But it was not the managers and leaders of these central associations
alone whose untiring exertions, and patient fidelity to their patriotic
work should excite our admiration and reverence. Though moving in a
smaller circle, and dealing with details rather than aggregates, there
were, in almost every village and town, those whose zeal, energy, and
devotion to their patriotic work, was as worthy of record, and as heroic
in character, as the labors of their sisters in the cities. We cannot
record the names of those thousands of noble women, but their record is
on high, and in the grand assize, their zealous toil to relieve their
suffering brothers, who were fighting or had fought the nation's
battles, will be recognized by Him, who regards every such act of love
and philanthropy as done to Himself.

Nor are these, alone, among those whose deeds of love and patriotism
are inscribed in the heavenly record. The whole history of the
contributions for relief, is glorified by its abundant instances of
self-sacrifice. The rich gave, often, largely and nobly from their
wealth; but a full moiety of the fifty millions of voluntary gifts, came
from the hard earnings, or patient labors of the poor, often bestowed at
the cost of painful privation. Incidents like the following were of
every-day occurrence, during the later years of the war: In one of the
mountainous countries at the North, in a scattered farming district,
lived a mother and daughters, too poor to obtain by purchase, the
material for making hospital clothing, yet resolved to do something for
the soldier. Twelve miles distant, over the mountain, and accessible
only by a road almost impassable, was the county-town, in which there
was a Relief Association. Borrowing a neighbor's horse, either the
mother or daughters came regularly every fortnight, to procure from this
society, garments to make up for the hospital. They had no money; but
though the care of their few acres of sterile land devolved upon
themselves alone, they could and would find time to work for the
sufferers in the hospitals. At length, curious to know the secret of
such fervor in the cause, one of the managers of the association
addressed them: "You have some relative, a son, or brother, or father,
in the war, I suppose?" "No!" was the reply, "not now; our only brother
fell at Ball's Bluff." "Why then," asked the manager, "do you feel so
deep an interest in this work?" "Our country's cause is the cause of