d desolate coast, the woman of the prairie, and of the
cities, the wife and daughter of the mechanic, and the farmer, of the
merchant, and the professional man, the lady from the mansion of wealth,
proud perhaps of her old name, of her culture and refinement--all met
and labored together, bound by one common bond of patriotism and of
sympathy.

Mrs. Parrish was one of the first to lay her talents and her efforts
upon the altar of her country. In 1861, and almost as soon as the need
of woman's self-sacrificing labors became apparent, she volunteered her
services in behalf of the sick and wounded soldiers of the Union.

She visited Washington while the army was yet at the capital and in its
vicinity. Her husband, Dr. Parrish, had become connected with the newly
organized Sanitary Commission, and in company with him and other
gentlemen similarly connected, she examined the different forts,
barracks, camps, and hospitals then occupied by our troops, for the
purpose of ascertaining their condition, and selecting a suitable sphere
for the work in which she intended to engage.

On the first day of 1862, she commenced her hospital labors, selecting
for that purpose the Georgetown Seminary Hospital. She wrote letters for
the patients, read to them, and gave to them all the aid and comfort in
her power; and she was thus enabled to learn their real wants, and to
seek the means of supplying them. Their needs were many, and awakened
all her sympathies and incited her to ever-renewed effort. After one
day's trial of these new scenes, she wrote thus in her journal, January
2, 1862: "My heart is so oppressed with the sight of suffering I see
around me that I am almost unfitted for usefulness; such sights are new
to me. I feel the need of some resource, where I may apply for
delicacies and comforts, which are positively necessary. The Sanitary
Commission is rapidly becoming the sinew of strength for the sick and
wounded, and I will go to their store-rooms." Application was made to
the Commission, and readily and promptly responded to. She was
authorized to draw from their stores, and was promised aid and
protection from the organization.

Both camps and hospitals were rapidly filling up; the weather was
inclement and the roads bad, but at the solicitation of other earnest
workers, she made occasional visits to camps in the country, and
distributed clothing, books and comforts of various kinds. The "Berdan
Sharp-shooters" were encamp