Soldiers’ Home, St. Louis

The Western Sanitary Commission has opened a large and commodious dwelling house on Fourth street for furloughed and discharged soldiers passing through to their regiments or to their homes. – from thirty to fifty pass through the city every day. They are often without money and without papers on which they can draw pay, and if they get their pay at St. Louis, are surrounded by all sorts of land sharks, who tempt them to drunkenness and debauchery. In the new “Soldier’s Home” they are fed, lodged, tended (if partially sick) and counseled. Such aid as they need in perfecting their papers and getting pay is afforded. In 18 days since it was opened, the ‘Home’ has received 320 discharged and furloughed soldiers, and furnished them 1335 meals and 668 lodgings, 92 out of the 230 were Iowa boys! – and 20, members of the Iowa 9th and Dubuque Battery, bruised and battered from Pea Ridge. The average arrivals at the “Home” are 18 per day. The noble ladies of St. Louis – God bless them! – have supplied the “Home” with sheets, pillows, and other stores, for the present, and the gentlemen have given furniture sufficient. – The great want now, is money, to pay rent and help hire, and eatables for six months to come – potatoes, ham, corn meal, butter, cheese, flour, &c., &c. The Western Sanitary Commission has aided many, who had no other means to get home, with money for traveling expenses. – Twenty of our noble Iowa boys have been helped to get home by the Commission, at considerable expense. Contributions are needed for this purpose also.

The Northern Line will doubtless do generously by articles sent to St. Louis by boat from Iowa, for this “Home.” And the St. Louis draymen will gladly deliver them free. Properly marked they can be shipped any time.

The “Home” is at 29 South Fourth Street, between Walnut and Elm: Rev. Charles Peabody, Superintendent.

Geo. F. Magoun,
Sec. Iowa Army Sanitary Commission

P.S. – Money intended for the purposes named above, cane be sent directly to Mr. Peabody – or to Hiram Price, esq., Treasure Iowa Army Sanitary Commission, Davenport, - the object being specified. If any prefer to send provisions through the forwarding agents of the Iowa Commission they can do so. They are:

Messrs. [Eugendorf], McGregor;
Wm. E. Wellington, Dubuque;
Wm. H. Lunt, Clinton
R M. Prettyman, Davenport;
C. Marble, Burlington;
Chittenden & McGavci, Keokuk

– Published in the Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 19, 1862