The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, March 26, 1909, Page SEVEN, Image 7
**
* ROBERT W. BARNWELL *
* FRIEND OF THE SICK. *
* --*
* Plea for Memorial to Him in
* Trinity Churchyard.
* *
* ** * * * * * * * * ~:* * ***
(Written for The State by James Me
Intosh.)
The Confederate soldier with his
battle fields and monuments will evcr
live in history, and coming genera
tions will read of his valor and pat
riotism. The women who loved, sif
fered and died for the Lost Cause
wiU have their monuments to tell of
the trials and privaitiions they endur
ed.
But as I see these evidences of re
membrances and honor, I am remind
ed of one who brougfht home from
Virgini, and laid away in the bosom
of his native State, gave his life for
his country, in that wonderful work
of his for the relief of the sick and
wounded Confederate soldier. One
whose name is now seldom mention
ed, as most of this associates and the
greater number of the thousands of
sick and wounded who are ?heltered
and nursed back to life in the bospi
tals (he established have passed over
the river. But his work will ever
rank with that of Florence Nightin
gale and others who have given their
lives to the relief of the suffering
soldiers.
And of the dead heroes of the Civil
war there is no one more deserving of
love and honor and remembrance
than Robert W. Barnwell, Jr., origi
nator and developer of the State his
pitals during the Civil war.
Mr. Barnwell was born on May 23,
1831, and graduated from the South
Carolina college in the class of 1850.
He was elected wrofessor of moral
philosophy and sacred literature and
was also made chaplain of the college
in the year 1857. While the young
est member of the faculty, he was a
man of rare scholarly .attainments
for one of his years, gained by a
thorough and continuous eourse of
study in the schools of his own and
foreign lands.
He impressed himself at once upon
his colleagues and the students, for
his well trained mind and brilliant in
tellect always commanded their atten
tion, and impressed his teachings up
on willing bhear'ers. 'As a preacher his
clear simple sty-le of expression, that
would upon oceaision rise to impas
sioned flights of eloquence, always
earried his congregation with him,
and gave him greart hold upon the
spiritu-al life of many of the students.
But we turn from this to a new as
pect of his life. He was a student,
not of books only, but of men and
the practical phases of human life.
And beneath this quiet student's
life there klrked a power, a capacity,
a magnetism, that was only waiting
the opportune moment to develop a
leader with a broad comprehensive
mind, able to grasp and master the
new problems that the future was
britnging forth. Early in the Civil
war his field opened up before him,
and at once aissuming i>ts new and
untried r'esponsibilties,:he came to the
front, and originated and developed
the Hospital Associration of Virginia.
Through this bureau supplies 'of food
and elothing were furnished to all
needy soldiers. And he, through his
efforts, prepared large hospital ac
commodations, with all the necessary
nursing and attention for hundreds
of the sick and wounded, and did a
noble work, tihe memory of which
will linger in, the minds of many. a
Carolina soldier as he recalls the
pleasure it gave lhim\ to find a nurse
from .his native State ready to wait
'upon h-im.
Without any detraction of the work
done by others, it ean truly ba. said
that R. W. Barnwell, from June, 1861,
to his death, did more than any liv
ing man towards the relief of the siek,
wounded and suffering soldier. For
hundreds and thousands of the Con
federate sick and wounded have
boirne grateful testimony to the re
lief given them ~through his labors
and thoughtful work.
The temporary tent camps at the
Salem hospital, some 20 miles from
Manassas, the Wayside hospital near
Fairfax -Station. the Warren Sprngs
'hospital, 'which was afterward turned
ov er to the G-sorgia State association,
and the Cellpepper hospital served
their purposes. But the pressing de
mands for increased accommodations
grew daily, and selecting Charlottes
ville, Va.., as his baise, he established
.there his first permanent ih%pital,
then one at Manchester, then mne at
Petersbhrg, as well as the Soldiers'
home at Richmond-all models in
their day, and. to the end of the Civil
war. monuoments to the brain that
conseerated itself to the love of the
sick andI suffer'ing soldier.
