"The sight of blood never again affected me"
With the departure of the two armies following the battle, the burden of caring for the wounded fell largely on the shoulders of the local civilians. Although much attention has been paid to the United States Sanitary Commission and the Christian Commission, little notice has been given to the area citizens whose houses and barns were used as field hospitals.
Sally Myers, a young woman of 21 in 1863, was one of the many local residents who nursed the wounded at Camp Letterman. In later years she recalled:
The sight of blood never again affected me and I was among the wounded and dying men day and night. While the battle lasted and the town was in possession of the rebels, I went back and forth between my home and the hospitals without fear. The soldiers called me brave, but I am afraid the truth was that I did not know enough to be afraid and if I had known enough I had no time to think of the risk I ran, for my heart and my hands were full... I shall always be thankful that I was permitted to minster to the wants and soothe the last hours of some of the brave men who lay suffering and dying for the dear old flag.
Marker is on Natural Springs Road, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
