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A NAEEATIVE 
 
 The Great Kevival 
 
 WHICH PREVAILED 
 
 IN THE SOUTHERN ARMIES 
 
 DURING THE LATE CIVIL WAR BETWEEN THE STATES OF 
 THE FEDERAL UNION. 
 
 WILLIAM W. BENNETT, D.D., 
 
 SUPERINTENDENT OF "THE SOLDIERS' TRACT ASSOCIATION," AND CHAPLAIN IN 
 THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 CLAXTON, REMSEN & HAFFELFINGER, 
 
 No3. 624, 626 & 628 Market Street. 
 
 1877. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by 
 
 WILLIAM W. BENNETT, 
 
 in the OflBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 ■■^"■iBaHaai 
 
PKEFACE. 
 
 rPHE author of this book has but few words to write in presenting 
 it to the public.^ 
 
 Twelve years have passed away since the close of our civil war. 
 Tlie passions of men have had time to cool, and their prejudices 
 time to abate. We may, therefore, view the contest as we could 
 not when we stood nearer to it. 
 
 Reared under almost directly opposite interpretations of tlie 
 Federal Constitution, tlie people of the North and of the South 
 fought with equal earnestness for principles regarded by each as 
 essential to the well-being of the American people and to the per- 
 petuity of a republican form of government. 
 
 What is to be the ultimate results of the contest cannot yet be 
 clearly determined. But may we not hope that a country which 
 endured four years of civil war unequalled in the history of the 
 world, and has since endured twelve years of sectional strife, and 
 still lives in freshness and vigor, is destined by a favoring Provi- 
 dence to bear the blessings of Christian civilization onward to the 
 remotest ages, and to stand as a beacon to other peoples as they 
 pass through those stormy periods which are bound up in the 
 bundle of every nation's life. If such shall be the lessons of our 
 civil war, it will not be without its value to the world. 
 
 Essentially a religious people, it was to be expected that the 
 faith in which they had been trained should assert itself even amid 
 the strife of arms. And it was so. To what extent the religious 
 element prevailed among the soldiers of the North, they can best 
 tell us who labored among them in word and doctrine. To what 
 
 iii 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 extent it prevailed among the soldiers of the South, the following 
 pages tell in part, for so abundant are the records of the revival, 
 that our book might have been twofold larger had all the material 
 been used. 
 
 Of one thing the reader may be certain — this work is authentic. 
 The facts of the army revival are stated by those who witnessed 
 them. As Superintendent of one of the Tract Associations during 
 several years of the war, and near its close as an army cliaplain, 
 the author, by correspondence and by personal labors and observa- 
 tion, has had ample opportunity to collect materials for his work. 
 Besides, he has been favored with private letters from many of the 
 most faithful and laborious chaplains and army missionaries, and 
 from officers and private soldiers, giving their recollections of the 
 revival in every part of the wide field of strife. 
 
 There has been no attempt to write a book on the war, but still, 
 in following the armies and tracing the revival, the successive 
 campaigns have been outlined so that the reader might see the 
 conditions under which the work of grace progressed. 
 
 To thousands in the South this book will recall scenes dark and 
 sad in many features, but over them is shed the light of hope, and 
 from them the prayers and songs of war days and nights come 
 floating down to mingle with the joys of the present; and if not 
 to mingle with present joys, to give assurance that He who spread 
 a shield over their heads in the day of battle, is still nigh at hand 
 to guide, to cheer, and to delfver all who put their trust in Him. 
 
 To thousands in the North this book will be an enigma. That 
 God should appear in the midst of men, to bless and save them, 
 who, as they believe, rushed to arras without just cause, may be 
 almost beyond belief. To all such persons we can only say, read 
 the narrative, weigh the facts, and then make up your verdict. 
 
 KiCHMOND, Va., May, 1877. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. PAGB 
 
 Keligion Among Soldiers, 7 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Subjects of the Revival, 17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Hindrances to the Revival, 31 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Helps to the Revival, 46 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Helps to the Revival — Colportage, .... 71 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 First Fruits — Summer and Autumn of 1861,. . 86 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Winter of 1861-62, . . 120 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Spring of 1862, 137 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Summer of 1862, 156 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Summer of 1862, 172 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Summer of 1862, 184 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Autumn of 1862, 194 
 
 1* V . 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. PAOK 
 
 Autumn of 1862, 204 
 
 CHAPTER XIV, 
 Autumn of 1862, 222 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Winter of 1862-63, 231 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Spring of 1863, 251 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Spring of 1863, 265' 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Spring oe 1863, 285 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Summer of 1863, 308 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Autumn of 1863, 321 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Winter of 1803-64, 343 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 Spring of 1804, 363 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Summer of 1804 380 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 Autumn and Winter of 1864-65, .... 401 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 Last Days — Spring of 1865, 415 
 
THE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 KELIGION AMONG SOLDIERS. 
 
 Tuii late American war has no parallel in history. 
 
 When we consider the area of the contest, its gigantic 
 proportions, the number of men under arms, the maga- 
 zines of warlike stores, the sieges, the marches, the bat- 
 tles, the enthusiasm of the people, the discipline and 
 valor of the soldiers, the wretchedness and desolation 
 which followed the contending hosts, — we may in vain 
 search the annals of the world for the record of a strug- 
 gle approaching it in all the dreadful elements of war. 
 
 The American may now add to his boasts, that his 
 country claims pre-eminence in the greatest of all na- 
 tional calamities — a civil war. 
 
 We have read, but now we know by experience, that 
 war, more than all things else, reveals the angel and the 
 demon in man. 
 
 Our composite race evinced on both sides in the strug- 
 gle the special traits of its near and remote ancestors. 
 The good and bad were strangely mingled. So it has 
 ever been in wars, especially in wars between people of 
 the same race. Ours gave a powerful emphasis to this 
 sad truth. 
 
 Sincere piety, brazen wickedness ; pure public virtue, 
 sordid baseness ; lofty patriotism, despicable time-serv- 
 ing ; consecration to a sacred cause and shameless aban- 
 donment of principle, appeared in every section of the 
 country' 
 
8 TllK GREAT IJEVIVAL. 
 
 To the people of the Old World the war must have 
 been a subject of interest and wonder. 
 
 The rapid transformation of peaceful citizens into ex- 
 cellent soldiers must have created among them surprise, 
 if not alarm ; the ingenuity and skill displaj'ed in the 
 preparation of war material revealed a progress in this 
 direction which they hardly dreamed that we had made ; 
 the stead}' valor of many battlefields assured them that 
 the American veteran of twenty months was not inferior 
 to the European veteran of twent}^ years. 
 
 The atrocities of the war must have shaken their faith 
 in the sincerity of a people who subscribed the code of 
 nations, and professed to regard the Bible as a revela- 
 tion from Heaven. On the other hand, the patient en- 
 durance of hardships, toil, and all manner of privation 
 by a people whom they had been educated to look upon 
 as voluptuous, tyrannical, and effeminate, by reason of 
 their peculiar institutions, must have filled them with 
 astonishment, if not with admiration. The leading public 
 journal of the world thus described the impression made on 
 the European mind bythe attitude of the Southern people : 
 >'The people of the Confederate States have made 
 themselves famous. If the ren'bwn of brilliant courage, 
 stern devotion to a cause, and military achievements 
 almost without a parallel, can compensate men for the 
 toil and privations of the hour, then the countrymen of 
 Lee and Jackson may be consoled amid their sufferings. 
 From all parts of Europe, from their enemies as well as 
 from their i'riends, from those who condemn their acts 
 as well as tliose wlio sympathize with them, comes the 
 tribute of admiration. 
 
 "When the histor}' of this war is written the admiration 
 will doubtless become deeper and stronger, for the veil 
 which has covered the South will be drawn awa3% and 
 disclose a picture of patriotism, of unanimous self-sac- 
 rilice, of wise and firm administration, which we can now 
 only see indistinctly. 
 
RELIGION AMONG SOLDIERS. 9 
 
 "The details of that extraordinary national effort, which 
 has led to the repulsion and almost to the destruction of 
 an invading force of more than half a million of men 
 will then become known to the world ; and whatever 
 may be the fate of the new nationality, or its subsequent 
 claims to the respect of mankind, it will assuredly begin 
 its career with a reputation for genius and valor which 
 the most famous nations might envy." 
 
 Such were the compliments which the South wrung 
 from reluctant and opposing nationalities by the genius 
 and abilitj'^ she displa^'cd in her struggle for independ- 
 ence. 
 
 But there is one aspect of the war, on the Southern 
 side, which has been almost wholly overlooked by states- 
 men and politicians. We mean its religious aspect. 
 "Whatever may be the judgment of the world as to the 
 principles on which the Southern people entered into tlie 
 strife, it must be admitted that they brought with them 
 into it, and carried with them through it, a deep and 
 strong religious element. Their convictions of right in 
 what they did were second only to their convictions of 
 the truth of the Christian religion. Nor has the stern 
 logic of events eradicated this conviction from the 
 Southern mind. The cause is lost, but its principles 
 still live, and must continue to live so long as there re- 
 mains in human nature any perception and appreciation 
 of justice, truth, and virtue. 
 
 The great moral phenomenon of the war was the in- 
 fluence and power of religion among the Southern sol- 
 diers. War is a dreadful trade, and the camp has always 
 been regarded as the best appointed school of vice ; the 
 more wonderful then is it to see the richest fruits of 
 grace growing and flourishing in such a soil. 
 
 Christianity visits and reforms every grade of human 
 society ; and some of its greatest miracles of grace are 
 wrought upon the most wicked subjects, and in the worst 
 localities. " The Gospel is the power of God unto sal- 
 
10 THE gri:at hkvival. 
 
 vation to every one that believeth ;" and this blessed 
 truth has been as full}' tested amid the horrors of war 
 as in the sweet da>'s of peace. We do not usually con- 
 sider how important a part militar}- characters have 
 l)orne in the historj^ of our religion. True, it is not to 
 be propagated b}' means of the sword ; and 3'et many 
 who have borne the sword have been its bright orna- 
 ments, and sometimes its most successful preachers. 1 
 
 The soldiers mentioned in the New Testament have 
 great interest connected with their brief historj-, and 
 some of tliein are models of faith and piet}'. 
 
 Among the anxious multitudes that flocked to the 
 preaching of John the Baptist, there were soldiers who 
 put in tlieir question as well as others, " sa^ying, and 
 what shall we do?" To whom the Baptist replied, "Do 
 violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely ; and be 
 content with your wages." Thus from the beginning 
 did the " men of war" receive the truth. 
 
 Was it not a Centurion, a Roman captain of a hundred 
 men, that gave that simple and beautiful illustration of 
 his faith as he kneeled before the Saviour pra3'ing for 
 his servant? How pure must have been his life, and 
 how clear and strong his faith, to bring from our Lord 
 that high commendation, " Verily, I say unto 3'ou, I have 
 not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." 
 
 We cannot forget that amidst the darkness and horror 
 of the crucifixion conviction seized the heart of another 
 Koman soldier, and while the Jews derided the sutfering 
 Christ, he exclaimed, " Truh% this man was the Son of 
 God." 
 
 It was in the house of Cornelius of the Italian band, 
 ''a devout man, that feared God with all his house, who 
 gave much alms to the people, and praA-ed to God 
 always," that the gospel message was opened to the 
 heathen world. To this godly soldier an angel was sent 
 to assure liim tliat his " pra3'ers and his alms had come 
 up for a memorial before God." On hiu>, his family, and 
 
RELIGION AMONG SOLDIERS. 11 
 
 his "devout sokliers," the Holy Ghost fell while Peter 
 preached, and like as it was on the day of Pentecost, 
 thej'^ " spake with tongues and magnified God." Thus, 
 at the headquarters of the " Italian band" at Ca?sarea 
 was the first Church of Gentile converts established. 
 
 Centurion Julius, of "Augustus' band," under whose 
 charge Paul was sent to Rome, was a kind-hearted, gal- 
 lant soldier, if not a Christian ; for he " entreated the 
 Apostle courteously," and gave him libertj^ when they 
 touched at Sidon, " to go unto his friends and refresh 
 liiraself" And when Paul and his companions were 
 sliip wrecked on the island of Malta, another soldier, 
 " whose name was Publius," " the chief man," or gover- 
 nor, " received them and lodged them three da3's cour- 
 teously." It was doubtless under a deep sense of this 
 man's kindness that St. Paul prayed for his sick father, 
 '• and laid his hands on him and healed him." 
 
 In every age of the Church since, soldiers have been 
 found among the most" zealous and devoted followers of 
 the Redeemer. 
 
 When Christianity was made popular by the example 
 and patronage of Roman Emperors, of course thousands 
 of all classes flocked to her standard ; but history' also 
 shows that ever}^ rise of the pure faith in ages of super- 
 stition and ignorance, every genuine revival, has been 
 sustained and helped forward by military men. Among 
 the Reformers in German3% in France, and in England, 
 there were " devout soldiers," who wielded the sword of 
 the Spirit as valiantly- against the enemies of the Lord 
 as they did the sword of war against the enemies of 
 their country. 
 
 Whatever some may think of Oliver Cromwell, there 
 is no doubt that he was a devout and earnest Christian, 
 and that there was much sound religion among his in- 
 vincible " Ironsides." He talks of experimental religion 
 as no man could who had not felt its inward and renew- 
 ing power. After a number of fruitless efforts against 
 
12 TIIK GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 the Royalists, he determined to rally " men of religion" 
 to his cause, convinced that " with a set of poor tapsters 
 and town apprentice people" he could never overcome 
 the forces of the King. With these " men of religion" 
 he alwa^'s conquered. They marched into battle singing 
 psalms and shouting such watchwords as, " The Lord of 
 Hosts !" How far their invincibility was grounded in 
 their religion, Cromwell shall judge for us : " Truly I 
 think he that prays and preaches best will fight best. I 
 know nothing that will give like courage and confidence 
 as the knowledge of God in C'hrist will ; and I bless 
 God to see any in this army able and willing to impart 
 the knowledge they have for the good of others," From 
 this unfailing source he drew the strengtli and wisdom 
 so conspicuous in his own deeds. " He seldom fought 
 without some text of Scripture to support him." 
 
 In his reverses and victories he saw the hand of God. 
 When his cause looked gloomy he urged his soldiers "to 
 see if any iniquity could be found in them," and to put 
 away '-the accursed thing." When victory crowned his 
 arms, he would exclaim, " This is nothing but the hand 
 of God." He taught his soldiers to regard themselves 
 as the "instruments of God's glor}'' and their country's 
 good." 
 
 In the great revival which prevailed in England under 
 the preaching of Whitefield, the Wesleys, and their asso- 
 ciates, godly soldiers bore a conspicuous part. And in 
 America, no laj'^ preacher was more zealous and success- 
 ful than Captain Thomas Webb, of the British army. 
 Converted under the preaching of John Wesle}' at Bris- 
 tol, England, he soon began to recommend in public tlie 
 grace which had renewed his own heart. Afterwards in 
 America he preached with great fervor, and as he alwa^'^s 
 appeared before the people in his military dress, he at- 
 tracted large crowds, and many of his hearers felt tlie 
 power of the gospel proclaimed by this soldier of the 
 Cross. 
 
RELIGION AMONG SOLDIEKS. 13 
 
 The name of Col. Gardiner is "like ointment poured 
 forth." Wild and profligate in early life, he strove, after 
 his conversion, to make some amends for his sinful ca- 
 reer by his zeal and devotion in the cause of Christ. 
 His full influence for good only the final day will reveal. 
 By the highborn, and the lowly, his religious power was 
 felt and confessed. He found the army an inviting field 
 for Christian effort, and his earnest toil was repaid with 
 richest fruits. One of his dying dragoons said "he 
 should have everlasting reason to bless God on Colonel 
 Gardiner's account, for he had been a father to him in 
 all his interests, both temporal and spiritual." 
 
 Such he was to all the men under his command. He 
 fought against every form of vice. " He often declared 
 liis sentiments with respect to profanity at the head of 
 his regiment ; and urged his captains and their subal- 
 terus to take the greatest care that they did not give the 
 sanction of their example to it." 
 
 For every oath a fine was imposed, and the money 
 used to provide comforts for the sick men. ■ Of this plan 
 he says: "I have reformed six or seven field officers of 
 swearing. I dine with them, and have entered them in- 
 to a voluntary contract to pay a shilling to the poor for 
 everj' oath ; and it is wonderful to observe the effect it 
 has had already. One of them told mc this day at din- 
 ner that it had really such an influence upon him, that 
 being at cards last night, when another officer fell a 
 swearing, he was not able to hear it, but rose up and left 
 the. compan3\ So, you see, restraints at first arising 
 from a low principle, may improve into something bet- 
 ter." 
 
 The renown of Havelock is immortal. But not as a 
 warrior only is he remembered. The odor of his piety 
 and the fruits of his faith will sur\ave the imposing 
 monuments raised in memory of his devotion and valor. 
 He was a brilliant light in the midst of thick darkness. 
 His life was great in deeds of piet}^ ; his death was glo- 
 lA 
 
14 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 rious. On a litter, in a soldier's little tent, the stricken 
 vrarrior lay. "lie would allow of no attendance but 
 that of his wounded, gallant boy, On this, the last day 
 of his life, General Outram came to see him. The two 
 friends had often faced death together, and passed 
 through tr^'ing scenes side by side, and a warm alTection 
 had sprung up between them. Outram approached the 
 side of the dying hero and inquired how he was. Have- 
 lock replied that he never should be any better, "but," 
 he added, " for more than forty years I have so ruled my 
 life that when death came I might face it without fear. 
 I am not in the least afraid. I die happy and content- 
 ed ; to die is gain." Finding himself rapidly failing, he 
 left messages for his wife and children far away on the 
 Rhine, and "then told his son to come and see how a 
 Christian could die." " He sleeps on the field of his 
 fame, and his lonely tomb, beneath the tropical grove, 
 is hung round with unfading laurels, and never will the 
 Christian traveller or soldier pass it without dropping 
 one tear to him who sleeps beneath." 
 
 Hedley Vicars was an excellent Christian soldier. In 
 the midst of the dangers attending the hard service in 
 the Crimea he was as peaceful and happy as if reposing 
 quietly with his friends at home. In one of his letters 
 from Sebastopol he saj^s to his sister : "It is six months 
 since I have been in reach of a house of prayer, or have 
 had an opportunity of receiving the sacrament ; 3'et never 
 have I enjoyed more frequent or precious communion 
 with my Saviour than I have found in the trenches, or in 
 the tent. When, I should like to know, could we find 
 the Saviour more precious than when the bullets are fall- 
 ing around like hail?" Again he writes : "I have often 
 heard it said, 'the worse man, the better soldier.' Facts 
 contradict this untruth. Were I ever, as the lead- 
 er of a forlorn hope, allowed to select my men, h 
 would most certainly be from among the soldiers of 
 Christ, for who should fight so fearlessly and brave- 
 
EELIGION AMONG SOLDIERS. 15 
 
 ly as those to whom death presents no after ter- 
 rors?" 
 
 "You should be braver than the rest of us," said some 
 of his brother officers to Dabney Carr Harrison, one of 
 the heroes of the South in the late war, after witnessing 
 some exhibition of his serene fearlessness in danger. 
 "Wh}'^ so?" said he, pleasantly. "Because," said they, 
 "3'ou have everything settled for eternity. You have 
 nothing to fear after death." "Well, gentlemen," he 
 said, solemnly, after a moment's pause, "3'ou are right. 
 Everything is settled for eternity ; and I have nothing to 
 fear." 
 
 General Joseph Warren, the first eminent sacrifice in 
 the Revolutionar}'^ war, spent two full hours in prayer the 
 night before the battle of Bunker Hill. " When he rose 
 from his knees, there was no anxiety on his face ; all was 
 peace and joyful trust in God. He gave a few simple 
 directions, took a cup of coflTee and a light breakfast, and 
 left for the lines on Bunker Hill, where his life was given 
 up, as he had prayed, a cheerful sacrifice for his coun- 
 try." 
 
 The bravery of Christian soldiers in battle has been 
 well attested. Some rigid, irreligious disciplinarians are 
 often ann03^ed by the zeal of godl}' men in an army, but 
 great commanders like Cromwell and Washington know 
 how to turn this zeal to good account. 
 
 An officer once complained to General Andrew Jack- 
 son that some soldiers were making a noise in their tent. 
 "What are they doing?" asked the General. "They 
 are praying now, but they have been singing," was the 
 reply. "And is that a crime?" the General demanded. 
 "The articles of war order punishment for any unusual 
 noise," was the repl3^ " God forbid that praj^er should 
 be an unusual noise in my camp," said Jackson, and ad- 
 vised the officer to join the praying band. 
 
 In a desperate battle a pious cavalrj^man had his horse 
 killed under him by a cannon ball. " Where is your God 
 
Ifi TITE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 now?" exclaimed an ungodly officer near him. He re- 
 plied, " Sir, he is here with me, and he will bring me out 
 of this battle." The next moment the officer's head was 
 taken off" by a cannon ball. Faith in God gives true 
 courage. A line of battle was formed, and waiting for 
 the word to move on. " I stepped out of the line," says 
 a Christian soldier, " and threw myself on the ground, 
 and prayed that God would deliver me from all fear and 
 enable me to behave as a Christian and good soldier. 
 Glory be to God, he heard my cry and took away all my 
 fear. I came into the ranks again, and had both peace 
 and joy in the Holy Ghost." Another, as he marched to 
 battle, exclaimed, in the fullness of hope, "I am going 
 to rest in the bosom of Jesus !" When the day closed 
 he was in heaven. 
 
 Such honor God puts upon his faithful servants, even 
 amidst the sins of the camp and the horrors of the bat- 
 tle-field. In the Southern armies the moral miracles 
 were as great as ever appeared among armed men since 
 the dawn of Christianity And among the sad memo- 
 ries of our struggle, the recollection of the great and 
 blessed work of grace that swept through all military 
 grades, from the General to the drummer-boy, is "the 
 silver lining" to the dark and heavy cloud of war that 
 shook its terrors on our land. 
 
SUBJECTS OF THE REVIVAL. 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 SUBJECTS OF THE REVIVAL. 
 
 There is a strongly marked difference between armies 
 of invasion and armies of defence. The former are of- 
 ten mere bands of butchers following at the heels of 
 some ambitious leader. But when men fight for coun- 
 tr}', kindred, and home, they bear a moral character that 
 lifts them above mercenary motives. 
 
 Soldiers may fight bravelj^ for glor}', or for gain. We 
 sliould not underrate the valor of the men that bore the 
 standards of Alexander, Cffisar, and Napoleon, to so 
 many victories ; but take from such soldiers the esjorit du 
 corps, and you have left no pure and high inspiration 
 which makes it "sweet to die for one's country." 
 
 In our war the Northern people fought, as they de- 
 clared, to maintain the Union as it came from the hands 
 of the fathers ; the Southern people fought for the right 
 of self-government. The war was brought to our doors, 
 and was waged against us with the most determined and 
 relentless spirit. Our people were thoroughly aroused, 
 and rushed into the army from all ranks of society. 
 They bore with them the convictions, thoughts, and hab- 
 its they had been accustomed to in peaceful life. They 
 were citizen soldiers ; and though they shook off to some 
 extent, in the early part of the war, the influences of ed- 
 ucation and religion ; yet, when dangers thickened, and 
 disease and death thinned their ranks, these returned 
 upon th^^m with increasing power. 
 
 The feelings of true patriotism lie next to the higher 
 sentiments of religion in the heart, and the man that 
 cheerfully bears the 3'^oke for the sake of his oppressed 
 country will not stubbornly refuse to bear the yoke of 
 
18 T11J2 GKEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 Christ, Therefore, the patriotic fervor which prevailed 
 amoTifj the Southern soldiers superinduced a state of 
 mind highly favorable to the work of religion. 
 
 In most nations the privates of an army are "raked 
 up from the lowest tier of human society." Their offi- 
 cers look upon them as so much bone and muscle, to be 
 wrought, b}' iron discipline, into a huge engine of de- 
 struction culled an army. 
 
 If war is a necessary evil, why should we strip those 
 who engage in it of the common attributes of humanity? 
 Soldiers are more than "food for cannon." They have 
 like passions with other men, and may be reached by 
 the same means that have been proved to be efficient in 
 the salvation of other men. 
 
 Never were these divinely appointed means more fully 
 tested than during the late civil war ; and surely never 
 were they found more effectual in turning men "from 
 darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
 God." In the midst of all the privations and horrors of 
 war " the grace of God appeared" unto thousands and 
 tens of thousands in the camp and in the hospital, 
 "teaching them that, denying ungodliness and worldly 
 lusts, they should live soberlj^ righteously, and godly in 
 this present world." The subjects of this revival were 
 found among all classes in the army. Generals in high 
 command, and officers of all lower grades, as well as 
 private soldiers, bowed before the Lord of Hosts, and 
 with deep penitence and earnest prayer sought the par- 
 don of sins through the atoning blood of Christ. 
 
 Speaking of those who obeyed the call of mercy in 
 the ranks of the army, a writer in the midst of the war 
 exclaims : " We cannot express our feelings wiiile wo 
 think of them. Glorious fruits of the grace of God are 
 these men that have been ' born again' on fields of blood. 
 They left their homes for battle with a desperate foe — 
 they entered into associations and upon scenes, by uni- 
 versal consent, the most unfavorable to piety ; but the 
 
SUBJECTS OF THE REVIVAL. 19 
 
 ever-blessed Saviour went with tliein ; listening to ten 
 thousand fervent prayers, he revived his work and made 
 the still, small voice to be heard amid the thunder of war. 
 It is a sublime expression of mercy.'' 
 
 In contemplating such a revival, we naturally look at 
 its subjects with deep interest. Who were they? "What 
 were they? What characteristics did those men present, 
 who were lions in the day of battle, and yet wept and 
 beat their breasts in great sorrow when they thought of 
 their sins? 
 
 Is there not something peculiar in these men who are 
 converted while they stand guard, or lie in their rifle- 
 pits, or sit by their camp-fires, through the dismal, rainy 
 nights? These men that walk their beats filled witli the 
 love of God, and shout his praises in the thunder of 
 battle? 
 
 We have already referred to the patriotic fervor that 
 pervaded the Southern armies. In addition to this, our 
 camps were blessed from the outbreak of the strife with 
 moral and religious men who never forgot their obliga 
 tions to God. The army had in it every class of be 
 lievers, from the bishop to the neophyte. Preachers 
 students of divinity, Sunday-school teachers and schol 
 ars, elders, deacons, vestrymen, class-leaders, stewards 
 exhorters — men from all the official grades of all the de 
 nominations of Christians took up arms and swelled the 
 ranks of the army. 
 
 Some of these, alas ! cast away the " pearl of great 
 price," others suflfered its lustre to be dimmed, but the 
 majority kept it bright and untarnished throughout the 
 dreadful ordeal. The influence of such men in the worst 
 of armies would be powerful for good ; how great it must 
 have been among such soldiers as marched under the 
 Southern banner ! It has been well observed that " no 
 Christian soldier can pass through a campaign, and ex- 
 emplify the Christian tempers and qualities looked for 
 in a follower of Christ, without dropping seeds of saving 
 
JIO TllE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 grace into some minds and hearts that will culminate in 
 everlasting life." 
 
 The irreligious men who were blessed with these god- 
 ly examples were not strangers to their pious comrades. 
 They were often from the same town, county, or district, 
 and at home had felt the same religious power that was 
 brought to bear upon them in the army. The gospel 
 preached in the camp was not a new sound to them, nor 
 were the words of praj-er a strange language. It was 
 home-like to meet for tlie worship of God, and not un- 
 frequently the same minister whom they had known in 
 their distant homes lifted up his voice among them " in 
 the wilderness," and called them to repentance. How 
 often were scenes like the following witnessed amon^ 
 the rough-looking men in " gray jackets," who crowded 
 the " log chapels" to hear the glad tidings of salvation. 
 Rev. Dr. Sehon, writing of his labors among the soldiers 
 in General Lee's army, saj^s : 
 
 " A most interesting incident occurred during the ex- 
 ercises of the evening : 
 
 "A request was made for a Bible for the stand. Seve- 
 ral were ready to respond. The book was received from 
 a tall and interesting looking young man. I noticed his 
 large blue eyes and attractive face as he came forward 
 and placed the hol}'^ book before me. Instantly his home 
 rose before me. I fancied how father, mother, brothers, 
 sisters, felt when he left, and how they thouglit of and 
 prayed for him. While lining the hymn I turned to the 
 title page of the Bible and then my eyes were filled with 
 tears. On the blank leaves were written the parting 
 words of love and affection of the dear ones at home, 
 with the kind advice and earnest praj^ers for the safety 
 and happiness of the owner of the book. I closed the 
 book with feelings of most sacred character, and was far 
 better prepared, by this simple incident, for the solemn 
 services of the hour. In the course of the sermon, I re- 
 marked that they were now peculiarl3'^ the sul)jects of 
 
SUBJECTS OF THE REVIVAL. 21 
 
 earnest prayer and anxious solicitude. That for them, 
 at this rery hour, prayer from many a heart and home- 
 altar was ascending to God — that as in the rolume I 
 then held in my hand, which had been laid on tlie table 
 by my unknown young friend, so each had with him u 
 'similar silent, yet painful witness of the anxiety, devo- 
 tion and prayers, as pledged in these sacred gifts of 
 their loved ones at home — that they should now pray 
 themselves to their heavenly Father and engage earnest- 
 ly in his service. 
 
 "There was a low and gentle wail which came up from 
 that weeping crowd like the mournful sounds of the 
 passing breeze through the lofty pines of the distant 
 forest." 
 
 The intelligence and social position of the Confede- 
 rate soldiers were higher than we usually find in large 
 bodies of troops. The private at home was often equal, 
 and sometimes superior in social status to the officer 
 that led him, and did not forget the claims of good 
 breeding after he entered the army. " I am proud to 
 say it for Confederate soldiers," said the venerable Dr. 
 Lovick Pierce, of Georgia, "that for a long time while 
 travelling with hundreds and thousands of them on all 
 the railroads used for transportation, I have heard less 
 profane language issuing from them than I have ever 
 heard from any promiscuous crowd of travellers in all 
 my journeyings. It is a well-earned fame, and deservea 
 an imperishable record. Most of them seem to belong 
 to the gentleman stock." 
 
 Said the Rev. J. M. Atkinson : " The talent, the en- 
 ergy, patriotism — and now, it would seem, the piety of 
 the country is, for the most part, to be found in the army. 
 One of the most remarkable manifestations of this time, 
 and of the war, is the character of our armies. It is un- 
 like that of any soldiers known in history. In religious 
 fervor, in intelligent patriotism, they resemble the best 
 troops of the English Commonwealth, when least infected 
 
28 TILE OUKAT REVIVAL. 
 
 with fanatical rancor and selfish ambition. But in re- 
 finement, in urbanity, in education, in simplicity of pur- 
 pose, in intelligent appreciation of tlie questions involved 
 and the interests at stake, and above all, in Christian 
 sensibility, at once kindly and fervent, catholic and 
 deep, it is incomparably superior to the best soldiers of 
 Cromwell's army. The reciprocal feeling which binds 
 our armies to our people, and our people to our armies, 
 is another peculiarity of this time and this contest. Our 
 soldiers are not foreign mercenaries, fighting for plunder 
 or pay ; not worthless adventurers, fighting for fame or 
 power ; not religious fanatics or partisan warriors, bat- 
 tling for a name or a man. But their hearts are still in 
 tlieir homes. The cherished images of their dear pa- 
 rents, their wives and children, are still before them. 
 The}'' are fighting with resolute and tenacious power, 
 with generous and self-sacrificing valor." 
 
 On the souls of such men the truths of the gospel 
 rested with saving power. And even the most wicked 
 and reckless among them were often readily impressed 
 and easily led into the ways of virtue and religion. 
 
 "At the commencement of the war," wrote an officer, 
 " I organized a company of cavalry. My men were 
 taken from all grades of society ; the very great ma- 
 jority, however, were wicked and profane. I soon found 
 that it would require ver}"- prompt action on my part if I 
 wished to wield a moral influence over them. I had told 
 them from the first that I sliould not permit gambling in 
 their tents, and I would require them, when off duty on 
 the Sabbath, to observe it as the Lord's day. When 
 we had been out but a few months, one night, after I 
 had gone to rest, I was aroused by one of my faithful 
 boys (poor fellow, he afterwards fell a victim to the 
 Yankees' bullet), wlio informed me that a number of my 
 men, with others from another company, were gambling 
 in one of the tents. At once I repaired to the place and 
 caught them in tlie very act. I told them with some 
 
SUBJECTS OF TIIE REVIVAL. 23 
 
 warmth that they knew I was opposed to gambling, and 
 that I was sorry to find so many of them doing that 
 which I had forbidden ; that I would not consent to com- 
 mand a set of blacklegs and blackguards ; that they 
 must look about for some other person to take charge of 
 them, iraless they would consent to burn those cards and 
 promise me never again to engage in the game whilst 
 members of my company. The leader, who was dealing 
 the cards at the time, threw them down, remarking, 'We 
 want no other captain.' The others assented. The cards 
 were destroyed, their visitors left, and I never after 
 caught them at cards or heard of their joining in this 
 wicked practice." 
 
 The armies of the South were homogeneous. There 
 were but a few thousand foreigners at any time in the 
 Confederate ranks. Hence, there was but little of that 
 beastliness and brutality displayed which marked the 
 foreign mercenaries in the opposing armies. Our forces 
 were strictly native American, of the Southern tj^DC, and 
 while they exhibited to a mournful extent the peculiar 
 vices of their race, they also manifested the respect and 
 reverence of their race for all the ordinances and insti- 
 tutions of religion. For, whatever may be thought or 
 said of the Southern people through ignorance or preju- 
 dice, one thing is certainly true, that their religious sen- 
 timents are deep and strong. And another thing is 
 equally true, that among them there have been fewer de- 
 partures from the great cardinal doctrines of the Scrip- 
 tures than among any other people in Christendom. The 
 four or five leading Christian denominations which oc- 
 cupy the South have never been seriously disturbed by 
 any of those false theories which, among other people, 
 have drawn away thousands from the true faith. 
 
 Itinerant venders of the various isms of the age have 
 found a poor market for their wares among the people of 
 the South. Hence, among the subjects of the army re- 
 vival there was not found a strange jumble of opinions 
 
24 TIIE GllEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 which had to be cleared from the mind before the simple 
 truths of the gospel could have their full effect. 
 
 The heroic men on whom God shed forth his Holy 
 Spirit so abundantly and gloriously are well described 
 in the following extracts : 
 
 The Rev. James A. Duncan, D. D., draws this striking 
 picture of the private soldier in the Confederate army : 
 
 " If the private soldier be a true man, there is some- 
 thing of moral sublimity in his conduct that attracts our 
 highest admiration. And yet how apt some people are 
 to forget him. There is no star on his collar, no glitter- 
 ing ornament on his arm ; but his plain gray jacket may 
 enclose as noble a heart as ever throbbed in a human 
 breast, or thrilled with patriotic devotion on the day of 
 battle. In sleepless vigilance he paces his sentinel watch 
 during the long hours and gloom of night, while the quiet 
 stars shed their soft light on his musket, or the storm 
 and rain beat pitilessly down on his shivering body and 
 weary head. Look at him in battle at his gun, begrimed 
 with powder, weary, hungry, almost exhausted, yet the 
 fire gleams in his fearless eye as he rams home the 
 charge, or sights his piece at the foe. ' Forward' is the 
 command along the line, and you can see him as he 
 brings his musket to a charge and dashes on to the very 
 muzzles of the death-dealing guns to win the day or die 
 in the attempt. 
 
 " Kneel down by him, when, wounde.l and dying, he 
 lies there on the field of victory while the life-blood flows 
 from his heart. He speaks to 3^ou — but not a murmur, 
 not a complaint escapes his lips — taking the locket from 
 his neck and the Bible from his bosom, he tells you to 
 give them to some dear one at home, and say that he 
 died bravely for his country. Or, if he be not mortally 
 wounded, accompany him to the hospital, and watch his 
 fortitude and patience while in the hands of the surgeon. 
 See how he suffers, and yet a General could not bear it 
 better. 
 
SUBJECTS OF THE REVIVAL. 25 
 
 " The private soldier ! His is the coarse fare, hard 
 march, weary fight — the drudgery and the hardships are 
 his! 
 
 " There is something as inspiriting in his cheerfulness 
 in the camp as there is grand in his heroism on the field. 
 Now he is a house carpenter building him a shanty, then 
 a dirt-dauber constructing a mud chimney. Now he is 
 a cook frying " middling" on the coals and baking bread 
 on a piece of bark set up before the fire. Now he is 
 washer-7nu?i, and has stripped off his only shirt to have 
 it done up, that he ma}- enjoy a clean garment. In a 
 word, he is a wonderful creature, that private soldier 
 — he is cook, washer-ivoman, (?) carpenter, tent-maker, 
 wagoner, pedestrian, clerk, butcher, baker, market huck- 
 ster, groom, stable-boy, blacksmith, scout, anything and 
 everything a man can or must be in camp, and then he 
 wins a battle and gives the glory to his officer. We like 
 him. His rich, ringing shout, and his merry, loud laugh, 
 make music of a manly, stirring sort. His wit is as origi- 
 nal as it is amusing. It is amusing to hear him, as his 
 regiment passes through a town where hundreds of well- 
 gro^Ti exempts stand on the side-walk, ' Fall in, bo3's ! 
 now is your time — ain't going to fight soon ?' Or to 
 hear the mock sympathy with which he exclaims, ' Boys, 
 ain't you almost big enough yet ? Never mind, if you 
 ain't but hrenty-five j-ears old, come along with big bro- 
 ther, he will take care of you.' On seeing a fellow 
 dressed up in fine clothes, he cries out, ' Come out of them 
 clothes ; I see j^ou, conscript ; tain't worth while ahidhig 
 in them clothes.' Another will exclaim, 'Here's your 
 musket ; I brought it 'specially' for you ; beautiful thing 
 to tote ; just fit your shoulder !' 
 
 "He moves our sympathies perhaps yet more while 
 we look at him alone in his tent, or by the camp-fire, 
 holding in his hand the letter from home. We cannot 
 decipher the sacred contents, but we are at no loss to 
 know its effect upon the soldier as he folds up the pre- 
 
26 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 cions letter which the hand of affection has traced with 
 words of love, fond remembrance, and anxious hopes, 
 and brushes away the tear that has unbidden come in 
 testimony of the memories that have been awakened." 
 
 And the following from the pen of Rev. R. H. Rivers, 
 D. D., is not less eloquent and truthful : 
 
 "The model Confederate soldier is a patriot. He 
 loves his country with a deep and all-absorbing passion. 
 He sees its broad acres desolated, its towns and cities 
 sacked and burned, its noble women insulted and exiled, 
 its venerable men driven from happy homes to pine in 
 penury, its priests torn down from their pulpits and al- 
 tars to languish in criminals' cells, its churches dese- 
 crated, and the very graves of his sires disturbed. 
 *********** 
 
 " Yes, the Confederate soldier is a patriot ; it is for 
 this he wields the sword and shoulders the musket ; it is 
 for this he surrenders home, bids adieu to all its hallowed 
 associations, and undergoes the hardships of the camp, 
 the fatigues of the march, the privations of ,the soldier, 
 and the perils of battle. 
 
 " He is brave. He marches without fear to the brink 
 of death. The booming of cannon, the shrill sound of 
 rifle and musketry, the clash of arms, the smoke of bat- 
 tle, the groans of the wounded, and the fallen corjises of 
 the dead, inspire him with no terror. Brave, but not 
 reckless, he would stand, if need be, in the very front of 
 the battle, facing danger and braving death. Such is 
 true courage, and it is possessed in all its plenitude by 
 the model soldier. 
 
 " He is obedient to his superiors. Obedience is a high 
 duty of the soldier. Accustomed almost from infancy 
 to command, and altogether unused to much of the hard 
 and servile labor which devolves upon him in the army, 
 he feels that it is a high virtue now to obey. Disobedi- 
 ence would be ruinous to the cause ; insubordination 
 must bring defeat to our arms, and subjugation or exter- 
 
SUBJECTS OF THE REVIVAL. 2< 
 
 mlnation. This he sees, and however hard the labor, 
 however humiliating the work, however severe the task, 
 however perilous the undertaking, he goes forward do- 
 ing his duty, obeying orders, and exerting an influence 
 as extensive as our armies and as potent, though quiet 
 » as ' Heaven's first law.' A private in the ranks — his 
 name unheralded, and his deeds, his noble deeds, un- 
 sung — he exerts an influence, by his cheerful obedience, 
 as gentle as the dews of heaven, as pure as the alembic 
 from which they are distilled, and as fragrant as the 
 flowers on which the)'' fall." 
 
 These are portraits from friendly hands. Let us look 
 at two others drawn by those who were then ranked 
 among our enemies. 
 
 The first is a picture by a Federal soldier of the " Penn- 
 sylvania Reserves," who since the war has published a 
 book entitled, "Our Boys." He is describing the con- 
 versations that often took place between the Northern 
 and Southern soldiers during a brief armistice : 
 
 " In one of those conversations that the soldiers of 
 both armies so frequently took with the Potomac rolling 
 between them, the following occurred : 
 
 " May we ask," inquired the Federal soldier, " to what 
 regiment j^ou belong ?" 
 
 " Thirteenth Virginia Cavalry." 
 
 " You are one of its oflScers ?" 
 
 " Yes ; I am Captain of Company C. My name is 
 Andrew L. Pitzer." 
 
 "To repeat all the conversation that followed would be 
 a task indeed. The war was talked of — the soldier's life 
 was discussed. Jokes were perpetrated freely ; but one 
 little circumstance occurred during the conversation 
 which made an impression on my mind that time can 
 never eflTace. It was as follows : 
 
 " One of our boys held up a pack of cards, and called 
 out: 
 
 " Do you know what this is ?" 
 
28 THE OKEAT HEVIVAL. 
 
 "Several other rebels had l\y this time joined the officer, 
 who acted as spokesman, and continued to carry on the 
 conversation, 
 
 " I cannot see what it is at tliis distance, ' lie replied. 
 
 " I'll tell you," said the owner. 
 
 " What ?" 
 
 " The history of the Four Kings,'" was the significant 
 reply. 
 
 " Oh ! j'es — that's — yes — I understand now. Cards, I 
 believe." 
 
 « Yes." 
 
 '♦ May I show you the history I read ?" asked the 
 rebel. 
 
 " Yes, sir, if j^ou please." 
 
 " Placing his hand to his breast, the rebel officer drew 
 from a side-pocket the most blessed of all books, a small 
 Bible. Ah ! what a reproach ! Not that it was meant 
 as a repi'oach, for it was done with the innocence and 
 simplicity of a child ; but to witness such an exhibition 
 of surperior morals in one upon whom we looked as being 
 a rebel — an insurgent — was truly abasing. IIow I should 
 like to know whether he is yet living. Many on our 
 side, who came to the rocky brink and conversed with 
 him on that day of armistice, have passed away for- 
 ever. 
 
 " I do not remember who the soldier was that exhib- 
 ited the pack of cards to the rebel officer ; but there is 
 one thing I do remember, and that is, that he felt the re- 
 proof so sensibly, that, after standing for a moment 
 gazing vacantly upon the cards as he held them in his 
 hand, and listlessly twisting the corners, he threw them 
 over the brink, and away they went sailing and fluttering 
 as they slowly descended to the green waters many a 
 fathom below." 
 
 The second picture is from Rev. Dr. Bellows, and was 
 drawn by him at the Unitarian Convention which met in 
 the city of New York in the midst of the war. He gave 
 
SUBJECTS or THE REVIVAL. 29 
 
 his views of " Southern social life," and the influences 
 proceeding from it, thus : 
 
 " No candid mind will deny the peculiar charm of 
 Southern j^oung men at College, or Southern young wo- 
 men in society. IIow far race and climate, independent 
 of servile institutions, may have produced the Southern 
 chivah'ic spirit and manner, I will not here consider. 
 But one may as well deny the small feet and hands of 
 that people, as denj'^ a certain inbred habit of command ; 
 a contempt of life in defence of honor or class ; a talent 
 for political life, and an easy control of inferiors. Nor 
 is this merely an external and flashy heroism. It is real. 
 It showed itself in Congress earl}^ and always by the 
 courage, eloquence, skill and success with which it con- 
 trolled majorities. It showed itself in the social life of 
 Washington, b}^ the grace, fascination and ease, the free 
 and charming hospitality by which it governed society. 
 It now shows itself in England and France, by the suc- 
 cess with which it manages the courts and the circles of 
 literature and fashion in both countries. It shows itself 
 in this war, in the orders and proclamations of its gene- 
 rals, in the messages of the rebel Congress, and the es- 
 sential good breeding and humanity (contrary to a dili- 
 gently encouraged public impression) with which it not 
 seldom divides its medical stores, and gives our sick and 
 wounded as favorable care as it is able to extend to its 
 own. It exceeds us at this moment in the possession of 
 ambulance corps. 
 
 " I think the war must have increased the respect felt 
 by the North for the South. Its miraculous resources, 
 the bravery of its troops, their patience under hardships, 
 their unshrinking firmness in the desperate position they 
 have assumed, the wonderful success with which they 
 have extemporized manufactures and munitions of war, 
 and kept themselves in relation with the world in spite 
 of our magnificent blockade ; the elasticity with whi(;h 
 they have risen from defeat, and the courage they have 
 
30 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 shown in threatening again and again our capital, and 
 even our interior, cannot fail to extort an unwilling ad- 
 miration and respect. Well is Gen. JNIcClellan reported 
 to have said (privately), as he watched their obstinate 
 fighting at Antietam, and saw them retiring in perfect 
 order in the midst of the most frightful carnage : 'What 
 terrible neighbors these would be ! We must conquc* 
 them, or they will conquer us !' " 
 
HINDRANCES TO THE llEYIVAL. 31 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 HINDRANCES TO THE KEVTVAL. 
 
 Our soldiers, though worth}' of the eulogies we have 
 recorded, did not esc pe the vices f a military life. In 
 the first mouths of the strife the call of the war trumpet 
 was heard above all other sounds. The youn men rush- 
 ed to the camps of instruction ; and, freed from the re- 
 straints of home, and the influence of pious relatives, 
 thousands of them gave wa}' to tlie seductive influences 
 of sin. 
 
 Legions of devils infest; a camp. Vice rows in it like 
 plants i a hot bed, and yields abundant and bitter fruits. 
 " In the Old Testament it is said, ' One sinner destroyeth 
 much good.' If so, what destruction of good must be 
 effected by a large body of ungodly soldiers in close and 
 constant contact, where one may, without extravagance, 
 consider them as innoculating each other daily with the 
 new infection of every debauch through which they 
 pass." 
 
 The "strong man armed" keeps watch and ward over 
 a camp of soldiers, and is not overcome and cast out 
 without a tremendous struggle. 
 
 All that can hinder a work of grace confronted the re- 
 vival in our arm}'. Before the "soldiers of Christ" ad- 
 dressed themselves in earnest, to the work, gambling, 
 profanity, drunkenness, and other kindred vices, prevail- 
 ed to an alarming extent. 
 
 The temptation to recklessness is strong among all 
 soldiers. Religion is supposed to be well suited to the 
 pursuits of peaceful life, but not to rough, uncertain army 
 life. 
 
 "We are led by custom," says the celebrated Adam 
 
32 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 Smith, "to annex the character of gaiety, levity, and 
 sprightly freedom, as well as of some degree of dissipa- 
 tion, to the military profession. Yet, if we were to con- 
 sider what mood or tone of temper would be most suita- 
 ble to this situation, we should be apt to determine, per- 
 haps, that the most serious and thoughtful turn of mind 
 would best become those whose lives are continually ex- 
 posed to uncommon danger, and who should, therefore, 
 be more constantly occupied with the thoughts of death 
 and its consequences than other men. It is this very 
 circumstance, however, which is not improbably the oc- 
 casion why the contrary turn of mind prevails so much 
 among men of this profession. It requires so great an 
 effort to conquer the fear of death, when we survey it 
 with steadiness and attention, that those who are con- 
 stantly exposed to it find it easier to turn away their 
 thoughts from it altogether, to wrap themselves up in 
 careless security and indifference, and to plunge them- 
 selves, for this purpose, into every sort of amusement 
 and dissipation. A camp is not the element of a thought- 
 ful or melancholy man ; persons of that cast, indeed, are 
 often abundantly determined, and are capable, by a great 
 effort, of going ou with inflexible resolution to the most 
 unavoidable death. But to be exposed to contkiual, 
 though less imminent danger, to be obliged to exert, for 
 a long time, a degree of this effort exhausts and depress- 
 es the mind and renders it incapable of all happiness 
 and enjoj'ment. 
 
 " The ga}"- and careless, who have occasion to make no 
 effort at all, who fairly resolve never to look before them, 
 but to lose in continual pleasure and amusement all anx- 
 iety about their situation, more easily support such cir- 
 cumstances." 
 
 This is the language of a very eminent philosopher. 
 There is truth and error in it. This effort on the part of 
 the soldier to turn away his thoughts from death is only 
 the more open manifestation of his former indifference to 
 
HINDRANCES TO TIIE RE\aVAL. 33 
 
 the truth. It is sad, indeed, to think that great dangers 
 are often made the occasion and excuse for great neglect 
 of our highest interests. The philosopher overlooks the 
 great means of overcoming the fear of death — " Repent- 
 ance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus 
 Christ." This sustains the soul with the strength of 
 God, and gives the assurance of eternal happiness. 
 
 This reckless spirit, we must admit, greatly prevailed, 
 and was much encouraged by many who had been long 
 in the militar}'^ profession, and brought with them into 
 our armies the vicious habits of many j^ears of sin. 
 
 The general demoralization which spread over the 
 country was a great barrier to the progress of the truth. 
 War brings all evils in its train ; and though founded in 
 justice and right, and conducted on the highest principles 
 of civilization, will leave its frightful marks on every 
 feature of society. In the Revolutionary War good men 
 shuddered at the evils which overspread the land. 
 
 " Ignorance of God and divine things greatlj'' prevails. 
 Unbelief, hardness of heart, worldly-mindedness, covet- 
 ousness, hypocrisy, a loathing of the heavenly manna, 
 almost universally prevail. Many count gain to be god- 
 liness, and the most part are seeking each one his gain 
 from his quarter. 
 
 "■ There is a grievous inattention to religion and virtue 
 among our civil rulers, which, nevertheless, are the only 
 permanent foundation of good order in civil society ; 
 while a gospel ministry is neglected by those who ought 
 immediately to support it. 
 
 "Whoredom, adultery, and all the lusts of the flesh, de- 
 file our country. Horrid profanation of the sacred word 
 of God, perjury, "vdolation of the holy Sabbath, neglect 
 of secret and family religion, and of relative duties, 
 pride, hatred, malice, envy, revenge, fraud, injustice, 
 gaming, wantonness, extortion, and dissipation, have 
 come in like a flood — and all this while we are under the 
 chastening hand of God." 
 
84 THE GREAT RE^HVAL. 
 
 Such was the work of sin during one of the holy wars 
 of the world. 
 
 In some sections of the South during the late war the 
 state of morals was almost as bad — nay, we might say, 
 fully as bad. "Many churches," writes one, "are va- 
 cant, their ministers having gone to the war. Most of 
 our Sunday-schools are disorganized, and but few, 1 fear, 
 will be revived until the war closes. Intemperance and 
 profanity abound, and are fearfully on the increase. Re- 
 ligion is at the lowest ebb. Such a thing as the conver- 
 sion of souls seems scarcely to enter into the mind of 
 either clergy or laity." 
 
 Some may think this picture overdrawn, but there are 
 thousands of living witnesses who can attest its correct 
 ness. 
 
 Among the soldiers the great, overshadowing evils were 
 lewdness, profanity, and drunkenness ; among the people 
 at home, the "greed of gain" was the "accursed thing." 
 
 It was a melancholy fact that many men entered the 
 army the avowed enemies of all intoxicating drinks who 
 alas ! very soon fell victims to the demon of the bottle. 
 With many there seemed to be a conviction that the fa- 
 tigue and exposure of their new mode of life could not 
 be endured without the artificial stimulant of ardent 
 spirits. This was a great and fatal error. The soldier 
 does not need, even in the worst climates, and in the 
 hardest service, his rations of rum. 
 
 Carefully collected and arranged statistics, prepared 
 by the sanitary officers of the British Army, through a 
 space of thirty years, establish the following facts : 
 
 "1. That the total abstinence regiments can endure 
 more labor, more cold, more heat, more exposure, and 
 more privations, than those who have tlieir regular grog 
 rations. 
 
 " 2. That they are less liable to fevers, fluxes, pleuri- 
 sies, colds, chills, rheumatisms, jaundice, and cholera, 
 than otlier regiments. 
 
niNDUANCES TO THE REVIVAL. 35 
 
 "3. That when attacked by anj^ of these diseases 
 their recovery is much more certain and speedy. 
 
 " 4. That they are much more readily aroused from 
 the eftects of concussions and severe wounds, and 
 are far less liable to lockjaw, or mortifiation after 
 wounds. 
 
 " 5. That only about six in the temperance regiments 
 die, from all causes, to ten of the other regiments." 
 
 These facts were collected from various fields of ob- 
 servation : Africa, Canada, Greenland, the East Indies, 
 West Indies, and the Crimea. 
 
 Robert Southey wrote the following to a kinsman, a 
 lieutenant in the British Arm}^ : 
 
 " General Peche, an East Indian officer here, told me 
 that in India the officers who were looking out for pre- 
 ferment, and who kept lists of all above them, always 
 marked those who drank any spirits on a morning with 
 an X, and reckoned them for nothing. ' One day,' said 
 he, ' when we were about to march at day -break, I and 
 
 Captain were in my tent, and we saw a German 
 
 of our regiment. So I said we'd try him ; we called to 
 him, said it was a cold morning, and asked him if he 
 would take a glass to warm him. I got him a full 
 beaker of brandy and water, and he drank it off. When 
 he was gone, I said, 'Well, what do you thinks we may 
 cross him, mayn't we?' 'Oh, yes,' said he, 'cross him 
 by all means.' And the German did not live twelve 
 months.' " 
 
 It is related of the Duke of Wellington, that during 
 the Peninsular war he heard that a large magazine of 
 wine lay in his line of march. He feared more for his 
 men from barrels of wine than from batteries of cannon, 
 and instantly dispatched a body of troops to knock 
 every wine-cask on the head. 
 
 General Havelock, in speaking of the forbearance of 
 his troops after storming the city of Ghunzee in Affgan- 
 istan, says : " The self-denial, merc}^ and generosity of 
 
36 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 the hour were, iu a great degree, to be attributed to tlie 
 fict that the European soldiers had not received spirit 
 rations for several weeks, and that the}- found no intoxi- 
 cating liquors among the plunder of the city. Since, 
 tiien, it has been proved that troops can make forced 
 inarches of forty miles, and storm a fortress in twenty- 
 five minutes without the aid of rum, let it not henceforth 
 be argued that distilled liquors are an indispensable por- 
 tion of a soldier's ration." 
 
 The cause of Christ was hindered, and that of Satan 
 promoted in the Southern armies by the influence and 
 example of wicked and licentious officers and men. 
 
 One who had observed the course of intemperance in 
 the army wrote : 
 
 " The prevalence of vice, — drunkenness and profanity 
 in our camps — is attributable to the officers themselves. 
 Jiy far the larger number of the officers of our Southern 
 arm_y are both profane and hard drinkers, where they are 
 not drunkards." 
 
 Another saj-s : " There is an appalling amount of 
 drunkenness in our army. More among the officers than 
 the men. This evil is now on the increase." 
 
 A surgeon writing from the army says : "I was great- 
 ly astonished to find soldiers in Virginia whom I had 
 known in Georgia as sober, discreet citizens — members 
 of the different churches — some deacons, and official 
 members — even preachers, in the daily and constant ha- 
 bit of drinking whiskey for their health." 
 
 An officer who had visited many portions of the army 
 gave it as his opinion that with the exception of the re- 
 verse at Fort Donelson, we were defeated not by the Fe- 
 derals but by whiskey. 
 
 A distinguished General is said to have remarked that 
 " if the South is overthrown, the epitaph should be ' Died 
 of Whisl-ey.'" 
 
 This was one of the giant evils. Hundreds all over 
 the land, moved by an unholy desire for gain, engaged in 
 
HINDRANCES TO TIIE REVIV^VL. 3/ 
 
 the manufacture of ardent spirits. It was estimated that 
 in one county in Virginia, and that not one of the largest, 
 the distillers, in one year, consumed 31,000 bushels of 
 grain, enough to furnish 600 families with food for the 
 same period. While the commissioners, appointed by 
 the court of that county to procure grain to feed the fa- 
 milies of soldiers, could not purchase enough for that 
 purpose, the smoke of fifty distilleries darkened the air ; 
 meanwhile, the cries of the poor mothers and helpless 
 children went up in vain for bread. 
 
 The same was the case in other States. In one Dis- 
 trict in South Carolina 150 distilleries were in operation. 
 A gentleman in North Carolina said he could count from 
 one hill-top the smoke of 14 distilleries. One of the 
 Richmond papers declared that a single distiller in that 
 city made at one period of the war a profit of 14,000 a 
 day. 
 
 In AugiTsta county, Va., it was estimated that 50,000 
 bushels of grain were consumed mouthlj'^ by the distille- 
 ries in operation there. 
 
 A writer on this subject estimated that in the second 
 year of the war 1,600 barrels, or 64,000 gallons of ardent 
 spirits, of the worst sort, were dail}^ manufactured in the 
 Confederate States. 
 
 INIen who flourish and grow rich in such business forget 
 the counsel of Lord Bacon, to " seek only such gains as 
 they can get justl}', use soberly, distribute cheerfull}'", 
 and leave contentedly." 
 
 The temptation to drinlc in the army was very strong ; 
 men were cast down in spirit, awaj'^ from home, wife, 
 children, mothers and sisters, all that makes life dear. 
 Many that ventured to drink at all imder such circum- 
 stances found it hard to avoid excesses. 
 
 But this evil was not confined to the soldiers. In the 
 councils of the General government and State govern- 
 ments its baleful influence was felt. And some bold, 
 stupid men declared that "they had never heard of anj'-- 
 2a 
 
38 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 thing great being accomplished in war without the aid ot 
 whiske}'." 
 
 Such a remark could not have been made in serious- 
 ness ; it was the senseless babbling of some wretched 
 votary of Bacchus. 
 
 The best and ablest officers of the army sought by ex- 
 ample and by precept to suppress this vice ; and the fol- 
 lowing noble language from General Bragg is a sample 
 of the general orders issued from time to time against 
 the evils wliich infested our armies : 
 
 " Commanders of all grades are earnestly called upon 
 to suppress drunkenness by every means in their power. 
 It is the cause of nearly every evil from which we sufler ; 
 the largest portion of our sickness and mortality results 
 from it ; our guard-houses are filled b3^ it ; officers are 
 constantly called from their duties to form court-martials 
 in conscriLience of it ; inefficiency in our troops, and con- 
 sequent danger to our cause, is the inevitable result. No 
 one is benefitted but the miserable wretch who is too cow- 
 ardly to defend a country he is willing to sell, by destroy- 
 ing those noble faculties he has never possessed. Gal- 
 lant soldiers should scorn to yield to such temptations — 
 and intelligent and honorable officers should set them an 
 example. They should be encouraged to send to their 
 families at home the pay they receive for their services, 
 instead of wasting it in their own destruction, and at the 
 risk of the holy cause in which they are engaged. Small 
 as the amount is, it will cause many a dear one to rise up 
 and call them blessed. 
 
 "'Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, 
 and wine to those tliat be of heavy hearts,' — but for us, 
 the glorious cause in which we are engaged should fur- 
 nish all the excitement and enthusiasm necessary for our 
 success." 
 
 When ardent spirits were offered to our great warrior 
 Jackson, in liis last illness, as a medicine, he exclaimed, 
 " Give me pure water and milk." And among the sol- 
 
mNDRANCES TO TILE REVIVAL, 39 
 
 diers there were many that followed the example of this 
 great leader. 
 
 An occasional instance of moral heroism appeared 
 amidst the wreck and ruin wrought by indulgence in 
 strong drink : 
 
 "A little drummer-boy in one of our regiments," says 
 an army correspondent, " who had become a great favor- 
 ite with many of the ofllcers bj'' his unremitting good na- 
 ture, happened on one occasion to be in the officers' tent, 
 when the bane of the soldiers' life passed around, A 
 captain handed a glass to the little fellow, but he refused 
 it, saying, 'I am a cadet of temperance, and do not taste 
 strong drink.' 'But you must take some now — I insist 
 on it. You belong to our mess to-da3^ and cannot re- 
 fuse.' Still the boy stood firm on the rock of total ab- 
 stinence, and held fast to his, integrity. The Captain, 
 turning to the Major, said, ' H — is afraid to drink ; and 
 he will never make a soldier.' ' How is this ?' said the 
 Major, plaj'-fully ; and then assuming another tone, add- 
 ed — ' I command j^ou to take a drink, and you know it is 
 death to disobey orders.' The little hero, raising his 
 youug form to its full height, and fixing his clear blue 
 eyes, lit up with uiiusual brilliancy, on the face of the 
 officer, said, ' Sir, my father died a drunkard ; and when 
 I entered the army I promised my dear mother on mj' 
 bended knees that, by the help of God, I would not taste 
 a drop of rum, and I mean to keep my promise. I am 
 sorry to disobey orders, sir, but I would rather suffer 
 than disgrace Tuy mother and break my temperance 
 pledge.' " 
 
 This boy hero, and thousands of others, have had rea- 
 son to make the following thrilling lines the expression 
 of their abhorrence of drunkenness : 
 
 " A young lad}' who was in the habit of writing con- 
 siderably and in stirring tones on the subject of temper- 
 ance, was in her writings so full of pathos, and evinced 
 such deep emotion of soul, that a friend accused her of 
 
40 THE GREAT RE^aVAL. 
 
 being a maniac on the subject of temperance, whereupon 
 she wrote the following : 
 
 " Go feel what I liave felt, 
 
 Go bear what I have borne — 
 Sink 'neath a blow a father dealt, 
 And the cold world's proud scorn ; 
 Then suffer on, from year to year, 
 Thy sole relief, the scalding tear. 
 Go kneel as I have knelt. 
 
 Implore, beseech, and pray — 
 Strive the besotted heart to melt, 
 Tiie downward course to stay. 
 Be dashed with bitter cuise aside. 
 Your prayers burlesqued, your tears defied. 
 
 " Go weep as I have wept, 
 O'er a loved father's fall ; 
 See every promised blessing swept — 
 Youth's sweetness turned to gall — 
 Life's fading flowers strewed all the way 
 That brought me np to woman's day. 
 Go see what I have seen. 
 
 Behold the strong man bow, 
 A\ ilh gnashing teeth, lips bathed in blood, 
 And cold and livid brow ; 
 Go catch his withering glance, and see 
 There pictured his soul's misery. 
 
 " Go to thy mother's side, 
 
 And her crushed bosom cheer; 
 Thine own deep anguish hide. 
 
 Wipe from her cheek the bitter tear ; 
 Mark her worn frame and withering brow ; 
 The gray that streaks her dark hair now — 
 With fading frame and trembling limb; 
 And trace the ruin back to him, 
 Whose plighted faith in earl}' youth 
 Promised eternal love and truth. 
 But who, foresworn, hath yielded up, 
 That promise to the cursed cup ; 
 That led her down tlirough love and light. 
 And all that made her jirospt'cts bright, 
 
HINDRANCES TO TIEE KEVIVAL, 41 
 
 And chained her there, 'mid want and strife, 
 That lowly thing, a drunkard's wife — 
 And stamped on childhood's brow so mild, 
 That withering blight, the drunkard's child. 
 
 " Go bear, and see, and know. 
 
 All that my soul hath felt and known, 
 Then look upon the wine-cup's glow. 
 See if its beauty can atone — 
 Think if its flavor you will try : 
 When all proclaim, 'tis drink and die I 
 Tell me I hate the bowl — 
 
 Uate is a feeble word, 
 / loathe — ABHOR — my very soul 
 With strong disgust is stiyred 
 When I see. or hear, or tell, 
 
 Of the dark beverage of HEr^L !" 
 
 But the revival had other foes to fight besides the 
 beastly devil of intemperance. 
 
 History teaches that periods of great national calami- 
 ty are marked by great public demoralization. Our war 
 gave powerful witness to this sad truth. Worldly-mind- 
 edness, a vaunting pride, relaxation of morals, self-seek- 
 ing, desperate gambling, hard-heartedness, and a host of 
 other evils flourished amidst the woes and wants and 
 consuming sorrows of the war. 
 
 But perhaps the most prominent, and in view of the 
 condition of the country, the most appalling evil was the 
 eager greed of gain which fostered a wide-spread and 
 cruel sjjirit of extortion. 
 
 If there ever was a time when the apostolic warning, 
 that " the love of money is the root of all evil," received 
 a full confirmation among any people, it was in those 
 moui'nful days of the Confederacy when, in all the ave- 
 nues of trade, and even close on the rear of our war- 
 stricken, but unfaltering army, like a dreadful portent, 
 the extortioners sat, croaking day and night their horse- 
 leech cry, Give ! Give ! 
 
 All, classes, all trades, all professions, and both sexes 
 
42 THB GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 alas ! seemed infected by the foul contagion. So univer- 
 sal was the practice of cutting out the "pound of flesh," 
 that whenever an exception occurred it was thought 
 worthy of special notice in all the public prints, and was 
 referred to in the pulpits as an instance of one, at least, 
 in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal, 
 
 This cursed lust of gain, this Sh>'lock exaction, more 
 than all things else, embai'rassed the Government, im- 
 paired public credit, depreciated the currenc3^ caused 
 great distress among the poorer classes, sowed the seeds 
 of disaffection broadcast over the land, and finally broke 
 the spirit of the people and the army. 
 
 The pitiful fallacy about the inexorable " laws of 
 trade," which some, retaining a slight degree of sensi- 
 tiveness, plead as an apology for extortion, the merest 
 tyro in political economy would hardly think of applying 
 to a besieged city, or a country closed by blockade 
 against the commerce of the world. 
 
 The evils which hung like an incubus on the South, 
 and finally, with the help of heavy Northern legions, laid 
 her banners in the dust, and her hopes in the grave, were 
 faithfully portrayed by many patriotic citizens who watch- 
 ed the progress of events. 
 
 The following extract from a discourse delivered in 
 the city of Richmond during the war by Rev. Dr. Moore, 
 of the Presbyterian Church, gives a dark but truthful 
 picture of the times : 
 
 "There are evils inevitable to war from which we can- 
 not expect to escape. We must expect to find personal 
 ambition in the guise of patriotism ; itch for office, witll 
 its horse-leech cr^^ of "give, give;" favoritism and ne- 
 potism, by which the sons, relations and friends of those 
 in office will be placed over the heads of better and older 
 men, wlio are unable to command this kind of patronage, 
 and must, therefore, drudge in humbler and harder posi- 
 tions ; wastefulness in the use of public funds and the 
 granting of public contracts ; blunders in movements. 
 
inNDRANCliS TO THE REVIVAL. 43 
 
 both civil and militarj^ tliat are hard to explain ; pro- 
 voking circumstances and red-tape delays in the transac- 
 tion of public business ; insolence and petty tj^anuy in 
 men raised from obscurity, and dressed in a little brief 
 authority, who lord it with arrogance and sometimes with 
 cruelty over braver and better men placed under their 
 command; heartless brutality in drunken surgeons and 
 drunken nurses allowing sick men to pine and suffer, and 
 even to die from sheer and inexcusable neglect ; drunk- 
 enness in the ranks, as well as among the officers, pre- 
 paring many a gallant man for disgrace and defeat in 
 battle, and a drunkard's grave when the war is ended ; 
 profanity, gambling, pillage and speculation at least in 
 small matters. All these evils are well-nigh inevitable 
 in a time of war, with our poor fallen nature as it is, and 
 can only be diminished by looking to that God before 
 whom we bow this day in reverent supplication." 
 
 Sins so enormous and prevalent, spreading like dark 
 clouds over all the land, and casting their.deep shadows on 
 our brightest hopes, aroused the faithful in all the Church- 
 es to the most eai-nest efforts against the rising tide of 
 iniquity. The pulpits, and the religious and secular press, 
 warned the people of the rocks on which the ship of 
 State was fast drifting. In the general assemblies of all 
 the evangelical Churches, the most decisive measures 
 were adopted, with a view to bring about a thorough re- 
 formation among our people. 
 
 At the Bible Convention in the city of Augusta, Ga., 
 composed of the leading ministers and laymen of the 
 different Christian denominations. Bishop Pierce, of that 
 State, in an able, discourse, depicted the condition of 
 public morals in the following language : 
 
 "The history of the world confirms the testimony of 
 the Bible as to the moral dangers of accumulated treas- 
 ure. Wealth is favorable to every species of wicked- 
 ness. Luxury, licentiousness of manners, selfishness, in- 
 difference to the distresses of others, presumptuous con- 
 
44 THE GREAT RE\aVAL. 
 
 fidcnce in our owii resources — these are the accompani 
 ments of affluence, whenever the safeguards of the Di- 
 vine word, both as to the mode of increase and proper 
 use, are disregarded. As to the higher forms of charac- 
 ter and civilization, unless regulated and sanctified by 
 Scripture truth and principle, opulence has always been 
 one of the most active causes of individual degeneracy 
 and of national corruption. Under the influence of its 
 subtle poison, moral principle decays ; Patriotism puts 
 off its nobility and works for liire ; Bribery corrupts the 
 judgment-seat, and Justice is blinded by gifts ; Benevo- 
 lence suppresses its generous impulses, and counts its 
 contributions by fractions ; Religion, forgetting the ex- 
 ample of its Author and the charit}' of its mission, 
 pleads penury, and chafes at every opportunity for work 
 or distribution ; Covetousness devours widows' houses 
 and grows sleek on the bread of orphans ; Usury specu- 
 lates on Providence and claims its premium, alike from 
 suffering poverty and selfish extravagance ; Extortion 
 riots upon the surplus of the rich and the scrapings of 
 the poor, enlarges its demand as necessity increases, 
 and, amid impoverishment, want, and public distress, 
 whets its appetite for keener rapine, and, with unsated 
 desire, laps the last drop from its victim and remorse- 
 lessly sighs for more. The world counts gain as godli- 
 ness, prosperity as virtue, fraud as talent ; and money, 
 MONEY, MONEY, is the god of the land, with every house 
 for a temple, every field for an altar, and every man for 
 a worshii)per. The Church, infected by popular exam- 
 ple, adopts the maxims of men, grades the wages of her 
 servants by the minimum standard, . paj's slowly and 
 gives grudgingly, and stands guard over her treasures, 
 as if Providence were a robber, and they who press the 
 claims of Heaven came to cheat and steal. 
 
 "Whenever the conservative laws of accumulation and 
 distribution, as prescribed in the Bible, are ignored, then 
 not only does the love of money stimulate our native 
 
HINDRAXCES TO THE REAaVAL. 45 
 
 depravit3% but the lioarJed gain furnishes facilities for 
 uncommon wickedness. Tlie attendant evils are uni- 
 form. They have never failed in the history erf the 
 past. When commerce, manufactures, and agriculture, 
 pour in their treasures, then, without the counteracting 
 power of Scripture truth and Gospel grace, they infalli- 
 bly breed the sins which have been, under God, the ex*^- 
 cutioners of nations. Such is the suicidal influence of 
 imsanctified wealth, that the greater the prosperity of a 
 people the shorter the duration. The virulence of the 
 maladies superinduced destroy suddenl}', and that with- 
 out remedy. Now, mark how apposite, how prophetic, 
 how descriptive, the word of the Lord : ' They that will 
 be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many 
 foolish and hurtful lusts.' ' He that maketh haste to be 
 rich shall not be innocent.' ' He that hasteth to be rich 
 hath an evil eye.' How these passages rebuke the spirit 
 of speculation, the greedy desires, the equivocal expedi- 
 ents, the high-pressure schemes of the people ! ' Lay 
 not up for yourselves treasures upon earth.' 'Charge 
 them that are rich in this world, that they be not high- 
 minded nor trust in uncertain riches.' O, ye who make, 
 and save, and hide, and hoard, hear ye the word of the 
 Lord : ' Your riches are corrupted, and your garments 
 are moth eaten ; your gold and silver is cankered, and 
 the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall 
 eat your flesh as it were fire.' O, ye who strut and shine 
 in plumage plucked from the poor and needy, ' ye have 
 received your consolation ;' ' weep and howl for the mis- 
 eries that shall come upon you.' " 
 
46 THE GKEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HELPS TO TIIE REVIVAL. 
 
 The circulation of the Word of God, and the faithful 
 preaching of the gospel b}^ Chaplains, and other minis- 
 ters sent forth by the Churches, and the distribution of 
 select religious literature by the hands of pious colpor- 
 teurs, were the chief means of bringing about the great- 
 est revival, in the midst of the greatest war, of modern 
 times. There were other instrumentalities, subordinate 
 and collateral in their relations to these, which were 
 often successful in giving the thoughts of the soldiers a 
 serious turn. 
 
 The loudest calls were for the Holy Scriptures, and 
 the most earnest efforts were made to meet the demand. 
 But owing to the stringency of the blockade, and the 
 poor facilities in the South for printing the Bible, we 
 were never able to put a copy into every hand that was 
 stretched out for one. The Bible Society of the Confed- 
 erate States, organized at Augusta, Ga., in March, 1862, 
 and the State Bible Societies already in existence, la- 
 bored nobly to provide for the wants of the country. 
 
 Findhig that for the main supply they must rely on 
 importations from abroad, the Confederate Bible Society 
 directed its Corresponding Secretary, Rev. Dr. E. H. 
 Myers, to communicate with the British and Foreign Bi- 
 ble Societ3% with the view of securing such occasional 
 supplies as might be lucky enough to escape the dangers 
 of the blockade and reach our ports. 
 
 Dr. Myers, after detailiug the operations of the Socie- 
 ty, said : " The proposition is simplj^ that we be allowed 
 a credit with your Society for the Scriptures we need — 
 say to the value of about =£1,000, — until such time as 
 
IIELrS TO THE REVIVAL. 47 
 
 sterling exchange is reduced to about its usual cost — we 
 paying iiderest on our purchase until the debt is liqui- 
 dated." 
 
 To this letter the following noble response was sent, 
 granting the Society three times the amount they asked, 
 free of interest : 
 
 London, 10 Earl Street Blackfriars, ) 
 October 10, 1862. $ 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Myers : 
 
 Dear Sir, — I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of 
 3'our letter of the 19th of August, which did not, how- 
 ever, reach us until the 3d of this month. The request 
 which it contains was immediately submitted to our Com- 
 mittee for their consideration and decision, and, I have 
 much pleasure in informing you that it was unanimously 
 agreed that your request should be complied with, and 
 that the Scriptures should be sent as directed, to Messrs. 
 Fraser, Trenholm & Co. The only portion of your letter 
 to which the Committee demurred was that in which you 
 proposed that interest should be paid upon the debt until 
 it was liquidated. We could not, for a moment, entertain 
 such a proposition. We are only too thankful that God 
 has in his providence put in our hands the means of sup- 
 plying your wants. Into the political question which now 
 agitates the States of America, it is not our province to 
 enter. We hear of multitudes wounded and bleeding, 
 and we cannot pass by on the other side, when it is in 
 our power to do something towards staunching the wounds 
 and to pour into them some few drops of the Balm of 
 Gilead. May He who sitteth above the water-floods 
 speedily command peace, and as Jesus in the days of 
 his flesh trod the l)oisterous waves of the Sea of Galilee 
 into stillness, so may he walk upon the rough waters of 
 political strife and fierce contention, which now desolate 
 your country, with such majesty and mercy that immedi- 
 ately there may be a great calm. 
 
48 THE GIIEAT RE^^VAI.. 
 
 " You will then understand, my dear sir, that a credit 
 lias been granted by our Society to the Bible Society of 
 tlie Confederate States to the amount of £3,000 free of 
 interest, and that the books will be forwarded as directed 
 to Messrs. Fraser, Trenholm & Co. The first order, 
 which has already reached us, will be executed with as 
 little delay as possible. It will be gratifying to our Com- 
 mittee to receive any account of the work of God within 
 the District which your Society embraces with which you 
 may be pleased to favor us. 
 I am, ray dear sir, 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 Charles Jackson, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 This venerable institution gave another illustration of 
 the principles on which it is founded by granting to Rev. 
 Dr. Hoge, of Virginia, who went abroad during the war 
 to procure religious reading matter for our soldiers, 
 10,000 Bibles, 50,000 New Testaments, and 250,000 por- 
 tions of the Scriptures, " raainlj^ for distribution among 
 the soldiers of the Confederate Army." 
 
 With the portion of these grants that passed in to 
 us through the blockade, the New Testaments printed 
 within our limits, and, we are happy to say, several 
 donations from the American Bible Society — one of 
 20,000 Testaments to the Baptist Sunday School Board, 
 and others through the Bible Society of the city of Mem- 
 phis — our camps were kept partially supplied with the 
 Divine Word. We saj-^ partially, for often the distribu- 
 tion would be limited to a single copy of the Bible or 
 Testament for a mess of five or six men. 
 
 So urgent was the appeal from all portions of the 
 array for more Bibles, that the people at home were 
 called upon to send to the various depositories all the 
 spare copies about their houses. In this way many a 
 precious heirloom copy of the Word went forth on its 
 
HELPS TO THE REVIVAL. 4!t 
 
 mission of mercy. One lady sent a beautiful pocket- 
 Bible, with the following note : 
 
 " This Bible was the property of my dear son H , 
 
 who died three years ago ; it was given him by his only 
 sister, about the time he was taken sick. For this rea- 
 son I have kept it back, but seeing the earnest request 
 in the papers, and as I can no longer read its sacred 
 pages, after dropping a tear at parting with it, I send it 
 for the use of the soldiers. I had given away long since 
 all I could find about the house, and now send you this, 
 hoping that, with God's blessing, it may save some 
 soul." 
 
 Before the fall of Nashville, arrangements had been per- 
 fected there for printing the entire Bible. The Western 
 Publishing House of the Baptist Church issued an edi- 
 tion in the first year of the war, and a copy was sent to 
 President Davis, who acknowledged it in the following 
 terms : " The Bible is a beautiful specimen of Southern 
 workmanship, and if I live to be inaugurated the first 
 President of the Confederacy, on the 22d of February, 
 my lips shall press the sacred volume which your kind- 
 ness has bestowed upon me." 
 
 In all his career, as the beloved and honored Presi- 
 dent of the Confederacy, and as the victim of a long 
 and cruel imprisonment, has this eminent Christian 
 Statesman shown that he has been guided in his actions 
 by the ])rinciples, and comforted in his sorrows by the 
 l)romises of this blessed Book of Life. 
 
 The eager desire of our soldiers to possess tlie Bible 
 is worthy of permanent record, and the war abounded 
 with the most touching incidents illustrative of their ap- 
 preciation of the holy volume. 
 
 During a skirmish some of our men were ordered to 
 the front as sharpshooters, and directed to lie on the 
 ground and load and fire as rapidly as possible. After 
 a short time the ammunition of one of these men was 
 expended, and though his position was ver}' dangerous 
 
50 THE OKEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 as it was, it would liave been certain death to procure a 
 fresh supply. '• In this condition," says an e3'e witness, 
 "this soldier drew from his pocket his Bible, and while 
 the balls were whizzing about him, and cutting the grass 
 at his side, quietly read its precious pages for a few 
 moments, and then closed his eyes as if engaged in 
 prayer." This was not unlike the case of the poor little 
 collier boy, the only son of his mother, and she a widow. 
 A mine had fallen in, and buried a niimber of men with 
 this poor 3-onth ; after several days the mine was opened 
 and the bodies recovered. By the side of the boy was 
 found an old tin box, on which he had scratched these 
 words : " Dear mother, don't cry. "VYe are singing and 
 praying to the last, and God is down here with us." 
 
 " We were present not long since," wrote an army cor- 
 respondent, " when a chaplain, at the close of public 
 service, announced that he had a prospect of being able 
 to get a suppl}' of Testaments for the portion of the 
 men still destitute, and that those who wished a copy 
 could give him their names after the benediction. 
 Scarcely had the last words of blessing died on the 
 minister's lips before the war-worn heroes charged on 
 him almost as furiously as if storming the enemy's 
 breast-works." 
 
 Another narrates the following : " As some of the 
 Confederate troops were marching through Fredericks- 
 burg, Va., with bristling bayonets and rumbling artiller3% 
 a fair lady appeared on the steps of a dark brown man- 
 sion, her arms filled with Testaments, which, with gra- 
 cious kindness and gentle courtesy, she distributed to 
 the passing soldiers. The eagerness with which they 
 were received, the pressing throng, the outstretched 
 hands, the earnest thanks, the unspoken blessings upon 
 the giver, thus dispensing the word of Life to the armed 
 multitude, to whom death might come at any moment — 
 all made up a picture as beautiful as any that ever shone 
 out amid the dark relatives of war. As a rough Texan 
 
HELPS TO THE REVIVAL. 51 
 
 said, ' If it was not for the ladies, God bless them, there 
 would be no use fighting tliis war.'" 
 
 A chaplain in the army said, that during the battle of 
 Fredericksburg, he saw many soldiers reading their Tes- 
 taments with the deepest attention while lying in the 
 trenches awaiting orders. 
 
 Such scenes were of almost daily occurrence during 
 the progress of the war. 
 
 The amount of ministerial labor performed in the 
 Confederate army the final day only can reveal. Many 
 of the best ministers of the various Churches went out 
 as chaplains, and " endured hardness as good soldiers" 
 for the sake of immortal souls. They were instant in 
 season and out of season ; some of them fell on the 
 battle-fields by the bullet, and not a few in the hospitals 
 by disease, while ministering to the spiritual wants of 
 the men who bravely fought and died. And many still 
 survive who bear the scars of wounds, and, what is yet 
 more honorable and comforting, the recollection of duties 
 well performed. 
 
 But the work became too great for the regular chap- 
 lains. A great demand arose for ministerial reinforce- 
 ments. Pious officers and private soldiers earnestl}^ 
 appealed to the Churches to send their ablest preachers 
 " to the help of the Lord against the mighty." That 
 great and good man. General Jackson, in a letter to the 
 Presbyterian General Assembly, gave the following 
 opinion on the subject of providing adequate religious 
 instruction for the army : 
 
 " My views are summed up in few words, 
 
 " Each branch of the Christian Church should send 
 into the army some of its most prominent ministers who 
 are distinguished for their piety, talents, and zeal, and 
 such ministers should labor to produce concert of action 
 among chaplains and Christians in the army. These 
 ministers should give special attention to preaching to 
 regiments which are without chaplains, and induce them 
 
52 TnE GREAT RK^^VAL. 
 
 to take steps to get chaplains, to let the regiments name 
 the denominations from which they desire chaplains se- 
 lected, and then to see that suitable chaplains are se- 
 cured. A bad selection of a chaplain may prove a curse 
 instead of a blessing. If the few i^rominent ministers 
 thus connected with each army would cordially co-ope- 
 rate, I believe that glorious fruits would be the result. 
 Denominational distinctions should be kept out of view, 
 and not touched upon. And, as a general rule, I do not 
 think that a chaplain who would preach denominational 
 sermons should be in the army, ilis congregation is his 
 regiment, and it is composed of various deiiominations. 
 I would like to see no question asked in the army what 
 denomination a chaplain belongs to, but let the question 
 be. Does he preach the gospel? The neglect of the 
 spiritual interests of the army may be seen from the 
 fact that not one-half of my regiments have chaplains. 
 * * * * * * * ** 
 
 " Among the wants of the Church in the army are some 
 ministers of such acknowledged superiority and zeal as, 
 under God, to be the means of giving concert of action. 
 Our cha])hiins, at least in the same military organization 
 encamped in the same neighborhood, should have their 
 meetings, and through God's blessing devise successful 
 plans for spiritual conquests. All the other departments 
 of the army have system, and such system exists in any 
 other department of the service that no one of its offi- 
 cers can neglect his duty without diminishing the effi- 
 ciency of his branch of the service. And it appears to 
 me that when men see what attention is bestowed secu- 
 larly in comparison with what is religiously, thej"^ natu- 
 rally under-estimate the importance of religion. From 
 what I have said, you may think I am despondent ; but 
 thanks to an ever kind Providence, such is not the case. 
 I do not know when so many men, brought .together 
 without any religious test, exhibit so much religious feel- 
 ing. 
 
HELPS TO THE nE^^VAL. 53 
 
 " The striking feature is that so much that is hopeful 
 should exist, wlien so little human instrumentality has 
 been employed for its accomplishment. In civil life, 
 ministers have regular meetings to devise means for co- 
 operation in advancing the interests of the Church. 
 This can be done in the army, and I am persuaded it 
 should be. ******** 
 
 " Some ministers ask for leave of absence for such 
 trivial objects, in comparison with the salvation of the 
 soul, that I fear they give occasion to others to think that 
 such ministers do not believe that the salvation of the 
 soul is as important as they preach. It is the special 
 province of the chaplains to look after the spiritual in- 
 terests of the army, and I greatly desire to see them 
 evincing a rational zeal proportional to the importance 
 of their mission. Do not believe that I think the chap- 
 lains are the only delinquents. I do not believe, but 
 know, that I am a great delinquent, and I design say- 
 ing what I have said respecting the laxness of chap- 
 lains to apply to all of them. I would like to see each 
 Christian denomination send one of its great lights into 
 the army. By this arrangement I trust that if anj^ 
 one should have denominational feelings, that they will 
 not be in the way of advancing a common and glorious 
 cause." 
 
 In response to this and similar appeals, the Churches 
 renewed their efforts on behalf of the soldiers. The 
 army became a home mission field of the greatest fruit- 
 fulness. Evangelists, missionaries, and regular pastors 
 whenever they could leave their charges, joined in the 
 noble task of preaching Christ to the struggling sons of 
 the South. The religious wants of the army, and the 
 best methods for supplj^ng them, were among the chief 
 topics of discussion in all the large Church assemblies. 
 There were but few, if any indeed, that drew back from 
 this hard but blessed toil. When we remember, then, 
 that no Christian Church in the South failed to do its 
 
54 TIIK OUEAT UEVIVAL. 
 
 part in the great Avork of army evangelization, we may 
 form some adequate estimate of the amount of moral 
 influence brought to bear on the soldiers by means of 
 the preached Word, And these good men endured 
 cheerfull^y all the hardships of the soldier's life. In all 
 seasons the}' toiled for souls ; and glorious was their re- 
 ward. By thousands the men of war rushed to the 
 standard of the Cross, and joyfully embraced the hope 
 of salvation. He who did his work in the army faith- 
 fully found the position of an evangelist, a missionary, 
 or a chaplain, no sinecure. There was ample work for 
 all in this grand mission field. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Stiles, of the Presbyterian Church, one of 
 the most eloquent and able ministers in America, who 
 gave himself when above seventy years of age as an 
 EA'angelist to the army work with an apostolic fervor 
 and zeal, gives us the following sketch of the work of a 
 faithful chaplain : 
 
 " These men not only give themselves laboriously to 
 the ordinary duties of the Christian ministry in their pe- 
 culiar position, but their earnest love of Christ, and the 
 soldiers' life prompts them to a course of extraordinary 
 self-denying service, admirably adapted to revive and 
 extend the interests of the Christian Church in the 
 army. 
 
 "They form camp churches of all the Christians ot 
 every denomination in their regiments. The members 
 are expected to practice all the duties of bi'Otherly love, 
 Christian watchfulness, and Christian discipline. In- 
 deed, they are taught to feel themselves under every ob- 
 ligation of strict membership. The chaplain writes to 
 every miiiister or church, with which the member maj'- 
 have been connected, or the young convert desires to be 
 united, and, giving the name of the person, solicits the 
 prayers of the said church, both for the individual and 
 tlie whole camp church, and by correspondence keeps 
 them apprised of the walk and history of tlie party. 
 
HELPS TO TlIK llEVIVAL. 65 
 
 These chaplains keep a minute record, not only of the 
 names of the whole regiment, but of all that may assist 
 them either to save the sinner or sanctify the believer. 
 Some of them have ten or twelve columns opposite the 
 names of the diiTerent companies of the regiment, so 
 headed as to suppl}^ all that personal knowledge of the 
 part}'' which might be serviceable in promoting their 
 spiritual welfare. These columns they fill up gradually 
 with such intelligence as they may be able to obtain in 
 their pastoral visitations — when sick, wounded, or slain ; 
 when awakened, convicted, converted — all important in- 
 formation is conveyed by the chaplain to the family and 
 the church. These things must necessarily follow — the 
 work of the faithful chaplain is most laborious ; he is 
 held in the very highest and warmest estimation by 
 ever}^ man in the regiment, saint and sinner. He pos- 
 sesses a power to sanctify and save them which nothing 
 but earnest and hard-working devotion could finally se- 
 cure." 
 
 Working in harmony with these grand instrumentali- 
 ties, there were other subordinate influences wliicli are 
 well worthy of notice. 
 
 The part borne by the noble and pious women of the 
 South in our war is eminently worth}' of permanent re- 
 cord. They were the angels of mercy that moved among 
 the sick and dying and turned their thoughts to God and 
 heaven. In tlie early part of the conflict, before the go- 
 vernment had fully organized the Commissariat of the 
 Army, their nimble fingers made up th.e clothing for 
 nearly all our soldiers. All over the South, matron and 
 maid vied with each other in these glad toils. And with 
 clothing thc}'^ sent every article that cox;ld contribute to 
 the comfort of the troops. Their beds were stripped of 
 blankets and quilts, their pianos of india-rubber covers, 
 their floors of carpets, to shelter their brave defenders 
 from the rigors of winter. Often the costliest jewehy 
 and plate were sold to buy supplies for the army, — and 
 
56 THifi GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 nothing was deemed too valuable to be devoted to the 
 cause which was freighted with all their hopes. Their 
 children were given as freely as their money. A more 
 than Spartan, a Christian heroism glowed in their hearts 
 and brightened all their deeds. Without repining, even 
 with cheerfulness, tliey bore all the hardships of the 
 war, and amid want and woe, doubt and disaster, cheer- 
 ed on their husbands, sons and fathers in the path of 
 duty. 
 
 When in the progress of the war those places of rest 
 and refreshment for the weary and hungry soldier sprang 
 up, the wayside hospitals, the wives and daughters of the 
 South were their presiding geniuses. The white, smooth 
 pillow, the clean bed, the well-swept floor, the tempting 
 food to suit the sick soldier's appetite, T^ere all their 
 handy-work. They met him at the door, and often with 
 their own hands relieved him of the heavy knapsack and 
 the soiled white cotton haversack in which he carried his 
 cold corn dodger and uncooked pork, and sent him to 
 some quiet bed where he lay down thanking God for the 
 angels that had met him in his journey. 
 