With the Civil war came demands
that no hu tman man could have fore
seen. The newly organized Confeder
aev wa a war, with neither men,
materials nor money. As the Confed
ert orce.s 5r-nuere at various
raw troops thus assembled suffered
as soldiers alway., do, until they are
accustomed to camp life. From these
se.attered camps. with the seeds of
disease :already sown, the troops were
hastily -athered at Manassas. To
furnish food, arms. equipment and
transportation taxed the g0vernnent
to its utmost capaeity; there was onlv
one poorly equipped railroad from
Riehmond to Manasses. and the ordi
na,ry box car was used for the trans
portation of the supplies and the
soldiers and was often the only means
of 'transport of the sick to th-e rear.
Medical supplies were almost an un
known quantity. A surgeon and as
sistant surgeon and hospital steward,
with a small camp ehest of medicine
and surgical supplies for a regiment
and its camp followers numbering 1,
000 men, was the ordinary outfit.
There were no hospital supplies.
Sickness to an alarming extent soon
became prevalent: accounts of the
sick and suffering soldiers lving ex
posed to the weather without tents
or bedding or food or nurse. moved
every heart with anguish and sym
pathy, and every one ,soldier and civ
ilian, asked what could be done.
The college chaplain, as he read
these reports in his quiet study. felt
his call. Immediately upon the clos
ing of the college term. in June. 1861,
he hurried on to Manassas. Upon the
field his clear and comprehensive
mind took in the situation at once.
He saw, he planned. *le went to work.
From Manasses he went to Richmond
to lay his plans before the authorities
and in his report made afterward to
the State legislature we find t:h-e fol
lowing:
"On the 4th day of July. 1861. a
proposition was made by the Rev. R.
W. Barnwell, with the advice of Dr.
LaBorde. to Presid6nt Davis. and to
the surgeon general, Dr. Camden De
Loach. to give permission and coun
tenance to the establishment of hos
pitals along the line of our defenses,
under the care of certain ladies and
gentlemen of the State, who had vol
unteered for the work. It did not
meet with such approval as was de
sirable, and the seheme was deemed
impracticable and promotive only of
confusion and evil; it was said that it
could not promise any permanent re
iief, and was calculated to impede
rather than promote t'he operations of
the medicail staff of the army.''
Not discouraged by this failure,
Mr. Barn-well returned to Manassas
and imediateliv planned establish
ing a depository of hc.spital supplies.
This met with the approval of the
medical director' of the army, Sur
geon T. H. Williams, and was at once
put in operation.
The battle of Manassas added fear
fully to the distress and suffrin'g of
the soldiers. owing to the inadequate
supply of -hospital equipment a.nd
nurses. Mr. Barnwel'l .at onee tele
graph'ed and wrote fo.r aid to Caro
lina, making suggestions with plans
for est.ablishing district and village
hospital aid societ,ies, that were
promptly adopted. and supplies of all
sorts came pouring in and p)hysicianfs
and nurses were soon on hand. Cul
peper was first selected, but Char
lottesville was soon made the centre
for the reception of supplies and- a
large tw.o-story building rented for
their storage and distribution.
The sick and wouinded, often lying
exposed at the depot without food or
shelter, led to t:he renting of a build
ing nearby for 'their protection. Soon
afterward Dr. J. L. Cabell, surgeon
of the post, offered -to turn over to
Mr. Barn well, if he would pay the
ren.t and furn-ish the house, the large
four-story brick building, containing
24 rooms, besides the basement; that
fronted upon tihe beautiful Midway
aven'ue leading down from the univer
sity to the 'town. The offer was ac
epted promptly and from that day
-to the close of tihe war it was known
as Mi'dway hospital. Thus during Au
gust, 1861, the first South Carolina
State hxospit'al.-and 'the first State hos
itall was opened for the reception of
d:e sick. As rapidly as t-hey could be
( rnished the Harris House. the Dun
klan House, and Daniel House. form
er boarding houses for the students of
the university, were opened, anid were
i full operat.ion by the last of Oe
tober, when, under orders from Sur
ge'n General Moore, I reported for
duty and found Dr. Theodore (Gour
din in charge. The Monticello horel
was afterward opened, making four
hospitals that were at first known as
the South Carolina division, and af
ter t-heir transfer in 1862, as the sec
ond division of the Confederate hos
pi'tals in Charlottesville, Va.
