the sick, with her own hands,
he was still more impressed with these evidences of her "good, heroic
womanhood," and her disinterested benevolence. Recently he has procured
a few particulars of her history, which will serve for a brief sketch.

Miss Maertz was born in Quincy, Illinois, in 1838. Her parents were of
German birth, and among the early settlers of the place. From infancy
she was of a delicate constitution, and suffered much from ill health;
and at the age of eighteen years she was sent to Europe in the hope that
she might derive benefit from the mineral springs of Germany and from
travel and change of climate. Two years in Germany, Switzerland and
Italy were spent in traveling and in the society of her relatives, some
of whom were the personal friends of the Monods of Paris, Guizot, the
Gurneys of England, Merle D'Aubigne, of Geneva, and other literary
people of Europe, with several of whom she became acquainted. From this
visit abroad she received much benefit, and her general health was
greatly improved.

From an early period she had cherished two strong aspirations, the
desire of knowledge, and the wish to devote herself to works of charity.
Her heart was always ready to sympathize with the sufferings and sorrows
of humanity; and the cause of the orphan, the slave, the poor and the
helpless excited a deep interest in her mind, and a desire to devote
herself in some way to their relief. After her return from Europe it
became an absorbing aspiration and the subject of earnest prayer that
God would show her some way in which she could be useful to humanity.

As she was thus becoming prepared for the work upon which she afterwards
entered, the great rebellion, which involved the country in the late
civil war, broke forth; the early battles in Missouri, and at Fort
Donelson and Belmont led to the establishment of hospitals in St. Louis,
at Mound City, and at Quincy, Illinois; and the opportunity came to Miss
Maertz, which she had so long desired, to undertake some work of charity
and benevolence. During the months of October and November, 1861, she
commenced the daily visitation of the hospitals in Quincy, carried with
her delicacies for the sick and distributed them, procured the redress
of any grievances they suffered, read the Scriptures and conversed with
them, wrote letters for them to their friends, dressed their wounds, and
furnished them books, papers, and sources of amusement. Although her
physical