aste of packing--entirely filling the
two wagons already in advance.

An ambulance had been spoken of. We waited a little while by the
roadside, but the ambulance did not appear. Then, halting a wagon loaded
with bales of hay, we begged a ride of the driver, and our little party,
Dr. and Mrs. Gardner, James McDowell, and myself, took our seats on the
hay and made our way to the front, Dr. Hubbell following afoot. Four
hours' ride brought us to the First Division Hospital of the Fifth Army
Corps--General Shafter's headquarters.

The sight that met us on going into the so-called hospital grounds was
something indescribable. The land was perfectly level; no drainage
whatever; covered with long, tangled grass; skirted by trees, brush,
and shrubbery; a few little dog-tents not much larger than could have
been made of an ordinary table-cloth thrown over a short rail, and under
these lay huddled together the men fresh from the field or from the
operating-tables, with no covering over them save such as had clung to
them through their troubles, and in the majority of cases no blanket
under them.

Those who had come from the tables, having been compelled to leave all
the clothing they had, as too wet, muddy, and bloody to be retained,
were entirely nude, lying on the stubble grass, the sun fitfully dealing
with them, sometimes clouding over and again streaming out in a blaze
above them. Fortunately, among our supplies were some bolts of
unbleached cotton, and this we cut in sheet lengths, and the men of our
party went about and covered the poor fellows, who lay there with no
shelter either from the elements or the eyes of the passers-by.

A half dozen bricks laid about a yard apart, a couple of pieces of
wagon-tire laid across these, so low and so near the ground that no fire
of any strength or benefit could be made--the bits of wet wood put
under crosswise, with the smoke streaming a foot out on either side, two
kettles of coffee or soup, and a small frying-pan with some meat in
it--appeared to be the cook-house for these men. They told us there were
about eight hundred men under the tents and lying in the grass, and more
constantly coming in.

After a few moments' consultation as to the best methods to be pursued,
we too gathered stones and bricks and constructed a longer, higher
fireplace, got more wagon-tires, found the water, and soon our great
agate kettles of seven and ten gallons were filled.

The rain, that had be