The Cavalcade of America, sponsored by DuPont, maker of better things for better living through chemistry, presents Jane Darwell in the General War Calico. Tonight, Cavalcade dedicates its program to the women of America who were helping to win the war. Today, we take their help for granted, and yet there was a time when such a thought was new and strange and startling. When today's American War services had their origins, 80 years ago during the first year of the war between the North and South, it is with the leader of these first American women volunteers for war work that our story tonight finds its inspiration. Their name was Mary Bickerdike, and so in a radio play by Paul Peters, DuPont presents the General War Calico, starring Jane Darwell on the Cavalcade of America. It is a spring day in 1865. The war has been over only a few short weeks, and seated on a bench in the War Department in Washington, a tired middle-aged woman waits her turn, among others, to be summoned before the commander of the Union forces, Ulysses S. Grant. Mrs. Bickerdike? Yes? The General will see you now. Well, there's quite a few others here before me. The General wishes to see you, Mrs. Bickerdike. Well, if he says so. This way, please. General Grant? Mrs. Bickerdike? Well, well, well. Mrs. Bickerdike. How do, General? Or should I say, General Bickerdike? I remember when you called me General. Seems to me you were the only one ever gave me that title. Yeah, you were one of my best. Most everyone in the Army knew that. In fact, Mr. Lincoln asked me to call you in. President Lincoln? What for? Well, President Lincoln feels that our people should know the great service that you and the other ladies of the Sanitary Commission performed. He believes there ought to be some written record of it. Do you mind telling me what happened, Mrs. Bickerdike? How did it all start? Does it matter so much as all that? Yes, I think it does. I think it's something people ought to know about. Well, General Grant, it all began the Sunday right after the Battle of Bull Run. I was in church in Galesburg, Illinois that Sunday. Reverend Beecher was there then. Only his sermon wasn't quite the same that Sunday. But the bloody field of Bull Run will be avenged, I do believe, as I believe in the power and the glory of our Savior. And in the conviction of that faith, I heard the words of another man, who there sang the praises of his God. I want you to join with me in the 23rd Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still water. He leadeth me beside the still water. What is the meaning of this interruption? Don't you know me, Reverend? John Mather. John Mather. Aye. From Bull Run and Carol. We are in the midst of divine service now, Brother Mather. For the living or the dead. Will you give me leave to say what's in my mind? And then I'll go in trouble with you no more. I was at Bull Run. A man don't know much about a battle, just from his own ditch or thicket. But I was sent up here to Carol with a wound. And then I knew there's 2,500 boys and men there. Mostly from Illinois and these parts. And they're dying. And they've got no cause to die. They fought the best they could. They were wounded. And now they're dying. Not from their wounds. But from things a man who's fought and fled for his country has got no cause to bear. From filth and rotten food. From disease and flies and lying all day and night out on the ground. From the pain and the heartaches of people not caring and not knowing. And from... Help him to a seat, someone. I think it is only fitting, after what we have just heard, to bow our heads in prayer. Reverend Beecher? Yes, Sister Bickerdike? Well, Reverend, the Lord knows we should pray. And the Lord knows those boys down at Carol need our prayers. But from what John Mather says, it strikes me that there's other things they need just as much. And they need them right now. And what is that, Sister? They need help and care and comfort from human hands. I think it's the will of God that this man has come here today and pointed out the path of duty to us folks here at home. Amen, Sister. Thank God, Becher. The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Go on, Sister. Well, I think we ought to send a train load of supplies down there to Carol, along with our prayers. And I think as many of the ladies of this congregation as can ought to go down there to help those boys. I'll go with you, Mrs. Bickerdike. Oh, that's the true spirit of the Lord. And now seeing that this is all going to take money. I'll give $100. I'll give $50. The Lord bless you all. Miss Webster, I know you don't have much to give, but... No, no, I won't. I can't. Why, Virginia? I tell you I can't. Virginia? Well, I declare... A boy ran away last week. She ain't been herself since. She's a darn copperhead. Always have, said she. And while we're taking her collection for fighting men, let us sing a hymn for fighting men. Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with a cross or two. Now, you're sure they've made all the arrangements for the meeting? Now, you're sure they've made all the arrangements to cut those supply cars off at Cairo? Yes, ma'am. Well, I guess there's nothing much I can do until then. I think I'll go in the coach and sit for a while. I'll let you know in plenty of time, ma'am. Thank you. Virginia. Oh, Virginia Webster. Mrs. Bickerdike. Well, I never expected to find you on this train. Mind if I sit with you for spare? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Could you sit with me? Certainly, but, would it be too late, but, that's not a hurry. I didn't tell you for spare? If you want to. Virginia, you mustn't think or else men would have shelled you running out church on Sunday. They understand, Virginia. You're worried about your boy. Wouldn't you be? Haven't you any idea where he might have gone? I don't know where he is now, but I'm gonna find him. He was a big boy. Maybe he joined the army. I know he joined the army. Well, then you can find him. Go to army headquarters. They have a list of all the Union men. He didn't join the Union army. Oh, I see. Well, now you know. Virginia. Excuse me. I'm sure you don't want to sit with a southerner. And I don't want to sit with a Yankee. I never thought I'd see Virginia Webster again after that. And when I got to Cairo, well, I didn't have time to think of anything else except those boys. Yes, I know. I never had any real notion what war was like until then. But that day I found out things I couldn't believe. Is this what you call a convalescent camp? That's what some people call it. Not a pretty sight. Oh, hundreds of them. Hundreds. Twenty-five hundred to be exact. What's the matter with them? Some wounded. Sick, most of them. What's the matter with this boy? What's the matter, son? Cold. I'm cold. Let me feel your head. Why, this boy's got a raging fever. Yes, swamp fever. Then what's he doing lying out in this wet ground like this? Well, what would you have me do, madam? Three months ago we had an army of only 15,000 men. Now we have half a million. I have 500 cases of swamp fever alone and three doctors. I have a hundred beds. What would you have me do? Where would you have me put them? In a hospital where the sick belong. A hospital? If I only had a hospital. Water, please. Get me some water. I'll get you some water, son. Boy, you with the water over there. Yes, sir? Give me a cup of water for this soldier. Yes, ma'am. Well, where did you get this? Black with filth. Out of the ditch. It's the only place there is. Pour it out. Pour it out. From now on, every drop of drinking water in this camp is to be boiled. You hear me? Yes, ma'am. Oh, look at these uniforms. Caked in mud and blood and filth. Men who haven't been washed in weeks. Why, no wonder they're dying. There's no decent food, no medicine. For nurses, all I've got is farm boys. Do you think I like to see men die from sheer neglect? You tell me what to do. You tell me, Mrs. Bickerdike. Well, I'm not a doctor, but I think I know a few things to do. It appears to me that you'll need some help doing them. Need help? Whose shack is that over there? Lieutenant Butterfield's quarters. He's the officer in charge here. Well, from now on, it's going to be my kitchen. Now, here's some money. I want you to go into town, buy me the best and biggest cook stove you can find. But, madam, I've got work to do. So have I. And while you're there, get me all the big iron kettles you can lay your hands on. We're going to boil the drinking water and we're going to boil these men's clothes. We're going to clean up this place. Madam, without the permission of the proper army commander... Oh, nonsense. Get my stove. Here, you fellas. Can you get around all right? Pretty good. All right. Now start getting some wood and building some fires. Fires? What for, lady? For a house cleaning. Take more in hot water. What about those hogsheads over there? They use for anything? Mosquitos to breathe in is about all. Well, they're going to have better work than that now. Now, some of you fellows round up some saws and start cutting them in half. What's that for? For bathtubs. You don't have any objections taking a bath, do you? Hard to say, ma'am. Been so long since I had one. Here's the lady I was telling you about, lieutenant. Mrs. Biggerdike? Yes. Now, you can rake up some of that old straw to start your fire. I'm Lieutenant Butterfield. I'm in charge here, madam. I will not have you disrupting army discipline. See here, mister, if this is what you call army discipline, you better start getting used to it being disrupted, because I aim to tear it clean apart and I aim to be doing it for some time to come. Indeed. And by whose authority, may I ask? By the authority of God Almighty. When you find a higher authority, bring him around. That was the beginning, General Grant. Uh-huh. In February, after Fort Donaldson fell, we charted the city of Memphis and sailed up the river to see what we could do at that battlefield. Yes, that hurt. As usual, there wasn't as much help there as there should be, and the wounded were left to lie in the mud and freezing cold. I'd almost forgotten about Virginia Webster and her boy by then. And even if I'd