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. M}^ 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 Sumter. 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 bo 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. 1 

 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. 



