364 John Bachman. 



should, by incessant calls, be prevented from at- 

 tending, as early as I desire, to this duty and sad 

 privilege. 



Although the sympathy of your friend cannot 

 benefit you, yet it will show you that you are re- 

 membered with respect and veneration, and that he 

 feels your misfortunes as a blow on his own heart. 

 I pray God to mitigate your sufferings and to bring 

 back peace and prosperity to our distracted and 

 bleeding country. 



My family have been in Columbia all the Sum- 

 mer. My daughters would long since have re- 

 turned home to keep house for me ; but I am un- 

 willing to have them leave their mother, whose 

 health is feeble and unequal to the sole charge of 

 my four little granddaughters. My grandson, 

 John Bachman (Haskell) joined a military company 

 during the vacation, and was doing " guard duty " 

 on the city wharves to protect the supplies, etc., 

 daily sent to Fort Surnter. The exposure proved to 

 be too great for his youth sixteen years. On his 

 return to College he was seized with what was sup- 

 posed to be rheumatism, but which proved to be a 

 disease of the hip-joint, which we fear is incurable. 

 We sent him to the Springs in Florida ; but he has 

 returned not much improved. He is more cheerful 

 however, and is able to walk a little on crutches. 



Nine-tenths of my congregation have removed 

 their families into various parts of the country, and 

 the men are in the army. I inquired of my own 

 mind what more I was capable of doing at my 

 advanced period of life seventy-three years. I 

 decided to begin my labors in the hospitals of 

 Charleston. During this Summer I have spent seven 

 hours daily among the sick and wounded. I became 

 an agent for receiving and distributing funds, food, 

 etc., contributed for the support of the hospitals. 



