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Library of Congress Half a century HALF A CENTURY. BY JANE GREY SWISSHELM. * * * “God so willed: Mankind is ignorant! a man am I: Call ignorance my sorrow, not my sin!” * * “O, still as ever friends are they Who, in the interest of outraged truth Deprecate such rough handling of a lie!” ROBERT BROWNING LC CHICAGO: J. G. SWISSHELM. 1880. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1880, by J. G. SWISSHELM, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Gift of Samuel Hay Kauffmann 26 Mar 1907 LC STEREOTYPED, PRINTED AND BOUND BY THE CHICAGO LEGAL NEWS COMPANY. 3 PREFACE It has been assumed, and is generally believed, that the Anti-slavery struggle, which culminated in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, originated in Infidelity, and was a Half a century http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.07633 Library of Congress triumph of Skepticism over Christianity. In no way can this error be so well corrected as by the, personal history of those who took part in that struggle; and as most of them have passed from earth without leaving any record of the education and motives which underlay their action, the duty they neglected becomes doubly incumbent on the few who remain. To supply one quota of the inside history of the great Abolition war, is is the primary object of this work; but scarcely secondary to this object is that of recording incidents characteristic of the Peculiar Institution overthrown in that struggle. Another object, and one which struggles for precedence, is to give an inside history of the hospitals during the war of the Rebellion, that the American people may not forget the cost of that Government so often imperiled through their indifference. 4 A third object, is to give an analysis of the ground which produced the Woman's Rights agitation, and the causes which limited its influence. A fourth is, to illustrate the force of education and the mutability of human character, by a personal narrative of one who, in 1886, would have broken an engagement rather than permit her name to appear in print, even in the announcement of marriage; and who, in 1850, had as much newspaper notoriety as any man of that time, and was singularly indifferent to the praise or blame of the Press;—of one who, in 1837, could not break the seal of silence set upon her lips by “Inspiration.” even so far as to pray with a man dying of intemperance, and who yet, in 1869, addressed the Minnesota Senate in session, and as many others as could be packed in the hall, with no more embarrassment than though talking with a friend in a chimney corner. J. G. S. 5 CONTENTS. Half a century http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.07633 Library of Congress CHAPTER PAGE I. I Find Life, 7 II. Progress in Calvinism, Hunt Ghosts, See La Fayette, 12 III. Father's Death, 18 IV. Go to Boarding School, 21 V. Lose my Brother, 29 VI. Join Church, and make New Endeavors to keep Sabbath, 34 VII. Deliver of the Dark Night, 38 VIII. Fitting Myself into My Sphere, 47 IX. Habitations of Horrid Cruelty, 51 X. Kentucky Contempt for Labor, 60 XI. Rebellion, 65 XII. The Valley of the Shadow of Death, 68 XIII. “ Labor—Service or Act,”, 72 XIV. Swissvale, 74 XV. Willows by the Water-courses, 78 XVI. The Waters grow Deep, 80 Half a century http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.07633 Library of Congress XVII. My Name Appears in Print, 87 XVIII. Mexican War Letters, 91 XIX. Training School, 97 XX. Rights of Married Women, 101 XXL. Pittsburg Saturday Visiter, 105 XXII. Reception of The Visiter, 112 XXIII. My Crooked Telescope, 115 XXIV. Mint, Cummin and Annis, 120 XXV. Free Soil Party, 121 XXVI. Visit Washington, 124 XXVII. Daniel Webster, 131 XXVIII. Fugitive Slave Law—The Two Riddles. 136 XXIX. Bloomers and Woman's Rights Conventions, 139 XXX. Many Matters, 145 XXXI. The Mother Church, 150 XXXII. Politics and Printers, 155 XXXIII. Sumner, Burlingame and Cassius M. Clay, 158 Half a century http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.07633 Library of Congress XXXIV. Finance and Desertion, 162 XXXV. My Hermitage, 170 6 XXXVI. The Minnesota Dictator, 171 XXXVII. Another Visiter, 178 XXXVIII. Border Ruffianism, 181 XXXIX. Speak in Public, 185 XL. A Famous Victory, 189 XLI. State and National Politics, 196 XLII. Religious Controversies, 202 XLIII. Frontier Life, 205 XLIV. Printers, 209 XLV. The Rebellion, 211 XLVI. Platforms, 214 XLVII. Out Into the World and Home Again, 217 XLVIII. The Aristocracy of the West, 223 XLIX. The Indian Massacre of '62, 228 L. A Missive and A Mission, 233 Half a century