During September an arrangement
was made with the surgeon general
and the .South Carolina and Georgia
State associations, under which other
hospita'l could he estabhshed. The
State association paying for rent an
funiture, with the privilege of
nominating surgeonis for a Conife~der'
ate commnission,. who should draw ra
tions. medical supplies and contIract
for nurses at the g'overnment's ex
anee of Drs. J. J. (lii.ulm aid 11Fis1
bun, e.tablished the MIanchester hos
pital. With the need of a place to
furnish food and shelter to tha sold
iers passing .thr.ugh Richmond, es
pecially as t.he seat of war was draw
.ing nearer -to. that city, t.he bureau of
su pp'.es was moved from Charlottes
ville, and with the Soldiers' home
they were both re-uilarly established
at Richmond.
Mr. Barnwell selected from his
tried and faithful corps of sistants.
G. H. MeMaster as superintendent,
placing thle home in his eharge, and
many an old .soldier remembers that
when friendless a.nd .alone in Rich
mond this Soldiers' home was a home
indeed, with a cheerful welcome and
kind attention to be found beneath its
sheltering roof.
As Geni. McClellan's peninsular
campaign became a possibility Mr.
Ba-rnwell 's foresight- le'd to the estab
lishment of a large hospital in Peters
burg,. that was ready for occupancy
by April. 1862, and immediately fill
ed witlh sick and wounded.
In the fall of 1862, the medical de
partment, having been thoroughly or
franized mreder Surgeon Genirai
Moore. Mr. Barnwell, realizing that
the time had come when all hospital-s
should be mder one management,
turned over to the Confederate au
thorities all the hospitals, known as
the Sout-h Carolin'a 1hospitals, retain
inz control of the Soldiers' hoe nd
the bure.ii of supplies, both oi which
continued in operation af.ar his
death. even to the close of %e war,
rendering aid and assistance to the
so'dierc
L'pon the completion o ih trans
for he prepared his report that was
nresellted to the legislature in Decem
ber 1862. with an itemized statement
of all receipts and disbursements, in
eldingx the State appropriatio.ns and
volantary contributions.
The State had appropriated $1S,
452.50 and- the voluntary contribu
tions amounted to $32,512.61,1 mak
ing tie total of money received $50,
995.11, of whieh $28,883.83 had been
expended, leaving a balance on hand
of $22,111.28.
The estimated vale of the supplies
received up to that time was $219,
000. a considerable portion of which
were stiH on -hand in Richmond, and
&istribmted with tihe later receipts n
der the bureau's management up tol
the close of the war..
This report a.lso gave the name,
company, regiment of eaeh soldier dy
ing in the different South Carolina
hospitals from August, 1861, to No
vember, 1862, s'howing that daring
that period there were 9,218 siek a.nd
wounded .admitted to these different
h'ospitas, with 526 deaths. Thus in
the early and most trying months of
the war, his wounderful work fur
nihdshelter. food and nursing for
over 9,000 s'iek.
It seems almost ineredible that one
man could ' 'e accomplished such a
work comme'ncing as he did with
"thi 4 - w' t: enly the assistance
of :' v Krv e'rry: of 'helpers, whom
he !nod :-anize and train for their
wor'k. and em.ee.Uidl when so much
was accomplished with such *a small
outlayv in comparimon with what was
done by the evernmnent and oth-er
State organizations. Alabama gave
to Mrs. Hopkins $30,000. Genreia ear
}v in 1861 .appropria:ted $200,000, and
North Carolina and other States gave
ge'nerouslv for the care of their sick
and wounded.
