marshal was drunk.

"O, yes, and it's no new trick; go on."

And without further difficulty we reached the group of sufferers, who
were shivering as if in an ague fit. I threw to each family two
blankets or quilts, and more than forty children were crawling between
them within three minutes. I gave to each of those twenty women a suit
of men's clothing that day to help them out of this intense suffering.
I gave them also three rag-carpet blankets out of the four that were
sent me by a woman who took up a new rag-carpet she had just put
down, and cut it into four pieces after listening to the recital of
the great suffering in these camps. She said she should put no more
carpets on her floor as long as the war lasted.

Although I had seen so many marks of cruelty among these people, yet I
said to myself, O that these poor people had remained in their old
homes a little longer! Surely they can not suffer there like this. A
little girl came for me to go to the old blacksmith-shop used as a
temporary hospital, as her mother thought her brother was dying, and
another brother was very sick. I entered that shop, and listened to
the groans of the dying. I repeated to myself, O that they had waited
a little longer! Four men and the little son of the distressed mother
that sent for me were evidently dying, and four others were sick with
pneumonia. The mother of these two sick boys was doing all she could
for them all. I gave her ground mustard to make poultices, and ginger
for those who had chills, and told her how to use them. I had a few
pounds of each, and generally took a little package with me,
especially after a storm. This miserable shelter leaked but little,
but one side and one end were so open that we could throw a hat