May 17.—There has been fighting near Dalton for some days. Our army has left that place, and is moving down, drawing the enemy with it. We are told that the enemy are suffering severe losses. I went to Atlanta on the 15th instant, in company with some ladies and gentlemen of this place. We intended going to the scene of conflict, but, as the army is on the move, had to come back. We reached Atlanta on the morning of the 15th, about daylight. Mrs. Harris and myself went to the Gate City Hospital. It is the distributing one. There I met an old friend in Mr. Tucker, the head nurse. The hospital was filled with wounded, who had come in that morning from the front. Mr. T. told me that he had dressed the wounds of four hundred men since 4 o’clock the previous day. He had been up all that night at his work.
Mrs. H. was told that her son was wounded, and that he had been sent to Newnan.
That morning was one of the gloomiest I ever passed. It was damp and cheerless; and, look which way I would, the prospect was dreary. Hundreds of wounded men, dirty, bloody, and weary, were all around us. And when I thought of the many more which were expected, I was filled with despair, and felt like humbling myself in the dust, and praying more earnestly than ever before, that God would send us peace:
“Hath Liberty required
Such human hecatombs?
Is there no path to freedom,
But through this moral gloom?
Or must it still go onward,
This carnage, blood, and fire,
Until each flowery hill-top
Becomes a mount Moriah?
Forbid it, God Almighty!
Thy voice, once heard again,
Rolls back the tide of battle,
And stops the bloody reign.”
We remained nearly all day in an old car, expecting to get on to the front. There was a relief committee, from Lagrange, in the same car with us. I observed that several such committees were in Atlanta, from every part of Georgia. The good people of Newnan had supplied us with quantities of every thing. In the afternoon, Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. Auld and myself went to the cars, on their arrival from the front; and O, what a sight we there beheld! No less than three long trains filled, outside and in, with wounded. Nearly all seemed to be wounded in the head, face, and hands. I asked some one near me why this was. They replied, because our men had fought behind breastworks.
There were ladies at the depot with baskets filled with edibles of all kinds, and buckets of milk, coffee, and lemonade; and I noticed many had wines. I observed a number of old gentlemen assisting— the only manner in which they could serve their country. I noticed one in particular, an aristocratic-looking gentleman, who wore a white linen apron.
The ladies in Atlanta have been doing this work ever since the commencement of the war. They have had tables set at the depot for the benefit of the soldiers. Our party went to the distributing hospital; there we found plenty of work. A number of the Atlanta ladies were there before us, dressing wounds. I commenced to dress one man’s hand, which was badly wounded. (Strange as it may seem, this was the first wound I had ever dressed. I had always had plenty of other work to do.) Just as I had got through, Dr. Jackson, who had gone with us from Newnan, requested me to come and assist him. We were in an immense hall, crowded with wounded; some walking about, others sitting on the floor—all waiting to have their wounds dressed.
As soon as that was done, they were sent off to make room for others. Surgeons, ladies, and nurses were scattered all about, so intently employed that they did not seem to notice each other. I brought the patients to Dr. J. and unbound the stiff bandages from their wounds, making them ready for him to dress. These men were called by the surgeons slightly wounded. One poor fellow from Alabama had both hands disabled. From one he had lost all his fingers excepting the fourth and thumb; and on the other he was shot through the wrist . This man was perfectly helpless. There were many just such slight wounds. One or two had lost an eye. Dr. Wellford was near where we were, as busy as he could possibly be, one of the ladies assisting him as I was Dr. J. After getting nearly through, I went into the rooms which were filled with badly wounded men in bed. I noticed many ladies bathing the men’s faces and attending to their wants in other ways.
While in one of the rooms, a young man called me by name, and told me he had seen my brother the night before, and that he was well. This young man was named Laramar, from Mobile, a member of the Fortieth Alabama Regiment. There was another with him; his name, I think, was Reesse, a member of the same regiment. There was also a Mr. Cox of Mobile, whom I knew, waiting on them. He is in the ordnance department in Atlanta.
Mr. L. informed me that the Seventeenth and Twenty-ninth Alabama regiments had suffered severely, and that Captain Haily of the Twenty-ninth was killed, and many of the others in that regiment.