 These welcome resting-places, and the scenes that 
 daily occurred in them, are thus described by a lady, 
 one of the most gifted women of the South, who soothed 
 the sorrows of many a sick and wounded soldier : 
 
 "These wayside hospitals are located, generally, at 
 the depot of some railroad, where the sick and wounded 
 soldier immediately as he leaves the cars, exhausted, 
 weary and faint, finds a grateful shelter, where surgical 
 aid, refreshments and attention, are immediately tender- 
 ed him. These institutions are generally supported en- 
 tirely by voluntary contributions, and refreshing and de- 
 lightful is it to see the unstinted supplies coming daily 
 in and always equalling the demand. Much faith and 
 prayer have been put in exercise for tliese tarrying- 
 places for the war-worn soldier, so that their 'bread and 
 water' has never j-et failed ; nor do we believe they ever 
 
IIELPS TO THE REVIVAL. 57 
 
 shall, while the people of a covenant-keeping God claim 
 his exceeding great and precious promises. 
 
 " There are many cases of pathetic interest to be met 
 Tvith at these hospitals. One I will relate, as an incite- 
 ment to early piety, and as another testimony to the 
 power of our holy religion : 
 
 "After I had ministered to several of the wounded, I 
 drew near the couch of one whose case was considered 
 one of the worst there, but who appeared, since his 
 wounds had been dressed and refreshments adminis- 
 tered to him, much relieved. After conversing some 
 time with him, he asked my name. I told him, and that 
 I was the wife of the gentleman who had just been giv- 
 ing him his breakfast — (for he had to be fed as an in- 
 fant). I told him, moreover, that the gentleman was a 
 preacher — a Methodist preacher. ' I am a member of 
 the Methodist Church,' said he, ' and would he be kind 
 enough to pray for me now, for I have not heard the 
 voice of prayer for many months.' 
 
 "After the prayer was ended, the subject of religion 
 continued to be our theme. He said he was quite re- 
 signed to God's will concerning him, and that he was 
 not afraid to die ; and while dwelling on the goodness 
 of God, his countenance assumed that serene and beau- 
 tiful expression, indicative of peace within and joy in 
 the Holy Ghost. Well was it for him that he had 
 strength from on high, and that the everlasting arms of 
 God's love were his support, for in a few hours from the 
 time we conversed together it was found amputation of 
 his arm would be necessary, from which he suffered ex- 
 cruciatingly until death came to his relief. But all the 
 time of his mortal agony his faith remained firm and 
 imshaken, and he pillowed his sinking head on the 
 bosom of Jesus, and 'breathed his life out sweetly there,' 
 while to all around, witnessing a good confession of 
 Christ's power to save, to the uttermost, all those that 
 put their trust in him." 
 
58 THE GRKAT RE^^VAL. 
 
 Not only in these, but in the regular hospitals oiir 
 women showed themselves the dearest earthly friends of 
 the soldier. Some of the best appointed hospitals were 
 under their charge, and the success which attended their 
 efforts to heal the sick drew unwilling praises from those 
 officials who regarded such work as beyond the sphere of 
 womanly duties. 
 
 It is a pleasing task to present the reader with a view 
 of Southern women among the sick, wounded and dying, 
 ministering at the same time to the body and the soul. 
 Scenes like the following were witnessed all over the 
 South : 
 
 At Richmond, Va., there was a little model hospital 
 known as "The Samaritan," presided over by a lady who 
 gave it her undivided attention, and greatly endeared 
 herself to the soldiers who were fortunate enough to be 
 sent there. " Through my son, a young soldier of eigh- 
 teen," writes a father, " I have become acquainted with 
 this lady superintendent, whose memory will live in many 
 hearts when our present struggle shall have ended. But 
 for her motherly care and skillful attention, my son, and 
 many others, must have died. One case of her attention 
 deserves special notice : A young man, who had been 
 previously with her, was taken sick in camp near Rich- 
 mond. The surgeon being absent, he lay for two weeks 
 in his tent without medical attention. She sent several 
 requests to his Captain to send him to her, but he would 
 not in the absence of the surgeon. She then hired a 
 wagon, and went for him herself; the Captain allowed 
 her to take him away, and he was soon convalescent. 
 She says she feels that not their bodies onlj% but their 
 souls, are committed to her charge. Thus, as soon as 
 they are comfortably fixed in a good, clean bed, she in- 
 quires of every one if he has chosen the good part ; and 
 through her instruction and prayers several have been 
 converted. 
 
 " Her house can easily accommodate twenty, all in one 
 
IIELPS TO THE REVIVAL. 59 
 
 room, which is made comfortable in winter with carpet 
 and stove, and adorned with wreaths of evergreen paper 
 flowers ; and in summer well-ventilated, and the windows 
 and yard filled with greenhouse plants. A library of re- 
 ligious books is in the room, and pictures are hung all 
 round the walls. Attached is a dining-room for the con- 
 valescent patients, supplied by private families, except 
 the tea and coffee, which are made in the room ; and 
 there is also a dressing-room where they keep their knap- 
 sacks, &c. The rooms are kept in order by the conva- 
 lescents, who serve under her direction, and learn to love 
 their respective duties. The sick are supplied with every 
 thing that can make them comfortable. Morning and 
 evening services are held, consisting of reading the Scrip- 
 tures, singing and prayer ; and she is her own chaplain, 
 except when she can procure a substitute. Thus has she 
 been engaged since April 1861, with uninterrupted health 
 and unparalleled success, making soldiers, and mothers, 
 and wives glad, and heaven rejoice over repenting sin- 
 ners." 
 
 Here is another sketch of a soldier's friend, who la- 
 bored in some of our largest hospitals : 
 
 "She is a character" — writes a soldier — "a Napoleon 
 of her department ; with the firmness and courage of 
 Andrew, she possesses all the energy and independence 
 of Stonewall Jackson. The officials hate her ; the sol- 
 diers adore her. The former name her ' The Great East- 
 em,' and steer wide of her track ; the latter go to her in 
 all their wants and troubles, and know her by the name 
 of ' Miss Sally.' She joined the army in one of the re- 
 giments from Alabama, about the time of the battle of 
 Manassas, and never shrunk from the stern privations of 
 the soldier's life from the moment of leaving camp to 
 follow her wounded and sick Alabamians to the hospitals 
 of Richmond. Her services are not confined, however, 
 to the sick and wounded from Alabama. Every sick sol- 
 dier ha*s now a claim on her sympathy. While but yes- 
 
GO THE GllEAT KEVIVAL. 
 
 terday, my sj'-stem having succumbed to the prevailing 
 malaria of the hospital, she came to m}'^ room, though a 
 stranger, with my ward nurse, and in the kindest manner 
 offered me her services, and soon after leaving returned 
 to present me a pillow of feathers, with case as tid}' as 
 the driven snow. The very light of it was soothing to 
 an aching brow, and I l)lessed her from my heart and lips 
 as well. I must not omit to tell why 'Miss Sally' is so 
 disliked by many of the officials. Like all women of 
 energy, she has e^'es whose penetration few things escape, 
 and a sagacity fearful or admirable, as the case may be, 
 to all interested. If any abuse is pending, or in pro- 
 gress in the hospital, she is quickly on the track, and if 
 not abated, off 'The Great Eastern' sails to headquar- 
 ters. A few daj's ago, one of the officials of this divi- 
 sion sent a soldier to inform her that she must vacate 
 her room instantl3^ 'Who sent j^ou with that message 
 to me ?' she asked him, turning suddenly around. ' Dr. 
 
 ,' the soldier answered. 'Fish!' she replied, and 
 
 swept on in ineffable contempt to the bedside perhaps of 
 some sick soldier. 
 
 " She always has plenty of money to expend in her 
 charitable enterprises, and when not attending in the 
 wards, or at the cooking stove, dresses with care in the 
 neatest black silk. Such a woman merits an lionorable 
 fame." 
 
 A lady, writing from the hospital at Culpeper Court- 
 house, sa^'s : " I have lost four of my patients. Three 
 of them died rejoicing in Jesus. Thc}^ were .intelligent, 
 noble, godly young men. One from Virginia said to me 
 as he was dying, 'Sing me a hymn.' I repeated, 'Jesus, 
 lover of my soul.' lie remarked, 'Where else but in 
 Jesus can a poor sinner ti'ust ?' Just as he passed away, 
 he looked up and said, 'Heaven is so sweet to me ;' and 
 to the presence of Jesus he went. 
 
 "Another from South Carolina seemed very hajDpy, and 
 sung with great deligiit, ' Happy day, when Jesus washed 
 
HELPS TO THE REVIVAL. 61 
 
 my sins awaj'.' Young B., of Virginia, was resigned, and 
 even rejoiced at the near prospect of death. He repeat- 
 ed the line, ' How firm a foundation, ye saints of the 
 Lord.' His end was peace. 
 
 " One of these young men had determined to enter the 
 Christian ministry." 
 
 "While many engaged- in these works of mercy in the 
 hospitals, others toiled at home as earnestly for the ben- 
 efit of the soldiers, who were supplied with socks and 
 gloves almost wholly by the busy fingers of their sisters, 
 wives and mothers. And when these welcome contribu- 
 tions arrived in camp, what blessings were invoked on 
 our fair benefactors ! 
 
 The scene described by Rev. Mr. Crumley, as he dis- 
 tributed among the soldiers, after one of the Maryland 
 campaigns, the supplies sent forward by the Georgia Re- 
 lief Association, one of the noblest institutions of the 
 war, is truthful and touching : 
 
 "After leaving Warrenton, I visited the wounded in 
 private houses ai'ound the battle-field, where I very nar- 
 rowly escaped being taken prisoner by the Yankees. Iii 
 AYinchester I found thousands of the woundeel from Ma- 
 ryland crowding into churches, hotels, private houses, 
 and tents, in every imaginable state of suffering and 
 destitution. Though kind words and prayers are good 
 and cheering to the sutfering, they could not relieve the 
 terrible destitution. At length my anxious suspense was 
 relieved by the coming of Mr. Selkirk, Dr. Camak, and 
 Rev. Mr. Potter, bringing supplies from the Georgia Re- 
 lief and Hospital Association, which were in advance of 
 anything from the Government. Their coming was cloth- 
 ing to the naked, medicine to the sick, and life to the 
 dying. 
 
 "Could that little girl have been with us as we dis- 
 tributed the gifts of the Association, and have seen the 
 pleasure with which the heroic youth, who had made the 
 Mar\ land campaign barefooted, drew on his rough and 
 3a 
 
G2 THE OIIEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 bruised feet the soft socks which she knit, no doubt she 
 would knit another pair. Could that young lady have 
 seen the grateful expression upon the face of that noble 
 warrior, as, with lips parched with fever, he sipped the 
 wine, or tasted the pickles her hands had prepared, whis- 
 pering, ' God bless the ladies of Georgia ;' or that other, 
 as he exchanged his soiled and blood-stained garments 
 for those sent by the Association, ejaculating, 'Yes, we 
 will suffer and die, if need be, in defence of such noble 
 women' — fresh vigor would have been added to her zeal 
 in providing comforts for our suffering 'braves.' How 
 much more comfortable and sweet would have been the 
 slumber of that mother could she have seen her 'pa- 
 triot boy,' who had lain upon the bare ground, warmly 
 wrapped in the coverlet or carpet blanket she had sent 
 for the suffering soldiers." 
 
 It is a well-known fact that the wife of our illustrious 
 leader, Robert Edward Lee, though a cripple, unable to 
 walk by reason of disease, constantly employed her time 
 during a great part of the war in making gloves and knit- 
 ting socks for our soldiers. 
 
 Imagine the scene when they were distributed among 
 her husband's veterans. 
 
 Our women never grew weary in well-doing. How often 
 were they seen passing along the lines as the troops 
 waited at some railroad station, superintending the ser- 
 vants who had been sent by them loaded with good things 
 for "our dear soldiers." And when trains filled with men 
 paused but a few moments, they were often found ready 
 with refreshments. 
 
 The following scene at a village in Georgia was re- 
 peated daily along the lines of railroad throughout the 
 South : 
 
 "At Greensboro there were no ' little fellows' or ' aun- 
 ties' popping into the cars or crying at the windows 'wish 
 to buy some fruit, etc. ; but there were ladies — old and 
 young — standing in the hot sun, little boys, servants and 
 
HELPS TO TIIE IlEVIVAL. 63 
 
 gentlemen — 3^oung and old, many of them with baskets, 
 pitchers, etc. You would think that this was a regular 
 vending shop, but not so ; the cars stop ; you hear some 
 soft voice from without, saying, ' Any soldiers aboard ?' 
 another (bless these j'^oung ladies), 'Any sick soldiers 
 aboard ?' Some one answers affirmatively, probably a 
 soldier with his head out at some window, moved by the 
 inquiry for soldiers. 'Will you have some milk, some 
 fruit, some bread, some meat ?' In comes a servant with 
 a pitcher of nice, fresh milk, and another with bread and 
 meats, and a little boy with fruit. Thus all the time the 
 cars are stopped at Greensboro the soldiers are helped 
 bountifully. Ever and anon you can hear one of them 
 exclaim, ' These are the cleverest people I have met with 
 in a long time.' I have been told that this is an every 
 day business with the good citizens of Greensboro. The 
 writer has passed there four times recently, and found it 
 so every time. These people feel for their soldiers.'' 
 
 There is something in the following scene to touch the 
 heart and moisten the eye : 
 
 "After the battle of Sharpsburg we passed over a line 
 of railroad in Central Georgia. The disabled soldiers 
 from Gen. Lee's army were returning to their homes. 
 At every station the wives and daughters of the farmers 
 came on the cars and distributed food and wines and 
 bandages among the sick and wounded. We shall never 
 forget how very like an angel was a little girl ; how 
 blushingly and modostly she went to a great rude beard- 
 ed soldier, who had carved a crutch from a rough plank 
 to replace a lost leg ; how this little girl asked him if he 
 was hungry, and how he ate like a famished wolf. She 
 asked if his wound was painful, and in a voice of soft, 
 mellow accents, ' Can I do nothing more for you ? I am 
 sorry that you are so badl}"^ hurt ; have you a little daugh- 
 ter, and won't she cry when she sees you ?' The rude 
 soldier's heart was touched, and tears of love and grati- 
 tude filled his e3^es. He only answered, ' I have three 
 
64 THE GREAT UKVIVAL. 
 
 little children. God grant they may be such angels as 
 j'Oti.' With an evident effort lie repressed a desire to kiss 
 the fair brow of the pretty little girl. He took her little 
 hand between both his own and bade her ' good-bye, God 
 bless you.' The child will always be a better woman be- 
 cause of these lessons of practical charity stamped inef- 
 faceably upon her j^oung heart." 
 
 There was a moral grandeur in the following scene 
 that might well stir the heart of a true soldier to its ut- 
 most depths : 
 
 "As we were on our wa^' to Manassas on the 19th of 
 July, 1861," said an officer of the Virginia troops, "on 
 a crowded train of flats, the people along the route of the 
 Manassas Gap railroad turned out in large bodies, bring- 
 ing baskets full of provisions and luxuries for the sol- 
 diers. Everybod}'^ was full of joy, and we rushed on to 
 the battle with railroad speed, amid the waving of hand- 
 kerchiefs and the loud huzzahs of a loyal people — little 
 thinking tliat many of the hearts that beat high for praise 
 would ' soon feel that pulse no more.' Not far from one 
 of the depots, which we had just left in great glee, on an 
 eminence near by the road, there stood a lady of more 
 than womanly stature, but of womanly face, with hands 
 uplifted and eyes upturned to heaven in reverential 
 pra3'^er for us and our country. And there she stood 
 with outstretched arms until the train carried us out of 
 sight. I thought of Miriam the prophetess — only the 
 hands of the one were lifted in praise, of the other in 
 prayer to God. I never shall forget that scene, and the 
 deep impression it made upon all. The shout of reck- 
 less joy was turned into serious thought, and blessed, I 
 believe, was the influence of that sight on many a brave 
 lieart." 
 
 The women o( the South were faithful and eminentl}' 
 successful co-laborers in the army revival. 
 
 There was anotlier instrumentality worthy of our no- 
 tice. This was the influence of letters from home on 
 
HELPS TO THE ItEVlVAL. 65 
 
 the minds of the soldiers. In camp or bivouac, on the 
 march or in battle, the thoughts of the soldier wandered 
 back to his home. It seemed doubly dear to him when 
 absent, and every line sent by the loved ones there was 
 read over and over, often with tear-dimmed eyes, and 
 th^n carefully put away as a precious treasure. These 
 secret and powerful appeals turned the feet of many a 
 wanderer into the way of life, recalled many a back- 
 slider to his duty, and stimulated many a wavering be- 
 liever to endure " hardness as a good soldier of Jesus 
 Christ." 
 
 This home correspondence was as successful in lead- 
 ing thousands to the Lamb of God as it was in the case 
 of the noble soldier who said in a letter to his honored 
 Christian mother : 
 
 "I will here state to 3'ou what I nerer have written 
 
 home to E , of the thoughts that have most affected 
 
 my mind, and I hope and trust in God that the same 
 thoughts and reflections have changed my manner of 
 
 life. E has doubtless shown you what I call my 
 
 farewell letters to my children, as well as the one to her. 
 The letters were written to my children while I was at 
 Richmond, Va. The advice I thought and still think was 
 good, but alas, where does that advice come from. It is 
 from the best friend my children have upon earth, a 
 father ; yes, a father, who says : ' My children, read your 
 Bibles, abstain from bad company and bad habits, the 
 lusts of the flesh and vanities of a wicked world,' but 
 who sa3's at the same time by his oivn conduct and exam- 
 ple. Come along children — taking them, as it were, by 
 the hand — I will lead you down to hell ; yes, I was lead- 
 ing them by m}' example as directly to hell as I possibly 
 could. Oh, the horrible thought of being the means of 
 damning the souls of my children ! Conviction seized 
 upon me, and then and there, on the — th of June, I re- 
 solved, if God would spare my life, that I would reform 
 my habits of life ; or if he would permit me to return 
 
CG TllK GRICAT UKVIVAL, 
 
 home, that I would set a difTerent example before my 
 cliildren. I liave prayed that he would, and that I mi.i2;ht 
 keep my resohition to the day of my death. I wrote 
 3'^ou a letter on the same day, while m^' ej'es were still 
 wet with tears. I asked your pra^^ers in my behalf; I 
 know you have prayed for me. Can God in justice for- 
 give me? 1 pray he ma3% I know my children will ; may 
 God bless them and help them to do so, and save them 
 from following my bad example, at the same time to take 
 my good advice and carry it out, that the}' may be saved 
 from that awful hell to which I was leading them." 
 
 Letters from the camp were regarded as precious trea- 
 sures by the fathers and mothers of the brave boys who 
 had gone to the war. The scene so graphically described 
 below was almost daily repeated throughout the Con- 
 federacy : 
 
 "I went to a neighbor's some time ago to buy chickens 
 and meat, for I am a new comer in the settlement, and 
 didn't fill my smokehouse at the right time. The man 
 was making a split, basket before the door, and his wife 
 was spinning, as nearl}"^ every wife in the country is. 
 They were old people, except a hireling bo}', alone on 
 their farm. Their three sons went to war last spring. 
 I had not been long in the house before the old lady 
 brought out the last letter from the son before Richmond 
 and put it into my hand, just as you would offer the 
 morning paper to a guest at j'our office or house. I was 
 at anotlier house where a neighbor called in, and without 
 preliminary said : ' Fetch that letter liere you got from 
 the post-oflice Thursda3\' The letter was brought and 
 read to us all, from beginning to end. Every letter, 
 after being opened and read by those to whom it is ad- 
 dressed, seems to be common property. Though roughl}' 
 written and spelled, some of them are vastly entertain- 
 ing and informing, and there are touches of the heart 
 toward the close, at wliich the mother or wife of the 
 writer, who listens for the twentieth time to the reading 
 
HELPS TO TIIK UKVIVAL. 67 
 
 with unabated interest, will bring the comer of her apron 
 to her e^'es." 
 
 The influence of devout Christian olliccrs was power- 
 ful for good in our armies. We had, it is true, many 
 reckless, unprincipled, and abandoned men, who were 
 leaders in sin. But there were others, and not a few, 
 who combined an humble piety with the most exalted 
 patriotism. Many of these brought their religion with 
 them into the army, and many others were the happy 
 subjects of the great revival. General Lee attached his 
 men to him not less by his goodness of heart and his 
 deep-toned, unobtrusive piety, than by his skill and cour- 
 age as a warrior — he was to them the model of a Chris- 
 tian soldier. Can the influence of General Jackson over 
 his men ever be fully estimated ? And was not this in 
 a great measure owing to the depth and power of his 
 religion ? Said a soldier after the battle of Cross Keys : 
 " I saw something to-day which affected me more than 
 anything I ever saw or read on religion. While the 
 battle was raging and the bullets were fl.vjng. Jackson 
 rode b}', calm as if he were at home, but his head was 
 raised toward heaven, and his lips were moving evidently 
 in prayer." Meeting a chaplain near the front in the 
 heat of a battle, the General said to him, " The rear is 
 your place, sir, now, and prayer your business." He 
 said to a Colonel who wanted worship, " All right. Colo- 
 nel, but don't forget to drill." 
 
 An incident of Jackson is related by one of his staff. 
 
 Entering the General's room at midnight. Major 
 
 found him at prayer. After half an hour the Major 
 stepped to the door and asked of the Aid if he did not 
 think the General had fallen asleep on his knees from 
 excessive fatigue. " O no, you know the General is an 
 Old Presbj'terian, and the}' all make long prayers." The 
 Major returned, and after waiting an hour the General 
 rose from his knees. 
 
 A writer says : " General Jackson never enters a bat- 
 
68 THK OUKAT UKVIVAL. 
 
 tie without invoking God's blessing and protection. The 
 dependence of this strange man upon the Deity seems 
 never to be absent from his mind, and whatever he says 
 or does, it is always prefaced 'by God's blessing.' 'By 
 God's blessing we have defeated the enemy,' is his 
 laconic and pious announcement of a victory. One of 
 his officers said to him, ' Well, General, another candi- 
 date is awaiting your attention.'' 'So I observe,' was 
 the quiet reply, 'and by God's blessing he shall receive 
 it to his full satisfaction.' 
 
 "After a battle has been fought the same rigid re- 
 membrance of divine power is observed. The army is 
 drawn up in line, the General dismounts his horse, and 
 then, in tlie presence of his rough, bronzed-faced troops, 
 with heads uncovered and bent awe-stricken to the 
 ground, the voice of the good man, which but a few hours 
 before was ringing out in quick and fiery intonations, is 
 now heard subdued and calm, as if overcome by the 
 presence of the Supreme 'Being, in holy appeal to the 
 ' sapphire throne.' 
 
 "Few such spectacles have been witnessed in modern 
 times, and it is needless to add that few such examples 
 have ever told with more wondrous power upon the hearts 
 of men. Is it surprising that Stonewall Jackson is in- 
 vincible, and that he can lead his army to certain vic- 
 tory, whenever God's blessing precedes the act ?*' 
 
 All the armies of the Confederacy were more or less 
 blessed with pious Generals, who strove to lead their 
 soldiers to the cross of Christ. General Gordon, writing 
 from the Army in Virginia, urged the ministers of the 
 Churches to come out into the camps. " The few mis- 
 sionaries we have," he saj'S, "are not preaching, it is 
 true, in raagiiificent temples, or from gorgeous pulpits, 
 on Sabbath days to empty benches, but daily, in the 
 great temple of nature, and at night by heaven's chan- 
 deliers, to audiences of from 1,000 to 2,000 men anxious 
 to hear of the wav of life." 
 
HELPS TO THE UKVIVAI.. 69 
 
 A writer, speakino; of the religious influence in the 
 Army of Tennessee, says : "General Cleburne, the hero 
 of many battle-fields, had a place prepared for preaching 
 in the centre of his Division, where himself and most of 
 his officers were present, and where I was assisted by 
 General Lowr}^ who sat in the pulpit with me and closed 
 the services of the hour with prayer. He is a Baptist 
 preacher, and, like the commander of the Division, is a 
 hero of man}- well-fought battle-fields. He takes great 
 interest in the soldiers' religious welfare, often preaches 
 to them, and feels that the ministry is still his high and 
 holy calling." 
 
 Generals Findly, Bidder, Stewart, with others of the 
 same army, were pious and devoted Christian oflScers, 
 and gave much assistance to the chaplains and mission- 
 aries in the revival that swept so gloriously through the 
 • armies in the "West. They recommended religion to 
 their soldiers by precept and example. 
 
 But these men were Generals, and their contact with 
 the soldiers was not so close as that of inferior officers. 
 In the companies and regiments the work of pious officers 
 was most effectually done. We select a few out of the 
 many illustrative incidents that crowd upon us : 
 
 "In General Lee's army there was a captain who made 
 a profession of religion. As soon as he found peace, he 
 called his company together and told them that they had 
 alwa3'S followed whei-e he had led them, that he wished 
 to know whether they were willing to follow him to the 
 feet of Jesus and walk with him in the paths of right- 
 eousness. All, without a single exception, manifested a 
 desire to follow the example of their leader." . 
 
 "There was another companj^ whose captain was a 
 wicked man. He exerted a bad influence over his men. 
 He was openly profane, and never attended religious 
 services. In these days the company was known as one 
 of the most wicked in the regiment. Months rolled 
 away, and another man was appointed to the command. 
 
70 THE GUKAT RKVIVAL. 
 
 He was a consistent Christian, and a man of earnest, 
 deep-toned piet3% He sought to carry his men to church, 
 and in the pra^-er-raeeting strove to lead them to tiie 
 throne of grace. He showed tliat he cared for their 
 spiritual as well as their physical interests. Now, mark 
 the change. In that compan}-, once noted for wicked- 
 ness, prayer-meetings were held every night. Among 
 its members are some active, eiiergetic Christians, and 
 some happy converts have been made there. How re- 
 sponsible the position of an officer !" 
 
 Thousands of such men, quiet, unobtrusive, devout, 
 happ3^ Christians, labored with a success in winning souls 
 to the Saviour which eternity alone can reveal. Many 
 of them sleep in their lonely graves on the fields where 
 they prayed and fought and fell ; others survive, and, 
 among their comrades in arras and their brethren in 
 Christ, are still fighting for the victory that shall give 
 them the crown of life and an abundant entraoce into 
 the heavenly Jerusalem. 
 
HELPS TO THE REVIVAL — COLPOUTAGiS. 71 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HELPS TO THE RE\aVAL — COLPORTAGE. 
 
 So IMPORTANT was the work of Colportage in promoting 
 religion among tlie soldiers that we feel constrained to 
 devote to it a separate chapter. And the pious laborers 
 in this department are eminently worthy of a place by 
 the side of the most devoted chaplains and missionaries 
 that toiled in the army revival. Receiving but a pittance 
 from the societies that employed them, subsisting on the 
 coarse and scanty fare of the soldiers, often sleeping on 
 the wet ground, following the march of the armies through 
 cold or heat, through dust or mud, everywhere were these 
 devoted men to be seen scattering the leaves of the Tree 
 of Life. Among the sick, the wounded, and the dying, 
 on the battle-fields and in the hosi)itals, thej' moved, 
 consoling them with tender words, and pointing their 
 drooping spirits to the hopes of the gospel. The record 
 of their labors is the record of the army revival ; they 
 fanned its flame and spread it on ever}^ side by their 
 prayers, tlieir conversations, their books, and their 
 preaching. They went out from all the Churches, and 
 labored together in a spirit worthy of the purest days of 
 our holy religion. The aim of them all was to turn the 
 thoughts of the soldiers not to a sect, but to Christ, to 
 bring them into the great spiritual temple, and to show 
 them the wonders of salvation. If any man among us 
 can look back with pleasure on his labors in the army, 
 it is the Christian colporteur 
 
 The number of religious tracts and books distributed 
 by the colporteurs, chaplains, and missionaries in the 
 army, we can never know. But as all the Churches were 
 engaged in the work of printing and circulating, it is not 
 
72 THE GllEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 an over-estimate to say that hundreds of millions of 
 pages were sent out b}"- the different societies. And, 
 considering the facilities for printing in the South during 
 the war, we may safel}' assert that never were the sol- 
 diers of a Christian nation better supplied with such 
 reading as maketh wise unto salvation ; and certainly, 
 never amidst circumstances so unpropitious to human 
 view, did fruits so ripe, so rich, so abundant, spring up 
 so quickly from the labors of God's servants. 
 
 Earliest in the important work of colportage was the 
 Baptist Church, one of the most powerful denominations 
 in the South. In May, 1861, at the General Association 
 of the Baptist churches in Virginia, vigorous measures 
 were adopted for supplying the religious wants of the 
 arm3\ 
 
 The Sunday School and Publication Board, in their 
 report on colportage, said : " The presence of large armies 
 in our State atfords a fine opportunity for colportage effort 
 among the soldiers. These are exposed to peculiar 
 temptations, and in no way can we better aid them in 
 resisting these than by affording them good books. To 
 this department of our operations we ask the special, 
 earnest attention of the General Association. Shall we 
 enter this wide and inviting field, place good books in 
 the hands of our soldiers, and surround tliem by pious 
 influences? or shall we remain indifferent to the spiritual 
 dangers and temptations of those who are flocking hither 
 to defend all we hold dear?" 
 
 The Association cordiall}^ responded, and "recom- 
 mended to the Board to appoint at once, if practicable, 
 a suflScient number of colporteurs to occupy all the im- 
 portant points of rendezvous, and promptly to reach all 
 the soldiers in service in the State ; that during the war 
 as many colporteurs as could be profitably employed, 
 and as the means of the Board would admit, be kept in 
 service ; that special contributions to colportage should 
 be raised from the Baptist churches, from the community. 
 
HELPS TO THE liEVlVAL COLPOKTAGE. 73 
 
 and even from such persons in other of the Confederate 
 States as may feel interested in the welfare of the sol- 
 diers who are gathered from various Southern States to 
 fight their common battles on the soil of Virginia ; that 
 steps should be taken to secure the issue of a tract or 
 tracts specially adapted to general circulation among 
 the soldiers." 
 
 The work was put in charge of Rev. A. E. Dickinson, 
 who had already acquired a valuable experience and a 
 high reputation as the Superintendent of Colportage un- 
 der the direction of the General Association. He sent 
 forth his well trained band of colporteurs into this new 
 field, which they cultivated with the happiest results, and 
 with a zeal and self-denial worth}' of the cause of Christ. 
 
 One 3'^ear after these labors were commenced, Mr. 
 Dickinson said in his annual report : 
 
 " We have collected fi24:,000, with which 40 tracts hare 
 been published, 6,187,000 pages of which have been dis- 
 tributed, besides 6,095 Testaments, 13,845 copies of the 
 little volume called Camp Hymns, and a large number 
 of religious books. Our policy has been to seek the co- 
 operation of chaplains and other pious men in the army, 
 and, as far as possible, to work through them. How 
 pleasant to think of the thousands who, far from their 
 loved ones, are, every hour in the day, in the loneliness 
 and gloom of the hospital, and in the bustle and mirth 
 of the camp, reading some of these millions of pages 
 which have been distributed, and thus been led to turn 
 unto the Lord." 
 
 In his report for 1863, in the midst of the war, he says : 
 " Modern history presents no example of armies so nearly 
 converted into Churches as the armies of Southern de- 
 fence. On the crest of this flood of war, which threatens 
 to engulf our freedom, rides a pure Christianity ; the 
 gospel of the grace of God shines through the smoke of 
 battle with the light that leads to heaven ; and the camp 
 becomes a school of Christ. From the vciy first day of 
 
74 TIIK GKEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 the unhapp3^ contest to the present time, religious influ- 
 ences have been spreading among the soldiers, until now, 
 in camp and hospital, throughout every portion of the 
 army, revivals display their precious, saving power. In 
 one of these revivals over three hundred are known as 
 having professed conversion, while, doubtless, there are 
 hundereds of others equally blessed, whose names, un- 
 recorded here, find a place in the 'Lamb's book of life.' " 
 
 And in 1865, in reviewing the blessed work of saving 
 souls amid the bloody scenes of four gloomy years, the 
 Board said : 
 
 •' Millions of pages of tracts have been put in circula- 
 tion, and thousands of sermons delivered by the sixty 
 missionaries whom we have sent to our brave armies. 
 If it could be known by us here and now how many souls 
 have been saved by this agency, doubtless the announce- 
 ment would fill us with surprise and rejoicing. Hundreds 
 and thousands, we verily believe, have in this way ob- 
 tained the Christian's hope, and are now occupying some 
 place in the great vineyard of the Lord, or have gone 
 up from the strife and sorrow of earth to the peaceful 
 enjoyments of the heavenly home." 
 
 The Evangelical Tract Society, organized in the city 
 of Petersburg, Va., in July, 1861, by Christians of the 
 ditferent denominations, was a most efficient auxiliary 
 in the great work of saving souls. It was ably officered, 
 and worked with great success in the publication and 
 circulation of some of the best tract reading that ap- 
 peared during the war. More than a hundred different 
 tracts were issued ; and in less than one year after the 
 organization of the Society, it had sent among the sol- 
 diers more than a million pages of these little messen- 
 gers of truth. The Army and Navy Messenger, a most 
 excellent religious paper, was also published by this 
 Societ3% and circulated widely and with the best results 
 among the soldiers. Holding a position similar to that 
 of the American Tract Societv, this association was libe- 
 
HELPS TO THK UEVIVAL — COLrOUTAGE. <5 
 
 rally sustained by all denominations, and had ample 
 means for supplying the armies with every form of re- 
 ligious reading, from the Holy Scriptures to the smallest 
 one-page tract. Its officers, editors, agents, and col- 
 porteurs, were among the most faithful, zealous and suc- 
 cessful laborers in all departments of the army. During 
 the period of its operations, it has been estimated that 
 .'J0,000,000 pages of tracts were put in circulation by it. 
 
 The Presbyterian Board of Publication, under the 
 direction, of Rev. Dr. Leyburn and other ministers of 
 that Church, entered the field and did faithful service in 
 the good cause. The regular journals of that denomi- 
 nation, a monthly paper — "Tlie Soldier's Visitor," spe- 
 cially adapted to the wants of the army. Bibles, Testa- 
 ments, and most excellent tracts in vast numbers, were 
 freely sent forth to all the camps and hospitals from their 
 centre of operations. 
 
 The Virginia Episcopal Mission Committee heartily 
 united in the work, and spent thousands of dollars per 
 annum in sending missionaries to the army, and in print- 
 ing and circulating tracts. Rev. Messrs. Gatewood and 
 Kepler, of the Protestant EpiscojDal Church, were the 
 zealous directors of operations in Virginia, while in other 
 States such men as Bishop Elliott, of Georgia, Doctor, 
 now Bishop, Quiutard, of Tennessee, and the lamented 
 General Polk, gave the weight of their influence and the 
 power of their eloquence, written and oral, to promote 
 the cause of religion among our soldiers. 
 
 At Raleigh, N. C, early in the war. Rev. W. J. W. 
 Crowder commenced the publication of tracts, encour- 
 aged and assisted by contributions from all classes of 
 persons. In less than a year he reported : " "We have 
 published, of thirty different tracts, over 5,000,000 pages, 
 more than half of which we have given awaj^ and the 
 other half we have sold at about the cost of publication — 
 1,500 pages for one dollar." This gentleman continued 
 his labors in this good work throughout the war, and 
 
76 TILK GREAT KKVIVAL. 
 
 furnished millions of pages of the best tracts for army 
 circulation. 
 
 "The Soldiers' Tract Association," of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, South, was organized and went into 
 operation in March, 1862, and became a valuable auxili- 
 ary in the work of colportage and tract distribution. By 
 nudsummer it had put in circulation nearly 800,000 pages 
 of tracts, and had ten efficient colporteurs in the field. 
 Its operations steadily increased to the close of the war ; 
 and besides the dissemination of millions of pages of 
 excellent religious reading, with thousands of Bibles and 
 Testaments, two semi-monthly papers were issued, " The 
 Soldiers' Paper," at Richmond, Va.. and "The Army and 
 Navy Herald," at Macon, Ga., 40,000 copies of which 
 were circulated every month throughout the armies. 
 
 In addition to these, there were other associations of 
 a like character successfully at work in this wide and 
 inviting field. 
 
 The Georgia Bible and Colportage Society, Rev. F. M. 
 Haygood, Agent, was actively engaged in the work of 
 printing and circulating tracts in the armies of the South- 
 west. 
 
 The South Carolina Tract Society was an earnest ally 
 in the holy cause, and sent out its share of tracts to 
 swell the vast number scattered like leaves of the tree 
 of life all over the land. 
 
 The presses in every great commercial centre were 
 busy in throwing off religious reading of every descrip- 
 tion, and yet so great was the demand that the supply 
 was unequal to it during the whole of the war. At 
 Richmond, Raleigh, Columbia, Charleston, Augusta, Mo- 
 bile, Macon, Atlanta, and other cities, good men labored 
 day and night to give our gallant soldiers the bread of 
 life ; and still the cry from the army was. Send us more 
 good books. At one period of the war the Baptist Board 
 alone circulated 200,000 pages of tracts weekly, besides 
 Testaments and hymn-books; and with the joint labors 
 
HKLl'S TO THE RE^aVAL — COLrORTAGE, / / 
 
 of other societies, we maj'^ estimate that when the work 
 was at its lieight not less than 1,000,000 pages a week 
 were put into the hands of our soldiers. 
 
 Our readers will be pleased, we doubt not, to learn 
 from the colporteurs themselves what they saw of the 
 work of the Lord. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Ryland, of the Baptist Church, writing of 
 his labors in Richmond, says : " Many cases of deep and 
 thrilling interest have come under my observation. Some 
 were fervent disciples of Jesus, who, during the war, 
 having maintained their integrity, gave me a cordial wel- 
 come to their bedside. Others were .rejoicing in recent 
 hope of eternal life ; and many others exhibited marked 
 anxiety about their salvation. Since the battle of Seven 
 Pines, I have conversed with probably five hundred who, 
 having passed through the recent bloody scenes, have 
 told me with different degrees of emphasis that they had 
 resolved to lead a better life. All these battles [the 
 seven daj-^s' fighting around Richmond], with their hair- 
 breadth escapes and their terrible sufferings, have pro- 
 duced a softened state of mind, which harmonizes well 
 with our efforts to evangelize. I have almost from the 
 beginning of the war been laboring as a colporteur in 
 the hospitals of Richmond ; and my impression is, that 
 the results of this work are infinitely greater and more 
 glorious than many believe." 
 
 Rev. W. M. Young gave a like testimony: "I have 
 seen scores of instances in which the reading of tracts 
 had been instrumental in the conversion of souls. Yes- 
 terday, going up Main street, I was hailed by a soldier 
 sitting on the pavement, 'Parson, don't you know me? 
 Under God I owe everything to you. While languishing 
 in the hospital you gave me a tract, ' Christ found at the 
 lamp post,' which has brought joy and peace to my soul. 
 If God spare me to go home, I expect to devote my life 
 to the public proclamation of the gospel.' " 
 
 Rev. Joseph H. Martin wrote from Knoxville : " While 
 
78 niE GHKAT UEV'IVAL. 
 
 1 was opening a box of tracts a soldier said, ' Some of 
 those tracts were given to our regiment at Cliattanooga, 
 and never before in my life have I seen snch an effect 
 on men. Many have given up swearing, and I among 
 the number, through the influence of these silent but 
 powerful preachers.' " 
 
 Rev. M. D. Anderson says : " I met a 3'oung man 
 wounded, and began to talk with him on religion. lie 
 said, ' O sir, don't 3'ou remember that at the camp-meet- 
 ing at you spoke to me on the subject? Do get 
 
 down and pray for me.' He has since been converted, 
 and is an active co-laborer with me. An old marine who 
 had weathered many a storm, and was lying sick in the 
 hospital, seemed astonished that I should urge upon his 
 attention the claims of the gospel. ' How is it that you, 
 a young man, should be so concerned about me, a poor 
 old sailor?' He said tliat rarely, if ever before in his 
 life, had any one spoken to him about his soul. His in- 
 terest in divine things increased until, I think, he be- 
 came a true Christian. He died a most happy death." 
 
 Rev. B. B. Ross, of Alabama, writing to Rev. A. E. 
 Dickinson, says : " I am just from a pleasant tour among 
 the hospitals in Mississippi, where I found 3,000 sick. 
 They are greedy, yea ravenous, in their appetite for 
 something to read. Under the labors of your colporteurs 
 there has been a revival of religion at Quitman, and 
 there is also a revival in progress at Lauderdale Si^rings. 
 The surgeons have been especially kind to me — at times 
 calling my attention to certain cases of the sick, at 
 others making appointments for me to preach." 
 
 Rev. S. A. Creath, Army of Tennessee : " I am still 
 following up the army, trying to be of service to them. 
 At Atlanta I saw 3,000 sick men. Started to work this 
 morning before sun up, and by 9 A. M. had distributed 
 20,000 pages of tracts. Several have professed religion, 
 and the Lord's blessing seems to be on us." 
 
 " I have been a month," wrote a colporteur from Rich- 
 
HELPS TO TIIE Ri:\ IVAL — COLPOItTAGE. 79 
 
 mond, "laboring in this city, during which time I have 
 distributed 41,000 pages of tracts. I preach almost 
 daily in the hospitals ; and a notice of a few minutes 
 will give me a large congregation. Never in my life 
 have I witnessed such solemn attention to the preached 
 word. Oftentimes I meet with soldiers wlio tell me that 
 they have become Christians since thej^ entered the array, 
 and not unfrequentlj^ I am asked by anxious inquirers, 
 what they must do to be saved. 'O, how encouraging to 
 a soldier is a word of sympathy,' said one of the sick 
 men to me." 
 
 Another from Petersburg writes : " I have been for 
 some weeks devoting my time to the hospitals in this 
 city. The noble men are so fond of having one to talk 
 with them about the Friend of sinners, and the heavenly 
 home, that my heart is made to rejoice with theirs. The 
 other day I was reading a few tracts to a sick soldier, 
 and while reading one on ' The Blood of Christ.' he be- 
 came so happy that he shouted. ' Glory to God !' An- 
 other said, ' When I first came into the hospital I was 
 sad and dissatisfied, but since I have been here I have 
 learned of Jesus, and thank God even for tribulations.' " 
 
 A colporteur from the army at Corinth, Miss., writes : 
 " I have distributed 70,000 pages of tracts here, and feel 
 much encouraged. The officers grant me free access to 
 the camps, and commend m}' work. Oftentimes have I 
 seen the men throw aside tlieir cards to take up the 
 tracts I would place on their table, saying that they 
 played only because tliC}' had nothing to read. There 
 are many pious men here, and the}' warmlv co-operate 
 with me." 
 
 From Savannah, Ga. : " The Testaments and tracts 
 have effected good — some have made a public profession 
 of religion, whilst others are deeply interested in divine 
 things. AYe need more tracts and more Bibles." 
 
 Rev. J. A. Hughes thus speaks of his labors at At- 
 lanta : " In going among the thousands in the lios[)itals. 
 
80 THE GUEAT UKVIVAL. 
 
 I have met with many things to gladden my heart, and 
 to cause me to love the work. I And a number of Chris- 
 tians ; some tell me that camp-life has had a very unfa- 
 vorable influence on their religious character ; others say 
 it has been of great service to them, that it has bound 
 them closer to the Saviour, made them more acquainted 
 with their own weakness and sins, and afforded them a 
 fine field in which to labor for the souls of their fellow- 
 men. Some few hesitate to take a Testament, though 
 they will accept a tract. One man positively refused a 
 Testament but took the tract, 'A Mother's Parting Words 
 to her Soldier Boy,' by the reading of which he was deeply 
 moved and became a true penitent, asked me to pray for 
 him, and finally died in the triumphs of faith. To a 
 young man who felt himself a sinner I gave ' Motives to 
 .Early Piety.' He was led to Christ, whom he publicly 
 confessed. A soldier said to me on the street, ' You are 
 the gentleman who gave me a tract the other day. I had 
 read it before, at home, but never has the reading of 
 that book so affected me as of late ; away from home 
 and friends, it is doublj'^ sweet.' Three have professed 
 conversion from reading, 'Why will ye die?' several 
 from reading ' A Mother's Parting Words.' A soldier 
 told me 'The Call to Prayer' had roused him to a sense 
 of his duty as a professor of religion." 
 
 Rev. Joseph E. Martin, from Chimborazo hospital at 
 Richmond, writes : " We have had lately sixteen conver- 
 sions. One young man was very anxious to learn to 
 read. I i:)rocured him a spelling-book, and in a few days 
 he learned so rapidly as to be able to read the Testa- 
 ment. He has since professed religion. A middle-aged 
 man from Georgia has learned to read since he joined 
 the army, and has committed to memory almost all the 
 Xew Testament with the book of Job." 
 
 Another faithful laborer says : •' A young man said to 
 me, ' Parson, you gave me a book, (Baxters Call,) which 
 I have been reading, and it has made me feel very un- 
 
HELPS TO TIIK KEVIVAL — COLPOUTAGE. 81 
 
 happy. I feel that my condition is awful, and I desire 
 to find peace.' I pointed him to the Lord Jesus. While 
 passing through a hospital with my tracts one poor, af- 
 flicted soldier wept piteously and said, ' Sir, I cannot 
 read ; will you be good enough to read some of those 
 tracts to me ?' I read several, and among them, ' A 
 Mother's Parting Words to her Soldier Boy.' ' Oh,' said 
 he, ' that reminds me so much of my poor old mother, 
 who has faded from earth since I joined the army.' He 
 wept and seemed greatly affected." 
 
 Rev. George Pearcy, writing from Lynchburg, Va., 
 says : "I collected from Sunday Schools and individuals 
 above a hundred Testaments, a few Bibles, and some 
 books and tracts — these were placed in three large hos- 
 pitals for the sick soldiers. There have been as many 
 as 10,000 soldiers in the encampment here, hence it is a 
 most interesting field for usefulness. Many soldiers 
 have the Bible or Testament, and love to read it. A 
 good number are members of Churches. Far away from 
 home and Idndred, they are delighted to receive tlio 
 visits of a brother Christian, and get something to read. 
 All receive the tracts, and read them with delight. The 
 Lord has blessed the work. He has poured out his 
 Spirit upon many. Several have died in the triumphs of 
 faith. It was a great pleasure and privilege to speak to 
 them of the Saviour, and witness their trust in him dur- 
 ing the trying hour. One who died a week ago, said, in a 
 whisper, a short time before he breathed his last, when 
 the nurse held up the tract, ' Come to Jesus,' ' I can't 
 see.' He was told it was the tract, ' Come to Jesus,' and 
 that Jesus says, ' Him that cometh unto me I will in no 
 wise cast out.' ' Thank the Lord for that,' he replied. 
 'Have you come to him ? and do you find him precious?' 
 ' Precious, thank the Lord.' ' He has promised never to 
 leave nor forsake his people.' 'Thank the Lord for 
 that ;' and so he would say of all the promises quoted. 
 One young man. to whom I gave a tract, told me that at 
 
82 THE GREAT RE^^VAL. 
 
 home he was a steady, sober man, never swore ; hut that 
 becoming a soldier, he did as many others did — threw otf 
 restraint, and did wickedly ; ' But now,' said he, ' I have 
 don*' Svvearing, and will seek the salvation of my soul.' " 
 
 " When I joined the army," said a soldier to a colpor- 
 teur, " I was a member of the Church, and enjoyed re- 
 ligion, but since I came into camp I have been without 
 anything of a religious character to read, and assailed 
 on every side by such temptations as have caused me to 
 dishonor my religious profession. O, sir, if you had 
 been with me, and extended such aid as you now be- 
 stow, I might have been kept from all the sin and sorrow 
 which, as a poor backslider, I have known." 
 
 One who had visited the hospitals at Richmond wrote : 
 " The field of labor opened here for the accomplishment 
 of good is beyond measure. An angel might covet it. 
 At three o'clock services were held in the main hall of 
 the hospital. It was a most imposing spectacle to see 
 men in all stages of sickness — some sitting upon their 
 beds, while others were lying down listening to the word 
 of God — many of them probably for the last time. I 
 do not think I ever saw a more attentive audience. 
 They seemed to drink in the Word of Life at every 
 breath." 
 
 " Some time since," says Rev. A. E, Dickinson, " it 
 was my pleasure to stand up in the presence of a large 
 company of convalescent soldiers in one of our hospitals 
 to proclaim salvation. During the reading of a portion 
 of Scripture tears began to flow. I then announced that 
 dear old hymn, — 
 
 ". ' There is a fountani filled with blood, 
 Drawn from Immanuel's veins,' &c., 
 
 the reading of which seemed to melt every heart, and 
 the entire audience was in tears before God. Every 
 word in reference to spiritual truth fell with a soft, sub- 
 duing fervor on their chastened hearts." 
 
HELPS TO TIIE KEVIVAL — COLPORTAGE. 83 
 
 Lately a colpoteur at Lauderdale Springs, Miss., was 
 distributing tracts, and a captain approaclied him and 
 asked for one. " Select for yourself, cai>tain," said be. 
 Tlie captain looked over them, and selected "Don't 
 Swear," and began to read it aloud to the soldiers stand- 
 ing around, pausing occasionally to comment on the 
 points made in the tract. When he had finished, he ex- 
 claimed, " I am done swearing. Take this," handing the 
 colporteur a ten-dollar bill, " and send it to aid in bring- 
 ing out another edition of this tract." 
 
 The soldiers themselves were often the most success- 
 ful tract distributers. A private in a Virginia regiment, 
 all the time that his command was near Richmond, sold 
 the daily papers to his comrades, and with the profits 
 bought tracts which he circulated among them. It was 
 truly a noble sight to see this pious young man, after a 
 long walk to the cit}^ and after having sold his papers, 
 worn down with fatigue, coming with the proceeds to 
 purchase religious reading for his fellow-soldiers. 
 
 "When I entered the army," said a soldier, "I was 
 the chief of sinners. I did not love God, nor ray soul, 
 but pursued the ways of unrighteousness with ardor, 
 without ever counting the cost. I studiously shunned 
 preaching and our faithful chaplain, lest he should re- 
 prove me ; and when he was preaching in the camp I 
 would be in my tent gambling with my wicked compan- 
 ions. One day he presented a tract entitled, ' The 
 Wrath to Come,' and so politely requested me to read it 
 that I promised him I would, and immediately went to 
 my tent to give it a hasty perusal. I had not finished it 
 until I felt that I was exposed to that wrath, and that I 
 deserved to be damned. It showed me so plainly where 
 and what I was, that I should have felt lost and without 
 a remedy had it not pointed me to that glorious Refuge 
 which has indeed been a refuge to me from the storm, 
 for I now feel that I can trust in Christ." 
 
 The history of this little tract is the history of thou- 
 
84 THE GUEAT UKVIVAX.. 
 
 sands of like character that preached silently but power- 
 fiill}^ and successfuyy, in camp and hospital, in tent and 
 l)ivouac. The following incident is a simple, truthful, 
 and touching illustration of the good that may arise from 
 the humble work of a tract distributer : 
 
 " Richard Knill did not become a subject of the grace 
 of God until he was twenty-six years of age. A ser- 
 mon preached by his pastor, in which various extracts 
 were given from ' Buchanan's Christian Researches in 
 the East,' had a powerful effect on the heart of Knill, 
 and he resolved to prepare himself for the work of a mis- 
 sionary. 
 
 " While he was considering the question of future duty, 
 opportunities for usefulness, presenting themselves in va- 
 rious directions, he was not backward in improving them. 
 On one occasion he heard that a military company of a 
 thousand men were about to be disbanded and sent to 
 their homes. lie resolved to distribute among them the 
 choicest religious tracts, with the hope that they would 
 benefit not only the soldiers themselves, but the families 
 and the homes to which they were about to return. ' I 
 proceeded,' he tells us, 'to the grenadiers, who were 
 all pleased, until I came to one merrj'-andrew kind of a 
 fellow. He took the tract and held it up, swore at it, 
 and asked, ' Are j'ou going to convert me T ' 
 
 "I said, 'Don't swear at the tract; you cannot hurt 
 the tract, but swearing will injure your soul.' 
 
 " ' Who are you ?' he exclaimed. ' Form a circle round 
 him,' said he to his comrades, ' and I will swear at him.' 
 
 " They did so ; he swore fearfully, and I wept. The 
 tears moved the feelings of the other men, and they 
 said, ' Let him go ; he means to do us good.' 
 
 " So I distributed my thousand tracts, ana left them 
 in the care of Him who said, ' My word shall not return 
 unto me void.' 
 
 " Many 3'ears after I had taken leave of these soldiers, 
 I returned from India to my native country and visited 
 
HELPS TO THE RE\aVAL — COLPOKTAGE. 8r> 
 
 Ilfracombe. There I was invited to preach in the open 
 air, a few miles distant. Preparations were made for 
 my visit, and diu'ing the time that I was preaching, I 
 saw a tall, gray-headed man in the crowd, weeping, and 
 a tall young man, who looked like his son, standing by 
 his side, and weeping also. At the conclusion of the 
 service they both came up to me, and the father said : 
 
 " ' Do you recollect giving tracts to the local militia at 
 Barnstable, some years ago ?' 
 
 " ' Yes.' 
 
 " ' Do you recollect an^^thing particular of that distri- 
 bution ?' 
 
 " ' Yes, I recollect one of the grenadiers swore at me 
 till he made me weep.' 
 
 " ' Stop,' said he, ' Oh, sir, I am the man ! I never for- 
 gave myself for that wicked act. But I hope it has led 
 me to repentance, and that God has furgiven me. And 
 now, let me ask, will you forgive me ?' 
 
 " It quite overcame me for the moment, and we parted 
 with a prayer that we might meet in heaven. Is not this 
 encouragement ? May we not well say, one tract may 
 save a soul." 
 
 4a 
 
8G THE GIIEAT KEVIV^VL. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIRST FRUITS. 
 SUMMER AND AUTUMN OF 1861. 
 
 TiiE Southern people entered upon the dreadful or- 
 deal of war with extreme reluctance. 
 
 History will attest that in every honorable way they 
 strove to avert the threatened danger. 
 
 Regarding the political tenets which culminated in the 
 elevation of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency of the 
 United States as fraught with evil to the Soutli, they re- 
 solved to assert those rights of Sovereign States which 
 they had learned from the fathers of the Republic ; and 
 to attempt the establishment of a government free from 
 those disturbing causes which had for many years threat- 
 ened the peace of the Union. The South was not alone 
 in its apprehensions of danger from the triumph of a 
 sectional party. AVise and moderate men at the North 
 felt and expressed their fears for the safety of the coun- 
 tr3^ A prominent divine, in a funeral discourse on the 
 eminent Judge McLean, of the Supreme Court of the 
 United States, who was taken away just as the dark 
 shadows began to fall on the land, says : 
 
 " He told me that he had marked the downward pro- 
 gress of our nation and of our government for many 
 _years ; that he knew that, as a people, we had become cor- 
 rupt to the very core ; that politics had degenerated into a 
 mere trade, or rather a mere gambling speculation ; and 
 he added, with emphatic solemnity, and, as there is too 
 much reason to fear, with prophetic sagacitj', 'I do not 
 believe there is virtue enough in the nation to sustain 
 such a government as ours much longer. In one of the 
 last letters I received from him, he repeated with great 
 
SIMMEU AND AUTUMN OF 1861. 87 
 
 confidence the remark that our national corruption had 
 destroyed us." 
 
 The attempt to coerce the South into submission, after 
 the riglit of self-government had been asserted in the 
 most solemn and authoritative forms, was felt to be a 
 war of invasion, and the determination to resist was 
 deep and almost universal. The strong feelings of reli- 
 gion and patriotism were evoked at the same moment, 
 and by the same act, and men entered tlie ranks under 
 the conviction that in so doing they were faithful alike 
 to God and their countrj'. This we must bear in mind, 
 or we shall not be prepared for that pervasive spiritual 
 influence whicli so eminently marked the Southern ar- 
 mies. That these convictions were well founded, the re- 
 vival which moved with the war, and deepened as it 
 deepened, was the great attestation. The revival in our 
 armies, tried by all the tests known to men, was a genu- 
 ine revival ; its fruits were rich, abupdant, and perma- 
 nent. It was carried forward by the means which have 
 been emplo^'ed for the salvation of men in all ages ; and 
 to-day there are thousands in heaven, and tens of thou- 
 sands on earth, who enjoy the blessedness of that spirit- 
 ual baptism which fell upon them amidst the strife, and 
 anguish, and bloodshed of war. 
 
 The best index to the state of mind and heart with 
 which the Southern people entered upon the war may be 
 found in the religious papers of that period. 
 
 The secular papers were emplo3'^ed in discussing the 
 great political doctrines involved ; it is in the religious 
 press that we are to find those views of religious duty 
 which the soldiers took with them into the army. 
 
 The honored President of the Confederacy struck the 
 key-note of national feeling in the following extract from 
 one of his earliest messages : 
 
 "We feel that our cause is just and holy ; we profess 
 solemnly in the face of mankind that we desire peace at 
 any sacrifice, save that of honor and independence ; we 
 
88 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 seek no conquest, no aggrandizement, no concession of 
 any kind from the States with which we were lately con- 
 federated ; all we ask is to be let alone ; that those who 
 never held power over us shall not now attempt our sub- 
 jugation by arms. This we will, this we must resist to 
 tha direst extremity. The moment that this pretension 
 is abandoned the sword will drop from our grasp, and 
 we shall be ready to enter into treaties of amity and 
 commerce that cannot but be mutually beneficial." 
 
 The religion of the people, no less than their patriot- 
 ism, fully responded to these sentiments. One thing, in- 
 deed, the world must understand, that while the Chris- 
 tian people of the Southern States engaged in the war, 
 they did so under the full sense of what behooved them 
 as members of the Church of Christ. 
 
 In the early part of the war, in an "Address to Chris- 
 tians Throughout the World," signed by one hundred of 
 the prominent ministers of the various denominations in 
 the South, the following language was held : 
 
 "The war is forced upon us. We have always desired 
 peace. After a conflict of opinions between the North 
 and the South, in Church and State, of more than thirty 
 years, growing more bitter and painful daily, we witli- 
 draw from them to secure peace — they send troops to 
 compel us into re-union ! Our proposition was peacea- 
 ble separation, saying, 'We are actually divided, our 7)o- 
 minal union is only a platform of strife.' The answer is 
 a call for troops to force submission to a government 
 whose character, in the judgment of the South, has been 
 sacrificed to sectionalism." 
 
 The Southern people did not shrink from, indeed they 
 courted, an investigation into the moral and religious 
 condition of the slaves, that unfortunate race, <^oiicern- 
 ing whom they have been so thoroughly misunderstood 
 and abused. 
 
 In the same address, it was said : 
 
 " We are aware that in respect to the moral aspects of 
 
SUaniER AND AUTL'MN OF IJ^GI. 89 
 
 the question of slaver}'-, we differ from those who con- 
 ceive of emancipation as a measure of benevolence, and 
 on that account we suffer much reproach which we are 
 conscious of not deserving. 
 
 " With all the facts of the system of slavery before 
 us, ' as eye witnesses and ministers of the word, having 
 had perfect understanding of all things' on this subject 
 of which we speak, we may surely claim respect for our 
 opinions and statements. 
 
 " Most of us have grown up from childhood among the 
 slaves ; all of us have preached to and taught them the 
 word of life ; have administered to them the ordinances 
 of the Christian Church : sincerely love them as souls 
 for whom Christ died ; we go among them freely and 
 know them in health and sickness, in labor and rest, 
 from infancy to old age. We are familiar with their 
 physical and moral condition, and alive to all their inter- 
 ests, and we testify in the sight of God, that the rela- 
 tion of master and slave among us, however we may de- 
 plore abuses in this, as in other relations of mankind, is 
 not incompatible with our holy Christianity^ and that 
 the presence of the African in our land is an occasion of 
 gratitude on their behalf, before God ; seeing that there- 
 by Divine Providence has brought them where missiona- 
 ries of the Cross maj'^ freely proclaim to them the word 
 of salvation, and the work is not interrupted by agitating 
 fanaticism. The South has done more than any people 
 on earth for the Christianization of the African race. 
 The condition of slaves here is not wretched, as North- 
 ern fictions would have men believe, but prosperous and 
 happy, and would have been j-et more so but for the 
 mistaken zeal of abolitionists. Can emancipation ob- 
 tain for them a better portion? The practicable plan 
 for benefitting the African race must be the providential 
 plan — the scriptural plan. We adopt that plan in the 
 South, and while the State should seek by wholesome 
 legislation to regard the interests of master and slave, 
 
90 THE GIUCAT REVIVAL. 
 
 we as ministers would preach the word to both as we 
 are commanded of God. This war has not benefitted 
 the slaves. Those that have been encouraged or com- 
 pelled to leave their masters have gone, and we aver 
 can go, to no state of society tliat offers them any better 
 things than they have at home, either in,respect to their 
 temporal or eternal welfare. 
 
 "We regard abolitionism as an interference with the 
 plans of Divine Providence. It has not the sign of the 
 Lord's blessing. It is a fanaticism which puts forth no 
 good fruit ; instead of blessing, it has brought forth 
 cursing ; instead of love, hatred ; instead of life, death — 
 bitterness and sorrow and pain and infidelity and moral 
 degeneracy follow its labors. We remember how the 
 Apostle has taught the minister of Jesus upon this sub- 
 ject, sajung, 'Let as many servants as are under the 
 j'oke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that 
 the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. 
 And the^'^ that have believing masters, let them not de- 
 spise them, because they are brethren ; but rather do 
 them service, because they are faithful and beloved, par- 
 takers of the benefit. These things teach and exliort. 
 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to whole- 
 some words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he 
 is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions 
 and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, rail- 
 ings, evil surmisings, heresies, disputings of men of cor- 
 rupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that 
 gain is godliness : from such withdraw' thyself.' This is 
 what we teach." 
 
 Speaking of the religious work of the South, they 
 say: 
 
 "The Christians of the South, we claim, are pious, in- 
 telligent, and liberal. Their pastoral and missionary 
 work have claims of peculiar interest. There are hun- 
 dreds of thousands here, both white and colored, who 
 
su:kr>rER and autumn of 18C1. 91 
 
 are not strangers to the blood that bought Ihem. We 
 rejoice that the great Head of the Church has not de- 
 spised us. AVe desire as much as in us lieth to live 
 peaceably with all men, and though reviled, to revile not 
 again. 
 
 "Our soldiers were before the war our fellow-citizens, 
 and many of them are of the household of faith, who 
 have carried to the camp so much of the leaven of Chris- 
 tianity that amid all the demoralizing influences of army 
 life the good work of salvation has gone forward tliere. 
 "Our President, some of our most influential states- 
 men, our Commanding General, and an unusual propor- 
 tion of the principal Generals, as well as scores of other 
 officers, are prominent, and we believe consistent mem- 
 bers of the Church. Thousands of our soldiers are men 
 of prayer." 
 
 " In conclusion," said these representatives of the re- 
 ligious sentiments of the South, " we ask for ourselves, 
 our churches, our country, the devout prayers of all 
 God's people — ' the will of the Lord be done.' " 
 
 The spirit which marked the Churches in the North 
 and in the South was widely diff'erent. Referring to this, 
 a leading Southern religious paper said : 
 
 " They of the Northern Church say that they 'glory in 
 this war.' We of the South glory in no such thing. 
 Forced to defend ourselves, we shall certainly meet our 
 enemies without an iota of fear, and hope to drive tliem 
 back to a glory they will not be proud of in history ; but 
 we will warn them, in the name of truth and God, to 
 pause before they put foot on Southern soil. Every man 
 in the South who is strong enough to pull a trigger is 
 ready to do it, and here we stand to defend ourselves 
 while a man, woman or child of the South is alive. 
 While the Northern Christians are so piously trusting in 
 superior numbers, we arm, and fast, and pray, and our 
 cry is, 0, Lord of Hosts, we trust in thee ! While they 
 are making every effort to get up and keep at fever lieat 
 
02 THE onEAT IlEVIVAL. 
 
 the Northern war spirit, we need no appeals beyond their 
 own ferocious and boastful cries to keep us ready for 
 their coming. And while they claim to have God's bless- 
 ing, we are content, — if God bless them with success, be 
 it so, — he is the Lord, let him do what he will. We know 
 'in whom' we 'have believed.' We seek no man's blood, 
 and we are not afraid while the Lord reigneth." 
 
 Another thus expressed the belief of almost the en- 
 tire population of the Southern States : 
 
 "In this unhappy war we find, on our side, no compro- 
 mise of Christian principle. The South has accepted it 
 as a last necessity — an alternative in which there was no 
 choice but submission to a dynasty considered oppres- 
 sive, and in its very principles antagonistic to her rights 
 and subversive of her existence. 
 
 " Hence her sons, who are true Christians, have no 
 compunctions of conscience when they go forth in her 
 armies. They find, on the contrary, an approbation of 
 conscience in their decision to fight for their homes and 
 altars. ' In the name of our God we set up our banners.' 
 We go to meet the invaders 'in the name of the Lord of 
 hosts.' 
 
 " We speak the common sentiment of Southern Cliris- 
 tians when we say that we are willing for Him to decide 
 this contest on its merits. We protest, in the face of 
 Heaven, we want nothing but our rights, we demand no- 
 thing but our rights. We have wronged no man, no 
 State, no government. What is our own, and nothing 
 more, do we claim. 
 
 " It is this view of the case that has caused so large a 
 representation from the domain of the Church in the 
 army of the Confederate States. The very love for jus- 
 tice and righteousness — the intense sympathy with equi- 
 ty, for its own sake — engendered in the heart b}' the 
 Spirit of truth, have influenced the hundreds of Israel to 
 gird on the sword." 
 
 While the war was accepted as a dire necessity, our 
 
SUMMER AND AUTUMN OF 1861. 93 
 
 people were urged to draw from its calamities the most 
 salutary lessons. Another journal exhorted us to re- 
 member that " He who rules and overrules all things af- 
 ter the counsels of His own will, suiFers no wind to rise 
 that does not blow good to somebody. To His people, 
 especially, every wind, from the gentle breeze to the 
 terrible hurricane, bears seeds of blessing on its wings. 
 Full often, too, it is the violent wind that scatters these 
 seeds most widely and abundantly — converting the scene 
 of its devastation into the richest harvest-field of happi- 
 ness for those who exercise the husbandry of faith and 
 patience. May we not make this our experience, as re- 
 spects the storm of war which beats on the land, threat- 
 ening to rain tears and blood through all our borders ? 
 May we not gather from it lessons of highest value, on 
 the insecurit}^ of earthly things, the folly of idolatrous 
 attachment to the possessions of the present life, and 
 the necessity of a better and an enduring substance in 
 heaven ? May it not awaken us to the blessedness of 
 sacrifice and suffering for a great and worthy cause ? 
 May it not enforce the wisdom of constant readiness for 
 eternitj% and lead to a closer walk with God and a more 
 unwavering trust in him ? May it not deepen the sense 
 of personal guiltiness and strip the mask more and more 
 from the deformity of sin, as shadowed forth in the self- 
 ishness and the desolation of war ? May it not render 
 increasingly precious the privilege of intercession, which 
 casts all our care for those we love upon One who loves 
 them far more ? May it not lead us to recognize, with 
 profounder gratitude, the hand of God in all that is left 
 to us of temporal blessing ? Oh ! these, and many other 
 teachings of like sort, Eternal Wisdom reads to us out 
 of the volume of war. Be it our purpose and prayer, to 
 hearken with obedient ear to the stern but salutary in- 
 struction." 
 
 Even when our people were wild with excitement, and 
 the cry, " To arms ! To arms !" resounded through the 
 
04 Tire GREAT KEVIVAL. 
 
 land, they were counselled to moderation, and to a culti- 
 vation of charitable feelings towards those who opposed 
 them : 
 
 "Men's heads," said a prominent journalist, "may be 
 wrong when their hearts are right. This we must bear 
 in mind ; for it will not do to discredit the whole Chris- 
 tianity of the North. A deep and prevalent political 
 heres}^ an overwhelming outside pressure, a misappre- 
 hension of the principles and purpose of those against 
 whom they war, local prejudices, social atmosphere, 
 a mental bias and ignorance that is not wholl^^ vol- 
 untary — these all must be talcen into the account in 
 our moral estimate of many of our enemies, even those 
 proposing, for their good and our own, to subjugate or 
 exterminate us. And we must consider these things if 
 we would fulfill tlie commandment, 'Love your enemies.' 
 
 " Love is the roj^al law, and its dues are not intermit- 
 ted even in war. It is never superseded by martial law, 
 or any other law. Always difficult of exercise, 'Love 
 your enemies, bless them that curse you,' is now the se- 
 vere test of Christian character on a national scale. 
 
 "'If it be possible, as much as lieth in you live peace- 
 ably with all men.' It ma,y not always be possible. In 
 our case it is clearly impossible unless we sacrifice rights, 
 in the defe)ice and preservation of which the highest du- 
 ties to God and man are involved. But even in this case 
 we must, and b}' grace we can, keep the heart free from 
 malice, hatred, revenge." 
 
 Another, in the. following earnest strain, begged the 
 people not to forget God, and their duties to him, while 
 they buckled on the weapons of carnal warfare : 
 
 " Do not, m}"^ brother, let your mind run too exclusive- 
 ly upon our political condition — do not think too con- 
 stantly about the war. There is something of more mo- 
 ment to us than what is involved in these questions 
 which are shaking our social fabric to its foundations. 
 The Christian is interested in a greater contest than that 
 
SUMMER AND AUTUMN OF 18G1. 95 
 
 which founds or upturns empires. Momentous as our 
 present revolution is, it is but one of the passing inci- 
 dents oF the world's long history, and to be classed only 
 as an important one among the many contingencies of a 
 life-time — none of which should ever rise between our 
 faith and the view of things eternal. No Christian duty 
 or work should be intermitted, because greater events 
 than we have 3'et known are passing in review and ob- 
 truding upon our anxious minds. Great as they are, the 
 work of a Christian is greater still. Our duty may be 
 full}^ done to our country, but we are undone if it be not 
 discharged toward God. Our country may be saved and 
 ourselves lost. Peace may come to the land, while war 
 springs up between our hearts and God. A worldly in- 
 heritance may be gained, and yet its cost may be the sa- 
 crifice of a heavenly. A great republic may rise out of 
 the chaos around us, while the kingdom of heaven, which 
 should be our first love and our constant care, may be- 
 come secondary in our affections." 
 
 The felt dependence of the people on God in their 
 momentous struggle expressed itself in the calls that 
 were made for earnest and importunate prayer. It was 
 widely proposed through the religious papers of the 
 South, "that at precisely one o'clock, every day, until 
 these calamities be overpast, a few minutes be set apart 
 for prayer by each individual in the Confederate States, 
 or in States which sympathize with the Southern Confed- 
 eracy. There maj'- be no meeting for prayer at any par- 
 ticular place, but let each one for himself, wherever he 
 may be, at one o'clock, spend a little while in devout 
 supplication to the Almighty. Let the merchant retire 
 for a moment from his counting-room, or if this be not 
 possible, let him lift up his heart to God in pious ejacu- 
 lation ; let the farmer stop his plough in the furrow ; let 
 the mechanic stay his hand from labor ; let the phj^sician 
 pause for a moment on his mission of mercy ; let the 
 lawyer lay aside his brief; let the student rest from his 
 
96 Tire GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 toil ; let the mother lay her babe in the cradle ; let the 
 busy housewife suspend her domestic cares ; let every 
 man, whatever his calling or pursuits, suspend them ; let 
 all business halt, and the whole land be still. In that 
 moment of quiet, in very mid-day, when stillness is so 
 unusual, when it will be then all the more impressive, let 
 every praying soul remember his country and its defend- 
 ers before God. It would be best, if possible, to retire 
 for the moment to some private place, and on bended 
 knees give oral utterance to the desire of the heart. 
 But if this cannot be done, the silent prayer may be sent 
 up to God as we walk the street or pursue our journey, 
 or even in the midst of all the wliirl and din of business 
 life. Thus shall every heart be engaged, and every soul 
 come to the rescue ; thus shall all the devout of the land 
 be brought nigh to each other, for 
 
 '•Though sundered far, by faith they meet, 
 Around one common mercy-seat." 
 
 In midsummer of 1861, the President, in accordance 
 with the recommendation of tlie Confederate Congress, 
 called the people to fasting, humiliation, and pra3^er, de- 
 claring in his proclamation, that " it becomes us to re- 
 cogni'-ce God's righteous government, to supplicate his 
 merciful protection, and to implore the Lord of Hosts to 
 guide and direct our policy in the paths of right, justice, 
 and mercy." In response, the Cln-istian people of the 
 South bowed, fasting and praying, before the Throne ot 
 Grace, supplicating the guidance and protection of the 
 God of their fathers. 
 
 A leading journal, in urging the people to a higher na- 
 tional moralit}^ said, in view of the general observance 
 of this day : 
 
 "Two weeks ago hundreds of thousands of them were 
 assembled in our churches, fasting and praying. Con- 
 fession was made of sins, thanks were rendered for mer- 
 cies, and our defensive struggle was commended unto 
 God." 
 
SUiMJlEK AND ALTUMN OF 1861. 97 
 
 The following aescription of the manner in which the 
 ila^'' was observed at Galveston, Texas, will give an idea 
 of the unanimity and fervor of the people all over the 
 South : 
 
 " In this city the day was observed with unparalleled 
 unanimity. All places of business were closed ; a Sab- 
 bath stillness reigned in the streets ; and our places of 
 prayer were filled several successive times with solemn 
 and devout worshippers. At five o'clock morning prayer 
 meeting the Methodist church was crowded ; and so of 
 the Presbyterian church at the nine o'clock prayer-meet- 
 ing, and the Baptist church at the prayer-meeting which 
 closed with the setting of the sun. Sermons approi)riate 
 to the occasion were jireached in several of the churches 
 at eleven o'clock. The Presbyterian, Baptist, and Meth- 
 odist denominations united their arrangements, hy spe- 
 cial agreement. It is a day long to be remembered in 
 Galveston ; and will, we feel confident, leave a lasting 
 impression for good. The prayers were fervent for the 
 ])rosperity of the Confederate States; for the success of 
 their cause ; for those in authorit}' ; for our generals and 
 armies ; for our enemies, that God would give them a 
 better mind ; for a speedy and honorable peace, or for 
 the victory of our armies in the war of independence, if 
 it must be waged." 
 
 Those who entered the army went with the most ar- 
 dent prayers and the most fervent exhortations to be 
 good patriots and good Christians. In the midst ot 
 every company, just before it started for the camp, might 
 be heard the voice of the minister humbly invoking the 
 blessing of God on those who were going forth to the 
 strife of war. And after they reached the army they 
 were not forgotten ; praj'er went up hourly for the gal- 
 lant men who stood in battle array, and by private let- 
 ters and the puV)lic press they were exhorted to bear 
 themselves like men that feared God. 
 
 The venerable Bishop Andrew, of the INI. E. Cluuch, 
 5 
 
98 TILE GUEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 South, in writing to the ministers and members of his 
 Church in the array, said : 
 
 " Remember, brethren, wherever you are, that you are 
 ministers of the Lord Jesus ; never let the Christian min- 
 ister be merged in the soldier. You will, doubtless, in 
 camp, be surrounded by those who will have little sym- 
 pathy with your religious views and feeliags, and who 
 will closely and constantly scrutinize your whole con- 
 duct. Oh, do not, by any inadvertence of act or speech, 
 give occasion for the enemies of Christ to blaspheme ; 
 but let your walk be such as to constrain them to glorify 
 3^our Father in heaven. Oh, be witnesses for Jesus ! 
 
 "There is no position in which a Christian can be 
 placed in which he may not exert much influence for 
 good. It will be necessary to reprove those who sin, 
 and it is an important lesson to learn how to give reproof 
 in love and gentleness, and yet with faithfulness, and a 
 proper measure of Christian dignity. Many opportuni- 
 ties will be afforded you of strengthening the weak, and 
 recovering, those who are just on the verge of falling. 
 And should you so deport yourselves as to command the 
 confidence and respect of your companions in arms, you 
 will find many unexpected calls for advice. Strive to 
 prepare yourself to give it. In a word, be a thorough 
 and consistent Christian yourself, and j^ou will be always 
 prepared to help others. Yet once more, the voice of 
 affliction will frequently greet your ears : a brother sol- 
 dier, sick and dying far from home and loved ones, is 
 struggling with disease and death among those who arc, 
 comparativel}' strangers ; no wife's or mother's or sister's 
 soft hand chafes his fevered brow, or with woman's sweet 
 and gentle voice, speaking words of kindness, points the 
 dying man to Him of Calvary, — how sweet, under these 
 circumstances, will be the words of kindness from your 
 lips, and how grateful to his ears the voice of pra^'er 
 and praise, as you kneel beside him and wrestle with 
 God in his behalf, and talk sweetly to him of Jesus and 
 
SUMMER AND AUTUMN OF 18G1. 'JH 
 
 his salvation ! But. oh ! who can describe the blighting 
 influence of one ungodly minister in a company or regi- 
 ment ! May God preserve our armies from all such !" 
 
 These extracts, which might be indefinitely multiplied, 
 will show the religious cuiimus of the Southern people 
 when they entered upon the war. 
 
 We have now reached a point from which we may cast 
 our eyes over the assembled hosts of the South, and 
 mark the buddings of that glorious work of grace which 
 is the great moral phenomenon of the present age. 
 
 There have been revivals in the midst of wars in other 
 countries, and in other times ; but history records none 
 so deep, so pervasive, so well marked, by all the charar- 
 teristics of a divine work as that which shed its blessed 
 light on the armies of the South in their struggle for in- 
 dependence. 
 
 So vast were the proportions of the revival in the se- 
 cond, third and fourth years of the war, that we are apt 
 to overlook the first fruits in the opening of the conflict. 
 In the spring of 1861 the troops were gathered at the 
 important points of defence. The chief interest centred 
 on Virginia, as it was felt that, after the affair of Fort 
 Sumter, the storm would burst upon her soil. 
 
 In the armies stationed at Manassas, Winchester, Nor- 
 folk, Aquia Creek, and other places, the most cheering 
 signs appeared. 
 
 Rev. C. F. Fry, of the Baptist Colportage Board, wrote 
 from the Army in the Valley of Virginia : 
 
 "I have visited most of the encampments in the Val- 
 \ey, and could have sold more than $100 worth of books 
 a month if my assortment had been larger — especially 
 if I could have had a good supply of Testaments. A 
 captain said to me, 'I am a sinner, and wish you to select 
 some books to suit mj^ case.' I did so ; and at night he 
 called his men into line and asked me to pray for them. 
 Another captain seemed much interested on the subject 
 of religion. I tried to explain to him the way to be 
 
100 TIIK (iRKAT REVIVAL. 
 
 saved, and in a few da3^s I heard of his fighting bravely 
 at Manassas. I have prayer and exhortation meetings 
 frequently, which are well attended, and often tears flow 
 from eyes unused to weep, while I point them to the 
 Lamb of God." 
 
 Rev. R. W. Cridlin wrote of his labors at Norfolk and 
 the vicinity : 
 
 "I visited Craney Island last Saturday. Col. Smith, 
 who has charge of the forces there, is a pious man, and 
 has prayers with his men every night. He seemed glad 
 to have me labor among his command, and will doubtless 
 render me any aid I may need." 
 
 Mr. J. C. Clopton wrote from among the sick and 
 wounded at Charlottesville : 
 
 "This is a most inviting field, as hundreds are here on 
 beds of suffering, and consequently disposed to consider 
 things that make for their peace. The deepest feeling 
 is often manifested ; they listen to what I say, and read 
 with great eagerness the tracts and books I give them." 
 
 Another faithful colporteur, Mr. M. D. Anderson, said 
 of the scenes he witnessed at Fredericksburg and Aquia 
 Creek : 
 
 " I have gone nearly through the regiments stationed 
 between Fredericksburg and the Creek. The soldiers 
 are eager for religious reading ; and frequently, when 
 they have seen me coming, they have even run to meet 
 me, exclaiming, "Have 3^ou any Testaments?' Much of 
 ray time has been spent with the sick in the hospitals, 
 where, oftentimes, my heart was made to rejoice at wit- 
 nessing the sustaining power of Christianity in those 
 who were struggling with the last enemy. One, with 
 whom I had often conversed on personal religion, was 
 sick — nigh unto death ; I stood by him, but doubted the 
 propriety of speaking ; at last, he fixed his eyes upon 
 me and said : 'Talk to me about Jesus.' I asked if tiie 
 Lord was with him, and he replied, ' Yes, with me, and 
 that to bless. I know that my Redeemer liveth.' &c. 
 
SUMilER AND AUTl-.MX O?' 18C1. 101 
 
 Another remarked to mo that at home he had l)een a 
 prominent member of the Church ; but that since he had 
 been in camp he had wandered off and brought reproach 
 upon his profession, but that this sickness, from which 
 he was then suffering, liad been blessed to his soul, and 
 that he sliouhl, with divine help, live a new life and con- 
 secrate himself to the cause of God. I have been able 
 to supply many with the Bible, especially as the Presi- 
 dent of the Christian Association in Fredericksburg had 
 given me a fine lot of Bibles."' 
 
 A writer, speaking of the religious services in the 
 Fourth'North Carolina regiment, says : 
 
 " There are four ministers of the gospel attached to 
 this regiment. Sabbath before last a most solemn ser- 
 vice was held at Garysburg. The sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper was administered to the Christian pro- 
 fessors of the regiment. The services were conducted 
 by Rev. Captain Miller, aided by several other clergy- 
 men. The thought that it would probably be the last 
 time in which some would participate in the ordinance, 
 and that before another opportunity occurs they might 
 be on the field of battle, affected every mind, and gave 
 great tenderness to the meeting." 
 
 " I have spent," says Rev. W. J. W. Crowder, " most 
 of the time for several weeks among the soldiers, to 
 whom I gave about 200,000 pages of tracts, and had 
 conversations on personal religion with over 2,300 in 
 their camps and hospitals. I find many of them pious, 
 daily reading the Bible and praying to God. But, by 
 far, the largest portion of them are irreligious. In three 
 companies, of about three hundred men, only seven were 
 professors of religion, and there were but few Bibles and 
 Testaments among them. A lady requested me to give 
 for her all I had of the excellent tract, ' Come to Jesus,' 
 $10. 7G worth ; a copy of which I gave to a soldier one 
 Sunday morning, on which I marked the 91st Psalm. 
 The Sunday following he wished me to sit with him in 
 
102 TIIK GREAT liKVIVAL. 
 
 his tent. He stated that the tract caused him to got his 
 Bible and read the Psalm. On opening to it lie was siir- 
 prised to find a piece of paper pinned to this Psalm, 
 upon wliich was written in a lieautiful hand by his sister 
 Emma these lines : 
 
 " When from home receduior, 
 
 And from hearts that ache to bleeding, 
 Think of those behind who love thee ; 
 
 Thuik how long the night will be 
 To the eyes that weep for thee." 
 
 " God bless thee and keep thee." 
 
 "The melting tenderness before God in that tent can- 
 not be expressed. Some of his mates were religious and 
 ready to encourage him in seeking salvation." 
 
 The same useful man says that when he handed his 
 tracts to the soldiers they would say, "This is the kind 
 of reading we want, to help us fulfill the promises we 
 made to our wives, parents, sisters, ministers, and loved 
 ones on leaving home, that we would seek God to be our 
 guide and refuge." 
 
 "Such expressions," he says, "I have frequently heard 
 from a great many of the more than 7,000 soldiers witii 
 whom I have talked on personal religion." 
 
 A prominent officer came to Mr. C. and said : " I feel 
 it m}'^ duty to say that the good influence exerted upon 
 the minds and actions of our men by the Bibles, books, 
 and tracts 3'ou have sent us. is incalculable ; and, to my 
 knowledge, they have been blessed of God in producing 
 a spirit of religious inquiry with many of a most encour- 
 aging character, I trust you and Christian friends at 
 home will continue to supply all our soldiers with this 
 means of grace, which is so well adapted to our spiritual 
 wants, and can be diffused among us as perhaps no other 
 can so etTectually." 
 
 "A soldier," he says, "came to express his thanks for 
 the saving influence of the tracts he had received since 
 being in camp. He believes they wore sent to liiin in 
 
SUMMKR AND AITIMN OF 18(51. lO;) 
 
 answer to a pious mother's prayers. He stated tliut lie- 
 fore leaving liome lie felt but little interest in religion, 
 but now it is liis deliglit and comfort. 
 
 " Another soldier, in a Mississippi regiment, writes 
 that the tract, ' Come to Jesus,' has been the means of 
 leading him to Christ since being in Virginia." 
 
 "Many persons," says a writer from the 19th Virginia 
 regiment, " having relatives and friends in the army, are 
 concerned about the religious privileges which we enjoy. 
 A brief sketch of this feature of camp life in the 19th 
 regiment will doubtless be gratifying to them. Every 
 night the voice of prayer and praise is heard in one or 
 more of the tents, and on the Sabbath mornings and 
 evenings and on Wednesday nights, sermons are preached 
 in a church in the immediate vicinity of the camp by the 
 chaplain, the Rev. P. Slaughter, assisted by the Rev. Mr. 
 Griffin. The interest of these services was much en- 
 hanced on last Sunday by the celebration of the sacra- 
 ments of baptism and the Lord's Supper, and by the ad- 
 mission of three officers to their first communion. Many 
 hearty prayers were offered that they may manfully fight 
 under the banner of the Cross, and continue Christ's 
 faithful soldiers until their lives end. It is encouraging 
 to see the disposition of those in command to furnish fa- 
 cilities for public worship, and the alacrity of the me a 
 in responding to every call, marching to church some- 
 times in double quick time, lest they should fail to get 
 seats. Let those who remain in their pleasant homes 
 remember the soldier in the tented field. He needs the 
 grace of God to enable him to bear patiently the toils 
 and sufterings of the campaign, even more than to face 
 the enemy in the field." 
 
 Good tidings came from many other portions of the 
 army. Scenes like the following became more frequent 
 every week : 
 
 "For more than a week a revival has been in progress 
 among the soldiers stationed at Asiiland. Services are 
 
104 THE GKEAT ItEVIVAL, 
 
 held every night in the Baptist church, and the seats set 
 apart for the anxious are frequently well nigh filled by 
 the soldiers, who are asking for the prayers of God's 
 people. Rev. W. E. Hatcher, of Manchester, preaches 
 every night. At Aquia Creek thirt}' have professed con- 
 version within a few weeks, a number of whom were bap- 
 tized in the Potomac by Rev. Geo. F. Bagby, a chaplain. 
 The entire regiment with which the converts were con- 
 nected turned out to witness the ceremony. Our inform- 
 ant saj^s he has never looked upon a more lovely and im- 
 pressive scene. We understand that a protracted meet- 
 ing is in progress in Col. Cary's regiment, and that Rev. 
 Andrew Broaddus, of Caroline, is officiating. We hear 
 of another revival in which twelve soldiers professed 
 conversion, five of wliom united with the Methodists, 
 four with the Baptists, and the remainder with the 
 Presbyterians. The religious community of the Confed- 
 erate States ought to feel encouraged, by these tokens of 
 the Divine power, to put forth still greater efforts in be- 
 half of the spiritual welfare of our army. Fully one- 
 third of the soldiers are destitute of a copy of the New 
 Testament, and of all other religious reading." 
 
 From Fairfax Court-house Rev. J. M. Carlisle wrote to 
 a religious paper at Richmond : 
 
 '* As chaplain of the 7th regiment, South Carolina Vol- 
 unteers, I desire to return thanks to certain unknown 
 parties, in your city, for a donation of religious books 
 and tracts, forwarded to me for distribution among the 
 soldiers. They were gladly received, and are being gen- 
 erally read, and I trust will be a positive good. May 
 the blessing of God be upon those whose gift they are." 
 
 These brief records reveal a deep sense of religious 
 obligation, and much zeal and prayer among our soldiers, 
 even at this early period of the war. 
 
 The battles which occurred during the time of which 
 we write showed the purity and power of religion 
 in the face of danger and death. Shortly after the 
 
SUMMEIl AND AUTIJMN OF 18G1. H).') 
 
 battle of Great Bethel, in Virginia, a writer, speaking 
 ing of the religious influence among the soldiers, 
 said : 
 
 " There is reason to hope that the scene of the late 
 glorious battle below Yorktown was, indeed, a ' Bethel,' 
 the 'house of God,' the very gate of heaven, to some of 
 the brave, but previously irreligious, 3'oung men engage^l 
 in it. It is certainly a delightful thought, and one full 
 of encouragement for the future of our country, that 
 God is with us, not only in the sense of giving victory 
 to our arms, but also, present h;/ his Hohj Spirit, impress- 
 ing the hearts of our soldiers, and turning their thoughts 
 to himself in grateful recognition of his merciful deal- 
 ings with them," 
 
 During this battle an incident occurred of a deeply 
 interesting character. Captain John Stewart Walker, 
 of the company known as the "Virginia Life Guard," 
 was ordered by the Commanding General to take his 
 men from the front, where they were doing good service, 
 to the flank to hold in check a heavy force of the enemy 
 supposed to be moving in that direction. On reaching 
 his new post of danger, Captain Walker drew up his 
 companj' and addressed them in a few stirring words. 
 He reminded them that God had mercifully preserved 
 them in the heat of battle, and that they were now called 
 to face the enemy in greater numbers ; that, as Chris- 
 tians and patriots, they should resolve to do their whole 
 duty to their country ; then, kneeling down, he called 
 upon a ministei", who was a private in the ranks, to offer 
 prayer. When they arose, nearly every eye was suffused 
 with tears, and God was felt to be present. During that 
 day of battle it is said that three of this compan}'^ sought 
 and obtained the pardon of their sins. 
 
 The religious services were well attended by the troops 
 stationed at Yorktown. and were not without spiritual 
 fruits. The Colonel Hill referred to in the following ex- 
 tract from the letter of a soldier was afterwards General 
 
106 THE GREAT RE^TN^AL. 
 
 D. H. Hill, a soldier of the Cross, as valiant for Christ 
 as he was for his country : 
 
 "AVe had two sermons yesterday ; one last night by 
 Mr. Page. It is quite romantic to see four or five hun- 
 dred soldiers gathered under trees ; some sitting on 
 camp stools or the ground, others standing, while the 
 moon comes peeping through the leaves, shedding light 
 and beauty on all around. Then, when the li^'mn is 
 given out, to hear so many manly voices join in praise 
 to the God of the universe, renders the service very 
 solemn and impressive. This is truly a time and place 
 to cause man to reflect on his latter end — not knowing 
 at what moment he raaj'^ be hurried into eternity. I have 
 heard much less profane swearing since Colonel Hill gave 
 us a lecture a short time ago. I have not seen a man, 
 no matter how wicked, but acknowledged that the God 
 of battles was with us and shielded us in the hour of 
 danger." 
 
