ing up in the air--but he
could balance himself and get around quite a little. This was regarded in
the hospital as a remarkable cure and it was attributed to the remarkable
vitality of the man.

During the first weeks I was in the hospital, when the ward was full of
wounded men, many of them seriously wounded, it would be expected there
would be considerable noise. To the contrary there was almost no noise at
all. One almost never heard a moan and the attendants wore slippers with
felt bottoms, so they moved about making hardly the slightest noise.

Dr. Ensign, the doctor who had charge of Ward 4, was a New York doctor. In
addition to his having the care of Ward 4, he was operating surgeon of the
whole hospital. He and Dr. Bates, I think, were the two principal
physicians there. Dr. Bates, as already stated, had charge of the two
worst wards--the gangrene ward and the erysipelas ward. Dr. Moseley, the
head doctor, was, I think, just a figure head. He never did anything and
was seldom seen about the hospital.

By the first of March I was on crutches and able to get around pretty
well. So desiring to hear the President deliver his inaugural address on
the 4th of March, I, early in the forenoon, went down to the Capitol, got
into a good position on the east side to see and hear Mr. Lincoln. I
stayed there, heard the address, saw the sun burst out on Mr. Lincoln. The
throng came, the famous Second Inaugural Address was given, the throng
melted away, and I returned to the hospital again. When evening came I
went over to the White House to a public reception, fell into line, and
passed around and shook hands with Mr. Lincoln. He seemed to be in the
best of spirits.

April 10. The daily papers announced the welcome news of the surrender of
General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. The surrender had taken
place the afternoon before at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. It was the
signal for the display of the greatest enthusiasm. In a short time salutes
began to be fired, and every fortification and every battery in the
vicinity of Washington fired a national salute. We boys in the hospital
climbed up on to the top of the wards; from there we could see the smoke
shoot out from the top of every hill in sight, and the roar of the
artillery was like a great battle.

After Lee's surrender, the period of national rejoicing was destined to be
short, and terminated in a most abrupt and tragical manner--the
assassination of P