A few days after, I again visited the hospital, taking with me, among other things, two large bottles of blackberry-wine, designed for special cases. At the door I was informed by the guard that the doctor was not in, and that he had given him positive orders to admit no one--not even the President of the United States--during his absence. I did not wish the soldier to violate orders, but I did want to be admitted. I finally obtained the desired permission from the sergeant of the guard. I left the wine in care of one of the nurses, with instructions to give none of it to the patients until the doctor’s return; if it met his approbation, well. Seeing no cause for offence, I left the hospital before his “highness” returned. But upon my next visit I learned that the doctor, upon his return, was mad with rage, and, seizing one of the bottles, hurled it out of the window--the other was saved by being hidden under the sick man’s pillow for whom it was intended--shamefully abused the guard, threatened the sergeant (which, haply, was all he could do, there being a limit to his power), and declared that his orders should be obeyed. He for whom the wine was hidden took it without the doctor’s knowledge, and recovered; while the other--poor Mr. Kinney--died a few days after. I do not know that, in the former case, the wine hastened the sick man’s recovery, neither do I believe that it retarded it. As to the other, I do not think it would have saved life or hastened death; but there being so little hope of his recovery, and he so anxious to take it, it seemed cruel and inhuman to deny him. Let the case be as it may, with reference to those in question, there were many instances in which blackberry-wine was the means of saving life and restoring health. Not long after this, I made application to this same high official (!)--a contract surgeon, with the rank of lieutenant--for the discharge of two soldiers, viz., Steven Benson, of the Seventh Michigan Cavalry, and Daniel Peters, of the Sixth--the former sick with consumption, the other with chronic diarrhœa. I was informed by the doctor that these two persons had already been examined for discharge, their papers made out, and forwarded to the office of the Medical Director for approval. This of course satisfied me; but I always made it convenient, whenever I went to Alexandria to call and inquire concerning them. Weeks passed, and nothing was heard from them. I again went to the doctor, and inquired “if he could account for the delay.” He replied: “I made up my mind some days ago that they were lost, and have had them made out the second time, and I have no doubt they will be returned in a few days.” I now felt doubly sure that all was as he had said.