shattered and shrieking, by
thoughtless hands, who banged the stretchers against pillars and posts,
dumped them anywhere, and walked over the men without compassion.
Imagine an immense river-steamboat filled on every deck: every berth,
every square inch of room, covered with wounded men,--even the stairs
and gangways and guards filled with those who were less badly wounded;
and then imagine fifty well men, on every kind of errand, hurried and
impatient, rushing to and fro, every touch bringing agony to the poor
fellows, whilst stretcher after stretcher comes along, hoping to find an
empty place; and then imagine what it was for these people of the
Commission to keep calm themselves, and make sure that each man, on such
a boat as that, was properly refreshed and fed. Sometimes two or even
three such boats were lying side by side, full of suffering and horrors.

This was the condition of things with the subordinates. With the chiefs
it was aggravated by a wild confusion of conflicting orders from
headquarters, and conflicting authority upon the ground, until the
wonder is that _any_ method could have been obtained. But an earnest
purpose can do almost everything, and out of the struggle came daylight
at last. The first gleam of it was from a hospital tent and kitchen,
which, by the goodness and thoughtfulness of Captain (now Colonel)
Sawtelle, Assistant-Quartermaster, was pitched for the Commission, just
at the head of the wharf, and near the spot where the men arrived in the
cars. This tent (Dr. Ware gave to its preparation the only hour when he
might have rested through that long nightmare) became the strength and
the comfort of the Commission people. As the men passed it, from cars to
boat, they could be refreshed and stimulated, and from it meals were
sent to all the boats at the landing. During that dreadful battle-week,
three thousand men were fed from that tent. It was not the Vale of
Cashmere, but many dear associations cluster round it.

After the pressure was over, the Commission went back to its old
routine, but upon a new principle. A member of the Commission came down
to White House for a day or two, and afterward wrote a few words about
that work. As he saw it with a fresh eye, his letter will be given here.
He says:--

"I wish you could have been with me at White House during my late visit,
to see how much is being done by our agents there to alleviate the
sufferings of the sick and wounded soldiers. I h