 This lecture of Col. Hill is more fully described by an 
 officer writing to a religious paper from Yorktown ; he 
 says : 
 
 " Yesterdaj' was emphatically a day of rest to us all. 
 We had onlj-^ to undergo an inspection of arms and attend 
 dress parade in the evening, which was a light day's 
 work. At night we had a good sermon from Mr. Yates, 
 our chaplain, and a plenty of good singing. After Mr. 
 Yates had finished. Col. Hill gave us a fine address, full 
 of good advice and counsel, every tvord of which was ex- 
 actly fitted to his hearers. He has cut off all spirits of 
 ever}'^ kind, and not a drop is to be had in camp ; he is 
 down on profanity ; told us last night that he knew many 
 regarded swearing as a sort of necessity attaching to a 
 soldier ; that it gave emphasis and eclat to the speech, 
 but he said no greater mistake could be made ; that, for 
 his part, he would be afraid to trust to the courage of 
 the man who had to bolster it up with whiskej^ and pro- 
 fanity. The God-fearing, moral soldier was the man to 
 
SUMMER AND AUTUMN OF 18GL 107 
 
 depend on. He spoke of AVashington, Cromwell, and 
 others of like caste ; said they are the men to be suc- 
 cessful ; that the enemy seldom saw the back's of such 
 men. He told us that tliree times since we had been in 
 this camp, the long role had sounded, and we had 
 promptly answered, expecting in a few hours to meet 
 the enemy and risk our chances of success. He said he 
 would, however, venture to say, that under these circum- 
 stances many of us had called upon God for help, who 
 had neglected to do so while they felt secure. He appealed 
 to them to know if, as soldiers and fair men, this was 
 reasonable and proper. He appealed to the moral men 
 in camp to let their influence be felt ; said that a few 
 might deride them at first, but they would be few, and if 
 these men did their duty in all the varied scenes of camp 
 life, these scoffers would see it, and soon hang their 
 heads in shame. Thus he went on for half an hour ; not 
 a man left his place, not a word was said, and save the 
 constant coughing of the sick, we had perfect silence. 
 I confess this will give you but a poor idea of the best 
 speech I ever heard, taking the time, place, and circum- 
 stances, into consideration," 
 
 The battle of Manassas, on the 21st, and the prelimi- 
 nary fight at Blackburn's Ford, on the 18th of July, were 
 both marked by striking instances of Christian heroism 
 and devotion. The peaceful and often triumphant deaths 
 of pious officers and men had a powerful influence for 
 good on the hearts of careless and irreligious persons. 
 *' I have known many noble specimens of the Christian 
 soldier," said Rev. Dr. John C. Granbery, then chap- 
 lain of the 11th Virginia regiment, afterwards Superin- 
 tenent of Methodist missionaries in Gen. Lee's army, 
 whom the soldiers will never forget on account of his 
 zeal and faithfulness ; " I shall never cease to remem- 
 ber with admiration one of the earliest victims of this 
 war. Major Carter Harrison, of the 11th Virginia. He 
 was an earnest servant of Christ ; modest, firm, unosteu- 
 
108 THE GUEAT UEVIVAL. 
 
 tatious, zealous. He seized at once the hearts of tlie 
 regiment by his many virtues, b}' his courtesy to all and 
 his kind visits to the sick, to whom he bore a word not 
 only of sympathy, but also of pious exhortation. On 
 the lovely morning of July 18th, as we awaited the ad- 
 vance of the enem}' and the opening of our first battle, 
 our conversation was on sacred things. In a few hours 
 he was mortally wounded, and until midnight endured 
 untold agony ; but in his soul was the peace of God, and 
 all was patiently borne for the sake of God and country. 
 He was ready to be otfered up, and to leave even his 
 loved family, at the call of dut3^ I had a conversation 
 with him ; he spoke of his faith in Providence, and the 
 answers to praj'er which he daily received. I questioned 
 him concerning the state of his mind at the time. He 
 replied that it did not rest on an}- subject, but now 
 thought of a military order, and then of a Scriptural 
 promise ; now of his country, and then of his family ; 
 and often arose in a hoi}' ejaculation to God. His flesh 
 rests in hope ; his spirit rose to God." 
 
 " I recall,"' saj's Dr. Granbury, " an interview with the 
 sweet-spirited and gallant Captain James K. Lee, of 
 Kichmond, Va. ' How glad I am,' said he as he gave me 
 a cordial grasp, ' to shake the hand of a brother in 
 Christ !' I referred with sympathy to his intense suffer- 
 ings. With emphasis he answered, 'Oh, they are nothing 
 to the sufferings which Jesus bore for me !' In a few 
 days he too was in the bosom of his Father." 
 
 On Sunday, July 21, 1861, was fought the first battle 
 of Manassas. '• As the first gun was fired," sa^'^s the 
 same writer, '• a few minutes after 7 A. M., I mounted 
 my horse and hastened from the Junction to our regi- 
 ment, still stationed at Blackburn's Ford. On my way 
 I met several regiments, some of them Mississippians, 
 moving from that Ford to some other part of the line of 
 action. I hailed them as they passed : 'Virginia's salu- 
 tation to her sister Mississippi ! Let each State of the 
 
SUMMKR AND AUTUMN OF 18G1. 109 
 
 Southern Confederacy cover herself with glory, and pour 
 a common glory on the cause of the united South to-day. 
 God bless you, friends. Commit your souls and the 
 righteous cause you uphold to him.' Rev. Dr. Bocock 
 was with me, and addressed them in a similar strain. I 
 cannot tell much of this day's work. The hard fighting 
 was on our left, and we had nothing to do but to take 
 quietl}^ the cannonading of the enemy. Being a non- 
 combatant, I was not exposed, but I sat beneath a hill 
 by a wounded soldier and read to him the 13th and 14th 
 chapters of John." Of his feelings in this first battle he 
 says : 
 
 "I sat down by Captain Rev. F. J. Boggs, and we con- 
 versed about tlie strange manner in which we were spend- 
 ing the Sabbath. He wore a determined but anxious 
 face. His company had been in the hottest of the fight 
 on Thursday, and acted nobly. He spoke of the souls 
 now being sent into eternity, and of the hard conflict 
 raging above us, whose guns were incessantly roaring in 
 our ears, whose issue, was so doubtful. We watched the 
 bombs as they exploded in quick succession over the 
 spot which his regiment had left a few minutes before. 
 So moved on the hours. Our men had eaten not a 
 mouthful all day. At length our suspense is broken by 
 a loud cheering. Down, down the Run, from left to 
 right, flew the shouting, taken up b}' successive regi- 
 ments. Here comes Gen. M., with an intensely excited 
 countenance. ' What means that shouting ?' he asks. 
 ' The enemy flee, and the day is ours,' we replied, for so 
 we interpreted. 'Are 3'ou sure that the cheers are on 
 our side ?' ' I will run to the South Carolinians and en- 
 quire,' I replied. So off I hasted, and got to them just 
 in time to see the two last companies form and march in 
 pursuit of the routed foe. Then we took up the cheer- 
 ing, and fell in the pursuit. I trust that many hearts 
 went up that hour in gratitude to the God of battles." 
 
 Many noble sacrifices were laid on the altar in this 
 5a 
 
110 TIIK (iRK.\T ItKVIVAL. 
 
 battle. Generals Bee and Bartow, Col. Egbert Jones, of 
 the 4th Ala])araa, Col. Johnson, of South Carolina, and 
 a host of other noble patriots, laid down their lives for 
 the cause of the South. A young Georgian of Bartow's 
 brigade said, as he lay dying on this bloody field : " I 
 will go up and make my report to the Almighty as to 
 the Commander-in-Chief of all. I will tell him I have 
 been a faithful soldier and a dutiful son, though an un- 
 faithful servant of God ; nevertheless, my fearless trust 
 is in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of men." Rev. C. W. 
 Howard, who commanded a company in the famous 8th 
 Georgia, here fell a martyr to the cause. He was killed 
 in the grove where the 8th Georgia was lirst engaged. 
 " He stepped in front of his com2:)an3% and was in tlie 
 act of dressing his line, which threw his back to the 
 enemy, when a ball entered his head, rather in the rear, 
 passing through his brain and out near the temple on 
 the opposite side. He fell dead instantly." And thus 
 hundreds of Christian men gladly yielded up their lives, 
 cheered and sustained bj'- the glorious hope of a better 
 life in heaven. 
 
 Wliile this battle was raging the earnest prayers of 
 the Southern people were ascending to God for his pro- 
 tection to our soldiers and his blessing on their arms. 
 A remarkftble answer to prayer is recorded in reference 
 to a company from Georgia. " A prayer-meeting was 
 held at Atkinson's church, in Oglethorpe county, in that 
 State, to pray for the safety of the Ogletiiorpe Rifles, 
 who went from that neigliborhood. The prayers were 
 ascending in their behalf while the battle was raging, 
 and they were mingling in the tornado of shells and 
 bullets which mowed the gallant 8th Georgia regiment, 
 of which they composed a part ; and yet, of all the com- 
 panies engaged, this alone showed from the record, ' none 
 killed: " 
 
 Those who recall the prevailing sentiments of our 
 people at this period will recognize the following lan^ 
 
SUMMER AND AUTUMN OF 1861. Ill 
 
 guage of two leading religious journals as expressing 
 their firm trust in God and their deep gratitude for his 
 great mercies : 
 
 " The Southern people are humble in their joy, and 
 3'et are not ashamed of their sorrows over the noble 
 dead. We do not tremble at our loss, though in undis- 
 guised grief we weep by the graves of the brave soldiers 
 wlio fell in the fight. The sacrifices which we have laid 
 on the altar of our country are not the blemished of the 
 flock. The Lord has asked of us the young, the brave, 
 and the lovely ; and the fathers and mothers of Israel 
 have brought forth the first born and said, with unwa- 
 vering faith in God, as the young men went to the field, 
 ' Let the will of the Lord be done !' Though ' we sing 
 the songs of woe, let the right prevail.' But the grief 
 of noble. Christian suffering is not without its hallowing 
 influence, and ' liehold, we count them happj'' which en- 
 dure.' " 
 
 From the " Old North State," whose sons nobly bore 
 their part in this battle, came these fervent utterances : 
 
 "It is with deep emotion that we refer to the news 
 from the seat of war in Virginia. God has favored our 
 cause. The skill of our commanders and the bravery of 
 our soldiers have been crowned with splendid success. 
 Let the nation bow before God in humble acknowledg- 
 ment of his mercy. Let the hearts of the people be 
 filled with his praise. 
 
 " But our joy must be mingled with grief. Hundreds, 
 it may be thousands, of our noble soldiers have fallen 
 in these terrible conflicts. The homes left by them so 
 lately are desolate ; and the wail of the widow and the 
 orphan is heard through the land. God comfort and 
 sustain them under their sore bereavements. The sym- 
 pathy and gratitude of their country will never cease to 
 attend them." 
 
 Among the gallant men from that State who fell was 
 young Lieutenant Mangum, the only son of his honored 
 
112 THE GREAT llEVIVAL. 
 
 father. Fighting in the 6th regiment of North Carolina, 
 he was mortally wounded near the close of the stru<rgle. 
 "When he was dying," said a friend, "he reposed a 
 beautiful trust in his Saviour and spoke sentences whose 
 echoes would awake the melody of thanksgiving and 
 gladness in the harps of earth and the harps of glory. 
 Between these hallowed utterances he asked a friend, 
 'Do 3^ou think I haA^e accomplished anything for my 
 country? As I only had my sword instead of a musket, 
 I fear I did but little in the fight.' Instead of remorse 
 for having defended an unrighteous cause, he only be- 
 wailed the conviction that, falling in the firs', conflict, he 
 had done so little for a cause that he honestly esteemed 
 worthy of the sacrifice of life itself. It was a matter of 
 high, patriotic principle with him, and he was so .just in 
 it as to be unshaken and complacent in the tremendous 
 entrance into the presence of Almighty God." 
 
 The feeling of dependence on God pervaded all classes. 
 When the great victory was announced in the Confede- 
 rate Congress, a Christian statesman from South Caro- 
 lina arose in his place and offered the following : 
 
 •' 1. Resolved, That we recognize the hand of the Most 
 High God, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, in the 
 glorious victory with which he hath crowned our arms at 
 Manassas, and that the people of these Confederate 
 States are invited by appropriate services on the ensu- 
 ing Sabbath to offer up their united thanksgiving and 
 praise for the mighty deliverance. 
 
 "2. Resolved, That, deeply deploring the necessity 
 which has washed the soil of our country with the blood 
 of so many of her noblest sons, we offer to their respec- 
 tive families and fiiends our warmest and most cordial 
 sympathy, assuring them that the sacrifice made will be 
 concentrated in the hearts of our people, and will there 
 enshrine the names of the gallant dead as the champions 
 of free and constitutional government." 
 
 By all the day was felt to be one of " prayer, of praise. 
 
SF-MMER AND AX:TUMX OK ISGI. 113 
 
 o 
 
 of action, of heroism," and the richest offerings were 
 freely laid on the altars of the South. The desire for 
 liberty had not then j'iclded to the desire for gain ; and 
 the patriotic fervor of the people had not yet felt the be- 
 numbing touch of Mammon. Worldly men and Chris- 
 tian men aliive acknowledged the hand Divine, and the 
 season was well adapted to the scattering of the "pre- 
 cious seed" of life. , 
 
 Many incidents of the battle were fraught with sol- 
 emn lessons, and deep and lasting were the impressions 
 made amidst the ghastl}^ sights of war. Just after the 
 battle a soldier wrote : 
 
 "I can't realize myself in 'the pomp and circumstance 
 of war.' But, great God, what have I seen — the wounded, 
 the dead, and the dying. You can possibly imagine my 
 first feelings, though thej'' were Yankees, when I looked 
 upon them — some shot through the head, some with legs 
 and arms broken, some through the stomach, and, in 
 fact, all over ; and to hear their moaning and their groan- 
 ings, and I thought, ' Is this war !' " 
 
 A gentleman from the far South, who came, like 
 scores of others, to. look after "the dear boys," describes 
 the following touching scene : 
 
 " We were straggling over the battle-field, examining 
 the ground upon which we had such a bloody conflict and 
 won sucli a glorious victory two days before. We came 
 unexpected!}^ into the Centreville road, and seeing a house 
 upon our left with the usual signs betokening a hospital, 
 one of our party being a physician, expressed a wish to 
 get down and examine the wounded. Upon inquiry we 
 learned that a stable just below the house contained thir- 
 teen wounded Yankees ; we forthwith proceeded to the 
 stable, and upon entering found a Washington Artillery- 
 man seated by the side of a wounded soldier, evidently 
 ministering to him with great care and tenderness. I in- 
 troduced myself to him, and asked if he aided in working 
 the battery which fought with the 1st Virginia brigade. 
 
114 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 He told me he did not — he had fought in a battery lower 
 down, and then remarked ' that it was ver}' hard to fight 
 as he Iiad fought, and turn and find his oivn brother fight- 
 ing against iiim,' at the same time pointing to the 
 wounded soldier from whose side he had just arisen. I 
 asked if it was possible that was his brother. ' Yes, sir, 
 he is my brother Henry. The same mother bore us — the 
 same mother ^nursed us. We meet the first time for 
 seven years. I belong to the Washington Artillerj-, from 
 New Orleans — he to the 1st Minnesota Infantry. By 
 the merest chance I learned he was here wounded, and 
 sought him out to nurse and attend him.' Thus they 
 met — one from the far Nortii, the other from the extreme 
 South — on a bloody field in Virginia — in a miserable 
 stable, far away from their mother, home, and friends — 
 both wounded — the infantryman by a musket ball in the 
 right shoulder, the artillerj^maii by the wheel of a caisson 
 over his left hand. Thus they met after an absence of 
 seven years. Their names are Frederick Hubbard, Wash- 
 ington Artillery, and Henry Hubbard, 1st Minnesota In- 
 i'antry. We met a surgeon of one of tlie Alabama regi- 
 ments and related the case to him, and requested, for the 
 sake of the artilleryman, that his brother might be cared 
 for. He immediately examined and dressed his wounds, 
 and sent otf in haste for an ambulance to take the 
 wounded 'Yankee' to his own regimental hospital." 
 
 Alas ! that our country shoukl ever have been visited 
 by a war in which brotlier was often thus arrayed against 
 brother. Another sad incident of the same kind was re- 
 lated by the Hon. Lewis D. Campbell, of Ohio : 
 
 " I had two brothers in the war ; one in the Confede- 
 rate army in Texas, and the other in the Union army. 
 They were sons of one who, at the age of seventeen, 
 fought at the battle of Eutaw Springs. One of my bro- 
 thers, at the head of a regiment of Texans. fell in Lou- 
 isiana, and the other, at the head of a Union regiment, 
 fell at the battle of Chancellorsville. And the news of 
 
SU>nrEH AND AUTUMN OF 18G1. 115 
 
 the death of both of these— one on the one side and the 
 other — reached their afflicted mother on the same day." 
 This peculiar horror of civil war a poet has pictured 
 but too truly in the following lines from an English peri- 
 odical : 
 
 BELLUM CIVILE. 
 " Rifleman, shoot me a fancy shot 
 
 Straight at the heart of you piowling vidette ; 
 Ring me a ball in the glittering spot 
 
 That shines on his breast like an amulet !" 
 
 " Ay, Captain 1 here goes for a tine drawn bead, 
 
 There's music around when my barrel's in tune 1" 
 Crack ! went the rifle, the messenger sped 
 
 And dead from his horse fell the ringing dragoon. 
 
 " Now, rifleman, steal through tlie bushes and snatch 
 From your victim some trinket to hansel first blood ; 
 A button, or loop, or that luminous patch 
 That gleams in the moon like a diamond stud !" 
 
 " Oh, Captain, I staggered and sunk in my track, 
 When I gazed on the face of the fallen vidette ; 
 For he looked so like you, as he lay on his back, 
 Tliat my heart rose upon me, and masters me yet. 
 
 " But I snatched oft" the trinket— this locket of gold, 
 An inch from the centre my lead broke its way, 
 Scarce grazing tiie picture, so fair to behold, 
 Of a beautiful lady in briilal array." 
 
 " Ha ! rifleman, fling me the locket !— 'tis she. 
 
 My brother's young bride— and the fallen dragoon 
 Was her husband— Husli ! soldier, 'twas heaven's decree; 
 We must bury him, there, by tlie light of the moon. 
 
 " But, hark ! the bugles their warnings unite ; 
 War is a virtue — weakness a sin ; 
 "There's hirking and looping around us to-night ; 
 Load again, ritleman, keep your hand in !" 
 
 During the autumn of this year (1861) the religious 
 influence among the soldiers gradually increased. Tlie 
 appeals from tlie army for tracts, books, and for more 
 
116 THE GREAT UE^^VAL. 
 
 preachers, were earnest and importunate. Even the 
 secular papers were urged to lend their aid to the work 
 by calling the attention of the Churches to the moral 
 wants of the soldiers. 
 
 A soldier wrote from the array to the Richmond Ex- 
 aminer in the following strain : 
 
 " There are at present in your noble State about three 
 hundred thousand men ' armed in the holy cause of lib- 
 erty.' These men are far from their homes and the sweet 
 influences which are there brought to bear upon them to 
 restrain them from sin. Many of these men, howeter, 
 are more serious and solemn, and inclined to seek to 
 know their Saviour, than at any other time. The thoughts 
 of their happy homes and dear friends far away, both in 
 this State and the far sunn}' South, will often act as a 
 check to any vicious course to which their inclinations 
 may lead them. What I propose, sir, is that you write 
 one of your very powerful articles, urging ministers of 
 the gospel and chaplains in the army to put forth their 
 utmost strength for the conversion of soldiers. What a 
 grand moral spectacle would be presented to the world, 
 of any arm}' being converted ? What grandeur would it 
 not lend to our cause ? With how much more courage 
 will truh'^ brave men go into danger, when the}' know 
 that the messenger of death is but God's angel to call 
 them home. And then, when this 'grand army' disbands, 
 and the various regiments return to their several States, 
 how much will it tend to unite us more and more in the 
 bonds of unselfish love for the rising and brave genera- 
 tion that will soon turn from the field of strife to the 
 arena of tlie political world, to go there with hearts full 
 of love to God, and with the highest and most religious 
 sense of honor towards their fellow-men." 
 
 Every new regiment that went to the army had some 
 token of the deep concern felt by the " home folks"' for 
 its religious welfare. When the 7th regiment of South 
 Carolina was about to leave home for the seat of war. 
 
SUJmER AND ALTUMN OF 1861. 117 
 
 the colored members of the Methodist Churcii in the 
 town of Aiken presented to the chaplain, Rev. J. M. 
 Carlisle, ' a magnificent copy of the Word of God for 
 the use of the regiment.' After reaching Virginia, the 
 chaplain wrote : " Our regiment is doing well. I try 
 to preach on the Sabbath — usually twice. We have also 
 a regimental prayer-meeting every evening at twilight. 
 Upon these services there is usually a good attendance, 
 and a serious attention that is very gratifying. Ask for 
 us the prayers of all." 
 
 Among the troops that were stationed in the vicinity 
 of Leesburg, Va., there was a fine state of religious feel- 
 ing. In the 17th Mississippi regiment, one of the most 
 gallant in the army, there was a deep concern. Prayer- 
 meetings were held in their camp every evening, a num- 
 ber professed conversion, and the good work increased 
 in depth and power. The Christians in the vicinity of 
 the camp were urged to join the soldiers in their meet- 
 ings. Many did so, and the people learned that the 
 Lord of Hosts was in the midst of their brave defenders. 
 
 A true moral courage was requisite, in this early pe- 
 riod of the war, for every old believer and every new 
 convert. The camps, it is true, were almost filled with 
 vice ; swearing, gambling, and drunkenness, abounded, 
 and one might have supposed that all were leagued 
 against religion ; but in the midst of all this many were 
 found earnestly seeking light from God's Holy Word. 
 
 That high moral courage that resolves to do right in 
 the very midst of wrong tells powerfully on young men 
 at College, and on soldiers in an army. In that charm- 
 ing book for boys, " Tom Brown at Rugby," there is a 
 fine illustration of moral courage. A large number of 
 boys slept in the same room, and Tom Brown, though 
 brought up to pray, was afraid to kneel down before his 
 schoolmates, and went to bed every night without praj^er. 
 But a timid little fellow came to the school, whom every- 
 body was disposed to call a " milk sop," and on the very 
 
118 THE GREAT KEVIV^VL. 
 
 first night, while all others were laughing and talking 
 about him, he fell on his knees devoutly to pra3^ His 
 bold example soon had many imitators. 
 
 "The religious soldiers at a military station in India," 
 says an English missionary, " greatly enjoyed themselves 
 :it the union prayer-meetings, but none of them at first 
 had courage to kneel down and pray in the presence of 
 tlieir wicked comrades before going to be(i. One man 
 told me that he was in the habit of waiting until all the 
 lamps were put out. and then kneeling down in the dark. 
 But after a while, he said, his comrades began to suspect 
 him. So they challenged him one night, and a number 
 gathering round, swore they would not go to bed nor put 
 out the light until he did. He told them he was a pray- 
 ing man, and that he would pray whether they put out 
 the light or not. This, he said, was the signal for a gene- 
 ral hurrah, and storm of oaths ; and that when he knelt 
 down they kept up a bellowing and mocking, throwing 
 their boots at him, and hitting him with balls of dough, 
 until he had finished. He continued, however, night 
 after night, and at last they ceased to scoff and left him 
 in peace." 
 
 Such scenes were seldom, if ever, witnessed in our 
 armies ; but still there were many occasions on which a 
 soldier's religion was put to as severe a test. Scenes 
 like the following are much more interesting to contem- 
 plate : 
 
 "Many a time," says a pious colporteur, "officers and 
 privates, who make no profession of religion, have gath- 
 ered around me at night, listened with undisguised plea- 
 sure to the reading of God's Word, and joined in the 
 sweet songs of Zion, until the forests rang again with 
 their grateful peans. I have never once been unkind- 
 ly turned away by soldiers, but their universal polite- 
 ness and gratitude have removed any fear of intrusion 
 when I would approach. Parties playing cards have 
 frequently broken off their games, and scattered to read 
 
SUMJIKII AND AUTUMN OF 1861. 119 
 
 my good tracts, while others engaged in rude jesting or 
 rchiting wicked anecdotes have thanked me cordially for 
 the interest I took in them, and the good reading I trou- 
 bled myself to bring them. I have had oilicers and men 
 to hail me, and run from a distance, to get as man}^ of 
 the • silent preachers' as I could spare, pressing me to 
 visit their regiments." 
 
120 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 WINTER OF 1861-'62. 
 
 The stationary condition of the armies during most of 
 the winter gave the chaplains, and other pious laborers, 
 fine opportunities for pressing religion on the attention 
 of the soldiers. 
 
 Along the Potomac, where the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia lay for the autumn and early part of the winter, 
 religious services were held with encouraging signs. 
 Rev. Joseph Cross, D. D., chaplain of the Walker Le- 
 gion from Tennessee, writing of his laboi'S, says : 
 
 " It is interesting to see how tlie}' flock to our nightly 
 prayer-meetings, frequently in greater numbers than 
 your Sabbath congregations in some of your city church- 
 es. I preach to them twice on the Lord's da}^ seated 
 around me on the ground, officers and men, in the most 
 primitive order you can imagine. But the most interest- 
 ing, probably the most useful, part of my work is the 
 visitation of the sick. Every morning I go to the hos- 
 pital, visiting the several apartments successively ; in 
 each of which I talk privately with the men, then read a 
 passage of Holy Scripture, make some remarks npon it, 
 and finish with prayer. However wicked and tliought- 
 less the}^ are in camp, they are all glad to see the chap- 
 lain when they are sick ; and I have yet to meet with the 
 first instance of any other than the most respectful and 
 reverent attention. I think I never occupied a field tliat 
 afforded an equal opportunit}^ for usefulness." 
 
 The soldiers eagerly read everything that was put in 
 their hands in the camp ; and often sent appeals like the 
 following, accompanied with a donation taken out of 
 their scanty pay : 
 
WINTER OF 1861-62. 121 
 
 "The soldiers here (in Western Virginia) are starvmq 
 for reading matter. They will read anything. I fre- 
 quently see a piece of newspaper, no larger than my 
 hand, going the rounds among them. If the bread of 
 life were now offered them through the printed page, 
 how readily they might be led to Christ." From Cul- 
 peper Court-house a pious lad}' wrote of her labors 
 among the sick and wounded : " The poor soldiers here 
 are really begging for something to read. This is true 
 especially of the wounded. Praj' that the divine bless- 
 ing may be bestowed on these afflicted ones, and that I 
 may be a blessing to them. There is nothing I desire 
 so much as by nursing to do good to those who have 
 given up all for their country. There is great room for 
 usefulness opened to pious friends now in ministering to 
 the wants of our sick soldiers." And never did Chris- 
 tian women more nobly discharge their duties to the suf- 
 fering. Our war brought out from the sweet retirement 
 of home, and into the midst of agony and death, not 
 one, but a thousand Florence Nightingales. 
 
 " It is trul}' gratifying," wrote a chaplain, " to see the 
 eagerness manifested by the soldiers to get a Testament. 
 While we are in camp, we are deprived, to a great de- 
 gree, of the comforts of home and the advantages of 
 the family library ; and while we earnestlj^ seek for a 
 book to read, what a blessing that the Bible can be ob- 
 tained, which is a library in itself! 
 
 ''Maj'' God bless all who aid in any way to send the 
 Bible or other religious books to the soldiers. To one 
 outside of the army there can be no proper estimate of 
 the value placed upon the Word of God by the soldiers. 
 In perusing it, his thoughts go back to the kind instruc- 
 tion received around the paternal hearthstone. We had 
 the pleasure of knowing that in one instance, at least, 
 these books were instrumental of good. A 3'oung man 
 of our regiment, when told that he must die, and who 
 had carefullv attended to the reading of his Testament, 
 6 
 
122 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 said, 'I had thought until this morning that I would 
 again be permitted to see my dear mother, but I know I 
 shall never see her in the flesh ; tell her I cannot go to 
 her, but she can come to me ; I am djing in the arms of 
 Jesus, m}' Redeemer, and will welcome her on the shores 
 of a better land.' " 
 
 Another chaplain wrote from Evansport on the Po- 
 tomac : 
 
 " I spent all Christmas with our men, and I am sure I 
 never spent it more agreeably. Some of our men wished 
 to visit their old friends in a neighboring regiment, but 
 would not do so on account of the drunkenness and pro- 
 fanity going on in their midst. I know the mother of 
 one of the young men, and I hope to return to Georgia 
 when the war is over and tell her how Charlie looked as 
 I met him returning to his camp, unwilling to risk him- 
 self among them. We are considered the most moral, 
 best behaved regiment connected with this part of the 
 army. 
 
 "This, of course, speaks louder and longer than vic- 
 tories on the battle-field, and is owing greatly, I must 
 add, to our regimental officers, who enjoin such conduct 
 by precept and encourage it by example. No embargo 
 is laid upon our religious operations. The soldiers are 
 accessible, and the officers co-operate with the chaplain. 
 It is not unusual for the chaplain to receive several visits 
 during the day from men desirous of having religious 
 services in their tents at night. How gratifying that the 
 rose of Sharon blooms under the war-cloud that over- 
 hangs us and scatters its fragrance through our encamp- 
 ment !" 
 
 Scarcely anything is more pleasing than to note the 
 influence of religion on the hearts of our soldiers in 
 prompting them to every good work. Though in the 
 army toiling, fighting, suffering, their hearts were re- 
 sponsive to all the calls of the Church of God. How 
 noble are the followinor words from one of them : 
 
WINTKR OF 1861- G2. 123 
 
 " It has been many a day since I have had the plea- 
 sure of looking in upon my pleasant home, and seeing 
 for myself the 'first ftuits of the harvest' — nor have I 
 heard whether the ingathering from my wheat, oats, and 
 rye patches has been abundant or meager. But God has 
 been good to me in the camp in shielding me against 
 disease, and preserving my health unimpaired, and in 
 taking care of my family, and I desire to make a thank- 
 offering and contribute my mite towards paying the Mis- 
 sionary Debt and relieving the Treasury. The paymas- 
 ter is now in camp, paying us the first installments for 
 services rendered. Of these 'first fruits,' earned in the 
 service of the Confederate States, I enclose $10 for the 
 Missionary Debt, and the balance for the Advocate, 
 which you will please forward to me here." 
 
 Here are the genuine fruits of the Spirit ; he sends 
 his means to help give the gospel to the destitute, and 
 calls for his pleasant home companion, the religious fam- 
 ily paper, to follow him into the camp. 
 
 Another, sending a contribution for any charitable 
 pupose to which it might be thought best to devote it, 
 says : " I am afraid that in the army my feeling has been 
 that a 'poor private' could hardly be expected, out of 
 his scanty means, to contribute to the world's great 
 needs. God forgive me, and make me more sensible of 
 my accountability to him for the smallest talents en- 
 trusted to my care." 
 
 As we advance in the narrative, we shall meet with 
 repeated instances of the noblest self-denial and gene- 
 rosity on the part of our soldiers. 
 
 A little after mid-winter this year, a series of disas- 
 ters occurred to our arms, which chilled the hearts of 
 the people, and cast a gloom over the fair prospects 
 with which the first year of the war had just closed. 
 First came the disaster at Fishing Creek, in Kentucky ; 
 then at Roanoke Island, in North Carolina ; Fort Henry, 
 and Fort Donelson, which guarded the Cumberland and 
 
124 TIIK GRKAT RE^^VAL. 
 
 Tennessee rivers, fell in quick succession before the 
 overwhelming forces of the Federals ; Columbus, in Ken- 
 tucky, was given up, Nashville was evacuated in the 
 midst of dismay and confusion, and the remains of the 
 Southern army retired southward. 
 
 In all these battles there were instances of that high 
 Christian courage which became the leading characteris- 
 tic of the Southern soldiers. The capture of Roanoke 
 Island was made by General Burnside with an immense 
 force compared with the handful of men that defended 
 it. Here manj' valuable lives were lost. Among the 
 killed was Captain O. Jennings Wise, son of Hon. Henry 
 A. Wise. He commanded the Richmond Virginia Blues, 
 and fell in the thickest of the fight. Speaking of the 
 battle and fall of his son, in reply to a letter of condo- 
 lence from a friend. General Wise said : 
 
 "Ahl the report of the military viurders oT Roanoke 
 Island reached you ! 
 
 " The enemy came in mist and storm, and I sent my 
 men, only seventeen companies of infantry, to meet 
 15,000 of the best appointed troops. I, prostrated by 
 pleuris}^ the most excruciating. When I ordered the 
 meanest man of my command, I was obliged to order 
 th'jt son, to be an example of devoted service and of 
 sacrifice. O, God ! Thou gavest him and thou took him 
 away. What a son, what a sacrifice ! I parted from 
 him saying, 'My son, fight the enemy close.' He re- 
 plied, 'I think I will,' with a smile. He fought and 
 watched and led, and led again, into action — was marked, 
 fell with four balls piercing his precious form — cheered 
 on to action as they bore him off, and died smiling, calm, 
 composed, and grandl3^" 
 
 Captain Coles, of Charlottesville, Ya., a noble young 
 soldier, was also among the killed. In the midst of the 
 fight, it is said that a gallant officer rode up to his supe- 
 rior and asked for reinforcements, who, in reply, assured 
 him that it was madness to contend with a mere handful 
 
WINTER OF 1861-'62. 125 
 
 of men against such numbers. On receiving this an- 
 swer, he sat down for a moment and cried bitterly, then 
 taking his sword, he broke it in pieces, mounted his 
 horse, and rode off. 
 
 The straggle at Fort Donelson was one of the most 
 terrific in the annals of war. "The snow," says an eye- 
 witness, " lay upon the ground to the depth of three 
 inches — soon to -be the pall of the bridegroom death to 
 many a brave fellow — and a cold, blinding sleet came 
 slanting down like a shower of lances. Four days in 
 such weather our soldiers continued the fight, without 
 time to eat or sleep — tired, hungry, and cold, and all the 
 while fresh troops pouring against them, making another 
 army greater than their own." 
 
 A Northern account of the battle said : " Never, per- 
 haps, on the American continent has a more bloody bat- 
 tle been fought. An officer, who participated and was 
 wounded in the fight, says the scene beggars description. 
 So thickly was the battle-field strewn with dead and 
 wounded that he could have traversed acres of it, step- 
 ping at most every step upon a prostrate body. The 
 rebels fought with desperation, their artillerists using 
 their pieces with most fearful effect. On either side 
 could be heard the voices of those in command cheering 
 on the men," 
 
 Among the many Christian soldiers who fought and 
 fell on this bloody field, not one has a brighter record 
 than the Rev, Dabney Carr Harrison, who was mortally 
 wounded while bravely leading on his company amid a 
 storm of bullets. The following notice of him was writ- 
 ten when the memoiy of his deeds and his death was 
 fresh in the hearts of his countrymen : 
 
 " When the sun rose on the morning of that bloody 
 Saturday, it saw him alread}'- in the thickest of the bat- 
 tle. Through seven hours of mortal peril he wrestled 
 with the foe ; with dauntless heart he cheered on his 
 men ; they loved him as a father, and eagerlj"^ followed 
 
126 TUE OUEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 wherever he led. Their testimony is, that he never said 
 'go on,' but 'come on,' while ever before them flashed 
 his waving sword. At length, they saw with fear and 
 pain that his firm step faltered, that his erect form 
 wavered and was sinking. They sprang forward and 
 bore him from the field to die. He had 'warred 
 a good warfare, ever holding faith and a good con- 
 science.' " 
 
 " With reverence I have taken in my hand the hat he 
 wore in the battle — with tears and swelling heart have I 
 gazed on it. It is pierced by four balls. Three whis- 
 tled partly through and did no harm. The fourth, partly 
 spent, marred that beautiful brow. But these were as 
 nothing. He calmly fought on. A more fatal aim sent 
 a ball into his left breast, above his heart, quite through 
 his bod3\ His men did not know it. He still cheered 
 them on. Another deadly aim drove a ball through his 
 right lung ; just where, cannot be told. His face was to 
 the foe and his step onward even when, from loss of 
 blood and exhaustion, he began to sink. Yet he did not 
 die till next da3^ Like his brother, seven months be- 
 fore ; like his sister, seven days after ; like the little 
 one to wiiom he had given his name, he was to die 
 on the Sabbath, with the calm of the eternal Sabbath 
 filling his breast. He was carried to Nashville and ten- 
 derly nursed by faithful men. Only two incidents of his 
 dying hours have reached us. Calling for one of his 
 manuscript books, he took his pencil and, with a trem- 
 bling hand, feebly wrote these words, 'Feb. 16, 1862, 
 Sunday. I die content and happy, trusting in the merits 
 of my Saviour, Jesus, committing my wife and children 
 to their Father and mine. — Dabney Carr Harrison.' Pre- 
 cious legacy of love and prayer ! Precious testimony 
 of faith and blessedness ! 
 
 " When he felt that death was just upon him, he gath- 
 ered up his remaining strength for one more effort. Rest- 
 mg in the arms of one of his men, and speaking as if 
 
wiXTKii OF 1861'-62. 127 
 
 tlie company, for which he had toiled, and suffered, and 
 pra3'ed, so much, was before him, he exclaimed, ' Com- 
 pany K, you have no Captain now ; but never give up ; 
 never surrender.' 
 
 "Thus was his last breath for his country, for the young 
 Confederacy, whose liberty, honor, and righteousness, 
 were inexpressibly dear to him ; for w.iich he wept, and 
 prayed, and made supplication in secret ; for which he 
 was content to endure hardness as a good soldier, and 
 then cheerfully to die. 
 
 " These d^'ing words beautifully connect themselves 
 with those of his brother Peyton on the field of Manas- 
 sas, and, taken together, they have a special fitness to 
 our countr^^'s present need. 
 
 " When the second Virginia regiment, fighting on our 
 left at Manassas, was broken by a sudden and destruc- 
 tive flank fire of the enemy, and by the unfortunate 
 command of its Colonel, Peyton, and a few officers of 
 like spirit, rallied a portion of the men and led them in 
 a perilous but splendid and victorious charge. In the 
 midst of it, however, he fell, shot like his brother, in the 
 breast. Two of his men bore him from the field. His 
 face was radiant with heavenly peace. He spent a few 
 moments in dictating messages of love, and in praj'cr 
 for himself, his family, and his country. ' What more 
 can we do for you ?' asked the affectionate men who 
 supported him. ' Lay me down,' was his answer, ' I am 
 ready to die ; you can do no more for me ; rally to the 
 charge !' " 
 
 These reverses, following each other so quickly, deeply 
 affected the people, and produced a feeling of profound 
 humiliation before God. The shortest month of the year 
 carried the record of nearly all our disasters, and in the 
 same month the Provisional Government expired, and 
 the Permanent Government was established. The Presi- 
 dent deemed this a fitting occasion for us " again to pre- 
 sent ourselves in humiliation, prayer, and thanksgiving 
 
128 TII£ GltEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 before God," and accordinglj' issued a proclamation, in 
 wliich he said : 
 
 "A tone of earnest piet}' has pervaded our people, and 
 the hundred victories which we have obtained over our 
 enemies have been justly ascribed to Him who ruleth the 
 universe. 
 
 " We had hoped that the year would have closed upon 
 a scene of continued prosperit3% but it has i^leased the 
 Supreme Disposer of Events to order it otherwise. We 
 are not permitted to furnish an exception to the rule in 
 divine government which has prescribed affliction as the 
 discipline of nations, as well as of individuals. Our 
 faith and perseverance must be tested, and the chasten- 
 ing which seemeth grievous will, if rightfully received, 
 bring forth its appropriate fruits. 
 
 " It is meet and right, therefore, that we should repair 
 to the only Giver of all victor}-, and humbling ourselves 
 before him, should pray that he may strengthen our con- 
 fidence in his mighty power and righteous judgment. 
 Tlien may we surely trust in him, that he will perform 
 his promise, and encompass us as with a shield in this 
 trust." 
 
 The day following, 22d of February, Jefferson Davis 
 was inaugurated, and closed his address in the following 
 words : 
 
 "With confidence in the wisdom and virtue of those 
 who will share with me the responsibility, and aid me in 
 the conduct of public affairs, securel}^ reljdng upon the 
 patriotism and courage of the people, of which the 
 present war has furnished so many examples, I deeply 
 feel the weight of the responsibilities I now, with un- 
 affected diffidence, am about to assume ; and fully real- 
 izing the inadequacy of human power to guide and to 
 sustain, my hope is reverently fixed on Him whose favor 
 is ever vouchsafed to the cause which is just. With 
 humble gratitude and adoration, acknowledging the 
 Providence which has so visibly protected the Confede- 
 
WINTER OF 1861-'«2. 129 
 
 racy during its brief but eventful career, to thee, oli 
 God ! I trustingly commit myself, and pra^-erfully involve 
 thy blessing on my country and its cause." 
 
 When the President "reached the concluding lines, the 
 manuscript dropped upon the table, and raising his hands 
 to heaven, he exclaimed : " ' To thee, oh God ! I trust- 
 ingly commit myself, and prayerfully invoke thy bless- 
 ing on my country and its cause.' 
 
 " The effect was thrilling. An electric flame ran through 
 the multitude. The prayer of the President, thus made 
 in open da}^ before the people, found an echo in a thou- 
 sand hearts." 
 
 In response to the pious sentiments of the President, 
 the people were urged by the pulpit, and by the religious, 
 and, indeed, by the secular press, to give themselves to 
 fasting, prayer, humiliation, and self-examination in ear- 
 nest. 
 
 •' We call upon the ministry to stand up bravely in 
 their place and to rebuke every form of sin. God, whose 
 messengers they are, adds the solemn and terrible sanc- 
 tions of his judgments to the word of his inspiration with 
 which they are commissioned to arouse the dormant con- 
 sciences of the people. W^hen these thunders of the 
 pulpit and of Providence combine, the deafest ear must 
 hear, the most stupefied soul must arouse from its slum- 
 bers. 
 
 "Tell the people of their sins. Lift up the voice and 
 spare not. Let Jeremiah teach the prophet of the Most 
 High how to denounce sin, and Isaiah how to promise 
 good to the repentant sinner. Give no place to worldli- 
 ness in the Church. Teach the profane swearer, the 
 Sabbath-breaker, the licentious, the intemperate, that 
 they are the real enemies of their country, because they 
 have made God angry with us. Tell the same thing to 
 the worldly-minded, luxurious, penurious professor of re- 
 ligion, who sees souls die by whole generations for want 
 of that gospel which he might carry or send to them. 
 
130 THE GREAT RE^^VAL. 
 
 " But the work to be done must not stop here. Men's 
 lives must be reformed. Those who are living in disre- 
 gard of the laws of God are public enemies — more to be 
 dreaded than our foe. The drunkard, the debauchee, 
 the extortioner, the man who grows rich upon the vices 
 of others, the profane swearer, the Sabbath-breaker, the 
 adulterer, the liar, the brawler, the man-slayer, the thief, 
 are all to be classed together as sinners against God, as 
 those who help to make up this aggregate of national 
 sin, of which our rulers call upon us to repent — and only 
 the guilty sinners themselves can so repent as to make 
 sure of the Divine favor." 
 
 Such were the truthful and stirring appeals that 
 sounded from pulpit and press before and upon the day 
 of fasting and prayer. We have taken the pains to re- 
 cord them in order to show that deep and earnest reli- 
 gious spirit which pervaded the South at every period 
 of our struggle. 
 
 Amonof the cheerins; sig-ns of g-ood amon*; the soldiers 
 was their .earnest desire to procure Bibles and Testa- 
 ments, or any part, indeed, of the Word of God. In 
 the close of the winter, Rev. E. A. Bolles, General Agent 
 of the Bible Societies in South Carolina, said, in speak- 
 ing of his work : 
 
 " Three months ago I commenced the work of distri- 
 bution among the soldiers on our coast under the aus- 
 pices of the Executive Committee of the South Carolina 
 Bible Convention. During this time several thousand 
 copies of the Scriptures have been given away to needy 
 and grateful soldiers, and thousands of copies are yet 
 needed to meet the demand. I may safely say that 
 twenty thousand copies are needed for distribution 
 among the soldiers on the coast. 1 therefore earnestly 
 appeal to the benevolent for funds to procure the Scrip- 
 tures, so that the good work so successfully begun may 
 be continued until every destitute soldier is supplied with 
 the Word of Life." 
 
WINTER OF 1861'-62. 131 
 
 To this gentleman the chaplain of the 15th South 
 Carolina refj;iment sent an encouraging report of the 
 state of religion in his regiment : 
 
 "The Testaments you sent to me were eagerly sought 
 after by the men, many coming to me long after they 
 were all distributed, and were much disappointed at not 
 receiving one. Could you send us some more they 
 would be thankfully received and faithfully distributed. 
 As almost all the men lost their Bibles on Hilton Head, 
 our regiment is perhaps the most destitute on the coast. 
 I am happy to say there is much religious feeling per- 
 vading our regiment, and our nightly prayer-meetings 
 are well attended, and I hope ere long the Lord will 
 bless us with an outpouring of his Holy Spirit." 
 
 To the same the Lieutenant-Colonel of the 10th South 
 Carolina regiment wrote : 
 
 "I would be glad if you will supply the regiment to 
 which I am attached with ihe Scriptures, as I see by 
 the papers that you are engaged in the work of distribu- 
 tion among the soldiers. We prefer Testaments, as 
 they would be much easier for soldiers to carry in their 
 knapsacks. I have made this application to you be- 
 cause of finding that all our men have not Bibles or Tes- 
 taments, and I consider a soldier poorly equipped tvithoitt 
 one or the other '^ 
 
 While it is a pleasing task to mark the progress of re- 
 ligion among the soldiers comprising the main armies of 
 the Confederacy, it is scarcely less interesting to look at 
 its influence upon the native Indians, thousands of 
 whom espoused the cause of the South. The following 
 statement of the religious condition of our Indian sol- 
 diers appears in the report on Missions made to the 
 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church ki the 
 spring of 1862 : 
 
 " It is well known that all the Indians in the South- 
 west, with the exception of a portion of the Creeks and 
 a few straggling bands of Cherokees and Seminoles, cs- 
 
132 TIIK GREAT RE\^VAL. 
 
 poused the cause of the South with much heartiness 
 from the very commenceraent of our troubles, and not a 
 few of them have given proof of their sincerity on more 
 than one battle-field. The first call for volunteers 
 aroused much of the old war spirit among them. War 
 songs, scalp dances, painted faces, and feathered heads — 
 sights and scenes that were scarcely known to the pres- 
 ent generation — were revived in many parts of the coun- 
 try, and, for a time, it looked as if the people were about 
 to relapse into their former savage condition. But these 
 things had but a short and transient existence, and in the 
 course of a few months no traces of them whatever could 
 be found. Many have entered the army, no doubt, from 
 mere excitement and the love of warfare, but the great 
 body of them, and especially the members of the Church, 
 it is believed, have been actuated purely by motives of 
 duty and patriotism. Mr. Stark visited the Choctaw reg- 
 iments at their encampments in the Cherokee country 
 the latter part of January, and gives a good account of 
 their general deportment, especially of that of the mem- 
 bers of the Church. He supposes there were 1,600 
 Choctaws in the encampment — about one-sixth of these 
 were professing Christians, some of whom were the best 
 and most prominent men of the nation. He writes : 
 'Praj'er and praise went up every evening from around 
 many of the camp-fires.' And he adds that the captain 
 of the company with whom he lodged allowed no drink- 
 ing, swearing, gambling, or Sabbath-breaking among his 
 men ; and indeed he had seen and heard of very little of 
 these vices among any of the soldiers." 
 
 Thus it will be seen that among all classes in the 
 armies of the South the element of true piet}' was found. 
 The white man and the red man felt alike, that the 
 cause in which they struggled was just and right, and 
 that upon it they could invoke the blessing of God with- 
 out doing violence to their conscience or their faith. 
 
 The earl}'^ part of the war, without the blessing of 
 
WINTER op^ 1861-62. 133 
 
 deep and general revivals, was not barren of the fruits 
 of righteousness in the lives, and the peace and glory 
 of religion in the deaths of our soldiers. The scenes 
 often witnessed by the humble cot of the dying patriot 
 were abundant in proof that the gospel is the power of 
 God unto salvation to every one that believeth. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. James A. Duncan thus describes a sol- 
 dier's death : 
 
 " During the first year of the war we were called up at 
 midnight to visit a dying soldier. He was at the Colum- 
 bian hotel, in Richmond. As we entered the room, we 
 saw the sufferer lying upon his bed, pale and emaciated : 
 the signs of death in his face. At the foot of his bed 
 stood the Adjutant of his regiment ; on one side sat a 
 kind old lady, a nurse from one of the hospitals, and 
 who, from the familiar and tender way in which she 
 spoke to him, had evidently known the young soldier 
 v/ell at his own home in Savannah, Ga. We sat down 
 on the edge of the bed and began a conversation witli 
 the three. 
 
 '• Whitfield Stevens belonged to Bartow's regiment ; had 
 fought through several battles, and was now dying from 
 fever occasioned by the exposure and hardships incident 
 to the soldier's life. He was the son of Methodist i)a- 
 rents, but was himself not a member of the Church. 
 He had, however, spoken in a way that greatly encour- 
 aged the attendants around his bed to cherish the hope 
 that he was truly concerned about his spiritual condition, 
 and had asked that a minister of the gospel might be 
 sent for to converse and pray with him. Such was the 
 information we obtained in the course of conversation. 
 He was a tall, manly fellow, and in spite of the ravages 
 of disease his fine face, clear, bright eye, and expressive 
 month, revealed at a glance that he was a young man of 
 decided character. 
 
 '"I sent for you, sir, to talk with and pray for me,' 
 
 with a calmness and directness that interested, and at 
 6a 
 
134 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 the same time made us feel that we could approach him 
 freely upon the subject of religion. 
 
 " ' Whitefield, are you a member of the Church, or pro. 
 fessor of religion?' 'No,' he replied, 'but I'll tell you 
 how far I have committed myself to religion. After the 
 battle of Manassas — and you know that Bartow's regi- 
 ment suffered a great deal — I felt that the Almighty had 
 been very merciful to protect my unworthy life ; and 
 late in the evening, just a little after sunset, I went off 
 by myself amid some pines, kneeled down upon the 
 green grass and thanked God for sparing me to my mo- 
 ther, and I gave him my word that I would try and serve 
 him as long as I lived.' Pausing a moment to gatner 
 strength, he continued slowly, distinctly, and with an 
 emphasis that we rarely ever hear except from the 
 lips of the dj'ing : ' Father came on soon after that 
 battle to see me. When he was about to return, and 
 had said good-bye, I noticed that he still lingered, 
 looked anxious, came back, and seemed loath to leave. 
 I said to him, ' Father, T know what is the matter with 
 you ; you think I am not a Christian, and you don't 
 like to leave me in my present perilous position with- 
 out being able to think of me as ready to die.' He 
 said that was exactly what made him linger and hesi- 
 tate. I told him then about my praying on the even- 
 ing of the Manassas fight. He seemed greatly com- 
 forted by it, and said he could return home with a 
 more cheerful heart.' 
 
 " We said : ' Then, Whitefield, you are not afraid to 
 die-?' ' No, sir,' he answered, ' I shall go up and make 
 my report to the Almighty as the Commander-in-Chief 
 of all things. I'll tell him I have been a. faithful soldier 
 and a dutiful son — ' Here the nurse interrupted him, 
 and seeming to think he was trusting to his own good- 
 ness, said : 'Whitefield, my son, you know all that won't 
 save you — ' ' Stop ! stop ! wait till I get through,' said 
 he ; 'I'll tell him I've been a faithful soldier and a duti- 
 
WINTKU OF 1861-'G2. ISf) 
 
 fal son, but an unfaithful servant of God ; nevertheless, 
 mjf trust is in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of men.' As he 
 finished the sentence, he turned and looked upon the 
 kind nurse, as though to ask, ' Is my faith right i" The 
 good old lady burst into tears. We all kneeled down in 
 prayer around his bed; fervently we commended the dy- 
 ing soldier to his Saviour, and arose feeling that, truly, 
 God was in that place. 
 
 " ' Sing to me,' said he, ' some of those good old hymns 
 I used to hear at home.' We sang — 
 
 " 'Father, I stretch my hands to thee,' &c., 
 " ' Araazuig o^race, how sweet the sound,' &c. 
 
 "He seemed to appreciate the sentiments of the 
 h3'mn, and tried, now and then, to join in the singing. 
 Finding that he enjoyed these In'mns so much, we com- 
 menced and sung the beautiful words — 
 
 " 'Jesus, lover of my soul, 
 
 Let me to thy bosom fl}',' &c. 
 
 "He became very happy. It was an impressive 
 scene — between midnight and da3'break — every sound 
 hushed on the street — silence reigned in that crowded 
 hotel — the light in the room threw fitful flashes upon the 
 quiet, pale face of the young hero — the Adjutant leaned 
 upon the foot of the bed, weeping — the generous Chris- 
 tian nurse, amid her tears, joined in the hymn — we felt, 
 
 " ' Angels now are hovering round us.' 
 
 As we sang the lines — 
 
 " ' Cover my defenceless head 
 WitI) the shadow of thy wing,' 
 
 "Whitefield exclaimed, 'Adjutant! Adjutant! is not 
 that grand ? Ah ! j'ou don't know what that means ! I 
 will tell you what it means. At Manassas, when the 
 bullets were whistling around us like hail, and our boys 
 were dropping in the ranks, and poor Bartow fell, then 
 the Almighty 'covered my defenceless head with the 
 
136 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 shadow of his wing !' With a deeper emphasis than we 
 had employed, he repeated — 
 
 " 'Cover MY defenceless liead 
 
 With the shadow of thy wins:.' 
 
 "It was the crowning triumph. Tlie noble boy, weak 
 er, sank back on his pillow. We said, 'You had bettei 
 now rest.' ' No,' said he, ' let me talk. I have but a lit 
 tie while to live ; let me talk. I wish one thing could 
 be.' ' What,' asked we, ' do you wish ?' ' I would like,' 
 he replied, 'that my dear mother could come and sit 
 down right here on the bed by me, and I could kiss her 
 once : then I would lie down and die, and they would 
 carry me away to Georgia, and bury me by the side of 
 my sweet little sister — nurse, you knew m}' sister ; she 
 was a good child — and then — ah ! then I would go up to 
 heaven, and wait till the rest all came. Oh ! would not 
 that be grand ! I hoped to live long enough to see 
 father. He will be here to-morrow morning. But never 
 mind, G.od knows best — it is all right. Adjutant, you 
 
 know , of my company ? Well, give my love to 
 
 him. In the battle, as he was marching by my side, 
 ' Whitefield,' said he, 'I'll stand b3^ j^ou to the death.' 
 Noble fellow ! Tell him I'll think of him in eternity.' 
 
 "The dying soldier grew weaker, his bright eyes 
 closed, and the morning sun tlirew his golden splendors 
 upon the brow of the sleeping hero. His father arrived 
 by the early train, but too late to see his son alive. We 
 told him the story of his son's death, and recounted more 
 fully tkan in these pages the touching scene of that 
 memorable night. Tlie old man smiled through his 
 tears, and grew happy with hope in the midst of his 
 grief. 'I am satisfied,' said he. 'Whitefield died as I 
 would have him die — died for his country; died ho-nora- 
 bly ; and, above all, died in the faith of the gospel. It 
 will comfort his mother, I shall return to my home and 
 praise God for his goodness in the midst of our sor- 
 rows.' " 
 
SPRING OF 1862. 137 
 
 CHAPTER Viri. 
 
 STRING OF 1862. 
 
 The military movements of this season alternately 
 elevated and depressed the public mind. The memora- 
 ble naval victory in Hampton Roads, the evacuation of 
 Manassas, the great battle of Shiloh, and the fall of 
 New Orleans — all occurred within two months. But the 
 people and the soldiers kept up their courage, and while 
 they lamented over reverses, rejoiced humbly in our suc- 
 cesses. 
 
 The march from Manassas to the Peninsula was at- 
 tended with great suffering on the part of the soldiers. 
 " You would pity our hungry patriots," wrote a chaplain, 
 "if you could see them toasting the middling bacon on 
 long sticks, and consigning their dough to the ashes for 
 want of an oven. We have had no tents either, and a 
 great many drenching showers. How would you enjoy 
 sleeping, if it had to be effected out in the woods, in a 
 driving rain, with a sobby, spongy soil for a bed, and no 
 covering but a blanket ? I have waked up at midnight 
 under such circumstances, and found half the regiment 
 standing silently and gloomily around the camp-fires, 
 while now and then the barking, hectic cough of some 
 afflicted soldier preached a sermon on death." 
 
 Another, who moved from a different part of the line, 
 says, in a rather more cheerful strain : 
 
 "We experienced mingled emotions of joy and sad- 
 ness on the morning of our departure from our old camp 
 at Evansport. Our men had grown tired of the winds, 
 rains, mud, sleet, and snow, on the border, and were 
 ready to rejoice at the prospect of any change of posi- 
 tion. 
 
138 THE GREAT REAT\"AL. 
 
 "Some things pained us. I shall never forget the 
 parting glance at our regimental gravej'ard. Some were 
 leaving brothers on that lonel^y hill ; some, near and dear 
 relations ; all, gallant comrades. 
 
 "Our second day's march was on the Sabbath. About 
 noon I ascertained that by getting permission to leave 
 ranks I could attend Methodist Circuit preaching in the 
 afternoon. A walk of three miles brought me up, about 
 3 o'clock, to a little schoolhouse, where I was affectingly 
 reminded of my dear old Circuits in Georgia. 
 
 " We had a good meeting. It was Bro. McSparran's 
 first appointment at that place, and when he announced 
 his next appointment for them, an old brother spoke up 
 somewhat amusiugl}' and not very encouragingly to the 
 preacher: 'The Yankees will have us all before then.' 
 
 " Feeling very much fatigued, I spent that night with 
 the young itinerant in the rear of our regiment, and had 
 he called upon me to select for him a text to correspond 
 with what I conceived his feelings to be, I would have 
 fixed upon 'A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth 
 himself.' We have had some happy times on this side 
 of the Rappaliaunoclc since. 
 
 " Let me tell you something about that Methodist wo- 
 man whose hospitalities we so abundantly shared that 
 Sabbath evening. Her husband was a poor man, but a 
 brave Virginian. He spoke of enlisting for the defence 
 of the soil with which mingled the dust of a noble an- 
 cestry. 
 
 " ' Go,' said that Christian woman ; and looking around 
 upon a large group of little bright-eyed boys, she added, 
 ' You can defend us best in the ranks. / will remain 
 and defend our home and these children. Oh, for an 
 army of such heroines ! T felt like giving three cheers 
 for her patriotism, and did not object in the least to that 
 sort of AUthodism." 
 
 The desolation that follows war is well depicted by 
 another writer : 
 
SPRING OF 1862. ISy 
 
 "Whole square miles of woods have been shaved otf 
 close to the ground. The whole country is, I might say, 
 one great road ; at least, it is impossible to travel one 
 mile from our old camp without crossing from ten to 
 twenty highways. We never saw a child or lady, hardly 
 ever a citizen. One could hardly move about for tho 
 dead horses that lay in multitudes around. Ever}' old 
 field is marked with tent-drains, rotten beef and other 
 provisions, with a wilderness of rude chimneys, and all 
 manner of camp trash. The mud and filth are so grea . 
 that it is a feat to walk a hundred j^ards, and every mile 
 of road has its wreck of a wagon. These are the Elysian 
 fields which General Johnston has deserted." 
 
 About the same time General Jackson was compelled 
 to move his forces up the Valley of Virginia, and leave 
 Winchester and other places exposed to the incursions 
 of the Federals. When asked by a citizen of the Valley 
 whether he would really fall back and desert them, he 
 replied, "B}' the help of God, I will be with you again 
 soon." 
 
 These movements, while the}'' interrupted the pious 
 labors of chaplains and colporteurs, did not divert the 
 minds of the soldiers from the great truths of religion. 
 No sooner was the main army in position near Williams- 
 burg, on the Peniiisula, than the work was resumed, and 
 the fruits of righteousness began to appear. The fol- 
 lowing interesting reports were sent to Rev. A. E. Dick- 
 inson, Superintendent of Colportage for the Baptist 
 Church : " I have known twelve men in my regiment," 
 wrote a chaplain from Williamsburg, "who have pro- 
 fessed conversion from reading your tracts. One came 
 to me with a tract in his hand, and the tears flowing 
 down his cheeks, and said, ' I would not take thousands 
 for this tract. My parents have praj^ed for me, and 
 wept over me ; but it was left for this tract to bring me, 
 a poor convicted sinner, to the feet of Jesus. Oh, sir, I 
 feel to-day that I am a new man, and have set out for 
 
140 THE GREAT RE\aVAL. 
 
 heaven.' " Another wrote from Yorktown : " For three 
 months I have not preached a sermon. We have no 
 preaching place, and I do not know when we shall have 
 one. The most that can be done is by colportage work, 
 from camp to camp, disLribnting the pages of divine 
 truth. The soldiers are anxious for Testaments and 
 tracts, and read them most eagerly." 
 
 The scenes in the hospitals were very touching. " As 
 I would go from cot to cot," sa3'^s a colporteur writing 
 from Winchester, Va., " leaving a tract or a Testament, 
 and speaking of Jesus, it was not uncommon for some 
 sufferer in another part of the room to call out, ' Bring 
 me one.' I shall never forget my first visit to one of 
 the hospitals. There, stretched out before me, on coarse, 
 hard beds, lay perhaps a hundred sick soldiers, most of 
 them young men, some of them the flower of the land. 
 They were far from happy homes, lonely, despairing, 
 sick — some of them sick unto death. How cheering the 
 sight of any friend ! What an opportunit}'^ for the child 
 of God !" 
 
 General Jackson gave every encouragement to religion 
 among his soldiers ; he was the model Christian officer 
 in our armies, "active, humble, consistent — restrainiug 
 profanity and Sabbath-breaking — welcoming colporteurs, 
 distributing tracts, and anxious to have every regiment 
 in his army supplied with a chaplain." Indeed, even 
 the most irreligious officers gladly welcomed these tract 
 distributors to their camps. "Sir," said a notoriously 
 cross and profane General to a colporteur, "you have 
 come, I hope, to do all the good you can ;" and he 
 showed his sincerity by inviting him to mess at his table 
 and share his blankets. 
 
 It is sadlj^ pleasing to follow these good men in their 
 walks through the hospitals, and listen to their talks 
 with the sick men. " I was once tempted to be ashamed 
 of the work," sa^'s one of tliem, " and was about to pass 
 by a group of soldiers without giving them an}' tracts, 
 
8PRINO OF 1862. 141 
 
 but it appeared to me that thi^ might be a temptation of 
 the evil one, and I determined to overlook no one. Go- 
 ing up to a soldier, I asked if he was a Christian. He 
 was deeply moved, and said, 'I wish to have some con- 
 versation with you ; can you sit down with me awhile ?' 
 He then told me that he had been a professor of reli- 
 gion ; had enjoyed the smile of God on his soul ; but 
 that temptation and vice had led him astray, until now 
 he was almost read}'^ to despair. Weeping and sobbing, 
 he confessed his sin. I urged him again to seek the 
 favor of God. A very sick man said to me, 'Oh, sir, I 
 would give worlds for an interest in the blood of Jesus 
 and the pardon of sin.' He has since passed away." 
 
 Another writes : "The saddest, the happiest deaths I 
 have ever known have been in the army. Soldiers jolt- 
 ing along in the wagons, which bore them to the hos- 
 pitals, have died in the triumphs of faith. And in the 
 hospitals, without a pallet or a pillow, without an ac- 
 quaintance to cheer or comfort or alleviate, what scenes 
 have I witnessed ! It has been my privilege to read, 
 sing, and pray with these pallid, dying men, and to see 
 in their moist eyes the evidence of feeling hearts — to 
 hear from whispering lips the most exultant expressions 
 of trust in the Saviour. Called up some cold night to 
 stand by a death bed, I've had the soldier to clasp my 
 hand in his, and, with heavenly joy, point up to the 
 shining home of a dear brother gone before. The bless- 
 ings often invoked on my head by these devoted men 
 have filled me with humble joy, and urged me to redou- 
 ble my feeble efforts for the defenders of our once happy 
 land. I would not part with these pleasing recollections 
 of my work for all the honor a soldier can gain from a 
 grateful country.' 
 
 " A few days ago," wrote another, " a soldier said to 
 me, ' On going into my tent, I found lying on ray table 
 the tract, 'Why will ye die?' I read it and became 
 alarmed in regard to my spiritual state, and re-read it 
 
142 THE GREAT REVIVAI.. 
 
 until I became perfectly miserable. In tins state of 
 mind, I went off into the woods to pray that I might be 
 delivered from this awful condition. While wrestling in 
 pra3'er before God, I was enabled to lay hold of Jesus 
 as one mighty to save, and since have had peace and joy 
 in believing, and now I wish to make this contribntion to 
 aid in sending the same tract to my comrades, that thej'' 
 too may be warned to flee from the wrath to come ;' so 
 saj'ing, he handed me five dollars.*' 
 
 " I found a young soldier," says another, " sinking in 
 death. On asking him how he was, he said, 'I know in 
 whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able 
 to keep that which I have committed unto him.' At my 
 next visit he was unable to speak save in a whisper. I 
 put my lips to his ear and asked how it was -vith him ? 
 He replied, 'I had rather depart and be with Christ, 
 which is far better.' In this frame of mind he passed 
 awa}^ to his heavenly home." 
 
 " Some of the cases," said Rev. James B. Tajdor, Sr., 
 writing of his visits to the hospitals at Staunton, Va., 
 " were peculiarly touching. One man from Southwestern 
 Georgia told me, with deep feeling, that out of 98 com- 
 posing his company 24 were buried in Western Virginia, 
 I pressed upon him the claims of the gospel, and he 
 seemed thankful and penitent. Another, far from home, 
 seemed near the grave. The tears flowed from his lan- 
 guid eyes when I asked him about his spiritual condi- 
 tion, and with trembling lips he replied, ' No hope.' He 
 gazed at me wistfully, as I pointed him to the 'Lamb of 
 God that taketh away the sin of the world,' "I was 
 specially affected by the remarks of a soldier who said, 
 ' O, sir, you know not how difficult it is to stem the tide 
 of corruption in the army. Many of our officers drink 
 and swear, and discourage all manifestations of religious 
 feeling,' " 
 
 Such scenes were witnessed every day and night, and 
 every houi of every day and night, from the first battle 
 
SPRING OF 1862. 143 
 
 of the war to its disastrous close. The batte-fields, as 
 well as the hospitals, have their records of unselfish de- 
 votion and Christian heroism ; and the deeper the strug- 
 gle the brighter shone those elements of character that 
 truly ennoble our nature. 
 
 The battle of Shiloh, fought this spring, was made 
 illustrious, both by the prowess of our arms, and by the 
 costly sacrifices there laid upon the altar of the South., 
 On this bloody field, that accomplished soldier and. noble, 
 gentleman, Albert Sidne}' Johnston, offered up his life. 
 "While leading a successful charge, turning the enemy's 
 right, and gaining a brilliant victory, a minnie ball cut 
 the artery of his leg, but he rode on till from loss of 
 blood he fell exhausted, and died without pain in a few 
 moments." Such were the brief words in which his fel- 
 low-warriors told of his death. 
 
 The President, in communicating this sad intelligence 
 to Congress, after announcing the victor3% said : 
 
 " But an allwise Creator has been pleased, while vouch- 
 safing to us his countenance in battle, to afflict us with a 
 severe dispensation, to which we must bow in humble 
 submission. The last lingering hope has disappeared, 
 and it is but too true that Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston 
 is no more. 
 
 "My long and close friendship with this departed 
 chieftain and patriot forbids me to trust myself in giv- 
 ing vent to the feelings which this sad intelligence has 
 evoked. Without doing injustice to the living, it may 
 be safely asserted that our loss is irreparable, and that 
 among the shining hosts of the great and the good who 
 now cluster around the banner of our country, there ex- 
 ists no purer spirit, no more heroic soul, than that of the 
 illustrious man whose death I join you in lamenting. 
 
 " In his death he has illustrated the character for 
 which through life he was conspicuous — that of single- 
 ness of purpose and devotion to duty. With his whole 
 energies bent on attaining the victorj' which he deemed 
 
144 THE GREAT KEVIVAL. 
 
 essential to his country's cause, he rode on to the ac- 
 complishment of his object, forgetful of self, while his 
 very life-blood was fast ebbing awaj'. His last breath 
 cheered his comrades to victor3\ The last sound which 
 he heard was their shout of triumph. His last thought 
 was his country's, and long and deepl}' will his country 
 mourn his loss." 
 
 The case of General Johnston was particularly sad. 
 After the disasters in the West, and the retreat of his 
 army to Corinth, he was under a cloud, censures were 
 heaped upon him, and there were loud clamors for his 
 removal. It was said, at the time, that men high in po- 
 sition urged the President to displace him, but he was 
 inflexible, and only replied, " If Albert Sidney Johnston 
 is not a General, then I have no General." 
 
 His military movements in Kentucky, and his march 
 Southward, were freely and severely criticised in the Con- 
 federate Congress by men who " never set a squadron in 
 the field," but the noble General bore it all in silence- 
 After his lamented death, and while the glory of his 
 great victory was still shining on the country, a letter 
 was read in this same Congress which he wrote to the 
 President explaining all his movements, and giving the 
 reasons for them. The writer was present in the hall of 
 Congress when this letter was read, and never can he 
 forget the profound impression it made on the entire 
 audience. 
 
 Abundant tears, and a silence more eloquent than the 
 words of the greatest orator, were the tribute paid to the 
 memory of the departed patriot. 
 
 Our space will not permit us to lay the whole of this 
 noble letter before the reader, but we cannot deny him 
 the gratification of seeing its closing sentences. 
 
 After alluding to the fall of Fort Donelson, he says : 
 " The blow was most disastrous, and almost without a 
 remedy. I, therefore, in my first report remained silent. 
 Tills silence you were kind enough to attribute to my 
 
SPRING OF 1862. 145 
 
 generosity. I will not lay claim to the motive to excuse 
 my course. I observed silence, as it seemed to be the 
 best way to serve the cause and the country. The facts 
 were not fully known — discontent prevailed, and criti- 
 cism or condemnation were more likely to augment than 
 to cure the evil. I refrained, well knowing that heavy 
 censures would fall upon me, but convinced that it was 
 better to endure them for the present, and defer to a 
 more propitious time an investigation of the conduct of 
 the Generals, for in the meantime their services were 
 required and their influence useful — for these reasons, 
 Generals Floyd and Pillow were assigned to duty, as I 
 still felt confidence in their gallantry, their energy, and 
 their devotion to the Confederacy. 
 
 " Thus I have recurred to the motives by which I have 
 been governed, from a deep personal sense of the friend- 
 ship and confidence you have always shown me, and from 
 the conviction that they have not been withdrawn from 
 me in adversity. 
 
 " The test of merit in my profession, with the people, 
 is success. It is a hard rule, but I think it right." 
 
 At the reading of the last sentence, the recollection 
 of the injustice done to the hero rushed upon the minds 
 of the hearers, and the scene was morally sublime. Al- 
 bert Sidney Johnston was dead, but he was enshrined 
 in the hearts of his countrj^men. 
 
 The instances of heroic valor in the battle of Shiloh 
 are abundant. A chaplain, Rev. I. T. Tichnor, of the 
 17th Alabama regiment, in a letter to Governor Watts, 
 of that State, who at one time commanded the regiment, 
 says : 
 
 "During this engagement we were under a cross fire 
 on the left wing from three directions. Under it the 
 boys wavered. I had been wearied, and was sitting 
 down, but seeing them waver, I sprang to my feet, took 
 off my hat, waved it over my head, walked up and down 
 the line, and, as they say, * preached them a sermon.' I 
 7 
 
146- THE GREAT REVTVAI.. 
 
 reminded them that it was Sunday. That at that hour 
 (IL^ o'clock) all their home folks were prajnng for them , 
 that Tom AVatts (excuse the familiar way in which I 
 employed so distinguished a name) had told us he would 
 listen with an eager ear to hear from the 17th; and 
 shouting your name loud over the roar of battle, I called 
 upon them to stand there and die, if need be, for their 
 country. The effect was evident. Every man stood to 
 his post, every e3'e flashed, and every heart beat high 
 with desperate resolve to conquer or die. The regiment 
 lost one-third of the number carried into the field." 
 
 Among the Christian soldiers that fell was Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Holbrook, of a Kentucky regiment. He was 
 mortally wounded, and fell at the head of his regiment 
 in a victorious charge. After the battle, several of his 
 officers came to see him in the hospital. He was dying 
 fast, but desired to be propped up in bed, and then he 
 talked with them like a Christian soldier : " Gentlemen, 
 in the course of my official duties with you I have had 
 little or no occasion to speak to you upon the subject of 
 religion, but this is a time when, as fellow-men, we may 
 commune frankly together. And I desire to bear wit- 
 ness to the fact that I am at the present moment de- 
 riving all my strength and consolation from the firm re- 
 liance which I have upon the blessings of religion. I 
 know I am not prepared for death, as I ought to have 
 been, and as I hope you may be, but I feel safe in re- 
 posing upon the strong arm of God, and trusting to him 
 for my future happiness. Before this war is closed, some 
 of you may be brought upon the threshold of the eter- 
 nal world, as I have been, and my earnest prayer is that 
 the messenger of death may find you waiting. Through- 
 out my existence, I haA'e found nothing in my experi- 
 ence that has afforded me more substantial happiness 
 than Christianity, and I now, as I lie here conscious that 
 life is waning, desire to bear testimony of a peaceful 
 mind, of a firm faith in the grand scheme of salvation. 
 
SPRING OF 1862. .147 
 
 Farewell, inj^ comrades, may we all meet in a better 
 world." 
 
 One of the rarest instances of youthful heroism that 
 ever occurred is recorded in connection with this battle. 
 Charlie Jackson, whose brief career as a soldier, and 
 whose happ3^ death we place here upon permanent 
 record, was worthy of the great name he bore : 
 
 "Some months ago," says a writer, "Charlie's father 
 raised a company of soldiers, in which he was permitted 
 to drill with the privates, and finally became so expert 
 in the manual of arms that, young as he was, he was 
 chosen the drill-master. In due time, marching orders 
 were received. Then the father, consulting the age of 
 his boy, and probably his own paternal feelings, gave 
 him to understand that it was his wish he should remain 
 at home. To this Charlie strenuously demurred, and 
 plainly told his parent that if he could not go with him 
 he would join another compan3% Yielding to his obsti- 
 nacy, a sort of silent consent was given, and the lad 
 left Memphis with his comrades. The regiment to which 
 they belonged was detached to Burnsville, several miles 
 distant from Corinth, and here it remained until the Fri- 
 day or Saturday preceding the battle. Orders were then 
 received that it should repair at once to the field and 
 take its position. Charlie was asleep at the time of the 
 departure, and the father, unwilling that one so young 
 should undergo the fatigue of the long march of twenty 
 miles and the dangers of the coming fight, gave orders 
 that he should not be disturbed. Several hours after, 
 the bo}^ awoke of his own accord. 
 
 " At a glance, his eye took in the condition of afiairs, 
 and his knowledge of coming events satisfied him of the 
 cause. With him, to think was to act. He seized his 
 little gun, a miniature musket which his father had 
 made for him, and alone started on the trail of his ab- 
 sent regiment. Hour after hour he trudged along, and 
 finally, just as they were about halting preparatory to 
 
148. THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 going into battle, he succeeded in joining liis company. 
 He had travelled more than fifteen miles. His fatlier 
 chided him. but how could lie do otherwise than admire 
 the indomitable spirit of his })oy ? Tlie battle com- 
 menced. Charlie took his place by his father's side, and 
 was soon in the thickest of the fight. A bullet struck 
 him in the body and tore an ugly wonnd. Still he 
 pressed on, firing, cheering, and charging with the re- 
 mainder of his regiment. He seemed not to know the 
 sensation of fear, and his youthful example on more 
 than one occasion was the ralljnng point from which tlie 
 men took fresh spirit. Suddenlj^ at a late hour in the 
 day, the little fellow fell shot through the leg a few 
 inches below the hip. He gave a cheer and told his 
 father to go on. ' Don't mind me,' said he, ' but keep 
 on ; I'll lay here till you come back.' Tiiis of course 
 the feelings of the parent would not permit him to do, 
 and picking him up in his arms, he carried him to the 
 nearest hospital. Within a day or two Charlie was 
 brought to his home in Memphis, feeble, yet full of hope 
 and coura-xe. 
 
 " Dr. Keller was called upon to examine the wound and, 
 if necessary, to perform amputation ; but at a glance his 
 experienced eye saw that the poor boy was beyond the 
 hope of recovery. Mortification had set in, and an ope- 
 ration would only increase his sufferings without prolong- 
 ing life. The lad noticed the sober countenance of the 
 physician as he turned away and went to an adjoining 
 room to break the mournful intelligence to the weeping 
 father and mother. Nothing could be done but to relieve 
 him of pain by means of opiates. 
 
 "A few moments afterwards he returned to the bed- 
 side of the sufferer, when the young hero abruptly met 
 liim with the question — 
 
 " ' Doctor, will you answer me a straightforward ques- 
 tion, and tell me the truth ?' 
 
 " The physician paused a moment, and then said : 
 
SPRING OF 1862. 149 
 
 " 'Tcs, Charlie, I will ; but 3'ou must prepare for bad 
 news.' 
 
 " ' Can I live ?' was the response. 
 
 " * No ! Nothing can save j^ou now but a miracle from 
 Heaven.* 
 
 • '"AVell, I have thought so myself. I have felt as if I 
 was going to die. Do father and mother know this ?' 
 
 "'Yes,' replied the surgeon. 'I have just told them.' 
 
 " ' Please ask them to come in here.' 
 
 " When the parents had done so, and taken their places 
 on either side of the bed, Charlie reached out, grasped 
 their hands in his, and said : 
 
 " ' Dear father and mother, Dr. Kellar says that I can't 
 live. And now I want to ask your forgiveness for all 
 wrong I have done. I have tried to be a good boy in 
 every way but one, and that was when I disobeyed you 
 both and joined the army. I couldn't help that, for T 
 felt as if I ought to be right where you were, father, and 
 to fight as long as I was able. I'm onlj^ sorry that I 
 can't fight through the war. If I have said anything 
 wrong or done anything wrong, won't you forgive me ?' 
 
 "The afflicted parents could only weep their assent. 
 
 " ' Now, fatlier,' continued the boy, ' one thing more. 
 Don't stay here with me, but go back to camp. Mother 
 will take care of me, and your services are more neces- 
 sary in your corapan}^ than they are at home. I am not 
 afraid to die. and I wish I had a thousand lives to lose 
 in the same wa}'. And, father, tell the bo3's when you 
 get back how I died — just as a soldier ought to. Tell 
 tliem to fight the Yankees as long as there is one left in 
 the country, and 'never give vp ! Whenever you fill up 
 the company with new men, let them know that besides 
 their country there's a little boy in heaven who will 
 watch them and pra}^ for them as they go into battle.' 
 
 "And so is dying one of the bravest spirits that was 
 ever breathed into the human body by its Divine Master. 
 The scene I have described is one of which we .some- 
 
150 THE GRi:AT REVIVAL. 
 
 times read, but rarely behold, and the surgeon told me 
 that, inured as he was to spectacles of suffering and woe, 
 as he stood by this, a silent spectator, his heart over- 
 flowed in tears and he knelt down and sobbed like a 
 child. 
 
 " How true are the lines of the poet — 
 
 "The ijood die first. 
 And they whose hearts are dry as Summer's dust, 
 Burn to the socket." 
 
 From this, and other battles, the hospitals were filled 
 with thousands of sick and wounded men, among whom 
 there were the most cheering evidences of true religious 
 feeling. Rev. B. B. Ross, of Alabama, who gladly gave 
 himself to the work of colportage, says of his labors : 
 
 "I visited Corinth, the hospitals, and some of the 
 camps, and am glad to report that the soldiers are very 
 greedy for all kinds of religious reading — take the tracts 
 from the agent with delight, and read them with avidity ; 
 and, whenever he sees proper to drop a word of admoni- 
 tion or warning, listen to it with patience aad respect. 
 But this is especially so in the hospitals." 
 
 From Okolona, Miss., Rev. J. T. C. Collins wrote to 
 Mr. Ross : 
 
 " The soldiers received the books with great eagerness. 
 I never in all my life saw such a desire to get Bibles. 
 Every ward I went into they would beg me for Bibles and 
 Testaments. AVhile they gladly received the other books, 
 they wanted Bibles. I have been to every man's cot and 
 left either a book or a tract. And when I re-visited 
 them, and asked how they liked the books, my heart was 
 greatly cheered by the accounts they gave me. One said 
 he had been improving ever since he had gotten some- 
 thing to interest his mind. Another said, while a friend 
 was reading for him the 14th chapter of John (a chapter 
 to which I had called his attention), he was blessed and 
 made very happy. He is now dead — went safely home." 
 
 This easrer desire for religious readins: was as manifest 
 
SPRING OF 1862. 151 
 
 in the camp as in the hospital. A chaplain gave this 
 pleasing testimony : 
 
 "Religious reading is highly appreciated by the sol- 
 diers; and what few tracts we can get are carefully read, 
 and manj' tears have been seen to run down the soldier's 
 face while reading these friendly visitors. They do not 
 wait for me to go out to distribute them, but come to m}'' 
 tent inquiring, ' Have you any more tracts to spare ?' 
 There have been two conversions in the regiment. The 
 soldiers were sick at the time, and one of them -has since 
 'gone to his long home,' but felt before he died it was 
 much the best for him to go, that ' he would be in a bet- 
 ter world,' where wars and rumors of wars would no 
 more mar his peace." 
 
 The evacuation of the Peninsula, and the falling back 
 of our army from Yorktown to the vicinity of Richmond, 
 crowded the hospitals with thousands of sick and wound- 
 ed men. No person wlio was in Richmond in the spring 
 of 1862 can forget the painful scenes as the long trains 
 of sick and wouuded moved into the city day and night, 
 and emptied out their loads of human wretchedness. 
 The hospitals were poorly supplied with beds, medicines, 
 provisions, pln-sicians, and nurses, and but for the sup- 
 plies of all kinds carried to them by the citizens, who 
 also gladly volunteered to nurse the helpless sufferers, 
 the mortality would have been a hundred fold greater 
 than it was. This state of things, however, was but tem- 
 porary ; as soon as the hospital accommodations were 
 enlarged, and the corps of surgeons and nurses in- 
 creased, the condition of the wounded and sick was 
 much improved. But still, with all that the government 
 could do, assisted by the people, who cheerful!}^ opened 
 their houses to their suffering countrj'men, the amount 
 of misery was appalling. 
 
 The writer almost shudders now at the bare recollection 
 of what he witnessed in the hospitals, and especially in the 
 sick camps in the open country. Within and without the 
 
1;V2 THE GREAT REVIVAL, 
 
 scanty tents were hundreds of wretched, woe-begone, sick 
 soldiers, from the tender boy of sixteen to the man of 
 fifty; some lay on the outside of the tents muttering in 
 the delirium of fever, of friends and home ; others with- 
 in, lay shaking with ague, under filthy rags and blankets ; 
 some with pale faces, ami sunken e3'es and cheeks, sat 
 against trees or stumps, the very pictures of despair ; 
 others lay perfectly still on the bare ground, too weak 
 to move, wasted literally to skeletons by dj^sentery. 
 Thus on every side the ej-e fell upon the forms of human 
 beings bruised, broken, slain by cruel war; and when 
 we remember that in most of these sick camps garbage 
 and filth of all kinds lay reeking in every direction, we 
 have a picture of horrors that can find no counterpart 
 except in the midst of such a war. 
 
 These unfortunate creatures claimed and received the 
 careful attention of the noble men and women who gave 
 their days and nights to hospital work, and their best 
 earthlj' reward was the word or, perhaps, look of grati- 
 tude from the sick and dying soldier. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Ryland, speaking of his labors this Spring in 
 the Richmond camps and hospitals, says : 
 
 "I have conversed with, addressed, and prayed for, 
 many hundreds of invalid soldiers during the month, 
 and given to each a tract, or a religious newspaper, or a 
 New Testament, and have received from cdl great re- 
 spect, and from vimiy the most tender expressions of 
 gratitude. I have found about forty-five men who could 
 not read ; to these I have given such books as McGuf- 
 fey's First Reader, after demanding and obtaining pro- 
 mises that they would try to learn. The work is full of 
 encouragement and delight, and worthy of far more 
 piety, learning and talents than I possess." 
 
 Many of the hospital scenes touchingly illustrated the 
 value of religion to the poor sufferers. A d^'ing soldier 
 said to the kind physician who had administered medi- 
 cine to body and soul : 
 
SPRING OF 1862. ir)3 
 
 " Doctor, I bless God that you ever taught me the way 
 of life and salvation. I have been a poor blind sinner 
 all my life ; but now I feel an assurance of happiness in 
 heaven through Christ my Redeemer. Oh, I hope to 
 meet you in heaven, and bless 3'ou there for the interest 
 3'ou have taken in my soul's salvation." 
 
 This physician said that he accepted the appointment 
 of army surgeon that he might enjoy the privilege of 
 preaching Christ to the soldiers ; a rare exception — he 
 found his reward in the success of his pious labors. 
 
 From the hospital, the fire of holy love was often car- 
 ried by some happ}' soldier to the camp, and gloriously 
 re-kindled there among his comrades. One who was con- 
 verted while in the hospital, on returning to his regiment 
 made known the blessed change in his life. He invited 
 such as desired a similar one to join him in a praver- 
 meeting. Five met with him ; the}'^ praj'cd together, and 
 tiie interest extended until scores became anxious on the 
 subject of salvation. They had no minister with them, 
 but one came from another regiment and preached to 
 them ; — as the result of this effort, no bigger than a 
 man's hand at first, more than one hundred professed 
 faith in Christ. 
 
 As the revival progressed, there was scarcely any situ- 
 ation in which our soldiers could be placed where they 
 did not find God ready and willing to pour out his Spirit 
 in answer to earnest pra3^er. An awakened soldier was 
 converted on a march, — when a minister inquired whe- 
 ther he had yet given himself to Christ, he said, " Yes, 
 I have found him ! Wli}', sir, when we set off on that 
 march I felt such a weight on my soul that I could 
 scarcely drag myself along, but after a while God heard 
 my prayers, and then the burden was gone, and I felt as 
 if marching was no trouble at all." 
 
 In the midst of the battle of Williamsburg, while the 
 conflict was raging, and a chaplain was encouraging the 
 men of his regiment to do their duty, a soldier passed. 
 
154 TIIE GKEAT RE%T[VAL. 
 
 and, taking the hand of the chaplain, he said, "It is a 
 glorious thing to be a Christian." His face was radiant 
 with divine peace in the midst of a storm of bullets. 
 How clearly this incident illustrates the power of grace 
 as expressed in that comforting passage, "Tiiou wilt 
 keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, 
 because he trusteth in thee." 
 
 Among the noble men who fell during this period were 
 
 two faithful chaplains, Rev. J. W. Timberlake of Florida, 
 
 attached to the 2d Florida regiment, and Rev. W. H. C. 
 
 Cone of Georgia, chaplain of the 19th Georgia regi- 
 
 ■ ment. 
 
 Mr. Timberlake came to Virginia in feeble health, but 
 was indefatigable in his exertions to promote the tempo- 
 ral and spiritual welfare of his regiment. One who knew 
 him as an intimate friend says : 
 
 " Mr. Timberlake was certainly a model man, and one 
 whose untiring zeal and energy in the cause of his coun- 
 try is worthy of emulation, and whose self-sacrificing ob- 
 servance of duty has placed him in a premature grave. 
 His devotion to our sick soldiers while in the city of 
 Richmond left a remembrance which time will not soon 
 efface from the hearts of his many friends there." 
 
 He died of consumption at West Point, on York river, 
 and quietly sleeps beneath the soil which he gladly came 
 to defend. 
 
 Rev. Mr. Cone was exhausted and broken down by 
 long marches and exposure in the Peninsula. " Becom- 
 ing very warm after a march, he imprudently bathed in 
 a stream near the roadside, which produced a check of 
 perspiration, terminating in typhoid fever. The regi- 
 ment being on the retreat, and doing picket duty, there 
 was but little accommodation for the sick. He fell be- 
 hind, and a Presliyterian clergyman said he saw him 1}'- 
 ing by the road on the wet ground, where the mud was 
 si^lashed on him by the passing army. He was taken up 
 and sent to Richmond in a delirious state. Not beiai< 
 
SPRING OF 1862. 155 
 
 aVile to express his desires, he was not sent to tne 
 Georgia hospital." 
 
 " He was calm, patient, and resigned," says Rev. Mr. 
 Crumley, who was with him in his last hours, "and ex- 
 pressed himself as having given all up into the hands of 
 God, and could say, 'Thy will be done.' When a little 
 dreamy, he would say, 'My dear Jane, don't grieve after 
 me — all is for the best.' Then he would call, 'Jessie, 
 come Jessie, and let me kiss you — be a good child.' 
 
 "On Sabbath morning, having lain some time quiet, 
 facing my window that commands a beautiful landscape 
 on the James river full of fishing smacks, and beyond, 
 the green wheat fields, with the darker shades of clover 
 fields further on, and the distant woods all lit up with a 
 bright May morning's sun, he asked me to turn him over 
 and straighten him on the bed. Fixing his eyes, as 
 though he saw heaven opened, he, with a smile, said, 
 ' Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly ;' and folding his arms 
 on his bosom, he fell asleep in Jesus, calm as an infant 
 slumbers. 
 
 '•We buried him at the head of the still increasing 
 host of our noble soldiers who have fallen. There are 
 oflScers, surgeons, and soldiers. He is the only chaplain 
 among the fifteen hundred that forms that pale and quiet 
 congregation." 
 
156 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SUMMER OF 1862. 
 
 The Spring closed brightly on the Confederate cause. 
 The successful evacuation of Corinth was a strategic 
 victory. The campaign of Jackson in the Valley of Vir- 
 ginia was as brilliant and rapid as that of Napoleon in 
 Italy. In little more than twenty days, he marched over 
 two hundred miles through a mountainous region, fought 
 four battles and a number of skirmishes, killed and 
 wounded great numbers of the enemy, took 3,000 prison- 
 ers and millions of dollars' worth of stores of all kinds, 
 besides destroying vast quantities, chased Gen. Banks 
 out of Virginia and across the Potomac river ; and all 
 this with a loss of less than two hundred of his own 
 army. When we add to this his subsequent march up 
 the Valley, his strategy against Gen. Fremont, and his 
 decisive victory over Gen. Shields, the severest military 
 critics must admit that the game of war was never more 
 successful in the hands of any of the great masters of 
 that dreadful art. 
 
