War in Kentucky

NOVEMBER 23, 1861.]

HARPER'S WEEKLY.

743

HEAD-QUARTERS AT CAMP DICK ROBINSON, NEAR BRYANTSVILLE, KENTUCKY. [SKETCHED BY MR. ALFRED E. MATTHEWS.]

BURNING OF THE GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL IN E STREET, WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 4-RESCUE OF  THE SICK AND WOUNDED.-[SKETCHED BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

THE WAR IN KENTUCKY.

WE publish on this page two illustrations of the WAR IN KENTUCKY, from sketches sent us by Mr. Alfred E. Matthews. He writes as follows:

CAMP DICK ROBINSON, KENTUCKY, Nov. 1, 1861.

Herewith I send you two sketches of the campaign in Kentucky. One represents the Ohio Thirty-first Regiment crossing the Kentucky River at Boone's Knob. Additional interest is given to this locality from the fact that it is a prominent place in the life of Daniel Boone. It was here he escaped from the Indians, who were pursuing him down the river in canoes, by paddling up a small creek near the knob on the left. He secreted himself in this knob five days. From this circumstance it is called " Boone's Knob." It stands isolated from the other bluffs, and at that time, the river being very high, was entirely surrounded by water,

so that he paddled round it in his canoe. The other sketch is Dick Robinson's House, which is head-quarters at Camp Dick Robinson.

BURNING OF A MILITARY
HOSPITAL.

ON this page we illustrate the DESTRUCTION BY FIRE OF THE MILITARY HOSPITAL in E Street, Washington, which took place on 4th inst. The sketch was taken by our special artist correspondent, who happened to be there at the time. The Washington Star thus relates the affair :

This morning, at a very early hour, the E Street Hospital, better known as the Washington Infirmary, was discovered

to be on fire. It contained at the time from ninety to one hundred sick and wounded soldiers, and a considerable number of other Government patients. The fire is believed to have originated in a defective flue from the furnace, which was located in the cellar under the addition which projected from the centre of the main building in the rear. The rooms of the Sisters of Charity were in this addition—over the furnace—and the three medical cadets had a room on the floor above. The rooms of the Sisters were filled with smoke about half an hour after midnight, and the Sister Superior first gave the alarm. They had barely time to hurry on their clothing and escape, leaving every thing but the clothing they had on in the burning building. Their cries brought in the guard, and soon the alarm became general. Doctors Rodman, Hutchins, and Allen, the cadets above alluded to, lost all their personal effects, with the exception of the clothing which they hurriedly put on to leave the burning building. The Metropolitan police were soon upon the ground and ran through

the house arousing all the inmates; and about this time the scene was awful in the extreme.

All of the sick and wounded able to rise wrapped the bed-clothing around them and escaped from the building, and the shrieks of those unable to do so were terribly piercing, and thrilled the hearts of all who heard them. The citizens present, the officers of the institution, and the Metropolitan police were all active in rescuing the weaker patients, who had to be taken up bodily and brought through the smoke and flames to a place of safety. Some were carried to the City Hall, some to the school-house on Judiciary Square (a hospital for some time past), some to the former quarters of Griffin's battery, some to Old Trinity Church on Fifth Street, and many to private residences in the neighborhood. It is believed by the officers of the institution that all the patients were rescued. An aged woman, named Mrs. Hussey, who was sent to the infirmary some time since by the Commissioner of Public Building, has been missing, but has since been found.

THE THIRTY-FIRST REGIMENT OHIO VOLUNTEERS (COLONEL WALKER) CROSSING THE KENTUCKY RIVER AT BOONE'S KNOB, OCTOBER 2, 1861.
[SKETCHED BY MR. ALFRED E. MATTHEWS.]