The home to the hospital : addressed to the sick and wounded of the army of the Union / by John F.W. Ware.

  • John F. W. Ware
Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The home to the hospital : addressed to the sick and wounded of the army of the Union / by John F.W. Ware. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Before the work is accomplished, you are with- drawn. The fortune of war has taken you out of the active duties of camp and of field. Sickness lias laid its liand on you: the bullet and the sword have found you. Separate alike from comrades and from home, you no longer share in the fatigue of the march, the excitement of the picket, the rough jileasures of the bivouac, or the dangers of battle. The strong limbs which have borne you under hot suns, pelting storms, heavy burdens, refuse now their service, and you, once sufficient to your own wanU, must now wait for the ministries of others. The might of the warrior is less than the strength of a child. Only in heart are you strong. We long to be with you, to show that we love as we speak, and, by such service as only home can bring, to soothe your sorrows and pains. But it cannot be. It is hard, but it is best. Faithful and tender assistants and nurses watch over you, not, indeed, as we would, not as mother and sister and wife. We bless them for their unselfish devotion, and submit to the necessity that keeps us away. We will be patient and hope. Do not think we speak idly, when we beg you likewise to submit, be patient, and hope! One of God’s best gifts, sickness, is never wel- come to man. It is never easy to bear. Suffer- ing and weariness will come even where affection and wealth strive to avert them. The nameless