“You’ve been checking up on me,” she said. “You even contacted the Secretary of the Treasury?”
“Why not? Salmon and I have known each other all our lives. Of course I asked him if he knew you, since you share a surname. He said to ask you if you knew which of your Chase ancestors was the first to arrive in America.”
“My father drilled that information into all of us from the time we were children. His name was Aquila Chase. I didn’t forget it because I thought it sounded silly.”
“That’s the one. Ah, but its Latin meaning makes it a noble name, does it not?”
“Aquila? Oh! The eagle!” Nellie was surprised to realize she had never made that connection. The general, for his part, gave a bit of a nod, as if she had passed his literacy test.
“And that particular eagle seems to have given rise to many outstanding descendants. We’ll see how well you live up to your noble family. Now, have young Clyde and his wagon deliver you to the Ensley Building in downtown Nashville. That will be the center of the hospital complex I am planning to set up with your help. There are a few patients there already, and a skeleton staff. They’ll have your room ready, and you can start in the morning to learn your way around. Welcome to Nashville, Miss Chase.”
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25
Occupied Nashville
Nellie met Doctor Jacob R. Ludlow, director of Hospital #3, the next morning at breakfast. He, too, was new to Nashville, but he fairly bubbled with enthusiasm for the plans General Rosecrans had laid out.
“I’m happy to have you here, Miss Chase. Your reputation precedes you.”
Nellie cringed. “I’d prefer to let my work speak for me, Sir.”
“I’m sure it will. But first, you need to get yourself oriented.”
“I didn’t see much of my surroundings last night,” she said. “Is this whole building part of the hospital?”
“Ah, yes, the renowned Ensley Building. Nashville considers it the finest architectural jewel in the city—all five floors of it.”
“It’s five stories tall? And we’re using all five floors? That sounds difficult.” Nellie realized she was being prematurely critical and bit her tongue.
“It’s a problem, yes. How to utilize it properly is one of our first priorities. But this is not our only property. We’re also meant to use the Jones Hotel, catty-cornered across the street to our right, as well as a four-segmented commercial building over on Broad Street. And finally, we have the use of a couple of private homes and an elegant mansion next door to the commercial building.”
Nellie shook her head. “You are right. I need to get my bearings. At the moment I can’t imagine how that all fits together.”
“Well, if you don’t object, I’ve taken the liberty of arranging a tour for you. A young soldier from the Anderson Troop cavalry stopped in a couple of days ago to inquire about your arrival.”
Nellie’s heart started to beat a little faster and then plummeted at his next words.
“His name is Bill Currin. He said he was a friend of a friend of yours. Seems your young man, George Earnest, is down in Murfreesboro on the general’s business, so he asked Private Currin if he would help you get settled.”
“I see. Forgive me if this sounds rude, but I don’ t have a young man, as you put it. I know George Earnest, it’s true, but he has no reason to feel responsible for me or to arrange for a substitute on his behalf. I’ll be perfectly fine looking around on my own, thank you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. But young Mr. Currin seems like a capable fellow, and he’s already agreed to bring a carriage around this afternoon and show you the sights of Nashville. It would save me embarrassment if you would accept his offer.”
Nellie certainly did not want to start her new job with a quarrel, so she nodded her head in tight-jawed agreement. “In the meantime, I’ll prowl around the Ensley Building, if that is all right.”
“Certainly. Explore wherever you wish.”
By the time Bill Currin arrived to take her on her introductory tour, Nellie had grown upset and impatient with her situation. The Ensley Building might well have been the most beautiful architectural structure in all of downtown Nashville, but that was only from the outside. Inside, its stairways were narrow and dark, too steep to allow someone to carry a stretcher to one of the upper floors. The bath facilities on each floor were centrally located, which might be fine for travelers but highly inconvenient for hospital patients. Worse, the rooms had only one window apiece, and the windows themselves were sealed shut. The hallways, too, were unventilated, and already the air was hot and stuffy. What must this be like in summer? Nellie thought. The place makes me want to punch a hole in the wall.
“What would you like to see first?” Bill asked as he helped her into the carriage. “How’re your accommodations, by the way? Are you comfortable? Got everything you need?”
“That building’s a tomb!” Nellie said before she thought to temper her words. “I need fresh air.”
“Well, then, we’ll take a ride out to the state capitol first, to let you breathe a bit.”