http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.07633 Library of Congress LI. No Use for Me Among the Wounded, 238 LII. Find Work, 243 LIII. Hospital Gangrene, 251 LIV. Get Permission to Work, 253 LV. Find a Name, 255 LVI. Drop my Alias, 261 LVII. Hospital Dress, 264 LVIII. Special Work, 266 LIX. Heroic and Anti-heroic Treatment, 269 LX. Cost of Order, 274 LXI. Learn to Control Pyæmia, 279 LXII. First Case of Growing a New Bone, 281 LXIII. A Heroic Mother, 287 LXIV. Two Kinds of Appreciation, 289 LXV. Life and Death, 295 LXVI. Meet Miss Dix and go to Fredericksburg, 300 LXVII. The Old Theater, 306 Half a century http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.07633 Library of Congress LXVIII. Am Placed in Authority, 314 LXIX. Visitors, 317 LXX. Wounded Officers, 322 LXXI. “ Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep,” 325 LXXII. More Victims and a Change of Base, 329 LXXIII. Prayers Enough and to Spare, 335 LXXIV. Get Out of the Old Theater, 338 LXXV. Take Boat and See a Social Party, 341 LXXVI. Take Final Leave of Fredericksburg, 344 LXXVII. Try to Get Up a Society and Get Sick, 354 LXXVIII. An Efficient Nurse, 357 LXXIX. Two Fredericksburg Patients, 358 LXXX. Am Enlightened, 360 Conclusion, 362 7 HALF A CENTURY. CHAPTER I. I FIND LIFE. Half a century http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.07633 Library of Congress Those soft pink circles which fell upon my face and hands, caught in my hair, danced around my feet, and frolicked over the billowy waves of bright, green grass—did I know they were apple blossoms? Did I know it was an apple tree through which I looked up to the blue sky, over which white clouds scudded away toward the great hills? Had I slept and been awakened by the wind to find myself in the world? It is probable that I had for some time been familiar with that tree, and all my surroundings, for I had been breathing two and a half years, and had made some progress in the art of reading and sewing, saying catechism and prayers. I knew the gray kitten which walked away; knew that the girl who brought it back and reproved me for not holding it was Adaline, my nurse; knew that the young lady who stood near was cousin Sarah Alexander, and that the girl to whom she gave directions about putting bread into a brick oven was Big Jane; that I was Little Jane, and that the white house across the common was Squire Horner's. 8 There was no surprise in anything save the loveliness of blossom and tree; of the grass beneath and the sky above; and this first indelible imprint on my memory seems to have found this inner something I call me, as capable of reasoning as it has ever been. While I sat and wondered, father came, took me in his loving arms and carried me to mother's room, where she lay in a tent-bed, with blue foliage and blue birds outlined on the white ground of the curtains, like the apple-boughs on the blue and white sky. The cover was turned down, and I was permitted to kiss a baby-sister, and warned to be good, lest Mrs. Dampster, who had brought the baby, should come and take it away. This autocrat was pointed out, as she sat in a gray dress, white 'kerchief and cap, and no other potentate has ever inspired me with such reverential awe. My second memory is of a “great awakening” to a sense of sin, and of my lost and undone condition. On a warm summer day, while walking alone on the common which lay between Half a century http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbum.07633 Library of Congress home and Squire Horner's house, I was struck motionless by the thought that I had forgotten God. It seemed probable, considering the total depravity of my nature, that I had been thinking bad thoughts, and these I labored to recall. that I might repent and plead with Divine mercy for forgiveness. But alas! I could remember nothing save the crowning crime—forgetfulness of God. I seemed to stand outside, and see myself a mere mite, in a pink sun-bonnet and white bib, the very chief of sinners, for the probability was I had been thinking of that bonnet and bib. It was quite certain 9 that God knew my sin; and ah, the crushing horror that I could, by no possibility conceal aught from the All-seeing Eye, while it was equally impossible to win its approval. The Divine Law was so perfect that I could not hope to meet its requirements—the Divine Law-giver so alert that no sin could escape detection. Under that cloud of doom the sunshine grew dark, and I did not dare to move until a cheery voice called out something about my pretty bonnet, and gave me a sense of companionship in this dreadful, dreadful world.

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