 The Christian hero of this victorious army did not for- 
 get the htmd that led him to conquest. Though com- 
 pelled to spend a Sabbath in chasing the Federals out 
 of the Valley, he rested the next day, and devoted a 
 portion of it to religious services. The following is an 
 extract from his General Order to the troops : 
 
 "The General Commanding would warmly express to 
 the officers and men under his command his joy in their 
 achievements, and his thanks for their brilliant gallantry 
 in action, and their patient obedience under the hard- 
 ships of forced marches, often more painful to the brave 
 soldier than the dangers of battle. The explanation of 
 
SUMMER OF 1862. 157 
 
 the severe exertions to which the Commanding General 
 called the army, which were endured by them with such 
 cheerful confidence in him, is now given in the victory of 
 3'^esterday. He receives this proof of their confidence in 
 the past with pride and gratitude, and asks only a simi- 
 lar confidence in the future. But his chief duty to-day, 
 and that of the army, is to recognize devoutly the hand 
 of a protecting Providence in the brilliant successes of 
 the last three daj^s, which have given us the result of a 
 great victory without great losses, and to make the obla- 
 tion of our thanks to God for his mercies to us and our 
 countr}^ in heartfelt acts of religious worship. For this 
 purpose the troops will remain in camp to-day, suspend- 
 ing, as far as practicable, all military exercises, and the 
 chaplains of regiments will hold divine service in their 
 several charges at 4 o'clock P. M. to-day." 
 
 The victories of Jackson in the Valley were speedily 
 followed by the hard-fought battle of Seven Pines. lu 
 the evening of the first day of this battle, Gen. Joseph 
 E. Johnston was severely wounded, and Gen. R. E, Lee 
 was placed in command of the arra3\ Nearl}^ the whole 
 month of June was spent in active preparations for the 
 great struggle which was to decide the fate of Richmond. 
 Gen. McClellan's immense army, with every appliance of 
 modern warfare, lay below the city, and graduall}^ ap- 
 proached under cover of immense earthworks and en- 
 trenched camps. The Confederate General, having com- 
 pleted his arrangements for the attack on the "grand 
 army,"' opened the battle on the 26th of June b}^ a spir- 
 ited assault on the extreme right of the Federal forces. 
 Meanwhile, General Jackson, having been heavily rein- 
 forced, came swiftly down from the Valley, and took a 
 position from whence he could fall upon the rear of the 
 enemy. The Confederates were now read}'^ to open the 
 great battle. 
 
 On that memorable Thursday afternoon the daily union 
 prayer-meeting of the city was held in the First Baptist 
 7a 
 
158 THE GIIEAT RE'VaVAL. 
 
 church. It began at 4 o'clock, and nearly at the same 
 hour the booming cannon announced the opening of the 
 struggle. 
 
 Deeply solemn and earnest were the prayers offered 
 up for the success of our arms, inexpressible were the 
 feelings of the Christians there assembled as they thouglit 
 of their loved ones just then entering "the perilous edge 
 of battle." After an hour spent in the most devout ex- 
 ercises, the meeting closed ; and while some retired to 
 their homes to renew their prayers in secret, many others, 
 with hundreds from every part of the city, repaired to 
 the range of hills in the northern suburbs, from whence 
 tbe "confused noise of the warriors" could be heard and 
 the smoke of battle seen slowl}^ rising above the dense 
 forests of the Chickahomin3\ 
 
 As darkness gathered, the scene became grander and 
 more impressive. The groups of men, women, and chil- 
 dren, crowning the hill-tops, some conversing in under- 
 tones, many silent and awe-struck, others with lips mov- 
 ing and eyes upraised to heaven in silent pra3'er, the 
 smoke of battle settling along the intervening valleys, 
 the strains of martial music floating on the still evening 
 air, as the long lines of soldiers marched out to join tlieir 
 comrades on the field of blood, the bomb-shells from the 
 opposing lines, with their fiery trains, some plunging 
 amid the dark woods, others bursting in their flight and 
 raining deadly fragments on the heads of the struggling 
 combatants, the sharp, rattling volleys of musketrj'^ min- 
 gled with the roar of cannon, the thought of hundreds 
 an hour before in joyous health now wounded and dying, 
 the fate of the beleaguered city and its helpless thou- 
 sands suspended on the issues of the fight — all these fur- 
 nished the elements of a scene truly sublime, and filled 
 the mind with contending emotions of hope and fear. 
 
 The contest thus begun raged with varying intensity 
 nnd results for six days, when it closed with the terrific 
 battle of Malvern Hill. The Federal army was driven 
 
SUMMER OF 1862. 159 
 
 from ever}'^ position with immense loss in men and muni- 
 tions, and forced to take siielter on the banks of James 
 river, thirty miles from Richmond, under the protection 
 of a fleet of gun-boats. 
 
 The splendid achievements of the Confederate army 
 ■ were thus announced b^' Gen. Lee in an address to his 
 soldiers : 
 
 "The General Commanding, profoundly grateful to the 
 'onl}^ Giver of all Victory' for the signal success with 
 which he has blessed our army, tenders his warmest 
 thanks and congratulations to the army, by whose valor 
 such splendid results have been achieved. On Thurs- 
 day, June 26th, the powerful and thoroughly equipped 
 army of the enemy was entrenched in works vast in ex- 
 tent, and most formidable in character, within sight of 
 our capital. To-day, the remains of that confident and 
 threatening host lie upon the banks of the James river, 
 thirty miles from Richmond, seeking to recover, under 
 protection of his boats, from the effects of a series of 
 disastrous defeats." 
 
 After briefly referring to the defeat and pursuit of the 
 enemy. Gen. Lee says : 
 
 " The immediate fruits of our success are : The relief 
 of Richmond from a state of siege, ihe rout of the grand 
 army that so long menaced its safety, thousands of pris- 
 oners, including ofHcers of high rank, the capture or de- 
 struction of stores to the value of millions, and the ac- 
 quisition of thousands of arms and 51 pieces of superior 
 artillery. 
 
 "The services rendered to the country in this short, 
 but eventful period, can scarcely be estimated ; and the 
 General Commanding cannot adequately' express his ad- 
 miration of the courage, and endurance, and soldierly 
 conduct of the officers and men engaged. These bril- 
 liant results hnve cost us msLny brave men ; but while we 
 mourn the loss of our gallant dead, let us never forget 
 that they died nobly in defence of their country's free- 
 
160 Tim GKEAT KEVIVAL. 
 
 dom, and have linked their memory with an event that 
 will live forever in the hearts of a grateful people." 
 
 This series of battles was illustrated b^' man}'- in- 
 stances of the noblest Christian heroism. The model 
 hero, Jackson, was as terrible in the swamps as he had 
 been in the mountains. 
 
 Rev. E. W. Yarbrough, a chaplain in the army, gives 
 an interesting notice of this great and honored warrior : 
 
 "Before leaving, Colonel Zachry proposed to show me 
 'Stonewall Jackson,' if I would ride with him a short 
 distance. We found him quartered under an apple tree, 
 and at work of course. My first impressions of this 
 Southern Boanerges will never be forgotten. His form 
 is slender, not very erect, and of medium height. His 
 lion heart is concealed under as pleasant a countenance 
 as I ever saw. Had we met on the road before this war 
 broke out, I would have taken him for a Methodist itine- 
 rant preacher on his way to an appointment pondering a 
 most serious discourse. Notwithstanding all the feeble- 
 ness of form and sweetness of expression, he was the 
 hero of the Valley, having clipped the wings of at least 
 four soaring Federal Generals in a short time, and hav- 
 ing thundered upon McClellan's rear simultaneously with 
 the advance of our forces upon his front, completely un 
 earthing him, and then joining with his shouting hosts in 
 the most glorious pursuit of an invading foe ever re? 
 corded. 
 
 "You are aware that he is a man of God. On that 
 memorable Thursday, in the hottest of the fight, he was 
 seen by his men to fall upon his knees and there remain 
 for several moments, with his right hand raised to heaven 
 in the most earnest supplication. He is almost idolized 
 by his men. One of his Aids lost his right arm some 
 time since in an engagement, and I saw him a few days 
 ago in the saddle, still clinging to his General and act- 
 ing his full part. He is not the only David in our army. 
 Our chieftain, the noble Lee, communes with God. and 
 
suanrcn of 1862. 161 
 
 asks for reinforcements from on High. Bethel Hill is a 
 man of prayer, and a host of others, from our Chief Mag- 
 istrate down, daily invoke the intervention of Heaven in 
 our behalf." 
 
 The expressions that fell from the lips of the Chris- 
 tian soldiers slain during this bloody week are worthy of 
 a permanent place in the annals of their country. 
 
 Mr. Yarbrough. speaking of the part the 35th Georgia 
 bore in one of the battles, says : 
 
 "Our Adjutant, J. H. Ware, was killed. As Colonel 
 Thomas bent over him, the heroic youth grasped his 
 hand and delivered his dying message : 'My dear Colo- 
 nel, tell my mother that I fell in the discharge of my 
 duty, and died happy J " 
 
 Another gallant soldier received his death-wound, and 
 lay gasping on the ground ; as the roar of battle sounded 
 in his ears, he asked a friend near how the fight was go- 
 ing. "Are we whipping them?" said the dying man. 
 "We are," replied his friend. "Then I die satisfied." 
 
 "Say to my father," said another, "that all is well 
 between me and my Saviour ; tell him to meet me in 
 heaven." 
 
 Another, carried from the battle-field with a dreadful 
 wound, said to his sister who sat by him, "Sister, I am 
 going home to heaven — I am so glad it is such a good 
 home." 
 
 B. F. Leitner was wounded while bearing the colors of 
 the 2d South Carolina regiment : 
 
 " Though shot down, he did not suffer the flag to fall, 
 but kept it upright, floating proudly in the battle-storm, 
 until he transferred the sacred charge to another, saying, 
 ' Bear it forward and never let it fall.' He was after- 
 wards removed to the house of Mr. Perdue, Manchester, 
 where he was kindly cared for till he died. Just before 
 his death, Capt. Leitner writes : ' I asked him what he 
 would have me write to father and mother about his end. 
 'Write,' said he, '1 die happy. My confidence in God 
 
162 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 and our Saviour is unshaken. I am going to lieaven.' T 
 asked, 'Doj'ou know that you are dying?' 'Yes,' was 
 the answer, ' and I am glad of it ; I want to join the 
 army of Jesus Christ.' " 
 
 A young soldier, soon after he was shot, said to a com- 
 rade : 
 
 " My wound is mortal ; I shall never see my father and 
 sisters, but tell them I died at my post and in the dis- 
 charge of my dut3^ Tell my friends not to grieve for 
 me, but to meet me in heaven." 
 
 Another, with that strange presentiment of death which 
 so often with soldiers precedes the fatal event, said to 
 his brotlier just before a battle : 
 
 " I shall be in a battle shortly, and I expect to fall ; if 
 I do, tell my parents it will be all well with me." 
 
 A soldier, on coming home with a fatal wound, said to 
 his mother as she met him, taking out his Bible : 
 
 "Mother, here is the Bible you gave me — I have made 
 good use of it." He died in triumph, exclaiming, "Not 
 my will, but thine, O God, be done." 
 
 As a brave young man was being carried from the field 
 dreadfully mangled, he stopped the bearers and told them 
 he was dying; "but," he added, "it is all well with me — 
 I am not afraid to die." 
 
 Another wrote to a friend a day or two before the bat- 
 tle in which he fell : 
 
 "You inquire in reference to my religious condition. 
 Though I do not live altogether up to my duties, yet I 
 do not fear death ; and if it be the will of God to take 
 me, I feel willing to go; yet I would prefer to live. I 
 put my trust in the merits of a crucified Redeemer, and 
 depend on him alone for salvation. I would like to live 
 to see you all again, but if God determines otherwise, I 
 hope we will meet in heaven." 
 
 Again this Christian soldier wrote : 
 
 "Ma}^ heaven grant that if I fall a martyr in the cause 
 of mv country, my kindred and their posterity may be 
 
siT:kiMER OF 18G2. 1G3 
 
 proud that they had a relative who offered his life upon 
 the altar of liberty. If I fall, I hope 3^011 will hear that 
 I died bravely." 
 
 "The desire of his heart was gratified," said his bro 
 ther; "he died as a hero, in front of the foe, on the 
 bloodiest field of the war, and was buried without a cof- 
 fin near the spot where he fell. We leave him to sleep 
 in his soldier grave, in the sacred soil of distant Virgi- 
 nia ; but, in the morning of the resurrection, we shall 
 hope to meet him where the battle's thunder is never 
 heard, and where the smile of God shall fill our hearts 
 with peace forever." 
 
 Such was the end of Wateman Glover Bass, a noble 
 Georgia soldier. 
 
 Said a young soldier to one of his comrades, as they 
 were standing in line of battle, waiting for the order to 
 advance : 
 
 " This is a solemn time, I intend to do my duty, and 
 am willing to spill my blood freely for my country." In 
 his last letter home, he had said to the loved ones : " It 
 I see you no more, I have a good hope of meeting you 
 in heaven." He saw them no more, for as he moved for- 
 ward in the front rank he was pierced b}^ a ball and fell 
 dead instantly. 
 
 Another said, as he moved on : " If I fall in battle, all 
 is well ;" and another, to the last question of a friend : 
 "If I fall on the field of battle, I shall be safe, for I 
 know in whom I have believed, and he will keep what I 
 have committed to his charge." 
 
 A brave man, writing to his wife after a terrible bat- 
 tle, said of his feelings during the action : 
 
 "For my part, fear was dispelled. I felt, though ] 
 should fall a victim to the. enemy's balls, I had a hous6 
 in heaven. With such feelings, I endeavored to discharge 
 my duty in the best possible manner." In a subsequent 
 engagement, in which he was killed, he said, on begin- 
 ning the fight : " If I fall, it shall be well with me." 
 
164 THE OIIEAT REVaVAL. 
 
 Another exclaimed just before he died : 
 
 " Oh, what joy ! What boundless bliss ! How my soul 
 exults in the prospect of being so soon released from the 
 sorrows of earth and initiated into the joys of heaven. 
 Tell all ray friends to meet me in heaven." 
 
 A no])le young Virginian said to a comrade, as he lay 
 mortally wounded on the blood}'^ field : 
 
 "It is sweet to die for one's country — I would not 
 have it otherwise." 
 
 As a captain stood by one of his men who was dying, 
 the soldier said to him : 
 
 "Captain, I am going to die — death has no terrors for 
 me — I do not fear to die — there is a beauty in death. 
 Give my love to all at home, and tell them I die in a 
 good cause — fighting for my country, and in Christian 
 faith. Captain, you have been kind to me. Captain, 
 quit swearing and try to meet me in heaven." Then, 
 pressing the hand of his ofl!lcer, he fell asleep in Jesus. 
 
 An officer, passing over the blood}'^ battle-field of Fra- 
 zier's Farm, saw a soldier kneeling with eyes and hands 
 wpraised to heaven ; on approaching and touching him, 
 he found him dead. 
 
 Among the many Christian soldiers who fell in the 
 seven da3^s' fighting around Richmond, no man has a 
 brighter record for virtue, religion, and patriotism, than 
 Colonel Robert A. Smith, of the 44th Georgia regiment. 
 He was a resident of Macon, Ga., and greatly beloved 
 and honored by his townsmen. In a brief tribute to his 
 memory, they said of him : 
 
 "As a lawyer, he attained a high degree of proficiency 
 in his profession, to which he devoted himself with 
 prayerful energy, and in his practice he never swerved 
 from the teachings of his conscience. Day after day he 
 became more and more spiritual, drifting farther and 
 farther from the world and 'nearer, nearer home;' and, 
 turning a deaf ear to the sjTcn tones of ambition, heard 
 but the divine assurance, ' Blessed are the pure in heart, 
 
suaniEu OF 1862. 105 
 
 for they shall see God.' And whether weeping o'er the 
 grave of the wife of his early manhood, kneeling by the 
 bedside of the dying Lazarus, pleading with the felon in 
 his cell for mercy from on high, or in the halls of pleas- 
 ure trying to steer the bark of the giddy and thoughtless 
 toward a better and a brighter world, in the camp or in 
 the bivouac, on the march or in battle, he was always 
 the same good, true, brave. Christian man. He gave 
 generously of his worldl}- possessions, and the poor and 
 the friendless, the widow and the orphan, weeping around 
 the grave where they buried their benefactor, tell more 
 eloquentl}^ than w^ords how he had lived. His life was 
 a living poem. 
 
 " 'He did noble acts, nor dreamed them all day long. 
 And made his life, death and that vast forever 
 One grand, sweet song.' 
 
 "And one who knew him long and knew him well 
 says : 
 
 "'No man was more severe upon his own faults or 
 more charitable toward those of others.' 
 
 "As a Christian, so he was a patriot. At the inception 
 of the war, at the head of his gallant little band, the 
 Macon Volunteers, he tendered his services and was or- 
 dered to Norfolk, Va. After giving to his company an 
 enviable reputation and discharging his duties for nearly 
 twelve months, he was elected Colonel of the Forty-fourth 
 Georgia regiment. His exposure and unceasing labors 
 to perfect his regiment produced the disease which, in 
 connection with his wounds, caused his death. In his 
 soldier life, his character was as spotless and consistent 
 as in the peaceful days before. When the daj^'s work 
 was done, he was wont to gather his command around 
 him, and reading a lesson from the Bible, pray the Giver 
 of all good for guidance and protection. 
 
 "When his regiment left Goldsboro for Richmond, 
 though having suffered for weeks with sickness, he re- 
 fused to remain behind. At Petersburg, on account ol 
 
1G6 THE GKICAT RE^^VAL. 
 
 his serious illness, Gen. Walker deemed it unadvisable 
 to apprise him of the departure of his regiment. He 
 thus wrote to a friend : 'I learned of their departure af- 
 ter tho}^ left, and I sat on the railroad side till midnight 
 to come with Gen. Walker, and came ivith him notwith- 
 standing his grumbling." 
 
 "On the day of the battle of Ellyson's Mill he was 
 so feeble and exhausted by long sickness that it was ab- 
 solutely necessary to assist him on and olT his horse. 
 He was so weak that it was with difficulty he could sit 
 upright in his saddle. But his brave spirit and inflexi- 
 ble, iron will refused to succumb. Emaciated and ex- 
 hausted as he was, he yet unfalteringly led his regiment 
 through that deadly tempest of shot and shell until he 
 fell, three times wounded. After he had fallen, to those 
 wlio went to assist him he would still cry, 'Charge, men ! 
 charge !' It was a Marmion scene. With much reluct- 
 ance he tlien consented to be carried off the field of car- 
 nage. Two days later the brave soldier and Christian war- 
 rior breathed his last, and angel A'oices in choral strains 
 bade his hero soul welcome to ' home, sweet home.' " 
 
 Worthj^ to stand by the side of Colonel Smith was 
 Major John Stewart Walker, of the loth Virginia regi- 
 ment, who closed a useful and holy life on the bloody 
 hill of Malvern. He entered the army from a sense ot 
 duty. The pomp and circumstance of war had no 
 charms for him apart from the principles involved. As 
 the captain of a company, he joined the Army of the 
 Peninsula, and nobly slmred in that arduous campaign, 
 which, opening with the battle of Bethel, closed with the 
 evacuation of Yorktown. He was a friend and father 
 to the young men whom he led to the war. He watched 
 over their health and their morals, and thus gained their 
 confidence and love. During the dreary days spent m 
 winter quarters, he provided a library of select reading 
 for his men, and thus relieved while he instructed and 
 elevated their minds. 
 
suarMER OF 1862. 167 
 
 ITpon the reorganization of the army, in the spring of 
 1862, he was elected ]\Iajor of the loth Virginia regi- 
 ment, and by his firmness, valor, and Christian deport- 
 ment, soon gained the hearts of the regiment. A simple 
 but touching incident will show that the weapons of his 
 warfare were not wholly carnal : After his death there 
 was taken from his pocket a little volume stained on the 
 back and leaves with his heart's blood. It was found to 
 lie a sort of Scripture Diary, containing selected pas- 
 sages suitable for each day in the 3^ear, with comments 
 selected from the most eminent writers on practical re- 
 ligion. This little book seems to have been the constant 
 companion of his Bible, and many of the most striking 
 passages and comments were marked in pencil. The 
 following are the texts marked from the 25th of June, 
 the day before the series of battles, to the 27th, the day 
 of the fierce conflict at Gaines' Mill. Amidst all the 
 preparations for the death struggle his mind dwelt on 
 spiritual things : 
 
 June 2.5. — "But I would not have you ignorant, breth- 
 ren, concerning those which are asleep, that ye sorrow 
 not even as others which have no hope ; for if we believe 
 that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that 
 sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." — 1 Thess. iv : 
 13, 14. 
 
 " It is the most melancholy circumstance in the fune- 
 rals of our Christian friends, wlien we have laid their 
 bodies in the dark and silent grave, to go home and 
 leave them behind ; but, alas ! it is not we that go home 
 and leave them — no ; it is they that are gone to the bet- 
 ter world, and left us behind." 
 
 "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 
 that fear him." — Psalms xxxiv : 7. 
 
 " In sorrow the angels are around us ; they came to the 
 Saviour in that garden of agon}^ where such a cup of 
 sorrow was pressed to his lips as his people never drank, 
 and he was strengthened. So they visit the chamber of 
 
168 TIIE GREAT REVIVAL 
 
 sickness, where the good man lies, and minister unto bim 
 when all earthly comforters fail. They call the saint to 
 follow them ; they take him on their wings and bear his 
 soul to heaven." 
 
 " And he went a little further and fell on his face, and 
 prayed, saying : ' Oh, my father, if it be possible, let 
 this cup pass from me ; nevertheless, not as I will, but 
 as thou wilt.' " — Matt, xxvi : 39. 
 
 "The poorest circumstances in life, with a religions 
 spirit of resignation, are far better than the greatest 
 abundance and highest honors without it ; for these can 
 never give that peace of mind which the other can never 
 want." 
 
 " But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." — 
 Matt, xvi : 30. 
 
 " Let the world imagine to itself a magnificent Deity, 
 whose government is only general ; the Christian re- 
 joices in his providential superintendence of the smallest 
 matters." 
 
 " And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of 
 the Spirit, which is the word of God." — Eph. vi : 17. 
 
 It was a two-edged blade, 
 
 Of heavenly temper keen, 
 And double were the wounds it made 
 
 Where'er it glanced between. 
 'Twas death to sin — 'twas life 
 
 To all who mourned for sin ; 
 It kindled and it silenced strife — • 
 
 Made war and peace within. 
 
 Friday, June 27. — "And whosoever doth not bear his 
 cross and come after me cannot be my disciple," — Luke 
 xvi: 27. 
 
 " Every Christian should be a martyr in spirit." 
 Such were the truths upon which he stayed his soul ; 
 and sustained and comforted by them, he went calmly. 
 
sumjVier of 1862. 169 
 
 with God, and had the blessed assurance that he pleased 
 him. 
 
 An officer of his regiment, who knew him long and 
 intimately, gave the following testimony to his religion 
 and patriotism : 
 
 "Leaving his family and home early in the contest, 
 he was alwaj's found at his post. He avoided no dan- 
 ger and shunned no responsibility which demanded his 
 presence. As captain of a company, and commandant 
 of a regiment, he won the love and confidence of his 
 men. They knew that he would never order them where 
 he was not willing to lead the way. When I sa}' that 
 duty was his watchword, I sa}- all. The last word that 
 I heard him utter, far in advance of his regiment, amidst 
 a shower of shot and shell, was Fornard! and with that 
 glorious utterance for soldier or for saint, he fell pierced 
 by a deadly ball. 
 
 " It is impossible to separate his character as a soldier 
 and as a Christian. He was a soldier because he was a 
 Christian ; and while he fought manfully against the 
 enemies of his country, his fervent spirit labored and 
 fought earnestly against the enemies of his Lord. The 
 Word of God was his light in camp, and the tumult of 
 war did not disturb his daily devotions. I believe he 
 prayed without ceasing, and that in his last end the arms 
 of the Everlasting One were under him. 
 
 " The deadly ball that pierced his body could not 
 pierce the panoply with which God had armed him, but 
 he fell as a Christian should fall, with his harness on at 
 the post of duty. He rests from his warfare." 
 
 Amidst the storm of battle this Christian warrior fell. 
 From the field of blood his spirit ascended to heaven. 
 How sudden, how vast, how glorious, the change ! From 
 the rush of contending hosts, from the thunder of can- 
 non, and the fierce rattle of musketry, he rose to the 
 joys and songs and beauteous scenes of Paradise. 
 
 The death of Lieutenant Virgil P. Shewmake, of the 
 8 
 
170 THE OKEAT nEVlA*AL. 
 
 The death of Lieutenant Virgil P. Shewmake, of the 
 3d Georgia regiment, was another bright testimonial to 
 the value of our holy religion : 
 
 "Though young, having just entered his 21st year 
 when he joined the army, none of the temptations inci- 
 dent to camp-life moved him from his Christian integrity 
 and gentlemanly propriety. Severely wounded, and his 
 right arm amputated, twenty days after the battle of 
 Malvern Hill he breathed his last in the triumphs of 
 Christian faith. Frequent conversations were held be- 
 tween himself and father on the subject of his religious 
 hopes, and he ever concluded with, ' If I die, tell mother 
 and sisters to meet me in heaven.' On the day of his 
 death, he asked his father what he now thought of his 
 case. With aching heart his father replied : ' I think, 
 my son, you will die.' ' How long, then, do you think I 
 will live?' 'Perhaps till night, possibly through the 
 night.' Then, turning his face from his father, he most 
 fervently and pathetically prayed God that, if consis- 
 tent with his will, he would spare him to reach home, and 
 once more see his dear mother and sisters. If he willed 
 otherwise, then to bless them and his dear father with 
 grace to live so that they might all meet him in heaven. 
 A short time before he expired, he was seen to shudder 
 and slightly struggle. After this, lying quiet a moment, 
 he turned to his father, and with animation said : *Pa, is 
 this death ?' who, with choking utterance, replied : ' Yes, 
 my son, you are dying.' 'Then, Pa, it is easy to die — I 
 thought it would be hard.' Calling his comrades who 
 were present, he with great composure bade them all fare- 
 well, then extending his hand to his father, said : ' Good- 
 bye, Pa ; meet me in heaven ; tell mother and sisters I 
 have gone to heaven and to meet me there.' A few mo- 
 ments after this affecting scene, he calmly, gently fell 
 asleep in Jesus." 
 
 It is a sad yet pleasing task to record such instances 
 of religious heroism. It shows how deep and genuine 
 
8UMMER OK 1862. 171 
 
 was the piety that not only cheered our soldiers amidst 
 the usual hardships of war, but sustained them in the 
 hour of mortal agony, and opened to the eye of faith 
 the glorious prospect of life eternal. The solemn hour 
 of death fully tests the religious life, strips the soul, and 
 leaves it bare to its own inspection, reveals tlie true 
 character of our motives, and the real bearings of our 
 aciious upon our future destiny. 
 
 To such a test thousands in the armies of the South 
 were brought, and clear and happy were their souls in 
 the consciousness of dut}-- well performed. Truly, our 
 Christian soldiers died well. 
 
172 THE GREAT RE^HVAL. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SUMMER OF 1862. 
 
 The moral impressions of the sanguinary battles 
 around Richmond were of the most salutary character. 
 A wounded soldier, referring to them, said : " God 
 preached to us as all the preachers on earth could not 
 do." 
 
 All felt that tlie hand of God was manifest in these 
 tremendous struggles. A pious officer wrote immediately 
 after the close of the battles : 
 
 "Never before have I seen so clearly and powerfully 
 intervened in our behalf the right arm of the Lord of 
 hosts. 
 
 "The names of Lee, Hill, Jackson, Magruder, and 
 others, have been rendered immortal by their gallantry 
 and skill so strikingly evinced in this series of engage- 
 ments ; but while their names are in our hearts and their 
 praises upon our tongues, let there go up from the South- 
 ern Confederacy a warm and a universal shout of " Glory 
 to God in tlie liighest ;" for had not God been with us, 
 we must have been almost annihilated. Such will be 
 the impression upon the minds of all who may hereafter 
 traverse tlie battle-fields with a correct idea of the posi- 
 tions of the contending parties." 
 
 The powerful preaching of "the seven days' fighting" 
 is thus described by an eye-witness : 
 
 "Probably at no period of the war has the religious 
 element in the army been more predominant than at 
 present. In many instances, chaplains, army missiona- 
 ries, colporteurs, and tracts, have accomplished great 
 benefits, but by far the most cogent influences that have 
 operated upon and subdued the reckless spirit of the 
 
su>rMER OF 1862. 17.*^ 
 
 soldier}'^ are those which are born in the heart itself upon 
 the field of battle. There is something irresistible in 
 the appeal wliich the Almighty makes when he strikes 
 from your side, in the twinkling of an eye, 30ur friend 
 and comrade, and few natures are so utterly depraved as 
 to entirely disregard the whisperings of the 'still small 
 voice' which make themselves so vividly heard at such a 
 moment. Every man unconsciously asks himself, 'Whose 
 turn will come next ?' and when, at the termination of 
 the conflict, he finds himself exempted from the awful 
 fiat that has brought death to his very side, and all 
 around him, his gratitude to his Creator is alloyed, 
 though it ma}' be but dimly, with a holier emotion, which 
 for the time renders him a wiser and a better man. In 
 this respect, the recent battles have done more to make 
 religious converts than all the homilies and exhortations 
 ever uttered from tlie pulpit. A man who has stood 
 upon the threshold of eternity, while in the din and car- 
 nage of a figlit. has listened to eloquence more fier^' than 
 ever came from mortal lips. 
 
 " It is not strange, therefore, as you go through vari- 
 ous camps, even on a week-day, that your ears are here 
 and there saluted with the melody of a choir of voices, 
 rich, round, and full, sung with all the seriousness and 
 earnestness of true devotion ; or, that before the lights 
 are out in the evening, manly tones are heard in thanks- 
 giving for the blessings of the day ; or, that when Sunday 
 arrives, the little stand, from which the chaplain is wont 
 to discourse, is the centre of a cluster of interested and 
 pious listeners. 
 
 "In many of the regiments, much of this kindly influ- 
 ence is due to the pure and elevated character of the 
 officers. Wherever these are found, you invariably also 
 find a neat, well-disciplined, orderly, quiet command, as 
 prompt in the camp as they are brave upon the field. 
 Now and then you maj' hear a taunt about 'our praying 
 chaplain,' or 'colonel,' but even these thoughtless expres- 
 
174 TIIE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 sions come from men who venerate their officers, and 
 would follow them to the death. Some of our ablest gene- 
 rals are men who have dropped the gown for the apparel 
 of the soldier. Polk was a Bishop, Pendleton a clergy- 
 man, D. H. Hill a religious author, Jackson a dignitar}'' 
 of the Church, while scores of others, occup3'ing subordi- 
 nate positions, are equally well known for their devotion 
 at the shrine of Christianity. All of these gentlemen have 
 been eminentl}^ successful in whatever they have under- 
 taken, have passed unharmed through the dangers by 
 which they have been frequently environed, and are liv- 
 ing illustrations of the truth that a fighting Cliristian is 
 as terrible to his enemies as he is gentle to his friends." 
 
 The testimony to the blessed fact of God's presence 
 among the soldiers is most abundant. "God is in the 
 army," wrote a pious man ; " many in my regiment have 
 passed from death unto life." "One hundred of ray 
 regiment," said a chaplain, "have professed conversion 
 since we have been in the service." 
 
 The power of grace to sustain and comfort the be- 
 liever amidst the hardships and dangers of war is richly 
 illustrated in the following experience of a pious Elder 
 of the Presbyterian Church : 
 
 " I have been in the active service of my countr}' just 
 four months. I clieerfuUy sundered the ties that bound 
 me to my little paradise of a home in Mississippi, and 
 came out to the war because I believe the Lord hath 
 called me. I viewed the contest as one of unparalled 
 wrong and oppression against truth and the right. I 
 was persuaded that not only civil liberty but evangelical 
 religion had a large stake at issue in the struggle. My 
 conscience, therefore, was clear, and, in following tlie 
 convictions of duty, I was made happy. The Lord has 
 been most gracious in according to me daily the rich 
 consolations of faith in the Lord Jesus in buckling on 
 my armor to fight the battles of my country. He has 
 constantly reminded me that T am a soldier of the cross. 
 
SITADIER OF 1862. 175 
 
 and that I owe allegiance to him. lie has favored me 
 with many precious opportunities of doing good, of 
 which, in an humble, unobtrusive wa3% I liave tried to 
 avail myself. His grace has been sufficient for mo 
 amidst all my trials and difficulties. In the battle of 
 Seven Pines, in which we lost one-third of our regiment 
 in about twenty minutes, amid the most terrific shower 
 of shot and shell of this whole war, the Lord not only 
 so far sustained me as to enable me to stand up and do 
 my duty to my country, but to do it without the least 
 fear of anything man can do unto me. Nor did I, as 
 many men seem to do, lose sight of my personal danger. 
 My mood was so calm that my calculations were per- 
 fectly rational. T felt that the Lord's hand was with 
 me, that his shield was over me, and that -whatever be- 
 fell me would be by his agency or permission, and there- 
 fore it would all be well with me. It was a })criod of 
 positive religious enjoyment, and yet of the most vigor- 
 ous discharge of my duties as a soldier. 
 
 ' Again, at the battle of Gaines' Mill, or Cold Har- 
 bor, on Friday, June 27th, the most furious of tlic whole 
 series, and in which one-third of our regiment was re- 
 ported as killed and wounded, I was visited with the 
 same peace of mind and the same resolute composure. 
 The two battles leave me with nine perforations in my 
 clothing, made by at least six balls, a slight contusion 
 from a piece of bomb, and a severe wound in my loft 
 thigh, a large ball passing clear through, ranging l)e- 
 tween the bone and femoral artery. Upon perceiving 
 it, I looked down and discovered the hemorrhage to be 
 very copious. I supposed at once that tlie artery was 
 involved, and that I would live but a short time. 1 was 
 not only not afraid to die, but death seemed to uie a 
 welcome messenger. Immediately there came over my 
 soul such a burst of the glories of heaven, such a ibre- 
 taste of its joys as I have never before experienced. It 
 was rapturous and ecstatic beyond expression. The new 
 
176 TIIK GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 Jerusalem seemed to rise up before me in all its beauty 
 and attractiveness. I could almost hear tlie songs of 
 the angels. My all-absorbing thought, however, was 
 about the Divine Redeemer, whose arms were stretched 
 out to receive me. So completely overwhelming and 
 exclusive was the thought of heaven, that I was wholly 
 unconscious of any tie that bound me to the earth. I 
 was still standing within a few steps of where I was 
 wounded, and yet I utterly forgot my danger, and thought 
 of no means of preserving m}' life. There I stood in 
 the midst of men. and where deadl}' missiles were flying 
 thick and fast, and 5-et my thoughts were completely 
 abstracted from everything around me. So full}' was 
 God's love shed al)ro;ul in nn* heart, and so delightful 
 was the contemplation of the offices of the blessed Sa- 
 viour, that I coidd think of nothing else." 
 
 Rev. J. M. Stokes, chaplain in Wright's Georgia bri- 
 gade, says of the religious condition of the troops : 
 
 " I am happy to state that the health of our troops 
 seems to be much better than it was a few months since. 
 It will be a source of delight to Christians and all think- 
 ing people to know that the religious element among 
 our troops is much greater now than at any time previ- 
 ous since the war began. I believe sincerely that there 
 is lesn profanity <n a iceek, now, than there was in a day, 
 six months ago. And I am quite sure there are ten who 
 attend religious services noiv to one xcho attended six months 
 ago. I speak principally with reference to our own regi- 
 ment, but I have been informed by those who have tra- 
 velled among the different parts of the army in Virginia 
 that such is the case everywhere." 
 
 This was the case not onl}^ in the army in Virginia, 
 but in almost every other department of the South. 
 Rev. B. H. Perry, writing from Columbus, Miss., of 
 the state of religion in the 37th Alabama regiment, 
 under the command of a sincere Christian, Col. Dowdell, 
 savs : 
 
stnvfMER OF 1862. IT? 
 
 " We set out religiously, by having preaching twice on 
 Sabbath and prayer-meeting twice a week. A goofl in- 
 fluence prevails, and a high moral tone has characterized 
 our men from the first. The sentiment seems to be rife 
 among us that instead of retrograding. Christians ought 
 to progress decidedlj' in camp. This is a just opinion, 
 for the frequent aud unusual temptations which they 
 meet, the absence of those restraints and associations 
 that ordinarily sustain them, the position of antagonism 
 into which they are placed perforce in the resistance of 
 overt sin, and the simple and direct reference to God to 
 which they are shut in, as it were, all are calculated to 
 develop and strengthen the principles of their religion. 
 We have had a protracted meeting at night for a week. 
 There have been nineteen conversions in the time, two 
 of them professing in their tents while sick. The regi- 
 ment numbers something over 1,000, and the aggregate 
 of Church-members is 245. Many of those who have 
 died were happy and triumphant. 
 
 " Our Colonel cares for his men with a Christian con- 
 science, and the other field and staff officers, as also 
 those of the companies, are for the most part religious 
 men. In the start, the Colonel prescribed the public 
 recognition of God bj'' closing dress parade with prayer, 
 and this order we observe daily. Oh ! if our officers did 
 but feel that ' except the Lord build the house, they 
 labor in vain that build it !' " 
 
 In the hospitals, among the sick and wounded, the 
 power of grace was gloriously revealed. The soldiers 
 brought with them from the battle-fields the solemn im- 
 pressions they had received amidst the dreadful scenes 
 of carnage. " Strange as it may appear to some," writes 
 an experienced post chaplain, " scores of men are con- 
 verted immediately after great battles. This has be- 
 come so common that I as confidently look for the ar- 
 rival of such patients as I do for the wounded. It is 
 not very strange, if we remember that before they went 
 
178 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 into battle they had been serious and thoughtful. Here 
 God covered their heads, and their preservation was 
 A manifestation of his power and goodness that hum- 
 bled their souls. 'What cause for gratitude to God that 
 1 was not cut down when my comrades fell at my side.* 
 * But for God I would have been slain.' ' I do not see 
 how I escaped. I know that I am under renewed obliga- 
 tions to love him, and am resolved to serve him.' 'Af- 
 ter the battle at Malvern Hill, I was enabled to give my 
 soul to Christ — this war has made me a believer in reli- 
 gion, sir,' said a wounded soldier. These and other ex- 
 pressions show how God is working out his purposes of 
 grace and wisdom in these times of darkness and dis- 
 tress." 
 
 Among the many thousands of wounded that filled the 
 Richmond hospitals, the work of salvation was deep^ and 
 general. "The Lord is witli us at Seabrooks' hospital," 
 wrote Rev. W. R, Gwaltney ; " we have a great revival 
 of religion here. A greater one I scarcely ever wit- 
 nessed. Rarel}^ a day passes but I find one or more 
 new converts. The number in our hospital is being rap- 
 idlv reduced, many being transferred to other places, 
 and many having died ; but the religious element in oirr 
 midst is bj^ no means dying out. A large number are 
 yet enquiring, 'What must we do to be saved ?' Those 
 who have professed a hope in Christ seem to be in the 
 full enjoyment of faith." 
 
 "I am happ3%" saj's another minister, "to report the 
 manifest tokens of the presence of the Spirit among us, 
 even in these times of strife and battle. I do believe 
 that these solemn visitations of Providence have been 
 His chosen way of touching many a heart. There are 
 earnest desires awakened in many a bosom, which I trust 
 will lead them to the Cross. I believe there are many of 
 our brave men Ijnng on their iiard pallet in the hospitals 
 who are now secretly indulging a hope in Jesus ; and I 
 console myself with the sweet thought that others, who 
 
SUMMEK OF 18G2. 179 
 
 have never told it, have died on the battle-fiehi looking 
 to their Saviour. I know there are dreadful exhibitions 
 of deliberate wickedness, but Satan ever delights in 
 placing his abominations in the porch of God's temple. 
 There is great occasion for earnest prayer in our behalf. 
 Brethren, pray for us, that God may sanctify his deal- 
 ings with us to the conversion of souls." 
 
 Ministerial labor in the hospitals was a blessed work, 
 and those who gave themselves to it greatly rejoiced in 
 the success tliat attended their efforts. That saintly 
 man, Rev. John. W. Miller, who has lately entered into 
 rest, and whom many of our soldiers remember as post 
 chaplain at Summerville, South Carolina, saj's of his 
 work : 
 
 " We have had some to die peacefully and happily. 
 One poor fellow who had long been sick with tj^phoid 
 fever died last week. When I questioned him about his 
 preparation for death, his answer was scarcely articulate, 
 but in his thick mutterings I could distinguish these 
 blessed words of trust in the Saviour, ' He will not let me 
 perish.' 
 
 " Upon asking another why he was not afraid to die, 
 he said : 'Because I am going home to heaven, through 
 Christ.' Another, a little while before he died, said : ' I 
 love God.' 
 
 " I find a number of them are members of the Church. 
 Testaments are greatly coveted, and you can scarcely 
 walk through the wards at any time without seeing some 
 of them engaged in reading the sacred Word. Divine 
 service has been held several times for the convales- 
 cents — and we frequently assemble them for evening 
 prayer." 
 
 "It was just after a battle, where hundreds of brave 
 men had fallen," writes another chaplain, "and where 
 hundreds more were wounded, that a soldier came to my 
 tent and said : ' Chaplain, one of our boys is badl}'^ 
 wounded, and wants to see you right away.' Immedi- 
 
180 THE GREAT UKVIVAL. 
 
 ately following the soldier, I was taken to the hospital 
 and led to a bed, where lay a noble young man, pale and 
 blood-stained from a terrible wound above the temple. 
 I saw at a glance that he had but a few hours to live. 
 Taking his hand, I said : 'Well, my brother, what can I 
 do for you ?' He looked up in my face, and placing his 
 finger where his hair was stained with blood, he said : 
 'Chaplain, cut a big lock from here for mother — for 
 viother, mind, chaplain.' I hesitated to do it. ' Don't be 
 afraid, chaplain, to disfigure my hair. It's for mother, 
 and nobod}^ will come to see me in the dead-house to- 
 morrow.' I did as he requested me. 'Now, cliaplain,' 
 said the dying man, 'I want you to kneel down by me 
 and return thanks to God.' 'For what?' I asked. 'For 
 giving me such a mother. Oh, chaplain, she is a good 
 mother ; her teachings comfort and console me now. 
 And, chaplain, thank God that by his grace I am a Chris- 
 tian. Oh, what would I do now if I was not a Chris- 
 tian ! I know that my Redeemer liveth. I feel that his 
 finished work has saved me. And, chaplain, thank God 
 for giving me dying grace. He has made my bed feel 
 • soft as downy pillows are.' Thank him for the prom- 
 ised home in glory. I'll soon be there — there, where 
 there is no more war, nor sorrow, nor desolation, nor 
 death — where I'll see Jesus and be forever with the 
 Lord.' I kneeled by him, and thanked God for the 
 blessings he had bestowed upon him — a good mother, a 
 Christian hope, and dying grace to bear testimony to 
 God's faithfulness. Shortly after the praj'er, he said : 
 ' Good-b3'e, chaplain ; if you see mother, tell her it was 
 all well.' " 
 
 In the Southern army were many mere youths, and 
 among these there were found not a few rare instances 
 of earnest piety maintained amidst all the evils and 
 temptations of camp life. The following illustrative in- 
 cident occurred under the ministrations of Rev. Dr. John 
 C. McCabe, one of the post chaplains at Richmond : 
 
SUMMER OF 1862. 181 
 
 "One day, in making his usual visitations, Dr. McCabe 
 called in at the Maryland hospital, Richmond, and in 
 malting his rounds, was attracted to the bed of a young 
 and delicate boy, suffering from the effects of protracted 
 fever. The little fellow had seen only fourteen summers, 
 and his thin, pale face bore marks of disease and suffer- 
 ing. The following occurred, as reported by the chap- 
 lain : 
 
 " ' How old are you, my son ?' said the reverend gentle- 
 man. 
 
 " 'I was fourteen my last birthday.' 
 
 " 'Why, that is very young to be in the army ?' 
 
 '"Yes, sir ; but I thought it my duty.' 
 
 " ' Where are you from ?' 
 
 '•'Mississippi, sir.' 
 
 " ' What is your name ?' 
 
 " ' Dwight Sherwood.' 
 
 " ' Wh}^ that is a Northern name.' 
 
 " ' Yes, sir ; my father was a Northern man, but he 
 has lived in the South for many years, and is a good 
 Southern man.' 
 
 " ' And your mother, where is she ?' 
 
 " His little thin lip quivered, as he said with an effort 
 to suppress emotion, 'She is dead.' 
 
 " 'AVell, my son, you are very young, and you are very 
 sick. You are not able to endure the fatigues of a cam- 
 paign, and if you get better, you had better return home, 
 hadn't you ?' 
 
 " The boy turned his large, eloquent eye upon his in- 
 terrogator, and firmly, but modestl3% replied, as a slight 
 flush passed over his pale, expressive face, ' Not until the 
 roar is over.' 
 
 " ' Why, what can you do, you are so young and so 
 delicate ?' 
 
 " ' I am a marker, sir, and I hope soon to be up and 
 in the field again. I think it my duty.' 
 
 " ' Well, you ought to try and be a good Ijoy, to avoid 
 8a 
 
182 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 ever3-thing that is wrong, and you ought to pray to God 
 to give you a new heart, and to keep you from falling 
 into bad habits.' 
 
 " • I do, sir,' said the little fellow, his ej^es half con- 
 cealed beneath the long, soft lashes. ' M^'' mother taught 
 me to pray. I have kept out of scrapes, and have had 
 no difficulty with any one but once, and I did not seek 
 that one.' 
 
 " The reverend gentleman then held further conversa- 
 tion with the brave little fellow, and promised to see 
 him again." 
 
 The death scenes among these youthful soldiers often 
 evinced the full power of the gospel in conquering death. 
 The glory and triumph of religion were never more fully 
 manifested than in the following scene ; 
 
 " A young soldier, while dying very happily, broke out 
 in singing the following stanza : 
 
 ' Great Jehovah, we adore thee, 
 God the Father, God the Son, 
 God the Spirit, joined in glory 
 On the same eternal throne : 
 
 Endless praises 
 To Jehovah, three in one.' 
 
 "The chaplain then asked if he had any message to 
 send to his friends. ' Yes,' said he. ' Tell my father that 
 I have tried to eat my meals with thanksgiving.' ' Tell 
 him that I have tried to pray as we used to do at home.' 
 ' Tell him that Christ is now all my hope, all my trust, 
 and that he is precious to my soul.' ' Tell him that I 
 am not afraid to die — all is calm.' ' Tell him that I be 
 lieve Christ will take me to himself, and to my dear sis 
 ter who is in heaven.' The voice of the dying boy fal 
 tered in the intervals between these precious sentences 
 When the hymn commencing, ' Nearei", my God, to thee, 
 was read to him, at the end of each stanza he exclaimed, 
 with striking energy, ' Oh, Lord Jesus, thou art coming 
 
SUMMER OF 1862. 183 
 
 nearer to we.' Also, at the end of each stanza of the 
 hymn (which was also read to him) commencing, 
 
 ' Just as I am — without one plea, 
 But that thy blood was shed for me, 
 And that thou bid'st me come to thee, 
 O Ijamb of God, I come,' 
 
 he exclaimed, 'I come! Lamb of God, I comeT Speak- 
 ing again of his friends, he said, ' Tell my father that I 
 died happy.' His last words were, ' Father, I'm coming 
 to thee !' Then the Christian soldier sweetly and calmly 
 ' fell asleep in Jesus.' 
 
 " This was witnessed by about twenty fellow-soldiers, 
 and the effect upon the feelings of all was very marked. 
 Said a Roman Catholic who lay near the dying one, with 
 tears in his eyes, and strong emotion, ' I never want to 
 die happier than that man did.' Said another, ' I never 
 prayed until last night ; but when I saw that man die so 
 happy, I determined to seek religion too.' " 
 
 It was such evidences of the power and value of faith 
 in Christ that made the truth effectual in the salvation 
 of thousands, and that enshrined the cause, for which 
 such Christians fought and fell, so deeply in the hearts 
 of the Southern people. 
 
 To the hearts of anxious fathers, mothers, wives, and 
 sisters, what could give greater consolation in the hour 
 of darkness and grief than the letter of the chaplain 
 giving the simple and touching narrative of the death of 
 the dear one on the battle field, or in the hospital, in the 
 fullness of joy, and sending with the last breath and the 
 last gush of life-blood sweet words of comfort to the 
 loved ones at the old homestead. 
 
 In their darkened homes, hundreds praised God that 
 their children had found Christ in the camp. 
 
184 THE GUEAT REVlVyVL. 
 
 CHAPTER Xr. 
 
 S U M M E U OF 18 6 2. 
 
 The Army of Northern Virginia had scarcely a breath- 
 ing spell after the terrible battles around Riclunond. 
 The concentration of a powerful Federal army under 
 General Pope on the upper Rappahannock, and its re- 
 inforcement by the shattered columns of McClellan, in- 
 dicated a purpose to try again the original Manassas 
 route to the coveted city. General Lee, who seemed to 
 have an intuitive perception of the plans of his adver- 
 saries, at once disposed his forces to meet this new 
 emergency. No sooner had McClellan ship[)ed his heavy 
 war material on board a fleet of transports, and com- 
 mo'iced his stealthy retreat down the Peninsula with a 
 broken and dispirited army, than Jackson was moving 
 with his veterans to watch the braggart, Pope. 
 
 It was a memorable day when his " foot cavalr^^" filed 
 through the streets of Richmond in the highest spirits, 
 chanting their songs and cracking their rude war jokes. 
 " If the Yankees trouble 3'ou again, just send for us to 
 wipe them out," exclaimed a sun-browned, stalwart 
 Georgian in faded butternut clotlies, and a slouch hat 
 with the brim half torn off. " We can flank 'cm, but 
 they can outrun us," cries another ; " You'll hear from 
 old Jack again soon," breaks out a third ; " Marse Robert 
 knows what he's about," exclaims a fourth ; and thus the 
 brave fellows trudged on gay and happy, following their 
 great leader. 
 
 Having reached a convenient point for observation, 
 Jackson soon divined the purposes of Ge.neral Pope. 
 This vain man, who had pompously announced to his 
 troops that his headquarters would be in the saddle, felt 
 
suannER OF 1862. 185 
 
 the power of our great warrior first at the battle of 
 Cedar Mountain. The fight took place on one of the 
 hottest da3's of summer. The Federal troops were ter- 
 rlbl}'^ worsted and driven in confusion from the field, 
 leaving their dead and wounded and many prisoners in 
 our hands. The South was called to deplore the loss of 
 many brave men. General Winder, who commanded 
 the " Stonewall Brigade," was killed on the field, and a 
 uumber of other gallant officers and men here gave 
 their lives to the holy cause. 
 
 This blow from Jackson was an earnest of what was 
 soon to follow. Withdrawing from the vicinit}^ of Cedar 
 Mountain, he completel}^ deceived the enemy, and began 
 that famous flank movement which brought him so un- 
 expectedly to the rear of Pope's army. The Federals 
 in great force had spent weeks in and around the town 
 of Warrenton, Fauquier county, Va., and between that 
 place and Culpeper Courthouse. They had plundered 
 the people without mere}', taking food, clothing, servants, 
 horses, cattle, and, in fact, whatever they fancied was 
 freely appropriated. Implements of agriculture were 
 burned or broken to pieces, on the principle of subduing 
 the rebellion by cutting oS the means of living from 
 citizens and soldiers. The conduct of manj^ of the Fed- 
 eral soldiers was worthy of the most ferocious savages. 
 They would ride over the graves of Confederates in the 
 burying-ground near the town of Warrenton, and stick 
 ba3^onets and fire guns into the graves. The church edi- 
 fices were abused, and the walls defiled with vulgar and 
 licentious scribblings, and in one instance, if not more, 
 the communion table and chairs were stolen from the 
 altar and possibly shipped to the North. A negro brought 
 in from the country a fine piano, which was bought for a 
 trifle by some soldier or sutler, boxed up and sent off as 
 a present to some fair lad}' in a loyal State. 
 
 But the triumph of tlie wicked is short. In the midst 
 of these outrages the appalling news came that Jackson 
 
18G THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 was in their rear. The mighty host was thrown into 
 confnsion ; and in vain it labored to check that scries 
 of brilliant movements-on the part of the Confederates 
 which culminated in the terrific battles of the 28th, 29th, 
 and 30th of August. Jackson's column was followed by 
 that of Longstreet, and General Lee came after his two 
 great Lieutenants with the remainder of the Confederate 
 army. The troops were ordered to relieve themselves 
 of everything except what was actually necessary. 
 
 " After marching with the army on foot from Gordons- 
 ville to Leesburg," sa3's Rev. J. W. Mills, " sleeping on 
 a single blanket, with heaven's blue vault for a covering, 
 suffering hunger and weariness in common with officers 
 and men, I am convinced that the soldier's life in Vir- 
 ginia is one of fighting and toil, and the chaplaincy is 
 no sinecure. By order of those in command, we carry 
 nothing with us but one blanket, a small haversack, and 
 the clothes we wear. The wagons carry only a half or 
 one-third of a load ; every weight thus laid aside, men 
 and teams are put up to their best speed, marching by 
 day and by night — sometimes forty hours together — with 
 now and then short halts for rest and sleep. Thus you 
 may account for our celerity of movement. Our troops 
 are notwithstanding always in fine spirits, having much 
 pleasurable amusement along the way, calling themselves 
 General Lee's foot cavalrj^ etc." 
 
 The same writer, attached to Longstreet's corps, gives 
 a lively account of the march and its incidents : 
 
 " Soon after leaving Gordonsville, we commenced 
 shelling the Yankees. First, on Mountain Run creek, 
 we had a pretty sharp artillery duel with them, but with 
 little loss to us, hung a spy, and moved forward. Then, 
 on the Rapidan river, we shelled them again. Next they 
 appeared on the Rappahannock river, and we skirmished 
 again. Here we saw some Yankees two days dead on 
 the battle-field, and buried them. They were horrible to 
 beiiold. Gen. Jackson had been there before us. We 
 
suMiviEn OF 1862. 187 
 
 pushed forward, passing through Orleans and Salem ; 
 at the latter place we learned the Yankees were only a 
 few hours ahead of us/ The young ladies waved their 
 handkerchiefs at us, saying, 'Whip the Yankees; don't 
 let thera come here.' One sweet little girl said, in her 
 own winning way, ' Oh, they run, they run.' Our boys 
 declared they felt perfectlj^ rested, and moved forward 
 with eager haste. At Thoroughfare Gap they made a 
 stand, and part of our forces had a sharp battle with 
 them, completely routing them with great slaughter. 
 This took place among the mountains to the right of the 
 Gap, We were not delayed more than three hours by 
 this battle. Night came on, but we pressed forward 
 through the Gap, over the rocks, through the water and 
 mud — one of the darkest nights I ever saw. Early the 
 next morning we passed through Haymarket. The Yan- 
 kees were two hours ahead of us, double-quicking. At 
 their camp was a hog half consumed in the tire. Near 
 the road was a beef skinned and abandoned. All along 
 the way we found small arms thrown away, wagon-wheels 
 with half the spokes cut out, one wagon on fire, and 
 other evidences of hasty skedadcUivg. Our troops pushr^d 
 forward, 'faint but pursuing.' Soon we came up with 
 them, and fighting commenced. This was on Tuesday, 
 the beginning of the battle which ended on Saturda}^ so 
 gloriously for our cause. Thursday and Friday were 
 spent in skirmishing. Pearly Saturday cannonading com- 
 menced in earnest, both sides manifesting great spirit ; 
 about noon the musketry fighting commenced ; at four 
 o'clock P. M., the battle was general and most terrific. 
 For about one hour the Yankees stood and fought hero- 
 ically. Those who stood and fought thus were nearly 
 annihilated. They were compelled to give wa}'. T could 
 hear the well-known whoop of our troops, as the}^ charged 
 and took battery after battery from the enemy. About 
 sundown the last battery was charged and taken : then 
 followed an ominous silence. The Yankees were fleeing: 
 
188 THE GREAT UEVIVAL. 
 
 in wild confusion ; our artillery moved forward rapidly, 
 and from the higlier ground poured shot and shell into 
 their broken and fugitive columns. Nothing could be 
 heard on their side but the roar and rush of getting away 
 over the rocky turnpike. Night closed the scene." 
 
 It is well known that at the second battle of Manas- 
 sas the position of the two armies was exactly reversed. 
 The contest raged over the same ground already made 
 sacred by the memorable victory of the preceding year. 
 Many a brave man marched back to die on the spot 
 where he had first met the storm of battle. The Con- 
 federates were stimulated to deeds of true heroism by 
 the memories that clustered around the field of strife — 
 the Federals fought under the depressing recollection of 
 former defeat and disaster. The three days' struggle 
 ended on Saturday evening in the total route of Pope's 
 army. We again quote from Mr. Mills' graphic letter : 
 
 " On Sunday morning, I rode along the road by which 
 they fled across Bull Run. That must have been a ter- 
 rific race for dear life, if broken wagons, capsized am- 
 bulances, dismounted cannon, the road for miles paved 
 with scores of boxes and barrels of hard bread, aban- 
 doned haversacks and blankets, dead horses and dead 
 men, is any evidence of such a race. 
 
 "The battle-field ! what a scene ! Here death is feast- 
 ing on his thousands at a meal. The field was red with 
 wounded and dead Zouaves. They were literally cut to 
 pieces by the Texans. In one part of the field I saw an 
 intelligent looking Yankee with his thigh broken. He 
 had lain all night in the rain in that condition. I said 
 to him : ' My dear fellow, you are in great pain ; can 
 I do anything for you ?' Said he : ' Oh, sir, if I could 
 get some one to amputate my leg, I think I would not 
 suffer so much.' ' Our surgeons are all busy now with 
 our own wounded ; when they are through with them, I 
 presume the}' will attend to you.' I replied. Close by 
 was another, shot through the lungs, breathing his last. 
 
SUMJIER OF 1862. 189 
 
 111 his mouth was a mass of froth, tinged with blood, al- 
 most half as large as his head. Another was shot 
 through the head, his brains scattered upon the ground ; 
 yet he had lived all night, and was now groaning in the 
 agonies of death. These are only a few cases out of 
 thousands. I stood there in my place and counted in a 
 small space twenty dead Yankees — five of them shot 
 through the head, blood and brains running out together 
 in a stream of several feet. From all that I could see 
 in the part of the field I A'isited. there were ten dead 
 Yankees to one of ours. This was the position occupied 
 by Gen. Longstreet's division. 
 
 "The field was literally filled with small arms of the 
 best quality. When they broke to run, every one must 
 have thrown away his gun. Some were broken — others 
 were loaded and in good condition. Our men swapped 
 guns, as they found those which suited their fancy better 
 than their own. Having eaten but little for two days 
 and nights, many of them fared sumptuously that night 
 from the well-filled haversacks of their vanquished foe. 
 They also supplied themselves with splendid oilcloths 
 and blankets. Love-letters and letters from wives, mo- 
 thers, and sisters, with many likenesses, were picked up 
 from among the slain. 
 
 "I heard from the battle-field on Tuesday after the 
 battle, and the dead of the enemy were unburied. The 
 enemy made no halt — were pushing forward to get ad- 
 vantage of us. Our hands were full. Some of their 
 braves, who would have a farm at the. South, and wan- 
 tonly destroyed the property of private citizens under 
 the infamous order of their leader, were there on the 
 field half-eaten up by the hogs." 
 
 In the quiet, rural districts in the vicinity of these bat- 
 tle-fields, the same scenes were repeated that had so re- 
 cently been witnessed in and around Richmond. Gen. 
 Lee, moving rapidly after the retreating foe, was com- 
 pelled to leave his broken-down, sick, and wounded men 
 
190 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 behind. Every village, and almost every farm-house, for 
 many miles around, was crowded with sick and wounded 
 Confederates, The condition of our own men was pitia- 
 ble enough, but the Federal wounded suffered to the last 
 degree of horror. For five or six days hundreds of them 
 lay about in the ravines, and under clum})s of shrubbery, 
 and in the open fields, exposed to the pelting rains, with- 
 out covering, suffering the intolerable pangs of hunger 
 and thirst, superadded to the torture of fly-blown, fester- 
 ing wounds. 
 
 The victorious legions of Lee swept on toward jMary- 
 land, leaving the discomfited arm^'^ of Pope huddled 
 around Washington city. As the army approached Lees- 
 burg, Va., the Federals who occupied that place precipi- 
 tately fled across the Potomac. 
 
 "They had come over from the Point of Rock," sa3's 
 Mr. Mills in his narrative, "to arrest some offensive citi- 
 zens, among them some soldiers. They had gone so far 
 in their cowardly work as to leave some of their victims 
 under guard, when our cavalry came to their rescue. 
 An old citizen of Leesburg described the scene to me 
 thus : 'We were like Israel of old — tlie mountains flank- 
 ing us, the Red Sea before us, and the Egyptians in our 
 rear. We could see no means of escape, and were trem- 
 bling with alarm, with a haught}'^ foe dictating to us. I 
 was sitting in the piazza, and saw a little dirty fellow 
 dash into the street on a little gray pony with a double- 
 barrel shot-gun in his hand. Said I to m3'self, 'That 
 must be one of our boj'S.' The Yankees were rushing 
 past in wild dismay. I saw him present his gun and 
 fire, and down tumbled a Yankee. He wlieeled and 
 fired the other barrel, and another fell. I heard some- 
 body say, ' Two of the rascals are down.' The Yankees 
 retreated a short distance from town and made a stand. 
 Our boys charged them with their swords, and they l)roke 
 for the Potomac, screaming as they approached, 'IJring 
 over the boat ! brino: over the boat !' But a ferrv-l>oat 
 
suMirER OF 1862. 191 
 
 was too slow business for them, and they plunged in and 
 swam across.' 
 
 "The ladies of Leesburg, regardless of the deadly 
 missiles, rushed into the streets, clapping their hands 
 and shouting, ' Victory ! victory !' There is nothing 
 they fear so much now as a return of the Yankees. 
 Thank God ! this part of Virginia is now free from their 
 polluting tread. Through the strong arm of Omnipo- 
 tence we have shelled them out, and wives, mothers, and 
 daughters, breathe freely once more in their dear 
 homes." 
 
 The devotion and self-sacrifice which our people mani- 
 fested in their attentions to the sick and wounded men, 
 who were left along the track of the army, can never be 
 surpassed. Warrenton, a small town of fifteen hundred 
 inhabitants, was crowded with more than two thousand 
 wounded soldiers from the battle-fields, hungry, bleed- 
 ing, and with no clothes but what they had on, and these 
 cut, and torn, and bloody ; and in many instances their 
 gaping wounds were alive with crawling maggots. 
 
 Rev. J. W. Talley, of Georgia, who labored in the 
 place as a nurse of the poor, suffering men, and there 
 consigned to the grave his first-born son, pays a feeling 
 tribute to the citizens who opened their hearts and 
 houses to their countrymen : 
 
 "The ladies, aided by their husbands, are seen every- 
 where. They are angels of mercy, not idle lookers-on, 
 but busy, carrying food and helping in everj' way they 
 can to alleviate and soothe the suflTerer. They divided 
 their beds and bed-clothing and fed these hundreds as 
 long as they had wherewith to do it, and until the Gov- 
 ernment sent aid — for nearl}- a week — all were supported 
 by the inhabitants. When aid did come from Govern- 
 ment, it was inadequate. Every house in the town was 
 appropriated to the wounded and sick, as each family 
 took in as many as it could. Some sixt3^ tents were 
 pitched, and these were filled. Our soldiers, after all the 
 
192 THE GREAT REVIVAL, 
 
 people could do, were to be seen lying on a handful of 
 «traw, or on the floor or ground, without a blanket to 
 cover their lacerated and bleeding bodies." 
 
 In the midst of these scenes of horror there was many 
 a bright and joyous departure to the world of peace and 
 rest. Speaking of the death of his son, Mr. Talley 
 says : 
 
 '•M}'^ son, after he had lain in a storehouse from Mon- 
 day to Tuesday evening on a blanket and a handful of 
 straw, was furnished bj'^ a kind lady with a straw mat- 
 tress, on which he is now dying. May God remember 
 her in mercy ' in that daj'.' 
 
 '•The night of the 29th was a night of pain, anxiety, 
 deep, unutterable emotion. We sat or kneeled by his 
 couch, and poured out our souls in prayer for the suf- 
 ferer. He wanted me to pray for him, and almost suffo- 
 cated with emotion, silent prayer yielded to sobs and 
 praj^ers. At the close, I asked him if he loved Jesus, 
 lie answered 'Yes.' I asked him if he was going to 
 heaven ; he said : ' I hope so ;' and wanted us all to meet 
 him in heaven. He then threw his arms around his 
 mother's neck, and returned her fond embrace and 
 kisses, sent by her a kiss to each of his sisters, and one 
 b}' me to his brother Willie, now in Gen. Bragg's army. 
 The struggle lasted until Tuesday, September 30th, at 2 
 o'clock P. M., when the tranquil, happy spirit was re- 
 leased from its clay prison. Tlie casket was broken and 
 the jewel was gone." 
 
 The same triumphant death scenes were witnessed on 
 the battle-field of the Second Manassas that had cast 
 such a radiance over Southern patriotism in the previous 
 battles of the war. " Give my love to parents and 
 friends," said a young soldier, dying of his wounds ; 
 " tell them all is well ; I am not afraid to die, for I know 
 they are praying for me." Another, the son of a faith- 
 ful clergyman, fell mortally wounded by a shell. A 
 friend near by gave him water, for which he thanked 
 
SUMMER OF 1862. 193 
 
 him, saying, "I am a (lying patriot," and then added, 
 "Tell my father I died like a man and a hero." A 
 brave young Christian, when told by the surgeon that 
 he could not live, sent home his last message : " Tell 
 my relations, father and mother, sisters and brothers, 
 that I trust I am prepared to meet my God. Fare- 
 well, one and all, I bid you a long farewell, I hope to 
 meet you all in heaven," Another gallant soldier, 
 who was killed as the line of battle was being formed, 
 left a pleasing testimony ; just before leaving to join the 
 Sivmy, he wrote : '• I wish only to know my duty ; it 
 then remains for me to perform it. It was a great trial 
 to part with my family ; I seemed to realize that the 
 parting was final ; but my country calls, and I cheerfully 
 go forward to death." It was soon after that he went 
 from the carnage of battle to the peaceful home of the 
 blessed. 
 
 But it is needless to multiply these instances of heroic 
 devotion and pious resignation. In every hospital, and 
 on every field, thej-^ appeared, giving sanctity to the 
 cause of the South, and forever enshrining those who 
 laid down their lives for it in the warm affections of a 
 grateful people. 
 
194 THE GREAT KE^T\'AL. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 AUTUMN OF 1862. 
 
 The sudden appearance of the Confederate army in 
 Mar3'land, after the second great victor}^ at IManassas, 
 startled and perplexed the Federal authorities. The un- 
 fortunate General Pope was at once displaced from the 
 chief command as unequal to the emergency, and Gene- 
 ral McClellan again took the direction of military af- 
 fairs. General Lee moved rapidly into Federicktown. 
 from which place, on the 8th of September, he issued an 
 address to the people of INIar^dand. From this point a 
 portion of the Southern army was moved seemingly in 
 the direction of Pennsylvania, but really for important 
 operations in Virginia. 
 
 After sending a portion of his force to hold the Mary- 
 land Heights, opposite Harper's Ferry, General Jackson 
 was directed by General Lee to recross the Potomac at 
 Williamsport, capture Martinsburg, and, b}^ a rapid 
 movement, completel}' surround Harper's Ferry. 
 
 Jackson marched with his wonted celerit}' ; Martins- 
 biwg fell with its garrison and stores, and the investment 
 of the Ferry was effected on the 13th of September. No 
 sooner did iMcClellan hear of the movements of Jackson 
 than he resolved to make a powerful effort to defeat his 
 plans. Leaving Washington with 80,000 men, on Sun- 
 day, near Boonsboro, lie threw his whole force against 
 the corps of Gen. D. II. Hill, which was the rear guard 
 of our armj'. aud had been placed at this point by Gen. 
 Lee to impede the reinforcing column. The battle was 
 obstinate and bloody, but General Hill nobly stood his 
 ground, reinforced in the afternoon by Longstreet's corps, 
 and the object of the Federals, the relief of Harper's 
 
AUTU3IN OF 1862. 195 
 
 Ferry, was defeated, While the battle was raging, the 
 place was surrendered b}'^ General Miles, with his entire 
 force of 11,000 men, the same number of small ai'ms, 73 
 pieces of cannon, 200 wagons, with a vast amount of 
 stores and camp equipage. 
 
 General Jackson announced this event in his laconic 
 style : " Yesterday' God crowned our arms with anotlier 
 brilliant success in the surrender of IIari)er's Ferr}-." 
 
 The Federals having gained Crampton's Gap in the 
 rear of Gen. McLaws, who held the Maryland Heights, 
 Gen. Lee retired to Sharpsburg, where lie conkl readily 
 unite his whole army. On Monday our urni}^ took posi- 
 tion in front of Sharpsburg, and Jackson, leaving Har- 
 per's Ferrj^ rejoined his chief in time to participate in 
 the impending battle. 
 
 The fight opened on Tuesday afternoon about six 
 o'clock, and was kept up until nine at night, when it sub- 
 sided into skirmishes along the lines. Jt was reopened 
 by Jackson on Wednesday, and soon l)eeame general. 
 Both armies fought desperately tliroughout the whole 
 day. At niglit the Confederates held nearly the entire 
 field, and the Federals retired to their former position. 
 The next morning our men stood ready to recommence 
 the work of death, but no assault was made by the 
 Northern army. P^ach army, it seems, expected the 
 other to attack. Late in the evening of the 18th, Gen. 
 Lee issued the order for' the return of his arm}' to Vir- 
 ginia. The al)le correspondent of the Savannaii Repub- 
 lican, who was on the spot, gives the following account 
 of this masterly movement : 
 
 " Whether Gen. Lee took this step from a military' ne- 
 cessity, or for some strategic purpose, or because he had 
 accomplished the object of his movement into Mary- 
 land — the capture of Harper's P'erry — I am unable to 
 say. The order was issued late last evening, and by the 
 time it was quite dark the wagons, artiller}', and troops 
 beeran to move. All the wounded that were in a condi- 
 
196 THE GREAT REAHVAL. 
 
 tion to be moved had been taken across the river. Those 
 whose wounds were ver}^ severe or mortal, unfortunatelj', 
 had to be left behind, and fell into the hand of the 
 enemy. Some of the wounded had never been removed 
 from the field, having fallen on a part of the ground still 
 held by the enemy. Many of the dead were buried yes- 
 terday, and some were transferred to this bank of the 
 river. It was not quite three miles to the Potomac, and 
 our wagon trains extended from Sharpsburg over to the 
 Virginia side. There were only two roads by which we 
 could proceed, one of which was taken by the troops and 
 the other by the artillery and wagons. Our lines caine 
 up within a short distance of the enemy's, yet so silently 
 and adroitly was the movement conducted that McClel- 
 lan was not aware of it until next morning. It had 
 rained in the afternoon, and the roads were muddy be- 
 low, while the heavens were covered with a light fog 
 above, both of which facilitated the enterprise. We had 
 crossed into Maryland by the bright and early morning 
 sun ; we returned in silence and at the dead hour of 
 night. The columns wound their way over the hills 
 and along the valleys like some huge, indistinct mon- 
 ster. 
 
 Whatever was the motive to the movement, it must be 
 regarded as one of the most successful and extraordi- 
 nary exploits in the history of any country, and stamps 
 the man that ordered and executed it as one of the 
 greatest military leaders in our time and generation. 
 With the exception of the wounded and a few wagons 
 that got turned over in the darkness, not a man or wagon 
 nor a single piece of artillery was lost. The crossing 
 was accomplished by half-past six this morning, and 
 soon thereafter the enemy's artillery opened a harmless 
 fire from the opposite heights. The bird had flown, how- 
 ever, and his rage was impotent." 
 
 The Federals themselves confessed to the admirable 
 generalship displayed by the great Confederate leader. 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 197 
 
 The correspondent of the New York Tribune, in refer- 
 ring to it, said : 
 
 " The whole of the rebel army has got entirely off 
 across the river by this morning with everything — guns, 
 ammunition, provisions — everything, as far as I have 
 seen, worth taking. My fears are thus realized — the 
 enemy lias taken the advantage of yesterday's repose 
 and last night's darkness, and has quietly passed over 
 the river and effected a successful retreat. The retreat, 
 so far as the marching part of the army was concerned, 
 was a splendid success. But two disabled guns, one 
 ambulance, five barrels of flour, and two barrels of salt, 
 were all the property they left in our possession. A 
 cleaner, neater retreat, considering all the circumstances, 
 was never made. ' It is,' said a gentleman to me, ' Cor- 
 inth repeated, only much more neatly.' The enemy out- 
 wit us under our ver}' noses." 
 
 The battle of Sharpsburg was fought under almost 
 every disadvantage on the part of the Confederates; 
 The men had been marching or fighting nearly every day 
 from the time they left Richmond ; the transportation 
 was deficient, food was scarce, thousands were sick, and 
 tliousands were straggling along the entire line of march 
 from Richmond to Maryland. The writer just quoted 
 thus speaks of the men who, from early dawn to dewy 
 eve, hurled back the columns of McClellan's immense 
 array on the memorable field of Sharpsburg : 
 
 " I can recall no parallel instance in history, except 
 Napoleon's disastrous retreat from Moscow, where an 
 army has ever done more marching and fighting, under 
 such great disadvantages, than General Lee's has done 
 since it left the banks of James river. It proceeded 
 directly to the line of the Rappahannock, and moving 
 out from that river, it fought its way to the Potomac, 
 crossed that stream and moved on to Fredericktown and 
 Hagerstown. had a heavy engagement at Boonsboro Gap, 
 and another at Crampton Gap below, fought the greatest 
 
198 THE GRKAT REVIVAL. 
 
 pitched battle of the war at Sharpsburg. and then re- 
 crossed the Potomac back into Virginia. During all this 
 time, covering the full space of a month, the troops rested 
 but four daj's ! And let it always be remembered to 
 their honor, that of the men who performed this wonder- 
 ful feat one-fifth of them were barefooted, one-half of 
 them in rags, and the whole of them half-famished. The 
 countr}^ from the Rappahannock to the Potomac had 
 been visited by tiie enemy with fire and sword, and our 
 transportation was insufficient to keep the army supplied 
 from so distant a base as Gordonsville ; and when the 
 provision trains would overtake the army, so pressing 
 were the exigencies of their position the men seldom 
 had time to cook. Their difficulties were increased by 
 the fact that their cooking utensils, in many cases, had 
 been left behind, as well as everything else that would 
 impede their movements. It was not unusual to see a 
 company of starving men have a barrel of flour dis- 
 tributed to them, which it was utterly impossible for 
 them to convert into bread with the means and the time 
 allowed to them. They could not procure even a piece 
 of plank, or a corn or flour sack, upon which to work up 
 their dough. 
 
 " No army on this continent has ever accomplished as 
 much, or suffered as much, as the army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia within the last three months. At no period during 
 the first Revolutionarj'' war — not even at Valley Forge — 
 did our forefathers in arms encounter greater hardships, 
 or endure them more uncomplainingly. 
 
 "If the Arm}'" of Virginia could march through the 
 South just as it is — ragged and almost barefooted and 
 hatless — many of the men limping along and not quite 
 well of their wounds or sickness, yet cheerful and not 
 willing to abandon their places in the ranks — their clothes 
 riddled with balls, and their banners covered with the 
 smoke and dust of battle, and shot into tatters, many of 
 them inscribed 'Williamsburg,' 'Seven Pines,' 'Gaines' 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G2. 199 
 
 Mill,' 'Garnett's Farm,' ' Front Royal,' 'McDowell,' 'Ce- 
 dar Run,' and other victorious fields — if this array ot 
 veterans, thus clad and shod, witli tattered uniforms and 
 banners, could march from Richmond to the Mississippi, 
 it would produce a sensation that has no parallel in his- 
 tory since Peter the Hermit led his swelling hosts across 
 Europe to the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre." 
 
 But the highest eulogy on this army came from him 
 who had led it to victory, and under whose eye its heroic 
 deeds were performed. After their return to Virginia, 
 General Lee spoke to his half-famished, half-naked, but 
 invincible legions in tliis noble strain : 
 
 "In reviewing the achievements of the array during 
 the present campaign, the Commanding General cannot 
 withhold the expression of his admiration of the indomi- 
 table courage it has displayed in battle, and its cheerful 
 endurance of privation and hardships on the march. 
 
 " Since 3^our great victories around Richmond, you 
 have defeated the enemy at Cedar Mountain, expelled 
 him from the Rappahannock, and, after a conflict of 
 three days, utterly repulsed him on the plains of Ma- 
 nassas and forced him to take shelter within the fortifi- 
 cations around his capital. 
 
 " Without halting for repose you crossed the Potomac, 
 stormed the heights of Harper's Ferry, made prisoners 
 of more than eleven thousand men, and captured up- 
 wards of seventy pieces of artillery, all their small 
 arms, and other munitions of war. 
 
 "While one corps of the array was thus engaged, the 
 other insured its success by arresting at Boonsboro the 
 combined armies of the enemy, advancing under their 
 favorite General to the relief of their beleaguered com- 
 rades. 
 
 '•On the field of Sharpsburg, with less than one-third 
 his numbers, you resisted, from daylight until dark, the 
 whole army of the enemy, and repulsed every attack 
 along his entire front of more than four miles in extent. 
 
200 THE GUEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 " The whole of the following day you stood prepared 
 to resume the conflict on the same ground, and retired 
 next morning, without molestation, across the Poto- 
 mac. 
 
 "Two attempts, subsequently made by the enemy, to 
 follow 3^ou across the river have resulted in his complete 
 discomfiture and being driven bacli with loss. 
 
 "Achievements such as these demanded much valor 
 and patriotism. History records few examples of greater 
 fortitude and endurance than this army has exhibited ; 
 and I am commissioned by the President to thank you, 
 in the name of the Confederate States, for the undying 
 fame you have won for their arms." 
 
 The valor and endurance of the Southern troops in 
 this campaign are attested by their faithful ministers 
 who labored da}^ and niglit for their spiritual good. Rev. 
 J. W. Mills, chaplain of a Florida regiment, gives a 
 graphic picture of the havoc of war : 
 
 "Many of our regiment fell in the terrible battle of 
 Sharpsburg. We occupied tlie centre, where the enemy 
 made his fiercest attack, hoping to break our lines in 
 that vital part of the field, and so win the day. The 
 enemy were formed in a semicircle on the side of a hill. 
 Our brave men marched up to the attack until they 
 could see the lieads and shoulders of their adversaries 
 over the summit of the hill, when firing (;ommenced. 
 From the two wings and the centre of this semicircle 
 they poured upon us a murderous fire for about one 
 hour. Five times our colors fell, but as often our men 
 rushed to the spot and raised them to the breeze. Fi- 
 nally, a retreat was ordered — at that moment the colors 
 fell and were left. The enemy had suffered too much, 
 notwithstanding his advantages, to pursue, and our gal- 
 lant Lieutenant-Colonel, already wounded in the arm, 
 went back and brought them away under a shower of 
 bullets." 
 
 In the midst of this carnage manv a heart turned to 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 201 
 
 the God of battles for refuge and comfort. Mr. Mills 
 again writes : 
 
 "A young man said to me after the battle : 'When I 
 was going into the battle, I put my trust in God, and he 
 has brought me through untouched, and I am grateful to 
 him.' And the tears stood in his eyes as he spoke. He 
 was an unconverted man when he went into the fight. 
 Last night at preaching, while referring to the incidents 
 of the battle and how God had preserved them, man}' 
 tears fell, and many countenances spoke louder than 
 words undying gratitude to the God of all grace." 
 
 The instances of calm Christian courage exhibited on 
 the field of Sharpsburg have never been surpassed. 
 Here, with thousands of other heroes. Captain James G. 
 Rogers, of Macon, Ga., offered his life on the altar of 
 his country. He was a worthj'^ citizen and a most useful 
 Christian. As a minister and Sabbath School Superin- 
 tendent, he exerted a happy influence wherever he la- 
 bored to do good. He entered the service a captain of 
 the Central City Blues, of the renowned 12th Georgia, 
 and endured cheerfully all the hardships of the soldier's 
 life. He passed unharmed through seventeen desperate 
 battles, and fell gloriously on this bloody field. Wearied 
 and almost worn out by the investment of Harper's 
 Ferry and the march to the battle-field, his men lay on 
 their arms awaiting the attack which was to be made at 
 dawn of day. The assault was terrible, and for an hour 
 Captain Rogers, in command of the regiment, passed up 
 and down the line encouraging his men. While thus ex- 
 posed, all the fingers of his left hand were shot off, and 
 he was severely wounded in the thigh, but he remained 
 with his men until forced to leave by sheer exhaustion. 
 As he was moving oflT, supported by some of his men, a 
 bullet struck him in the back of the head, killing him in- 
 stantly. "Thus fell," says the friend from wiiom we 
 take this account, "one of the purest, bravest men of 
 our immortalized Confederate army." When he bado 
 
202 THE GRKAT KE VITAL. 
 
 adieu to his family, he said : " If we meet no more on 
 eartli, let us meet in heaven." In his letters i;«)me lio 
 often said: "I never go into battle without feeling pre- 
 pared to meet my God." On the morning of his hist 
 battle he arranged for the disposal of his effects as if lie 
 full}' expected to fall. " Blessed are the dead who die 
 in the Lord." 
 
 On the same field fell Major James Harvey Dingle, of 
 South Carolina. He was a true Christian soldier. His 
 Colonel said of him : " He was one of the bravest men I 
 ever saw. He did not know what fear was. He was 
 killed near me, and I took the flag from his hand as he 
 was dying ; he died without a groan, and looked as if he 
 was sleeping. He was blessed by the men and olflcers, 
 and was a kind, courteous, efficient, and accomplished 
 officer ; his loss to the Legion (Hampton) is great. His 
 name will be cherished by the sons of Carolina so long 
 as the good, patriotic, and brave are appreciated." 
 
 Such cases were not isolated ones in the Southera 
 armies ; there were hundreds, yea, thousands, of such 
 earnest, faithful, godly men, who endured hardships, 
 poured out their blood, and died in peace amid the rage 
 and carnage of the battle. The dying words of our 
 Christian soldiers, their messages of love, whispered 
 amid the roar of cannon and the rattle of rausketiy, in 
 the ear of some comrade who bent over them and gave 
 a cooling draught from liis canteen, would fill volumes if 
 thej' could be collected. It is only by fragments, how- 
 ever, that we can gather up their precious sentences that 
 si)arkle with a heavenly light in tlie midst of the gloomy 
 horrors of war. Many of the best and purest were left 
 scattered over the wide, blood-soaked fields, and lan- 
 guished and died from home and friends in liospitals and 
 prisons ; and not until the coming of their comrades who 
 survived and returned home did their friends and fami- 
 lies receive the sweet messages of love that were laid 
 like healing balm on their bleeding hearts. 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G2. 203 
 
 Never were stronger proofs given of the sustaining 
 and comforting power of religion than during this terri- 
 ble war, which stripped our homes of loved ones, our 
 land of plenty, our hearts of joy, and left us nothing to 
 fall back upon in our sufferings and humiliation but the 
 promises of God, who poured out his Spirit so richly 
 upon our soldiers in all the hardships of the march and 
 in all the unutterable anguish that followed our great 
 battles. 
 
204 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 AUTUMN OF 1862. 
 
 The return of the army to Virginia, and the repose 
 absohitely necessary after so arduous a campaign, were 
 highly favorable to the spread of religion in all our 
 camps. The men wero deeply impressed by the dangers 
 thej^ had escaped, and their hearts were opened to re- 
 ceive the truth. 
 
 " They gladly hear," writes a clergyman, " and with 
 alacrity assist the chaplain in all his work. They gather 
 the congregations for preaching by singing hymns under 
 some spreading tree in the midst of our camp after cir- 
 culating the appointment among the different companies. 
 These sweet songs of Zion may sometimes be heard in 
 different parts of the camp at the same time, reminding 
 one very forcibly of our camp-meetings at home. I have 
 seen or heard of but little scoffing at religion and reli- 
 gious people in the camps. In this respect I have been 
 very happil}' disappointed, from what I had been told of 
 camp-life. The most perfect decorum is observed during 
 divine service, and the most perfect respect is mani- 
 fested for those who serve God." 
 
 Earl}' in October, while the armj^ lay near "Winchester, 
 there were evident signs of a deep awakening among 
 the troops. Rev. J. W. Mills, in a letter to Bishop 
 Pierce, of Georgia, spoke cheeringly of their religious 
 meetings : 
 
 " Since my last," he writes, " the great Head of the 
 Church has wouderfull}^ favored us with a gracious revi- 
 val of his work in the camp among the soldiers. We 
 had preaching every night for nearly a week. There 
 was an average of about twenty-five anxious seekers, 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 205 
 
 who approached when the invitation was given, and 
 kneeled upon the ground near the spot occupied by the 
 chaplain. It was a solemnly impressive scene. Many 
 manly tears were shed, and many noble hearts throbbed 
 with deep emotion. If tJiere was mocking, we heeded 
 it not; the loud whistling, talking, hallooing, cooking, 
 eating, and constant moving about the camp, disturbed 
 us not ; the loud calls of the sentinel close by, ' Sergeant 
 of the guard, post number four,' drew us not off from our 
 purpose. God was in our thoughts and hearts. We 
 were dead to the things of this world. Fifteen joined 
 the Church during this protracted meeting, and we have 
 good hope that many of them have been soundl}'^ con- 
 verted. 
 
 " During the meeting a man said to me, ' Sir, I am a 
 renegade from your Church, and am now a skeptic ; I 
 want your advice.' Said I, 'If I had been in your 
 present condition when you were in the full enjoyment 
 of religion, and had applied to you for advice, what ad- 
 vice would you have given me?' 'Get back into the 
 Church and the service of God as soon as possible,' said 
 he, quickl}'. 'That is my advice to you then,' I re- 
 sponded. ' ril do it,' said he ; and so he did the first 
 time the door of the Church was opened. 
 
 " Friends and our loved ones at home have not been 
 forgotten b}'' us in our praj'ers and our rejoicing. One 
 said to me, just before service one night : ' I want you 
 to remember my wife and children in 3^our prayers to- 
 night.' What a privilege ! God will hear us and bless 
 them. Many knew not what blessings wife and children, 
 home, and peace were, till this cruel war poured over us 
 its tide of woe and miser3^ Oh, God ! convert the sol- 
 dier and protect his wife and children during his ab- 
 sence." 
 
 The heart}' singing in these gatherings in the fields or 
 forests was truly delightful. Hundreds of strong, manly 
 voices poured out a volume of rich melodv on the evcn- 
 
 •tA 
 
206 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 ing air. Among the favorite hymns of the soldiers 
 were — 
 
 " How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, 
 Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word !" 
 
 And those stirring lines, so applicable to our suflFering 
 heroes — 
 
 " Am I a soldier of the Cross, 
 A follower of the Lamb, 
 And shall I fear to own his cause, 
 Or blush to speak his name?" 
 
 These scenes were full of the elements that stir the 
 soul in all its noblest feelings. In their tattered gar- 
 ments, some hatless, many shoeless, wrapped in their 
 blankets, sat these Confederate soldiers around their 
 camp-fires, listening to the Word of Truth from the lips 
 of the chaplain or some pious comrade ; and, in the ab- 
 sence of preacher and exhorter, joining in the prayer- 
 meeting with hearts full of gratitude to God for his pro- 
 tecting power amidst the dangers of the war. 
 
 The following scene, described by Captain Kirkpat- 
 rick, of Lynchburg, Va., will give the reader a vivid pic- 
 ture of those blessed seasons of grace among the men 
 of war : 
 
 "A few, including seven who were not professors of 
 religion, as they sat around their camp-fire, began to 
 sing hymns in God's praise. I went and joined in the 
 singing. After a little while, I made a few remarks to 
 the little company — no formal address, but as I sat on 
 the ground, and in a conversational way. I said to them 
 that it would be such a blessed thing if those present 
 would agree to consecrate themselves to God from that 
 hour. I pointed them to the blood of Jesus as the only 
 atonement for sin, and to his righteousness as our only 
 ground of acceptance with God the Father. I then 
 asked each man present what he purposed with refer- 
 ence to the salvation of his soul. To my surprise, every 
 man present, except one, declared himself ready then 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 207 
 
 and there to give up sin, to turn unto God with a full 
 purpose of new obedience, and, resting on Jesus for sal- 
 vation and grace, to lead a new life thenceforth. This 
 was the happy beginning of a glorious work. Elvery 
 night since that it has grown in the depth of its solemn 
 earnestness, until it has in many respects become the 
 most remarkable outpouring of converting grace I ever 
 witnessed. During a part of the time the weather was 
 very threatening and unpleasant, but this did not pre- 
 vent the gathering of rejoicing saints and anxious in- 
 quirers around the bright camp-fire. To them the gospel 
 has been preached most fully and tenderl}'. Between 
 forty and fifty of my own company have been hopefully 
 converted, and are very happy in hope of a blissful and 
 peaceful immortality. Some of the hardest hearts, long- 
 lived and desperate sinners, have been melted under the 
 power of the truth, and, like little children, have come 
 to Jesus. I am rejoiced to see that the young converts 
 seem to be aiming more at the substantial graces of faith, 
 humilit}', and love, than to obtain joy, or peace, or com- 
 fort. Another good sign is the fact that every one im- 
 mediately engages in the work, and seems most anxious 
 to do something for perishing souls around him." 
 
 Rev. Dr. Stiles, whose eloquent and powerful sermons 
 can never be forgotten by those who heard them in the 
 army or elsewhere, gives a deeply interesting account 
 of his labors while the army lay in the neighborhood of 
 Winchester. In a letter to the Christian Observer, he 
 says : 
 
 " My object in addressing you a note at this time is 
 to apprise you and all sympathizing Christian brethren 
 and sisters in Richmond of the happy, religious condition 
 of that part of the army of the Potomac which lies 
 within the range of my present observation. 
 
 "At his earnest request, I preached to General Fry- 
 er's brigade last Sabbath. Upon one hour's notice, he 
 marched up twelve or fifteen hundred men, who listened 
 
208 Till:: GRKAT REVIVAL. 
 
 with so much interest to a long sermon, that I was not 
 surprised to hear of such a beginning of religious in- 
 terest in various regiments of the brigade as issued in 
 a half-wa}^ promise on my part to fall in with the pro- 
 posal of the General to preach ver^^ early to his soldiers 
 for a succession of nights. In General Lawton's brigade 
 there is a more decided state of religious excitement. 
 The great body of the soldiers in some of the regiments 
 meet for prayer and exhortation every night, exhibit the 
 deepest solemnit3% and present themselves numerously 
 for the prayers of the chaplains and the Church. Quite 
 a pleasant number express hope in Christ. In all other 
 portions of Gen. Early's division (formerly Gen. Ewell's), 
 a similar religious sensibility prevails. 
 
