Lincoln General Hospital

Item MED-10486

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 3 pages, written in period ink.


Lincoln General Hospital
B. B. Ward 8

October 6, 1864

Dr. Dennler

Sir,

We, your former patients, hope you will use your influence towards getting Patrick Cooper to his company. He is disgracing us here by getting drunk and exposing himself. We fear that rough his meanness, we who are sick will lose the goodwill of the doctor of this ward. The other day he got drunk and commenced to tell what a mean man you are. He says your ward is not to be relied on. He told John Sheridan that you never would get his discharge because your war was not trustworthy. And he says he don’t believe that ever meant to give the rest of us passes.

When he was drunk, he began to tell how they used to water the tea in the cook house and how you and Dr. Russell lived on hospital rations. And that there was three hundred dollars saved in the cook house one month.

We hope you will write to the doctor and have him sent to his company. For we are ashamed of him. He is mad with you because you did not give him a furlough or a discharge.

John Sheridan can tell you how he talked about you and how you tried to get a Major’s position and failed in the attempt.

Please do not tell him that you received any letter. Because this is written to you in friendship by one who will always respect and admire you for your kindness to him when sick. The doctor here is going to give us all papers to go home till after the election.

Believe me that you have the undivided esteem of all of us, your former patients.

The doctor in charge of this ward is Thomas R. Sewall.