remembered, I was too busy to think about them. I think this is the last of Mother Biggerdike. Is he hurt, Dad? Pretty bad. Well, take him over to the ship. The doctors are working there. Yes, ma'am. You sure there aren't any more out there? Pretty sure. It's hard to tell, though. It's dark out here. You better give me that lantern. It's a straight path back to the ship. Yes, ma'am. I'll get that boy up to the doctors. Yes, ma'am. Excuse me, madame. Virginia? Virginia Webster. Oh, it's you. Virginia, what are you doing here? I want to go aboard that ship. To look for your boy? Yes. Is he still in the Confederate Army? Yes. Then he's not there. There's no one in that uniform gone aboard tonight. Oh. Are you sure he was here? He was in the battle. Then he must be. Virginia, where are you going? To look for my son. Virginia, wait. Virginia. Andrew. Andrew, are you there? Yes, ma'am. Andrew, do you have a stretcher there? Yes, ma'am. Well, fetch it and come along. Where are you going? To look for a boy, I used to know. Mother Biggerdike, you had not go out there. Well, maybe, but I'm a-going. I'll carry the lantern. All right. Look sharp now. He's in Confederate uniform. Careful where you walk, ma'am. We're in it now. Hold the light up. Yes, ma'am. Oh. Oh, Lord. Lord. Please, ma'am, you better go back. Oh, I'm all right. It's just that I've never seen a battlefield before. It's no place for anyone, ma'am, let alone a woman. It's horrible. Horrible. Couldn't you wait till morning, ma'am? It wouldn't be so bad then. No, Andrew, we got to find that boy tonight. You are listening to Jane Darwell in the General War Calico, a radio play on the cavalcade of America, sponsored by DuPont, maker of Better Things for Better Living Through Chemistry. In our play, Mrs. Biggerdike has been telling General U.S. Grant of the work of the women of the United States Sanitary Commission, of their bringing comfort and cheer to the wounded. As our play continues, she is on the battlefield, searching for a neighbor's son who wore the uniform of the South. I guess he ain't out here, Mrs. Biggerdike. Listen. You hear that, Andrew? Yes, ma'am. It's over there. Hold up the lantern. There he is, ma'am. Is that the one? Yes, that's the one. I got some bandages here. Virginia? Virginia? Andrew, there's a woman out there somewhere, his mother. I'll take the light and see if you can find her. You ought to have some light. I'll come and get that. Yes, ma'am. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. I'm not going to leave you, son. Please, don't leave me. I'm going to help you. You're hurt. I'm hurt. I'm hurt. You're going to be all right. You remember me, son? There's someone from home. That's right. Harry? Home? No, not yet. Harry, Harry. I found her, ma'am. Is he all right? No. Oh, Harry, Harry. We'll carry him back to the ship, Andrew. Now lift him gentle. Take this side, Virginia. Oh, Doctor. Yes? I'll have a look at this boy right away, I think. One of theirs, eh? He's hurt pretty bad. Yes, yes, give me a hand here, will you, Doctor? All right. Well, the leg, eh? Amputation might save him. We'll do it right away. Oh, no, no. Now, Virginia. Well, what's the meaning of this? The meaning of what? Have we enough wounded men of our own? We have to operate immediately to save him, Lieutenant. I'm giving the orders here, Doctor. Lieutenant Butterfield, if you make so much as a move to prevent aid for this boy's life, I swear to you on my solemn oath, I'll make you pay for it until the end of your days. I mean every word I say, and you know I mean it. You'll hear more of this. Oh, Mrs. Bekodyk. It's all right now, Virginia. He's in good hands. You just come along with me, and I'll get you some of that coffee, I promised, if you'll have it. Oh, thank you, Mrs. Bekodyk. I'm so awfully tired. Oh, course you are. You're welcome. Well, General, that's what we did at Fort Donaldson. It's wonderful. And later that fall, we set up the hospital in Corinth, Mississippi. I thought I'd have a free hand there, but once I had to go away for a few days, and when I got back, I found the trouble. You going to tell her? I ain't got the heart to. Somebody's going to have to. Anyway, we can't leave things going like this no matter what. Hey, here she comes. Well, how are the boys today? Did you miss me? Yes, ma'am. What's the matter around here? Seems like there's an awful lot of long faces. Well, speak up. If there's any complaints, I want to hear about them. We ain't had no food today. No food? There's a new man been put in charge, ma'am. Who's in charge? I'm in charge here. Well, that's what we said, ma'am. But we didn't say it more than once. Well, we're sorry, ma'am, but somebody had to tell you. Well, where is this new man? Well, that's the trouble, ma'am. He's often kind of a spree. There was no one to sign the requisitions but him or you. So there wasn't any food. Well, I'll see to that in a hurry. Yes, she is. That's him now. Well, I want to see her. Oh, that's who it is. What? The lady of the sanitary. The lady of the sanitary commission, huh? Are you responsible for mistreating these men