 •'In Gen. Trimble's, and the immediately neighboring 
 brigades, there is a progress, at this hour, of one of the 
 most glorious revivals I ever witnessed. Some daj^s 
 ago a 3'oung chaplain of the Baptist Church — as a rep- 
 resentative of three others of the same denomination — 
 took a long ride to solicit my co-operation, stating that 
 a promising seriousness had sprung up within their dio- 
 cese. I liave now been with him three days and nights, 
 preaching and laboring constantly with the soldiers 
 when not on drill. The audiences and the interest have 
 grown to glorious dimensions. It would rejoice you 
 over-deeply to glance for one instant on oar night-meet- 
 ing in the wild woods, under a full moon, aided by the 
 light of our side stands. You would behold a mass of 
 men seated on the earth all around you (I was going to 
 say for the space of half an acre), fringed in all its cir- 
 cumference by a line of standing officers and soldiers — 
 two or three deep — all exhibiting the most solemn and 
 respectful earnestness that a Christian assembly ever 
 displayed. An officer said to me last night on returning 
 from worship, he never had witnessed such a scene, 
 tliough a Presbyterian Elder, especially such an abiding 
 sole nmitv and delight in the ser\ices as prevented all 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 209 
 
 whispering in the outskirts, leaving of the congregation, 
 or restless change of position. I suppose, at the close 
 of the services, we had some sixty or seventj'^ men and 
 officers come forward and publicly solicit an interest in 
 our pra^'ers, and there may have been as many more 
 who, from the press, could not reach the stand. I have 
 already conversed with quite a number, who seem to 
 give pleasant evidence of return to God, and all things 
 seem to be rapidly developing for the best. 
 
 '• The officers, especially Generals Jackson and Early, 
 have modified military rules for our accommodation. I 
 have just learned that Gen. A. P. Hill's division enjoys 
 as rich a dispensation of God's Spirit as Gen. Early's. 
 Ask all the brethren and sisters to pray for us and the 
 arm3^ at large. I would not be surprised to learn that 
 the condition of things above described prevails exten- 
 sively in portions of our soldiers at present out of our 
 view. 
 
 " P. S. — I have opened this letter the second time to 
 inform you of the wide spread of holy influence. In 
 Gen. Pickett's division, also, there are said to be revi- 
 vals of religion." 
 
 There was scarcely a brigade in the army in which 
 the work of revival did not go forward with deepening 
 power. Some of the far Southern troops were signally 
 blessed with great outpourings of the Spirit. The 60th 
 Georgia regiment was favored with the services of a 
 most excellent chaplain. Rev. Samuel S. Smith, under 
 whose ministry many were brought to Christ. In a let- 
 ter describing the revival among his men, lie saj's : 
 
 "About the first and middle of October, we held a 
 series of meetings in camps, during which time many 
 souls were renewed and encouraged, several were made 
 happy in the love of God, and the altar was crowded 
 from da}' to day with seekers of religion. The like was 
 hardly ever before witnessed in camps. I was blessed 
 with the assistance of the Rev. Dr. Joseph Stiles, of the 
 
2l0 TIIE GREAT RE^aVAL. 
 
 Presbyterian Church, to whom the army owes a debt of 
 gratitude for his arduous labors aud efforts to save sin- 
 ners from the wrath to come." 
 
 The revival was not confined to the soldiers in camp ; 
 in the towns in Virginia where military hospitals were 
 located, there were gracious displays of the power of 
 God in the salvation of souls. The convalescent sol- 
 diers flocked to the churches and crowded the altars as 
 humble penitents. In Farmville, under the ministry of 
 Rev. Nelson Head, there was a most interesting revival, 
 and the greater number of the converts were soldiers 
 from Georgia and Alabama. In Lynchburg, Cliarlottes- 
 ville, Petersburg, and Richmond, the work was pervasive 
 and powerful. 
 
 A writer in one of the Richmond secular papers, 
 speaking of the work of grace in the hospitals in that 
 city and other places, says : 
 
 "At Camp Winder, for some weeks, there has been in 
 progress a revival of religion. Thirty -five soldiers have 
 professed to be converted. Daily meetings are being 
 held, and numbers are manifesting a deep interest in 
 reference to spiritual things. A revival is also in pro- 
 gress at Chimborazo, and frequently from thirt}^ to forty 
 present tiiemselves as 'inquirers.' Many have professed 
 to experience the saving change. One hundre;! have 
 j)rofessod conversion within a comparatively brief period 
 in the hospitals in Petersburg. For more than a month a 
 protracted meeting has been in progress in Lynchburg, 
 at whicli some twenty soldiers have made the good pro- 
 fession. We learn from the post chaplain in Farmville 
 that there is considerable religious interest among the 
 hospitals there, and that eight have professed conver- 
 sion. At other points the divine blessing is being richly 
 bestowed upon the pious efforts of chaplains and colpor- 
 teurs. There can be no more inviting field for Christian 
 enterprise than that presented by the hospitals. In this 
 city alone, over 99,000 sick and wounded soldiers have 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G2. 211 
 
 been in the hospitals. At no time do men feel more 
 grateful to the Giver of all Good, and more like becom- 
 ing pious, than when recovering from long spells of sick- 
 ness." 
 
 The revival, at this period of the war, was undoubt- 
 edly greater and more glorious in the army in Virginia 
 than in other portions of the Confederac3\ but there were 
 happy signs of spiritual life among the troops in the far 
 South and West. On Sullivan's Island, near Charleston, 
 S. C, there was a blessed work of grace, which power- 
 full}' checked the ordinary vices of the camp and brought 
 many souls into the fold of the Good Shepherd. Speak- 
 ing of this work, in a letter of October 9th, Rev. E. J 
 Meynardie, chaplain of Col. Keitts' regiment of South 
 Carolina Volunteers, says : 
 
 "On Thursday evening, 25th ult., the religious interest, 
 which for some time had been quite apparent, became so 
 deep and manifest that I determined to hold a series of 
 meetings, during which, up to last night, ninety-three ap- 
 plied for membership in the various branches of the 
 Church, nearly all of whom profess conversion. Every 
 night the church at which we worship was densely 
 crowded, and obvious seriousness pervaded the congre- 
 gation. To the invitation to approach the altar for 
 prayer prompt and anxious responses were made ; and 
 it was indeed an unusual and impressive spectacle to be- 
 hold the soldiers of the country, read\' for battle, and 
 even for death on the battle-field, bowed in pra3'er for 
 that blessing which the warrior, of all others, so much 
 needs. God was with us most graciousl}', and it was a 
 period of profound interest and great joy. 
 
 " The influence of this meeting has pervaded the regi- 
 ment, and is still operating most beneficially. To what 
 extent it has improved the morals of the soldiers it is 
 impossible to estimate. Suffice it to saj', that it has 
 struck at the very root of camp vices, and the great 
 crime which is more frequently committed in the arm}^ 
 
212 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 against God and common decency, than an}' other, hides 
 its hideous head — I mean profanity. The testimony of 
 a soldier who writes for the Soidhern Lvtheran is : 'When 
 we first came into camp, swearing was a common prac- 
 tice ; but now, thank God, an oath is seldom heard. 
 Our men seem to feel as if they ought to be more ob- 
 servant of God's law.' 
 
 " The Church of Christ is very strongly represented in 
 the regiment. We have many praying men ; and indeed 
 a. more quiet, orderly, and religiously-disposed body of 
 troops cannot, I presume, be found in the service ; and 
 be assured that when the time for fighting comes, beneath 
 the banner of the Cross and our country's flag, we shall 
 present an unflinching front. It was the religious fa. 
 naticism of Cromwell's puritanic army which made it in- 
 vincible. It is the genuine religious tone of Jackson's 
 which, under a pious commander, has thus far rendered 
 it unconquerable, and we trust that the powerful religious 
 element in this command will inspire sentiments of the 
 highest order of patriotism when the occasion comes for 
 every man to stamp himself a hero !" 
 
 But while the fruits of these genuine revivals appeared 
 so abundantly in many portions of the various armies of 
 the Confederacy, it is but due to the truth of history to 
 say that in some regiments the godly labors of the chap- 
 lains were treated with indifference, and sometimes ac- 
 tually opposed by the officers in command. 
 
 A devout and eminent minister, in speaking of the 
 conduct and influence of this class of officers, says : 
 
 " In many of the regiments there are no chaplains ; 
 perhaps because in some instances the commanding offi- 
 cers of the regiment do not desire one, and none is 
 sought for, although hundreds of the rank and file desire 
 the presence of the minister of God among them. 
 
 "Yet, what is the wish of this large majority of the 
 regiment to weigh against the purposes of an ungodly, 
 drunken, swearing Colonel, who thirks himself too great 
 
AUTI'MN OF 1862. 213 
 
 a man to be reprored for his sins in the presence of the 
 men who are the daily witnesses of his transgressions 
 of the laws of God. Pity that any such men shouM 
 have the control to such a great exteiit of the souls and 
 bodies of our citizen soldiers ; but, unfortunately, there 
 are many such ofliccrs in our army. I recollect a case 
 in which one of this class took the chaplain to task for 
 having preached against profanit3^ and charged him with 
 having taken advantage of his position to lecture him on 
 swearing, and that, consequently, he should hear him 
 preach no more. Was not this very dignified behavior 
 from a man who filled the important and responsible po- 
 sition of Colonel, commanding perhaps a thousand men, 
 who were not only to obey his orders, but also look to 
 liim for an example as an officer and a gentlemen ? He 
 should have encouraged his men to attend on religious 
 services and sliould have set them the example, whatever 
 may have been his own personal predilections on tlie 
 subject of religion. And this man is, I fear, only a t3'pe 
 of a large number of men who occupy positions of com- 
 mand in the Confederate army." 
 
 Such cases, we are happy to say, were rare exceptions 
 in our array. The great majority of the officers, if not 
 personally pious, were men who had been trained up un- 
 der moral intluences, and they gladly afforded the chap- 
 lains every facility for conducting religious services. 
 
 Among the episodes of this period of the war, there 
 are few more touching than one that furnished the ground 
 work for a tract written by the Rev. William M. Crum- 
 ley, of Georgia, and widely circulated among the sol- 
 diers with the happiest results. Mt. Crumley was one 
 of the most faithful and untiring chaplains that labored 
 in our armies. Thousands j'et living remember with 
 grateful hearts the self-sacrificing devotion of this excel- 
 lent minister. He was chaplain of the Georgia hospi- 
 tals at Richmond, but did not confine his labors to the 
 cit}' ; on ever}- battle-field where the army of Northern 
 
214 THK GKEAT REVIVAI,. 
 
 Virginia fought, and bled, and won, he was found, with 
 other members of the Georgia Relief Association, feed- 
 ing the hungry, clothing the naked, cheering the wound- 
 ed, consoling the dying, and revealing, in every form of 
 toil for the good of liis fellow-men, the highest type of 
 the Good Samaritan. As the writer often met him in 
 these labors of love, it gives him unusual pleasure to of- 
 fer this slight tribute to a servant of God, whose faith- 
 fulness in answering every call of suffering humanity 
 has never been surpassed, and seldom equalled, even in 
 the midst of a great civil war, that moves to their ut- 
 most depths the best and worst passions of human na- 
 ture. 
 
 But we will not longer keep the reader from Mr. 
 Crumley's narrative : 
 
 " Among the multiplicity of knapsacks, haversacks, 
 bundles, and old clothes, stored in one of the baggage 
 rooms of a hospital in Richmond, I found a Soldier's Bi- 
 hie. It was a neat London edition, with a silver clasp, 
 on which were engraven the initials A. L. C. On the 
 fly-leaf was written, in a neat and delicate hand, 'A 
 present to my dear son on his fifteenth birth-daj^ from 
 his mother, M. A. C Below was written, in the same 
 hand, ' Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think j'e 
 have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.' 
 ' Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.' 
 * If sinners entice thee, sonsent thou not.' 
 
 "The book had the appearance of having been care- 
 fullj-^ read, there being many chapters and verses marked 
 with pencil, as tliough they had strongly impressed them- 
 selves on the mind of the young reader. Among them 
 were the chapters which describe the heroic daring of 
 the youthful David, the saintly purity of Joseph, and the 
 unflinching fidelity of the three captive boys at the court 
 of Babylon. Tlie 1st, 23d, and 51st Psalms, bore marks 
 of an interested reader. In the New Testament, such 
 Scriptures as speak of the love of God to sinners were 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G2. 215 
 
 carefully noted : ' God so loved the world that he gave 
 his only besrottcn Son, that ivhosoever believeth in him 
 should not perish, but have everlasting life.' — John iii : 
 IG. 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
 white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they 
 shall be as wool.' — Isaiah i: 18. At this remarkably 
 encouraging promise was a large blood-stain, as though 
 gory fingers had been tracing out every word ; also at 
 John xiv : 1, 2 — 'Let not your heart be troubled : ye be- 
 lieve in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house 
 are many mansions' — were the same stains of still broad- 
 er and deeper dye. 
 
 "Albert was the only son of a pious and wealthy 
 plamter of the South. Most of his time during his child- 
 hood was spent in the country on his father's plantation. 
 The little white cottage was half-buried in evergreens, 
 and richl}' festooned with fragrant vines, among which 
 the wild birds nestled, and sang with their sweetest 
 melody. On the hill, at the end of a long avenue, stood 
 the quiet country church, where little Albert, accom- 
 panied by his parents, sister, and aged grandmother, 
 met the families of the neighborhood to spend an hour 
 in Sabbath School, and then listen to the reverend man 
 of God, who preached to them the precious word of the 
 Lord. Here, and around the family altar, Albert re- 
 ceived that moral training which laid a deep and broad 
 foundation for a character, in many respects, worthy of 
 the imitation of all who may read this simple narrative. 
 
 "In the Sabbath School Albert first formed the ac- 
 quaintance of little Jennie, neatly dressed in a white 
 muslin with a blue sash, who aftewards became the beau- 
 tiful and accomplished Miss S., whose daguerreotype we 
 found in the soldier's coat-pocket. She was the intimate 
 friend of his sister Hattie, and often his successful com- 
 petitor for prizes offered by the Superintendent of the 
 Sabbath School. 
 
 " In the vear 1856 Albert was sent to College to com- 
 
216 TIIK GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 plete his education, and Jennie went to a ladies' College 
 of high grade to complete her studies. 
 
 " A few notes that ran the College blockade, and va- 
 cation meetings, sufficed to keep up their acquaintance 
 and friendship. In the summer of 1860 they both gradu- 
 ated with honors highly creditable to them and gratif}"^- 
 ing to their friends. On their return home, early attach- 
 ments ripened into something more than friendship ; but 
 scarcely had the bright vision of hope dawued when it 
 was overcast by the dark cloud of war that siiddenl}'- 
 rose upon our horizon. The country called the brave 
 j^oung men from every quarter to rally in iSouthern 
 prowess, and with battle shock roll back the invading 
 foe. Albert was one of the first to respond. He took 
 his place in the ranks as a common soldier, feeling it was 
 honor enough to be a private, defending his couutr}', his 
 home, and his beloved Jennie ; and all the more, as he 
 had her approving smile to encourage him. 
 
 " Albert's departure and transfer to Virginia by rail 
 are scenes so common to soldiers that the}' can be im- 
 agined or remembered far better than I could describe 
 them. 
 
 •' There is one incident, however, which I will men- 
 tion. Just before he took leave, the}' were all called 
 around the old family altar. Jennie was there. Maum 
 Patty, the nurse of his childhood, was there, with snow- 
 white kerchief about her ebon brow and silver locks. 
 Many were the bitter sobs, while the deep, earnest voice 
 of the father in solemn prayer, like the patriarch Abra- 
 ham, bound his son, his only son, a sacrifice on his coun- 
 try's altar. When the amen was pronounced, there was 
 in ever}'' heart a feeling too deep for utterance. In this 
 moment of silence, a mother's hand placed the Soldier's 
 Bible in a pocket near his heart. Albert moved slowly 
 down the avenue, the embodiment of youthful chivalry 
 and manly beauty. The spectators stood like breathless 
 statues, fearing most of all that they should see his face 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 217 
 
 no more. Just as he turned the corner at the end of 
 the avenue, he cast one glance back to the scenes of his 
 childhood, which never seemed half so dear. 
 
 " After a long and uncomfortable transit by rail and 
 forced marches, with weary limbs and blistered feet, he 
 was thrown into the battle of Manassas, on the 21st of 
 July, 1861, with scarcely time to kneel by an apple-tree 
 in battle line, over which the shells were howling furi- 
 oush'. Here, in prayer, he hastil}' committed his soul 
 and bod3^ to his faithful Keeper, then rose calm and 
 serene, with an assurance that no weapon of the enemy 
 would harm him. 
 
 " When the battle was over and victor^' perched upon 
 our banner, Albert found himself surrounded with the 
 dead and dying, among whom were some of his particu- 
 lar friends. He was strongly and strangely exercised 
 with a mingled feeling of joy and grief, a sort of hys- 
 teric paroxysm of laughing and crying, weeping for the 
 slain, and rejoicing that he had escaped unharmed, with 
 a deep consciousness that God had been his shield and 
 hiding-place in the hour of danger. Albert endured all 
 the sufferings of fatigue, cold, and hunger, incident to a 
 winter campaign ; none murmured less, none were more 
 faithful in the discharge of duty, than he. The demor- 
 alizing effects of the camp, with almost the entire ab- 
 sence of religious privileges, produced a coldness. in Jiis 
 state ; and altliough he did not compromise his moral 
 character by profanity, gambling, and drunkenness, as 
 many others did, yet he failed to enjo}^ the close com- 
 munion and clear sense of the Divine presence which 
 he had done in former days. In this state of mind, he 
 entered upon the seven days' battles before Richmond. 
 The solemnities of the occasion aroused him to a sense 
 of his danger, causing him to cleave more closely to his 
 Bible and its precious promises. With his hand on this 
 blessed book pressed to his heart, he called on God to 
 be his shield and support in the hour of battle. He 
 10 
 
218 THE GREAT RE\T[VAL, 
 
 passed the terrible ordeal of Gaines' Mill on Friday, 
 and Malvern Hill on Tuesday, where the men fell around 
 him like grain before the reapers, and covered the ground 
 thick as autumn leaves. A degree of joy and gratitude 
 swelled his heart as he surveyed the field of death, in 
 view of his own wonderful escape, but not so deep and 
 warm as on a former occasion, when his faith and piety 
 were more earnest and simple. Albert continued at 
 times to read his Bible ; but it was evidentl}' more as a 
 task than a pleasant duty ; his keen relish for Divine 
 things had abated very much ; the excuses of camp-life, 
 long marches, and the general indifference of officers 
 and men upon the subject of religion, offered his con- 
 science the consolation of a temporar}^ opiate. Some- 
 times, however, on the reception of letters from home, 
 and sometimes when alone on his midnight round of 
 picket duty, he would shed a penitential tear, and re- 
 solve to double his diligence and regain his lost ground 
 as a Christian ; but a plant so tender and unprotected 
 by the pale of the Church, unwatered by the dews of 
 the sanctuary, persecuted and scathed by the lightnings 
 of contempt, nipped and browsed upon by every wild 
 beast of the forest, necessarily became greatly dwarfed 
 in life and growth ; a feeling of self-security, a trust in 
 fate or chance, impressed him more than a simple faith 
 in the ever-present God. In this spiritually demoralized 
 condition he entered the Saarpsburg fight, without even 
 asking God to protect and save him from danger and 
 death. Soon after the battle opened he was struck by a 
 ball and carried back to the rear a wounded man ; from 
 profuse hemorrhage, a sick, dreamy sensation stole over 
 him ; the light faded from his eyes, while a thousand 
 mingled sounds filled his ears, and a faint vision of 
 home, friends, green turf, battle-fields, and grave-yards, 
 flitted by like phantoms of the night. With returning 
 consciousness, there came a sense of shame and sorrow 
 for having declined in his religious state, and a convic- 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G2. 219 
 
 tion that his wound was the chastening of the Lord to 
 rebuke his wanderings and check his self-reliance. 
 
 '• As soon as he was sufficiently restored, he drew from 
 his pocket his neglected Bible, kissing it many times 
 over, and bathing it in tears as truly penitential as Peter 
 when he wept at the feet of Jesus. His bloody fingers 
 searched out the old-cherished promises of God, leaving 
 many a gor}^ stain on the blessed pages of inspiratioji. 
 The law of the Lord again became his meat and drink, 
 on which he feasted by day and by night ; a new life 
 was infused into his soul, which enabled him to bear his 
 sufferings with true Christian heroism. 
 
 " In this condition I found him in the old Academy 
 Hospital in Winchester, lying on the dirty floor, with a 
 blanket for his bed and a wisp of straw to pillow up his 
 wounded limb. Wiiile sitting by his side, trying to min- 
 ister to his soul and body, I received from him this nar- 
 rative substantially as I have given it to you. After 
 much severe suffering, when our arm}' fell back, he was 
 sent to Staunton and thence to Richmond, where I again 
 met him jnst in time to witness his last triumphant con- 
 flict with suffering and death. He was in a hospital, re- 
 clining on a clean, comfortable bed, his head resting on 
 a soft, white pillow, on which the familiar name of a 
 distinguished lady of Georgia was marked — she having 
 contributed it from her own bed for the benefit of the 
 suffering soldiers. Near him sat the matron of the hos- 
 pital, rendering every possible comfort that the sympa- 
 thy of a woman could suggest, intensely sharpened by 
 the recent loss of a promising son, who fell in a late 
 battle. Reduced by a secondary hemorrhage and am- 
 putation, Albert, with a calm, stead}^ faith, came down 
 to the cold waters of Jordan, where he lingered for a 
 short time and dictated a letter to his mother, which I 
 wrote for him, in which he gave an appropriate word to 
 each one of the family, not even forgetting Maum Patty, 
 his old nurse, and reserving a postscript, the last and 
 
220 THE GREAT llEVIVAL. 
 
 best, for Jennie. I would like very much to give my 
 readers a copy of this letter, but it is the exclusive trea- 
 sure of the bereaved and afflicted ones, whose grief is 
 too sacred for the intermeddling of any save the most 
 intimate friends. 
 
 "After pausing a few moments at the elose of the let- 
 ter, he seemed self-absorbed, and soliloquized thus: 'I 
 die for my country and the cause of humanity, and, with 
 many others, have thrown my bleeding bodj' into the 
 horrid chasm of revolution to bridge the way for the 
 triumphal car of Liberty which will roll over me, bear- 
 ing in its long train the happy millions of future gene- 
 rations, rejoicing in all the grandeur of peace and pros- 
 perity. I wonder if they will ever pause as thej'' pass 
 to think of the poor soldiers whose bones lie at the 
 foundation of their security and happiness? Or will the 
 soul be permitted from some Pisgah summit to take a 
 look at the future glory of the country I died to reclaim 
 from fanatical thraldom ? Will the soul ever visit at 
 evening twilight the scenes of m}^ childhood, and listen 
 to the sweet h3^mn of praise that goes up from the pa- 
 ternal altar at which I was consecrated to God ? Though 
 unseen, ma}' it not be the guardian angel of my loved 
 ones ?' Checking himself he said : ' These are earthly 
 desires, which I feel gradually giving way to a purer, 
 heavenly sj'^mpathy.' Then, in a low, sweet voice, he 
 repeated — 
 
 ' Give joy or grief, give ease or pain, 
 Take life or friends away, 
 I come to find them all again 
 In that eternal day.' 
 
 " He repeated the last line with an emphasis that 
 threw a beauty and force into it which I never saw or 
 felt before. Seeing that he was connnuning with his 
 own soul, and that spiritual things in tlie opening light 
 of eternity were rising in bold relief before his vision 
 of faith, I withdrew a short space from him, feeling it 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 221 
 
 was holy ground, 'where the good man meets his fate, 
 quite on the verge of heaven.' He then gently laid his 
 hand on his Bible and the daguerreotype that lay near 
 his side, and amid this profound stillness, surrounded by 
 a halo of more than earthly glory, gently as the evening 
 shadows the curtain dropped, leaving nothhig visible to 
 us but the cold and lifeless clay, on which a sweet smile 
 rested, as though it had seen the happy soul enter the 
 pearly gates of the New Jerusalem. Thus, far from 
 home and friends, this noble youth fell asleep in Jesus, 
 swelling the long list of the honored dead ; but, 'though 
 dead, he 3-et speaketh.' The precious treasure, ' The 
 Soldier's Bible,'' has been returned to the family, and is 
 now one of those valued relics that bind many sad hearts 
 with links of gold to bygone days." 
 
222 TllE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 AUTUMN OF 1862. 
 
 Let us now turn to the Arm}^ of the West and gathef 
 up a few of the precious relics that lie scattered over 
 that wide field. 
 
 After his masterly evacuation of Corinth, and the 
 concentration of the army at Tupelo. General Beaure- 
 gard, worn down by excessive toil, asked to be relieved 
 from duty in order to recruit his shattered health, and 
 General Bragg was placed in chief command. 
 
 In the month of October, the Confederates, under 
 General Van Dorn, made an attempt to retake the town 
 of Corinth, which was held l)y the Federals with a heavy 
 force. The attack was very determined, and for a time 
 promised to be successful ; our forces fought their way 
 to the very centre of the town, but the strong works and 
 terrific fire of the enemy forced them to retire at the 
 very moment when victory seemed within their grasp. 
 Our men, especially the Missourians, under Gen. Price, 
 fought with unsurpassed bravery, and the blood of hun- 
 dreds of the noblest and best enriches the ground on 
 wliich Corinth stands. The Federals attempted to cut 
 off the retreat of our army by throwing a iieavy column 
 to the south of Corinth, but the genius and experience 
 of Gen. Price completely foiled their plans, and brought 
 the shattered battalions of the South to a position where 
 they could make a successful stand. 
 
 The march of General Bragg from Mississippi into 
 Tennessee, and the events that followed, are so well 
 known that we need not do more than make such refer- 
 ence to them as may be essential in keeping up the 
 thread of our narrative. 
 
AUTUMK OF 1862. 223 
 
 The marching and manoenvering of both armies, Con- 
 federate and Federal, ended in the battle of Perr^^ville 
 on the 8th of October. The desperate valor of the 
 Southern troops bore down all opposition on this blood}'^ 
 field, and after driving the enemy before them and camp- 
 ing for the niglit on the field of battle, Genex*al Bragg, 
 deeming it hazardous with his wearied men to renew the 
 conflict with the heavily reinforced arm}^ of the Fede- 
 rals, withdrew in good order to Harrodsburg, and thence 
 to Br^'antsville. In his official report, General Bragg 
 saj'S of this battle : " For the time engaged, it was the 
 severest and most desperatel}^ contested engagement 
 within mj' knowledge. Fearfully outnumbered, our 
 troops did not hesitate to engage at any odds, and though 
 checked at times, the}'^ eventualh'- carried every position 
 and drove the enemy about two miles." 
 
 Many a Christian hero fell in this sanguinary battle, 
 but among them all none offered a purer life on the altar 
 of his countr}'^ than Thomas Jefferson Koger, of Ala- 
 bama. He was a pious, zealous, eminently useful minis- 
 ter of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and for 
 nearly twenty years had been a member of the Alabama 
 Conference. At tlie close of his term as Presiding Elder 
 on the Columbus District, he entered the army of the 
 South as a private in the ranks, but was afterwards ap- 
 pointed chaplain. In reference to his entrance upon a 
 military life, exchanging the quiet round of ministerial 
 duties for the bustle and toil of a soldier's life, we must 
 let him speak in his own vindication, if any be needed. 
 
 In a letter to his dear friend, Rev. O. R. Blue, he 
 says : 
 
 " I go from a deliberate conviction that it is my duty 
 to go. It is under these feelings alone I leave m}^ fami- 
 ly. I go, trusting in God to bless and prosper me in 
 the just cause. Pray for me." To his wife, writing from 
 Bowling Green, he says : " As to the cause of my ab- 
 sence, I think there need be no apprehension. There is 
 
224 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 as much need of preachers and preaching here as in any 
 place I have ever been j-^et ; and I try to mahitain my 
 place as a Christian minister as earnestly and heartily as 
 I ever did. It is a mistake to suppose that men in arms 
 are beyond the reach and influence of the gospel. They 
 are not ; and the gospel is the only refining and elevat- 
 ing influence operating on them. Wife, children, home 
 and its endearments, are only sweet memories here — not 
 actual restraints, as they are when present. And then, 
 the sick are always open to religious impressions." 
 
 At the expiration of the term of service of the regi- 
 ment which he served as chaplain, he returned home, 
 and at once set to work to raise a compan}^ for the war. 
 It was his wish to return to the armj'^ as chaplain, but 
 the person who was expected to take command of the 
 new company having declined only the day before the 
 election, he was the unanimous choice of the men for cap- 
 tain. Having been mainly instrumental in raising the 
 company, he did not feel at liberty to decline, and thus 
 unexpectedly he found himself regularly enrolled as a 
 soldier. He carried the spirit of his Master with him 
 into the camp ; he praj^ed with his men every night, and 
 preached to them on Sabbath whenever circumstances 
 permitted. He maintained his integrity, and never com- 
 promised on any occasion his character as a minister of 
 Christ. His men loved him devotedly, and alwaj's 
 showed him the highest respect. The thoughts of this 
 good man have a melancholy interest now after the 
 storm of war is hushed, and we look back on the past as 
 on a horrible dream. From the camp he wrote : 
 
 "No man leaves wife and children more reluctantly 
 than myself. But I have made up my mind to do it, and 
 must bear it. I am trj'^ing to lead a godly life, and do 
 good as best I can in my place as an officer and minister 
 of the gospel. I feel that I am in the way of duty, and 
 can ask God's best blessing on my work. I am a soldier 
 for conscience' sake. I am here because duty calls me, 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 225 
 
 and for no other reason. If it were not the path of 
 duty, I should utterly loath the interminable, never-ceas- 
 ing confusion of camp life." 
 
 Again referring to his position as a soldier : 
 
 "I could not be a soldier unless conscience approved. 
 It is only when m}' own land is invaded, my wife and 
 children endangered, that I dare bear arms ; and then, 
 when interests so vital, so personal, are at stake, it is 
 only by effort I could remain at home." 
 
 With a cheerful and buoyant spirit he endured the pri- 
 vations and fatigues of military life, sustained by such a 
 noble and chivalric sense of duty. His march to Per. 
 ryville was his last. After his regiment was drawn up 
 in line of battle, his Colonel, passing along the line, ob- 
 served him writing, and asked what he was doing. He 
 replied, " Writing to ray wife."' This hurried note, writ- 
 ten on the edge of battle, was the last message of love 
 to his family. It was cut short by the order " Forward," 
 and at the head of his men he plunged into the fight. 
 His sword was shattered in his hand by a ball, and the 
 next moment another pierced his body. He fell and 
 died on the field. After the battle, two of his faithful 
 soldiers, at their own request, were detailed to bury him, 
 and while performing this sad dut}'^ were captured by the 
 enemy. One who knew him well and loved him (Rev. J. 
 B. Cottrell, of Alabama), draws his character in a few 
 meaning lines : 
 
 " T. J. Koger will not again meet in Conference with 
 us. Few of our number would be more missed. A 
 very peculiar man in appearance, and a peculiarly true 
 and earnest soul, he was most highly esteemed by us all. 
 Few men ever loved the Church better, or were more at 
 home in her councils or at her altars. He was popular 
 among his brethren, and popular amrng the people. 
 Perfectly fearless, he avoided no duty or responsibility. 
 In every respect he was reliable. On the battle-field of 
 Perryville he fell, attesting his devotion to his native 
 
226 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 South. He was one of the few men who could have gone 
 on to any position in the service in which he fell, and af. 
 terwards have come back to the work of a Methodist 
 preacher. One bright, sunny spirit less-7-we'll miss and 
 lament him." 
 
 On this hard-fought field the private soldiers, unknown 
 to fame, fought and died like heroes. An eye-witness 
 writes : 
 
 " A Christian soldier was pierced bj'^ a minie-ball in the 
 left breast during the first charge of our troops at Per. 
 ryville, and, in reply to a friend who proffered him as- 
 sistance, said : 'No, I die. Tell mj'- parents I die happy. 
 On, on to victory. Jesus is with me, and can give me 
 all the help I need.' A gasp, a shudder, and all was 
 over — all of this world's pain and sorrow." 
 
 The constant movemeuts of the armies in the West, 
 after the battles of Corinth and Perr3'ville, were unfavor. 
 able to the cause of religion among the soldiers. But 
 in all the camps there were devout men who maintained 
 their Cliristian character unsullied, and who, by example 
 and precept, strove to lead their comrades to Christ. 
 
 One of the hindrances to the work of God was found in 
 the passion for speculation and extortion that possessed 
 the souls of thousands in the army and out of it. A 
 writer in one of the religious papers, speaking of the 
 condition of society in Western Georgia, said in Novem. 
 ber, 1862 : 
 
 "Speculators and extortioners are, true to their in- 
 stincts, ravaging this country, monopolizing every arti- 
 cle of prime necessity as soon as it begins to get a little 
 scarce. They seem to have forgotten the awfid denun- 
 ciations of God's word against all such characters and 
 pi-oceedings." 
 
 Against tliis base desire of gain at home, the South 
 had to fight as hard as against her avowed enemies on 
 the battle-field. 
 
 The spirit of prayer tliat prevailed among our soldiers 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 227 
 
 impressed even the minds of our opponents. In an in- 
 terview with a committee sent by a convention at Chi- 
 cago, comprising Christians of all denominations, to urge 
 the abolition of slavery, President Lincoln said : 
 
 "The rebel soldiers are praying with a great deal 
 more earnestness, I fear, than our own troops, and ex- 
 pecting God to favor their side ; for one of our soldiers, 
 who had been taken prisoner, told Senator Wilson, a few 
 days since, that lie met with nothing so discouraging as 
 the evident sincerity of those he was among in their 
 pra^'ers." 
 
 In the midst of the grief that wrung the hearts of our 
 people, they did not forget to call upon God for the re- 
 storation of peace to their unhappy countr3\ A lady, 
 one of those noble specimens of humanity that hovered 
 like angels of merc^^ around the sick and wounded sol- 
 diers in the hospitals, or toiled for them in the silent 
 and forsaken homes of the South, appealed to her sis- 
 ters to devote one day, the 1st of December, 1862, to 
 prayer for the restoration of peace. From Chapel Hill, 
 N. C, she sent forth her appeal: "On that day, at 12 
 o'clock, let every woman's heart be lifted in prayer for 
 her country. Let the sick woman on her bed remember 
 the day and hour ; let the bus}^ forego her business ; and, 
 I was going to say, let the gay suspend her gaiety, but I 
 trust there are no gay women in the South now ; but let 
 the young, beautiful, and hopeful, equally with those 
 who can lay no claim to such titles, think of the dead, 
 and the dying, and the mangled, think of the broken- 
 hearted, tlie destitute, the homeless, think of the widows, 
 the fatherless, the childless, of this awful war, and let 
 every true-hearted woman be stirred to pray as with one 
 voice on that day to God for help and for peace — an 
 honorable peace." 
 
 To this appeal of the soldiers' truest friend, a soldier 
 added his appeal from " the edge of battle :" 
 
 "We hope that no wife or mother or sister in the Con- 
 
228 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 federate States will permit the call to go by unheeded. 
 It is becomino; that they, whose hands have not been im- 
 brued with blood, should present this great petition to 
 the throne of our Heavenly Father. Soldiers and coun- 
 trymen, of whatever rank or station, let me suggest that 
 we also unite with those mothers, wives, and sisters, on 
 that day, and in that hour, to pray that the hand of the 
 Destro^-ing Angel may be stayed before we all are sunk 
 in hopeless ruin. Let the workman close his shop ; the 
 merchant his store. Let all the trade and business of 
 every description be deserted. Let the soldier retire to 
 the silent grove, or unite in prayer with his pious com- 
 rades in the tent. Let the sentinel plead for it in his si- 
 lent tread, and the sick soldier upon his lonely couch. 
 Let Heaven be emphatically besieged on that day by the 
 entreaties and supplications of earnest souls, for peace — 
 an honorable peace. Oh ! my countrymen, remember, 
 only one hour of that time which is not yours, but God's, 
 is all that is asked for, in which to unite with those 
 whom we love (and who have shown in a thousand ways 
 their love to us), to plead with the throne of Jehovah, 
 for the inestimable blessings of peace and independ- 
 ence upon us and our posterit3\ God has told us that 
 where even two or three of his children unite in asking 
 a blessing he will give it to them in a special manner. 
 Oh ! my countrymen, will he shut those ears which are 
 ever so read}^ to catch the first breathing of a penitent 
 soul ? will he, I say, shut them against the earnest cr}'- 
 of a penitent nation ? On one remarkable occasion, 
 when our Saviour was in great trouble, as we are now, 
 he asked his disciples to watch and pray with him one 
 hour. Shall he have to upbraid us, as he did them, with 
 those sorrowful but tender words, 'What, could ye not 
 watch and pray one hour ?' Oh ! blessed Saviour ! help 
 us so to watch and pray, in th<it hour, as that we may 
 prevail with thee, and secure the blessings of a speedy 
 I)cace to our tempest-tossed and war-worn people. Speak 
 
AUTUMN OF 1862. 220 
 
 the word only, thou Son of God, to this great tempest. 
 'Peace, be still,' and there will be a great calm." 
 
 The approach of winter caused a cessation of military 
 operations on a large scale.. General Bragg lay with his 
 arm}' in Middle Tennessee, covering several important 
 strategic points ; General Kirby Smith was in P^ast Ten- 
 nessee : General Pemberton was in the vicinit}^ of Holly 
 Springs, Miss. ; while smaller bodies of troops were scat- 
 tered over the countr}' for the defence of the vast lines 
 of communication with tlie East and the South. In all 
 these camps, the chaplains and colporteurs were at work 
 preaching the word, circulating religious papers, tracts, 
 and portions of the Holy Scriptures, and thus sowing the 
 seeds of that great revival which, later in the war, swept 
 through the armies of the West like fire in drj^ stubble. 
 
 It has been often said that the Southern people rushed 
 into the war without reflection, and without pausing to 
 think of the awful calamities it would bring with it. 
 This may have been so with many, but it was not so 
 with all. The great minds of the South knew well what 
 was involved in war, war in its worst type — civil war. 
 In the autumn of this yesiv (1862), Bishop James O. An- 
 drew, of the M. E, Church, South, in an address to his 
 Church, urging a full and cordial maintenance of the 
 Clu-istian ministry in time of war, uttered this prophecy, 
 which the venerable man lived to see fulfilled: "We 
 have as yet scarcely seen the half of the evils which this 
 war is bringing on us. To be sure, there is sorrow 
 enough, and poverty and lack of bread enough ; in many, 
 A-ery many instances we have extortion and bankruptcy 
 enough, and sufficient manifestations of heartlessness to 
 make us sick of earth and most of its associations ; vet 
 these are not all, nor even a tithe of the evils which we 
 suffer from the war." ^ 
 
 The Bishop laments that '-the tendency of a state of 
 things in which war is the chief subject of thought and 
 glorification is to exalt military studies and pursuits 
 10a 
 
230 THE GREAT REVTYAL. 
 
 above everything else, and thus leave but little room for 
 the cultivation of meekness, humilit3% gentleness, and 
 faith and love, which constitutes the religion of the 
 blessed Jesus ; and, as thesQ do not thrive well in a war- 
 like atmosphere, there is great danger of losing, or, at 
 least, very greatly abating, the spiritualit}'^ and the 
 power of the religion of the Church, and subtracting 
 very materially from the respect which many professed 
 Christians in the Confederacy have for all the institu- 
 tions in the Church, and especially for the ministers of 
 religion." 
 
 All previous wars, with hardly an exception, afforded 
 ground for such a conclusion ; but the great anomaly of 
 our war was, that while religion may have languished at 
 home, in the armies it flamed out with a power and bril- 
 liancy' unheard of before in the annals of civil strife and 
 bloodshed. This great fact came to view more clearly 
 as the conflict deepened, and no man rejoiced in it more 
 than did the eminent and venerable Bishop Andrew. At 
 this day there are ministers of Christ of high talents and 
 great usefulness, who were born of God amidst the 
 smoke and flame of battle, and who heard the call of 
 the Spirit to a nobler warfare above the rattle of mus- 
 ketry and the roar of cannon. And with these there 
 stand now in the ranks of the laity, filling honorable and 
 useful offices in the Church of God, their comrades, who, 
 in the midst of like scenes, " tasted of the good word of 
 God and the powers of the world to come." Mingled 
 with sad remembrances of the great struggle, they have 
 a joyous recollection of the time and the place when 
 peace was planted in the soul on the field of blood. 
 
 " The gladness of that happy day, 
 Oh, may it ever, ever stay !" 
 
WINTER OF 1862-'63. 231 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 WINTER OF 1862-'63. ' 
 
 The battle of Sharpsburg was followed by a series of 
 movements which brought both armies face to face again 
 on the soil of Virginia. The unfortunate General Mc- 
 Clellan fell under the ban of his government, and was 
 superseded by General Burnside. The Federal army 
 moved slowly southward from the Potomac to the Rap- 
 pahannock, while the Confederates made a correspond- 
 ing march through the Valley of Virginia, crossed the 
 Blue Ridge, and placed themselves on the south side of 
 the last named river. We quote from the "notes" of 
 Rev. J. W. Mills, who fully participated in all the hard- 
 ships of the armj^ : 
 
 "October 29th. — Orders just received from headquar- 
 ters to cook two days' rations, and be in readiness to 
 march in the morning at an early hour. All is anxiety — 
 no one knows whither we are to move. Are we to cross 
 the Potomac and attack the Yankees ? Or are we to go 
 southwards to some point of railroad communication 
 with home and friends r* These are questions of impor- 
 tance to us. I hear men saying : * Well, I will go any- 
 where I am ordered.' " 
 
 In this long march many of the soldiers suffered 
 greatly for want of shoes and clothing. "Each regi- 
 ment," says Mr. Mills, " has its barefooted squad, who 
 are permitted to pick their way through the rocks as 
 best they can." The feelings of our people in the Val- 
 ley, as they saw the troops move on with the head of 
 the column filing oflF towards the mountains, were very 
 sad. "As we marched through Winchester the band 
 played ' Old Folks at Home.' We saw ladies, young and 
 
282 THE GKEAT RE\nVAL, 
 
 old, looking on with sad faces, many of them weeping. 
 Could we have spoken to these sorrowing ones, we would 
 have said, ' Be not alarmed, Stonewall Jackson is some- 
 ivhere.' " 
 
 "Friday, October 31st. — In lines and off at 7 o'clock. 
 INIany are limping with blistered feet and swollen joints. 
 The barefooted stood the march better than those whose 
 shoes were not a good tit. Many are carrying their shce« 
 in their hands to-day. Tho Shenandoah river is to wade 
 tliis morning, and we are anxious to get to it, hoping 
 that the water will be some relief to scalded and burn- 
 ing feet. Some stripped their feet and legs, others 
 plunged in with shoes and socks on. The water was 
 almost freezing cold, and was, as we thought, a great 
 benefit to our sore feet. 
 
 " On Sunday the army reached Culpeper, and each re- 
 giment gave a shout of joy as it went into camp within 
 hearing of the whistle of the engine bringing news from 
 home and friends. Three months before the army had 
 left Gordonsville to drive the enemy out of Virginia. 
 We have fought many hard battles, suffered hunger and 
 weariness to an incredible degree ; and done all this 
 without a change of clothing, and many without shoes 
 or blankets." 
 
 In this campaign many thousands of our wounded 
 soldiers were necessarily left within the Federal lines ; 
 and, while many of them suffered and died in hospitals 
 and prisons, it is pleasing to record instances of kind-, 
 ness shown to such as were more fortunate by good men 
 and good women at the North. The case of the Rev. 
 George G. Smith, of the Georgia Conference, chaplain 
 of Phillips' Georgia brigade, affords a pleasing episode. 
 He received a dreadful wound in the battle of Boons- 
 boro ; the ball struck him in the neck, passed through 
 the body, and came out near the spine, cutting some of 
 the nerves of the brachial plexus and paral3^zing the 
 left arm. In this condition he was captured, and for 
 
wmxER OF 1862-'63. 233 
 
 mai\v weeks remained a prisoner in Maryland. With 
 many other wounded Confederates, he had good reason 
 to remember the kindness of sympathizing friends. Of 
 his own case, he says : 
 
 " 'My personal obligations to these people can never 
 be met. Literally, • I was hungry, and they gave me 
 meat ; naked, and they clothed me ; and sick and in 
 prison, and they visited me.' A good woman took me 
 to her house in Boonsboro and nursed me as her child, 
 and a gentleman in Baltimore sent for me when he 
 learned my condition, and did what he could to get me 
 to his house — furnished me with money — and when at 
 last he got me to his home, he furnished me with all he 
 could conceive I needed. To his good wife and himself 
 I owe more than I can ever repay." 
 
 Mr. Smith finally recovered of his wound, but partial 
 paralysis of his system remains, which, however, does 
 not prevent his continuing in the ministerial work. He 
 is now an active and useful member of the Georgia Con- 
 ference of the M. E. Church, South. 
 
 In the same battle (Boonsboro) a son of Bishop James 
 O. Andrew was severely wounded and left upon the field. 
 The venerable Bishop records his gratitude to those who 
 befriended his boy. He says : 
 
 " The battle was fought on Sunday morning, and he 
 lay on the field till next day ; and during that night, he 
 thinks, he must have died with cold but that two kind 
 Federal soldiers took him to the fire, gave him some hot 
 coflfee, and covered him with a couple of overcoats and a 
 blanket. He was moved to the hospital, but his wounds 
 were not dressed until Wednesday. Shortly after, Mr. 
 H. called, had him paroled, and took him to his home 
 and treated him as if he were his own son. He speaks 
 in glowing terms of the kindness of the people of Ma- 
 ryland, and especially of the great kindness shown to 
 the Confederate prisoners by the ladies of Baltimore. 
 I feel grateful to God for his care of my boy, especially 
 
234 TIIE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 in raising him up friends in a land of strangers. May 
 God bless them all." 
 
 A singular phase of the war, on the part of the Fede- 
 rals, was the summary manner in which ministers were 
 treated who fell under suspicion of disloyalty. Many 
 were ejected from their pulpits, hurried away to the 
 North, and, in some instances, confined in prison like 
 common felons. In Nashville several prominent clergy- 
 men of the different Churches were for several weeks 
 confined in the Peniteniiary. The scene described in 
 the following extract occurred in the same city : 
 
 " Rev. C. D. Elliot, though a Northern-born man, has 
 been raised and educated in the South, and for over 
 twenty years has been principal of the famous Nashville 
 Female Academ3^ From the beginning of the war, and 
 even of the issues that led to tlie war, he has been un- 
 compromisingl}'^ Southern. No trimming in Elliot. Well, 
 the Yankees took his Academy for a hospital. One day 
 a stout fellow of the 35th Ohio regiment called at his 
 
 door, wallet in hand. ' My name is ; I came from 
 
 the neighborhood of 3'our brothers, and have messages 
 from them to you. I feel a little unwell, anj^how, and 
 thought I would call and stay with you.' ' Sir,' said El- 
 liot, looking waspishly through his spectacles, ' when a 
 man in that uniform calls on me on business I treat him 
 civilly, but I decline all visits from such.' ' But I have 
 messages from your brothers to you ; they are my neigh- 
 bors and — ' 'Don't care. Don't want to hear any mes- 
 sages from them if thc}'^ are on j-our side,' and the door 
 slammed in Buckoj'e's face. A few days afterward this 
 Buckej'c and a Major, on horseback, passed by Elliot's 
 premises. 'Changed your sentiments yet, sir?' said the 
 Ohio soldier. ' Not at all,' was the repl}- ; whereupon 
 he struck Elliot (a small and feeble man) twice over the 
 head and shoulders with a stick, and then kicked him. 
 Turning to his Major — ' Major, have I beat him enough ?' 
 The Major, putting his hand to his pistol, replied, ' Beat 
 
WINTER OF 18G2-'63. 235 
 
 hira just as long as you please !' 'Well, I guess that'll 
 do for this time,' was the remark of the moderate mem- 
 ber of the 35th Ohio regiment. A regiment was passing 
 at the time. One of the sick soldiers, to whom Elliot 
 had been kind, on witnessing this treatment, told hira if 
 he would laj' the case before Gen. Buell he would get 
 redress. Elliot answered, ' I look for my redress to the 
 Southern army.' " 
 
 In New Orleans, where General B. F. Butler exercised 
 authorit}', the services of the churches were interrupted 
 by the arrest and deportation of ministers. The follow- 
 ing appeared in a Northern paper as an item of news : 
 
 "The three disloyal Episcopal clergymen. Rev. Dr. 
 Goodrich, Rev. Mr. Fulton, and Rev. Dr. Leacock, who 
 have been forwarded to this city from New Orleans by 
 Gen. Butler, staid at the Astor House until yesterday 
 afternoon, when they were turned over to the custody 
 of the United States Marshal, who will consign them to 
 Fort Lafayette." 
 
 The offence of these ministers was that in the Sunday 
 service they had omitted the prayer for the President of 
 the United States. The following scene is a specimen 
 of what occurred in many parts of the South under 
 Federal rule : 
 
 "As the Rev. H. R. Smith, of Leesburg, Va., came 
 from the pulpit, after the usual Sabbath services, Capt. 
 MeCabe, one of Mr. Lincoln's officials, arrested hira for 
 disloj^alty, objecting to his sermon, his praj^er, and chap- 
 ter read from the Bible. The sermon was written, and, 
 on examination, they were constrained to withdraw their 
 charge against it. ' But you did not pray for the Presi- 
 dent of the United States?' Mr. Smith replied, 'No, 
 sir, I prayed, as the Bible directs, ' for all in authority,' 
 and if you consider Mr. Lincoln your President you 
 could join in that prayer.' Well, the captain found that 
 he must waive that item of the charge. ' But your chap- 
 ter — I do not believe the words read are in the Bible.* 
 
236 TIEE GREAT RE^^VAX. 
 
 ' Yes, sir, they are' — (Isaiah xliii : 5, 6.) ' But 3'ou 
 should not have read there.' Mr. Smith said in reply : 
 ' They have no reference to political questions — and do 
 you intend to limit the reading of God's word?' 'Yes, 
 sir !' ' You will then have j-our hands full before you 
 get to the Gulf of Mexico.' The captain then said : 
 'Take the oath, sir, and j'ou may go.' 'No, sir,' Mr. 
 Smith replied, 'I will not.' 'Then we will send you to 
 Washington,' ' Very well, sir.' ' Appear before me to- 
 morrow morning prepared to go.' Mr. Smith appeared ; 
 but the captain and his counsellors, it appears, had 
 thought better of the matter." 
 
 The winter of 1862 was ushered by the repulse of the 
 Federals at Fredericksburg, and the year was closed b}"- 
 the battle of Murfreesboro and the frightful slaughter 
 at Stone river. The movement against Fredericksburg 
 was the fourth attempt to reach Richmond. Generals 
 McDowell, McClellan, and Pope had failed, and now 
 Burnside was hurled back across the Rappahannock with 
 his shattered and beaten army. The leaders and the 
 men who successively defeated four great armies of the 
 North were worthy of the eulogies bestowed by impar- 
 tial spectators of the war. Mr. Lawley, an English gen- 
 tleman, who was in the South at this time, wrote to the 
 London Times: 
 
 " It is a strange thing to look at these men, so ragged, 
 slovenly, sleeveless, without a superfluous ounce of flesh 
 upon their bones, with wild, matted hair, in mendicants' 
 rags, and to think when the battle flag goes to the front 
 how they can and do fight. ' There is only one attitude 
 in which I never should be ashamed of your seeing my 
 men, and that is when they are fighting.' These were 
 General Lee's words to me the first time I ever saw him. 
 They have been confirmed by every other distinguished 
 oflBcer in the Confederacy. There are triumphs of daring 
 which these poor, ragged men have attempted, and at- 
 tempted successfully, in this war, which have never been 
 
TviNTKR OK 1862-63. 237 
 
 attempted by their Sybarite opponents. Again and 
 figain they have stormed batteries formidably defendeil, 
 at the point of tlie bayonet ; nothing of the kind has 
 ever been attempted by the Federals." 
 
 Tlii; repulse at Fredericksburg was a staggering blow 
 to the North. Their leading journals bewailed it as a 
 great calamity. The New York IVor.'d spoke of it as 
 " the most terrible defeat of the war," and placed the 
 loss of the Federal arm}- at more than fifteen thousand 
 men. Meagher's brigade of Irishmen went into the fight 
 twelve hundred strong, and but two hundred and fifty 
 could be found next morning. The World said edito- 
 rially : 
 
 " Heaven help us — there seems to be no help in man. 
 The cause is perishing. Plope after hope has vanished, 
 and now the only prospect is the very blackness of de- 
 spair. Here we are, reeling back from the third cam- 
 paign upon Richmond, fifteen thousand of the Grand 
 Army sacrificed at one sweep, and the rest escaping only 
 by a hair's breadth." 
 
 The Louisville Journal said of this battle : " It is 
 painful and absolutely sickening to read of the horrible 
 slaughter of our troops at Fredericksburg. The war 
 cannot be carried on much longer as it has been. Gen. 
 French went into battle with seven thousand men, and 
 two days after the battle only twelve hundred reported 
 10 liim. The total loss in his brigade alone was thirteen 
 hundred and fifty-five." 
 
 Concerning this disastrous battle General Burnside 
 sent to Washington city this delicate dispatch : 
 
 " The army was withdrawn to this side of the river 
 because I felt the position in front could not be carried. 
 It was a military necessity, either to retreat or attack. 
 A repulse would have been disastrous to us. The array 
 was withdrawn at night without tlie knowledge of the 
 enemy, and without loss either of propertj' or men." 
 
 This victory was not gained without a vast sacrifice 
 
288 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 of noble lives on the part of the Confederates. Gen. 
 Lee was supported by some of his ablest Lieutenants, 
 and never did the}^ more gallantl}' execute the orders of 
 their great chieftain. The following extract from Gen. 
 Lee's official report will give the reader a correct view 
 of the field and the disposition of our forces : 
 
 " The morning of the 13th, his arrangements for at- 
 tack being completed about nine o'clock, the movement 
 veiled by a fog, he advanced boldly in large force against 
 our right wing. Gen. Jackson's corps occupied the right 
 of our line, which rested on the railroad ; Gen. Long- 
 street's the left, extending along the heights to the Rap- 
 pahannock, above Fredericksburg. Gen. Stuart, with 
 two brigades of cavalry, was posted on the extensive 
 plain on our extreme right. 
 
 "As soon as the advance of the enemy was discov- 
 ered through the fog. Gen. Stuart, with his accustomed 
 promptness, moved up a section of his horse artillery, 
 which opened with effect upon his flank, and drew upon the 
 gallant Pelham a heavy fire, which he sustained unflinch- 
 ingly for about two hours. In tiie meantime the enemy 
 was fiercely encountered by Gen. A. P. Hill's division, 
 forming Gen. Jackson's right, and, after an obstinate 
 combat, repulsed. During this attack, which was pro- 
 tracted and hotly contested, two of Gen. Hill's brigades 
 were driven back upon our second line. 
 
 " Gen. Earl}^ with part of his division, being ordered 
 to his support, drove the enem}' back from a point of 
 woods he had seized, and pursued him into the plain un- 
 til arrested bj^ his artillery. The right of the enemy's 
 column extending be3'ond Hill's front, encountered the 
 right of Gen. Hood, of Longstreet's corps. The enemy 
 took possession of a small copse in front of Hood, but 
 were quickly dispossessed, and repulsed with loss. 
 
 "During the attack on our right the enemy was 
 crossing troops over his bridges at Fredericksburg, and 
 massine: them in front of Longstreet's line. Soon after 
 
AviNTER OF 1862-63. 239 
 
 his repulse on our risjlit, he commenced a series of at- 
 tacks on our left, witli a view of obtaining possession 
 of the heights immediately overlooking the town. These 
 repeated attacks were repulsed in gallant style by the 
 Washington Artillery, under Col. Walton, and a por- 
 tion of McLaw's Division, which occupied those heights. 
 
 "The last assault was made after dark, when Col. 
 Alexander s battalion had relieved the Washington Ar- 
 tillery (whose ammunition had been exhausted), and 
 ended the contest for the day. The enemy was sup- 
 ported in his attack by the fire of strong batteries of ar- 
 tillery on the right bank of the river, as well as by the 
 numerous heavy batteries on the Stafford Heights. 
 
 "Our loss, during the operations, since the movements 
 of the enemy began, amounts to about eighteen hundred 
 killed and wounded. Among the former I regret to re- 
 port the death of the patriotic soldier and statesman, 
 Brigadier-General Thomas R. R. Cobb, who fell upon 
 our left ; and among the latter that brave soldier and ac- 
 complished gentleman, Brigadier-General Maxcy Gregg, 
 who was very seriousl}^ and, it is feared, mortally 
 wounded during the attack on our right." 
 
 Among the Southern soldiers who offered np their 
 lives in this battle there was no nobler sacrifice than Geo. 
 Thomas R. R. Cobb, of Georgia. His ability as a lawyer 
 and statesman, and his pure Christian character, gave 
 him great influence in the South, and particularly in his 
 native State. He gave up all the bright prospects which 
 opened before him in the civil service of his country, and 
 cast his lot among the patriots of the army. His death 
 was mourned with a sincere sorrow throughout the 
 South. In the death of Gen. Maxcy Gregg, of South 
 Carolina, the country lost one of its ablest and bravest 
 soldiers. He had been in the struggle from the first 
 note of war at Sumter, and gave his labors and his life 
 to a cause which he regarded as one of the holiest for 
 which a man could die. 
 
240 TIIK GltEAT IlEVIVAL. 
 
 The following incident is related of this heroic officer. 
 During the retrejit of the Confederate army from Mary- 
 land, after the battle of Sharpsburg, Gen. Gregg com- 
 manded Ihe rear-guard, Gen. T. T. Munford. of Virginia, 
 commanding the cavalry covering the rear-guard : 
 
 "When Gen. IMunford reached the ford, Gen. Gregg 
 and Ins men were just entering the water to cross to the 
 Virginia side of the Potomac. Near by was an ambu 
 lance filled with gallant Confederates (manj'^ of them ter- 
 ribly wounded and torn in the battle of the previous 
 day), entreating their comrades to carry them back to 
 old Virginia. Gen. Munford seeing that the frightened 
 driver had abandoned them, taking his harness and team 
 with him, and that they were unable to ride behind his 
 men, called Gen. Gregg's attention to the fact; where- 
 upon the generous old Roman, uncovering his head, said 
 to his men : ' Bo3's, see yonder 3'our comrades who have 
 been abaudoned by a cowardly driver ! The}' appeal to 
 us for help ! You who have escaped unhurt will not leave 
 these poor fellows to their fate in sight of old Virginia.' 
 In an instant the}"^ were transferring their arms and knap- 
 sacks. One generous lad, supposed to belong to the 14th 
 South Carolina volunteers, catching hold of the singletrees 
 of the ambulance, exclaimed, ' We will carry them l)ack to 
 old Virginia.' In less time than it takes to tell it, thirty 
 of South Carolina's bravest sons were up to their waists 
 in the water, bearing their comrades safely over the 
 river, ambulance and all — the sad and gloomy counte- 
 nances of the unfortunates seeming almost to forget 
 iheir wounds as they caught up the strain, ' Oh, carry me 
 back to old Virginia, to old Virginia shore.' Those who 
 were too weak to sing waved their hats and handker- 
 chiefs, and all were safely placed out of harm's way. 
 As soon as this had been accomplished, Gen. Gregg re- 
 placed his hat and rode away to see that they were 
 cared for." 
 
 The victory of Fredericksburg was achieved with a 
 
WINTER OF 1862-'63. 241 
 
 small loss in point of numbers on the part of the Con- 
 federates ; but among the honored dead there were many 
 who yielded up their lives in joyful hope of a better life. 
 Gen. Lee congratulated the army in the following gene- 
 ral order, which, like all the utterances of that unequal- 
 led soldier and humble Christian, breathes the spirit of 
 a true faith in God : 
 
 Headquakteks Army of Northern Va., ) 
 December 31, 1862. S 
 General Orders, No. 138 : 
 
 "1. The General Commanding takes this occasion to 
 express to the officers and soldiers of the army his high 
 appreciation of the fortitude, valor, and devotion dis- 
 played by them, which, under the blessing of Almighty 
 God, have added the victory of Fredericksburg to the 
 long lists of triumphs. 
 
 "An arduous march, performed with celerity under 
 man}^ disadvantges, exhibited the discipline and spirit 
 of the troops, and their eagerness to confront the foe. 
 
 " The immense army of the enem}^ completed its pre- 
 paration for the attack without interruption, and gave 
 battle in its own time and on the ground of its own se- 
 lection. 
 
 " It was encountered by less than twenty thousand of 
 this brave army, and its columns, crushed and broken, 
 hurled back at every point with such fearful slaughter, 
 that escape from entire destruction became the boast of 
 those who had advanced in full confidence of victory. 
 
 " That this great result was achieved with a loss small 
 in pohit of numbers only augments the admiration with 
 which the Commanding General regards the prowess of 
 the troops, and increases his gratitude to Him who hati: 
 given us the victory. 
 
 "The war is not yet ended. The enemy is still nume- 
 rous and strong, and the country demands of the army 
 a renewal of its heroic efforts in her behalf. Nobly has 
 11 
 
242 TIEE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 it responded to her call in the past, and she will never 
 appeal in vain to its courage and patriotism. 
 
 '• The signal manifestations of Divine mercy that 
 have distinguished the eventful and glorious campaign 
 of the year just closing, give assurance of hope that the 
 guidance of the same Almighty hand, the coming year, 
 will be no less fruitful of events that will insure the 
 safety, peace, and happiness of our beloved country, 
 and add new lustre to the already imperishable name of 
 the Army of Northern Virginia. 
 
 "R. E. Lee, General." 
 
 Of the battle of Murfreesboro, which closed this 
 eventful year, General Bragg wrote on the night of De- 
 cember 31 : "The bloodiest day of the war has closed." 
 At seven in the morning the Confederates attacked the 
 Federal lines and. after ten hours' hard fighting, took 
 them at every point except on the extreme left, where 
 they were successfully resisted. The vast numbers and 
 resources of the Federals prevented us from seizing the 
 fruits of this victory, and General Bragg in his dispatch 
 said : "Unable to dislodge the enemy from his entrench- 
 ments, and hearing of reinforcements to him, I withdrew 
 from his front." Such was often the sequel to a hard- 
 fought battle during the war. Just when we expected 
 to enjoy all the fruits of a victory, they were snatched 
 from our grasp. 
 
 On that field of blood death showed himself in most 
 hideous forms. Rev. Dr. Joseph Cross, who was with 
 General Bragg's army, thus describes the battle-field 
 after the fight : 
 
 "Ah! how many expired with the year. Here they 
 lie, friend and foe, in every possible position, a vast pro- 
 miscuous ruin, 
 "'They sleep their last sleep, they have fought their last battle; 
 
 No sound can awake them to glory again.' 
 
 "After a pretty thorough inspection of the ground in 
 
>\T[NTEK OF 18C2-'63. 243 
 
 the rear of our lines, from Stone river to the extreme 
 left, I rode to tlic front, where the dead lie thick among 
 the cedars, in proportion of five Yankees to one South- 
 ron. Here are sights to sicken the bravest hearts — 
 sad lessons for human passion and oppression. Here 
 is a foot, shot off at the ankle — a fine model for a 
 sculptor. Here is an officer's hand, severed from the 
 wrist, the glove still upon It, and the sword in its 
 grasp. Here is an entire brain, perfectly isolated, 
 showing no sign of violence, as if carefully taken 
 from the skull that enclosed it by the hands of a skill- 
 ful surgeon. Here is a corpse, sitting upon the ground, 
 with its back against a tree, in the most natural po- 
 sition of life, holding before its face the photograph 
 likeness of a good-looking old lady, probably the dead 
 man's mother. Here is a poor fellow, who has crawled 
 iuto the corner of a fence to read his sister's letter, and 
 expired in the act of its perusal, the precious document 
 still open before him full of affectionate counsel. Here 
 is a handsome young man, with a placid countenance, 
 lying upon his back, his Bible upon his bosom, and his 
 hands folded over it, as if he had gone to sleep sajdng 
 his evening praj'er. Many others present the melan- 
 choly contrast of scattered cards, obscene pictures, and 
 filth}"- ballad books — " miserable comforters" for a dying 
 hour. One lies upon his face literally biting the ground, 
 his rigid fingers fastened firmly into the gory sod ; and 
 another, with upturned face, open eyes, knit brow, com- 
 pressed lips, and clenched fists, displays all the despera- 
 tion of vengeance imprinted on his cla}''. Dissevered 
 heads, arms, legs, are scattered everywhere ; and the 
 coagulated pools of blood gleam ghastly in the morning 
 sun. It is a fearful sight for Christian eyes !" 
 
 The scenes on the battle-fields and in hospitals are 
 full of incidents showing the power of Divine grace to 
 cheer and support the soul in the dark hour of death. 
 "Tell my mother," said a dying soldier, "that I am ly- 
 
244 THK GREAT RE^^VAL. 
 
 ing without hope of recovery. I have stood before the 
 enemy fighting in a great and glorious cause, and have 
 fallen. My hope is in Christ, for whose sake I hope to 
 be saved. Tell her that she and my brother cannot see 
 me again on earth, but they can meet me in heaven." 
 A little before bed-time of his last night he called to his 
 surgeon (Mr. Leverett), and said: "Write to mother, 
 and tell her she must meet me in heaven. I know I am 
 going there." Thus died T. S. Chandler, of the 6tli 
 South Carolina regiment. 
 
 When Captain John F. Vinson, of Crawford count3^ 
 Ga., came to die, he exclaimed: "All is ivell — my way 
 is clear — not a cloud intervenes." As Lieut. Ezekiel 
 Pickens Miller, of the 17th Mississippi regiment, fell 
 mortally wounded on the field of Fredericksburg, he ex- 
 claimed : "Tell my father and mother not to grieve for 
 me, for I am going to a better world than this." In this 
 battle the gallent General Hanson, of Kentucky, fell 
 wh'le leading his men in Breckenridge's desperate charge 
 at Stone river. Being outnumbered two to one, and 
 his men being utterly exhausted by six days' exposure 
 to cold and rain and four days* incessant fighting, with a 
 loss of one-fourth of their number in killed, wounded, 
 and missing. Gen. Bragg wisely determined to fall back 
 behind Duck river, and rest his wearied army. The 
 headquarters of the army were subsequently established 
 at Tullahoma, thirty-eight miles from the fatal field of 
 Murfreesboro. 
 
 It was now that the signs of that wonderful revival in 
 the array of the West began to appear. " I shall never 
 forget," says Rev. W. H. Browning, "the look of astonish- 
 ment in the Association of Chaplains in January, 1868, 
 when Bro. Winchester, a chaplain and a minister in the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian Church, announced a conver- 
 sion in his command, and stated that he believed we 
 were on the eve of one of the most glorious revivals 
 ever witnessed on the American continent ! His coun- 
 
WINTER OF 1862-63. 245 
 
 teuance glowed with an unearthly radiance, and while he 
 spoke 'our hearts burned within us.' He urged us to 
 look for it — pray for it — preach for it. A revival in the 
 army ! The thing was incredible. And yet, while we 
 listened to this man of faith, we could almost hear the 
 shouts of redeemed souls that were being born to God. 
 We could but catch the zeal of this good man, and went 
 away resolved to work for a revival." 
 
 This pious man was not permitted to participate in the 
 revival which he so feelingly predicted. He was soon 
 called to the spirit world, and from his home among the 
 blessed looked down upon the glorious scenes of salva- 
 tion among the soldiers whom he loved so ardently, and 
 for whom he pra3'ed with a faith strong and unfaltering. 
 
 A General Association of Chaplains and Missionaries 
 had been formed in this array in August of this year 
 (1863), but the subsequent movements interfered greatlj 
 with its complete organization, and it was not until No- 
 vember following that it was properly reorganized and 
 made really efficient. Rev. Dr. McDonald, President of 
 Lebanon University, was the President, and Rev, Wei- 
 born IMooney, of the Tennessee Conference, Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, South, was the Secretary. The pro- 
 ceedings of this Association Mr. Browning supposes 
 were lost in the subsequent reverses of the army, and 
 hence we are cut off from most reliable information c®n- 
 cerning the progress of the revival. 
 
 The seeds of truth were sown by such faithful laborers 
 as Rev. M. B. DeWitt, chaplain of the 8th Tennessee, 
 Rev. Mr. Weaver, of the 28th Tennessee, Rev. Tilmon 
 Page, of tlie o2d Tennessee, and Rev. W. H. Browning, 
 chaplain of Gen. Marcus Wright's brigade. In other 
 portions of the array, under the preaching of Rev. S. M. 
 Cherry, Rev. Messrs. Petway, Taylor, Henderson, and 
 scores of other devoted and self-sacriGcing ministers, 
 the revival influence becarae deep and powerful. 
 
 Rev. L. R. Redding. Methodist, of the Georgia Con- 
 
2AG THE GREAT RE^aVAL. 
 
 ference, M. E. Church, South, who labored as a mission- 
 ary in this arin}^ has furnished us an account of tlie 
 work in his own and other corps during the winter and 
 spring of 1863-64. Beginning his work in Gen. Gist's 
 brigade, and aided b}' Rev. F. Auld, Rev. A. J. P. De 
 Pass, and other zealous chaplains, he soon witnessed 
 scenes that filled him with the highest joy. The con- 
 gregations increased daily, find soon a permanent place 
 of worship was established in the rear of the brigade. 
 The soldiers, eager to hear the Word of Life, soon fell 
 to work and built a rude but commodious chapel, and 
 furnished it with pulpit, seats, and lights. It was dedi- 
 cated in the presence of the General and liis staft' by 
 Rev. Dr. J. B. McFerrin, who, with his well-known zeal, 
 had devoted himself to the work of an army missionary. 
 An immense congregation attended, and the "Word ran 
 and was glorified." From this time until the army 
 marched awa}' in the spring the revival progressed with 
 increasing power. A Christian Association was formed, 
 which met daily at half-past eight in the morning, for the 
 purpose of uniting the members of the various Churches, 
 as well as the new converts, in the work of saving souls, 
 of gathering the results of the night meetings, and of 
 hearing the recitals of religious experience. These 
 meetings were marked by great fervor and power. The 
 young believers were organized into private prayer- 
 meetings, which met at seven o'clock in the morning. 
 "Sometimes," says Mr. Redding, "I would quietly un- 
 peg the door and walk in while the young men were en- 
 gaged in their delightful meetings, and would find the 
 young convert of the previous night leading in prayer, 
 and earnestly invoking God's blessing upon his impeni- 
 tent comrades." In the evening, at the close of dress- 
 parade, the drums would beat the Church call on Chapel 
 Hill. It was a glorious sight, just as the setting sun 
 bathed the mountain tops in his ruddy light, to see those 
 toil-worn veterans gathering in companies and marching 
 
\nNTER OF 1862-'63. 247 
 
 to the house of the Lord. From all directions, down 
 from the hills, out of the woods, across the valleys, they 
 came, while the gallant Colonel McCnllough, of the 16th 
 South Carolina, himself a godly man, leads his men to 
 the place of worship. Then the 24th South Carolina 
 falls into line, led by their chaplain, Mr. Auld, and their 
 brave Colonel Capers, son of the deceased Bishop Ca- 
 pers, of the Southern Methodist Church. The benches 
 antl the pulpit have to be removed from the house, and 
 a dense multitude of hearers crown the chapel hill. A 
 clear, strong voice starts a familiar old hymn, soon thou- 
 sands of voices chime in, and the evening air is bur- 
 dened with a great song of praise. The preacher now 
 enters the stand, a thousand voices are hushed, a thou- 
 sand hearts are stilled, to hear the word of the Lord. 
 "Perhaps the speaker is Rev. William Burr, of Tennes- 
 see. As he rises with his theme, his silver3% trumpet- 
 like voice, clear as a bugle note, rings far out over the 
 mass of men, and hundreds sob with emotion as he rea- 
 sons with them of righteousness, of temperance, and a 
 judgment to come. At the close of the sermon, hun- 
 dreds bow in penitence and pra3'er, many are converted, 
 tattoo beats — the men disperse to their cabins, not to 
 sleep, but to pray and sing with their sorrowing com- 
 rades ; and far into the night the camps are vocal with 
 the songs of Zion and the rejoicings of new-born souls." 
 In this revival, described by an eye-witness, one hun- 
 dred and forty were converted in two weeks, among 
 them Colonel Dunlap, of the 46th Georgia, who united 
 with the Presbyterian Church. Among the private sol- 
 diers that contributed to the success of this work, we 
 are glad to place on record the name of W. J. Brown, 
 of Company I, 46th Georgia. His influence with his 
 regiment was very great, and he threw it all in favor of 
 religion. 
 
 But soon came the order to march ; the chapel and 
 the snug cabins were exchanjied for the drenched and 
 
248 THE GUEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 dreary bivouac, and the sound of the gospel of peace 
 for the notes of whistling minnies and bursting shells. 
 In the battle, and in the hospital, the genuineness of 
 those army conversions was full}'^ tested. In the terri- 
 ble campaign that followed, whenever the smoke of bat- 
 tle cleared away, and the weary men had a little rest, 
 they gathered their shattered but undaunted cohorts, 
 and, with renewed zeal, and with love tested in tlie fire 
 of war, repledged their faith to each other and charged 
 again and again the strongholds of Satan. Lying be- 
 hind the strong barrier of the Chattahoochee rivftr for a 
 few days, these Christian soldiers built a brush arbor, 
 and beneath it many souls were born of God. Dying, 
 those noble men of the South gave testimony to the 
 power of divine grace. ''Can I do anj'thing for you?" 
 said the missionary, kneeling by the side of a private 
 shot through the neck. " Yes, write to my poor wife." 
 "What shall I write?" " Sa}'^ to my dear wife, it's all 
 right." This was written. "What else shall I write?" 
 "Nothing else, all's right" — and thus he died. He was 
 a convert of the camp. 
 
 " Passing through a large stable where the wounded 
 lay," says Mr. Redding, " I noticed a man whose head 
 was frosted with age. After giving him wine and food, 
 I said, ' My friend, you are an old man. Do you enjoy 
 the comforts of religion?' 'Oh, yes,' he exclaimed, 'I 
 have been a member of the Church for twent3'-five years. 
 Often in our little church at home our minister told us 
 that religion was good under all circumstances, and now 
 I have found it true ; for even here in this old stable, 
 with my leg amputated, and surrounded by the dead and 
 dying, I am just as happy as I can be. It is good even 
 here. 1 want you to tell the people so when you preach 
 to them.' I left him rejoining." 
 
 Among the pious officers who worked faithfully in this 
 revival, we have already mentioned Colonel Capers and 
 Colonel Dunlap. We believe the former, since the war. 
 
WINTER OF 1862-'63. 249 
 
 has entered the Protestant Episcopal Church, and, if we 
 are not misinformed, is now in the ministry'. Colonel 
 Dnnlap, converted in camp, became an earnest Chris- 
 tian, and labored with zeal and success to bring his men 
 to Christ. He was five times wounded, but survived 
 the war, and is now an honored citizen of Georgia. 
 
 General C. A. Evans was a Methodist, and a class- 
 leader before the war. He entered as a private in the 
 31st Georgia volunteers, was elected Major at its organi- 
 zation, and Colonel at its reorganization six months 
 afterward. He greatly distinguished himself at the bat- 
 tles around Richmond, at Manassas, and at Fredericks- 
 burg. He was promoted and put in command of Gen. 
 Gordon's celebrated brigade. The last year of the war 
 he commanded Gordon's old division. He was an ear- 
 nest, working Christian, and in the midst of war the call 
 came to him to preach the gospel, but he wore his sword 
 until the fatal day of Appomattox, when, with his noble 
 comrades, he laid down the weapons of war, returned 
 to his home, and was soon afterward licensed to preach 
 and received into the Georgia Conference, M. E. Church, 
 South. It is a singular incident that his first Circuit 
 was called Manassas, and that his junior preacher was 
 one of his old army couriers. He is still activel^^ en- 
 gaged in the ministerial work. 
 
 The revival was hardly less powerful in those regi- 
 ments and brigades which were favored with the regular 
 services of chaplains than in those that had none. The 
 2d Arkansas, of Liddell's brigade, Cleburn's division, 
 had no chaplain at the time of which we write, but they 
 were led by pious officers who strove to stem the tide of 
 irreligion, " Lieutenant-Colonel Harvey, Captain H. D. 
 Gregg, Lieutenant Wilfong, and others, being profoundly 
 impressed with the great need of religious services, 
 formed themselves into a band of Christian soldiers and 
 began a moral warfare against the powers of darkness. 
 They fought gallantly and well. They became really 
 
250 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 zealous and watchful pastors over their men. Mingling 
 with the group around the crackling camp-fires, they sea- 
 soned conversation with religion. Profanity and vul- 
 garity were rebuked, and cowered before the mild, living 
 words of truth ; manj'^ outbreaking sinners pledged them- 
 selves to pure lives, and by hundreds joined the band. 
 They promised solemnly not to swear, nor gamble, nor 
 to break the Sabbath, to use no spirituous liquors as a 
 beverage, to indulge in no vicious habits, to cease to do 
 evil and learn to do well. They held regular prayer ■ 
 meetings, searched the Scriptures, exhorted one another 
 daily, met and reported progress, and with fresh zeal 
 returned again to their good work. When the harvest 
 was so ripe for the sickle, who can wonder that when the 
 Word was preached with power and unction among such 
 men, thousands were gathered into the garner of the 
 Lord ?" Many of these brave soldiers afterward fell 
 in battle ; " but who can doubt," asks Rev. A. L. Davis, 
 from whom we quote, " that their works shall live after 
 them ?" They sleep, indeed, in unknown graves along 
 the line of that sad retreat from Dalton to Atlanta, but 
 the}'^ live forever honored in the annals of their country, 
 and forever enshrined in the hearts of their countrymen. 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 251 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SPRING OF 1863. 
 
 After the terrible repulse at Fredericksburg, the 
 Federal array lay along the north side of the Rappahan- 
 nock, engaged as usual, after the failure of an " on to 
 Richmond," in refilling its thinned ranks and mapping 
 out a new route to the coveted city. 
 
 General Burnside, who had not conciliated his govern- 
 ment b}^ the rose-colored dispatch given in the last chap- 
 ter, was set aside, and General Joseph Hooker placed 
 in command of the Northern army. Our forces occupied 
 the town of Fredericksburg, and extended their lines 
 for some miles above and below. The fighting in the 
 earl}' part of the season was confined to cavalry skir- 
 mishes near the different fords of the river. The main 
 body of the Confederate army remained in winter quar- 
 ters, and here began one of the most powerful revivals 
 witnessed during the war. Fredericksburg was the cen- 
 tre of the work, and the minister who contributed more 
 to its success in the town than any other was the Rev. 
 William Benton Owen, connected with General Barks- 
 dale's Mississippi brigade. Mr. Owen was earnest in 
 calling to his help the ministers of all the different 
 Churches, and, among others, he was favored at this time 
 with the aid of Rev. Dr. J. C. Stiles, an eminent and 
 eloquent minister of the Presbj^terian Church. In the 
 latter part of February he reached the town and entered 
 into the work with his well-known ardor. He says : 
 
 "After my arrival we held three meetings a day — a 
 morning and afternoon prayer meeting, and a preaching 
 service at night. We could scarcely ask of delightful 
 religious interest more than we received. Our sanctuary 
 
2;')2 THE GllEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 has been crowded — lower floor and gallery. Loud, ani- 
 mated singing alwa3^s hailed our approach to the house 
 of God ; and a closely packed audience of men, amongst 
 whom 3'ou might have searched in vain for one white 
 hair, were leaning upon the voice of the preacher, as if 
 God himself had called them together to hear of life 
 and death eternal. At every call for the anxious, the 
 the entire altar, tlie front six seats of the five blocks of 
 pews surrounding the pulpit, and all the spaces there- 
 abouts ever so closely packed, could scarcely accomsao- 
 date the supplicants ; while dail}'' public conversions 
 gave peculiar interest to the sanctuary services. Of this 
 class we have numbered during the week say some forty 
 or fifty souls. Officers are beginning to bow for prayer, 
 and our house to be too strait for worshippers. The 
 audience, the interest, the converted, the fidelity of the 
 Church, and the expectations of the ministry, are all 
 steadily and most hopefully increasing." 
 
 But not only among the soldiers in the town did the gra- 
 cious work go forward. In the camp, on the open fields, 
 was the revival deep and powerful. In Gen. Anderson's 
 brigade, of Hood's division, a Christian Association was 
 formed, with J. C. Burnham, of Heard county, Ga., as 
 President, J. F. Chambliss, of Talbot county, Ga., as 
 Vice-President, and A. W. Watkins, of Baltimore, Md., 
 as Secretary. 
 
 In their pamphlet, giving the reasons for this organi- 
 zation, they say, that for many months prayer-meetings 
 largely attended had been held in the brigade, in which 
 Christians had been built up in spirit, confirmed in faith, 
 and many sinners converted to Christ. Feeling a neces- 
 sity for an institution similar to the Churches at home, 
 they " determined to form an Association which would 
 supply this want and be acceptable to all orthodox de- 
 nominations." They sent forth to their brethren at 
 home this trulj'^ Christian message : 
 
 " We, soldiers, surrounded as we are by many tempta- 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 253 
 
 tions, and subjected daily to manifold trials, desire to 
 publish to the Christian world the existence, the Consti- 
 tution, and By-Laws, of our Christian- Association, that 
 the Church may be encouraged by the knowledge of the 
 fact that Christian spirit and Christian efforts are not 
 entirely unknown in the armies of our country, and that 
 Christ has kept a few, as we trust, faithful followers, 
 even where wickedness abounds. Nay ! brethren, God 
 has done much more than this for us, unworthy as we 
 are ; he has caused our hearts to rejoice in witnessing 
 the turning of sinners from their sins. The angels have 
 rejoiced more than once when they have looked down 
 into our camps and seen new-born babes in Christ re- 
 joicing in the love of a reconciled Father. 
 
 " Our reason for bringing our Association to public no- 
 tice is because we believe that a knowledge of what we 
 are trying to do for God will rejoice the souls of Christ's 
 followers ever\where, and be encouragement to Chris- 
 tians who ma\' be situated as we are." 
 
 The Creed subscribed by these noble men was simple, 
 but apostolic : 
 
 " I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of 
 heaven and earth ; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, 
 our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born 
 of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was 
 crucified, dead and buried ; the third day he arose again 
 from tlie dead ; he ascended into heaven and sitteth on 
 the right hand of God the Father Almighty ; from thence 
 he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I be- 
 lieve in the Holy Ghost ; the Church of Christ ; the com- 
 munion of saints ; the forgiveness of sins ; the resurrec- 
 tion of the body ; and the life everlasting. Amen." 
 
 Their Discipline was such as fitted earnest, straight- 
 forward soldiers of the Cross : 
 
 "All members of the Association are required to con- 
 form themselves to the rules of faith and Christian con- 
 duct, as laid down in the revealed word of God ; and 
 
 llA 
 
254 THE GREAT RE\aVAL. 
 
 when any brother is charged with being in disorder, his 
 case shall be referred to the brethren of the same faith 
 and order with himself, who shall determine on his case 
 and report at the next meeting, and their decision in the 
 same shall be final and conclusive : Provided neverthe- 
 less, That the cardinal vices set forth in that portion of 
 Scripture known as The Ten Commandments, together 
 with gambling and drunkennesss, are expressly forbid- 
 den, and shall be cause for expulsion of a member by 
 vote of the body. The offender to be tried according to 
 the rule set forth in the 18th chapter of Matthew, 15th, 
 16th, and 17th verses. 
 
 "All members are required to attend meetings of the 
 Association, whether called or regular ; and when they 
 fail to do so are expected to state the reasons at the 
 next meeting. 
 
 " In case of the death of or disaster to any member of 
 this Association, the same shall be held under obliga- 
 tions, by the love which its members owe to their God 
 and brethren, to communicate the fact to his relatives or 
 friends at home." 
 
 This was the whole of it, and under it was fostreed as 
 noble a band of Cliristian patriots as ever fought or died 
 for liberty and home. 
 
 Rev. W. C. Dunlap, chaplain of the noble 8th Georgia 
 regiment, wrote in reference to this work : 
 
 " God has wonderfully blessed us of late. We have 
 had going on in our midst a revival of religion, with 
 more or less interest, since the battles in front of Rich- 
 mond. Recently, however, it has grown greatly in in- 
 terest ; and before breaking up camps near Fredericks- 
 burg, the Lord was doing a mighty work in our midst. 
 I have held prayer-meetings in my own regiment until 
 ten o'clock many a night, and, after closing, the breth- 
 ren would all retire to the woods, frequently accompa- 
 nied by half-dozen mourners, and there, with no other 
 covering save the open canopy of heaven, pour out their 
 
SPRING OK 1863. 20i> 
 
 souls in humble supplication at a throne of grace, often 
 remaining: until after midnight ; and, what is remarka- 
 ble, I never have known the meeting to close witliout 
 the witnessing intiuences of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 " I have often thought, could our people at liome see 
 • us on such occasions, the stern warrior melted down into 
 the tameness of a child by the sweet influences of the 
 blessed Master, they would cheer up and take courage ; 
 for tlie prayers of the people of God shall never go un- 
 answered, but shall be like bread cast upon the waters." 
 
 Rev. Samuel H. Smith, chaplain of the 60th Georgia 
 regiment, of Lawton's brigade, camped near Port Royal, 
 Va., referring to the growing revival in that portion of 
 the army, gives a description of the services of a delight- 
 ful Sabbath : 
 
 "At 11 o'clock A. M., I preached to a large audience 
 from Malachi iii: 8, 'Will a man rob God?' At half- 
 past two o'clock P. M., Col. Wm. C. Stiles, of the 60th 
 Georgia, read to a very large and interested congrega- 
 tion Bishop Elliott's sermon, delivered in Christ church. 
 Savannah, Ga., on the public thanksgiving day, Septem- 
 ber 18, 1882. The sermon produced a fine state of feel- 
 ing throughout the audience. At candle-lighting we met 
 for prayer. Rev. Mr. Chandler, of the 88th Georgia, de- 
 livered an exhortation, at the close of which six peni- 
 tents knelt for prayer." 
 
 Thus was the Sabbath spent in camp by thousands of 
 Southern soldiers. 
 
 In the great hospitals, where thousands of sick and 
 wounded la}', the work was as great as in the camps. 
 At Chimborazo, Richmond, there were at this time from 
 three to five thousaiid sick men, and the religious influ- 
 ence pervaded all the wards. No sight could be more 
 touching than to stand near the chapel and see the 
 wounded and the pale convalescents hobbling and creep- 
 ing to the place of worship at the sound of the bell. 
 Fifty or more kneeling for prayer at the close of a ser- 
 
256 THE GIIKAT REVIVAL. 
 
 mon or exhortation was no uncommon sight. At Camp 
 
 AVinder, another large hospital near the city, there was 
 a happy and saving religious influence, though the revi- 
 val was not so general as at Chimborazo. It was the 
 privilege of the writer to conduct a sacramental meeting 
 in this hospital, at which devout soldiers, forgetful of 
 all differences in creeds, knelt side by side in commemo- 
 rating the Saviour's death. It was an inspiring and 
 melting scene. The simple and earnest words of the 
 sick soldiers as the}^ lay on their hard, narrow beds, or 
 gathered in groups at the sunn\^ corners of their quar- 
 ters, could not fail to touch the heart, and not. seldom 
 the hearer and narrator mingled their tears and rejoiced 
 together in Christ. 
 
 Said a poor fellow, who was suffering greatly from two 
 painful wounds, "When I was at home, I was wild and 
 wicked, but since I have been in the army, I have tried 
 to change my life, and since I have been wounded I have 
 l)een able to trust my soul in the hands of God, and I 
 feel that if he should call me to die, all will be well." 
 He spoke with deep feeling, and the big tears filled his 
 eyes and rolled down his pale face. Another from 
 Georgia, who was dying of his wounds far away from 
 home and friends, gave a like testimony, and, with tears 
 of joy, praised God in full hope of heaven. Whether 
 d^nng in hospital or on the battle-field, the testimony of 
 the Christian soldier was the same. When Lieutenant 
 E. P. Miller, of company K, 17th Mississippi regiment, 
 lay dying on the field of Fredericksburg, the message he 
 sent home was, " Tell ray father and mother not to grieve 
 for me, for I am going to a better world than this." 
 When Capt. John F. Vinson, of Georgia, fell in the ser- 
 vice of his country, his last words were, " All is well — 
 my way is clear — not a cloud intervenes." Francis M. 
 •Bobo, of Spartanburg, S. C, exclaimed when dying, "I 
 would not take ten thousand worlds for my prospect of 
 heaven." "If I die in the hospital or fall in battle," 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 257 
 
 said a young Georgia soldier, " weep not for me — all will 
 be well." These are a few testimonies out of hundreds 
 that might be recorded. They show the deep and joy- 
 ous piety of tliousands of the Southern soldiery. 
 
 The revival at Fredericksburg, already noticed, con- 
 tinued through the greater part of the spring with the 
 greatest power. The labors of Dr. Stiles were blessed 
 and honored in the salvation of many souls ; but he was 
 compelled to leave for other scenes of labor. Rev. Jas. 
 D. Coulling and other ministers went to the help of Mr. 
 Owen, and, by their earnest and pointed preaching, 
 greatly promoted the work. An eye-witness, writing at 
 this time from the scene, says : 
 
 "Last evening there were fully one hundred penitents 
 at the altar. So great is the work, and so interested are 
 the soldiers, that the jM. PI church, South, has been 
 found inadequate for the accommodation of the congre- 
 gations, and the P^piscopal church having been kindly 
 tendered by its pastor. Rev. Mr. Randolph, who is now 
 here, the services have been removed to that edifice, 
 where devotions are lield as often as three times a day. 
 This work is widening and deepening, and, ere it closes, 
 it may permeate the wliole army of Northern Virginia, 
 and bring forth fruits in the building up and strengthen- 
 ing, in a pure iaith and a true Christianity, the best 
 armj' the world ever saw." 
 
 In the churches, scarred and torn b}'^ the balls and 
 shells from Federal batteries, the meetings were held 
 night after night for many weeks, and the scenes were 
 such as thrill the angelic hosts in heaven. In the space 
 of six weeks one hundred and sixty professed religion 
 in Barksdale's brigade, while scores of others were ear- 
 nestl}^ seeking salvation. Rev. W. C. Dunlap, in thank- 
 ing the editor of the Southern Christian Advocate for 
 reading matter furnished the soldiers, says of the gene- 
 ral fast day : 
 
 "Last Friday will never be forgotten by this brigade 
 
258 TIIE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 (Anderson's). The day before had been cold and rain- 
 ing, and, lest the next day should be as bad, many 
 prayers were offered for a good day, which were an- 
 swered, for we had one of remarkable brightness and 
 beaut5^ The chaplains of our brigade had invited BrQ. 
 Crumley — a man universally beloved — to preach for us. 
 Generals Hood and Anderson, with their staffs, were 
 present. The music was helped out by the band, and 
 Bro. C. preached a most appropriate sermon to a large 
 and very attentive congregation. After the service, 
 many retired to the woods and held prayer-meetings. 
 There were like services on this day elsewhere. Rev. 
 W. II. Simmons preached to General Toombs' brigade, 
 and had an interesting meeting. Our meetings are still 
 carried on with profit." 
 