Despite her brewing anger, Nellie was impressed by the Capitol Building. From its hill overlooking the Cumberland River, its towering bell chamber dominated the skyline. Each of its four sides had its own portico, supported by heavy Ionic columns. Around the base of the building, earthworks and palisades protected the entrances, and parrot guns trained their sights on the city below. Military tents lined the surrounding hillsides.
Nellie found the contrasts disorienting. “I can’t decide where the power lies,” she said. “That huge Greek temple up there speaks of an invincible state government, but the military trappings around it seem to hold it captive.”
“As indeed they do,” Bill agreed. “Ever since Andrew Johnson was appointed military governor at the beginning of 1862, wags have referred to this as ‘Fort Johnson’. Those cannons have never been fired on the city, but the threat is enough. This capital city of a Confederate state has become a Union stronghold, and the citizens of Nashville are not allowed to forget it.”
“What was Nashville like before the war? How did this all happen?” Nellie asked.
“When Nashville became the permanent capital of Tennessee, it developed into a cultural, educational and medical center. At the start of the war, the population was around thirty thousand, with maybe twenty percent of that number slaves and free blacks. The city had theaters, a fresh water system, and gaslights. The University of Nashville had the finest medical college south of Philadelphia, and the city’s female academies drew students from all over the South. People called Nashville ‘The Athens of the South’.”
“It sounds lovely.”
“Yes, but unfortunately for Tennessee, its capital had little in the way of defenses. There are two navigable rivers that run through the state. One is the Cumberland, which you see in front of you; the other is the Tennessee, seventy-five miles west of here. Both of them flow north into the Ohio River. At the northern border, Fort Henry guarded the Tennessee River, and Fort Donelson, a few miles further east, protected the Cumberland. In early 1862, Grant led attack against those two forts, and they fell within a day or two of the attack. With both rivers open to Union boats, the citizens of Nashville evacuated the city in panic, and Confederate troops only hesitated long enough to burn a few facilities and a bridge before they, too, fled ahead of the arrival of the Federal armies.”
“So our armies simply marched in?”
“Some did. Others came across the Cumberland by boat. But by the time they arrived, most of the citizens of Nashville were gone. Not much glory in walking into a deserted city, I’m afraid.”
“Still, I can see that occupying the capital city of a Confederate state was a major coup.”
“The first task of the Union was to turn the city into a war materials storage depot for potential attacks on the interior southern states. Since most of the city was empty, we took over warehouses and turned homes and s
tores into military barracks. Schools, hotels, and churches became hospitals both for the sick and for the wounded. We’ve converted the railroads and wharves to exclusive military use, and we’ve added two new bridges across the Cumberland to facilitate the movements of troops and supplies. But we have neither the time nor the resources to improve the city itself. Thus you’ll see the contrasts—unpaved streets and rough sidewalks leading to luxurious mansions. The wealthy citizens left behind some comfortable lodgings for our commanders. The common people who couldn’t afford to leave are the ones who have to deal with poor sanitation, high death rates, and poverty.”
Heading back toward the center of the city, Private Currin pointed out the buildings surrounding the Public Square—the huge City Hall and Market, the Central Courthouse, whose architecture echoed that of the State Capitol, and the Southern Methodist Publishing House, where the Union was now printing army forms. Most of the other fine buildings around the Square had been confiscated as storage facilities, some for ordnance and others for medical supplies.
After taking her back past the Ensley Building to allow her to regain her bearings, Currin took her on a tour of the other buildings that would make up Hospital #3. Nellie was particularly interested in the Jones Hotel, which boasted a huge dining hall and kitchen, along with a laundry facility that extended down to the river. “This will work,” she said. “We can consolidate facilities here and serve all the other buildings. And the smaller buildings will do well as separate wards for the sick.”
Private Currin couldn’t contribute much to her musings, but he was happy to see her mood had improved. “I know the people you need to meet to make all that work,” he said. “As it happens, we have a supper invitation.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly. . . .”
“You’re anxious to get back to horrid hospital food?” he asked.
“No, but whoever you are talking about—they’re strangers, and they won’t want to be bothered with me.”
“On the contrary, the Camerons won’t be strangers for more than five seconds, and they are anxious to meet you.”
“Why? Who are they?”
“James Cameron is the sutler General Rosecrans relies upon, so if there’s anything—absolutely anything—you need for your hospital, he’s the man who can find it for you. And Matilda, his wife? She mothers everyone she meets. She’s heard all about you from George, I’m afraid, and she practically demanded I bring you straight to their house for supper tonight. As a matter of fact, that’s their house right across the street, and Mrs. C. has already spotted us. You can’t possibly refuse now.”
