Such was the confidence and respect of the people, that they freely placed in her hands all these gifts, without stint or fear. She received and disbursed large sums of money and valuable stores of all kinds, and to the last occupied this responsible position without murmur or distrust on the part of any, only from time to time acknowledging her receipts through the public prints.
Pittsfield is a wealthy town, with large manufacturing interests, and Mrs. Fenn was well sustained and aided in all her efforts, by valuable contributions. She received also the most devoted and efficient assistance from numerous ladies. Among these may be named, Mrs. Barnard, Mrs. Oliver, during the whole time, Mrs. Brewster, Mrs. Dodge, Mrs. Pomeroy, and many others, either constantly or at all practicable periods. Young ladies, reared in luxury, and unaccustomed to perform any laborious services in their own homes, would at the Sanitary Rooms sew swiftly upon the coarsest work, and shrink from no toil. A few of this class, during the second winter of the war manufactured thirty-one pairs of soldiers' trowsers, and about fifty warm circular capes from remnants of heavy cloth contributed for this use by Robert Pomeroy, Esq., a wealthy manufacturer of Pittsfield. The stockings, mittens of yarn and cloth, and hospital clothing of every variety, are too numerous to be mentioned.
Meanwhile supplies of every kind and description poured in. All of these Mrs. Fenn received, acknowledged, collected many of them by her own personal efforts, and then with her own hands arranged, packed, and forwarded them. During the war more than nine thousand five hundred dollars' worth of supplies thus passed directly through her hands, and of these nothing save one barrel of apples at David's Island, was ever lost.
During the entire four years of the war, she devoted three days of the week to this work, often all the days. But these three she called the "soldiers' days," and caused it to be known among her friends that this was not her time, and could not be devoted to personal work or pleasure.
The Sanitary Rooms were more than half a mile distant from her own home. But on all these mornings, immediately after breakfast, she proceeded to them, on foot, (for she kept no carriage), carrying with her, her lunch, and at mid-day, making herself that old lady's solace, a cup of tea, and remaining as long as she could see; busily at work, receiving letters, supplies, acknowledging the same, packing and unpacking, buying needed articles, cutting out and preparing work, and answering the numerous and varied calls upon her time. After the fatiguing labors of such a day, she would again return to her home on foot, unless, as was very frequently the case, some friend took her up in the street, or was thoughtful enough to come and fetch her in carriage or sleigh. When we reflect that these tasks were undertaken in all weathers, and at all seasons, by a lady past her sixtieth year, during so long a period, we are astonished at learning that her health was never seriously injured, and that she was able to perform all her duties with comfort, and without yielding to fatigue.
In addition to these labors, she devoted much time and personal attention to such sick and wounded soldiers as fell in her way cheered and aided many a raw recruit, faltering on the threshhold of his new and dangerous career. Twice, at least, in each year, she herself proceeded to the hospitals at New York, or some other point, herself the bearer of the bounties she had arranged, and in some years she made more frequent visits.
Early in her efforts, she joined hands with Mrs. Col. G. T. M. Davis, of New York, (herself a native of Pittsfield, and a sister of Robert Pomeroy, Esq., of that place), in the large and abundant efforts of that lady, for the welfare of the sick and wounded soldiers. Mrs. Davis was a member of the Park Barracks' Ladies' Aid Society, and through her a large part of the bounty of Berkshire was directed in that channel. The sick and weary, and fainting men at the Barracks, at the New England Rooms, and Bedloe's Island, were principally aided by this Association, which were not long in discovering the great value of the nicely selected, arranged and packed articles contained in the boxes which had passed through the hands of Mrs. Fenn, and came from Pittsfield.
But the ladies of this Association, were desirous of concentrating all their efforts upon the sufferers who had reached New York, while Mrs. Fenn, and her associates in Berkshire, desired to place no bound or limit to their divine charity. The soldiers of the whole army were their soldiers, and all had equal wants, and equal rights. Thus they often answered individual appeals from a variety of sources, and their supplies often helped to fit out expeditions, and were sent to Sherman's and Grant's, and Burnside's forces—to Annapolis, to Alexandria, to the Andersonville and Libby prisoners, and wherever the cry for help seemed most importunate.
Among other things, Mrs. Fenn organized a plan for giving refreshments to the weary soldiers, who from time to time passed through Pittsfield. A signal gun would be fired when a transport-train reached the station at Richmond, ten miles distant, and the ladies would hasten to prepare the palatable lunch and cooling drink, against the arrival of the wearied men, and to distribute them with their own hands.
In the fall of 1862, Mrs. Fenn, herself, conveyed to New York the contribution of Berkshire, to the Soldiers' Thanksgiving Dinner at Bedloe's Island. Among the abundance of good things thus liberally collected for this dinner, were more than a half ton of poultry, and four bushels of real Yankee doughnuts, besides cakes, fruit and vegetables, in enormous quantities. These she greatly enjoyed helping to distribute.