Had I retained possession of these
treasures, I would have proudly bequeathed them to my children; but,
alas! these, like everything else, fell into the hands of raiders.
Many officers of distinction visited my little sanctum,--not only
surgeons from other posts, but men of military distinction, clergymen,
and others. General Bragg came frequently for a time, also Bishop
Beckwith, and many others whose faces come to me while their names
elude the grasp of memory. I welcomed them all alike, for I have never
felt a prouder heart-throb in the presence of an officer, no matter
how exalted his rank, than while viewing the shadowy forms of my
convalescents or answering their earnest greetings as they passed in
and out of my office, or rested awhile in my one easy-chair, or, still
better, came with buoyant step and bright eyes to bid me farewell when
ready to report for duty, never failing to leave with me the "God
bless you!" so precious to my soul.
Some of the poor fellows who were wounded at the battle of
Murfreesboro' now began to suffer from gangrene. Tents were pitched
outside the hospital for such cases, and it was often my fate to stand
beside these sufferers while the surgeon removed unhealthy granulation
with instruments or eating acids, or in other ways tortured the poor
fellows to save life.
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