| The Life of Dr. J.R. Miller |
Chapter 3 |
Page 6 |
“As soon as the railroad was restored, Martinsburg became a place of great importance to our work. Almost every wagon train from the front brought down two, three, or five hundred men on their way to the hospitals of Baltimore and other cities. During the first few weeks, these men were taken, as soon as they arrived, into the churches and other public buildings, from the wagons, and there remained till the following afternoon. It is twenty two miles from Winchester to Martinsburg. And over all this distance, in hard army wagons, over rough roads, with no beds, or even straw to lie upon, and with no rest, and nothing to eat by the way, these poor, mangled men had to travel. We were always apprised of their coming an hour or more before they began to arrive, and large camp kettles full of water were placed over the fire, and soon forty or fifty gallons of tea were ready. Then, with tea, crackers, cheese, meats and fruits, our delegates hurried about from place to place, till all were fed. Then came the bathing, and washing, and dressing, and it was usually well nigh morning before all was done; but after a night’s hard labour our delegates have always felt amply repaid for their toil in the gratitude of many noble hearts. In the morning the same routine began again; and at noon the brave fellows were placed in the cars for another long, hard ride; and our last act was always to make them as comfortable as possible on their hard beds on the cars.
“Too much cannot be said in praise of the noble ladies of Martinsburg, and their deeds of benevolence performed toward our suffering soldiers during the campaign. The many men who have from time to time lain in the hospitals of Martinsburg will always remember with gratitude the loyal people who so gladly and so freely shared with them the comforts and luxuries of their own homes.
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