while I was away? Madam, I'm responsible for everything in this hospital from this day on. Then you'd better start explaining, lieutenant, and be mighty quick about it. Major, madam, major Butterfield, in complete charge of this hospital by appointment of General Grant. You may have heard of him. Major, eh? A major. Why, you're not fit to wear the uniform of the United States? Off with those shoulder straps! Off with them! Now get out of here! Get out! You may consider yourself under arrest, madam, until my return. You hadn't ought to have done that, ma'am. Somebody should have done it long ago. Andrew? Yes, ma'am? You tell them to get busy down in that kitchen. Tell them to get food up to these men just as fast as they can move. But the requisition? Never mind the requisitions. I'll sign the requisitions. Now move. Yes, ma'am. Now some of your fellows were able to get around. You go down there and do whatever you can to help. That's her. There she is, General. Miss Bicketyde, General Grant. Are you General Grant? I am. I'm told that you've just insulted an officer of the United States. Perhaps you'll be pleased to give me an explanation, madam. An explanation? Why, look at him. There's your explanation. Why, he's half drunk now. Is that all? No, it's not all. He's been starving the men here. They've had no food in 24 hours. What do the men have to say about this? Are there any complaints here? Well, you don't seem to have much backing here, madam. General Grant. Silence, General. I'll give the orders here if you don't mind, Major. Where's my boy? They're afraid to speak, General. They're afraid of what he might do to them later. But I'm not. I'm a Confederate. Who is this boy? He's recovering from a leg amputation. He was wounded at Fort Donaldson. Well, if he gave a leg for what he believed in, I guess that gives him a right to speak. Anyway, that's more than you and I have done, Major. What do you want to say, my boy? Well, General, there's men here, plenty of them, who are alive today only because of Mother Bickering. Because of the help, hope, the happiness she's given us. Men live by those things, too. As for your Major there, he treats us like cattle. She knows we're men. He's right, sir. That's the truth. He's a true assassin. I see. Major, you may consider yourself relieved of your command. But, General... You're relieved of your command. Go to your quarters. That's all. Well, Mrs. Bickerdike, I guess there's some things I should have looked into sooner. Well, sir, you've been a pretty busy man. You make a pretty good soldier yourself, ma'am. Thank you, sir. Good luck to you. And thank you, General. Well, General Grant, you know the rest. I guess I've talked too long. Well, there's just one other thing, ma'am. I hesitate to mention it. It's so downright ridiculous. You don't have to spare my feelings. Well, it's mine I'm thinking about. You see, there's some ladies here in town that ask me if you'd sell them that old calico dress you used to wear. You see, they're getting up a museum and they want to put it in there between a uniform of Sherman's and one of mine. Why, they're welcome to it. Thank you, ma'am. But if I was running a museum, you know what I'd put in there? What? I'd put the uniform of a private soldier with all the dirt and mud and the blood stains on it so that maybe next time people would remember what it is those boys go through. Thank you, Jane Darwell, for a memorable portrait of a gallant American woman. And now here is Cavalcade star Jane Darwell. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Here is a message our government wants you to hear. When wages go up, prices always go up. But when prices go up, wages never go up as high or as fast. That's why inflation hurts so much and why it hurts wage earners and people of small means more than anybody else. Nobody likes to pay taxes, but the government has asked us to remind you that these high wartime taxes and our war bonds and steady pay envelopes instead of raises are what are keeping prices down. If we're good sports about it, we'll all come out better in the end. Next week, Cavalcade will bring you another popular film star, Robert Young, in one of the most glorious stories of courage to come from this or any other war. Our play, Take Her Down, is based on a firsthand account of the historic order of Commander Howard Gilmore, an order which saved his ship and crew at the cost of his own life. Take Her Down, three immortal words destined to take their place in naval history and tradition. Be sure to hear Robert Young next Monday evening in Take Her Down, a thrilling story of naval courage. And in the next few weeks, you will hear such stars as George Brent, James Craig with Bula Bondi, Edward Arnold, all on the Cavalcade of America, presented each Monday evening by DuPont. Tonight's musical score was composed and conducted by Robert Armbruster. This is James Bannon sending best wishes from Cavalcade sponsor, the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. The Cavalcade of America came here from Hollywood. This is the night of a broadcasting company.