“I don’t like being manipulated, Private Currin.” Nellie frowned at him. “You’ve been most helpful this afternoon, so I’ll go for supper, if you insist, but then I want to be taken back to the Ensley House as soon as possible.”
“You must be Nellie,” Matilda Cameron exclaimed as she came down the front steps to meet her guests. “Goodness, child, your hands are cold. You must have caught a chill riding around in that open carriage. Come inside now. There’s a fire burning and we’ll get you warmed up in a jiffy. Have you had an interesting afternoon? I hope Bill, here, was a satisfactory guide. I know George gave him some pretty strict orders about what he was to show you.”
Nellie couldn’t help but smile as the older woman hustled her into the parlor. Matilda took her shawl, settled her into a comfortably padded rocking chair by the fire, and then scurried off to find a cup of tea, all before Nellie could open her mouth to answer one of the questions that flew past her. As much as she usually hated to be fussed over, it was lovely not to have to make polite conversation. Moreover, the house was full of delightful cooking aromas. Nellie identified fresh-baked bread and chicken, along with a faint whiff of onion. She was surprised to discover she was hungry.
“Thank you, Mrs. Cameron,” she managed to say before the next volley of questions hit her.
“Oh, you’re welcome, dear. We’re delighted to meet such a close friend of George’s. He’s told us all about how you met in Philadelphia, and how you’re going to make over General Rosecrans’s hospital system. Have you decided how you’re going to handle that monstrosity of a building? Is there anything we can do to help?”
Nellie held up her hands, whether to stop the questioning or to surrender, she wasn’t sure. “I’ve only arrived,” she reminded them. “It will take a while to determine how to make the best use of our facilities.”
“Oh, but George says. . . .”
“Mrs. Cameron. . . .”
“Call me Matilda, won’t you? I want us to be such good friends.”
“All right. Matilda. But please understand. I don’t know what George has told you, but we’re not all that close. And he really knows little about me.”
“Ah! He knows enough to be head over heels in love with you.”
Nellie sighed. “I’m an Army nurse. Soldiers tend to fall in love easily when they are lonely, and we nurses seem much more available than we really are. I’m here in a professional capacity only, and we’ll have to wait and see if I can make any noticeable difference in the hospital. I don’t expect to make any difference in George Earnest’s life at all.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, dear. I’ll lay you odds on it.”
“Matilda, quit berating George’s young woman,” James Cameron spoke for the first time. “Maybe she doesn’t want to discuss her love life with you yet.”
Nellie clenched her teeth to keep from shouting at him. I’m not George’s young woman, she thought furiously.
“Come along to the supper table, then. I’ve cooked us up a pot of chicken and dumplings. Nothing’s better for making you feel at home. And there’s a lovely apple cobbler for dessert. We’ll talk about George later.”
Not if I can help it, Nellie muttered under her breath as she let herself be led to a warm and steamy kitchen table. Once they were settled, Matilda turned the conversation toward Nellie’s professional responsibilities.
“Have you had a chance to think about how you will organize Hospital #3? It’s such a hodge-podge of structures.”
“Actually, that works in our favor,” Nellie said. “One of the lessons I learned while I was at the Chestnut Hill hospital in Philadelphia was that the wounded and the ill need to be kept separate.”
“Why’s that?” Matilda asked.
“In the field, where we don’t have a choice, a broken leg may be in one bed and a measles case in the next. And if the broken leg case hasn’t had measles before he arrives at the hospital tent, he’ll have them before he leaves. Here, all those separate buildings on Broad Street can serve as disease wards, and we can lessen the chances of diseases spreading among healthy young men recovering from war wounds.”
“That makes good sense, dear, but do all those buildings have the necessary facilities to house the sick?” Mrs. Cameron looked skeptical.
“No, they don’t. But that’s the other lesson from Chestnut Hill. It’s vital we be able to centralize our meal preparation and laundry areas. The Jones Hotel has everything we’ll need to do that, if I can figure out the transportation problem. In Philadelphia, we had a cog tram to carry supplies from one ward to another, and clearly we can’t do that here.”
“No, not with our streets as muddy and rutted as they are. But there’s a way to handle it,” said James Cameron. “Nellie, I can get you all the push carts you’ll need, and you can use the sidewalks to move your linens and meals. There’s a surplus of labor among the free blacks and former slaves here. They’ll jump at the chance to serve as runners.”
Beyond All Price Page 37