had eaten nothing for twenty-four hours, and
were hopelessly separated from their supply
trains. After she had given out most of the
bread and other eatables, she stepped down
from the ambulance, and went inside to see if
she could be of any use to the suffering." The
terrible odor and scenes of suffering caused her
to faint, hut upon recovering she chided her-
self, saying: "To think that I have come all
this way from Washington to bind up the
wounds of these soldiers, and here the first case
of running blood I see I have to become help-
less. I won't faint. I will go back, and work
among these poor fellows. That's what I came
for, and I'm determined to accomplish some-
thing."
During the year 1862 a great many books, papers, and magazines, received from friends in the North, were distributed by Mi.ss Rum.sey and Mr. Fowle in their hospital visits. In a little more than a year they thus disposed of two thousand three hundretl and seventy-one Bibles and Testaments, one thousand six hun- dred and seventy-fie books and magazines, forty thousand tracts, thirty-five tliousand papers, twenty-five reams of writing paper, nine thousand envelopes, also (juantities of clothing, sheets, wines, and jellies. In the same period they conducted nearly two thou- sand singing meetings at hospitals or in camp. There were times when thirty-four thousand sick, wounded, or convalescent soldiers were gathered in Wa.shington, nearly all of whom could read. Many were able to travel through the streets on crutches, and others could walk a .short distance unaided. For the benefit of these disabled patriots Miss Rumsey, Mr. Fowle, and Mrs. Walter Baker, of Dorchester, Ma.ss., conceived the idea of establishing a free library. To this end Miss Rumsey and Mr. Fowle gave in Washington, Boston, and other places, a number of patriotic vocal concerts, the i)rin- cipal feature of which was the songs of Miss Rumsey, and particularly those stirring ami patriotic airs which she had sung to so manj' of the soldiers.
In the meantime a petition was sent to Con- gress asking permission to erect a library build- ing on land in .Judiciary Square. The result is seen in the following resolution- "Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United. States of America in Congress as- sembled,
"That the Secretary of the Interior be and is hereby authorized to grant to John A. Fowle and Elida B. Rum.sey the use of a portion of the land owned by the United States and known as 'Judiciary Square,' to erect thereon, free from charge to the Ignited States, a suitable building for a soldiers' free library and reading- room for .soldiers; provided that the same can be done without prejudice to the public inter- ests, and provided that the expenses shall be borne by said Fowle and Rumsey, and that all benefits and privileges of such library and reading-room be granted to our soldiers free of charge, and that said building be removed whenever the Secretary of the Interior shall require the same to be done.
"Approved January 13, 1863."
Mr. Fowle and Miss Rumsey continued their concerts, the proceeds of which, with one hun- dred dollars contributed l)y Mrs. Walter Baker and sums from other friends, enabled them to erect the builtling. It contained a libiary room, a room for hospital stores, and a reading-room, and was dedicated Sunday evening, March 1, with aiipropriate ceremonies. A circular ap- pealing for funds and books received a generous response. The first books were received from four little girls in Dorchester, Ma,ss. Mrs. 'alter Baker sent eight hundred volumes, and through the efforts of other friends, together with receipts from concerts, six thousand vol- umes of good reading matter were in the library before the close of the war. Miss Rumsej' served as librarian for a while, but later con- valescents from the hospitals were detailed for this position.
Miss Rumsey's daily journal of March, 1863, gives information of interest: "Number of bortks about five thousand, all covered, num- bered and catalogued. Reading-room opened daily from 9 a.m. State papers kept on file. The decorations of the hall the donations of soldiers' friends at the North. Writing pajjci-, ])en, and ink always to be found on tahles for u.se of soldiers. On an average fifty letters sent to the post-office daily.
"A soldiers' prayer and conference meet-