It was t-he man himself; the confi
dence he inspi-red, that carried the
FOR It
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uok forwV':m. 11: deVonn to the
iek h ' Is tirele s enIerg-y, h1is "&nthuLS
iasm, his magnetism. inspired all
around him. Such an instance as this
ilhistrates the man and his work: The
sick had overflowed all accommoda
tions. were :eeding shelter, food and
nursing. A day's search secured a
building. The next (ay the cleaning
up went virgo-rously on, wagons roll
ed up with lumber and straw. bolts
of coitton homespun. and sheets and
pillkws were brought from the bu
reau. The carpenter was soon at
work making the bunks, the ladies
were making the ticks and it was but
a short time before this cot, with a
tick filled with fresh straw, with nice
clean sheets and pillow, presented a
very inviting bed for the weary sol
dier as he was lifted from his blank
et on the floor and made comfortable,
before offieial red tape would have
written its first order.
The transfer of the hospitals was
a great relief from a terrible mental
and physical strain: but it eame too
late. The great. respoinsibility resting
on mind and he.art, with no rest night
or day, as he kept in close touch witii
every bearing of his work, had done
it- work. His strong constitution was
shattered, his health completely brok
en by the work-answering the calls
of the hundreds of sick and the
thousands inquiring after them, be
tween the days at Petersburg, at
Charlottesv-ille, at Richmond, receiv
ing and distributing supplies and of
ten accompanying these supplies to
the field and assisting personally in
their distribution to soldiers. His vis
.its to the hospitals, with a prayer at
one bedside, a word of comfort to the
next, a message from home to anoth
er, a burial service over the late oc
cupant of another-for it was the
rule of the hospital that no soldier
should be buried from the wards
without some burial service: and af
ter a day of continuous labor, as he
sat down to the table, and another
call came, he would respond imme
diately. leaving his food untasted un
til he had -taken care of 'the sick.
This was more. than mortal man
could stand; his i-ron will 'refused to
yield, but nature could stand no more.
A severe attack of fever laid him up
on his bed and disease claimed him on
June 23, 1863. -and from'his sick bed
as hils spirit passed away, a life was
given for his countiry, filled wiIth
selfsac.rifice, kindness and good wish
es, leaving behind a name that was
never forgot by the Confederate sol
dier. And in history he will be known
as one of the noblest benefactors of
the human race that any age has pro
duced.
And has not the day come when
South Carolina should erect a memo
rial to mark the spot where lies *his
body in the gra.veyard of Trinity
chrch, Columbia, in remembrance of
the sufferings relieved and of the lives
saved through 'the labors of this no
ble self-sacrificing son?
Newberry, S. C.
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. KLETTN ER I
STATEMENT.
The Commercial Bank of Newberry, S. C., con
densed from report to State Bank Examiner Novem
ber 27. 1908.
RESOURCES.
Loans....................................... $268,751 87
Furniture and fixtures..................... . 3,116 93
Overdrafts .................................. 12,645 60
Cash and due from banks..... ................ ioi,i8i 65
$385,696 05
LIABILITIES.
Capital stock........................... $50,ooo 00
Profits less expenses taxes paid............... 54,677 53
Dividends unpaid........ ....... .. .... 1,277 00
Cashier's Checks............................ 255 00
Re-discounts . .......... ......... 15,ooo oo
Deposits
Individual................. $261,000.03
Banks................--------3,486.49-$264,486-52
$385,696 05
The Commercial Bank,
NEWBERRY,S. C.
JNO. M. KINARD, O. B. MAYER, J. Y. McFALL,
President. Vice-President. Cashier.
THIS BANK
WANTS YOUR BUSINESS.
We confess it. On the other
hand, we know We are justi
fiedin asking your patronage.
We offer you every facility
found in a modern institution.
Open an account with
TiE EXCHANGE BANK
ON JANUA RY 1 ST.
We Pay 4 Per Cent. Interest in
Our Sayings Department.
J. D. DAVE NPORT, E. R. IPP,
President. V. Prdsident.
M. L. SPEARMAN, Cashier.
YOUR BANKINGI.
THE NEWBERRY SAYINGS BANKL
Capital $50,000 - - - Surplus $30,000
No Matter How Small, rio Matter H-ow Large,
The Newberry Savings Bank
vill give it careful attention. This message
1pplies to the men and the women alike.
AkS. McINTOSH. J. E. NORWOOD;
F residentL Cashier.
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