 This day, March 27th, appointed by the President, 
 Jefferson Davis, for fasting, humiliation, and prayer, was 
 observed in the armies with unusual solemnity. A 
 member of Barksdale's brigade tells how the day was 
 spent by the devout soldiers: 
 
 "At half-past eight A. M. my mess, with those ad- 
 joining, met in my room for praj'^ers, most of them be- 
 ing 3'oung converts ; eight or nine prayers were offered 
 aloud, the young men officiating by turns, though with 
 most of them it was their first effort in public. At ten I 
 went to another room in our company and conducted 
 a similar meeting. It filled my heart with joy to see 
 many of my comrades, so recently from the paths of vice 
 and folly, now bending their knees to God, asking him 
 to fav^or the land they had so often perilled their lives to 
 defend. At 11 we assembled at the Episcopal church. 
 On this occasion, perhaps, 1,500 were in attendance, 
 mostly soldiers. Every grade, from private to Major- 
 General, was represented. Rev. W. B. Owen, chaplain of 
 the 12th Mississippi regiment, conducted the services ; 
 his theme was pra^^er ; his text, ' Men ought always to 
 pray and not to faint.' After services I visited some 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 259 
 
 sick soldiers. At 3 P. M. we had a national prayer- 
 meeting, conducted by Rev, W. H. Carroll, of Selma, 
 Ala., a missionar}'' and colporteur in the arm3^ The 
 service over, I retired to ray quarters and took some re- 
 freshment for my bod}^ ; my soul was much comforted. 
 Calmly I looked back upon the labors of the da}-, and 
 felt that I was seeing a day that had done more for my 
 countrj- than any other that had ever shone upon it." 
 
 Could a fast day have been more devoutly and profita- 
 bly kept in the quiet days of peace than this was in the 
 midst of the confusion and rush of war ? 
 
 There was hardly a regiment of the army where the 
 revival influence was not felt. Rev. W. A. Hemming- 
 way rejoiced in a gracious revival in the 21st South 
 Carolina regiment, which lasted for months. Rev. L. S. 
 West, of the 13th Mississip[)i, conducted a meeting for 
 six weeks, in which many were happily converted. Rev. 
 S. H. Smith, of the 60th Georgia, Lawton's brigade, col- 
 lected from the soldiers and officers $850 to purchase 
 Bibles, Testaments, and H3'mn-Books, and saw the men 
 daily anxious "about the salvation of their souls.". 
 Rev. F. Milton Kennedy, chaplain of the 28th North 
 Carolina regiment, of Jackson's corps, found "the men 
 generally interested in their spiritual welfare." A Chap- 
 lains' Association was formed, and weekl}' meetings held 
 to consult upon the best method of prosecuting our 
 work, and to praj' for success. The chaplains of this 
 corps issued an earnest appeal for more laborers. The 
 fields were white to tlie harvest, but the laborers were 
 few. wiiile thousands of the noblest of the land, having 
 left home and friends, were calling loudh^ and earnestly 
 for the bread of life. To this and other calls the 
 Churches responded b}^ sending some of their ablest 
 ministers into the arm3--work, who, by their earnest la- 
 bors, greetlj' extended the area of the revival. 
 
 Captain Richard H. Powell, of the 3d Alabama regi- 
 ment, gives an interesting account of the work : " For 
 
260 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 two months we have held prayer-meetings regularly, 
 when military duties have not prevented, three times a 
 week, which liave constantly grown in interest. Last 
 night twenty-six of these hardy soldiers presented them- 
 selves for prayer. The>' give the most earnest attention 
 to all religious exercises, and gather in crowds to hear 
 the gospel. They are reflecting most seriously upon 
 eternal interests. In the absence of a chaplain, we are 
 doing what we can in the interesting work of instructing 
 them in the way of salvation, and pointing them to 
 Jesus, the friend of sinners." 
 
 Deploring the want of ministers to break the bread 
 of life to the starving thousands, Captain Powell saj's : 
 
 "Surely if the hundreds of ministers, who liave com- 
 paratively little to do at home, knew how many thou- 
 sands in the army languish and pine for the bread of 
 life, they would certainly hasten to break that bread to 
 them, that they might not perish. I have never seen 
 such a field for doing good, and extending the Redeem- 
 er's kingdom on earth, as the army of Northern Virginia 
 presents this day. The fields are already white unto 
 the harvest, but the laborers, who must gather this rich 
 harvest into the Master's granary, where, oh, where are 
 they ? It is astonishing to know what destitution of 
 chaplains prevails. In this corps — General Jackson's — 
 where an especial effort has been made to secure their 
 services, not one-half of the regiments are supplied. Can 
 you not, my dear sir, raise, in our behalf, the Macedo- 
 nian cry, and urge zealous, laborious ministers of the 
 gospel to come and help us ? They will be received by 
 the army ever^'where with open, wide-stretched arms. 
 Cannot Bishop Pierce devote a few months to missionary 
 labors in the army of Northern Virginia this summer ? 
 Liberal souls at home will, doubtless, gladly devise the 
 ways and means, while thousands of hungry, starving 
 souls here will eagerly receive the message of life from 
 his eloquent lips. Around our camp-fires we often think 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 261 
 
 of him, and anxiously wish we could have the benefit of 
 his ministrations. 
 
 " Yesterday I attended a Conference of the chaplains 
 of Jackson's corps. It was a most interesting meeting, 
 and a precious season of grace. Our hearts burned 
 within us as they talked of God's dealings with their 
 various regiments. Thej^ represent the different de- 
 nominations, and are working harmoniously and success- 
 fully in this vast field. Occasional services will be held 
 by them in our regiment, and we hope for good results." 
 
 In this regiment, a Christian Association was formed, 
 with Colonel C. C. Battle, President ; Captain R. H. 
 Powell, Vice-President ; Lieutenant W. H. Gardner, Sec- 
 retary ; Sergeant E. H. Hart, Assistant Secretary ; Lieu- 
 tenant W. T. Bilbro, Treasurer." These soldiers and 
 their comrades expressed their sense of the need of 
 mutual religious help in noble words : " In religion, as 
 in everything else connected with the affairs of this 
 world, there is strength in union. * * * Being en- 
 gaged in a constant warfare with ' spiritual wickedness 
 in high places,' beset on every side, and most sorely 
 tempted, man needs the advice and encouragement of a 
 brother who, similarly tempted and tried, b}^ a word fitly 
 spoken, or a consistent, upright walk and godly conver- 
 sation, may strengthen him in his determination to serve 
 God. Oh ! how greatly we, here in camp, deprived of 
 the sacred influence of home and all its hallowing asso- 
 ciations, need the kindly offices of Christian brother- 
 hood ! How keenly we have felt the lack of fellowship 
 .ind communion of hearts, has been shown — to our con- 
 fusion be it said — by the crooked paths we have made 
 for our feet, and the shame and reproach we have too 
 often brought upon the name of our blessed Jesus. The 
 leanness of our souls, the lukewarmness of our hearts, 
 the delinquencies of our lives, barren of good works to 
 the glory of God, all call for the genial, soul-cheering, 
 heart-comforting influence of the communion of saints." 
 
262 THK GUKAT KKVIVAL. 
 
 They orathered into their Association the members of all 
 the different Churches, and mutually bound themselves 
 to promote the welfare of the members, to exert a salu- 
 tary and wholesome religious influence in the regiment, 
 and by a life of holy living to constrain others to glorify 
 their Father in heaven. Can we wonder that men of 
 such character should fight well and die well ? 
 
 The revival was greatly promoted bj'' the free circula- 
 tion of religious reading among the soldiers. Being 
 almost wholly cut off by the strict blockade of all the 
 Southern ports from foreign supplies of Bibles and Tes- 
 taments, as a substitute select portions of the Scrip- 
 tures, chiefly from the Psalms and the New Testament, 
 were printed under the title of " Bible Readings," and 
 sent by thousands to the various departments of the 
 arm3\ Small Ilymn-Books were also printed in great 
 quantities, and these, with tracts and religious newspa- 
 pers, made up the religious literature of the camps. The 
 arrival of these helps to the revival were hailed with 
 delight by the soldiers, and eager crowds would sur- 
 round the fortunate chaplaiu who had received a suppl}^ 
 and happy was the soldier who succeeded in securing 
 even the smallest tract. Rev. William Hauser, chaplain 
 of the 48th Georgia, and a diligent colporteur, saj's : 
 
 "The precious leaves from the tree of life are healing 
 our sin-diseased soldiers. Swearing, and all other crimes 
 incident to an arm}^ are evidently diminishing, and deep 
 piety is on the increase. Every night the holy songs of 
 Zion go up on this balmy spring air, a sweet incense, I 
 think, to the throne of the Eternal. Prayer-meetings 
 are held every niglit in several of our companies, and a 
 great desire is manifested to get Ilymn-Books. Bless 
 the Lord ! He is working among us, and giving us, I 
 do not doubt, a silent yet precious revival of religion, 
 the effects of whicli are seen more and more plainl}' 
 every day. It would do you some good to see how 
 eagerly these gallant, vvfcathcr-beaten warriors crowd 
 
SPKING OK 1863. 268 
 
 aronnd me to get tracts every time I have a new supplj' ; 
 but the}^ want and much need something fresh every 
 Sundaj' to engage their minds and keep them from re- 
 sorting to ball-plays and cards. Oar Colonel is not re- 
 ligious, but he has the greatest respect for Christianity, 
 and seems to take great delight in affording me every 
 facility for my work." 
 
 The religious influence now pervading the army was 
 so powerful that the active movements of the spring 
 campaign could not divert the minds of the soldiers from 
 the great question. What must I do to be saved ? Early 
 in the season the attitude of military affairs in Virginia 
 and North Carolina was this : Lieutenant-General Long- 
 street was in command of Southern Virginia, including 
 the defences of Richmond, Petersburg, and portions of 
 North Carolina. Major-General Elzy commanded the 
 Department of Richmond ; Major-General French, that 
 of Petersburg and lower Virginia; and Major-General 
 D. H. Hill, that of North Carolina. About the first of 
 April Major-General Hood's division left Petersburg and 
 marched towards Suffolk. On the 13th General Hood 
 drew up in line of battle before the town, while his skir- 
 mishers boldly drove in the Federal pickets. Here for 
 a week or more he reraaineri, the enemy constantly ex- 
 pecting an assault ; but besides heavy skirmishing, mu- 
 tual shelling, and two or three gallant fights with the 
 gun-boats in Nansemond river, the Confederates made 
 no serious demonstrations against the place. The move- 
 ment was not for the purpose of capturing Suffolk, but 
 to divert the attention of the Federals while vast stores 
 of provisions were being removed from the lower coun- 
 ties of North Carolina. This accomplished, our forces 
 withdrew for more decisive operations in other quarters. 
 
 It wauld hardly be expected that on the lines near 
 Suffolk much could be done in promoting the revival. 
 But even there the work went on. Rev. W. A. Simmons, 
 of Georgia, one of the most devoted and efficient chap- 
 
264 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 lains in the army, says of the scenes he here wit- 
 nessed : 
 
 "In the midst of all these changes and fighting, we 
 manage to iceep up our religious services. We preached 
 on Sabbath at the time our batteries were assaulted, 
 amid the most hideous thundering of artillery and in 
 constant hearing of the picket-firing. The congregations 
 were large, attentive, and serious. One young man came 
 to me, late at night, to inquire the way of salvation. 
 While passing the road I heard singing and prayer. It 
 was a company of Christians, who had met in the dark- 
 ness to hold a secret meeting. We received eight mem- 
 bers on Sabbath evening into our Christian Association. 
 Thus the work goes on. The moral tone of our brigade 
 is rapidly changing. Card-playing is fast plaj'ing out, 
 swearing is not heard so much as formerl}-, and attend- 
 ance on preaching increases. May God bless the army." 
 
 On the main line of defence on the Rappahannock, 
 General Lee lay with the main body of his army watch- 
 ing the movements of the vast array of Federals mar- 
 shalled on the opposite side of that river, under com- 
 mand of General Hooker. The Federals had found the 
 fords of Fredericksburg too bloody ; they were now 
 manceuvering for the fatal field of Chancellorsville. 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 265 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 SPRING OF 1863. 
 
 Let us turn again to the armies of the West and 
 Southwest. 
 
 On the coast the Federal fleets closelj^ blockaded all 
 the ports, and made demonstrations at the most impor- 
 tant points. On the Mississippi, Port Hudson and Vicks- 
 burg were fiercely assailed, with serious damage to the 
 Federals and with little loss to the Confederates. In 
 Tennessee, Gen. Van Dorn greatly annoyed the North- 
 ern Generals by his swift and sudden movements against 
 their forces in the neighborhood of Columbia, Franklin, 
 and other places. The main army lay encamped at va- 
 rious points between Chattanooga and Murfreesboro, 
 ready for any movement that might be necessary to 
 checkmate tlie Federals. General J. E. Johnston as- 
 sumed personal command of all our forces in that quar- 
 ter, and established his headquarters at Tullahoma. 
 
 Rev. S. M. Cherry, one of the most devoted chaplains 
 in the army, gives an account of the revival at this pe- 
 riod in McCown's division, to which he was attached as 
 chaplain of the 2d Georgia battalion. For ten weeks 
 tliey encamped on the same spot freed from all the toil 
 of war except guard dut}'. In the midst of their ease, 
 the long roll late one afternoon called them to arms. In 
 a few moments the whole command was pressing to the 
 front. " While riding on," says Mr. Cherry, " I met with 
 Rev. Dr. Bunting, chaplain of the Texas Rangers, who 
 kindly consented to preach for us. We found General 
 Ector's Texas brigade, and Colonel Vance's brigade, of 
 North Carolina and Georgia troops, concentrated in a 
 glade of rough rocks and gloomy cedars. Both com- 
 12 
 
2GG THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 manders are official Church-members, and never object 
 to preaching even on the outpost. Soon one thousand 
 of our soldiers were grouped about the spot selected for 
 Sabbath morning service. It was a grand sight to be- 
 hold such a vast assemblage, seated upon the rugged 
 rocks, to listen eagerly to the words of life. These were 
 the heroic soldiers, once led in the far West bj?^ the ill- 
 fated Ben. McCullough, in the battles of Missouri, and 
 they have since distinguished themselves at Farmington, 
 near Corinth, Richmond, Ky., and Murfreesboro, Tenn. 
 Gallant sons of the Lone Star State are seated with the 
 soldiers from the Empire and Old North States, who 
 fought bravely beside them in the late bloody conflict 
 of Murfreesboro. While all listened so attentively, I 
 could but contrast the scene with the bloody charge 
 made by the same men when the gallant General Rains 
 fell upon a spot very similar to our- preaching place. 
 The theme of the preacher was : ' Whatsoever a man 
 soweth, that shall he also reap,' and strong were his ar- 
 guments and earnest his appeals to impress indelibly 
 upon their hearts the truths of his sermon." 
 
 The great want of missionaries and chaplains was 
 earnestly deplored by the godly officers and men, and a 
 call was sent from nearly every division in the army for 
 more laborers. At the regular meeting of the chaplains 
 in General Polk's corps tlie self-denying ministers, who 
 shared the rough life of the camp with the gallant men, 
 resolved to make up what they lacked iu numbers by in- 
 creased devotion to their work and a deeper earnestness 
 of soul in their lives and labors. "We must have a re- 
 vival in our hearts if we would have it spread among the 
 soldiers." These were right words, and the revival that 
 followed told that they had not been spoken in vain. 
 
 In response to the " Macedonian cry" from the army 
 measures were adopted by the Cliurches for supplying 
 them with preachers. At the meeting of the Bishops 
 and Board of Missions of the M. E. Church, South, held 
 
SPRING OF 1863. "207 
 
 in April at Macon, Ga., tlie wants of the army were se- 
 riously considered. After the presentation and advo- 
 cacy of the plan of Army Missions by Rev. Dr. A. L. 
 P. Green, Dr. J. B. McFerrin, and Dr. E. W. Sehon, the 
 meeting appointed a committee to take into considera- 
 tion the spiritual wants of the army of the Confederate 
 States, and to report a plan by which the M. E. Church, 
 South, through the agency of its Missionary Board, 
 might, in some measure, supply those wants. The Presi- 
 dent, Bishop Early, appointed the following ministers as 
 the committee : Bishop Pierce, Drs. McFerrin, Sum- 
 mers, Sehon, Green, L. M. Lee, Myers, and Revs. R. J. 
 Harp and W. W, Bennett. In response to the report of 
 the committee the Mission Board adopted the following 
 plan : 
 
 "Whereas information has reached this Board with re- 
 gard to the destitution of ministerial service in the army 
 of the Confederate States, and believing it to be the 
 duty of the Church to supply as far as possible this defi- 
 cienej- : Therefore, 
 
 " 1. Resolved, That the Board of Managers of the Mis- 
 sionary Society of the M, E. Church, South, establish a 
 branch of its opex'ations in the army of the Confederate 
 States of America, to be called the Army Mission. 
 
 " 2. Resolved, That the Bishops be and are hereby au- 
 thorized and requested to appoint such general mission- 
 aries to the various departments of the army as in their 
 judgment the demand requires and the funds of the So- 
 ciety may justify : Provided that they shall not appoint 
 more than one general missionary to each army corps. 
 
 " 3. Resolved, That each general missionary appointed 
 by the Bishops shall travel through the department as- 
 signed him, preach to the soldiers, visit those of them 
 who are sick and wounded, and report to the Bishop 
 having charge of his department the condition and 
 wants of the army, and suggest proper persons to be en- 
 gaged as laborers in the field. 
 
268 THE GREAT REVR'AL. 
 
 " 4. Resolved, That the general missionaries shall co- 
 operate with the Confederate States Bible Societ\% the 
 various organizations in the several Annual Conferences, 
 and the editors and publishers of religious journals in 
 the Confederate States, in the circulation of the Holy 
 Scriptures and a general religious literature through the 
 army." 
 
 The other denominations adopted similar measures, 
 and soon many of the leading ministers of the South 
 entered upon the missionary work in the armies with a 
 zeal truly apostolic, and with a success that cannot be 
 fully known until the last day. 
 
 The news that they were to have more preachers in the 
 army was hailed with joy by the soldiers. A writer from 
 Kershaw's brigade wrote : " We are having good times 
 in our brigade now — preaching twice a week and three 
 times on Sunday. We have only two preachers, a Bap- 
 tist and a Presbyterian — both good — but if we had more 
 preachers, T think we would have a great revival. I 
 never saw men so anxious to hear preaching. They 
 crowd around the preaching place two or three hours be- 
 fore the preacher gets there." When the missionaries 
 entered the army they fomid the fields white already to 
 the harvest. 
 
 Perhaps the most unlikely place for a revival at this 
 period was Vicksburg and its vicinity ; and yet, even 
 there, while closely pressed by heavy Federal forces, 
 our soldiers were deeply pondering the question of sal- 
 vation. The Rev. P. A. Johnston, chaplain of the 38th 
 Mississippi Volunteers, wrote of a revival at Snyder's 
 Bluff: 
 
 "The Lord is at work among us. His stately step- 
 pings are often heard and his presence felt to the com- 
 fort of our souls. We have had for the past week very 
 interesting pra^'er-meetings. The}'^ were well-attended 
 and the very highest interest manifested. Souls are 
 hungry for the ' bread of life.' 
 
SPKING OF 1863. 269 
 
 "Often in these prayer-meetings there are from twelve 
 to twenty mourners. There have already been two or 
 three conversions, and four have joined the Church. 
 Sinners are being awakened, mourners comforted, and 
 the Christian established in the faith. The camp is a 
 rough, hard life. But, sir, I feel fully compensated for 
 every privation and hardship I have been subjected to. 
 
 "And no^, one word to state a very important fact. 
 The partitions are well-nigh broken down that have here- 
 tofore kept Christians so far apart. We know each 
 other here only as Christian brethren travelling to a bet- 
 ter world. Our meeting is still progressing. Pray for 
 us." 
 
 There was scarcely a conmiand in any part of the 
 field that did not call for the gospel. Rev. J. W. Turner, 
 writing from Savannah, Georgia, says: '"Our people 
 seem to have deserted us,' was the language of a sick 
 soldier in one of the hospitals in this city. He was a 
 member of the 25th Georgia regiment, which has been 
 encamped near this place for nearly eighteen months." 
 The Baptists had given fruitful attention to this part of 
 the field, as they did indeed with self-sacrificing zeal to 
 every portion of the army. " There are three Baptist 
 ministers," says Mr. Johnston, "acting as general chap- 
 lains, colporteurs, &c., within and around this city. They 
 are giving their whole time to the distribution of Testa- 
 ments, tracts, and Baptist periodicals, and to the preach- 
 ing of the word." But few of any other denomination 
 were laboring at this time in this portion of the army. 
 
 Of the forces stationed at Cumberland Gap, Rev. A. 
 M. Jones, chaplain of the 55th Georgia, writes : " Hav- 
 ing no house of worship, and the weather being very in- 
 clement and unpleasant, I have done very little preach- 
 ing, but am endeavoring to do all the good I can by vis- 
 iting the sick and procuring religious reading for the sol- 
 diers. Yesterday morning the mail brought us one hun- 
 dred copies of the Southei'n Christian Advocate, which 
 
270 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 gives about ten to each company. With joy they were 
 received, and with pleasure distributed among the sol- 
 diers. Walking through the regiment five minutes after 
 this time, 3'ou might have seen, in almost every cabin 
 and street, men deeply interested, poring over this silent 
 messenger of intelligence and truth." Man\' a nail was. 
 fastened in a sure place by these messengers of truth 
 sent by multiplied thousands into all the camps. 
 
 Some of the sermons preached by the leading minis- 
 ters of the Churches were so memorable as never to be 
 forgotten by those who heard or read them. The Rev. 
 Dr. J. C. Stiles, of the Presbyterian Church, delivered a 
 sermon on " National Rectitude," which was replete with 
 the noblest sentiments and delivered with all tlie force 
 and fire of his patriotic heart. Speaking of the vices 
 which stood in the pathwa}' of the Confederacy to a free 
 nationality, he seized those who fattened upon their 
 country's grief, and held them up to the gaze of the 
 world. Of the speculator he exclaimed : 
 
 " Miserable man ! How could he escape the all-per- 
 vading, generous patriotism of the day, and incarcerate 
 his soul in such a cell of enormous degradation ! The 
 process is simple. His avaricious heart discovere<l that 
 in our country the regular supply of merchant&ble com- 
 modities, which always keeps down the price, was cut 
 off by the war, while the consumption of the same was 
 as steady and undiminished as ever. Consequently, a 
 steadil3'-increasing demand must as steadily augment 
 the price. Let him then monopolize a large portion of 
 necessary goods at their present value and hold over; 
 ere long he must I'eceive one, two, five, ten hundred per 
 cent, upon his money, and ultimately make his fortune. 
 Just there the man anchored his heart, his whole heart. 
 This crisis of his country ! What a nick of time for ac- 
 cumulation ! How soon he must become a man of for- 
 tune, of enormous fortune ! And, oh, the luxuries, and 
 the power, and the pride, and the fame, and the rest of 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 271 
 
 magnificent possessions ! Over and over again he turns 
 the absorbing subject in his thoughts in ever new and 
 more enchanting lights — until he has churned up an 
 egregious j^earning of the bowels after filthj'- lucre. No- 
 thing else does he see, or feel, or live for. 
 
 " Behold that great, hungry shark of the ocean ! In 
 the wake of the great ship he has scented the flesh and 
 blood of the bait, and have it he will. He reaches the 
 bullock's head, but teeth, bones, and horns are in his 
 way. What cares he ? Unchecked for an instant, he 
 opens his prodigious jaws, and down go teeth, bones, 
 horns, and all. So exactly with our great land-shark. 
 The shining bait before him he will seize and nothing, 
 nothing shall prevent him. But see ! Self-respect and 
 social standing and decency — they all lie in his vfay. 
 If either of them survives, that fortune is not his. Naj^ ! 
 he cannot commence his hoarding. Mark the specu- 
 lator ! He halts not an instant, but forthwith extends 
 his voracious mouth and crushes and devours them all, 
 and drives on his fell pursuit. 
 
 " Wretched man ! his fearful work of crushing human 
 weal and heaven's law magnifies upon him at every 
 move. Nothing now short of the most audacious and 
 inhuman spirit can nerve him to another step. For if 
 the fraternity which he leads is still determined to press 
 on their scheme of unprincipled, heartless, reckless, ac- 
 quisition — ever rising prices, and ever falling and failing 
 currency, must, ere long, embarrass every fiscal measure 
 of the legislator, cripple every wheel of the government, 
 cut oflT supplies from every national agent, enfeeble 
 ever}^ movement of the army, convulse the masses with 
 dread anxiety about their daily bread, crowd the man- 
 sions of the rich with the cries of the famishing poor, 
 and wake up the darkest apprehensions touching the ul- 
 timate issues of the country's struggle. But what of 
 all this ? It is nothing, nothing to the speculator. His 
 whole heart is immovably fixed. 
 
272 THE GREAT RE^T\'AL. 
 
 •'There 13 no deed of darkness which the soul of the 
 accomplished speculator is not primed and charged to 
 - accomplish. Tliat miserable man ! At such a time as 
 this ! Yes, at such a time as this, he can feed and fat- 
 ten upon the taslced sinews of the government, upon the 
 struggling liberties of the people, upon the scanty wages 
 of the soldier, upon tlie failing morsels of the poor, upon 
 the last solace of the sick, the wounded, and the be- 
 reaved, and feel nothing. He can ponder all the brutal, 
 crushing cruelties of Northern subjugation, and dwell 
 upon all the swelling, bursting, maddening endurances, 
 endurances of the Southern captive, and yet feel nothing. 
 The spirt of the South ; that most beautiful, genial, admi- 
 rable element of our national heritage — that Southern 
 spirit, so brave, generous, proud, and independent — he 
 can look forth into the future and see that spirit, that 
 noble spirit, by most unlioly persecution, crushed out of 
 the people and 13'ing a cold corpse over all these hills 
 and valleys where once it lived so vigorous and happy an 
 existence ; yes, and f^iel nothing. Oh, yes ! That fellow- 
 man ! He can gaze upon all this heart-rending spectacle 
 and feel nothing, nothing but the splendors of that for- 
 tune he sucks out of the last drop of his country's blood. 
 The love of money — oh, the love of money ! Well saith 
 Scripture, It is the root of all evil. Look out, specu- 
 lator ! Yet a little while, and that love of money shall 
 pierce thee through with many sorrows and drown thy 
 soul in perdition and destruction !" 
 
 The venerable Bishop James O. Andrew, of the M. E. 
 Church, South, in an address to the ministers and mem- 
 bers of his denomintion, said : 
 
 " These should be days of self-denial. Who can think 
 of making parties and feasting on rich dainties, when 
 thousands of gallant men, away from all their loved 
 ones, are scarcely able to get the plainest food, and are 
 enduring it all patiently, that we may be defended in the 
 enjoyment of home and liberty ; and when thousands of 
 
SPUING OF 1863. -273 
 
 the loved ones, whom they have left at homo, have 
 scarcely bread to eat and clothes to wear ? Is there not 
 something heartless in the music of ball-rooms and thea- 
 tres and in wine and brandy parties, when hostile fleets 
 and armies are hovering around our cities and our whole 
 sea-coast, threatening to carry devastation into all the 
 land ? Verily, the voice of confession and prayer would 
 suit us better. 
 
 "I see that our President has again issued a proclama- 
 tion calling on all the people to repair to the house of 
 God, to fast, and humble and afflict our souls before 
 him, beseeching him to forgive our individual and na- 
 tional sins, and to send us*dtliverance from the mighty 
 fleets and armies which are marshalled against us and 
 threaten to destroy us and devour our inheritance. I 
 trust that all the people will obey the summons, and 
 that on that day the confessions, thanksgivings, and 
 supplications, of the whole people will go up with ac- 
 ceptance to the throne of the divine grace." 
 
 Charleston, S. C, was a point of great interest during 
 the whole period of the war, and the fiery temper of the 
 men who opened the fearful drama might be supposed 
 to be unfavorable to the progress of the revival. But 
 it was not so. Among the soldiers that lay for many 
 weary months on the bare sands of the barren islands, 
 and on the borders of the lagoons around that city, the 
 work of grace went steadily forward. Christian Asso- 
 ciations were formed, religious books, tracts, and papers 
 were distributed, and earnest sermons preached, which 
 resulted in most blessed scenes. In the 46th Georgia 
 such an organization was formed, and the soldiers who 
 united in it said : " Our object is to make it a desposi- 
 tory for the names of members of the Church, that they 
 may be known as such, and that thereby we may be the 
 better enabled to watch over each other for good ; that 
 each may feel that he has something to do in teaching 
 sinners the way of life ; and that by a godly walk and 
 
274 TIIE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 pious conversation lie ought to honor his profession and 
 glorify the God of his salvation." One hundred and 
 eighty-four Christian soldiers gave their names to the 
 Association. Of this regiment, Rev. T. C. Stanley was 
 then the chaplain, Lieutenant N. B. Binion was Presi- 
 dent of the Association, and W. J. Brown Secretary. 
 These men came out not only to fight, to suffer, to die 
 for their country, but to work for God and the truth in 
 the midst of all the evils and corruptions of the camp. 
 
 The signs from other portions of the army in the West 
 and Southwest were cquall}' cheering. Along the lines 
 in East Tennessee the revival began to spread with great 
 jDOwer. Rev. W. B. Norris, writing from Loudon, Tenn., 
 says : 
 
 " During the month (April) there has been a deep 
 religious interest among the soldiers here. We have 
 had a series of meetings for about two weeks, which, we 
 hope, resulted in much good. 
 
 " The church in which we met was always crowded to 
 the utmost, and there were always many seekers for the 
 way of eternal life." 
 
 In the 59th Tennessee regiment there was a glorious 
 work. Rev. S. Strick, the chaplain, says : 
 
 " God is at work among our men. Many are earnestly 
 seeking the pardon of their sins — some have been con- 
 verted. Our nightly prayer-meetings are well-attended 
 by anxious listeners, and my tent is crowded daily by 
 deeply penitent souls. Never have I known such a state 
 of religious feeling in our army as at this time. God's 
 Spirit is moving the hearts of our soldiers." 
 
 From the 38th Alabama volunteers Rev. A. D. McVoy 
 sent good tidings : 
 
 " We have held nightly meetings almost uninterrupt- 
 edly, whenever the weather permitted, ever since last 
 October, with large attendance, much interest, and good 
 results. Some conversions and accessions to the Church 
 have gladdened our hearts. While stationed in Mobile 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 275 
 
 we had every convenience for religious worship — a large 
 arbor with seats and stands for fire. Since we have 
 been transferred to Tennessee we have resumed our 
 nightly meetings, either in quarters or upon some neigh- 
 boring hill, where the shade is good, and where with 
 logs we could construct our rude altar to God. Such a 
 place as this has truly become a little Bethel to our 
 souls. I never saw men more concerned about their 
 soul's salvation. In a little gathering last night, which 
 was greatl}^ interrupted by rain, we had thirty to rise for 
 praj-ers. The feeling seems to be deep and earnest. 
 The members of the different Churches, who number 
 over two hundred in my regiment, are greatly revived 
 and aroused to duty. I have never found men listen 
 with more profound attention to the word of God. We 
 seem to be upon the eve of a gracious revival and out- 
 pouring of the Holy Spirit, for which we are praying, 
 watching, and struggling." 
 
 Rev. F. Milton Kennedy rejoiced in a great revival in 
 the 28th North Carolina regiment : 
 
 •' I am having a delightful meeting in my regiment. 
 Yesterday I administered the sacrament of the Lord's 
 Supper to about one hundred communicants, and many, 
 who have repeatedly met the shock of battle with un- 
 quailing hearts, were melted to tenderness and tears by 
 the power of grace. Last night there were between 
 thirty and forty penitents. Up to this time, as far as I 
 have been able to ascertain, about fifteen have professed 
 conversion, and upon the first invitation given to candi- 
 dates for Church-membership (at the close of the com- 
 munion service on yesterday), sixteen came forward. I 
 trust the Church at home will remember the army in 
 their prayers. There is a powerful and growing reli- 
 gious interest prevalent throughout large portions of 
 this army, which onl}^ needs the impulse of a prayerful 
 Church art home to sweep through the entire command and 
 transform her heroic soldiery into a sacramental host." 
 
2~6 THE GREAT KEVIVAL. 
 
 Rev. W. T. Bennett, chaplain of the 12th Tennessee 
 regiment, Polk's corps, wrote : 
 
 " Our regiment is being greatly blessed. We meet 
 from night to night for exhortation, instruction, and 
 prayer. Alreadj'^ there have been upwards of thirt}' 
 conversions. Most of them have joined the Church. 
 There are yet a large • number of inquirers. The moral 
 tone of the regiment seems rapidly changing for the 
 better." 
 
 Rev. T. C. Stanley, to whom we have alread}' referred, 
 reported favorably from the 46th Georgia regiment. 
 More than two hundred were enrolled in the Association, 
 and the movement was heartily seconded by the field, 
 staff, and line officers. Colonel Colquitt, Major Spears, 
 Quartermaster Leonard, and others, gave aid and counsel 
 to tlie chaplain. 
 
 Among the troops at Columbus, INIiss., a work of much 
 interest began, which was interrupted in its progress by 
 their removal to Jackson. The chaplain laboring there, 
 Rev. W. H. Smith, sent forth an earnest call to the home 
 Churches for help. " Brethren ! ministers ! are you 
 asleep? Do you not hear the cries of 3'our countrymen 
 calling to you from every part of the land ? Tlie sol- 
 diers feel their need of salvation, and are crying for the 
 gospel ! And will you withhold it from them ? Awake ! 
 arise ! gird yourselves with the whole armor of God, 
 and come forth ' to the help of the Lord, to the help of 
 the Lord against the mighty.'" 
 
 An officer of the 5th Georgia regiment, stationed at 
 Bridgeport, Tenn., sent back home his appeal : 
 
 "Our regiment now numbers about 650, and these 
 men have not heard a sermon in Jioe months. What a 
 thought ! Who is to blame ? The men ? I think not. 
 The officers ? No. Who then ? The ministry or the 
 Christians at home. I have done all in my power to 
 secure the services of some minister to preach for us, 
 but have, so far, entirely failed. Our regiment is com- 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 277 
 
 posed mostly of young men, many of them, at home, 
 members of the Church — Christians ; and shall it be 
 said that any of these have backslidden or have died, 
 and are forever lost, for the want of proper counsel ? 
 God forbid." 
 
 Rev. S. M. Cherry made a call from the army of Ten- 
 nessee : 
 
 " There is much interest manifested in our corps now. 
 The cry, ' Come over and help us,' is heard from the 
 serious soldiers in several commands. The harvest truly 
 is great and the laborers few. Revivals are reported in 
 several brigades. Chaplains still scarce." 
 
 Rev. C. T. Quintard, of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, chaplain for Polk's corps, and J. H. Bryson, of 
 the Presbj-^terian Church, chaplain of Hardee's corps, in 
 appealing to the public for aid in supplying Bibles, Tes- 
 taments, and Hymn-Books to the soldiers, said : 
 
 " We feel that we need only mention the fact that our 
 brave soldiers are asking for the "Word of Life in order 
 to secure from a generous public the most liberal con- 
 tributions. Who can withhold, when the sick and 
 wounded who fill our hospitals ask for the word of God 
 to cheer and sustain them during their days of afflic- 
 tion, their nights of weariness and suffering? We feel 
 confident that there are many who will give neither 
 grudgingly nor of necessity, but with cheerful hearts 
 and liberal hands. The religious interests of our sol- 
 diers demand and must receive prompt attention from 
 every lover of good order, civil liberty, and piety to- 
 wards God." 
 
 These and thousands of similar appeals stirred up the 
 home Churches to redoubled eflTorts on behalf of their 
 fellow-citizens in the field. The Bishops of the M. E. 
 Church, South, in their appeal for means for the Army 
 Mission, said : 
 
 " The moral character of the army is dear to all the 
 people, and demands that prompt provision be made to 
 12a 
 
278 TIFE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 preserve and promote it. The Church has precious in- 
 terests at stake, in that many of her members are found 
 in the ranks, and need ministerial instruction, and S3'm 
 pathy, and influence, to counteract surrounding tempta 
 tions and keep up in vigorous action their personal piet}'^ 
 Moreover, the exposure of our fellow-citizens, kindred 
 and friends, to disease and death, in a thousand forms 
 makes an earnest effort for their salvation a duty which 
 admits of no delay, and calls upon us all to do what we 
 can to meet the emergency with loving hearts and libe- 
 ral hands. The Great Head of the Church has mani- 
 fested his gracious will by sending his Holy Spirit in a 
 remarkable manner to the aid of those who are laboring 
 in this important field. 
 
 " Men and brethren, help. Your country calls. Your 
 Church implores your aid. Patriotism urges, by all the 
 ties of citizenship and the claims of your imperilled 
 countrymen. Piety pleads with you by the love of Christ 
 and of souls, the sanctified hopes and affections of our 
 immortal nature, the present duty and future glory of 
 the Redeemer's kingdom upon earth. Let us be up and 
 doing. Give freely, largely. Deny yourselves. Mag- 
 nify the grace of God in you and toward you. Fill the 
 treasury of the Lord, that we, j-our servants, for Christ's 
 sake, may send the gospel of peace to every army of 
 the Confederacy." 
 
 Rev. Dr. E. W. Sehon, the Missionary Secretary of 
 this Church, travelled at large appealing to the people 
 and collecting thousands of dollars for the Army Mis- 
 sion. " But one heart of patriotism," he said, " beats 
 in the land. All are united in a struggle for justice and 
 right, and all are laboring to sustain "our noble army. 
 We call for the same attention to be manifested by the 
 Churches to their spiritual wants. With all the wise 
 provisions of the Government in the appointment of 
 chaplains, there is still a loud call for ministerial help. 
 Other faithful preachers should be sent to aid in the 
 
SPUING OF 1863. 279 
 
 great work of those already gone. On the march, in 
 the hospital, and on the tented field — at all times and in 
 every place — these men of God should be with our brave 
 soldiers." 
 
 The action of other Churches was equally prompt and 
 efficient. The Baptist Board of Domestic Missions set 
 the sister Churches a noble example. At the General 
 Convention, twenty-six missionaries were reported as 
 laborers in the army — one in Florida ; two in Alabama 
 and North Carolina, respectively ; three in South Caro- 
 lina ; four in Mississippi, Georgia, and Virginia, respec- 
 tively ; and six in Tennessee — and the Board determined 
 to increase the number to the extent of men and means 
 offering. These missionaries moved from camp to camp, 
 and sometimes accompanied the troops on long marches, 
 conversing with the men, distributing tracts, Testaments, 
 religious papers, holding meetings for prayer and exhor- 
 tation, and preaching as they found it convenient. 
 
 One feature of this army work deserves special no- 
 tice. The aim of the laborers seemed to be to lead the 
 soldiers to Christ, not to make them sectarians. It was 
 alleged that the Baptist Tract Society was circulating 
 tracts in the army teaching the peculiar tenets of that 
 Church on the subject of baptism. This charge the Re- 
 ligious Herald, of Richmond, Va., one of the leading pa- 
 pers of that denomination, unqualifiedly denied, and de- 
 clared that since the war opened their Board had not 
 published a line bearing directly or indirectly on the 
 question of baptism. A similar rumor prevailed con- 
 cerning the Methodists issuing tracts teaching their views 
 covtra on the same question, but this was found to be 
 untrue. Over-zealous men of both Churches might, on 
 their own responsibility, have circulated old tracts bear- 
 ing on these mooted subjects, but the publications of 
 this class printed during the war avoided disputed points 
 and taught the great cardinal doctrines and duties of 
 religion. 
 
280 TILE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 The great concern of the people at home for the sal- 
 vation of their fellow-countr3'men in the armies soon 
 bore fruit. In the army of Tennessee there was a glo- 
 rious work, which embraced hundreds and thousands in 
 its influence. The Rev. F. S. Petway, chaplain of the 
 44th Tennessee regiment, Joluison's brigade, Cleburn's 
 division, in connection with other ministers, reported a 
 wonderful revival in that celebrated command : 
 
 " In the latter part of March," he sa3's, " Chaplain 
 Tajdor, of the 23d Tennessee regiment, commenced a 
 series of meetings at Tullalioraa, assisted by Rev. A. W. 
 Smith, of the 25th, and myself, which continued for 
 several weeks, until temporarily interrupted by military 
 movements. Tiiese meetings have resulted in much 
 spiritual benefit to professed Christians, while about one 
 hundred and five souls have embraced Christ as their 
 Saviour. 
 
 " In General Wood's brigade a meeting of great in- 
 terest has for several weeks been under the supervision 
 of Rev. F. A. Kimball, chaplain of the 16th Alabama, 
 assisted mainly b\' Colonel Reed, Chief of Provost Mar- 
 shal Department, in Hardee's corps, and Col. Lowery, 
 of the 45th and 32d Mississippi, the result of which has 
 been one hundred conversions. In the same brigade, 
 Chaplain Otkin, of Col. Lowery's regiment, has been 
 conducting religious services, which, from the best in- 
 formation received, has been productive of great good 
 in restoring many wanderers to their former enjoyments 
 and inducting about forty-five souls into the kingdom of 
 Christ. 
 
 "In General Polk's brigade, Bro. Davis, of the 1st Ar- 
 kansas, and Qnarles, of the 45th Tennessee, have been 
 laboring with commendable zeal and success in their re- 
 spective commands, with occasional assistance from 
 Chaplains Smith and Taylor, and as the fruit of their 
 labors God has converted about seventy souls. 
 
 " In General Lidell's Arkansas brigade, which is desti- 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 281 
 
 tute of a chaplain, a meeting was commenced five weeks 
 since by Bro. Anderson, preacher in charge of Bedford 
 Circuit, but who, in consequence of affliction, was forced 
 to retire in the very incipiency of an encouraging re- 
 vival. The charge of the meeting devolved on me, and 
 with the efficient aid of Bros. Taylor, Smitli. and Steven- 
 son (the latter of whom is a supernumerary member of 
 the Tennessee Conference), it has continued up to the 
 present time, without any abatement of the interest. 
 Each night crowds of penitents throng the altar for 
 prayer, averaging from eighty-five to one hundred, and 
 the number of conversions, according to the most correct 
 estimate, will not fall below one hundred and forty." 
 
 The whole number converted at these meetings was 
 four hundred and seventy-eight, while hundreds more, 
 who had yielded to the vices and temptations of the 
 camp, found the joy of salvation restored to their souls. 
 Under the preaching of Rev. S. M. Cherry, in McCown's 
 division, the conversions in two regiments reached one 
 hundred and forty. In the brigades of Gens. Stuart and 
 Wright, the revival was powerful and many were con- 
 verted. " In these revivals," says Mr. Petway, " two en- 
 couraging facts are made manifest. We see officers, 
 from colonels of regiments down to captains, lieuten- 
 ants, and sergeants, giving their counsels and mingling 
 their tears, songs, and prayers, with those of the private 
 soldier, and a good number of those who are thus en- 
 gaged have recently been made partakers of God's con- 
 verting grace. Another fact worthy of notice consists 
 in the marked attention and deep solemnity of the vast 
 crowds to whom we preach. 
 
 "The idea of disrespect among soldiers to the worship 
 of God seems to have gained the ascendancy in the 
 minds of those at home, than which nothing is more un- 
 founded. While the army is composed of every variety 
 of character, some of whom have no aspiration bej^ond 
 that of card-playing and low, vulgar profanity, yet there 
 
282 THE GUEAT UEVrVAL. 
 
 are hundreds, who, in point of intellect and high-toned 
 morals, rank with the first men in the Southern Confede- 
 racy', and who, like the evergreen among the blasted 
 shrubbery, shed a healthful influence around them. 
 Could many of our fashionable city crowds be present 
 and witness the marked respect paid by these men to 
 the service of God, they would not only be proud of our 
 army, but some among the elite would, perhaps, be put to 
 the blush and acknowledge an example worthy of their 
 imitation. And in order to remove false impressions 
 abroad, with regard to these noble men who are suffer- 
 ing and sacrificing so much for the good of our countr3% 
 I affirm, that, during a ministry of seventeen years, I 
 have rarely, even in the most enlightened communities, 
 preached to as large crowds to whose deportment during 
 divine service so little exception could ])e taken ; and in 
 the assertion I will be sustained by a large majority of 
 the chaplains. It is due to the soldiers that this fact be 
 made public, and thus disprove a slander, so often re- 
 peated, that card-playing, profane swearing, and low 
 vulgarity, are not unusual within a few steps of where 
 divine service is being conducted. I have preached 
 nearly one hundred sermons within eight months in the 
 arm3% and such things have uot yet fallen under my ob- 
 servation ; and, moreover, were men even inclined thus 
 to insult God and the ministry, the restraints of military 
 law would soon place them beyond the possibility of re- 
 peating the act. So the charge refutes itself." 
 
 To this work Rev. Dr. J. B. McFerrin, who had been 
 recently appointed army missionary, contributed greatly 
 by his able and fervent sermons. He was personally 
 known to thousands in the army of Tennessee, and his 
 coming was like the visiJ; of a father to his children. 
 
 The Presbyterian Church sent forth many of her ablest 
 ministers. Rev. Dr. Waddell, Chancellor of the Univer- 
 sity of Mississippi, was appointed Superintendent of 
 Army Missions in the West and Southwest, and he was 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 283 
 
 ably supported b}^ such men as Dr. Palmer, of New Or- 
 leans, Dr. Rutherford, Dr. E. T. Baird, Rev. J. H. Bry- 
 son, and raanj' other earnest preachers. In the army of 
 Northern Virginia, they had Dr. B. T. Lacy, Dr. R. E. 
 Dabney, and others, who gave a great impetus to the re- 
 vival by their unwearied and successful labors. Be- 
 sides the regular missionaries, the pastors of the home 
 churches of all the denominations visited and preached 
 to the various camps, on all occasions, when the}'^ could 
 spare time from their charges. 
 
 The attention given to the word preached was an in- 
 dex to the state of mind in the army congregations. 
 "Could you see," said a writer from Kershaw's brigade, 
 '•the crowd that collects nightly under the large arbor 
 prepared for the purpose, perhaps you would be sur- 
 prised that, in the large concourse, not one word is 
 spoken, not even in the outskirts of the congregation ; 
 but every man is looking intently at the minister, catch- 
 ing every word that falls from his lips." Another writer 
 from a different command : " I have never seen men lis- 
 ten with more profound attention to the word of God. 
 We seem to be upon the eve of a gracious revival and 
 outpouring of the Holy Spirit, for which our friends at 
 home, I trust, are offering up supplications daily." 
 
 The men of this regiment gave $425 to enable their 
 chaplain to supply them with Testaments, tracts, and re- 
 ligious papers. 
 
 Rev. T. C. Wier, referring to the religious habits of 
 the soldiers, says : " They listen with a quiet, deferen- 
 tial respect to the Word, rarely witnessed in our con- 
 gregations at home. In addition to preaching and 
 praj'er-meeting on the Sabbath or during the week, we 
 have public praj'ers at the Sunday evening dress pa- 
 rade. This custom was introduced into our regiment at 
 the suggestion of our first Colonel, Hon. Robert McLain, 
 a New School Presbyterian preacher. There is some- 
 thing impressive in this Sabbath evening prayer. It is 
 
284 THE GREAT UE%T\'AL. 
 
 a calm evening, and the men are drawn np in the order 
 for dress parade. At the commad, 'parade rest,' lean- 
 ing gracelullj' upon their arms, thej'^ come to the posi- 
 tion of ' rest.' Our good Colonel then gives the com- 
 mand, ' Attention to prayer bj^ the chaplain — heads un- 
 covered,' when the chaplain, facing the regiment a few 
 feet in front of the Colonel, offers a short, appropriate 
 prayer. Such a scene might often have been witnessed 
 last summer, while we were pleasantly camped near Co- 
 lumbus, Miss. Since that time, we have marched many 
 a weary mile, and seen much severe service in the camp 
 and on the bloody field. Our good Colonel fell mortally 
 wounded in the attempt to storm Corinth, and found a 
 soldier's grave near the memorable field. His last mes- 
 sage to absent friends was, 'Tell them I fell in defence 
 of a just cause.' We have lost other men, brave and 
 true, and passed through various changes, but we still 
 keep up the custom of praj^er at the Sabbath evening 
 dress parade." 
 
 Leaving now for a time the armies of the West, let us 
 return to those noble heroes, who, in the East, felt and 
 rejoiced in the wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 
 which, whether in the camp, on the march, in bivouac, or 
 on the field of battle, marked the history of the army 
 of Northern Virginia from this time until the close of 
 the war. 
 
f^-^z.- 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 285 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIT. 
 
 SPRING OF 1863. 
 
 RE-vavALS, deep and genuine, prevailed in nearly every 
 brigade of the army for weeks before the battle of Chan- 
 Dellorsville. In Barksdale's brigade, just before the fight, 
 the number of conversions had reached two hundred, 
 and when the heavy columns of Hooker began their 
 movements the revival was spreading in greatest power. 
 From their religious services the soldiers went forth to 
 meet the foe ; they hurled him back with dreadful loss, 
 and again returned to hear the gospel from their minis- 
 ters, and to hold their prayer-meetings. The Rev. W. 
 H. Potter, of Georgia, who spent several weeks in the 
 army, including the week of marches and battles, re- 
 ported the work of grace to be progressing in a wonder- 
 ful manner. Even the week's fighting did not interrupt 
 it, but on the next Sabbath the regular services were 
 held, and the revival went on with power. 
 
 The movements of General Hooker were made with 
 the hope of deceiving General Lee, but he was met and 
 foiled at every point. On the 28 th of April he crossed 
 three army corps over the river, about twenty miles 
 above Fredericksburg. His crossing was met and op- 
 posed. On the same night three corps were crossed 
 several miles below that place under cover of a heavy 
 fog. These were held at bay by our fortified positions, 
 while General Lee repelled the attack on his left wing. 
 Afterwards, General Hooker made pretence of withdraw- 
 ing his forces below the town, and sending them to aid 
 his right wing ; and, while General Lee was fully en- 
 gaged in the wilderness near Chancellorsville, he sud- 
 denly assaulted and carried Marye's Heights, the strong- 
 
286 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 est CDnfederate position near the town. On the 2d and 
 3d of Ma^-, General Lee drove the enemy from all his 
 positions on our left, and immediately returning to his 
 own right, re-took our lost positions and drove the Fede- 
 rals to the shelter of heavy batteries on the north bank 
 of the river. On returning again to the left, he found 
 that General Hooker had abandoned his entrenchments 
 and re-crossed the river. 
 
 The following are General Lee's official dispatches to 
 President Davis : 
 
 " Mllford, May 3, 1863. 
 
 "Yesterday, General Jackson penetrated to the rear 
 of the enemy and drove him from all his positions, from 
 the Wilderness to within one mile of Chancellorsville. 
 He was engaged at the same time in front bj^ two of 
 Longstreet's divisions. This morning the battle was re- 
 newed. He was dislodged from his strong positions 
 around Chancellorsville, and driven back towards the 
 Rappahannock, over which he is now retreating. Many 
 prisoners were taken, and the enemy's loss in killed and 
 wounded is large. We have again to thank Almighty 
 God for a great victory, I regret to state that General 
 Paxton was killed ; General Jackson severely, Generals 
 Heth and A. P. Hill slightly, wounded. 
 
 " (Signed) li. E. Lee, General. 
 
 " May 5, 1863. 
 
 "At the close of the battle of Chancellorsville, on 
 Sunday, the enem3f was reported advancing from Frede- 
 ricksburg in our rear. 
 
 " General McLaws was sent back to arrest his pro- 
 gress, and repulsed him handsomely that afternoon. 
 Learning that this force consisted of two corps, under 
 General Sedgwick, 1 deiermined to attack it, and 
 marched back yesterday with General Anderson, and, 
 uniting with Generals McLaws and Early in the after- 
 noon, succeeded, by the blessing of Heaven, in driving 
 
SPRING OF 18G3. 287 
 
 General Sedgwick over the river. We have re-occupied 
 Fredericksburg, and no enemy remains south of the Rap- 
 pahannocli in its vicinity. 
 
 " CnANCELLORS-vaLLE, May 7, 1863. 
 
 "After driving General Sedgwick across the Rappa- 
 hannock on the night of the 4th, I returned on the 5tli 
 to Chancellorsville. The march was delayed by a storm 
 which continued the whole night following. In placing 
 the troops in position on the morning of the 6th, to at- 
 tack Hooker's army, I ascertained lie had abandoned liis 
 fortified position. A line of skirmishers pressed forward 
 until they came within range of the enemy's batteries, 
 planted on the north of the Rappahannock, which, from 
 the configuration of tlie ground, completely commanded 
 this side. His army, therefore, escaped with the loss of 
 a few additional prisoners. 
 
 "(Signed) R. E. Lee, General Commanding." 
 
 The dark cloud that overhung this "great victorj'" was 
 the death of Gen. Jackson. The sad story is here given 
 as it was reported immediately after the battle, and is, 
 no doubt, in the main correct. By one of his rapid flank 
 movements he had gained the rear of Hooker's army, 
 impetuously assaulted his strong positions, driven him 
 out of them, and, but for the approach of night, would 
 have made the retreat an utter rout. Having placed his 
 men in position ready for any movement that the criti- 
 cal occasion might require, he rode forward with several 
 of his staff about 8 o'clock on Saturday evening, the 2d 
 of IMay, to reconnoitre the Federal lines in front in the 
 deep forest. Soon coming on the enemy's advancing 
 line of skirmishers, they turned and rode rapidly back 
 towards their own men, who, mistaking the party for 
 Federal cavalry, stooped and delivered a deadly fire at 
 the distance of twenty paces. 
 
 "So sudden and stunning was this vollej%" says Dr. 
 
288 THE GREAT REVTVAL. 
 
 Dabney in his life of Jackson, " and so near at hand, 
 that every horse which was not shot down recoiled from 
 it in panic, and turned to rush back, bearing their riders 
 toward the approaching enemy. Several fell dead upon 
 the spot, among them the courageous Captain Boswell ; 
 and more wounded. Among the latter was Gen. Jack- 
 son. His right hand was penetrated by a ball, his left 
 fore-arm lacerated by another, and the same limb broken 
 a little below the shoulder by a third, which not only 
 crushed the bone, but severed the main artery. His 
 horse also dashed, panic-stricken, toward the enemy, 
 carrying him beneath the boughs of a tree, which in- 
 flicted severe blows, lacerated his face, and almost 
 dragged him from the saddle. His bridle hand was now 
 powerless, but seizing the reins with the right hand, 
 notwithstanding its wound, he arrested his career and 
 brought the animal back toward his own lines. He was 
 followed bj' his faithful attendant, Captain Wilbourne, 
 and his faithful assistant, Wynn, who overtook him as 
 he passed again in the turnpike near the spot where he 
 had received the fatal shots. * * * Here General 
 Jackson drew up his horse and sat for an instant gazing 
 toward his own men, as if in astonishment at their cruel 
 mistake, and in doubt whether he should again venture 
 to approach them. To the anxious inquiries of Captain 
 Wilbourne, he replied that he believed his arm was 
 broken, and requested him to assist him from his horse 
 and examine whether the wounds were bleeding danger- 
 ously. But before he could dismount he sunk fainting 
 into their arms, so completely prostrate that they were 
 compelled to disengage his feet from the stirrups. 
 
 " They now bore him aside a few yards into the woods 
 north of the turnpike, to shield him from the expected 
 advance of the Federalists ; and while Wynn was sent 
 for an ambulance and surgeon, Wilbourne proceeded, 
 supporting his head upon his bosom, to strip his mangled 
 arm and bind up his wound. The warm blood was flow- 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 289 
 
 ing in a stream down his wrist ; his clothing impeded 
 all access to its source, and nothing was at hand more 
 efficient than a pen-knife to remove the obstructions. 
 But at this terrible moment he saw General Hill, with 
 the remnant of his staff", approaching, and called to him 
 for assistance. He. with his volunteer aide. Major Leigh, 
 dismounted, and, taking the body of the General into 
 his arms, succeeded in reaching the wound, and staunch- 
 ing the blood with a handkerchief. The swelling of the 
 lacerated flesh had already performed this office in part. 
 His two aides, Lieutenants Smith and Morrison, arrived 
 at this moment, the former having been left at the rear 
 to execute some orders, and the latter having just saved 
 himself, at the expense of a stunning fall, b}'- leaping 
 from his horse as he was carrjdng him into the lines of 
 the enemy. * * * It was at this moment that two 
 Federal skirmishers approached within a few feet of the 
 spot where he lay, with their muskets cocked. They 
 little knew what a prize was within their grasp ; and 
 when, at the command of General Hill, two orderlies 
 arose from the kneeling group and demanded their sur- 
 render, they seemed amazed at their nearness to their 
 enemies, and yielded their arms without resistance. 
 Lieutenant Morrison, suspecting from their approach 
 tliat the Federalists must be near at hand, stepped out 
 into the road to examine, and by the light of the moon 
 saw a fiekl-piece pointed toward him, apparently not 
 more than a hundred 3'ards distant. * * * Return- 
 ing hurriedly, he announced that the enemy were plant- 
 ing artillery in the road, and that the General must be 
 immediately removed. * * * ■^^o ambulance or lit- 
 ter was at hand, although Captain Wilbourne had also 
 been sent to seek them ; and the necessity" of an imme- 
 diate removal suggested that thej^ should bear the Gene- 
 ral away in their arms. To this he replied that if they 
 would assist him to rise he could walk to the rear ; and 
 he was accordingly raised to his feet, andj leaning upon 
 13" ^ 
 
290 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 the shoulders of Major Leigh and Lieutenant Smith, 
 went slowl}' out into the highway and toward his troops. 
 The party was now met by a litter, which some one had 
 sent from the rear ; and Ihe General was placed upon it 
 and borne along by two soldiers and Lieutenants Smith 
 and Morrison. As they were placing him uj^on it, the 
 enemy fired a volley of canister-shot up the road, which 
 passed over their heads. But thej' had proceeded only ' 
 a few steps before the discharge was repeated with a 
 more accurate aim. One of the soldiers bearing the lit- 
 ter was struck down, severely wounded ; and had not 
 Major Leigh, who was walking beside it, broken his 
 fall, the Geiieral would have been precipitated to the 
 ground. 
 
 " He was placed again upon the earth ; and the cause- 
 way was now swept by a hurricane of projectiles of every 
 species, before which it seemed that no living thing could 
 survive. The bearers of the litter, and all the attend- 
 ants, excepting Major Leigh and the General's two aides, 
 left him, and fled into the woods on either hand, to es- 
 cape the fatal tempest ; while the sufferer lay along the 
 road, with his feet to the foe, exposed to all its fury. It 
 was now that his three faithful attendants displayed a 
 heroic fidelity which deserves to go down with the im- 
 mortal name of Jackson to future ages. Disdaining to 
 save their lives by deserting their chief, they lay down 
 beside him in the causeway, and sought to pfotect him 
 as far as possible with their bodies. On one side was 
 Major Leigh, and on the other Lieutenant Smith. Gen. 
 Jackson struggled violently to rise, as though to endeavor 
 to leave the road ; but Smith threw his arm over him, 
 and with friendly force held him to the earth, saying, 
 ' Sir, you must lie still ; it will cost you your life to rise.' 
 He speedil3'^ acquiesced, and lay quiet ; but not one of , 
 the four hoped to escape alive. Yet, almost by miracle, 
 they were unharmed ; and, after a few moments, the 
 Federalists, having cleared the road of all except this 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 291 
 
 little party, ceased to fire along it, and directed their 
 aim to another quarter." 
 
 They took advantage of the lull in the Federal fire, 
 and, with their sad burden, moved carefully along the 
 ditch at the margin of the road. Troops were hurrying 
 to the front, and fearing that the wounded General would 
 be recognized by his men, the party moved farther into 
 the thicket. They soon met General Pender, who recog- 
 nized Jackson, and expressed his deep sj'^mpathy for the 
 sufferer, and added, " My men are thrown into such con- 
 fusion by this fire that I fear I shall not be able to hold 
 my ground." Jackson replied instantly in a feeble voice, 
 but with his well-known decision, " General Pender, you 
 7uust keep 3'our men together, and hold your ground." 
 This was the last order of Jackson. 
 
 The party made their way through the tangled brush- 
 wood and thickets as well as they could towards the rear. 
 The fire of the enemy re-opened, and in hurrying on the 
 clothes of the wounded man were torn, and even his face 
 lacerated by the stiff twigs and branches. Unfortunatelj^ 
 one of the litter-bearers fell, and the General was thrown 
 upon the ground and painfully bruised. He lay upon 
 his mangled arm, from which the blood began to flow 
 freelJ^ When his men lifted him up a groan broke from 
 him — the onl}'^ complaint in all the terrible scene. Lieu- 
 tenant Smith, fearing he would die on the spot, said, 
 " General, are j'^ou much hurt ?" To which he replied, 
 "No, Mr. Smith; don't trouble yourself about me." 
 After bearing him half a mile farther, most of the way 
 under a shower of shot and shell, they reached an am- 
 bulance, in which his chief of artiller}^ Col. Crutchfield, 
 lay wounded. Dr. McGuire, Jackson's chief surgeon, 
 soon joined them, and proceeded at once to examine the 
 General's wounds. He found him almost pulseless, but 
 the copious bleeding had ceased. Stimulants were freely 
 used ; under their influence he revived, and the party 
 moved on to the field hospital near Wilderness Run. To 
 
292 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 the anxious questions of his surgeon, the General said 
 that he now felt better, but that several times as they 
 came out of the battle he had felt as though he were 
 about to die. 
 
 The heroic calmness of Jackson was well displaj'cd 
 when he was struck down by the cruel volley from his 
 own men. To the quick, anxious questions of his friends 
 he replied with great composure, " I believe ray arm is 
 broken," and "It gives me severe pain." When asked 
 to have his right hand bound up, he said, " No, never 
 mind ; it is a trifle." And yet this right hand that had 
 so often pointed out the path of victory to his men was 
 almost shattered to pieces — two bones of it were broken 
 and a bullet had almost gone through the palm. Witli- 
 out a particle of passion, he said, "All my wounds are 
 by my own men," and said they were all received at the 
 same moment. He was extremely anxious that his sol- 
 diers should not know that he was wounded. He said, 
 " Tell them simply that you have a wounded Confede- 
 rate officer." He would have his own name concealed, 
 but no untruth told. As he was led along man}^ of the 
 men asked, "Whom have you there?" and some tried 
 to see his face; Captain Wilbourne kept them off ; but 
 one or two of his veterans caught a glimpse of his face, 
 and exclaimed, "Great God! it is General Jackson." 
 The sad news spread rapidly along the lines ; but the 
 men believed his wounds to be slight, and their sorrow 
 only increased their courage. 
 
 At midnight, in the field hospital, a consultation of 
 surgeons was held, composed of Drs. McGuire, Cole- 
 man, Black, and Wall. Long and anxiously they watch- 
 ed the pulse for evidences of reaction ; at length it came, 
 and with it hope. The examination showed the neces- 
 sity for immediate amputation of the left arm. Dr. 
 McGuire explained this to him, and the General replied, 
 " Doctor, do for me whatever you think best ; I am re- 
 signed to whatever is necessary." He was placed under 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 293 
 
 the influence of chloroform, and the mangled arm cut off 
 by Dr. McGuire, and the ball extracted from the right 
 hand. The General seemed insensible to pain, and said 
 dreamily, " Dr. McGuire, I am lying very comfortably." 
 He then sunk into a quiet sleep, and in half an hour was 
 awaked to receive nourishment. He awoke promptl}'' 
 when called, and took a cup of coffee with relish, saying 
 it was good and refreshing. This was the first nourish- 
 ment he had taken since Friday evening, and it was now 
 Saturday midnight. When he fell, and his field-glass 
 and haversack were removed, the latter contained no 
 rations, but onl}^ a few official papers and two gospel tracts. 
 After taking coffee he conversed freely with the friends 
 around him, and asked particularly whether he had said 
 anything when under the influence of chloroform, and 
 added: "I have always thought it wrong to administer 
 chloroform in cases where there is a probability of im- 
 mediate death. But it was, I think, the most delightful 
 physical sensation I ever enjoyed. I had enough con- 
 sciousness to know what was doing ; and at one time I 
 thought I heard the most delightful music that ever 
 greeted xwy ears. I believe it was the sawing of the 
 bone. But I should dislike above all things to enter 
 eternity in such a condition." His attendants now urged 
 him to suspend conversation and to seek repose in sleep. 
 He ceased talking, and soon fell into a deep and quiet 
 sleep, which lasted until 9 o'clock in the morning. 
 
 The manner and language of General Lee when he 
 received the news of the wounding of Jackson were 
 characteristic of that great and good man. Captains 
 Hotchkiss and Wilbourne were sent to inform him of 
 the result of the brilliant flank movement and of the fall 
 of Jackson. The}'^ found the General lying upon the 
 ground under a thick pine tree. It was before day-, 
 break, but he at once asked them for the news of the 
 battle. They described the battle, and informed him 
 that Jackson was seriously wounded. The General was 
 
294 TIIE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 greatly moved at this, and after a pause, in which he 
 seemed to be struggling with his emotions, said : " Ah ! 
 any victory is dearly bought which deprives us of the 
 services of Jackson, even for a short time." He then 
 dictated the following note to Jackson : 
 
 " General, — I have just received your note, informing 
 me that j'oii are wounded. I cannot express my regret 
 at the occurrence. Could I have directed events, I 
 should have chosen, for the good of the country, to have 
 been disabled in your stead. 
 
 " I congratulate you upon the victory which is due to 
 your skill and energy. 
 
 " Most truly yours, 
 "(Signed) R. E. Lee, General." 
 
 Our readers know the result of the great battle of 
 Chancellorsville — so nobly begun by Jackson, and so 
 bravely won by the Confederate army. Leaving the 
 field of blood, let us go to the bedside of the wounded 
 General. When he awoke from his long and quiet sleep 
 on Sabbath morning, the sounds of a furious cannonade 
 assured him that the battle was raging, but his pulse 
 did not quicken nor his soul grow restless. When Rev. 
 Mr. Lacy, his chaplain, entered the tent where he lay, 
 he exclaimed : " Oh, General ! what a calamity !" Jack- 
 son thanked him with his usual courtesy, and added, 
 with an unusual freedom : " You see me severely wound- 
 ed, but not depressed ; not unhapp)^ I believe it has 
 been done according to God's holy will, and I acquiesce 
 entirely in it. You ma}'- think it strange, but you never 
 saw me more perfectly contented than I am to-day ; for 
 I am sure that my Heavenly Father designs this afflic- 
 tion for my good. I am perfectly satisfied, that either 
 in this life, or in that which is to come, I shall discover 
 that what is now regarded as a calamity is a blessing. 
 And if it appears a great calamity (as it surely will be a 
 great inconvenience to be deprived of my arm), it will 
 
spniNG OF 1863. 295 
 
 result in a great blessing. I can wait until God, in his 
 own time, shall make known to me the object he has in 
 thus afflicting me. But why should I not rather rejoice 
 in it as a blessing, and not look on it as a calamity at 
 all ? If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would 
 not dare to do it unless I could know it was the will of 
 my Heavenly Father." He referred to his feelings at 
 the time of his fall, and said he was in possession of 
 perfect peace while expecting death. " It has been," he 
 said, " a precious experience to me that I was brought 
 face to face with death and found all was well. I then 
 learned an important lesson, that one who has been the 
 subject of converting grace, and is the child of God, 
 can, in the midst of the severest sufferings, fix the 
 thoughts upon God and heavenly things, and derive 
 great comfort and peace ; but, that one who had never 
 made his peace with God would be unable»to control his 
 mind, under such sufferings, so as to understand properly 
 the way of salvation and repent and believe on Christ. 
 I felt that if I had neglected the salvation of my soul 
 before, it would have been too late then." Dr. Dabney 
 says these are nearl}'^ the exact words used by General 
 Jackson. They made a deep impression on the mind of 
 the minister to whom they were addressed, and he 
 speedily committed them to writing. After this conver- 
 sation, the General, at the request of his physician, re- 
 mained quiet for several hours. About midday Captain 
 Douglass came from the field with news of the victory. 
 He communicated to Lieutenant Smith such facts as he 
 thought would interest the General. To the narrative, 
 as repeated to him b}' Lieutenant Smith, Jackson lis- 
 tened with fixed attention. The part taken in the fight 
 by his old Stonewall Brigade deeply affected him. In 
 the very crisis of the battle General Stuart rode up to 
 them, and, pointing to the work he wished them to do, 
 gave the order : " Charge, and remember Jacksoji !" They 
 sprang forward at the word, drove before them three 
 
296 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 times their own number, and decided the day. Tlie 
 General listened eagerly, and, trying to repress his 
 tears, said : "It was just like them to do so; just like 
 them. They are a noble body of men." Smith said : 
 "They have indeed behaved splendidly; but j'ou can 
 easily suppose, General, that it was not without a loss 
 of man)' valuable men." Jackson asked quickly : " Have 
 you heard of any one that is killed?" "Yes, sir," said 
 Smith ; " I am very sorry to say they have lost their 
 commander." He exclaimed : " Paxton ? Paxton ?" 
 Smith — " Yes, sir ; he has fallen." He said no more ; 
 but turned his face to the wall, and seemed to be labor- 
 ing to suppress his emotion. Some moments after this, 
 Smith remarked that Rev. Mr. Lacy had talked with 
 General Paxton about his religious interests, and be- 
 lieved him to be a converted man. To this Jackson re- 
 plied : "That's good ; that's good." It is stated by Dr. 
 Dabne3% from whose Life of Jackson we are indebted 
 for most of the facts connected with these sad scenes, 
 that after Paxton had placed his brigade in position he 
 spent the few moments that were left him in reading his 
 New Testament, and when ordered forward, he replaced 
 the book in his pocket and exhorted his men to do their 
 duty and to entrust their safet}' into the hands of the 
 Almighty. 
 
 The General now directed Lieutenant Smith to write 
 a note which he dictated to General Lee, giving an ac- 
 count of his wounds and congratulating the Commander- 
 in-Chief on the great victory which God had given to 
 his army. To this note General Lee sent the noble re- 
 ply already given. When the note was read to him he 
 said : " General Lee is ver}^ kind ; but he should give 
 the glory to God." In speaking some time after this of 
 the battle, he said : " Our movement yesterday was a 
 great success ; I think, the most successful military 
 movement of my life. But I expect to receive far more 
 credit for it than I deserve. Most men will think that I 
 
SPKIKG OF 1863. 21I7 
 
 liad planned it all from the first ; but it was not so — I 
 simply took advantage of circumstances as lliey were 
 presented to me in the providence of God. I feel that 
 his hand led me. Let us give him all the glory." 
 
 General Lee, thinking the Wilderness exposed to the 
 incursions of the Federal cavalry, sent word that Jack- 
 son should be removed as soon as possible to Guinea's 
 Station. On Monday he seemed so much better that 
 Dr. McGuire determined to begin the journey. The 
 road was cleared of obstructions by engineers so as to 
 avoid jolting of the ambulance. The General was bright 
 and cheerful during the twenty-five miles' travel, and 
 just at nightfall the party reached the house of Mr. 
 Chandler, near the station. He was placed in bed, and, 
 after taking supper, spent a quiet night. During the 
 journey he spoke freely of the war, and made kind and 
 special reference to the Stonewall Brigade. In refer- 
 ence to a purpose of that noble band to petition the 
 Government to allow them to assume this title as their 
 own, he said : " They are a noble body of patriots ; 
 when this war is ended, the survivors will be proud to 
 say, 'I was a member of the old Stonewall Brigade.' 
 The Government ought certainly to accede to their re- 
 quest, and authorize them to assume this title ; for it 
 was fairly earned." He then added that "the name 
 Stonewall ought to be attached wholly to the men of the 
 brigade, and not to him ; for it was their steadfast hero- 
 ism which had earned it at first Manassas." In rej^ly to 
 a question as to the wisdom of General Hooker's plan 
 of battle, Jie said : " It was, in the main, a good concep- 
 tion, an excellent plan ; but he should not have sent 
 away his cavalry ; that was his great blunder. It was 
 that which enabled me to turn him, without his being 
 aware of it, and to take him b}' his rear." 
 
 After a day or two the bright hopes of his recovery- 
 began to fade. His pain and restlessness increased. 
 Opiates were administered to quiet his nerves and to in- 
 
298 THE GUEAT RimA'AL, 
 
 duce sleep. Under their influence his sleep was dis- 
 turbed by dreams. He was told on Tuesday that Hooker 
 was entrenched near Chancellorsville. He exclaimed : 
 "That is bad — ver}' bad." Falling asleep soon after, he 
 called out : " Major Pendleton, send in and see if there 
 is not higher ground back of Chancellorsville." He was 
 again in the smoke and shock of battle. On Thursday 
 Mrs. Jackson reached him, from Richmond. She was 
 deterred from coming earlier by the Federal cavalry 
 which infested the line of the railroad. When she ar- 
 rived the General was worse, and the physicians were 
 doing all in their power to arrest pneumonia, which had 
 been developed the day before in an alarming form. 
 Rev. Mr. Lac}^ went to the army to bring the General's 
 family physician. Dr. Morrison, and, while seeking, called 
 on General Lee and informed him of the dangerous con- 
 dition of his great Lieutenant. The great commander 
 expressed his hope that God would not take Jackson 
 from him at such a time, and added : " Give him my af- 
 fectionate regards, and tell him to make haste and get 
 well, and come back to me as soon as he can. He has 
 lost his left arm — but I have lost mj'^ right arm." 
 
 When Jackson was informed that his wife and infant 
 child had arrived, he expressed great pleasure. As Mrs. 
 Jackson came in she saw a sad change in her noble hus- 
 band. " His features," says Dr. Dabney, " were shrunk- 
 en by the prostration of his energies, and were marked 
 by two or three angry scars, where they had been torn 
 as his horse rushed through the brushwood. His cheeks 
 burned with a swarthy and almost livid flush. Yet his 
 face beamed with joy when, awakening from his dis- 
 turbed slumber, he saw her near him. When he noted 
 the shade of woful apprehension which passed over her 
 face, he said tenderly : ' Now, Anna, cheer up, and don't 
 wear a long face ; you know I love a bright face in a 
 sick room.' With a spirit as truly courageous as that of 
 her warrior husband she commanded her grief, and ad- 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 299 
 
 dressed herself cheerfully to the ministry of love. Many 
 a tear was poured out over her unconscious suckling; 
 yet she returned to his sick-room always with a serene 
 countenance ; and continued to be, until the clouds of 
 death descended upon his vision, what he had delighted 
 to call her in the hours of prosperity, his ' Sunshine.' 
 He now added, with reference to his impaired hearing, 
 that he wished her to speak distinctly while in his 
 room, because he wanted to hear every word she 
 said." 
 
 From this time he began to grow rapidly worse, and it 
 became apparent to all that the life of the hero was near 
 its close. When he was spoken to by any one he knew, 
 he roused himself; but generally he lay with closed eyes 
 engaged in silent prayer. On Thursday night Dr. Mor- 
 rison aroused him to take some medicine, saying: "Will 
 you take this. General ?" He looked at him steadily, 
 and said : " Do your dut3%" and again repeated : " Do 
 your duty." His thoughts in delirium wandered off to 
 the field of battle, and he fancied his legions following 
 him to victory. At one time he said, with his quick, 
 sharp battle-tone : "A. P. Hill, prepare for action !" and, 
 with the welfare of his soldiers still in mind, he said 
 several times : " Tell Major Hawks to send forward pro- 
 visions for the troops." 
 
 Friday morning Dr. Morrison expressed to him his 
 fear of a fatal issue of his case. He dissented, and 
 said in these precise words, as Dr. Dabney tells ns : " I 
 am not afraid to die ; I am willing to abide by the will 
 of my Heavenly Father. But I do not believe that I 
 shall die at this time ; I am persuaded the Almighty has 
 yet a work for me to perform." He asked that Dr. 
 McGuire should be called in, and his case be referred t j 
 him. He agreed with Dr. Morrison in opinion. But 
 Jackson was still steadfast in the belief that he would 
 recover. As late as Saturday night, when Dr. Morrison 
 again expressed his fears, he dissented, saying : '• I 
 
300 THE GREAT RE^^VAL. 
 
 don't think so; I think I shall be better by morn- 
 ing." 
 
 In the midst of his severe sufferings his wife proposed 
 to interest him, and, if possible, to soothe his pains, by 
 reading from the Psalms ; he at first said he was in too 
 much pain to attend to them, but a moment after added : 
 "Yes, we must never refuse tliat ; get the Bible and read 
 them," 
 
 On Saturday evening he desired to see his chaplain, 
 and inquired of him whether he was engaged in efforts 
 to secure the proper observance of Sabbath in camp — a 
 subject in which he had long been deeply interested. 
 On being assured that he was, he seemed pleased, and 
 conversed at some length on the proper observance of 
 the hoh' day. As the night came on and deepened, he 
 suffered more intense pain, and called upon his wife to 
 sing some Psalms. She, with the assistance of his 
 friends grouped around his bed, sung several of his fa- 
 vorite pieces. He spent a restless night, tossing in pain 
 upon his bed, and all the relief he felt was from spong- 
 ing his brow with cold water. 
 
 Sunday, May 10th, was ushered in — the last day of 
 Jackson's earthly life. He had often said he would pre- 
 fer to die on the Sabbath. His wish was to be fulfilled. 
 His end see«ied so near that Dr. Morrison felt it due to 
 inform Mrs. Jackson of his condition. Mrs. Jackson, 
 knowing that he had often said he would wish to be noti- 
 fied of his approaching end, determined to break the sad 
 tidings to him. He was lying almost in a state of stu- 
 por ; and, when aroused by his wife, seemed scarcely to 
 comprehend the nature of her announcement. She said 
 several times : •' Do j-ou know the doctors sa^' you must 
 very soon be in heaven ? Do j'ou not feel willing to ac- 
 quiesce in God's allotment if he wills j-ou to go to- 
 day ?" He looked up into her face and said : " I prefer 
 it." Then he repeated, with emphasis : " / prefer it" 
 She said : " Well, before this day closes you will be with 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 301 
 
 the blessed Saviour in his glory." He replied distinctly 
 and deliberately : " I will be an infinite gainer to be 
 translated." 
 
 When Colonel Pendleton entered the room the dying 
 General greeted him -with his usual courtesj^ and asked 
 who was preaching at headquarters. When told that the 
 chaplain was performing that duty he seemed pleased. 
 Mrs. Jackson asked him if he felt the Saviour present 
 with him. To this he answered, "Yes." She asked him 
 if it was his wish that she and her little daughter should 
 live with her father, Dr. Morrison. He said, " Yes, you 
 have a kind and good father ; but no one is so kind and 
 good as your Heavenly Father." She then asked him 
 where he would prefer to be buried. To this he gave no 
 reply, but when she suggested Lexington he said, " Yes, 
 in Lexington." His little infant girl was now brought 
 into the room ; as soon as he saw her he smiled, and, 
 motioning toward her, said, " Little darling !" She was 
 placed on the bed near him, and he tried to caress her 
 with his wounded hand. He continued to toy with her 
 until he sunk into unconsciousness and the cloud of 
 death settled down upon him. He fell into an unquiet 
 sleep, in which the attendants noticed his efforts to 
 speak ; at length he said, " Let us pass over the river 
 and rest under the shade of the trees." These were the 
 last words of Jackson. 
 
 His wife, now overcome with grief, bowed down over 
 him ; her tears fell fast on his face, and, kissing the cold 
 lips, she exclaimed, "Oh, Doctor, cannot you do some- 
 thing more ?" Her voice recalled him to consciousness 
 once more. He opened his eyes, gazed upon her with a 
 look of intelligence and love, and then closed them for- 
 ever. A few more labored breathings, and the hero was 
 dead. 
 
 Dr. Dabney relates a touching tribute to Jackson. A 
 little daughter of Mrs. Chandler, whose heart the General 
 had won in former visits to the family, had followed her 
 13a 
 
802 THE GREAT RE\ayAL. 
 
 mother about the house and noticed that she often wiped 
 the tears from her eyes. At length she asked, " Mamma, 
 will General Jackson die ?" She was told that the doc- 
 tors said they could not save him, and he was going t» 
 die. Fixing her eyes on her mother with a most earnest 
 l»ok, she said, "Oh, I wish God would let me die for 
 him, for if I did you would cry for me ; but if he dies 
 all the people in the country will cr^'." 
 
 On this Sabbath, while the life of the hero was closing, 
 the usual services were held at the quarters of the staff 
 ,of his corps. A great congregation assembled. Gene- 
 ral Lee, and a brilliant array of his most famous officers, 
 came to join in public worship. As the Commander-in- 
 Chief saw General Jackson's chaplain approaching, he 
 met him and anxiously inquired after his wounded friend. 
 He was told there was little or no hope. With great 
 feeling General Lee replied, " Surel}' General Jackson 
 must recover. God will not take him from us, now that 
 we need him so much. Surely he will be spared to us, 
 in answer to the many pra^^ers which are offered for 
 him." He added afterwards, "When you return I trust 
 you will find him better. When a suitable occasion offers 
 give him my Jove, and tell him I wrestled in prayer for 
 him last night as I never pra^^ed, I believe, for myself."' 
 The great man then turned away to hide his emotion. 
 The most fervent prayers were offered by the vast con- 
 gregation for the recovery of the beloved General, but 
 when Rev. Mr. Lacy returned he found he had passed 
 over the river. 
 
 The sad event was flashed all over the country, and 
 strong men wept like children as they read the mournful 
 tidings. The body of the hero was borne to Rich- 
 mond, and placed in the hall of the lower house ot 
 Congress in the State Capitol, where thousands gazed 
 on the placid features of the warrior. On Thursday 
 after his death the funeral cortege reached Lexington, 
 and all that was mortal of Jackson was laid to rest in 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 303 
 
 the beautiful valley in which he had gained so many 
 victories. 
 
 Our space will not allow us to dwell on the peculiar 
 traits of this singularh^ great man. One or two illustra- 
 tive incidents we will give. The following anecdote was 
 given b}' Rev. Dr. Lacy, in his lecture before the old 
 command of the hero, on the Reminiscences of Jackson : 
 
 " * * * I had often heard of that 
 
 indescribable change of manner and appearance which 
 came over Jackson when the war-bugle summoned him. 
 I therefore watched him well. Soon couriers were seen 
 dashing in every direction to summons out the army. 
 That usual stooping, meek, thoughtful man was no longer 
 before me, but a warrior, his e^'es flashing, and through 
 them his great military genius beaming ; his form ap- 
 peared to dilate, he appeared to comprehend all, and 
 soon he was ready ; the servant led his horse to the tent, 
 the General went inside. I thought I would speak to 
 him before he went forth. As I approached, the faithful 
 old servant motioned me to stop, be silent — the General 
 was at prayer. I waited sometime ; at length the tent 
 was drawn aside, and Jackson stepped forth. Never 
 shall I forget the serene brightness that glowed upon his 
 face. He onl}^ remarked, as he bade me good-bye, that 
 'all appears well.' He had held communion with his 
 God, and went forth to victory. This was but an index 
 to his every-day life. During our stay in winter-quar- 
 ters, from my own tent I could look directly upon his. 
 The table upon which he set his candle was on the op- 
 posite side from me, and each night, at his usual bed- 
 time, if I looked, I could see the shadow of that truly 
 great and good man cast upon the wall of the tent as 
 he was bowed in pra^'er." 
 
 In a funeral discourse commemorative of Jackson by 
 Rev. Dr. Dabne3\ the following incident is given : 
 
 " On the momentous morning of Friday, June 27th, 
 1862, as the different corps of the patriot army were 
 
804 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 moving to their respective posts, to fill parts in the 
 mighty combination of their chief, after Jaclison had 
 held his final interview with him, and resumed his march 
 for his position at Cold Harbor, his command was mis- 
 led, by a misconception of his guides, and seemed about 
 to mingle with and confuse another part of our forces. 
 More than an hour of seemingly precious time was ex- 
 pended in rectifying this mistake ; while the booming 
 of cannon in the front told us that the struggle had be- 
 gun, and made our breasts thrill with an agony of sus- 
 pense, lest the irreparable hour should be lost b}^ our 
 delay ; for we had still many miles to march. When 
 this anxious fear was suggested privately to Jackson, 
 he answered, with a calm and assured countenance, 
 ' No ; let us trust that the providence of our God will 
 so overrule it that no mischief shall result.' And, verily, 
 no mischief did result. Providence brought us precisely 
 into conjunction with the bodies with which we were to 
 co-operate ; the battle was joined at the right juncture ; 
 and by the time the stars appeared, the right wing of 
 the enemy, with which he was appointed to deal, was 
 hurled in utter rout across the river. More than once, 
 when sent to bring one of his old fighting brigades into 
 action, I had noticed him sitting motionless upon his 
 horse, with his right hand uplifted, while the war-worn 
 column poured on in stern silence close by his side. At 
 first it did not appear whetlier it was mere abstrac- 
 tion of thought or a posture to relieve his fatigue. 
 But at Fort Republic, I saw it again ; and watching him 
 more narrowly, was convinced by his closed eyes and 
 moving lips that he was wrestling in silent prayer. I 
 thought tliat I could surmise what was then passing 
 tiirough his fervent soul ; the sovereignty of that Provi- 
 dence which worketh all things after the counsel of his 
 own will, and giveth the battle not to the strong nor the 
 race to the swift; his own fearful responsibility, and 
 aeed of that counsel and sound wisdom which God alone 
 
SPRING OF 1863. 305 
 
 can give ; the crisis of his beloved countr}^ and the 
 balance trembling between defeat and victory ; the pre- 
 cious lives of his veterans, which the inexorable neces- 
 sities of war compelled him to jeopardize ; the immortal 
 souls passing to their account, perhaps unprepared ; the 
 widowhood and orplianage which might result from the 
 orders he had just been compelled to issue. And as his 
 beloved men swept by him to the front, into the storm 
 of shot, doubtless his great heart, as tender as it was 
 resolute, j'earned over them in unutterable longings and 
 intercessions, that " the Almigiity would cover them 
 with his feathers, and that his truth might be their shield 
 and buckler. 
 
 " Surely, the moral grandeur of this scene was akin 
 to that when Moses stood upon the Mount of God and 
 lifted up his hands while Israel prevailed against Ame- 
 lek ! And what soldier would not desire to have the 
 shield of such prayers under which to fight ? Were they 
 not a more powerful element of success than the artil- 
 lery or the bayonets of the Stonewall Brigade ?" 
 
 The following beautiful tribute to General Jackson 
 was published in the New York Citizen, and is said to 
 be from the pen of a distinguished officer of the United 
 States N«vy : 
 
 STOJfEWAMi JACKSON. 
 
 3e sleeps all quietly and cold. 
 Beneath the soil that gave him birth ; 
 
 Then break his battle-brand in twain, 
 And lay it with him in the earth. 
 
 No more at midnight shall be urged 
 His toilsome march among the pines ; 
 
 Nor heard upon the morning air 
 The war-shout of his charging lines. 
 
 Cold is the eye whose meteor-gleara 
 Flashed hope on all within its light • 
 
 And still the voice that, trumpet-toned. 
 Rang through the serried ranks of fight. 
 
306 TIIE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 No more for him shall camions park, 
 Or tents gleam white upon the plain ; 
 
 And where his eatnp-Hres blazed of yore, 
 Brown reapers laugh amid the grain ! 
 
 No more above his narrow bed 
 
 Shall sound the tread of marching feet, 
 
 The rifle volley, and the clash 
 Of sabres when the foemen meet. 
 
 And, though the winds of autumn rave, 
 And winter-snows fall thick and deep 
 
 About his breast — they cannot move 
 The quiet of his dreamless sleep. 
 
 We may not raise a marble shaft 
 Above the heart that now is dust; 
 
 But nature, like a mother fond. 
 Will ne'er forget her sacred trust. 
 
 Young April, o'er his lowly mound. 
 Shall shake the violets from her hair ; 
 
 And glorious June, with fervid kiss. 
 Shall bid the roses blossom there. 
 
 And round about the droning bee. 
 Wit!) drowsy hum, shall come and go; 
 
 While west winds, all the live-long day, 
 Shall murmur dirges soft and low. 
 
 The warrior's stormy fate is o'er. 
 The midnight gloom hath passed away; 
 
 And, like a glor\' from the East, 
 
 Breaks the first light of Freedom's day 1 
 
 And white-winged Peace o'er all the land. 
 Broods like a dove upon her nest ; 
 
 While iron War, with slaughter gorged. 
 At length hath laid him down to rest. 
 
 And where we won our onward way 
 
 With fire and steel — through yonder wood- 
 
 The blackbird whistles, and the quail 
 Gives answer to her timid brood. 
 
SPRING OF 18G3. 807 
 
 Yet oft in dreams his fierce brigade 
 Shall see the form they followed far, 
 
 Still leading in the furthest van — 
 A landmark in the clouds of war ! 
 
 And oft, when white-haired grandsires tell 
 
 Of bloodj^ struggles past and gone. 
 The children at their knees will hear 
 
 How Jackson led his columns on I 
 
 The announcement to the army of the death of Jack- 
 son by General Lee contains a fitting tribute by one 
 who, be^'ond all others, knew his value as a soldier. In 
 tears the veterans read these words from their great 
 leader : 
 
 "With deep grief the Commanding General announces 
 to the army the death of General Jackson. He expired 
 on Sunday, the lOtb, at 31 P. M. The daring, skill, and 
 energy of this great and good soldier are, by the decree 
 of an All-wise Providence, now lost to us ; but while 
 we mourn his death, we feel that bis spirit still lives, 
 and will inspire our whole army with his indomitable 
 courage, unshaken confidence in God, our hope and our 
 strength. Let his name be a watchword to his corps, 
 who have followed him and victory- on man}- fields. Let 
 oflJicers and soldiers emulate his invincible determination 
 to do everything in defence of their beloved country. 
 
 " (Signed) R. E. Lee, General." 
 
308 THE GREAT KETTr'AL. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SUMMER OF 18 63. 
 
 After the great victory of Chaucellorsville, the Con- 
 federate army lay along the south side of the Rappa- 
 hannock, watching the movements of the Federals, who 
 held the opposite side of that river. 
 
 But few military movements of importance were un- 
 dertaken for some weeks, and this period of repose and 
 re-organization was well-improved by the zealous Chris- 
 tian workers in the arm}'. 
 
 The fervor of the revival was even greater after the 
 battle than before ; in almost every regiment the reports 
 of chaplains and colporteurs were most encouraging. 
 
