Notes of hospital life from November, 1861, to August, 1863 — John Shaqi
Notes of hospital life from November, 1861, to August, 1863Anonymous
History
Notes of hospital life from November, 1861, to August, 1863
Anonymous
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Hospitals
But this victory, like many another we have won, is a very partial
one; the fortress may be gained, but the difficulty is to hold it,
and garrison it with the troops that we would fain see there. Golden
Charity, the commander-in-chief of our forces, has had, and will yet
have, many a weary battle to wage, ere She can obtain even a foothold
in such unwonted quarters; but with the all-important aid of Her staff
officers, Faith and Hope, we look for final success, even though we may
not be permitted to see it.
But do not imagine that poor Ennis has been the victim of this
digression. After a few moments’ conversation, the eager, excited tone
died away, and he told me quietly that he had been brought up in “the
woods of Jersey;” had driven a team there, and worked on a farm; spoke of
his ignorance with pain; the great grief seemed to be that he could not
read; if he should live, wouldn’t I teach him?
“Nobody never taught me nothing; will God mind, if I should die?”
“Did your mother never teach you your letters?”
“She don’t know ’em herself.”
A little more talk, and the sentences became broken, the words
disconnected, and ere long I left him in a natural, comfortable sleep.
He suffered terribly from pain in his head, and the doctor had forbidden
all unnecessary noise in the ward. I was therefore not a little surprised
the next morning as I approached the door, to hear loud, noisy singing,
laughing and talking alternately, such as I had never at any time heard
since I had visited the hospital.
I paused at the door, hesitating to enter, and knowing the state in which
I had left Ennis, both provoked and indignant. Just at that moment, one
of the orderlies came out, and to my question as to the meaning of the
disturbance, informed me that a new case of violent fever and delirium
had just been brought in, and as the other wards were crowded, it had
been a necessity to place him here. Thus re-assured, I walked in, when
Wilson at once came up to me with, “Oh, Miss ---- if you would only try.
This man’s out of his head--he can’t live--and the doctor ordered us to
find out where his friends are, if possible, and let them know. He has a
good deal of money in his knapsack, and we should like to know what to do
with it; if his friends are far off, they couldn’t be here in time, but
we can’t tell.”
“Has he had no intervals of consciousness?” I asked, not caring to show
how I shrank from the task.
“None, and he won’t have till he goes into a stupor, and then the game’s
up.”
I was too much worried at the time to ask whether an “interval of
consciousness” was supposed to exist during a stupor, as his words seemed
to imply, and merely said,
“But if you have tried in vain, what object is there in my speaking to
him?”
As I spoke, a burst of noisy, insane laughter came from his lips, and
rang discordantly through the ward; he tried to spring from his bed, but
was forcibly held on each side.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account