It was a bright, moonlight night, and there were some folks who came into the hospital with provisions for the men. Dr. Wellford and a number of us took them and went all over, to see if we could find any in want, but nearly all had been supplied.
The men were lying all over the platform of the depot, preferring to remain there, so as to be ready for the train which would take them to other places.
I was informed that there were about seven or eight hundred wounded who had come in that evening.
Dr. Pursley is surgeon of the receiving hospital, and seemed to be doing all in his power for the sufferers. Every one in it looked wearied and worn out with the constant work which they had to do. The matron was very ill.
Dr. Bemiss, who is assistant medical director, was at the hospital, and going around in his usual kind manner, seeing that the men were attended to. About 10 o’clock he took Mrs. Harris and myself to Mrs. Lowenthall’s, where he boarded, who received us very kindly.
There was a young man visiting her, who was dressed in the extreme of fashion, with the addition of a few diamonds. I could not help contrasting him with the men I had just seen, who had been fighting for every thing truly noble—wounded, covered with dust, and many of them in rags.
Foppish dress is bad taste in a man at any time; but if there is one time more than another when it is out of place, it is the present. And I can not see why men think of such things just now, as no woman whose opinion is of any value has respect for those who do.
I have heard soldiers (I mean the fighting kind) say, that nothing disheartens them so much as to see men so overdressed.
I had promised Dr. B. that I would remain to breakfast the next morning, forgetting I had promised Mr. Tucker to be at the hospital by daylight, as he expected hundreds of wounded.
I kept my first promise, and as Mrs. H. did not feel very well, I went to the hospital by myself. While crossing the depot I met my friend, Mr. Gribble, and he accompanied me to it. On arriving there I found that no more wounded had come, but there were many there already, for whom I made toddies.
The scene which presented itself to me in the large room where we had been the night before was sickening.
There was pile after pile of rags, just as they had been taken from the wounds, covered with blood and the water used in bathing them. All of the attendants were too much exhausted to clean up.
These are things to which we have to shut our eyes, if we wish to do any good, as they can not be avoided.
I met Dr. Calvart of the Thirty-eighth Alabama Regiment, who requested me to get some rags for him, which I did, and assisted him as much as I could. He had some badly wounded men from his regiment.
Dr. C. told mo be had not eaten any thing for some time. I gave him some coffee, bread, and meat; and when I recollect now the place in which he ate it, I think we can get used to any thing. It was in the room or hall which I have just described.
We had concluded to return to Newnan, and as the cars did not start till 9 A. M., I visited one of the other hospitals, Dr. C. going with me; I think the name of it was the Medical College. The building is a very handsome one, and had just been fitted up. Every thing about it was in perfect order. It is one of the nicest hospitals in which I have ever been. It was filled with badly wounded men, as I am told is the case with every hospital in Atlanta. I found men there from every state in the Confederacy.
We left Atlanta on the passenger-car, and when half-way down had to get out, as the freight train that had left some hours before had met with an accident, and blocked up the road.
We got into a freight-car in front; in it there was a very large man, who had been in the car on which the accident happened; he had got mashed between two beams; his collar-bone was broken and his chest very much bruised, so that it was with difficulty he could breathe. His face was so much bruised that his eyes were almost closed. There were a number of surgeons on the cars, who were very kind to him. He is in our hospital, under Dr. Wellford’s care.
Major Davis of the Twentieth Alabama Regiment is at the Buckner Hospital, wounded in the head. On hearing he was from Mobile, I went to see him. He gave me a great deal of encouragement regarding this retreat of the army. Many can not understand why it is. He spoke very highly of General Johnston as a commander, and said he believed that in all his retreating he had not left as much as an old wheel for the enemy, and he never fought them unless he was certain of a victory. He also said that the men were better fed and better clad than they had ever been.
There is much talk at present about one of our cavalry officers, who is said to have killed six prisoners that he expected would be recaptured. It is reported that many of the men of the army have petitioned Gen. J. to send this officer to the enemy, and let them do what they please with him.
Major D. approved of what the men had done, and regretted that their petition had not been granted, as no punishment could be too severe for any man guilty of such barbarity. He also told me the enemy had shot six of our innocent men in retaliation.
When will men cease to do what is unjustifiable in the eyes of both God and man?
Major D. spoke highly of Ben Lane Poesy; says he is one of the bravest men we have, although a little eccentric.