 Rev. W. E. Jones, chaplain of the 22d Georgia regi- 
 ment, wrote : 
 
 " The Lord is in our midst. Ever since the last great 
 victorj'^ God has been pouring out upon this regiment 
 his Spirit, almost witliout measure, and many have been 
 converted, and forty-five have joined different branches 
 of the Church, and there is a host of mourning souls. 
 They rush to the altar by scores. The work is prosper- 
 ing throughout our entire army. I earnestl}' call upon 
 all God's people, and especially upon parents, wives, 
 and sisters, to pray for the salvation of these precious 
 souls." 
 
 A private soldier, lamenting that there was no chap- 
 lain to his battalion, said : 
 
 " We have prayer-meetings every night, and God never 
 fails to meet with us. Now, I know we are not depend- 
 ent upon instruments of power for carrying on a work 
 of this kind. On the contrary, very often the weakest 
 are chosen." 
 
SUMMER OF 1863. 309 
 
 In the 52d North Carolina regiment the work was 
 glorious. Rev. J. M. Cline, the chaplain, said : 
 
 "God has blessed our regiment with a most glorious 
 revival of religion. God has indeed been with us. 
 During the last ten days fifty-six have joined the Church, 
 and thirty-three have been soundly converted. The 
 Lord has done great things for us. Lions have been 
 changed to lambs. I never witnessed such a glorious 
 revival before. The Church is greatly revived, and built 
 up in the most holy faith. On last Sabbath I adminis- 
 tered the sacrament of the Lord's Supper to one hun- 
 dred and fifteen communicants. God was with us, and 
 we had a refreshing season from the presence of the 
 Lord. The revival is still progressing." . 
 
 Upon the earnest labors of Rev. J. O. A. Cook, chap- 
 lain of the 2d Georgia battalion, God sent his blessing. 
 A 3'Oung convert of that command, writing to a com- 
 rade, said : 
 
 " Last Saturday night I commenced the work in good 
 earnest, with the determination to pursue the object in 
 view until I found the ' peace that passeth understand- 
 ing.' On Sunday morning I was wholly convinced that 
 my heart had been changed. Now I would not exchange 
 my condition with that of the mightiest monarch. I 
 would not sway the sceptre, in sin, in preference to being 
 a subject of religion. The revival spreads. The Spirit 
 of God is trul^' at work in the hearts of nearly all of 
 the members of our little battalion. Soon I hope we 
 will have the reputation of being a battalion of soldiers 
 of Christ. We have a bright prospect ahead. Our 
 pra3'er-meetings are larger, and a deeper interest per- 
 vades the minds of all." 
 
 Another earnest worker wrote : " It would rejoice your 
 heai-t if you could visit the Pine Grove near our camp, 
 and listen to the many voices here and there as they 
 supplicate for the forgiveness of sin, for the regenerating 
 blood of Jesus Christ to wash and purge their hearts 
 
810 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 from all guilt ; and perhaps as you walked farther on 
 3'ou would stumble on a party of three or four, who had 
 sought some secluded spot to converse upon the all-en- 
 grossing subject. The attendance upon our meeting, 
 both at the Grove and at the camp, is increasing. Those 
 at the Grove have become regular class meetings, and 
 remind me so much of our littie class-room as I listen 
 to the experience of those who have lately found pardon 
 for all their sins. Since the da}^ of fasting and pra3''er, 
 for the purpose of entreating God to carry on the good 
 work, there has been a visible increase in the number of 
 penitents at the altar. To-night there could not have 
 been less than fifty. J. A. was gloriously converted this 
 morning. A few had assembled at the Grove merely 
 for conversation on religious subjects and an exchange 
 of views. He was among the number, and while thus 
 engaged he suddenly left and went into the woods. Iia 
 a short time he came back with outstretched arms and 
 beaming countenance, threw himself in O.'s arms, with 
 the expression, 'I am so happy.' You can imagine what 
 a I10I3' influence it had upon those who were there. Since 
 I have been writing G. has come in and told me that 
 three glorious conversions have taken place m the 
 Spaulding Grays, and a few moments ago C. als© told 
 me that F. B. was powerfully converted in the woods 
 since the meeting. Is not this glorious news ? Oh ! 
 how thankful we ought to be to our Heavenl}' Father for 
 his great ' loving kindness and mercy to the children of 
 men.' I never saw more zealous workers in the cause 
 of Christ than C. and J. C. They are full of the Spirit, 
 and can talk and think of nothing else." 
 
 The work went on not only in the camps and along 
 the rear lines, but even in the trenches on the very edge 
 of battle. "On Sunday evening," writes a soldier from 
 near Fredericksburg, " we had a very interesting little 
 meeting in the trenches. It began with some of the 
 battalion singing. One by one the different regiments 
 
SUMMER OF 1863. 311 
 
 collected around and joined in. Soon it was turned into 
 a prayer-meeting, and it proved to be one of the most 
 interesting scenes I had witnessed for a long time." 
 
 In the 14th South Carolina regiment a Christian As- 
 sociation was formed for the purpose, as the Constitu- 
 tion declared, of being "helpers of each other's joy" 
 in Christ, and "laborers together with God" in the 
 promotion of his cause. AVe covenant together with 
 each other and with Christ to strive to grow in grace 
 ourselves, to use all means in our power to promote the 
 growth of grace in each other, and to be instrumental in 
 bringing others to a saving knowledge of the truth as it 
 is in Jesus ; in short, to realize and act out in our lives 
 the truth that " we are not our own," but " are bought 
 with a price," and are therefore bound "to glorify God 
 in our bodies and in our spirits, which are God's." Of 
 this Association Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph N. Brown 
 was President ; Lieutenant R. B: Watson and Adjutant 
 W. P. Ready, Vice-Presidents ; and Captain H. P. Grif- 
 fith, Secretary and Treasurer. 
 
 The soldiers in the West were as fully blessed with 
 the spirit of revival as their comrades in the East. 
 Vicksburg and other points on the Mississippi were 
 sorely pressed by the Federals, and there was much 
 marching, countermarching, and fighting on the field and 
 in trenches, but still the work of God went on with un- 
 usual power. 
 
 In response to the urgent demand for more laborers 
 in this great field, the different Churches sent forth all 
 earnest workers that could be spared from the home 
 work. 
 
 Rev. Messrs. McFerrin, Petway, and Ransom, of the 
 M. E. Church, South, went to the help of Gen. Bragg' s 
 army ; Messrs. Thweat and Harrington, of the same 
 Church, to the army in Mississippi ; while Bishop Pierce, 
 Dr. A. L. P. Green, and Rev. J. E. Evans, went to Gen. 
 Lee's army in Virginia. Rev. Dr. Kavanaugh was sent 
 
312 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 to the arm}' of General Price, and Rev. Mr. INIarvin 
 (now Bishop) was directed by Bishop Pierce to take 
 position as missionary with any army corps west of the 
 Mississippi. The work of these ministers, with that of 
 other zealous men from sister Churches, gave a great im- 
 pulse to the revival. In Colonel Colquitt's 4Gth Georgia 
 regiment, camped near Vernon, Miss., the work was 
 powerful, and great numbers were converted. " Last 
 night," saj's Rev. T. C. Stanley, "there were about 
 eighty presented themselves for prayer, kneeling upon 
 the ground. The Christian heart could not but be 
 touched while witnessing such a scene. "We were under 
 the tall spreading oaks of the forest, and the moon bath- 
 ing all with its gentle beams, typical of tue Spirit that 
 was in mercy sent down from above, enveloping us as 
 with a garment of love, cheering the heart of the Chris- 
 tian and comforting many a poor penitent." 
 
 In the ordeal througfi which Vicksburg passed before 
 the siege closed, the feeling of dependence on God was 
 very marked among the suffering soldiers. We take the 
 following from a chaplain's journal, kept during the 
 siege : 
 
 "Our case is desperate, I hope in God. There is 
 much turning to him now, to recount his promises, and 
 to claim his protection. There is no difficulty now in 
 liaving religious conversation. Everybody is ready for 
 a, * * * "^ A bright Sabbath morning ; but its 
 stillness is broken by the harsh and startling detona- 
 tions of the engines of destruction. I sigh for the 
 sweet, undisturbed sanctuary. 'As the hart,' etc. Read 
 a sermon to a small company of gentlemen to-day. Got 
 on somewliat of a Sunday- feeling. We sit up till a late 
 hour every night, discussing the situation, etc. * * * * 
 A furious fire was poured upon us this morning at 3 
 o'clock from the batteries beyond the trenches. One 
 shot struck a hospital near me and killed one man ; the 
 others were frightened, and cried out most piteously. 
 
SUMMER OF 1863. 313 
 
 Nothing that I have met is more harrowing to ray feel- 
 ings than scenes like this. Tried to observe to-day as 
 the Sabbath by acts of piety and works of charity." 
 
 In the army of General Bragg the revival went on de- 
 spite the sufferings of the troops in their retrogade 
 movement to the vicinity of Chattanooga. Rev. W. IT. 
 Browning, writing to tlie Southern Clwistkm Advocate of 
 the work of grace, saj's : 
 
 " I am truly gratified to state to you that the religious 
 interest in this army, though abated to some extent by 
 the retrogade movement to this place, has again revived, 
 and there is now a general spirit of revival manifest in 
 every part of this arm}'. In this brigade we have been 
 holding meetings each night for more than two weeks. 
 There are generally from thirt}' to fifty penitents at the 
 altar each night, and about forty conversions. In most 
 of the brigades in this division they are holding simikr 
 meetings. Indeed, the same ma}' be said of the entire 
 army. 
 
 '•The most careless observer can but notice the 
 marked change that has taken place in the regiments. 
 Instead of oaths, jests, and blackguard songs, we now 
 have the songs of Zion, praj-ers and praises to God. 
 True, there are yet many profane, wicked, and rude, yet 
 the preponderance is decidedly in favor of Christianity. 
 1 verily believe that the morals of the army are now far 
 in advance of those of the country. And instead of the 
 jvrm}' being the school of vice, as was once supposed, 
 and really was, it is now the place where God is adored, 
 and where many learn to revere the name of Jesus. 
 Many backsliders have recently been reclaimed — the 
 lukewarm have been aroused, and sinners have been con- 
 verted. Will not our families and friends at home awake 
 to the importance of a deeper work among themselves ? 
 This is a time that calls for universal humiliation and 
 l)rayer." 
 
 In addition to these extracts we can onh' give brief, 
 14 
 
314 TIIE GREAT RETTVAL. 
 
 but expressive, records from other parts of the army. 
 Rev. II. G. Porter, chaplain of the 10th Mississippi regi- 
 ment, Bragg' s army, says : 
 
 " It makes mj'^ very soul happy to witness the manifes- 
 tations of God's saving power as seen here in the 
 army — from ten to forty at the altar of prayer — have 
 preaching every day when not hindered by the men be- 
 ing called off." 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Palmer, of New Orleans, preached with 
 power and love, and under his word the revival deep- 
 ened. Rev. C. W. Miller, army missionary, writes of 
 the work in Georgia, Gen. D. H. Hill's corps : 
 
 " Since I arrived here as missionary I have been en- 
 gaged every night in religious services with the soldiers. 
 A revival and extensive awakening have been in pro- 
 gress in General Bate's brigade for four weeks. Every 
 night the altar is crowded with weeping penitents. 
 Several have been happil}'^ converted. To me it is the 
 most interesting sight of my life. You cannot look 
 upon these penitent, weeping men at the altar of pra3'er 
 without thinking of the bloody fields of Perryville and 
 Murfreesboro, and the victorious veterans rolling up to 
 heaven the shouts of triumph. Here they are. Some 
 sending up the note of a more glorious victor}^ — others 
 charging through the columns of the foe to 'take the 
 kingdom of heaven by force.' " 
 
 From James' Island, near Charleston, a pious captain 
 of a Georgia regiment writes : 
 
 " Since our chaplain came we have had a gracious re- 
 vival. Many souls have been converted, and many 
 added to the Church. And many of those who had 
 grown cold have been revived, and we now have a warm- 
 hearted, worshiping congregation." 
 
 Even under the tire of t.he Federal batteries the work 
 went on. Rev. Mr. Browning, from Chattanooga, says : 
 
 " Yesterda}' evening, about 5 o'clock, the enem}'^ be- 
 gan to throw shells across the river again, firing slowly 
 
SUMMER OF 18G3. 315 
 
 for about an hour; notwithstanding this, at the usual 
 hour (twilight) we had a very large crowd of anxious lis- 
 teners at the rude arbor the men had erected for the 
 worship of God. A short discourse was delivered, when 
 the penitents were invited to the altar. Fifty or sixty 
 came forward, earnestly enquiring the way of salvation. 
 Ten of this number were converted and enabled to ' tes- 
 tify of a truth' that Christ was their Saviour. The work 
 is still extending. Each night increases the attendance, 
 the interest, and the number of penitents. 
 
 "During a ministry' of a fourth of a centur}'^ I have 
 never witnessed a work so deep, so general, and so suc- 
 cessful. It pervades all classes of the army (hi this bri- 
 gade), and elicits the co-operation of all denominations. 
 We know no distinction here. Baptists, Cumberlands, 
 Old Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Methodibts, work 
 together, and rejoice together at the success of our 
 cause." 
 
 Mr. B. writes again from the same place : " The glo- 
 rious work of God is still progressing in this brigade. 
 About one hundred and thirty conversions up to this 
 time. The interest is unabated. From sixty to sevent}'- 
 five penitents at the altar each night. It is wonderful 
 that for nearly five weeks we have been enabled to con- 
 tinue this work, with but one night's interference from 
 rain and one on picket. Surely the Lord has been good 
 to us. We have been too closely confined to ascertain 
 the state of the work in other brigades, further than 
 that a good work is in progress in some of them, perhaps 
 all. The chaplains of this corps have not met for seve- 
 ral weelcs. To-morrow is the regular time, but as the 
 enemy shell the town everj'- few days it is doubtful 
 whether we will have a quorum." 
 
 The spreading revival called for all the workers that 
 could be supplied from the home work. Bishop Earl}', 
 of the M. E. Church, South, appointed Rev. J. N. An- 
 drews, of the North Carolina Conference, a missionary 
 
516 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 to the soldiers in North Carolina, and the Rev. Leonidas 
 Rosser, D. D., of the Virginia Conference, to take the 
 place of Rev. Dr. James E. Evans, whose health had 
 failed, in General Ewell's corps in the Army of Northern 
 Virginia. 
 
 In midsummer of this year (1863) the people of the 
 South were again called by the President of the Con- 
 federacy to observe a day of fasting and prayer. He 
 issued the following proclamation : 
 
 "Again do I call upon the people of the Confederac}' — 
 a people who believe that tlie Lord reigneth, and that 
 his overruling Providence ordereth all things— to unite 
 in prayer and humble submission under his chastening 
 hand, and to beseech his favor on our suffering country. 
 
 " It is meet that when trials and reverses befall us we 
 should seek to take home to our hearts and consciences 
 the lessons which the}^ teach, and profit by the self-ex- 
 amination for which they prepare us. Had not our suc- 
 cesses on land and sea made us self-confident and forget- 
 ful of our reliance on him ; had not love of lucre eaten like 
 a gangrene into the verj'- heart of the land, converting 
 too many among us into worshippers of gain and ren- 
 dering them unmindful of their duty to their country, to 
 their fellow-men, and to their God — who then will pre- 
 sume to complain that we have been chastened, or to 
 despair of our just cause and the protection of our 
 Heavenly Father ? 
 
 "Let us rather receive in humble thankfulness the 
 lesson which he has taught us in our recent reverses, 
 devoutly acknowledging that to him, and not to our own 
 feeble arms, are due the honor and the glory of victory ; 
 that from him, in his paternal providence, come the 
 anguish and sufferings of defeat, and that, whether in 
 victor}"- or defeat, our humble supplications are due at 
 his footstool. 
 
 " Now, therefore, I, Jefferson Davis, President of these 
 Confederate vStates, do issue this, my proclamation, set- 
 
SEAL 
 
 suaiMEU OF 18G3. 317 
 
 ting apart Friday, the 21st day of August ensuing, as a 
 daj' of fasting, humiliation, and prayer ; and I do hereby 
 invite the people of the Confederate States to repair on 
 that day to their respective places of public worship, 
 and to unite in supplication for the favor and protection 
 of that God who has hitherto conducted us safely through 
 all the dangers that environed us. 
 
 "In faith whereof 1 have hereunto set my hand and 
 .^«w>^-^^ the seal of the Confederate States, at Rich- 
 mond, this twenty-fifth day of July, in the 
 3'ear of our Lord one thousand eight hundred 
 K^^-w^^ and sixt^^-three. Jefferson Davis. 
 
 " By the President : 
 
 "J. P. BENjAmN, Secretary of State." 
 
 The field of conflict was now full of startling events. 
 General Lee made his grand movement into Pennsylva- 
 nia, which culminated in the terrible battle of Gettys- 
 burg. From East Tennessee to Texas the different ar- 
 mies on both sides displayed unusual activity. 
 
 There was but little time for religious services, but on 
 every suitable occasion they were held, and much fruit 
 was gathered even from fields soaking in blood. 
 
 The following scene will show with what true heroism 
 our Christian soldiers met death : 
 
 " In the retreat of our army from Middle Tennessee 
 one of the soldiers," sa3'S Dr. W. A. Mulkey, a surgeon 
 in the army, " was struck by an unexploded shell, the 
 ponderous mass sweeping away his right arm and leaving 
 open the abdominal cavity, its contents falling upon his 
 saddle. In a moment he sank from his horse to the 
 ground, but soon revived, and for two hours talked with 
 as much calmness and sagacity as though he were en- 
 gaged in a business transaction. 
 
 " Soon several of his weeping friends gathered around 
 him expressing their sympathy and sorrow. He thanked 
 them for their manifestations of kindness, but told them 
 
318 THE GUEAT RE\^VAL. 
 
 that instead of weeping for him they ought to weep over 
 their own condition ; for, sad to say, if, even among tlie 
 professors of his company, there was one who lived fully 
 up to the discharge of his Christian dutier,, he was not 
 aware of it. 
 
 "He said, 'I know that my wound is monal, and that 
 in a very short time I shall be in eternity ; but I die as 
 has been my aim for years — prepared to meet my God.' 
 After exhorting those wlio stood around hira to live the 
 life of Christians, he said, 'Tell my wife to educate ray 
 two children and train them up in such a way as to meet 
 nie in a better world. Before she hears of my death I 
 shall be with our little Mary in heaven.' 
 
 "He then observed that in entering the army he was 
 influenced alone by a sense of duty ; that he did not re- 
 gret the step he had taken; and that while dying he felt 
 he had tried to discharge his duties both as a soldier and 
 Christian. 
 
 "Thus died an humble private in the ranks of our cav- 
 alry, in whose life were most harmoniously blended the 
 characters of patriot, soldier, and Christian." 
 
 We are glad to record tins glorious death of an hum- 
 ble private. It is Init one out of many thousands. 
 Those who are in liigh places have tbeir words recorded, 
 but it is rare that the iiumble toilers can be heard in the 
 rush and roar of life's liatlle. 
 
 The untoward events of this summer's campaign served 
 to depress tlie minds of soldiers and people. After a 
 heroic resistance Vicksburg fell. 
 
 The blood}^ battle of Gettysburg was followed by Gen. 
 Lee's backward movement to Virginia. Charleston was 
 closely invested and was shelled most vigorously. A 
 deep gloom hung over the South. But tliere was no de- 
 spair. The pulpit and the press spoke words of cheer 
 to the peoi^^e. 
 
 Rev. Dr. E. H. Mj^ers, of the Southern Christian Advo- 
 cate, urged all to lift their hearts to God. 
 
soiMicK OF 18C3. 319 
 
 '• There is great necessit3'," he said, " for us to culti- 
 vate our intercourse with Heaven. Our temporal condi- 
 tion looks none the brightest. God is tr^nng us in a fiery 
 furnace of war; and for the present, the battle seems to 
 go against us. The high hopes for our country and of a 
 speed3- peace, which we entertained a few weeks since, 
 liave been in a measure disappointed, and we may be 
 doomed to j^et greater disappointment. But there is a 
 refuge for the soul in every storm. God's peace and 
 love, the joj'-s and hopes of salvation, the sanctifying and 
 comforting influences of the Holy Ghost, are not subject 
 to human circumstances ; and they maj' be ours amid 
 ever}- variety of calamit}'. But these are the fruits of 
 the cultivation of personal religion ; and, independent 
 of every other consideration, the uncertaint}' of all other 
 sources of comfort alone should be an inducement to us 
 to betake ourselves to that refuge, to watch closely, pray 
 much, believe with all our heart, and to cleave the closer 
 to God, the louder the storm swells, and the more furi- 
 ously the billows dash upon the wreck of earthly hopes. 
 "He who, in the dark liour, feels that he grows in 
 grace and maintains soul-communion with God, stands 
 upon a rock. He shall never be moved." 
 
 The same writer who has told us of the scenes in 
 Yicksburg furnishes the following sad picture of the last 
 day of the siege : 
 
 •' Jul}- 4th. — When I awoke this morning an unusual 
 stillness prevailed. No firing anywhere. Before very 
 long hear that Vicksburg is surrendered. "Went out to 
 the field, and, with the most painful emotions, saw our 
 brave boys stack their arms and march away. The terms 
 are said to be favorable, paroling men and officers. Re- 
 turned to town and witnessed the grand entr}'. Ere long 
 the flag is raided upon the Courthouse; the gims fire a 
 salute, and a band plays a triutnpliant air. M3' heart 
 sank with such a 'Fourth of Jul}'^ Celebration.' I ob- 
 serve tlie conduct of the enemy to be respectful and con- 
 
320 THE GUEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 siderate. No insolence of manner, and but little offen- 
 sive taunting. They are pressing negroes, howevei', for 
 their regiments, etc. 
 
 "July 5th. — Awoke this morning at 3 o'clock, hurting 
 and sore from the hardness of my bed. Remained awake 
 thinking ! thinking ! thinking ! Arose and got a cup of 
 bo)ia fide coffee. Rations are short, though we will draw 
 to-morrow from the Federals. They are swarming like 
 Egyptian locusts. Last night they amused themselves 
 all around with a grand pyrotechnic exhibition. I watch- 
 ed their rockets of different colors and spangles, but did 
 not enjoy the fun. Preached to the regiment this morn- 
 ing. We were in a sequestered cove, with many recent 
 graves around us to remind us of our bereavement ; with 
 our spirits beclouded by the gloom of our present situa- 
 tion, and our hearts laboring with gratitude for our pre- 
 servation through the fier}^ ordeal just passed ; and the 
 worship of the hour was solemn and impressive. It will 
 mark an era doubtless in the experience of many — tdiis 
 ' siege of Vicksburg.' " 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G3. 321 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 AUTUMN OF 1863. 
 
 The close of summer and the opening of autninn were 
 marked by great religious power in all the armies of the 
 Confederac}'. 
 
 Rev. Dr. John C. Granbery, wliose labors among. the 
 soldiers will ever be remembered by the surviving vete- 
 rans of the war, in September wrote ot his work to the 
 Richmond Christian Advocate : 
 
 " I have been employed one month in my new position 
 as a missionary to the army. Bro. Evans having been 
 compelled by ill health to resign his appointment, Bishop 
 Early transferred me, at my request, from Ewell's to 
 Longstreet's corps. I naturally felt a preference to re- 
 main witli those troops among whom I had labored as a 
 chaplain from almost the commencement of the war. 
 The last four weeks I have been preaching daily, and 
 sometimes twice a day, in the brigades of Pickett's ^livi- 
 .sion. I have never before witnessed such a wide-spread 
 and powerful religious interest among the soldiers. The3'' 
 crowd eagerly to hear the gospel, and listen with pro- 
 found attention. Many hearts have been opened to re- 
 ceive the word of the Lord in ever}' brigade. It would 
 delight 3'our heart to mark the seriousness, order, and 
 deep feeling, which characterize all our meetings. In 
 Armistead's brigade, where I have been most constantly 
 working in co-operation with Bro. Cridlin, a Baptist, and 
 chaplain of the 38th Virginia, and with other ministers, 
 there have been some seventy professions of conversion, 
 and the altar is filled morning and night with penitents. 
 The change is manifest in the whole camp. Men have 
 
322 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 put awaj' their cards ; instead of blasphemy, the voice 
 of praj'er and the sweet songs of Zion are heard at all 
 hours. There is little gambling, but all seem contented 
 and interested. We have many proofs that it is a genu- 
 ine and might}'' work of grace. Yesterday reminded 
 me of Sabbath at camp-meeting. There reigned here a 
 deeper quiet. Divine services began at an earl}' hour of 
 the morning, and continued into the night with brief in- 
 tervals. At 9 A. M. Sabbath School was held under the 
 auspices of the Christian Association. At 10 A. M., 4 
 and 7 P. M., the congregation met for preaching and 
 other exercises. It was a happy day — a season of re 
 freshing from the presence of the Lord. Bro. August is 
 conducting an excellent meeting in his regiment. Al- 
 ready there have been forty -two professions of faith, and 
 the work deepens and widens. I have enjoyed the privi- 
 lege of being with him frequentl}^ and have never seen 
 a revival progress in a more satisfactory and promising 
 manner. The Christian Associations which have recent- 
 ly been organized in the different brigades will, I doubt 
 not, accomplish great good. They furnish an opportu- 
 nity' for the public confession of Christ and the enjoy- 
 ment of the friendship of saints. They are a nucleus for 
 lay co-operation with the chaplains, or lay labors in the 
 absence of chaplains. In Kemper's brigade the revival, 
 which began last spring, still goes on, chiefly under the 
 ministry of Rev. Dr. Prj'or, of the Presbyterian Church. 
 He is a most laborious and efficient workman." 
 
 In a circular sent out to the Churches and people by 
 ihe Chaplains' Association of the first and second corps 
 of General Lee's armj', urging heart}' co-operation in the 
 work of saving souls, most cheering accounts of the re- 
 vival were given : 
 
 "The Lord is doing wonderful things for Zion in the 
 ranks of our army. Christians are daily growing in 
 grace and fidelity. Sinners are turning by hundreds to 
 the King of Righteousness and finding that peace which 
 
AITUMN OF 1863. 323 
 
 comes by faith ; while many are 3'et seeking the Prince 
 of Life. We believe that, under God's direction, much 
 of tliis work has been done by the fraternal intercourse 
 secured by our organization. May the Lord bless you 
 with his Spirit and give his Word prosperity througli 
 your instrumentality." 
 
 The religious, and even the secular papers, often filled 
 columns with the news of God's work among the sol 
 diers. The Ridwiond Christian Advocate, published in 
 tlie coveted capital of the Confederacy, said : 
 
 "Not for years has such a revival prevailed in the 
 Confederate States. Its records gladden the columns 
 of every religious journal. Its progress in the army is 
 a spectacle of moral sublimity over which men and an- 
 gels can rejoice. Such camp-vieetings were never seen 
 before in America. The bivouac of the soldier never 
 witnessed such niglits of glory and daj'^s of splendor. 
 The Pentecostal fire lights the camp, and the hosts of 
 armed men sleep beneath the wings of angels rejoicing 
 over many sinners that have repented. 
 
 "The people at home are beginning to feel the kind- 
 ling of the same grace in their hearts. It is inspiring 
 to read the correspondence, now, between converts in 
 camp and friends at home, and to hear parents praise 
 God for tidings from their absent sons who have lately 
 given their hearts to the Lord. 
 
 " ' Father is converted,' says a bright-faced child of 
 twelve years, ' Mamma got a letter to-day, and father 
 says that there is a great revival in his regiment.' The 
 child is too happy to keep her joy to herself. What glo- 
 rious news from the army is this! This is victory — tri- 
 umph — peace ! This is the token of good which the 
 great King gives to cheer his people. It is the best evi- 
 dence that prayer is heard, and that the Lord is with us. 
 Let us show ourselves grateful for such grace and ' walk 
 worthy of God who has called us to his kingdom and 
 glory.' Let fervent prayer continue and patient faith 
 
324 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 wait on God, ' who is able to do exceeding abundantly 
 above all that we ask or think.' " 
 
 The letters from the converted soldiers were often the 
 means, under God, of awakening an interest in the 
 Churches at home. And back to the army went letters 
 telling how hearts were touched and made trul}- penitent 
 b}' reason of the tidings sent from the boys in the tents 
 and trenches. 
 
 From Gen. Bragg's army that veteran soldier of the 
 Cross, Dr. J, B. McFerrin, wrote : 
 
 " I have the pleasure of saying that notwithstanding 
 the recent numerous movements of the army of Tennes- 
 see the work of God still progresses. Many have beeu 
 brought to Christ in various brigades, and wherever the 
 troops remain long enough in one place religious services 
 aie observed with great effect. The chaplains and mis- 
 sionaries work with zeal, and have much good fruit. 
 Let our friends at home thank God and take courage. 
 Huudreds of soldiers are coming to Jesus. My health 
 is good, though I feel weak with jaundice. We now have 
 at work in this arm}' as missionaries from our Church : 
 Revs. R. P. Ransom, C. W. Miller, Wellborn Mooney, W. 
 Burr, Bro. Allen, and your humble servant. We expect 
 Bro, Petway." 
 
 Soldiers were converted by thousands everj' week. 
 From Virginia Rev. G. R. Talley wrote : 
 
 " God is wonderfully reviving his work here, and 
 throughout the arm3^ Congregations large — interest 
 almost universal. In our Chaplains' meeting it was 
 thought with imperfect statistics that about five hundred 
 are converted every week. We greatly need chaplains — 
 men of experience and ministerial influence. Our Reg- 
 imental Christian Association, as a kind of substitute 
 for a church, and our Bible-classes, are doing well." 
 
 Under the powerful stimulus of such a revival the 
 Churches at home redoubled their efforts to supply 
 preachers. 
 
AUTUMN OK 18G3. 323 
 
 The Executive Committee of Domestic Missions of 
 the Presbyterian Church sent Jifty-three ministers to the 
 armies. The other Churches also called on their best 
 men for this work, and gladly, they went out into the 
 harvest. Oh, what scenes they witnessed ! what meet- 
 ings they held ! At noon or night,, in sunshine or in 
 storm, in the huts of the soldiers, in the fields and woods, 
 in the crowded hospitals, the men of God lifted up their 
 voices and the men of war wept, and bowed, and prayed 
 before the Lord of Hosts. 
 
 But even when there was no minister to lead, devout 
 laymen were used by the Lord to carry on his work. A 
 Lieutenant in Buford's brigade, army of Mississippi, 
 wrote : 
 
 "A glorious revival of religion has just closed in our 
 brigade for want of moi'e laborers. The fruits of the 
 meeting are a large number of conversions, and a still 
 larger number of earnest penitents. I believe all the 
 mourners are in earnest and fully determined to accom- 
 plish their salvation. We have in our regiment a verv 
 prosperous Christian Association, which meets every 
 Wednesday night, and a prayer-meeting every night, 
 which is always largely attended by an attentive audi- 
 ence. Having no chaplain or preacher in the regiment, 
 we feel that the work of the Lord devolves upon the lay 
 members ; and quite a number of them take a lively in- 
 terest in the great work — stand up boldly before the 
 people as advocates for the cause of Clu-ist ; and oh ! 
 how beautiful it is to see the young beginner, boldly, 
 yet tremblingly^ pleading with God in behalf of his fel- 
 low-soldiers ! Pray for us, that the Lord may prosper 
 our efforts to advance his kingdom." 
 
 The venerable Bishop Andrew, of the M. E. Church, 
 South, went among the soldiers like a father among his 
 children, and rejoiced in the privilege of preaching to 
 them the Word of Life. 
 
 Of a visit to the soldiers at Deraopolis, Ala., most of 
 14a 
 
826 THE GREAT REVHVAL. 
 
 whom were paroled prisoners from Vicksburg, and among 
 whom were many of the gallant men who came from 3Iis- 
 souri with Gen. Price, he says in a letter to the Suutliern 
 Christian Advocate : 
 
 "On last Sabbath I visited Deraopolis, where there are 
 a good many soldiers, mostly paroled prisoners who were 
 captored at Vicksburg. Most of these have been recent- 
 ly exchanged, and will, I suppose, soon be in the field 
 again. On Sundaj'^ afternoon I preached in tlie camp of 
 Gen. Cockerell's Missouri brigade to quite a large and 
 attentive congregation. At the close I was requested 
 by the chaplain. Rev. Bro. Howard, of the Cumberland 
 Presbj'terian Church, to preach for them again on Mon- 
 day morning at 9 o'clock, to which I consented, and the 
 next morning was in my place and tried to give them a 
 plain, affectionate talk, to which they listened with ap- 
 parent interest. At the beginning of the services I bap- 
 tized a young man who had been converted at one of the 
 soldiers' prayer- meetings ; for the young men of the 
 brigade have kept up a regular prayer-meeting for many 
 months. 
 
 " I was glad to find among the young men of the army 
 a good many sons of the preachers and of otliers, my old 
 friends in Missouri. It did me good to hear from them, 
 and to know that many of these young men worthily re- 
 present and recommend the religion of their fathers. 
 May God bless and keep them faithful to the end." 
 
 The Bishop paj's a well-merited tribute to the men of 
 Gen. Price's corps, and gives us the impressions of his 
 great and clear mind during the conflict : 
 
 " I think, from what I saw and heard, that these Mis- 
 sourians are good soldiers and very orderly in their gen- 
 eral deportment in camp. They belong to the class who 
 came South with Gen. Price, and have been in the army 
 ever since ; and, best of all, not a few of them are de- 
 cidedly pious. Gen. Cockerell is a Cumberland Presby- 
 terian, and Col. McCown is a Methodist. Both of them 
 
AITUMN OF 1863. 327 
 
 have a good reputation for piety. If we bad all such 
 officers and men we could not fail to be victorious. May 
 God help us, for we have but little to hope for from man. 
 Well, God reigns. He has important results to accom- 
 plish ; and wheu they shall be accomplished, we shall 
 have peace on some terms. I believe we shall ultimate- 
 ly triumph ; but I fear our people have yet a bitter cup 
 to drink. I have, from the beginning, believed that the 
 institution of slavery was to be either destroyed or es- 
 tablished on a firmer basis. This is still my opinion. 
 My impression is, that, let the struggle terminate as it 
 may, the value of that class of property is to be very 
 greatl}'^ affected." 
 
 On Sunday, the 20th of September, the fierce battle 
 of Chickamauga was fought. The little stream bears an 
 Indian name, which means the River of Death. "We 
 know not whether, in bygone daj's, an}' bloody fight be- 
 tween Indian tribes secured to it this name, but if so, in 
 this dreadful contest it was rebaptized in blood. The 
 flower of our Western army, with some of the best Lieu- 
 tenants and soldiers of Gen. Lee's invincible army of 
 Northern Virginia, met the Federals. It was here that 
 Gen. Hood lost his leg ; it was here that Gen. Preston 
 Smith and Gen. Deishler were killed ; it was here that 
 thousands of the sons of the South poured out their 
 blood to swell the " river of death." 
 
 After a most obstinate resistance, the Federal army 
 was driven from the field and forced to take refuge be- 
 hind entrenchments near Chattanooga. 
 
 Rev. S. M. Cherr}', one of the most faithful laborers 
 among the soldiers of the Western army, gives an ac- 
 count of the blessed scenes that were witnessed among 
 the wounded and dying men. Of the work of the chap- 
 lains he says : 
 
 "Dr. McFerrin was at Cleburne's Division hospital, 
 where his son was, slightl}' wounded, and his nephew, 
 Rev. John P. McFerrin, severely wounded, working with 
 
328 THE ORKAT I^E^^VAL. 
 
 the sufferers. Dr. Cross, chaplain on Gen. Backner's 
 staff, was on the field and at the hospital. Bros. IMooney 
 and Miller were at Stewart's Division hospital, active 
 and industrious in attending to the wounded and dying. 
 Dr. Petway came in good time to render efficient aid in 
 the double capacity of surgeon and minister. I saw 
 Brothers Burr and Browning on* the field ; also Brothers 
 Quarles, Harris, A. W. Smith, Fitzgerald, Daniel, and 
 others, looking after their wounded and suffering sol- 
 diers. Chaplain Willoughby was with the dying and su- 
 perintended the burial of the dead of our division. Bro. 
 MeVo}' came in time to minister to the wants of his men 
 at the hospital, and many others were at the post of duty 
 if not of danger." 
 
 "It was encouraging," he says, "to the Christian heart 
 to see the soldier of the Cross die so heroically. Said 
 Mr. Pool, a member of the Methodist Church in Colum- 
 bus, Ga., whose shoulder was sliattered, 'Parson, write 
 my wife a calm letter and tell her how I died ; for I will 
 never be able to write her again. Tell her I was ready 
 and willing to die.' Mr. Turner, of Elbert county, Ga., 
 was horribl}^ mangled by a shell, and while on the gory 
 litter said to me, ' I want to die ; all is well.' 
 
 "Sam Robins, of Spring Place, Ga., amid the fl3'ing, 
 falling, and exploding shells, handed me his h3'mn-book 
 and his wife's ambrotype, having the night previous 
 talked long with me about his religious enjoyments, 
 pious mother, and praying father, sending messages of 
 love to his youthful wife, and declaring that he felt no 
 fear or dread of the coming conflict, though he seemed 
 to be impressed with the idea that he would not survive 
 tlie battle. He fell the first day without speaking a word. 
 Others died full of faith and hope. Several of the slain 
 were devoted Christians. I miss them much at our re- 
 ligious services now. On last Sabbath, at the close of 
 tlie sermon, about twenty-five arose or knelt, declaring 
 their resolution to lead new lives — several officers among 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G3. 329 
 
 the number. Most of our commands being engaged in 
 constructing fortifications on Sabbatli evening, I liad tlic 
 privilege of preacliing to Liddell's Arkansas brigade, 
 which is encamped at Missionary Ridge. From the 
 preaching place we had a fine view of Chattanooga and 
 the Federal defences. The attendance and attention of 
 the audience were very good. They have enjoyed a 
 gracious revival of religion the past summer, and need 
 chaplains very much. 
 
 "At twilight I preached to a Kentucky brigade, com- 
 manded of late by the ill-fated Gen. Helm. There are 
 many Christian gentlemen in that command. I preached 
 for them again at 6| o'clock last evening. The^^ meet 
 every evening for religions service just after 'retreat' is 
 sounded. Brother Mooney preached for our brigade last 
 night. It is stationed in reach of the enemy's guns." 
 
 Mr. Cherry gives us an account of one of the saddest 
 scenes that can be witnessed in an army, the shooting 
 of a deserter. He called to see the poor young man and 
 found him deeply penitent for his sins : 
 
 "I attended him in his last moments. When he 
 reached the place of execution he knelt beside his coffin 
 and grave, and in the presence of the entire division 
 offered an audible, earnest prayer, making confession of 
 his great sin and praying for God to pardon him, and 
 touchinglj' alluded to his only sister, and wife, to whom 
 he had been married but one year, and commended his 
 departing spirit to God. He was calm while the sen- 
 tence was read, listened attentively to the lesson read 
 of the dying Saviour and penitent thief, and responded 
 fervently during the recital of the hymn, 'There is a 
 fountain filled with blood,' etc. His feet and hands were 
 bound and ej^es hoodwinked. The command was given, 
 aim, ready, fire, and he fell, pierced by five balls through 
 the head and body. Thus perished the j'oung deserter." 
 
 There was scarcely a spot where soldiers were gather- 
 ed where the revival did not manifest its saving power. 
 
330 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 Think of a revival within the limits of battered Fort 
 Sumter. 
 
 Near the close of September, Rev. A. B. Stephens, 
 chaplain of the 11th South Carolina regiment, wrote : 
 
 "We now constitute the garrison at Fort Sumter. On 
 the last fast-day I began a meeting which has been going 
 on and increasing in interest all the while till now. God 
 has honored us with a gracious revival of religion among 
 the sohHery of this command. A few months ago but 
 two officers in the regiment were members of the Church. 
 Now but few more than that number are not professors 
 of religion. About 200 have joined the Church, and a 
 larger number have been converted and are now happy 
 in the love of God. It would do 3'our soul good to visit 
 the old Fort, battered and scarred as it is, and hear the 
 soldiers make the battered walls ring with the high 
 praises of the living God. No camp-meeting that I have 
 ever attended can come near it." 
 
 In Gen. G. T. Anderson's Georgia brigade, composed 
 of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, and o9th regiments, the influ- 
 ence of a Soldiers' Christian Association was most pow- 
 erful for good. 
 
 "It has drawn out and developed," sa3's a soklier of 
 the brigade, "all the religious element among us. It 
 has created a very pleasant, social feeling among the re- 
 giments, and has blended them into one congregation. 
 The throe chaplains of the brigade work together, and 
 thus ligliten the burdens of each other, and also extend 
 help to the two regiments that are without chaplains. 
 The Association now numbers over 400 members. We 
 recently broke up a camp, where, for four weeks, we 
 have enjoyed an unbroken rest ; and it has been one 
 long 'camp-meeting,' — a great revival season, — during 
 which we held divine services daily. It has been a time 
 of great joy with us, reviving pure, evangelical religion, 
 and converting many souls. Above 80 members liave 
 been added to tlie Association as the fruit of our meet- 
 
Al'TUMN OK 18G3. 331 
 
 ing. A i^reat revolution lias been wrought in the moriil 
 tone of the brigade. During a part of this time we were 
 assisted by Rev. Mr. Gwin, of Rome, Ga., of the Bap- 
 tist Church, and by Rev. Dr. Baird, of Mississippi, of 
 the Presbyterian Church. Their labors were highlj' ap- 
 preciated, and were very valuable. The 8th, 9th, and 
 11th regiments, each have Sabbath Schools, which are a 
 new and interesting feature in the religious teachings of 
 the arm}'. Much interest is taken in it. Full one-third 
 of my regiment are members of my school." 
 
 In Law's brigade the work was equally deep and pow- 
 erful. 
 
 " Last INIarch," says a soldier, " I was quite sick, and was 
 sent to the hospital in Richmond, Va. At that time my re- 
 giment (the gallant 4th Alabama) was extremely wicked. 
 You could scarcely meet with any one who did not use 
 God's name in vain. You could see groups assembled 
 almost in every direction gambling. I obtained a fur- 
 lough and returned home to my dear wife and children, 
 who live not far from your city. I returned to my com- 
 mand some two weeks since, and to my surprise and de- 
 light I found at least three-fourths of my company not 
 only members of the Church of the living God, but pro- 
 fessors of religion. This state of affairs is not limited 
 to my company, but it extends throughout the entire re- 
 giment, and I might say the whole brigade (Law's bri- 
 gade). God grant that this good work may continue to 
 flourish throughout the entire army." 
 
 In the cause of the South the greatest and the hum- 
 blest of her sons yielded up their lives freeh^ to secure 
 her freedom. Among those who died this year the name 
 of Gen. John Buchanan Floyd stands prominent. Be- 
 fore the war he had filled various offices as a statesman. 
 In 1849 he was chosen by the General Assembl^^ of Vir- 
 ginia Governor of the State, and served for the legal 
 terra. In 1857, on the accession of James Buchanan to 
 the Presidency of the United States, he was called to 
 
332 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 the post of Secretary of War. When the war broke out 
 in 1861 he entered the Confederate arm}' as Brigadier- 
 General, and for a time commanded a part of the forces 
 in Western Virginia. lie was afterwards transferred to 
 the army of the West, and was at Fort Donelson, where 
 he participated in the terrible battle that preceded the 
 loss of that strongliold. With Gen. Pillow and several 
 thousand men he withdrew from the Fort before it was 
 surrendered to Gen. Grant. Failing health disqualified 
 him for the arduous duties of a soldier, and he retired 
 to his home in Virginia. In little more than a j^ear and 
 a half after the Fort Donelson affair he was in his grave. 
 It is pleasing to know that in his last illness he turned 
 with a penitent heart to Christ Jesus as his only hope 
 of salvation. Rev. E. E. Wexler, of the Ilolston Con- 
 ference, M. E. Church, South, was called to see him in 
 his last hours, and gives a description of the scene : 
 
 "I was summoned by telegraph," he saj's, "to attend 
 the bedside of Gen. Floyd, and reached him four da3's 
 before his death. I found him calm and peaceful — his 
 mind as clear and his judgment as sound as ever in his 
 life. He took me b}' the hand, telling me he could not 
 survive more than a few days. He spoke of his religious 
 feelings and prospects in the most beautiful and satis- 
 factory' manner. I wish I could recall his language, but 
 can do so only ver3^ imperfectly. He said he was not 
 afraid to die : that he had the strongest assurance of his 
 acceptance with his Maker. He felt that he was a sin- 
 ner, and that his only hope was in the infinite mercy of 
 God through the Lord Jesus Christ. As he spoke of the 
 goodness of God, his heart seemed to glow with grati- 
 tude and love ; and as I repeated the promises of the 
 Bible suited to his case, his eyes kindled with interest 
 and the large tear-drops flowed copiously over the manly 
 face of the battle-scarred warrior. 
 
 " He said that in public life he had many enemies ; 
 that he bad been wronged — deeph^ wronged — yet he 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G3. 333 
 
 fully and freely forgave it all ; that before that God in 
 whose presence he expected ver^' soon to stand he could 
 sa}^ that he had no malice nor aught in liis lieart against 
 any man. He had been impressed with the importance 
 of connecting himself with the Church, but had been 
 hindered from doing so by various causes, but now he 
 wished to be received into its communion and to receive 
 the holy sacrament, and I saw no good reasons why his 
 wishes should not be granted ; accordingly, he was re- 
 ceived into the Churcli and the sacrament administered. 
 These solemn and impressive services being performed, 
 much to the gratification of liimself and friends, he now 
 felt that his work was done. After this he conversed 
 but little, being very weak, and much of the time suffer- 
 ing severe pain ; yet he retained full possession of his 
 faculties to the last, and tlie same calm, peaceful state 
 of mind. Much of the time he was engaged in prayer, 
 and often seemed anxious that his departure should be 
 hastened." 
 
 In the army of General Lee, while it lay on the upper 
 Rappahannock, the revival flame swept through every 
 corps, division, brigade, and regiment. Of the work 
 which came under his eye in Ewell's corps Dr. Rosser 
 wrote : 
 
 " My plan is, to visit and preach to this corps, division 
 by division, and brigade by brigade — stopping longest 
 where I can do most good, noticing vacancies in the 
 chaplaincy, circulating religious reading as it reaches 
 me, and sympathizing with the sick and wounded sol- 
 diers. A nobler work cannot engage the heart of the 
 preacher, or the attention of the Church and nation. I 
 can but glance at the work at this time. 
 
 "The whole army is a vast field, ready and ripe to the 
 harvest, and all the reapers have to do is to go in and 
 reap from end to end. The susceptibility of the soldiery 
 to the gospel is wonderful, and, doubtful as the remark 
 may appear, the military camp is most favorable to the 
 
334 TILE GUEAT llF:^^VAL. 
 
 work of revival. The soldiers, with the simplicity of 
 little children, listen to and embrace the truth. Already 
 over t^o thousand have professed conversion, and over 
 two thousand more are penitent. The hope of the Church 
 and the countiy is in our armies, and religion in the array 
 should be a subject of the most serious concern to the 
 Church. That Church that does most for religion during 
 the war will do most for religion when the war is over. 
 Let our Church bave an eye to this, and with a holy faith 
 and zeal grasp both the present and the future. Oh, let 
 the shepherds come and gather the lambs in the wilder- 
 ness ! 
 
 " We want our best men here — men of courage, faith, 
 experience — holy men — hard working men — S3'mpathiz- 
 ing men — self-denying men — men baptized afresh every- 
 day by the Holy Ghost for the work. No place here for 
 slow men, mere reasoners and expositors, however learn- 
 ed or eloquent ; war has no time to wait for such men — 
 the soldier has no time to wait for such men — he may 
 die to-morrow. The few men now with us in this corps — 
 and noble men they are — can do but a tithe of the work 
 required — some of them have the work of a brigade. We 
 want more and the best. Let our Churches be content 
 to spare them. 
 
 "We want vastly more religious reading, Oh, it is 
 affecting to see the soldiers crowd and press about the 
 preacher for what of tracts, etc., he has to distribute, 
 and it is sad to see luindreds retiring without being su;*- 
 plied ! One wishes to give himself away to meet the 
 want. While the country is expending hundreds of mil- 
 lions of dollars, and pouring out its blood like water on 
 the altar of patriotism, let the Church be as prominent 
 in devotion and zeal to religion in the army. Let reli- 
 gion rival patriotism in activity. Light up the great 
 camp of war with celestial fire." 
 
 The sufferings of the soldiers were ver}^ great, exposed 
 as Lhey were, with poor rations and clothing, to inclem- 
 
AUTUMN OF 18G3. 335 
 
 ent weather, and often sleeping on the bare, muddy 
 ground. Rev. A. D. McVoy, writing to the Southern 
 Christian Advocate from Chattanooga, says : 
 
 "In the trenches the dull days are passed without im- 
 provement. It is true we have splendid scenery, and 
 these huge mountains enclose a magnificent theatre of 
 war. We can climb the rugged sides of Lookout or Mis- 
 sionary Ridge and look down upon two armies watching 
 each other, hesitating to attack each other in their pres- 
 ent positions. But for the past two weeks the clouds 
 have gathered thick and low over us and drenched the 
 country with superabundance of rain. The cold, mud, 
 and rain, have produced great suffering and sickness 
 among the troops ; for we have been entirely without 
 shelter in very exposed positions. Up to the present 
 very few flies have been furnished — no tents. In our 
 field hospital we have over three hundred and fifty sick 
 from our brigade (Clayton's)." 
 
 But in the midst of these hardships the work of sal- 
 vation steadily progressed. 
 
 "I never saw," says Mr. McVo}', "men who were bet- 
 ter prepared to receive religious instruction and advice. 
 In fact, they earnestly desired and greatly appreciated 
 the attention of the chaplains and missionaries in this 
 respect. The dying begged for our prayers and our 
 songs. Every evening we would gather around the 
 wounded and sing and pra}^ with them. Man}- wound- 
 ed, who had hitherto led wicked lives, became entirely 
 changed, and by their vows and determinations evinced 
 tl)eir purpose to devote themselves to God. Most of 
 those who died in a conscious state gave gratifying and 
 satisfactor}' testimony of the efficacy of the religion of 
 tlic Lord Jesus Christ in a dj'ing hour. I witnessed 
 some triumphant deaths — prayer and pjaise from dying 
 lips. One young Tennesseean, James Scott, of the S2d 
 Tennessee, I think, attracted the attention of all. He 
 continually begged us to sing for him and to pray with 
 
336 THE GUEAT RE\^VAL. 
 
 him. He earnestly desired to see his mother before he 
 ^died, which was not permitted, as she was in the enemy's 
 lines, and he died rejoicing in the grace of God. We 
 will long remember Jimmie Scott. An attractive coun- 
 tenance, pleasing manners, he endured his intense si;f- 
 ferings with great fortitude ; not a murmur or complaint 
 was heard from him, and his strong religious faith sus- 
 tained him to his dying moment. 
 
 " I might go on and describe many scenes like the 
 above to show how our wounded boys die. They know 
 how to fight, and many of them know how to die." 
 
 The devotion of the ladies of "the South to tlie sick 
 and wounded soldiers was so earnest, unselfish,, and un- 
 tiring, that it will stand forever as an example of true 
 heroism. 
 
 Tlie hospital at which Mr. McVoj' served was estab- 
 lished at the house of a lady who, with a bleeding heart, 
 gave herself to Christian ministrations with sincere love. 
 
 " With one son killed and the other severely wounded, 
 and the care of a large family upon her, her place de- 
 vastated and ruined, her stock killed up, she ceased not 
 > to minister to the wants of our wounded and comfort 
 tbe suffering, distributing all the milk and eggs she 
 could procure. Many a wounded soldier will long re- 
 member Mrs. Thedford, for she was truly a mother to 
 them in their liours of distress and pain. The entire 
 family were untiring in providing for the wounded. Mrs. 
 Dnrrott, from Tuscaloosa, although she arrived some 
 time after the battle, when most of the wounded had 
 been scut off, contributed greatly by her motherly nurs- 
 ing and attention to relieve and comfort. Not much can 
 be done in the army at present by the chaplains and 
 missionaries until the rainy season shall pass. I was 
 glad to meet the Rev. Mr. Miller, from Kentucky Con- 
 ference, who has just arrived to commence his opera- 
 tions as a missionary. He was mounted on a beautiful 
 Kentucky horse, fully equipped for the contest." 
 
AUTUMN OF 1863. 337 
 
 Some, nay, many of our readers will recall the sad 
 scenes witnessed by Rev. C. W. Miller in a trip through 
 a portion of the South. " Along the railroads," he says, 
 " tlie ' tax in kind' is being deposited in such quantities 
 that we imagine if an old Egyptian could raise his head 
 after a sleep of 3,500 years and look upon the corn, etc., 
 in this land, he would think that it was the seventh 3-ear 
 of plenty in the daj's of Joseph. 
 
 "And 3'et, hundreds of homes are saddened by hunger 
 and want. The grasp of extortion's mailed, hand and 
 marble heart is upon all this abundance ; and hungry 
 orphans and penniless mothers starve in a land of 
 plent}' ! ' I speak that I do know, and testify tliat I 
 have seen.' 'If the clouds be full of rain they empty 
 themselves upon the earth,' thus teaching iiien to pour 
 forth the blessings which Heaven has deposited with 
 them for the poor ; but they heed not the lesson, and 
 challenge the , ascending cries of orphans, widows, and 
 helpless age, to bring down God's vengeance. 
 ********** 
 
 "On my return I visited tlie memorable field of Chick- 
 amauga. P^verywhere may be seen the marks of an aw- 
 ful struggle. Trees are scarred and perforated by balls 
 of all sizes. Solid oaks and pines, in man}' instances 
 of enormous size, are shivered b}'^ cannon-balls. But 
 the saddest sight there is the long array of Confederate 
 graves. All over that bloody field sleep, in their narrow 
 beds, the deathless heroes of the 19th and 20th of Sep- 
 tember. No hand of affection plants a rose or trains 
 the evergreen over their grave. Side by side they re- 
 pose upon the field their valor won. The grand old 
 forest above them stands sentinel at tlieir graves, wliilst 
 turbid Ciiickamauga sings their requiem along its banks. 
 
 " We are preaching and laboring for the spiritual good 
 
 of the soldiers as much as the situation will allow. The 
 
 troops are in line of battle, and we assemble a regiment 
 
 or two around their camp-fires at night and speak to 
 
 15 
 
338 THE GREAT REVIA'AL. 
 
 them the Word of Life. The soldiers receive gl^adly the 
 truth, and are always anxious to hear preaching. Never 
 was there an ampler field for ministerial labor. May 
 God give success to the efforts of his servants with these 
 brave men." 
 
 We have already stated that the Presbj^terian Church 
 sent over fifty laborers into the army. At the session 
 of the Synod of Virginia Dr. J. Leighton Wilson, Secre- 
 tary of Missions, gave a sketch of the army revival and 
 arged that his Church prosecute its Army Mission work 
 ■with increased zeal. Dr. Wilson said : 
 
 " There is a state of religion in the army of Tennes- 
 see quite as interesting as tliat in the arm}^ of Northern 
 Viro^inia. The Rev. Dr. Palmer says he has never be- 
 fore seen so great a movemient. Go where you will, and 
 only let it be known that you are to preach — it hardly 
 makes a difference wlio the preacher is — and crowds wdl 
 attend to hear. Dr. W. thought it doubtful whether 
 there had been anything since the days of Pentecost 
 equal to this wonderful work of the Holy Spirit of God 
 in our army. If ever there was a mighty, an imperative 
 call upon us, it is now. If we do not rise to the occa- 
 sion, our Church will degrade herself before the world 
 and before other denominations." 
 
 Of his work after the battle of Chickamauga Dr. J. B. 
 McFerrin wrote : 
 
 " The revival in the arm}^ progressed up to the time 
 of the Chickamauga fight ; and even since, notwithstand- 
 ing the condition of the troops moving to and fro, or en- 
 gaged in erecting fortifications, the good work in some 
 regiments still goes on. The good accomplished b}' the 
 ministr}' of the Word will never be appreciated by the 
 Church till the light of eternity shall reveal it. Some 
 of the fruits have already ripened ; souls converted in 
 the army have gone to the rest that remains to the peo- 
 ple of God. The chaplains and missionaries will have 
 many seals to their ministry. Oh ! how joyful to think 
 
AI'TUMN OF 18G3. 839 
 
 of being the honored instruments of bringing brave souls 
 in the tented field to enlist under the banner of the Cap- 
 tain of our salvation, 
 
 '• Since I last wrote to you I have witnessed much suf- 
 fering in the armj'. The terrible fight at Chickamauga 
 sent man}' to their long homes, and made cripples for 
 life of hundreds who were not mortally wounded ; but, 
 my dear brother, to witness tlie dying triumph of a 
 Christian soldier gives one a more exalted appreciation 
 of our holy Christianit}'." 
 
 Near the close of autumn (November 24-25) the battle 
 of Missionary Ridge, so disastrous to the Confederates, 
 was fought. The army of Gen. Bragg had been greatly 
 reduced in numbers by sickness and b}^ the withdrawal 
 of Longstreet's corps to East Tennessee. Gen. Wheel- 
 er was also absent with nearl}' all our cavahy. The 
 arm}^ was left with little more than one-third the strength 
 it had at Chickamauga. The Federals first assaulted 
 and carried the strong position on Lookout mountain. 
 Thej^ next massed heavy columns against Missionary 
 Ridge, and after a desperate resistance the Confederates 
 gave wa}^ and the whole army began to retreat. 
 
 The Rev. C. W. IMiller gives a vivid description of the 
 battle on the Ridge : 
 
 "Wednesday morning, November 25, dawned brightl}% 
 and at 7 o'clock the decisive struggle commenced for the 
 possession of Missionary Ridge. The bleeding remnant 
 of Waltliall's and Moor's brigades had reached the shel- 
 ter of our last defen§ive position ; Breckinridge's corps 
 was placed on the left, and Hardee's on the right, along 
 the summit of the Ridge ; a breastwork of logs and 
 earth had been hastily constructed Tuesday night on the 
 top. The work of death began. The battle rolled re- 
 fluent tides along the rocky summit until it seemed to 
 quake beneath the tread of the god of war. Victory 
 everywhere spread her wings over our banners, and a 
 mutilated foe staggered beneath the death-dealing vol- 
 
340 THE GKEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 leys until about half-past three P. M. At that time the 
 enemy, rendered bestial by intoxicating drink, cliargcd 
 up the steeps of Missionary Ridge, and gained a posi- 
 tion on its summit from which they could not be dis- 
 lodged. This disaster was incurred in the following 
 manner : The regiments occupying tlie fortifications 
 along the tops of the Ridge were divided, and one-half 
 of each one placed at the base of the mountam, next 
 the valley of Chattanooga. When the abolitionists ad- 
 vanced, those at the base, according to orders, delivered 
 their fire and retreated up the mountain. The enemy, as 
 could easly have been foreseen, charged up immediately 
 in the rear of these retreating forces, thereby placing 
 our own men as a sure protection between themselves 
 and our guns in the entrenchment above. In this way 
 they reached the summit of the Ridge held bj^ a bri- 
 gade, which did not wait to discharge their pieces, but 
 fled, leaving the foe in undisputed possession of a large 
 l^ortion of that part of the Ridge occupied by our left. 
 Thus Cobb's famous battery was lost, not however until 
 their ammunition was expended. 
 
 " Night now put an end to the struggle, and soon the 
 rush of wagons, the long line of retreating infantry, and 
 squads sf panic-stricken stragglers, told too plainly to 
 be misunderstood the sad truth that the whole army was 
 retreating from the strongest natural position in the 
 Confederacy. 
 
 "Lewis' brigade of brave Kentuckians was ordered to 
 cover the retreat, and nobly did they discharge their 
 duty. About one corps of the foe pursued us as far as 
 Ringgold, where, being infatuated by his fancied suc- 
 cess, and supposing that we were routed and demoral- 
 ized, they fell into a seemingly planned ambuscade, 
 which uncovered itself upon their flanks and front. 
 Their entire first line of battle was subjected to an en- 
 filading and cross fire which sent whole companies reel- 
 ing and staggering in death. We captured 500 of them, 
 
AuiTMX OF 186S. 341 
 
 and so completely crushed the head of their advancino- 
 column as to effectually end the pursuit." 
 
 After reaching a safe position, General Bragg, at his 
 own request, was relieved of the chief command, and 
 General Hardee placed at the head of the Army of Ten- 
 nessee. Winter quarters were fixed at Dalton, Gd., and 
 the most vigorous measures were adopted to refit and 
 reorganize the shattered forces of the South. 
 
 It is difficult for any one who was not in the army to 
 conceive of the circumstances under which our devout 
 soldiers often worshiped God. During a seven-days' 
 bombardment of Jackson, Miss., a scene occurred that 
 shows with what a calm faith men worship God in the 
 midst of danger and death. All day long a storm of 
 shot and shell had rained upon the city. " As the night 
 shades were covering the wounded, dying, and dead," 
 writes an officer of the 26th South Carolina, General 
 Evans' brigade, " our zealous and beloved chaplain. Rev. 
 W. S. Black, of the South Carolina Conference, gave no- 
 tice to the different commanders of companies that he 
 would like to have a word of prayer with and for them, 
 indicating the centre of the line as the most suitable 
 place. It would have made your heart glad to see those 
 brave and half-starved soldiers (who had had but one 
 meal a day for several days, and at this time were break- 
 ing their fast for the first time that daj',) throwing down 
 their victuals and flocking to the indicated spot. The 
 Chaplain gave out his h^^mn, and then officers and men 
 united in singing the praises of God. Oh ! how we felt 
 to praise and adore Him who had been our preserver 
 through the storms of the day ; and when it was said 
 ' Let us pray,' I imagine that I (with many others) had 
 never more cheerfully humbled ourselves in the dust, 
 and lifted our hearts to God in believing prayer. It 
 seemed to be (of all others) the time to pray ! The mis- 
 siles of death, the music of the distant cannon, and the 
 sharp, cracking sound of the sharpshooters' guns, were 
 
345 TnE ORKAT UEA'IVAL. 
 
 in striking contrast with the hallelujahs and praises of 
 that devoted band of Christian soldiers. At such a 
 sight angels might gaze with astonishment and admira- 
 tion. Our blessed Saviour, whose ear is always open to 
 the plaintive cry, drew near and comforted our hearts. 
 Some of us felt that all would be well both in life and 
 death." 
 
WINTER OF 1863-'64. 343 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 WINTER OF 1863-64. 
 
 The armies in the field on both sides used the interval 
 of winter to repair their wasted energies for the spring 
 campaign. 
 
 The towns held by the Federals, and those besieged 
 by them, continued to feel the heavy hand of war. 
 Charleston had a terrible bombardment on Christmas 
 day, 1863, which makes it a red-letter day in the history 
 of that city. No person who was there can ever forget 
 the scenes. 
 
 " For hours before the eastern sk^^ was streaked with 
 the first gray tints of morning the cold night air was 
 rent by other sounds than the joj'ous peals from the bel- 
 fry and the exploding crackers of exhilarated boys. At 
 one o'clock A. M. the enem}' opened fire upon the city. 
 Fast and furiously were the shells rained upon the city 
 from five guns — three at Battery Gregg, one at Cum- 
 mings' Point, and one at the Mortar Battery. The 
 shelling was more severe than upon an}" former occa- 
 sion, the enera}' generally throwing from tliree to five 
 shells almost simultaneously. Our batteries promptly 
 and vigorously replied to the fire, but without tlieir usual 
 eflTect in checking the bombardment, which was stea<iily 
 maintained by the Yankees during the remainder of the 
 "night and all the following morning until about half-past 
 twelve o'clock. Up to that hour no less than 134 shells 
 had been hurled against the city. There was no more fir- 
 ing until about five o'clock in the afternoon, when one 
 more shell was fired. On Sunday morning about throe 
 o'clock four shells were thrown in quick succession. There 
 had been no farther firing uj) to a late hour that night. 
 
344 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 The damage, we are glad to sa}', bore no proportion to 
 the severity of the bombardment. Several houses were 
 struck, but in most instances the tremendous missiles 
 buried themselves harmlessly in the earth. There were 
 but two casualties : Mr. Wm. McKnighton, aged 83, 
 while standing by his fireside, had his right leg taken off 
 by a shell, another fragment of which crushed the foot 
 of his sister-in-law. Miss Plane. While this heavy bom- 
 bardment was going on two fires broke out that burned 
 several buildings on Broad and Church streets, the loss 
 being about $150,000." 
 
 The work of the chaplains in winter quarters went on 
 earnestl}', and prepared the waj' for the extraordinary 
 work of grace which blessed the armies in the last year 
 of the war. 
 
 From the army at Dalton, Ga., now under command 
 of General Joseph E. Johnston, there came an earnest 
 call for Testaments and Bibles. "A soldier showed 
 me." says Rev. S. M. Cherry, " a Testament a few days 
 ago that he had brought from his home in Tennessee, 
 and had carried in his side-pocket for over two years. 
 Another solicited a Bible, sa3ang that just before he left 
 Missionary Ridge he found part of an old Bible and 
 read it, and was now desirous of getting the entire vol- 
 ume of inspiration. Often I am approached by the sol- 
 diers, who inquire, ' Parson, is there no chance to get a 
 Bible. I am very anxious to procure a copy, and am 
 willing to pay any price for a pocket-Bible.' We are un- 
 able to supply one-fourth of the demand for the Scrip- 
 tures ; .and yet we know there are thousands of Bibles 
 all over the South — that are rarely read by the pos- 
 sessors. Almost every library contains a small pocket- 
 edition that perhaps has not been opened for six months, 
 and many families could collect several that are perhaps 
 lying away, dusty and mildewing, upon the shelves." 
 
 Under calls like this from every portion of the armies 
 the families of the South sent thousands of copies of 
 
wiNTKii OF 18G3-'64. 345 
 
 the word of God to the soldiers. Some of these had a 
 few lines written on the blank pages, saying that " this 
 precious book belonged to a son who had fallen in his 
 country's cause ; and, though prized as a dear relic from 
 the battle-field on which he died, it is sent back to <iive 
 comfort and light to his comrades who still struggle for 
 liberty and right." 
 
 Of his work at Dalton Dr. McFerrln says in a letter 
 to the Soiiihern Chriatinn Adoocate: 
 
 " Since I last wrote to you I have visited some of th6 
 hospitals, and preached in several places to citizens and 
 soldiers ; to the well and to the sick and wounded. The 
 sermons of the ministers of Christ are greatly appre- 
 ciated by many, whilst others 'care for none of these 
 things.' There is need for a great work of God in the 
 army as well as at home. Soldiers and citizens alike 
 need the revival of God's work. 
 
 " Now is the time specially for the distribution of re- 
 ligious reading matter in the army. When the soldiers 
 are cut off in a measure from the preaching of the Word, 
 they need books, tracts, and papers. Let them come as 
 freely as possible. 
 
 " Well, I suppose the Yankee papers have announced 
 my death, and, perhaps, accompanied the announcement 
 with remarks not very friendly. Thank God, Mr. Edi- 
 tor, your humble brother still lives, and is trying to 
 grow wiser and better in these times of war and cruelty. 
 He lives, he trusts, to preach the gospel to the soldier 
 and the citizen, and to minister comfort to the sick, 
 wounded, and dying. Yes, he has had the privilege, and 
 felt it to be his pleasure and duty, to pray for wounded 
 prisoners taken from the enemy's lines. Yankees, 
 wounded and in prospect of death, have thanked him 
 for his pleadings with God in their behalf, and for point- 
 ing them to Jesus, the Friend of sinners. Let my ene- 
 mies North revile, yet, from ' my heart of hearts,' I can 
 pray God to have mercy on them and lead them to re- 
 
346 THE GUEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 pentance and salvation. 'Bless them which persecute 
 you ; bless and curse not.' " 
 
 We have already referred to the gallant band that 
 General Price led from Missouri, and their deeds of 
 valor at Corinth, Miss., and other places, are well-known 
 to those who can recall the scenes in the Southwest. 
 One of the most faithful laborers in this corps of our 
 army was Rev. Dr. B. T. Kavanaugh, who has kindly 
 sent us the following account of the revival which pre- 
 vailed in General Price's corps on this side and beyond 
 the Mississippi : 
 
 " Among those who came out of Missouri with Gen. 
 Price's army were J no. R. Bennett (your brother), W. M. 
 Patterson, Nathaniel M. Talbott, and myself, besides 
 Bros. Minchell, Harris, Dryden, and McCary. Subse- 
 quently we were joined by brother E. M. Marvin (now 
 Bishop) and others. 
 
 "But little visible effect followed our preaching for 
 the first year or two, while the soldier's life was a novel- 
 ty ; but, after two years' hard service, the romance of 
 the soldier's life wore off, and a more sober and serious 
 mood seemed to prevail in our; camps. 
 
 "The first decided revival that occurred under my ob- 
 servation and ministry was in the State of Mississippi, 
 to which State I had followed General Price's army, 
 while we were encamped near Tupelo. Here we kept 
 up nightly meetings for several weeks in our camp, and 
 there were some fort}' conversions or more. Bros. Ben- 
 nett, Harris, and myself, held a profitable meeting near 
 Granada, Miss., where we had some conversions ; but 
 for a length of time the army was kept in motion so 
 constantly that we had but little opportunity for re- 
 ligious services. 
 
 " When the army retreated from Big Black into Vicks- 
 burg Bros. Bennett, Patterson, and myself, rode together 
 into that devoted city. The regiment to which I was 
 then chaplain had been captured at Big Black, and as I 
 
WINTER OF 1863-64. 347 
 
 had no duties to pertbnu, I told those brethren that I 
 should make ray escape from the cit}^ before the ene- 
 my's lines were thrown around us, and requested them 
 to join mc. Bro. B. refused, saying he should stick to 
 his men ; and P. refused to leave B. alone. 
 
 "I obtained leave of absence and made my escape by 
 riding all night alone, and found mj^self outside of 
 Grant's lines the next morning, and went into Selma, 
 Ala., where I spent the summer. I requested Bishop 
 Paine to give me a commission as a missionary to Gen. 
 Price's army, which was then in Arkansas. I obtained 
 it, and left the house of Robert A. Baker, my cousin, in 
 Alabama, on the 15th of September, 1863. I succeeded 
 in making the trip, crossing the Mississippi, just below 
 Bolivar, swimming my horse, and arrived in Gen. Price's 
 camp early in October. 
 
 "My first work was to organize all the chaplains and 
 missionaries into an Association for mutual aid and co- 
 operation. Wlien we went into camp at Camp Bragg, 
 30 miles west of Camden, we there commenced our work 
 in earnest. Through the winter of 1863-'64 we kept up 
 our meetings in camp, had seats and pulpit prepared, 
 and were successful in having more than one hundred 
 conversions. 
 
 "After the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, in 
 Louisiana, our armies returned to Arkansas and made 
 fvU encampment at a place called Three-Creeks, on the 
 southern line of the State of Arkansas. Here I com- 
 menced preaching on the 10th of June, 1864, and con- 
 tinued our meetings until the 10th of September. An 
 extensive revival commenced within a few days after 
 our meeting commenced, and grew in interest and power 
 to the close. We had preaching, beginning at early can- 
 dle-light — or rather pine-knot fires on stands around the 
 preaching-place. After about ten o'clock at night, the 
 preaching and other exercises at the stand closed ; but 
 this was but the beginning of the night's work. 
 
348 THE GUKAT KKVIA'AL. 
 
 "As soon as dismissed, the young converts gathered 
 in groups of tens and twenties, and went off in compa- 
 nies into the adjoining woods ; and taking their friends, 
 penitents seeking religion, with them, tliey spent the 
 whole night in singing, pra3dng, and praising God. I 
 had lodgings close by the camp at Mrs. Tooke's, a sister 
 of Gen. Buckner, from which, night after night, at all 
 hours, until morning, I could hear the shouts of the 
 new-born souls and the rejoicing of those who were la- 
 boring with them for their salvation. 
 
 "This meeting continued, after this manner, until a 
 large majority of the two brigades were happ'ily con- 
 verted. Before we had progressed very far, an effort 
 was made by some of the officers to interrupt us by hav- 
 ing 'roU-aiW observed at nine o'clock. I went to Gen. 
 Parsons, who was the Division commander, and request-- 
 ed him to suspend roll-call at night altogether. He said, 
 ' Doctor, I will do anything in my power to promote this 
 great reformation ; for I assure you that since your meet- 
 ings commenced I ha,ve not had a complaint entered 
 against a single man in mjj" army, and the people in the 
 country have not been disturbed by a single soldier.' 
 Roll-call was suspended. 
 
 "The people in the country around us became inter- 
 ested in our meetings, and attended them. The remark 
 had been made by many, before our revival meetings 
 commenced, that it was very difficult for a man to be re- 
 ligious in the army ; but now it was far more common to 
 hear it said that no one could be very religious unless 
 he belonged to the army. 
 
 " Like meetings were held iu other camps of the same 
 army at some ten, twenty, and thirty miles from us. 
 Bros. Jewell and Winfield, of Camden, were zealously 
 and constantly engaged in the great work in the encamp- 
 ment near their homes, and were very successful. 
 
 "At Three-Creeks I had the efficient aid of Bros. Tal- 
 bott, Minchell, and Dryden, from Missouri, and a Baptist 
 
WINTER OF 1863-'64. 319 
 
 chaplain from Arkansas, whose name I do not remem- 
 ber. 
 
 "To sura up the results of these gracious revivals in 
 the arm}', we may safely say that at Three-Creeks there 
 were 500 conversions. Under Bros. Winfield and Jewell 
 there were 300. At Camden and Camp Bragg there were 
 200. Making in all in Arkansas 1,000 souls. 
 
 " To show the genuineness of this work of grace upon 
 the lives of these converts, we have to remark that after 
 our camp was broken* up. and the army was put upon the 
 march to distant fields, wherever we went into camp but 
 for a night our boys held praj'er-meetings every night, 
 greatly to the astonishment of the people in the country 
 who were witnesses of their devotion. 
 
 ** After the army was disbanded, in riding through the 
 country in Arkansas and Texas, I met with some of our 
 converts, who had returned to their families and parents, 
 and they were still true to their profession and evinced 
 a decidedly firm Christian character. 
 
 "The parents of some of those young men have since 
 told me that in place of having the characters and habits 
 of their sons ruined by being in the arm}^ they had re- 
 turned to them as happy Christian men." 
 
 We also give the testimon}^ of one of the most pious 
 and devoted chaplains in the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia. Rev. P. F. August, who served with the gallant 
 Fifteenth Virginia regiment, Corse's brigade, writes to 
 us : 
 
 "The loth Virginia regiment. Corse's brigade, Pick- 
 ett's division, shared in the blessings of the great re- 
 vival in the Confederate army. I have the names of 
 about fift}' of that regiment who were converted while in 
 the field of service. One of these, J. R. Eddleton, a 
 very young man from Hanover count}^ was mortally^ 
 wounded in a skirmish. When borne off the field on a 
 litter he said to his comrades : • Boys, tell my mother 
 
 , how I went' — meaning, Tell her that I fell discharging 
 15a 
 
350 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 my duty with my face to the enemy. For twenty-four 
 hours he suffered very mudi, but met death, not only 
 calmly, but triumphantly. He left an assurance that he 
 was accepted with God, and felt that the blessed Saviour 
 would save him forever. His dying request was that his 
 mother should be written to and informed that he died 
 in the faith. Many who belonged to the 15th regiment 
 are now living, and are active and useful in the Church, 
 who were converted in the army. One particularly I 
 would mention — Captain M. W. Hazlewood — well-known 
 in Richmond as an active, zealous Methodist. He con- 
 tinued in tlie army to the close of the war, but for more 
 than two years he was very wicked. In 1863 he gave 
 his heart to God, and went to work at once for the great 
 Captain of his salvation. He was instrumental in the 
 army in leading a number of precious souls to Jesus. 
 Since the close of the war he has been a very active 
 member of the Church in Richmond, where as a layman 
 he has been remarkably' successful in persuading sinners 
 to seek the Lord. 
 
 "A large number of the men of that regiment were 
 pious when they entered the arm3\ Their perseverance 
 in serving the Lord proved that the}' had on the gospel- 
 armor. Many of them lived through the war, and came 
 out of it strong in the faith of God. Others fell on the 
 field of battle instantly killed. They departed covered 
 with the honors of war and with the glory of a saving 
 faith in Christ. Their record below was one of Chris- 
 tian fidelity — on high, no doubt, it was acceptable to 
 God. Among those who deserve to be specially men- 
 tioned are the names of Major John Stewart "Walker, an 
 upright, conscientious Christian, and one of the purest 
 men I believe that ever died or lived — also Lieutenants 
 Melvijle C. Willis and Jones Daniels. The last named 
 two were bosom friends, who likewise fell instantly 
 killed. On the same field and about tlie same time their 
 lives were yielded a sacrifice to the Southern cause. 
 
WINTER OF 18G3-'64. 351 
 
 They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in 
 death thej' were not separated. 
 
 "Besides those of the 15th, I have quite a large num- 
 ber of names of soldiers belonging to other regiments 
 in Corse's brigade, who were converted in the army ; 
 some of whom I have met since the close of the war, 
 and who assured me that they were still striving to get 
 to heaven. When Christ's jewels gathered from earth 
 shall be displayed to an admiring universe, I doubt not 
 many thousands of precious souls converted in the late 
 Confederate army will shine as stars forever and ever in 
 the firmament of glorj-." 
 
 The earnest purpose of the home Churches Lo pro- 
 mote the army revival was manifested by the number of 
 ministers sent among the soldiers. We give a list of 
 those who were sent by the Mission Board of the M. E. 
 Church, South : 
 
 Revs. Leo. Rosser and J. C. Granbery in the Army 
 of Northern Virginia ; J. B. McFerrin, C. W. Miller, W. 
 Moouey, R. P. Ransom, and W. Burr in the Arm}' of 
 Tennessee ; J. S. Lane and E. B. Duncan in the De- 
 partment of Florida ; J. J. Wheat and H. J. Harris in 
 Mississippi ; W, C. Johnson to General S. D. Lee's 
 corps, North Mississippi ; J. J. Hutchinson to army 
 about Mobile ; and beyond the Mississippi river, J. C. 
 Keener to Louisiana troops, and B. T. Kavanaugh and 
 E. M. Marvin to Missouri and Arkansas troops. 
 
 Besides these, and others probably whose names have 
 escaped us, the Conferences of the M. E. Church, South, 
 emulated other Churches in sending forth laborers into 
 the great harvest. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Myers, of the Southern Christian Advocate, in 
 noticing these facts, says : 
 
 "The Mississippi Conference appointed one mission- 
 ary and two chaplains to the army ; Memphis, one mis 
 sionary and six chaplains ; Alabama, four missionaries 
 and twelve chaplains ; Florida, one missionary and two 
 
352 THE GREAT REVIVAL, 
 
 chaplains; Georgia, eight missionaries and eight chap- 
 lains ; South Carolina, thirteen chaplains ; North Caro- 
 lina, two missionaries and eight chaplains ; Virginia, two 
 missionaries and twenty chaplains. Here are nineteen 
 missionaries and seventy-one chaplains from these eight 
 Conferences. Of course, the Conferences beyond our 
 lines furnish a number also : but except in the case of 
 the General JNIissionaries, sent out by the Parent Board, 
 we can give no guess even as to their numbers." 
 
 The Georgia Conference determined, if possible, to 
 furnish one missionary to each Georgia brigade, and at 
 the session of 1863 the work was begun by sending seven 
 ministers : 
 
 "R. B. Lester to Jackson's brigade, Army of Tennes- 
 see ; A. M. Thigpen to Colquitt's brigade, near Charles- 
 ton ; J. W. Turner to the troops in and around Savan- 
 nah, and on the coast below there ; G. W. Yarbrough to 
 Wofford's brigade. Gen. Longstreet's army ; T. H. Stew- 
 art to Thomas' brigade, and P. O. Harper to Gordon's 
 brigade. Army of Virginia ; and L. B. Payne temporari- 
 ly to vifit the hospitals between Atlanta and Guyton C. 
 R. R. until a brigade is selected for him. Another, T. F. 
 Pierce, is now in the State military service, and will re- 
 ceive his appointment to a brigade when his term ex- 
 pires." 
 
 That a faithful minister had his hands full of work in 
 the army may be seen by the following sample report of 
 a missionary : 
 
 "Dec. 17, 18, and 19. — Services consisted of exhorta- 
 tion, singing, and prayer. 
 
 "20. — Sunday — Made appointments to preach with 
 three Georgia regiments. Went to them. The weather 
 too cold for service. Visited and prayed with sick. 
 
 "21. — Very cold day. Visited and prayed with sick 
 men. 
 
 "22. — Regimental prayer — also visited sick men^ 
 
 "2S- — Wednesday — Assisted in religious services &t 
 
. WINTER OF 1863-'64. * 353 
 
 Chaplains' meeting; in the afternoon preached in 
 
 Georgia, at night in Georgia regiment. 
 
 " 24. — Exhortation, singing and prayer with regiment. 
 
 " 25. — Visited sick soldiers. 
 
 "26. — Exhortation, singing, and prayer, with regi- 
 ment. 
 
 "27. — Sunday, 10 o'clock — Preached in Georgia; 
 
 3 o'clock held prayer-meeting ; and at night closed ser- 
 vices for Georgia, with exhortation. 
 
 "28. — Went to appointment to preach, but rain pre- 
 vented meeting. Afterwards held a meeting for exhor- 
 tation and prayer. Then visited Brigade hospital ; talk- 
 ed and prayed with the sick. 
 
 " 29. — Had regimental praj^ers. 
 
 "30. — Went to preach for a regiment, but was pre- 
 vented b\' its going off on picket duty. Had prayer with 
 Georgia regiment. 
 
 "31. — An unfavorable, rainy day. Not likely to have 
 service to-day. 
 
 "I fear you will consider the number of sermons as 
 too small. The cold weather and rain together have 
 prevented the congregations from assembling on several 
 occasions when I had made appointments for preaching. 
 You will notice I report prayer and exhortation with re- 
 giments. I have assembled the troops together for ser- 
 vice, and when the weather has been unfavorable to re- 
 maining in the open air I have given a short exhortation 
 and have concluded with singing and pra^-^er." 
 
 The experiences of soldiers are so full of child-like 
 simplicit}' that one never tires of reading them. 
 
 A soldier converted on the march was met by his 
 chaplain, who knew that he was under conviction, and 
 asked b}' him if he had given himself to Christ : 
 
 "Yes," said the stalwart warrior with a glowing coun- 
 tenance, "1 have found him. Why, sir, when we set off 
 on that march I felt such a weight upon my soul that I 
 could scarcely drag myself along, but after a while God 
 
354 • THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 heard my prayers, and then the bnrden was gone and I 
 felt as if marching was no trouble at all." 
 • Good men that work for God faithfully die well even 
 in war, on the field or in the hospital. Captain Thos. O. 
 Byrd, of the Fourth Mississippi regiment, was a zealous 
 .Christian among his comrades. He says, writing to his 
 friends at home : 
 
 " I have prayers in my tent every night with the boys, 
 and assist others to take up the Cross. I have jnst had 
 prayers with some wild young men, who are now engaged 
 in singing with much zest and feeling. Oh, what a field 
 is open here ! Fare is rough, but gladly would I live 
 thus for life for Christ's sake and the good of man. I 
 have gained a great victory to-day. I believe God will 
 bless this work. I feel his love burn in my heart while 
 I write. I know God will bless my labors if you and 
 Sister and the children will pray for me." 
 
 Again: "I find I lack courage to speak out for the 
 cause of our holy religion more than ever, and you know 
 full well that I have alwaj's been more or less lacking in 
 this particular ; yet I trust through faith an 1 prayer to 
 come out safe at last, though it may be as through fire." 
 
 He sickened and died in the army. A kind lady ap- 
 proached him as he was nearing the verge of eternit}'. 
 Said he : 
 
 " God bless you, sister ; this is the way Jesus went" — 
 meaning perhaps alone among enemies. "Tell my wife 
 Farewell — all is right — to meet me in heaven." 
 
 Another Christian, dying in the hospital, wrote to his 
 wife : 
 
 "I don't want you to be uneasy about me, but do not 
 forget to pray for me. I still have strong confidence in 
 the Lord, and endeavor to put my trust in him in all 
 cases. I hope the Lord may take care of you ; and if 
 we should not meet again on earth, may we meet in 
 heaven, where wars and sorrows are forever gone. God 
 helping, we'll meet you thpre." 
 
M^NTER OF 18r)3-'64. 355 
 
 The death of Col. Peyton H. Colquitt was that of a 
 true Christian hero. He had served at Norfolk, Va., 
 and as Colonel of the 46th Georgia at Charleston and in 
 Mississippi. On the field of Chickamauga he was in 
 command of a brigade. It was ordered to charge a bat- 
 tery ; and while riding up and down the line in front of 
 his men, speaking to them words of encouragement, he 
 was struck in the breast by a ball and fell from his 
 horse. 
 
 His friend, Hon. W. F. Samford, wrote a touching me- 
 morial of the gallant soldier, from which we extract the 
 following account of his last moments : 
 
 "He was carried to a shade, and there the chaplain of 
 liis regiment, Rev. Thos. Stanley, attended him. I give 
 the account of the closing scene in his words : 'When I 
 found the Colonel he thought his wound was mortal, and 
 though he had not recovered from the shock he seemed 
 calm and collected. I talked with him very freely on 
 the subject of religion. He constantly expressed a spirit 
 of resignation to the providence of God, and that he had 
 no apprehensions whatever in regard to the future ; that 
 he had tried to do his duty, and felt in the last hour that 
 he was accepted of his Saviour. In this hour his faith 
 never wavered — he said he was ' going to the land of 
 light and peace, where he should meet his many loved 
 ones who had gone before ;' and again, ' Tell my dear 
 wife I go to meet our angel child, and to come to us.' 
 At one time he said : ' The providence of God is inscru- 
 table, but I submit in hope.' He died without a strug- 
 gle. It is comfortable to know that all his wants were 
 supplied during his sufferings. He experienced no pain, 
 and was conscious to the last moment. As soon as he 
 was wounded Gen. Forrest sent his surgeon to him ; the 
 poor people, who had been bereft of all their worldly 
 substance, went to see him from miles around.' " 
 
 While the work of grace went on among the soldiers 
 at home, there were thousands of prisoners confined at 
 
Sob TTIK r.REAT REVTVAL. 
 
 different points in the Northern States, who felt and re- 
 joiced in the power of God to comfort and save in tlieir 
 helpless and suffering condition. A young wife and mo- 
 ther, whose husband was in prison, wrote to one of the 
 leading papers urging prayer for our captive soldiers, 
 that they might have strength to bear up under their 
 trials, and that God would remove the obstacles to a 
 speedy exchange of prisoners. 
 
 Never did men need more the consolations of religion 
 than those who on both sides were held as prisoners of 
 war. 
 
 The winter of 1864 was extreme]}' severe. At Cairo, 
 111., the mercury, near the last of January, stood at 15 
 degrees below zero. At St. Louis it was at 25 below 
 zero, and the river was crossed by heav}^ wagons on the 
 solid ice. At Chicago the guards at Camp Douglass 
 had to be changed every 30 minutes to prevent freezing, 
 but were all frost-bitten in this short time 
 
 The Times of that cit}' said of the condition of the 
 prisoners : 
 
 " The suffering and tortures endured by the prisoners 
 was beyond the power of pen to portray. Unaccustom- 
 ed to the Northern climate and cold lake and prairie 
 winds, their light Southern garb was a poor protection 
 against the ordinar}' temperature of the elements. But 
 with the winds maddened into fury, the air filled with 
 freezing snow, the}' suffered as no people ever suffered 
 before. Through the crevices of their thin board bar- 
 racks the wind whistled as if in very mockery, bringing 
 the snow in such quantities as to cover the floor and the 
 beds upon which they had to sleep. So desperate was 
 their condition that they were compelled to sleep by re- 
 liefs. Dividing off into squads of four, two would re- 
 tire to their cold berths, covering with the blankets of 
 the four, while the others kept up the fire. Thus in turns 
 of four hours each did these poor mortals attempt to 
 brave the raging of the storm. In many cases the snow 
 
wixTj:n OF 1863-64 3ii7 
 
 had frequently to be sluiken from the blankets of the 
 sleepers. With all their ingenuit}' they could not keep 
 warm, and numbers of them will suffer from the expo- 
 sure of this dreadful storm for all time to come. To add 
 to the horrors of their situation many of them were sick, 
 and the wailing wind and searching cold added fresh ter 
 rors to their sufferings." 
 
 This is but a sample of what was endured in all the 
 Northern prisons. Can any calamity upon a nation be 
 worse than war? 
 
 But let us turn from these sad scenes to a more cheer- 
 ful picture opening in the far Southwest. Beyond the 
 Mississippi, as Dr. Kavanaugh has already related, his 
 work and that of his co-laborers was greatly blessed of 
 God. In a letter to Bishop Paine, of the M. E. Church, 
 South, he gave a report of the revival and its results in 
 two months : 
 
 "Gen. Fagan's Arkansas Brigade — Members received 
 into Army church, 209 ; conversions, 85. Gen. Church- 
 ill's Arkansas Brigade — Joined the Army church, 112; 
 converted, 35. Gen. Tappan's Arkansas Brigade — Join- 
 ed, 245 ; converted, 40. Gen. Parson's Mississippi Bri- 
 gade — Joined, 85 ; converted, 35. Total members Army 
 church, 651 ; conversions, 195. 
 
 "The Army church was organized before my arrival; 
 gotten up by Bro. Mar\in, (now Bishop M. E. Church, 
 South.) aided by others. It has worked well. In Tap- 
 pan's brigade, the devoted chaplains have built a large 
 log church, 60 by 30 feet, and are determined to keep up 
 their meetings. I dedicate it next Sunday. 
 
 " I am greatly delighted with my work on this side of 
 the river. I have gone into it with all my energy, and 
 indeed over-did my strength the first round ; but as the 
 weather is not so favorable for out-door work this round 
 I shall not be able to preach so often. It is truly de- 
 li "-htful to see the work prosper in our hands as it has 
 done for the past two months. 
 
858 TIFE OUEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 "The arm}' here has gone into winter quarters. Every 
 brigade is well-provided with log-huts, and with all that 
 is necessary for their comfort while in camp." 
 
 "The following is the Constitution of the Array church 
 organized by Bro. Marvin : 
 
 '•Articles of Faith and Constitution of the Church 
 OF the Army, Trans-Mississippl 
 
 "The Christian men in the army, believing that the 
 habitation of God by his Spirit constitutes the Church, 
 agree, for their edification and for the conversion of 
 their fellow-men, to organize the Church of the Army, 
 with the following articles of faith and constitution : 
 
 I. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Tes- 
 tament to be the Word of God, the only rule of faith and 
 obedience. 
 
 II. We believe in one God, the Father, the Son, and 
 the Holy Ghost ; the same in substance ; equal in power 
 and glory. 
 
 III. We believe in the fall in Adam, the redemption 
 by Christ, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 IV. We believe in justification b}^ faith alone, and 
 therefore receive and rest upon Christ as our only hope. 
 
