Sunday, August 14.—We expected to leave to-day, but the cars did not come down from Atlanta. Mrs. Johnston and Mrs. Ashcraft have taken the men under their care, and Mrs. Captain Nott, who is very kind to the wounded, will also do her part. Dr. Smith is surgeon in charge, and is having every thing put in order. The ladies of the place have been very kind, and have sent the men all kinds of nice things.
I have spent a portion of the day with the young lad who cried so much the first night I came over here. He is wounded in the foot, has gangrene, and suffers excruciating pain. His name is Morgan, and he is from Mississippi. A Mrs. Ross has kindly offered to take sole charge of him. He has begged Mrs. W. and me to take him with us.
Mrs. W. has been very busy; she does not know what I have been doing, nor I of her doings.
A Lieutenant Sommerlin, from Covington, Georgia, is here, badly wounded; his wife, a lovely woman, is taking care of him.
She told me she was in Covington when the raiders passed through there, and that they committed some terrible outrages; among others was the shooting of a Captain Daniel, a cousin of Miss W., of whom I had heard her often speak. He was in the state service, and the vandals made believe they thought him a bushwhacker. He has left a large family of motherless children to mourn for him. He was a man of a highly cultivated mind, and stood well in the estimation of all.
They went to the house of an old man, and as he knew they had come with designs on his life, he sold it dearly. He fought manfully, and killed some half dozen before he fell.
Several of our attendants have come back; they had been sent for the bunks and other things that our folks were not able to take with them.
The hospitals went to Macon by Atlanta, and one of the men has informed me that while passing there the shells flew all around the train, and one struck within a few feet of them.
Atlanta is closely besieged. General Hood is now in command of this army. I believe Johnston is in Macon. There have been many conjectures as to this change of commanders, but no one can tell exactly the why or the wherefore.
Last evening Mrs. Brooks and myself went up to the College Hospital, in which are many of our wounded, besides the prisoners. Among our men I found two Scotchmen, very badly wounded. The wounded Federal captain that I had seen before was here, and looked badly. The prisoners are in much better quarters in this hospital than our men at the Coweta House.
All have fared much better than they have with us, as Mr. Kellogg, the steward, owns the building and has all of his own furniture. There are two ladies who take care of the patients—Mrs. Kellogg and Mrs. Alexander—both kind and excellent women.
We have had a few false alarms about the enemy coming, but they have always turned out to be our own cavalry.
We are leaving many good friends in Newnan; Mr. Dougherty’s family and many others have been very kind to us. As we have been much engaged, we have visited little. I spent a very pleasant evening at the house of Dr. Reesse; Mrs. R. is an excellent lady, and her daughters are highly educated young ladies and accomplished musicians.
Some time ago we all spent a delightful evening at the house of Mr. Bigby. We had a very fine supper, and all on the table was of home production, with the exception of the tea. But the supper was the least of the entertainment. Mrs. B. is a most charming lady, is a poetess, and is called the Mrs. Browning of the South. Lately she published a poem in the Field and Fireside, called Judith. She was earnestly requested by Dr. Hughes to read it, and did so It was certainly a treat, for she lent to the “rhyme of the poet the music of her voice.”
Mr. B. is a lawyer and a polished gentleman. Their residence is in a romantic part of the city, is a handsome building, inclosed in a very pretty garden filled with choice flowers.
There are some very nice residences in this place, and many very beautiful flower-gardens, laid out with a great deal of taste.
The people here seem to regret our leaving the post, though I am told the quartermaster owes many of them money for house rent, etc. I know that Mr. Dougherty has not received one dollar from the government, and we have cut down quantities of timber on his land.
Our post surgeons have been careful to respect the rights of private citizens, and with the exception of taking the churches when we first came here, I believe there have been no buildings taken for hospital purposes without the consent of the owners. In Chattanooga we were constantly coming in collision with the people for taking their property for government purposes. I do not know who was to blame, but I do know that such was the case.
