fire) stood a table and
chairs for the surgeons, who came in after each round through the
wards, to leave special directions and diet-lists. Through the day
this room was a cheerful place. I seldom entered it without finding
one or more visitors, especially in the morning, when the surgeons
always met there, and their wives generally joined them. On the other
side of the hall was the distributing-room in one corner, in the other
a store-room, where, also, under my own lock and key, I kept the
effects of dead soldiers, labelled and ready for identification by
their friends. I was assisted in this work, in keeping the linen-room
in order, and in various other ways, by a young German who had been
detailed for that purpose. He was a well-educated young man and a fine
musician,--in fact, had been a professor of music before the war, had
entered the service intelligently, desiring to remain in active
service, but some disability caused his detail. His position was no
sinecure: he was expected to keep a full account of all stores in my
department, all bedding, hospital clothing, all clothing of the
patients, and a great many other things, having full charge of the
laundry and the laundresses, with whom he was always in "hot water."
For this reason he was dubbed by the surgeons _General Blandner_, and
his employees were called _Blandner's Brigade_. He was methodical in
all things. His books were exquisitely kept. I had been a good
musician, and now used often to sing to Blandner's lute, which he
played in a masterly manner. His improvisations were a great delight
to me, and, finding me so appreciative, he composed a lovely set of
waltzes, "_The Hospital Waltzes_," which were dedicated to me, but
never published, only exquisitely written out on pieces of wall-paper
by the composer. After the war, Mr. Blandner obtained through Dr.
McAllister the position of professor of music at the female college at
Marion, Alabama, but removed later to Philadelphia, whore he now
resides, still as a professor and teacher of music.

The cold increased, and the number of patients grew larger. Snow and
ice rendered it difficult for me to get to the wards, as they lay
quite far apart. The boarding-house at first occupied by the surgeons'
families was now vacated and fitted up for officers' wards, a room
being found for me in a log house, owned by an old lady, Mrs. Evans,
whose sons, except the youngest, a mere lad, were in the Confederate
army.