1861 July 19

My dear respected Friend

Owing I suppose to our
irregular postal arrangements, your kind communication
of Tuesday has just been received.

I have not as yet entered into service; neither shall
I without consulting you, if you will allow me that
high privilege (?) I have been willing and ever anxious
to be engaged in ministering to the wants of the sick,
but after you so kindly proposed to take the matter
in hand, I thought it would be better to wait and
learn the result, and in the mean time assiduously
to renew my medical studies, hoping thereby to be
better qualified for a medical attendant.

I have received messages from some of the ladies
of Charlottesville, to the effect that they had held
a meeting to ascertain how many would be willing
to nurse the sick, and "certainly counted on getting
me; and that I must not leave the county." But I
have not as yet been addressed by the committee, and

[page 2]
do not feel myself bound to them.

If it will not be to great
an imposition on your time and generosity, I would prefer to
have you make any arrangements for me you may see
proper.

If the ladies of Richmond address me on the subject,
I will enclose their communication to you.

Enclosed I send you some suggestions, which strike
me as being good. It embodies exactly my idea, and
I intended to propose such a plan, if I had not
been anticipated.

I would prefer to be in a Surgical Hospital where
I could assist in the operations.

Please say to the authorities, that I will give the
services of myself and servant gratutitously, if they
are willing to incur our expensis for travelling and
board. I will go anywhere or do anything they may
see fit to assign me, if it is to follow the army and
seek the wounded on the field of battle.

Yours with the highest regare
and christian esteem,

Orie. R. Moon

to
Genl. J. H. Cocke,
Bremo

Dr. Orianna Russell (Moon) Andrews (1834-1883), daughter of a wealthy merchant of Scottsville, Va., was a graduate of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania. After obtaining her degree she travelled to the Holy Land to assist her missionary uncle. There she was known as El Hakim (the doctor) by the Bedouins among whom she encouraged basic sanitary measures to reduce the prevalence of eye disease among the children. She returned to the United States shortly before the war. After the battle of Manassas/Bull Run Dr. Moon began working in the general hospital in Charlottesville. Soon after she married one of the Assistant Surgeons, John Summerfield Andrews, whose dying brother she had attended.

MSS 640