward, blistered severely. Though the room is so near ours, we have no time to spend in it. Many a time through the night we hear the men cough and groan, but we can not even allow our minds to dwell on these things, as it would unfit us for our duties. We visit the wards at least twice a day; but many of the patients are brought in at night, and are dead before morning.
A staircase leading to the floor above is near our room. On going up it, I am often met by men carrying a litter, with a white sheet over it. I know its contents without asking. Often the bearers have not the least idea of the inmate’s name.
Had a man die in Dr. Hopping’s ward; his name was Brittle Jones. He was a fine-looking man, and a patient sufferer. He talked a great deal of his wife, and asked me to write to her; said they had only been married a week when he left home. She lives in Jacksonville, Ala.
We have three white girls, who have come from Mobile, as laundresses. I can not but wonder at some persons, these war times. We gave these girls a very nice room. The beds in them were new, but hospital style, like what we have ourselves. They told me if they could not get better they would not stay. I begged them to give it a trial, and I would endeavor to improve matters. It is so difficult to get servants, that we are thankful to do any thing for them. We have men as laundresses, as well as in other capacities; but their help is very uncertain, as not a day passes without an order from General Bragg “to send all the men to the front.”
The girls brought me a present of a very large prayer-book, from Rev. Dr. Massey, in Mobile, which is very acceptable.
