JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
Christmas dinner for wounded soldiers, place settings ready, various last-minute preparations apparent. Isn't it awesome? It's probably one of the Washington, DC hospitals. Ladies planned months in advance then showed up themselves. It wasn't ' just ' Christmas dinner, it was giving back to the men who stepped up. Tin cups, turkeys and trees- long way from the battlefield where they'd been wounded.
Isn't it an awesome photograph? Ladies in the back were responsible as well as ' subscribers ', people who donated food, money, gifts and entertainment. Mary Todd Lincoln was a Christmas elf along with women too numerous to name. Christmas, to a wounded man far from home looked like this because they'd already given- ladies gave back.
Look, the turkey! Or A turkey- table is littered with them.
Photo isn't labeled as Christmas dinner- took one look and thought " OHHHHH ". Hundreds of stories here.
Image from LoC is a huge favorite of mine. Unless you've been poking around in ladies aid societies ( there were hundreds ) it's easy to miss how significant an image this is. No idea which hospital, may be Ascension Church Hospital in DC. I say that because Mary Todd Lincoln was part of the celebration- may be why a photographer was there.
It's from one of the massive tif images LOC gifts us- it's Christmas every day in those archives.
I'm not saying it was aliens but.... ( sorry, History Channel meme ) it's ok if one of these ladies isn't Mary Todd Lincoln. They were all giants to wounded men.
God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen, thank you ladies.
Yes, that's a Christmas tree. Stille Nacht.