 V. We believe in the communion of saints, and in the 
 doctrine of eternal rewards and punishments. 
 
 The Christian men who have been baptized, adopting 
 these articles of faith and constitution, in each regiment, 
 shall constitute one church ; who shall choose ten officers 
 to take the spiritual oversight of the same. 
 
 Of the officers so elected the chaplain, or one chosen 
 by themselves for that purpose, shall act as Moderator. 
 
 The officers will meet once a month, and oftener if ne- 
 cessary ; and in the exercise of discipline will be guided 
 by the direction of Christ. Thej' will keep a record of 
 the names of all the members and the manner in which 
 their ecclesiastical connection with this church is dis- 
 solved." 
 
wiNTKU OF 1863-64. 359 
 
 From the Trans-Mississippi let us return to the banks 
 of the Rappahannock and note the revival scenes as we 
 come. 
 
 Writing from Kingston, Ga., Feb. 4, Dr. J. B. McFer- 
 rin says : 
 
 "We have a good meeting in progress. It has been 
 going forward since Sunday last. Large crowds, mostly 
 soldiers, are in attendance. Many penitents, some con- 
 versions, and a few backsliders reclaimed. Last night 
 five asked for membership in the Church of God. We 
 give the applicants choice of Churches and receive them 
 into various Christian organizations — different divisions, 
 but one gnind armj/." 
 
 From Dalton, Feb. 3, Rev. A. D. McVoy sent good 
 tidings : 
 
 "We have a large Brigade church built, in which wc 
 have been holding services for two weeks. About ten 
 days ago we commenced a series of nightly meetings ; 
 at first more on the order of prayer-meetings, Init the in- 
 terest began to increase so rapidly that in three nights 
 we found a revival springing up in our midst. Great 
 crowds gather nightly. We find our church too small. 
 Large numbers are seeking the Lord — forty to fifty every 
 night. The word of God and religious services seem to 
 be befter appreciated at present than ever before in this 
 brigade. Men's minds appear to dwell more on religion 
 and the soldiers more concerned about their soul's eter- 
 nal welfare. The meeting is progressing with increasing 
 interest. Eight joined the different Churches — one, the 
 Presbyterian ; two, the Baptist ; and five, the Methodist 
 Church. i\Iissionary C. W. Miller -is preaching for us at 
 present with great success. A number of ladies from 
 the neighborhood attend, making the scene very home- 
 like. 
 
 "The prospect before us is very encouraging. Wick- 
 edness and vice seem restrained. ]\Iembers of tbi"; 
 Churches are becoming revived. The Spirit of the Holy 
 
3 GO . THE GREAT RE\^VAL. 
 
 One is present and felt. Good resolutions are being 
 formed by many in every regiment. A number are en- 
 deavoring to fulfill their promises made to God upon the 
 eve of and during the late battles. We are expecting 
 and praying for great things." 
 
 The work of Rev. L. B. Payne in hospitals in Georgia 
 for one month was 27 sermons, distributed 300 papers, 
 18,000 pages of tracts, and about 32,000 pages of read- 
 ing matter in books, which he had procured by soliciting 
 donations. Some have been awakened, others professed 
 conversion. 
 
 Rev. J. W. Turner, in and near Savannah, Ga. : 
 
 "He preached in January 16 sermons, travelled about 
 400 miles, distributed 177 books, conversed privately 
 with several soldiers on religion, and prayed with 102 
 soldiers who professed to be seeking Christ." 
 
 Rev. A. M. Thigpen labored in Colquitt's brigade near 
 Charleston. In the 23d Georgia, 60 conversions. The 
 meeting was conducted in harmony by Presbyterians, 
 Baptists, and Methodists. 
 
 Rev. Geo. W, Yarbrough reported from General Long- 
 street's army near Russellville, Tenn : 
 
 "At Petersburg I entered upon m}'^ missionary work, 
 having been thrown with a large number of troops on 
 their way to this army ; and, Jiaving been supplied by 
 the Evangelical Tract Society there with a variety of 
 very interesting religious papers. Dr. Miller, the agent, 
 promised me an abundant supply as soon as transporta- 
 tion could be furnished. 
 
 " I went through the cars on Saturday, furnished all 
 the troops by way of preparing them for the Sabbath, 
 and was glad to find them not only willing, but eager to 
 read them. 
 
 "I find that Dr. Stiles' pamphlet on 'National Rec- 
 titude' is very popular. That army evangelist may look 
 for an abundant harvest when the resurrection trumpet 
 rolls its notes along the battle-fields of this revolution. 
 
WINTER OF 186o-'64. 361 
 
 Tlie faces of these war-worn veterans often brighten at 
 the mention of his name. We hope to see him in our 
 camps again. Heaven bless him in his high employ." 
 
 From Gen. Lee's army Rev. J. M. Stokes, chaplain 3d 
 Georgia, reported to the Southern Christia7i Adcocute. 
 
 "Zion is flourishing again in this army. There are as 
 many as twenty chapels. We have had a meeting in 
 progress two weeks, and the interest is increasing daily. 
 We have had several conversions, and there were, I 
 reckon, fifty mourners at the altar for prayer last even- 
 ing. Our chapel seats between 300 and 400, and is full 
 every night unless the weather is very inclement. 
 
 ''Bro. B. T. Lac3% chaplain to Gen..Eweirs corps, visit- 
 ed and preached for us about a week ago. He preached 
 US a most excellent sermon, and gave us much advice 
 and encouragement privately. His visits to the differ- 
 ent brigades can but have the most gratif3-ing effect both 
 upon the chaplains and their congregations. I wish we 
 had just such a man to every division to superintend its 
 spiritual matters. 
 
 "There is a great harvest here, which ought to be 
 reaped at once, and if it should pass this season we fear 
 that much of it will be gathered by the enem}^ of souls." 
 
 Rev. J. O. A. Cook, chaplain 2d Georgia battalion, 
 Wright's brigade, wrote most cheeringly of the work in 
 the same army : 
 
 "It would do your heart good to witness our camp- 
 services, to see the immense throng that crowd our rudo 
 chapels, to listen to the soul-stirring music as with one 
 voice and one heart they unite in singing the sweet songs 
 of Zion, and to note the deep interest and solemn earn- 
 estness with which they listen to the preaching of the 
 Word. I have never seen anything like it. I can but 
 believe that the blessing of God is upon us, and that he 
 is preparing us for a speedy and glorious peace. 
 
 " Bible-classes and Sabbath .Schools have been organ- 
 ized in many of the brigades. The soldiers are taking 
 16 
 
S62 TirE GTIEAT REVIVAI.. 
 
 great interest in them. We organized our Sabbath School 
 a few evenings since, beginning with seventy members. 
 There is, however, a want of Bibles. If every family 
 would furnish one of the several Bibles lying about the 
 house th.e arm}' would be very well supplied. 
 
 The great chieftain Lee looked with the eye of a ten- 
 der father upon his noble soldiers engaged in this work, 
 and to promote it issued the following order on the ob- 
 servance of the Sabbath : 
 
 Headquarters A. N. V., Feb. 7, 1864. 
 General Order, No. 15 : 
 
 I. The attention of the army has already been called 
 to the obligation of a proper observance of the Sabbath, 
 but a sense of its importance, not onl}'^ as a moral and 
 religious duty, but as contributing to the personal health 
 and well-being of troops, induces the Commanding Gen- 
 eral to repeat the orders on that subject. He has learn- 
 ed with great pleasure that in many brigades convenient 
 houses of woi'ship have been erected, and earnestly de- 
 sires that everj' facility consistent with the requirements 
 of discipline shall be afforded the men to assemble 
 themselves together for the purpose of devotion. 
 
 II. To this end he directs that none but duties strictly 
 necessary shall be required to be performed on Sunday, 
 and that all labor, both of men and animals, which it is 
 practicable to postpone, or the immediate performance 
 of which is not essential to the safetj', health, or com- 
 fort of the army, shall be suspended on that day. 
 
 III. Commanding officers will require the usual in- 
 spections on Sundaj' to be held at such times as not to 
 interfere with the attendance of the men on divine ser- 
 vice at the customary hour in the morning. 
 
 They will also give their attention to the maintenance 
 of order and quiet around the place of worship, and 
 prohibit anything that may tend to disturb or interrupt 
 religious exorcises. R. E. Lee, General. 
 
SPRING OF 1864. 3G3 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 SPRING OF 1864. 
 
 The preparations on both sides in the early spring of 
 1864 gave promise of a year of great battles. After 
 the repeated failures of six successive Federal Generals 
 to take Richmond, General Grant was appointed to tlie 
 command of all the Federal armies, and he fixed his 
 lieadquarters with the Army of the Potomac. General 
 Lee confronted him with the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia. At Dalton, Ga.. was General Johnston with an 
 admirably equipped army, and opposed to him were the 
 gathering thousands of Federals led against him hy 
 Gen. Sherman in the memorable campaign that ended 
 with the capture of Atlanta. 
 
 At other places the opposing powers brought smaller 
 armies to confront each other. There were few in the 
 South that did not feel that this year's work must de- 
 cide the great questions at issue. The Confederate gov- 
 ernment made another call for men, embracing those be- 
 tween seventeen and eighteen and forty-five and fifty. 
 The strictest measures were adopted for the purpose of 
 securing the service of every available man. All ab- 
 sentees were recalled to the ranks, and the diffei'ent 
 armies brought up to the last degree of strength. The 
 year 1864 was to witness the battles of the giants. 
 
 But in the midst of all this preparation for the hide- 
 ous work of blood the revival rather increased than de- 
 creased in power. The deep and solemn conviction that 
 great events were impending turned the thoughts of the 
 people to God. From the Confederate Congress came 
 a call to humiliation, fasting, and prayer. The people 
 in the armies and at home were urged to call upon God, 
 
364 THE GRKAT RE\aVAL. 
 
 " That he would so inspire our armies and their leader3 
 with wisdom, courage, and perseverance, and so mani- 
 fest himself in the greatness of his goodness and the 
 majesty of his power, that we may be safely and suc- 
 cessfully led through the war to which we are being sub- 
 jected, to the attainment of an honorable peace ; so that 
 while we enjoy the blessings of a free and happy gov- 
 ernment we may ascribe to him the honor and the glory 
 of our prosperity and independence." 
 
 The Southern people strove to maintain a calm trust 
 in God in the presence of their great danger. Even iu 
 beleaguered Charleston, while shells were screaming in 
 the air and falling in the streets and houses, the people 
 • met in the churches and devoutly worshiped. They had 
 encouragement to pray. For it really seemed that the 
 shield of God's protection was over the city. An eye- 
 witness says : 
 
 "Probably five thousand howling missiles of death 
 have fallen with dreadful crash in and near the city, and 
 all that at a cost immediately of about five lives. And 
 amid it all the people of God, Sabbath after Sabbath, 
 liave assembled at their places of worship, and thus, 
 rising above all the commotion of war, hold communion 
 with Him who rides on the whirlwind, who tempers the 
 winds to the shorn lamb, the infinite God reconciled 
 through Christ to a sinful world." 
 
 From the armies that knew how each passing day 
 brought them nearer to death the reports were moat 
 cheering. 
 
 "It does one's heart good," writes a chaplain, "to be 
 at some of our Chaplain and Missionary Associations 
 and hear the reports come up from the various regi- 
 ments and brigades of the wonderful revival in the 
 army." 
 
 Another says : "The awakening has been ver3' exten- 
 sive. Strong men bow themselves, and the man harden- 
 ed by three years of war and the corrupting influences 
 
SPRING or 1864. 3G5 
 
 of the camps comes to the altar of prayer and 'mourns 
 his follies past,' praying God for pardon." 
 
 " We have," says another, " two hundred volumes of 
 religious books whicli are let out to the regiment upon 
 rules adopted by our Sunday Schools." 
 
 Among the most touching scenes were the siicrament- 
 fil occasions in the arm\^ At such times all denomi- 
 n:itional lines were forgotten, and Christians of all the 
 Cluirches knelt together and received the emblems of a 
 Saviour's love. 
 
 Rev. A. G. Haygood describes such a scene in the 
 Array of Tennessee : 
 
 ' "We invited all of God's children to join with us in 
 this hol}"^ feast. As hundreds joined in that oft-used 
 hymn — 
 
 " That doleful night before his death, 
 The L'lmb for sinner^ slain, 
 Did, f.hnost with his ilyini;; breath, 
 This solcdm feast o-dain," 
 
 many CI risLians wept, and sinners looked seriously and 
 wonderin^^iy on. It was so unlike the rude scenes of 
 war. I shall never forget, and I shall alwaj^s feel it, 
 vrhen I remember how these rough-bearded, war-worn, 
 and battle-scarred veterans of three 3'ears' fierce conflict 
 crowded around the log — the rude altar improvised for 
 the occasion — to celebrate the death of their gracious 
 and adorable Redeemer. Three-fourths of the commu- 
 nicants — and they were from the various denominations 
 represented in the command — were in tears." 
 
 The religion of the soldier was of the ber.t type. Rev. 
 C. W. Miller says : 
 
 " My observation is that the religion jf the army a[>- 
 proximates more nearl}' that of the primitive da3's of 
 Christianity than anything which I have witnessed in 
 the halcyon days of peace. The soldiers situation is 
 peculiarly favorable to the growth of a benevolent, un- 
 
366 TTTE GREAT RE^^Y.\1., 
 
 selfish, and primitive piety. Political storms disturb not 
 the calm of his soul. His musket is his platform. Tlie 
 'love of gain' finds no fostering facilities. Necessity 
 has taught him to be 'content with his wages' — eleven 
 dollars per month. Sectarian strife and pulpit gla- 
 diators no longer warp and embitter the great current 
 of his heart. And thus, freed from these former hin- 
 drances, he cultivates that religion which teaches the 
 heart to love God with all the mind, soul, and bod}-, and 
 his neigbor as himself." 
 
 The worli at Dalton while the army lay tliere was al- 
 most without a parallel. In the coldest and darkest 
 nights of winter the rude chapels were crowded, and at 
 the call for penitents hundreds would bow down in sor- 
 row and tears. 
 
 Dr. McFerrin was a tower of strength. He won his 
 way to the hearts of the soldiers by his candor and kind- 
 ness, and had the blessed privilege of leading thousands 
 to Christ. He was ably supported by other missionaries 
 and by the chaplains, and under their combined efforts 
 such a revival flame was kindled as is seldom seen in 
 this sinful world. Dalton was the spiritual birthplace 
 of thousands. Many are in heaven. Some still rejoice 
 and labor on the earth. " Come to the army," shouted 
 a missionary to his brethren, "for the harvest truly is 
 great, but the laborers are few." 
 
 The religious enthusiasm of our soldiers did not fail to 
 impress the more sober-minded and reflecting among our 
 opponents. 
 
 A Southern chaplain, who remained with our wounded 
 men after the battle of Gettysburg, wrote to a paper at 
 home an account of a sermon he heard from a Federal 
 chaplain, in which he contrasted the religious spirit of 
 the two armies. 
 
 "One Sabbath afternoon," he says, "soon after the 
 battle it became necessary for me to go to Gettysburg, 
 and, passing through one of the principal streets, I saw 
 
spniNG OF 1864. 307 
 
 a little group of people in one corner of an open square 
 engo.ged in public worship. Approaching the spot, I soon 
 found myself in the midst of an assemblage of thirty or 
 forty persons, mostly women and soldiers, engaged in 
 divine worship, while around them was a throng in busy 
 conversation about the events of the day as unconcerned 
 in their manner as if no religious services were being 
 held. The minister had commenced his sermon, and I 
 did not learn the text ; but the subject was the recogni- 
 tion of God's providence, and the sense of dependence 
 upon him essential to national success. He had already 
 spoken of the utter want in the mind of thre Northern 
 people of this feeling of dependence upon God, and of 
 their constant failure to take any steps to secure his 
 favor. He was speaking, as I approached, of the gross 
 irreligion and unblushing wickedness of the Northern 
 army ; and, in order to make the impression deeper, he 
 drew an eloquent contrast between the spirit of the 
 Northern army and that which he supposed to actuate 
 the arm}^ of the South. 
 
 "The Southtrn army, said he, is one which, from its 
 commanding Generals to its lowest privates, is pervaded 
 with the senss of dependence upon God. The highest 
 councils of its military leaders are opened with praytr 
 for I is divine gu dance and benediction. Every battle 
 is i)lanned and every campaign conducted in the spirit 
 of pra3'er. More tlian this : Every soldier is taught to 
 feel that the cause in which he contends is one that God 
 appioves, that if he is faithful to God his Almighty arm 
 will protect, and his infinite strength ensure success. 
 Thus believing t' at God's eye of approval is upon him, 
 that God's arm of protection is thrown around him, and 
 that God's bann( r of love is over him, the Southern sol- 
 dier enters the field of battle nerved with a power of 
 endurance and a fearlessness of death which nothing 
 else can give. 
 
 "You may call this, said the speaker, fanaticism, en- 
 
368 THE GKEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 tliusiasra, or what you will ; but remember, 3'oii are figLt- 
 ing an enemy that comes from the closet to the battle- 
 field, that comes from its knees in prayer to engage in 
 deadly strife, that comes in the belief that its battles are 
 the battles of Jehovah, that his smile is resting upon its 
 banners and will ensure success. With what indomita- 
 ble strength, said he, does such a conviction, whether 
 true or false, endue men? What power it has to make 
 every man a hero, and every hero if need be a mart3'r ! 
 How can we hope for success, contending against such 
 an array, even though our cause is just, while we ignore 
 our dependence upon God, deny ourselves communion 
 with him, and thus lose our great source of strength? 
 
 " I do not care lo follow the speaker further. It was 
 with mingled emotions of sorrow and gratitude that I 
 listened to him — sorrow to think that our army should 
 fall so far short of the ideal presented by the speaker — 
 gratitude because I felt that in many respects the picture 
 was true." 
 
 The influence of many leading officers of the Confede- 
 rate army was fully in favor of the revival. In a letter 
 from Gen. Johnston's army. Rev. J. J. Hutchinson de- 
 scribes a most pleasing scene. He saj's : 
 
 "Ten daj's ago Gen. Pendleton, a hero of Manassas 
 meraor3% preached to the soldiers at Dalton. General 
 Johnston and very many other officers were present. On 
 the same day Major-General Stewart, who is an Elder in 
 the Presbyterian Church, assisted in this brigade in the 
 administration of the sacrament of the Lord's supper. 
 On the same day I preached to Gen. Finley's brigade, 
 where the General and his staff were present, and where 
 he united audibly with our pra^'ers. Gen. Cleburne, the 
 hero of many battle-fields, treated me with much atten- 
 tion and kindness — had a place prepared for preaching 
 in the centre of his division, where himself and most of 
 his officers were present, and where I was assisted by 
 Brigadier-General Lowry, who sat in the pulpit with mo 
 
SPRING OF 1864 369 
 
 and closed the services of tlie hour with prayer. I par- 
 took of the liospitality of Gen. L. at dinner, and spent 
 several delightful hours in profitable religious conversa- 
 tion. The General is a Baptist preacher, and, like the 
 commander of the division, is a hero of man}' well-fought 
 battle-fields. He takes great interest in the soldiers' re- 
 ligious welfare, often preaches to them, and feels that 
 the ministry is still his high and holy calling. I wish I 
 had the space to give you more of his interesting life's 
 history, and to speak of this noble and pious ollicer as 
 he deserves." 
 
 The same missionarj'' saj's : "Never have I seen such 
 a field for preaching the gospel and inculcating religious 
 truth as the Confederate array now presents: 'the fields 
 are white unto the harvest.' " 
 
 In man}' of the hospitals the revival was deep and 
 powerful. The conversion of the sick soldiers and the 
 happy deaths often witnessed made a deep impression 
 on tlie minds of unbelievers. At one of the large hos- 
 pitals in Tennessee the following scene was witnessed. 
 At the close of a sermon a call was made for penitents. 
 Among others that came forward and bowed in prayer 
 was a surgeon. At the close of the service he took the 
 chaplain b}' tlie hand and said : 
 
 "I am a great sinner! I have a pious mother — was 
 brought up in the lap of the Church — studied my pro- 
 fession in N , travelled and studied in Europe — 
 
 came home and entered the army a skeptic and scoffer 
 of religion." 
 
 " But," said he, " I see such a diflference between the 
 death of the believer and the unbeliever, the question 
 has forced itself upon my mind, What makes the differ- 
 ence 1 I took from my trunk the Bible my mother gave 
 me five years ago, making me promise to read it, which, 
 in the excitement of worldly pleasures, I had wholly neg- 
 lected. The sight of that heavenly book, just as it was 
 when she gave it to me, with the remembrance of her 
 
370 TIIK GUEAT RK^^VAL. 
 
 parting kiss, lier parting tear, lier parting praj-er, brought 
 a little fountain of tears from my e^es and a prayer from 
 my swelling heart. 
 
 "I read it and found the answer to the question, Wluxt 
 makes the. difference ? in that beautiful text, 'Precious in 
 the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.'' I came 
 here to-night resolved to accept, publicly, the invitation 
 of the gospel which, for two days and nights, 3'ou have 
 so earnestly urged upon this congregation. Oh, that I 
 had submitted my stubborn heart to God years ago ! I 
 thank God tliat I am spared to bear testimony here to- 
 night that Christ is able and willing to save the chief of 
 sinners." "Oh," said he, as his eyes filled with tears of 
 joy, "that my dear mother knew that her prodigal son 
 had returned to his Saviour ! But she shall know as 
 soon as a letter can reach her. Oh, that I could have 
 told the congregation to-night what a great sinner I am 
 and what a great Saviour I have found." 
 
 "Well," said the chaplain, "with your permission I 
 will give a statement of the cause of your awakening, 
 and the state of your feelings of joy and gratitude to- 
 night." 
 
 The histor}^ of his case was given with thrilling effect. 
 
 There are gleams of light amidst the dark scenes of 
 war. The devotion of the Southern people generally to 
 the cause for which we battled for four years, and their 
 cheerfulness in dividing almost the last loaf with the 
 soldiers, are worthj'^ of permanent record. Rev. Wm. 
 H. Stewart, of Thomas' (Georgia) brigade, pays a well- 
 merited tribute to the people of the Valley of Virginia 
 who felt the heavy hand of war : 
 
 '• Let me say something about the affectionate liberal- 
 ity of these Valley Virginians toward our dear soldiers. 
 They have had Jackson's army quartered here, and 
 Shields' and Fremont's. They have had sheep, hogs, 
 cows, horses, and negroes, stolen, and their timber de- 
 stroyed ; and yet their love of country and care for sol- 
 
SPRING OK 1864 371 
 
 diers is unabated. Still they give their milk and butter 
 and lodging, and even board in some instances, to the 
 soldiers free of charge. Some of them are known to 
 practice self-denial that they may hare more to spare to 
 the soldiers. The dear brother and sister Peel, with 
 whom I board, give freely at all times of the day, and 
 often at night prepare supper for hungry soldiers. And 
 now I'm about to leave, they say that they have not 
 charged a Confederate soldier for anything to eat since 
 the war began, and they are sure they will not begin 
 with me." 
 
 The general fast on the 8th of April was observed 
 with great solemnity by the people at home and in the 
 army. General Lee issued the following order in his 
 army : 
 
 Headquarters A. N. V., March 30, 1864. 
 
 General Order, No. 21 : 
 
 In compliance with the recommendation of the Senate 
 and House of Representatives, his excellency, the Pre- 
 sident, has issued his proclamation calling upon the peo- 
 ple to set apart Friday, the 8th of April, as a day of 
 fasting, humiliation, and prayer. 
 
 The Commanding General invites the array to join in 
 the observance of the day. He directs due preparation 
 to be made in all departments to anticipate the wants 
 of the several commands, so that it may be strictl}' ob- 
 served. All military duties, except such as are abso- 
 lutely necessary, will be suspended. The chaplains are 
 desired to hold services in their regiments and brigades. 
 The officers and men are requested to attend. 
 
 Soldiers, let us humble ourselves before the Lord our 
 God, a.s!;ing through Christ the fogiveness of our sins, 
 beseeching the aid of the God of our forefathers in the 
 defence of our homes and our liberties, thanking him 
 for his past blessings and imploring their continuance 
 upon our cause and our people. R. E. Lee. 
 
372 . THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 Rev. S. 11. Smith, writing of the observance of the 
 day in Gordon's brigade, saj'S : 
 
 "I have no idea tliat ever before was there such a 
 clay realized by the present generation. Old professors 
 of religion expressed a degree of confidence in God, of 
 an early deliverance from this blood}- revolution, that 
 astonished themselves. Who can tell but that j'ester- 
 day was the birth-day of Southern independence ? Oh ! 
 if we could have ascended above the earth and looked 
 down upon a nation upon their knees before God, con- 
 fessing their sins and suing for mercy, I imagine we 
 could have heard the shouts of the redeemed and the 
 songs of the angels as they exclaimed, ' Peace on earth 
 and good will to raen.' " 
 
 In Gen. Johnston's army, by general orders, all mili- 
 tar}' operations were suspended that all oMicers and men 
 might have an op2)ortunity of properly observing the 
 day. "The great stillness of the men," says an eye- 
 witness, " exceeded anything ever seen." The devout 
 officers joined heartily in these services, and some of 
 them delivered stirring exhortations to their soldiers. 
 
 '•Gen. Gordon," says Rev. P. O. Harper, missionary, 
 "takes an active interest in religious exercises and in 
 the spiritual welfare of those under his charge, which, I 
 am sorry to say, is not the case with all the officers in 
 the brigade. On yesterday (fast-day) morning his bri- 
 gade, or all who chose to attend, were called together 
 by his order at sunrise for prayer in the open air. He 
 addressed the assemblage in a sensible and feeling dis- 
 course. The scene was most affecting and impressive. 
 The morning was clear and brilliant, and, apparently, 
 God smiled upon the sight. The assembly, to the num- 
 ber of eight hundred or a thousand, bowed their knees 
 (and I trust their hearts) before the Omnipresent and 
 Omnipotent God. The occasion, the circumstances, and 
 the brilliancy of the lovely spring morning, rejoicing in 
 the God of nature and declaring his glory and goodness, 
 
SPRING OF 1864. 373 
 
 was well-calculated to stir to their deepest depths the 
 souls of devout worshippers." 
 
 This day of fasting and prayer was observed with the 
 deeper solemnity, inasmuch as the people felt that they 
 were on the verge of tremendous battles. 
 
 "Most of us," said a chaplain in General Lee's army, 
 " have made up our minds that the spring campaign here 
 will open with the most desperate clash of arms that 
 freedom ever cost on this continent." 
 
 The chaplain's words were true. In front of General 
 Lee the Federals were gathering in immense strength. 
 At Dalton, Ga., they massed their finest Western army 
 against Gen. Johnston. In the far Southwest General 
 Banlvs had a heavy force, but he was met and driven 
 back by the Confederates under General Kirb}'" Smith. 
 And now from the soldiers standing in the very front of 
 death there came a solemn warning against the frivoli- 
 ties in which many engaged in our afflicted land. From 
 the Christian Association of the First regiment of Vir- 
 ginia artillery an appeal was sent forth against "the 
 gayety and pleasure-seeking" of the times. These faith- 
 ful soldiers of Christ and of their country said : 
 
 *'We believe this war which is now desolating our 
 land is a righteous judgment and chastisement from the 
 hand of a just God for those various sins of which we 
 have been and are still guilty ; and we cannot believe, 
 either from God's revealed word or from the dictates of 
 our consciences, or from the teachings of those princi- 
 ples of right and justice and morality which have been 
 implanted in our breast in the wise and merciful provi- 
 dence of God, that it is right or proper thus to answer 
 God's call upon us for mourning by sounds of jo}^ and 
 rejoicing." 
 
 They urged their friends at home to join them " in 
 seeking to do what we can to avoid receiving the afflic- 
 tions of God's hand with an improper spirit, or engag- 
 ing in any frivolities or pleasures, even though some of 
 16a 
 
874 THE GREAT REVIVAL, 
 
 them may l)e innocent in ordinary times, which may in 
 any Way serve to turn our hearts from a proper spirit of 
 humility before God, or from a proper sympathy for the 
 mourning ones of the land, or from that proper feeling 
 of sorrow and gravity which belongs to a people so 
 deeply afflicted." 
 
 And to this end," said they, " we ask all professed 
 followers of Christ, and all who pray to the God of na- 
 tions, whether they have engaged, or may engage or not, 
 in these things which we condemn, that they join us in 
 special prayers, both public and private, to our Lord and 
 Redeemer, that he will so incline our hearts to see his 
 will that we may be of one mind and spirit in this mat- 
 ter, and that he will so direct and guide us that we may 
 do the things which are right in his hol}^ sight." 
 
 These were noble words from the Christian men of 
 our army who stood at the very hour they were written 
 on the borders of that dreary Wilderness over which the 
 storm of battle soon burst in all its power. 
 
 In the lovely month of May General Grant began his 
 movement towards Richmond. He crossed the Rappa- 
 hannock at Ely's and Germana fords. Gen. Lee sent 
 two corps of his army under Ewell and Hill to oppose 
 him. The Federals assaulted these with desperate valor, 
 but were repulsed. The battle was renewed the next 
 day. May 6th, and for a while the Federals had the ad- 
 vantage, but the lost ground was soon recovered by the 
 Confederates and the original lines restored. "Every 
 advance," said General Lee in his report of this day's 
 bloody work, " thanks to a merciful God, has been re- 
 pulsed." 
 
 In these fights Gen. John M. Jones and Gen. Jenkins 
 were killed, and Generals Longstreet, Stafford, and Pe- 
 gram were bounded, besides many other officers of lower 
 grade and a vast number of private soldiers. Among 
 the leading officers lost by the Federals was Gen. Wads- 
 worth. 
 
SPRING OF 18G4. 375 
 
 Al the same time that this bloody work was going on 
 in Virginia the like scenes were enacted in Georgia. 
 Here the movement was towards Richmond, there to- 
 wards Atlanta. General Sherman made a determined 
 effort to flank Gen. Johnston by a movement on Resaca ; 
 but the sagacious Confederate silently moved the mass 
 of his arm}^ and the Federals found more work on hand 
 than the}' were able to do. 
 
 To aid Grant in his movement from the line of the 
 Rappahannock a heavy Federal force was concentrated 
 on James river between Richmond and Petersburg, which 
 was held in check by Gen. Beauregard, who had come 
 up from Charleston, S. C. 
 
 Gen. Banks was at the head of a large Federal army 
 in Louisiana, but he was almost as unfortunate there as 
 he had been in the Valley of Virginia earlier in the war. 
 
 The battles between Lee and Grant in the Wilderness 
 and at Spottsylvania Courthouse, between the 4th and 
 13th of Ma}', were the fiercest ever seen on this conti- 
 nent. The battle of the 12th was the most terrible of 
 all. The Federals began the attack before daybreak, 
 and overwhelmed and captured a large portion of Gen. 
 Edward Johnson's division. But this gain only aroused 
 the Confederates to greater efforts. Nine hours the 
 battle raged. The fire of the artillery was an unbroken 
 roar ; and, to add to the awful scene, a thunder-storm 
 burst over the field and flashed its lightnings through the 
 sulphurous clouds that hung over the combatants. At 
 some points along the lines the men fought each other at 
 musket-length across the breastworks. The Federals in 
 line, from six to ten deep, would come boldly up to our 
 works onl}' to be swept down bj' the iron hail poured 
 into their very breasts. From daybreak until two o'clock 
 this work of death went on. The limit of endurance 
 had been reached. The Federals, exhausted and shat- 
 tered, withdrew be3'ond the reach of Confederate bul- 
 lets. It is said that many prisoners taken, both oflScers 
 
376 THE ORKAT nE^^VAL. 
 
 and men, were drunk. We know not if this be true, 
 but if it be, how awful the responsibility of those who 
 dealt out ardent spirits to these soldiers, and then 
 marched them like beeves to the shambles. 
 
 After this battle Gen. Lee Issued a general order in 
 which, after enumerating the success that had attended 
 our arms at different places, he said of the men who had 
 fought under his own eye : 
 
 "The heroic valor of this army, with the blessing of 
 Almighty God, has thus far cheeked the advance of the 
 principal army of the enemy and inflicted upon it heavy 
 loss. The eyes and hearts of your countrymen are turn- 
 ed to you with confidence and their prayers attend 3'ou 
 in your gallant struggle. 
 
 "Encouraged by the success that has been vouchsafed 
 to us, and stimulated by the great interests that depend 
 upon the issue, let every man resolve to endure all and 
 brave all until, by the assistance of a just and merciful 
 God, the enemy shall be driven back and peace secured 
 to our countr}'. 
 
 "Continue to emulate the valor of your comrades who 
 have fallen, and remember that it depends upon you whe- 
 ther they have died in vain. 
 
 "It is in 3'our power, under God, to defeat the last 
 great eftbrt of the enemy, establish the independence of 
 your native land, and earn the lasting love and gratitude 
 of your countrymen and the admiration of mankind." 
 
 In all their dangers and privations our soldiers did 
 not lose sight of their duties to God, and on every occa- 
 sion they renewed the blessed revival scenes of more 
 (juiet days. One of the most intelligent army corres- 
 pondents thus described the hardy veterans during a 
 brief period of rest : 
 
 " I rode along the lines to-day and found the men rest- 
 ing after their many marches and hard battles. Some 
 were reading their well-thui-abed Bibles ; some were in- 
 dicting letters to the loved ones at home to assure them 
 
SPRING OK 1864. 377 
 
 of their safct}' ; some were sleeping — perchance dream. 
 
 ing of the bloody work still remaining to be done ; others 
 were enjoying the music of the Brigade bands, as they 
 rehearsed those solemn and touching airs which the grand 
 old masters of the art divine, in their most holy and im- 
 passioned moods, have given to the world ; and others 
 again were sitting under the trees, with their arms stack- 
 ed near at hand, listening to the word of life, as preach- 
 ed by those faithful servants of God, the hardy, zealous, 
 self-denying chaplains of the army. As the army thus 
 rested — its great heart quiet, its huge arms unstrung, its 
 fleet-feet still — I could but reflect, and wonder as I re- 
 flected, that this vast machine, this mighty giant, this 
 great unmeasured and immeasurable power, should be so 
 terrible in battle and yet so calm and gentle and devout 
 in the hour of peace." 
 
 And of that noble army led by General Johnston in 
 Georgia another writer said : 
 
 "It is wonderful to see with what patience our soldiers 
 bear up under trials and hardships. I attribute this in 
 part to the great religious change in our army. Twelve 
 months after this revolution commenced a more ungodly 
 set of men could scarcely be found than the Confederate 
 army. Now the utterance of oaths is seldom, and reli- 
 gious songs and expressions of gratitude to God are 
 heard from every quarter. Our army seems to be im- 
 pressed with a high sense of an overruling Providence. 
 They have become Christian patriots and have a sacred 
 object to accomplish — an object dearer to them than life. 
 They have also perfect confidence in their commanders. 
 Such an army may be temporarily overpowered by vast- 
 ly superior numbers, but they never can be conquered." 
 In the battles of this season thousands of godly men 
 cheerfully gave up their lives for the cause of the South. 
 The death of Maj. James M, Campltell, of the 47th Ala 
 bama, and a minister of the Alabama Conference, M. E. 
 Church, South, was very sad. 
 
378 THE GKEAT RE^aVAL. 
 
 Kcv. Frank Brandon, missionary in Law's brigade, 
 gives the account of his death : 
 
 "On the morning of the 14th of May, when all was 
 comparatively quiet around, while seated in conversation 
 with Maj. Car3% of the 44th Alabama regiment, a sharp- 
 shooter spied his head, which was not entirely concealed 
 by our breastworks, and fired the fatal shot that pierced 
 his hat-band, passing through the head and killing him 
 instantly. The shot was among- the last fired by the 
 enemy before abandoning their breastworks in front of 
 our division. 
 
 " He was a gallant officer, never shrinking from danger 
 when duty called — cool and fearless upon the field, lead- 
 ing the veterans of the heroic 47th, in the hottest of the 
 fight. Owing to the pressure of military dut}', he was 
 unable to preach as often as we wished or as he desired ; 
 but I can say, after having been intimately associated 
 with him ever since he has been in service — messing 
 with him most of the time — that he maintained his 
 Christian integrity and ministerial character." 
 
 An officer of the 18th Virginia cavalrj' thus describes 
 a scene in Gen. Imboden's brigade just on the eve of a 
 fight : 
 
 "Before the charge, and while we were in line, the 
 command to dismount was given, when our noble old 
 chaplain sang a hymn and then prayed, the whole regi- 
 ment kneeling. It was a solemn and impressive sight 
 just on the eve of battle. And God blessed our arms 
 with victory. The chaplain prayed that if it should 
 please God we might scatter our enemies, but oh ! pre- 
 serve the lives of these dear ones and prolong them for 
 thy glory. Truly did God answer the prayer of the de- 
 vout old man — they were scattered to the four winds, 
 and we lost not a man." 
 
 Rev. L. B. Payne says of the work in General John- 
 ston's army : 
 
 "Since my last report, which was for April, we have 
 
SPRING OF 1864. 379 
 
 been in lino oT battle or on the march nearly every day. 
 Notwithstanding we have had prayer-meetings in the 
 breastworks several times, and I have preached some 
 six or seven times ; and, thank God ! the revival still 
 goes on. Souls have been converted every time I have 
 had meetings during our fights. Some twenty-five have 
 joined the Church, and thirty or more have been con- 
 verted in the last month. Several have professed con- 
 version after they were wounded and come to the in- 
 firmary." 
 
380 THE GIIEAT KEVI\'AL. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII!. 
 
 SUMMER OF 1864. 
 
 The boast of General Grant while the movements de- 
 scribed in the preceding chapter were going on, was, that 
 he would " fight it out on that line if it took all summer ;" 
 but after the bloody repulses in the "Wilderness and at 
 Spottsylvania Courthouse, he thought better of the mat- 
 ter, and edged his way down towards Richmond until he 
 found himself in the position formerly occupied by Gen. 
 McClellan. This position he might have taken without 
 the loss of a man by simply moving his army by water 
 from the Rappahannock to the James or the York, and 
 making his base of operations on either of those rivers. 
 But with a strange pertinacit}' he fought his way down, 
 losing, it is estimated, not less than 75,000 men. 
 
 On Friday, the 3d of June, Grant appeared on the 
 Chickahominy and attempted to cross that stream at the 
 Grape Vine bridge. General Lee drew up his army to 
 oppose him, and here was fought one of the bloodiest 
 battles of the war. The attack began at daybreak. The 
 Federals came on in columns of ten deep, and threw 
 themselves recklessly upon the Confederate works only 
 to be slaughtered in heaps. Standing behind their breast- 
 works, the Confederate soldiers received each assault 
 with the utmost coolness, and suffered but little loss. 
 
 At one o'clock the attack ceased and the Federals 
 withdrew, leaving on the field thousands of dead and 
 wounded men. It is asserted that here, as on the 12th 
 of May, many of the Federal soldiers tumbled drunk 
 over the breastworks and were made prisoners, while 
 others, after firing their guns, were too much intoxicated 
 to reload them. General Lee, in riding over the field. 
 
suADiEn or 1864. 381 
 
 declared that the slaughter exceeded that of the 12th 
 of INIay. The loss of the Confederates was only a few 
 hundreds. 
 
 The number of Christian men who freely offered their 
 lives in the battles in all parts of the South can never 
 be fully known until the last day. Before the writer 
 now lies a letter in which are the names of seven minis- 
 ters of the different Churches, who fell killed or wounded 
 in the battles .in Georgia on the line of General John- 
 ston's movement from Dalton to Atlanta. The writer 
 of this letter, Rev. S. M. Cherr^', says in reference to 
 the mortality among the ministers who fought in our 
 armies : 
 
 "A very large proportion of our ministers who have 
 gone into the army as officers or soldiers have been killed 
 or wounded. Is it merely accidental or an intimation 
 that the proper sphere of the preacher is to minister to 
 the spiritual wants of the soldiers, and not voluntarily 
 to shed human blood ? Jesus said to a disciple who 
 wielded a sword for the defence of his Saviour, 'AH they 
 that take the sword shall perish with the sword.' Should 
 not the minister of peace be ' pure from the blood of all 
 men,' and not simply of the soul but also of the body?" 
 
 Among the most eminent men who buckled on the 
 sword was Bishop Polk, of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church. He had receired a militarj' training at West 
 Point, and felt it to be his duty to offer his services to 
 the cause of the South. He commanded a corps in the 
 Army of Tennessee. On the 14:th of June he fell in- 
 stantlj' killed by a cannon-ball on Pine Mountain, near 
 Marietta, Ga. In company with General Johnston and 
 several other Generals, he rode out to reconnoitre the 
 Federal lines. Reaching the top of the mountain about 
 eleven o'clock "the party dismounted, and all their horses 
 were left below the crown of the knoll. Some one had 
 suggested that so large a group of officers at so exposed 
 a point might attract the fire of the enemy. The sug- 
 
382 THE OUEAT REVIVAL. 
 
 gcstion had scarcely been offered before a shell from one 
 of the enein3''s batteries, recently planted, about nine 
 hundred yards distant, passed very near them. The 
 group tlien began to disperse in different directions. 
 General Johnston and Lieutenant-General Polk moved 
 off a few paces together and separated — the former se- 
 lecting a path lower down the hill, and General Polk 
 proceeded along the cone of the knoll. General John- 
 ston had scarcely parted from General Polk before a 
 second shell from the same battery struck the latter in 
 the chest, and he fell without a groan. 
 
 "Colonel Gale, of his staff, who observed his fall, ran 
 immediately back to the spot, but before he had reached 
 it the great soul of his loved General had sped beyond 
 the clouds. There was a slight tremor of the lower jaw, 
 but the eyes were fixed and the pulse had ceased. A 
 three-inch rifle-ball or shell had taken effect in the left 
 arm, above the elbow, crushing it and passing through 
 the body, and also through the right arm just below the 
 shoulder-joint, leaving it in the same mutilated condition 
 as the left, portions of the integuments serving to secure 
 the arms still to the frame. The opening through the 
 chest was indeed a frightful one and, in all probability, 
 from the direction of the missile, involved the heart and 
 lungs in its course. Tlie position of the General, on the 
 slope of Pine Mountain, at the moment of the sad oc- 
 currence, accounts for the upward tendency of the shot, 
 as indicated in the course traced on his person, 
 
 " The enemy's battery by this time began to fire with 
 great rapid it3% and the body was borne back on a litter 
 under a heavy fire. Upon examination of the pockets 
 of his coat were found, in that of the left side, his Book 
 of Common Praj'er for the service of the P. E. Church, 
 and in the right pocket four copies of the Rev. Dr. Quin- 
 tard's little work, entitled ' Balm for tlie Weary and the 
 Wounded.' Upon tlie fly-leaves of each of these little 
 volumes, indicating for whom they were intended, was 
 
SUMMER OF 18G4. 383 
 
 inscribed the names respectively of General Josepli E. 
 Johnston, Lieutenant-General Hardee, and Licutenant- 
 General Hood, *with the compliments of Lieutenant- 
 General Leonidas Polk — June 12th, 1864.' Williin the 
 fourth volume was inscribed his own name. All were 
 saturated with the blood which flowed from the wounu." 
 
 Of many Christians who fell and died on the field of 
 battle no record of their d^'ing testimony for Christ re- 
 mains ; but from others, who survived their wounds a 
 short time, we have assurance that God can make the 
 death of the soldier not only peaceful, but triumphant. 
 Maj. Pickens B. Bird, of Florida, was wounded, and died 
 in a hospital near Richmond. When ordered to Vir- 
 ginia he said : "I never expect to see home again." In 
 the first fight he engaged in after reaching the lines near 
 Richmond he fell mortally wounded. When told that he 
 must die, he said : "But for leaving my wife and chil- 
 dren, I should not feel sad at the prospect of d3Mng. 
 There is no cloud," he said, "between me and God 
 now." A little while before he died he tried to sing, 
 "Jesus can make a d^'ing bed," &c., but his strength 
 failed him. Resting a few moments, he said : "Jesus 
 ocm make a dying bed feel soft as downy pillows are." 
 
 The constant movements of the armies in all sections 
 of the South at this period of the war greatly interfered 
 with the work of the revival ; but still the fire burned, 
 aiid often on the outer lines the most delightful meetings 
 were held in which many gave their hearts to God. A 
 writer from the Army of Tennessee said : 
 
 "There will be more Christians under the leadership 
 of General Johnston in the next great battle than have 
 ever faced the foe in this arm3^" And he adds : " Some 
 of the happiest men I have ever seen were in the battle 
 of Resaca." 
 
 A devoted captain said, when advancing to meet the 
 enem}'^ : 
 
 " ' I believe God will take care of me ; but should he 
 
384 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 see fit to take me I am prepared,' Another: 'If I .am 
 killed write to ra}^ wife, I am prepared — to raise ray chil- 
 dren 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,' and to 
 meet me in heaven.' One, while suffering greatly of a 
 wound, said : ' I am ready to die.' A noble Tennes- 
 sean died shouting the praises of God on the gory bat- 
 tle-field. It is thus that raan}^ of our devoted soldiers 
 feel and die. May the mantles of these Christian war- 
 riors fall upon their companions in arras." 
 
 Along the lines in front of Petersburg, after General 
 Grant had crossed the Jaraes and taken position on the 
 south side, the meetings were resumed with great inter- 
 est and success. " I held a praj'er-raeeting," says Rev. 
 G. W. Yarbrough, "in our brigade (Wofford's Georgia) 
 the niglit after my arrival here, and preached to the 
 same command last Sabbath. It affords me pleasure 
 to report that the revival fire kindled a few mouths ago 
 in our camps has burned along the march of our victo- 
 rious troops. Some who shook hands with me at our 
 last sacramental meeting, two night before the second 
 Wilderness battle, have left the shouts of their conquer- 
 ing comrades to join in celebrating a grander triumph. 
 Others remain with their armor buckled about them 
 more tightly than ever to illustrate, amid the increasing 
 hardships and trials of this struggle, the power of our 
 holv religion." 
 
 Rev. A. W. Smith, of the 25th Tennessee regiment, 
 wrote from the lines below Richmond : 
 
 "We have in progress one of the best revivals I ever 
 saw. Twenty-four have already professed religion and 
 joined the Church, and fifty and sixty mournerr. are at 
 the altar at every hour's service, and great interest is 
 manifested b}' all. Brothers Taylor, Godby, and White, 
 of Lexington, Va., Carter's battery, have labored with 
 with great zeal and effect." 
 
 Rev. L. R. Redding reported from the lines near Atlan 
 ta : "A most gracious revival is in progress in Gist's bri 
 
SUMVIER OF 1864. 385 
 
 fi^ade. We have built a bush-arbor in rear of our lino of 
 battle, where we have services twice a day. Up to the 
 present writing (July 18th) twenty-five have joined the 
 Church, and penitents by the score are found niglitly a*; 
 the altar. In other portions of the army chaplains and 
 missionaries report sweeping revivals in progress. Thus, 
 notwithstanding the booming of cannon and bursting of 
 shell, the good work goes bravely on." 
 
 Rev. J. B. McFerrin wrote from Atlanta to the South- 
 ern Christian Advocate: 
 
 "The other day I rode to the line of battle to see the 
 soldiers as they were resting in a shady wood.' To my 
 great joy, a young captain whom I had baptized in his 
 infancy approached me and said : ' I wish to join the 
 Church, and I wish j^ou to give me a certiilcate ; the Lord 
 has converted me.' I gave him the document with a 
 glad heart. ' Now,' said he, ' if I fall in battle, let my 
 mother know of this transaction. It will afford her 
 great joy.' Oh, it was good to be there and feel that 
 God was in that place. 
 
 " Yesterda^^ I baptized Col. T., of Tennessee. He is 
 a lawyer and a statesman, and has been in the army 
 from the beginning of the struggle. He became inter- 
 ested on the subject of religion months ago, sought 
 Christ, found the pearl of great price, united with the 
 Church, was baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, 
 and now sends home his letter to have his name recorded 
 with his wife's on the Church Register, and I trust it is 
 inscribed in the book of life." 
 
 Rev. Neil Gillis, writing to the same paper, from camp 
 on the Chattahoochee, said : 
 
 "I never heard or read of anything like the revival at 
 this place. The conversions were powerful, and some 
 of them very remarkable. One man told me that he 
 was converted at the ver}-^ hour in which his sister was 
 writing him a letter on her knees praying that he might 
 be saved at that moment. Another, who was a back- 
 17 
 
386 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 slider, said to me at the altar that his case was hopeless. 
 I tried to encourage him ; discovered hope spring up in 
 his countenance ; then commenced to repeat such pro- 
 mises in the Scriptures as I could remember, and while 
 I repeated : 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
 shalt be saved,' he bounded to his feet and began to 
 point others to the Cross with most remarkable success." 
 
 Not only in the army at home did our soldiers mani- 
 fest the deepest interest in religion, but even in the 
 dreary prisons of the North they prayed for and received 
 the Divine blessing. An officer at Johnson's Island 
 writes to the Southern Presbyterian : 
 
 *' This is the last quarter of a long, long twelve-months' 
 corrfinement. I try to pass my time as profitably as I 
 can. We have preaching regularly every Sabbath, 
 prayer-meetings two or three times a week, and worship 
 in my room every night. We also have a Young Men's 
 Christian Association, Masonic meetings, etc. I attend 
 all of these and fill out the rest of my time by reading 
 the Bible. We have had some precious religious times. 
 There have been about one hundred conversions ; col- 
 onels, majors, captains, and lieutenants, being among the 
 number." 
 
 A lieutenant writes thus : " I am glad to state that I 
 am a better man than when you saw me last. There are 
 about two thousand officers here, and I never have seen 
 so great a change in the morals of any set of men as 
 has been here in the last four months," 
 
 The incidents of the campaign for this season are rich 
 id spiritual fruits. Tn hospital and on the open field 
 the Christian'soldiers met death bravely. Said a }'Oung 
 Kentuckian to a minister who asked him, " Do you think 
 you will recover?" "No," said he, "tell my brother 
 that 1 died in a hol}"^ cause, and am ready to meet God." 
 It is now, in times of great peace, a matter of wonder 
 how men could calmly worship under the fire of formi- 
 dable batteries. " Late one afternoon," says Rev. C. W. 
 
siiMJrER or 1864. 387 
 
 Miller, writing of the scenes on the retreat from Dalton, 
 "the firing along the line had lulled, and the writer call- 
 ed the brigade together for worship. A chapter from the 
 Hoi}'- Book had been read, a song sung, and several fer- 
 vent prayers offered. Presently, while a soldier was 
 prajnng, and all were devoutly kneeling before God, a 
 distant report as of the discharge of artillery was heard ; 
 then in an instant ivhirr, lohirr, whirr — boom! went a 32- 
 pound shell just above our heads, and buried its frag- 
 ments in the hillside a little beyond us. But the 'de- 
 vout soldier' prayed on. Another and another shell 
 shrieked above us, but the prayer was regularly finished, 
 the preacher pronounced the benediction, and the men 
 went to their casemates, as they called their holes in the 
 ground. I have related this incident to show you how 
 indifferent men become to danger under the indurating 
 influence of war." 
 
 It is a pleasing fact to remember that the Federal 
 prisoners were not neglected by our faithful ministers. 
 
 " We have seen," says an eye witness, " a group of 
 wounded Federal soldiers, with broken arms, shattered 
 legs, and bleeding sides, solemnly engaged in prayer, 
 the missionary leading their devotions ; and while he in- 
 voked God's mercy the big tear would glisten in the e3''e 
 or roll down the bronzed cheek. Then we exclaimed, — 
 'It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, 
 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners : 
 and that God is no respecter of persons.' Thank God 
 for a gospel that offers salvation to every son of Adam." 
 
 It is even now a source of pleasure to recall the scenes 
 in war-daj's when the eager men gathered to hear the 
 Word. A chaplain thus describes a scene in which he 
 was the chief actor : 
 
 '"Under the shadow of one of those beautiful forests 
 of oak (alas ! they have all been destroyed) that sur- 
 rounded the little village, in silence and solemnity the 
 soldiers gathered together. Generally, they waited un- 
 
388 THE GREAT nE^TV'AL. 
 
 til I had chosen my position ; and then, without any for- 
 mality, but without the slightest levit}^ the}' took their 
 seats on tlieir oil-cloths or blankets, against the trees, 
 on projecting roots or rude stools, or on anything that 
 would be a protection from the damp earth — some even 
 taking off their coats or hats to sit on. Nor did they sit 
 as in churches at home (for surely that was a church and 
 a fit temple likewise), only in front of the speaker ; but 
 crowding near him and all around him, and near one an- 
 other, they seemed to think that there was influence and 
 warmth in contact, and that the words of the speaker 
 would become cold were they at any distance. My gra- 
 vity was very nearly upset, my lips twitched, when a 
 kind-hearted brother (I hope he will excuse this) spoke 
 quite authoritatively to his comrades, ' Stand back, bo3's, 
 give the young man ivalking room ; he can't sliuut.' Not 
 being one of the 'shouting' sort, I didn't need perliaps 
 as much space ; but I was always obliged for ' walking 
 room.' ■' 
 
 Let not the skeptical reader think that the religion of 
 such worshi[)pers was witliout depth and power. Many 
 of them were, it is true, plain, unlettered men, but in 
 sincerit}^ and faith they have hardly ever been surpass- 
 ed. "Can I do an^'thing for you?" said a missionary, 
 kneeling by a dying soldier. "Yes; write to my wife," 
 was the feeble reply. "What shall I write?" In a whis- 
 per he replied, "Say to my dear wife it's all right." The 
 words were written uown. "What more shall I write?" 
 said the minister. "Nothing else — all's right," and then 
 he died. He was converted in the army. 
 
 Out in an old stable lay a number of wounded men. 
 Among them was a man whose head was frosted with 
 years. The minister approached him and said, "My 
 friend, you are an old man. Do you enjoj' the comforts 
 of religion?" "O yes," replie<I tlie p/oor fellow, "I have 
 been a member of the Church for 25 years. Often in 
 our little church at home the minister lold us that reli- 
 
SUMIMER OF 1864. 389 
 
 gion was good under all circumstances, and now I have 
 found his words true, for even here in this old stable, 
 with my leg amputated and sur''ounded by the dead and 
 dying, I am just as happy as I can be — religion is good 
 even here, and I want you to tell the people so when you 
 preach to them." 
 
 The following touching scene is described by Rev. J. 
 A. Parker, who labored as an army chaplain. He was 
 convej'ing a number of wounded soldiers by water to the 
 hospitals at Mobile : 
 
 " At two o'clock in the morning we started in a skiff 
 for the city. The wind was high and the water rough. 
 Poor wounded men, how they suffered the pangs of thirst, 
 with no water save that from the bay. A young soldier, 
 whom I had premised to convey to the city, lay senseless 
 the most of the morning. About midday he roused up 
 and asked, 'How far?' *In sight of the city,' said I. 
 After lying quiet awhile, he asked why it was so dark. 
 I told him it was not dark — that it was light and I could 
 see the city, and that we would soon relieve him of the 
 rough sailing and make him comfortable. I then left 
 him and went to the other end of the boat to use an oar, 
 for we were drifting. He soon asked for the preacher, 
 and I returned to him. He called for water, which I 
 dipped in a tin-cup from the bay and gave him. After 
 drinking, he asked to be sheltered from the sun. Tias 
 we could not do, but we encouraged him by our approach 
 to the city. 'Yes,' he replied, 'shut my ej^es and let 
 me go to the city. I am going home — almost there.* 
 He closed his e^^es and died." 
 
 A writer in the Christian Sun gives a touching scene 
 in which a Christian soldier met his death : 
 
 "On the lines near Petersburg, Va,, on a beautiful 
 morning in the last days of summer, a young soldier, 
 connected with a Georgia regiment, might have been 
 seen seated in a ravine, and at the mouth of a bomb- 
 proof, which had been made in the side of the hill, read- 
 
390 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 ing carefully the word of God. This young man had 
 come to be regarded the model man of the regiment for 
 morality and devout piety. He entered the army at the 
 commencement of the war a Christian, and maintained 
 his reputation untarnished through all the immoralities of 
 camp-life, daily becoming more devout and more Christ- 
 like in his spirit and conversation. He was, in person, 
 well formed, yet not very robust, his hair rather dark, 
 and his eyes a deep blue, with a ver}' light beard. In 
 manners he was as gentle as a woman, yet his comrades 
 assured me that in battle he was as bold as a lion and 
 as brave as the bravest. The Bible from which he was 
 reading on the morning referred to was the gift of a pi- 
 ous mother on entering the service. He had carefully 
 preserved it through all the weary marches and hard- 
 fought battles in which his regiment had participated, 
 and a mother's praj'ers had followed with it wherever he 
 went. While intently reading, and so absorbed as not 
 even to hear for the moment the bursting mortar-shells 
 around him, a comrade came running to tell him that a 
 special friend of his own company had been killed in 
 the trenches b^' the bursting of a shell among them. He 
 closed his Bible, and clenching it in his hand, ran to the 
 place where his frientl lay dead. Just as he arrived at 
 the spot, and his ej^es rested on the mangled form, a 
 parrot-shell came whizzing, and exploding in the imme- 
 diate vicinity, he was struck on the head and instantly 
 killed. He fell on the body of his lifeless comrade, still 
 clasping his Bible, even in death holding on to the Word 
 of Life." 
 
 The amazing labor of the armies in Virginia and 
 Georgia, the two most important points of military ope- 
 rations at this period, did not abate the religious ardor 
 of the soldiers. In a letter from the lines in front of 
 Atlanta the Kev. S. M. Cherry gives an account oi the 
 scenes he witnessed on a Sabbath day : 
 
 "At 9 A. M. I reached the Missouri brigade of Gen. 
 
su>niER OF 1364. 891 
 
 French's division, and found the soldiers gathering Tor 
 prayer-meeting. At 11 o'clock brother Bounds was to 
 preach the funeral sermon of Rev. Mr. Manning, a pious 
 3'oung minister of the Cumberland Presbj'terian Church, 
 recently appointed chaplain of a Missouri regiment, but 
 before he received his commission he was killed in bat- 
 tle while in the discharge of his duties as an officer of 
 the line. As I approached Sears' Mississippi brigade I 
 saw a group of soldiers, with uncovered heads, bowing 
 beside a row of new-made graves, two of which con- 
 tained the forms of comrades now being consigned to 
 the cold clay. Chaplain Lattiraore was engaged in 
 prayer. I joined in the solemn burial services of the 
 soldiers slain in the strife of Saturday." 
 
 Next be came to the brigades of Ector, McNair, and 
 Gholson : 
 
 " I looked around for a suitable place for preaching. 
 A central point to the three commands was selected, but 
 not a single tree or shrub was to be found to screen us 
 from the intense heat of an August sun. Soon the sing- 
 ing collected a large congregation of attentive soldiers. 
 A caisson served for a pulpit, while the cannon, open- 
 mouthed, stood in front of the foe. We were in full 
 range and in open view of the enemy, but not a single 
 shell or minnie-ball was heard hissing or hurtling near 
 during the hour's service. The soldiers sat on the 
 ground, beneath the burning sun, listening seriously to 
 the words of life. At the close of the sermon they 
 crowded up to get Testaments and papers. I regretted 
 much that I could only furnish five of the former to a 
 regiment." 
 
 " On Friday an intellectual young officer came forward 
 and joined the Church. The da}' following he was killed 
 in a skirmish with tlie enemy. During the service in 
 Sears' brigade there was a sharp skirmish in the front 
 of that command, and the pickets were so closely 
 pressed that the officer in command of the brigade sent 
 
392 TIIE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 a reinforcement to their support immediatel}' after he 
 returned from church. A continuous cannonade to the 
 left did not interrupt the service. Strange to see sol- 
 diers in the line of trenches, with a sharp fire in their 
 front, and a rapid roar of artillery on their flank, and a 
 shower over head, yet quietly sitting or patiently stand- 
 ing to hear the preaching of the gospel !" 
 
 Amidst the scenes Mr, Cherry passed a wounded sol- 
 dier who called him and said with joy, " I am all right, 
 sir ; I thank God for it. For two years I have not seen 
 a dark daj\ / cannot doubt now. I will meet my old 
 mother in heaven. I am mortally wounded." "One ball 
 had broken his arm and passed through his lungs — an- 
 other had passed through his thigh — and yet he lay with- 
 out uttering a groan, and talked pleasantly with his 
 friends, and was happy in prospect of death." 
 
 On this Sabbath, in one division, eight sermons were 
 preached in full sight of the Federal lines, and even 
 within range of small arms. Among the Missourians 
 who held an exposed position the revival went on with 
 power, and sixt}^ joined the Church during the week. 
 
 Let us now for a moment leave these noble Christian 
 soldiers, in their happy meetings under the fire of mus- 
 ketry and cannon, and look in upon their comrades who 
 languished in Northern prisons. We have before us a 
 letter, written from Fort Delaware to the Christian Ob- 
 server, giving an account of a revival among the Confed- 
 erate officers there confined. They had in the morning at 
 half-past nine an "inquirer's prayer-meeting;" at 12 M. 
 " the professor's prayer-meeting, where the Church-mem- 
 bers pra}' for each other, leading the meeting in turn." 
 
 "It was a new business to me," says the writer, 
 " when my turn came, but you must know I am prepar- 
 ing for the work and must learn. God's help enabled 
 me to get along tolerably well. He always fits the in- 
 strument for his work. 
 
 "We get a mail dail}', morning papers at noon, and 
 
SU3DIEK OF 1804. 393 
 
 boxes of nic-nacks come promptly when our frieiuls start 
 them. All the officers here (and there are about 600) 
 seem to be in good health and spirits. The general 
 health of all on the Island is good, considering the num- 
 ber of privates (6,000) confined here. All seem to en- 
 joy themselves ; and, altogether, there are worse prisons 
 than Fort Delaware. We have a large lot to pla}' in. 
 We have here in our barracks three ministers — Rev. 
 Dr. Handy, of the Presbyterian Church of Portsmouth, 
 Va. ; and Cajit. Harris of Georgia and Capt. Samford of 
 Texas, local Methodist preachers. A revival of religion 
 has been in progress for two weeks — 17 converts, many 
 backsliders reclaimed, and a refreshing season to old 
 professors, numbering 150 reported names. These are 
 among the results of the revival." 
 
 We have looked into Fort Delaware and other North- 
 ern prisons, where thousands of Confederates sutTered, 
 languished, and died. Let us look into Andersonville, 
 where Federal prisoners felt the horrors of confinement. 
 A writer, who had visited this prison, says : 
 
 "There were, at the time I left, 28,000 to 30.000 pris- 
 oners in the stockade, and, I presume by this time, they 
 have had many added from the front at Atlanta. 
 
 "The mortality amongst them was very great. I vis- 
 ited the cemetery on Sunday week and they had buried 
 thirty-five on that day, and on Friday before they buried 
 seventy. Up to the time I left I think they had buried 
 near 4,500 — at least, so the burial party told me. 
 
 "I have heard much said about the condition of the 
 prisoners there, and much commiseration expressed for 
 them ; but, I failed to see any brutality exhibited to- 
 wards them. They have the same rations that our brave 
 troops receive ; and, as for their being exposed, they are 
 not more so than our own brave men in Northern Georgia 
 and Virginia. The only difference is. tliat they are con- 
 fined to a limited space and are restrained in their move- 
 ments. The whole space of 24 acres is covered by huts 
 
394 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 they have built — some of blankets, others of old tents, 
 oil-cloths, pine-straw, earth, etc., and some of boards. 
 There is also a sutler appointed by the government, who 
 sells them vegetables, fruits, eggs, or anything else he 
 can procure, except munitions of war and liquor." 
 
 The same writer states a remarkable fact connected 
 with the history of this prison, which we do not remem- 
 ber having seen before, and the correctness of which we 
 have no means of confirming : 
 
 "The Federals," he saj's, "have established in the in- 
 terior of the prison a court of justice, where all criminal 
 offences are tried. The Friday before I arrived there 
 they hanged six of their number, who were tried, found 
 guilty, and condemned by the court to suffer death for 
 their crimes against their fellow-prisoners. They sent 
 to the commandant of the prison for tools and materials 
 to build the scaffold, and the rope to hang them with ; 
 and they then proceeded to execute the sentence of the 
 court with all the decorum and solemnity that would 
 have been observed by our own people." 
 
 It is certainly strange that the officers in charge of 
 this prison should have allowed such a court to be as- 
 tablished by the prisoners ; but in war, which is a dread- 
 ful trade, we are met on all sides by scenes that would 
 shock us terribly in times of peace. 
 
 In the far Southwest the great revival influence, al- 
 ready noticed by Dr. Kavanaugh, was felt among the 
 soldiers with great power. In two brigades there were 
 over five hundred conversions. The scenes were much 
 like those witnessed sixty or seventy years ago. Dr. K. 
 says in his report : 
 
 "Wicked men come into tne congregation, or into the 
 outskirts of it, and are suddenl}' stricken down and fall 
 to the earth, and remain for hours speechless and ap- 
 parently unconscious. Some of their friends became 
 alarmed for them and spoke of running for the doctor. 
 But old Bro. Talbott happened to be experienced enough 
 
SUM31EU OF 1864. 305 
 
 to know something about such cases, and told the by- 
 standers to give themselves no uneasiness, for it would 
 all come out right in the end. Generally they would lie 
 about two hours, and then rise shouting the praises of 
 God their Saviour. There have been several cases of 
 this kind. 
 
 "All the conversions are sound, clear, and powerful. 
 There is no such thing as urging the mourner to believe 
 he "has received the blessing;" but each is able to tell, 
 for himself, what great things God has done for him. 
 Conversions take place at all hours through the day and 
 night. Many are converted in the woods — sometimes 
 alone, and sometimes with a friend or two. There is no 
 abatement in the work as yet, but our meetings are kept 
 up to a late hour every night. Off at a little distance 
 you can hear singing, praising, and praying, all going 
 on at various points throughout the two brigades, very 
 much resembling a very large camp-meeting in olden 
 times, when there was much more zeal and power mani- 
 fested than is now known in like meetings." 
 
 At Atlanta the Confederates, now commanded by Gen. 
 Hood, held that city against the heavy battalions of Gen. 
 Sherman. The fights along the lines were frequent and 
 deadly, but the religious enthusiasm of the soldiers was 
 undiminished. 
 
 "They are not afraid of death," writes a devoted chap- 
 lain, A. D. McVoy, " and are ready to die when God calls 
 them." 
 
 Among those brought in wounded from the front lines 
 there were many Christians whose deaths were morally 
 grand. 
 
 "I witnessed," says Mr. McVoy, "the passing away 
 of a Louisianian of Gibson's brigade, 4th La., the other 
 day. Seldom have I seen a stronger Christian faith, a 
 firmer reliance on God, and a clearer assurance of sal- 
 vation in a dying hour. He was cruelly lacerated by a 
 piece of shell that had ploughed deeply across his right 
 
oOG THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 side, aud his sufferings were intense and unremitted. 
 Still liis mind was fixed upon God. 'Chaplain,' said he 
 to me, 'I am dying. I have done m3' dut3\ I wish I 
 could be spared to see victory secured to nn' brave com- 
 rades, but it is the will of God, and I cheerfully submit. 
 I am suffering a thousand deaths, but when I think upon 
 the sufferings of my Saviour, that he endured ten thou- 
 sands more than I for the salvation of my soul, my suf- 
 ferings are nothing.' Then he would fervently pra}', and 
 besought me to pray with him, which I did. This com- 
 forted him greatU', so that he almost shouted for joy. 
 ' Chaplain,' said he, ' 1 have three motherless children in 
 Louisiana, and could I onl3' gaze once more upon them, 
 could I but fold them to my breast, could I but kiss them 
 good-b^-e, I would die contented ; but God's will be done. 
 I commit them into the hands of my Heavenl}^ Father. 
 I want them instructed to know and serve God that they 
 tna,y meet me in heaven.' 
 
 " One of his companions, who had brought him out of 
 the trenches, was kneeling over him and weeping bitter- 
 \y. 'Chaplain,' said the d3'ing soldier, 'this is the best 
 friend I have in the army ; pra3' for him that he may 
 meet me in heaven.' 
 
 " When asked what word he desired to leave with his 
 compan3', he said, 'Tell them to be better bo3's. Some 
 of them are reckless and wicked. Tell them to repent, 
 serve God, be good soldiers, and meet me in heaven.' 
 
 " When asked how he felt in view of death, he said, ' I 
 have no fears ; all is clear. Jesus died for me ; I know 
 he will save me. Blessed be the Lord.' His Colonel 
 passing bj', came to his side and said, ' Is this you, Daw- 
 son? I am sorry to find you so dreadfull3' wounded?* 
 ' Yes, Colonel, I am dying, but I am going home to 
 heaven. I have tried to do my dut3'. It is God's will, 
 and I cheerfully give myself up a sacrifice on the altar 
 of m3' countr3'.' 
 
 " He then committed himself to God and lingered for 
 
suiBiER OF 1864. 397 
 
 some hours, continually praj'ing and praising God, when 
 he died the glorious death of a brave Christian soldier." 
 
 Writing further of the glorious work the same faithful 
 laborer saj's : 
 
 "Many are joining the Church. While exhorting a 
 large group of soldiers a few nights since to come to 
 Christ a young man rushed forward and threw his arms 
 around ray neck, crying out, 'I have found Jesus, I have 
 found Jesus ! Oh, how good my Saviour is ! Bless the 
 Lord, O m}-- soul !' This was a very affecting scene, and 
 induced many to think seriously concerning their souls. 
 
 "Thus the work of God is going on amid the cannon's 
 roar, the fatiguing monoton}"- of the trenches, and the 
 heroic movements of the picket line. Religion is infus- 
 ing a spirit of fortitude, endurance, and determination, 
 into the hearts of the soldiers that no hardship, no suf- 
 fering, can undermine or break down." 
 
 Bishop Lay, of the P. E. Church, in a letter to a rela- 
 tive in Charleston, S. C, describes a scene of the deep- 
 est interest in the same army. The Bishop was earnest- 
 I3' laboring as a missionary in the Georgia army. He 
 says : 
 
 "Yesterday, in Strahl's brigade, I preached and con- 
 firmed nine persons. Last night we had a very solemn 
 service in Gen. Hood's room, some forty persons, chiefly 
 Generals and Staff Officers, being present. I confirmed 
 Gen. Hood and one of his Aids, Capt. Gordon of Savan- 
 nah, and a young Lieutenant from Arkansas. The ser- 
 vice was animated, the praying good. Shells exploded 
 near by all the time. Gen. Hood, unable to kneel, sup- 
 ported himself on his crutch and staff, and with bowed 
 head received the benediction. Next Sunday I am to 
 administer the communion at headquarters. To-night 
 ten or twelve are to be confirmed in Claj'ton's division. 
 The enemy there are within two hundred and fifty yards 
 of our line, and the firing is ver}^ constant. I fear it 
 may be hard to get the men together. I wish that you 
 17a 
 
398 ' THE GUEAT REAHVAL. 
 
 could have been present last night, and have seen that 
 compan}' down, all upon bended knee. The reverence 
 was so marked that one could not fail to thank God 
 that he has put such a spirit into the hearts of our 
 leaders." 
 
 In the Virginia army now collected in its main strength 
 on the long lines of defence around Richmond and Pe- 
 tersburg, the work of grace was not less powerful than 
 in Georgia and beyond the Mississippi. But near the 
 close of July the usual course of the soldier's life on 
 these lines was broken suddenly by an event terrible 
 even in the midst of war. 
 
 For raanj' days the Confederates were impressed with 
 the belief that the Federals were engaged in mining to- 
 wards their works at certain points, but the exact loca- 
 tion of the main operations could not be ascertained. 
 All doubts on the subject were soon put to flight. On 
 Saturday, July 30, about 4 o'clock in the morning, a dull, 
 heavy sound was heard, followed by several others simi- 
 lar, and at the same moment the Federal batteries open- 
 ed a furious cannonade. It was soon found that a mine 
 had been sprung under one of the salients on our lines 
 and not far from the centre of the defences. 
 
 Orders were sent to Gen. Mahone to cover the threat- 
 ened point, and that officer moved promptly with his own 
 Virginia brigade, and instructed Saunders' Alabama and 
 Wright's Georgia brigades to follow. On reaching the 
 ground twelve Federal flags were seen waving from that 
 part of our line which had been carried in the explosion, 
 and the whole place swarmed with Federal troops, white 
 and black. As the Confederates formed into line, and 
 were about to move forward, the Federals rushed out for 
 a charge. Our men held their fire until they came quite 
 near, and then poured in such a storm of bullets that 
 the whole mass fell back in disorder. Then the Confed- 
 erates charged in turn, and, rushing forward, drove the 
 Federals up to and over the breastworks, from the top 
 
SUMMER OF 18G4. • 399 
 
 of which they delivered a plunging fire that completed 
 the confusion of the enemy. 
 
 But the bloody work was not done. Only a part of 
 
 the lost line had been recovered. Saunders' brigade was 
 
 ordered up to retake the remaining lines ; and, after a 
 
 ' splendid charge, every inch of lost ground was regained. 
 
 " The enemy," says a writer from the scene, " made 
 but slight resistance to this charge. The -chasm caused 
 by the enemy's explosion appears to be about 40 feet in 
 depth, and some 200 feet in circumference, and resem- 
 bles what one would imagine to have been the effects of 
 a terrible earthquake. Immense boulders of earth were 
 piled up rudely one above the other, and great fragments 
 of bomb-proofs, gun-carriages, limbers, etc., were lying 
 promiscuously in every direction. One man was caught 
 between two boulders near the surface of the ground 
 and literally crushed between them. He still remained 
 in this painful position, with only his head and neck vis- 
 ible, our men not having had the time to extricate him. 
 Life had long been extinct." 
 
 The crater made by the explosion of the mine pre- 
 sented a ghastly spectacle. It was lined with mangled 
 bodies that lay in every conceivable position. The sud- 
 den and terrible explosion produced a temporary confu- 
 sion in the Confederate ranks, and if a heavy column 
 had been pushed through the chasm the result might 
 have been most disastrous ; but the prompt and gallant 
 resistance of the Confederates changed the whole aspect 
 of the affair. 
 
 The loss of the South was heavy in this battle, and 
 Virginia mourned the death of some of her bravest chil- 
 dren. Petersburg sustained a severe loss, as numbers 
 of her best young men were in Mahone's troops ; and 
 many a household mourned a hero son who nobly died 
 for his country. 
 
 The Federals opened a heavj^ fire from their siege-guns 
 on the city immediately after the explosion of the mine, 
 
400 • THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 and for two hours the shells rained down upon the streets 
 and houses ; but in the mercy of God no one was killed. 
 One citizen lost a finger, which was cut off by the frag- 
 ment of a shell. 
 
 This day's work is known in the history of the war as 
 "The Battle of the Crater." 
 
AUTUMN AND WINTER OF 18G4-'65. 401 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 AUTUMN AND MTCNTER OF 1864-65^ 
 
 The condition of the armies in the East and South 
 west was not specially favorable to the revival at the 
 close of the summer. 
 
 At Petersburg the Federals made desperate efforts to 
 cut Gen. Lee's lines of communication with the South, 
 but were foiled b}' the activity of the Confederates. In 
 Georgia Gen. Hood was forced to abandon the city of 
 Atlanta, and Gen, Sherman entered and made it the 
 starting point of his famous "March to the Sea." In 
 East Tennessee, at Greenville, the gallant cavalry-lead- 
 er. Gen. Morgan, met his death under most painful cir- 
 cumstances. Finding tlie house in which he slept was 
 surrounded b}^ Federal troops, he sprang from his bed 
 exclaiming to his staff, " We must not be captured !" 
 He escaped to another dwelling-house, but the person 
 living in it called to the Federals that Gen. Morgan was 
 in the house. He ran out, and in passing through a 
 vineyard was shot down and killed. His body was de- 
 livered to his staff, and a permit given to send it into 
 the Confederate lines. Thus died a noble and heroic 
 soldier. 
 
 The constant activity in the army in Georgia hinder- 
 ed to some degree the progress of the revival, but every 
 lull in the storm of battle was made use of by the chap- 
 lains and missionaries. 
 
 Dr. McFerrin saj's : 
 
 "Meetings have been frequently held when the sol- 
 diers were in line of battle. The religious interest I 
 think has not at all abated since our creat revival in 
 
•102 THE GREAT RE%aVAL. 
 
 the winter and springy. Ilundrecls in raany parts of the 
 army are seeking the fellowship of Cliristians b}^ uniting 
 with the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 A writer from the 13th Mississippi regiment, station- 
 ed in the Valley of Virginia, says : 
 
 "The spiritual condition of the brigade is truly en- 
 eouraging, We had an excellent praj'er-meeting last 
 night. The Spirit was in our midst. Some fifteen or 
 twent}^ penitents presented themselves for prayer. We 
 have religious services of some kind almost every night. 
 Sixteen have been received into the Church this month ; 
 yet we have been almost continually on the march, not 
 having remained so long as three daj's at an}^ one camp. 
 As far as raj* observation goes, about the same state of 
 religion exists in the other brigades of this army. A 
 great work is surely going on. May it continue until 
 the uttermost parts of earth feel the gracious influence. 
 Dr. Stiles sa3's, 'The way to convert a nation is to con- 
 vert its arm}'.' If our army is a body of Christians, 
 when the clash of arms and the din of war shall have 
 hushed in our borders, and they be scattered broadcast 
 over the land, they will be to our country as the ' salt of 
 the earth,' preserving it, giving us a moral and religious 
 character that will make us a nation that can truly be 
 called the people of God." 
 
 It is a fact over which we may rejoice that out of tlie 
 Southern armies did come many earnest Christians who 
 have been "the salt of the earth." In all the Churclios 
 there are now ministers wlio found the Lord in the midst 
 of war, and when they laid down the sword of the flesh 
 took up the sword of the Spirit, and are now valiant 
 leaders in the hosts of King Immanuel. And there are 
 thousands of zealous and useful laymen who, in the 
 blessed scenes of the army revival, in the log church, or 
 under the spreading trees on the bare ground, and in tlie 
 hospital, gave themselves to God in a perpetual cove- 
 nant. The Army Revival gave to the South multitu<les 
 
AUTUMN AND WINTEH OF 18G4-'G5, 4U3 
 
 of faithful men, and they are now in all the Churches 
 the living proofs of its genuineness and power. 
 
 In this, as in the earlier years of the war, the dying 
 testimony of Christian soldiers was of the greatest value 
 in impressing the minds of their unconverted comrades. 
 
 A soldier on the lines near Petersburg wrote home to 
 his wife, "G rieve not for me. I am all right. My trust 
 is in God, and I know it is well-founded. If we meet 
 no more on earth, let us meet in heaven." Not long af- 
 ter, while sitting in his tent answering a letter from his 
 wife, he was killed by the bullet of a sharpshooter. 
 
 A gallant Georgia soldier, just before going into his 
 last battle, said to his comrades, "I may fall, but I fear 
 not death." 
 
 Lieut. Carpenter, of Gen. Morgan's command, when 
 dying near Lexington, Ky., "prayed, sang, wept, and 
 shouted glory ! glory !" 
 
 These are but samples of the death-bed scenes of our 
 war-times. Thousands upon thousands went up on high 
 with the shout of victory on their dying lips. 
 
 In this connection we give the reader a view of what 
 was called b3'0ur suffering prisoners at Jolinson's Island 
 "an. exchange." "Asa Hartz," a Coiifederate officer con- 
 fined there, in a letter to a friend gives this touching 
 picture : 
 
 " We vary our monotony with an occasional exchange- 
 May I tell j'ou what I mean by that? Well, it is a sim- 
 ple ceremony. God help us ! The 'exchanged' is placed 
 on a small wagon drawn b}' one horse, his friends form a 
 line in the rear, and tlie procession moves ; then pass- 
 ing through the gate, it winds its waj' slowly round the 
 prison-walls to a little grove north of the enclosure ; the 
 'exchange' is taken out of the wagon and lowered into 
 the earth — a prayer — an exhortation — a spade — a head- 
 board — a mound of fresh sod — and the friends return to 
 prison again — and that's all of it. Our friend is 'ex- 
 changed ;' a grave attests the fact to mortal eyes, and 
 
404 'the great revival. 
 
 one of God's angels has recorded the 'exchange' in the 
 book above. Time and the elements will soon smooth 
 down the little hillock which marks his lonely bed, but 
 invisible friends will hover around it till the dawn of 
 that great day when all the armies shall be marshalled 
 into line again — when the wars of time shall cease and 
 the great eternity of peace shall commence." 
 
 The Missions of the different Churches to the South- 
 ern armies was a work which, as we have seen, was at- 
 tended by heaven's richest blessings. 
 
 In the report made by Bishop Pierce to the Confer- 
 ences of the M. E. Church, South, of their part in this 
 labor of love, he says : 
 
 "The importance of our missionary work in the army 
 cannot well be exaggerated. Measurably shut out, as 
 the Church is, from other fruitful missionary fields, the 
 Providence and Spirit of God have opened to it here a 
 field where the harvest is white, and where it only needs 
 a wise disposition of laborers to insure an abundant in- 
 gathering of souls. We have considered how best we 
 may make such a disposition of our means and labors in 
 this field as to secure the advancement of God's king- 
 dom and the promotion of his glory." 
 
 The men sent forth into this field were found in every 
 part of the South where men stood in arms. Even in 
 beleaguered Charleston, where shells rained down for 
 many months in the streets and on the houses, the faith- 
 ful missionaries called the suffering but heroic soldiers 
 to the hopes and blessings of the Cross. 
 
 A writer from that city tells of the terrible bombard- 
 ment and the merciful preservation of the people under 
 the good hand of God : 
 
 " On Thursday evening three guns were opened simul- 
 taneously upon the devoted city, and in five liours one 
 hundred and ten shots were made in rapid and awful 
 succession. It was a tempest of whizzing, screaming 
 bolts of destruction, agitating the air and reverberating 
 
AUTUMN AND WINTER OF 1864-'G5. 405 
 
 in their earthquake explosions as though the infuriated 
 demons of the bottomless pit had been turned loose 
 upon us ! For some days the bombardment continued 
 most vehemently', but it gradually sul)sided in temper 
 and in rage, until now we hear the explosions in the 
 lower portions of the city among the deserted and inof- 
 fensive buildings, recalling the normal state of the siege. 
 The shells fell all around me — one striking opposite, a 
 little over one hundred yards, and another two doors 
 from my residence. Sitting in my parlor, I could smell 
 tlie 'villainous salt-petre' when the explosion occurred. 
 The proximity was not pleasant, particularly at night 
 when one was disposed, in a somewhat nervous condi- 
 tion, to yield to 
 
 "Tired Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep." 
 
 " These messengers of death have been passing thick 
 and fast among the inhabitants of the city, tearing up 
 the streets ; cutting gas-pipes and plunging us into dark- 
 ness ; thundering against churches and dwellings, and 
 creating generally a great tumult ; but, how few of the 
 citizens have been harmed in their persons ! Yet, what 
 hair-breadth escapes have been made ! 
 
 "I saw, but a few days since, the interior of a gentle- 
 man's residence which a shell had entered ; cutting the 
 tester and passing through the pavilion of his bed, it 
 penetrated the opposite wall and lodged in the adjoining 
 room. Both himself and his wife were in the house at 
 the time and he remains there still. In another instance 
 a similar missile entered a chamber, and passing between 
 the slabs and bed-clothes of a crib in which an infant 
 was lying, left the little creature unhurt, but lost in the 
 convolutions of its bedding !" 
 
 The desolation of this once beautiful city was pain- 
 ful to behold at this period of the war. The writer just 
 quoted thus describes the scene : 
 
 "Passing through the lower wards of the city, 3'ou 
 would be particularly struck with two things : First, the 
 
406 THE GREAT RE^^yAL. 
 
 sad desolation. The elegant mansions and familiar tho- 
 roughfares, once rejoicing in wealth and refinement and 
 the theatre of busy life — the well-known and fondly-che- 
 rished churches, some of them ancient landmarks, where 
 large assemblies were wont to bow at holy altars, and 
 spacious halls that once blazed with light and rang with 
 festal songs, are all deserted, sombre and cheerless ; and 
 this is enhanced by the forbidding aspect of that vast 
 district of the city which was laid in ashes three j'eara 
 ago, and which remains in unmolested ruins as the monu- 
 ment of Charleston's long and dreary pause in the grand 
 march of improvement. Here you perceive her humilia- 
 tion." 
 
 The movements of the army under Gen. Hood were so 
 rapid at this season that there was but little opportunity 
 to conduct religious services. While that army lay near 
 Tuscumbia, Ala., Rev. J. B. McFerrin wrote to the South- 
 ern Christian Advocate giving a sad picture of the results 
 of the war to a once rich and beautiful country : 
 
 " The beautiful Valley of Tennessee is almost a waste. 
 From Decatur to Tuscumbia there are but few planta- 
 tions near the main road which have not been desolated. 
 Many beautiful mansions, with out-houses, cotton-gins, 
 barns, stables, and negro cabins, have been burned. 
 Churches have been committed to the flames, and old 
 La Grange College is laid in ashes. You can scarcely 
 imagine the ruin and devastation that everywhere meet 
 the eye. Now the people, once rich and prosperous, 
 have scarcely bread to eat. 
 
 " What our future movement will be I cannot foretell. 
 There are various conjectures ; some guess one point and 
 some another ; all are in good spirits and hope for some 
 grand result from this extraordinary campaign of Gen. 
 Hood. Time will prove the wisdom of the move ; or, if 
 a failure, no one doubts that it is a bold and extraordi- 
 nary measure to check the enemy. Such has been the 
 rapidity of our marches that we have had scarcely any 
 
AUTUMN AND WINTEK OF 1864-'65. 407 
 
 opportunity for religious services. Many of the chap- 
 lains and missionaries accompany the troops and preach 
 wheu circumstances justify it. At Jacksonville, Ala., 
 we had an interesting season ; we had preaching several 
 nights in succession; several penitents at the alLar, and 
 four were added to the Church. Except a short deten- 
 tion there, we have been on the march almost constantly 
 since the middle of September. When the army goes 
 into winter quarters, if we can have convenient places 
 for worship, we expect a rich harvest of souls." 
 
 The marches and privations of this army were really 
 wonderful, and yet were endured with the greatest hero- 
 ism. In one month the marching averaged twelve miles 
 a day, and the whole distance traversed within thirty 
 days was over four hundred miles. And yet these noble 
 men were longing for the days of peace to come again. 
 "I trust," says one writing from Hood's army, "that 
 jieace begins to dawn even from to-day. The Northern 
 election is over, and God grant that it may bring peace 
 to our distracted country." 
 
 Gen. Hood having moved his army from the vicinity 
 of Atlanta, Gen. Sherman made preparations for his fa- 
 mous march from that city to the Atlantic Coast. In 
 passing through Georgia, the country was laid waste in 
 a track from twenty to thirt}' miles wide. All kinds of 
 stock were killed, and a great deal left on the ground. 
 Provisions of every kind for man and beast were taken ; 
 all means of transportation were destroyed ; and many 
 houses were burned, while in others the furniture was 
 ruthlessly broken to pieces. Gen. Sherman in his march 
 proved his own declaration that " war is cruelty." 
 
 The discipline of war was terrible to the people of the 
 South, but in the end it was beneficial. In the midst of 
 desolation and blood they turned their thoughts to Hira 
 who holds in his hands the destinies of nations, and out 
 of great sufferings the patience and faith of the gospel 
 shone forth in brightness and power. 
 
408 TILE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 The incidents of General Sherman's march were often 
 painful to the last degree. From multitudes of people 
 the last morsel of bread was taken, and in some in- 
 stances delicate women were pushed to the verge of 
 starvation. 
 
 A soldier writing to his father recites a peculiar case 
 of suffering. While on detached service in South Caro- 
 lina he, with several other soldiers, was hospitably en- 
 tertained by an elegant young lad}', who received them 
 in the parlor and gave them a sumptuous meal. '-One 
 of the number passing the same road, after Sherman's 
 hordes had passed over the country, found the same 
 young lady in a hut living on parched corn. He gave 
 her all the provisions his haversack contained. When 
 she received them she burst into tears saying she never 
 would breatlie a prayer to heaven but what he should be 
 remembered." 
 
 A writer from the scene of devastation in Georgia 
 says : 
 
 "They spread desolation broadcast, taking everything 
 in their wa}' in the breadth of about twenty miles. Corn, 
 fodder, meal, flour, horses, mules, hogs, cattle, sheep, 
 poultry of every description, servants that could be en- 
 ticed and forced off, and these in great numbers." 
 
 Strange as it may seem, in the midst of such visita- 
 tions, the hearts of many were softened and turned to 
 God. 
 
 An observant writer said at this period of the struggle : 
 
 '•The privations, sufferings, and bereavements jjro- 
 duced by the war have prepared the minds of thousands 
 to read and understand the Holy Scriptures as they 
 never understood them before. They are studving the 
 sacred volume, the history of ancient wars, and the pro- 
 phetical books of the Bible, with new interest, and learn- 
 ing that it is God who has 'made desolations in the 
 earth,' and who also ' maketh wars to cease unto the end 
 thereof." 
 
AUTUIMN AND WrNTER OF 1864-65. 409 
 
 We have referred to scenes in the prisons North and 
 South where thousands languished and died. In Rich- 
 mond was a prison noted over the whole countr}-. We 
 refer to "The Libby." Here were confined many hun- 
 dreds of Northern soldiers ; to them the gospel was 
 preached by Southern ministers, and may we not hope 
 that some at least found the peace of God in the midst 
 of war? The writer himself had the privilege of offer- 
 ing spiritual consolation to Federal soldiers, sick, wound- 
 ed, and dying, and he rejoices to believe that not a few 
 rested their souls in the last tr3dng hour upon the merits 
 of Christ. 
 
 The following testimony comes from one who was per- 
 sonally^ engaged in the blessed work of leading soldiers 
 on both sides to the fountain of life : 
 
 " In Richmond the Rev. Dr. Woodbridge, of the Prot- 
 estant Episcopal Church, and family (and this was true 
 of other clergymen), were fimnd ready to furnish books, 
 papers, etc., to abate the rigors of prison-life to Federal 
 soldiers in the Libby. One of the chaplains relinquish- 
 ed his other work and devoted himself to visiting and 
 preaching to the officers and soldiers and to ministering 
 to their wants. Tliis was followed up by frequent visits 
 and ministrations of various kinds ; and it is said that 
 all the supplies sent from the North to the prisoners of 
 war were brought about by a chaplain in a North Caro- 
 lina regiment. 
 
 "I have witnessed a scene which I wish I could pho- 
 tograph upon the minds of the friends of soldiers in the 
 North. It was at the Libby prison. Thousands of sol- 
 diers were confined there. The largest upper floor was 
 selected for religious worship. The chaplain of the 6th 
 North Carolina regiment, who had devoted himself to 
 this work, had gathered around him a large throng of 
 these men. Thoy were arranged in semi-circles ; the 
 first rows sat upon the floor, the next were on their 
 knees, the others stood in the rear, so that all could see 
 18 
 
410 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 and hear. In the midst was the chaplain. 'Should you 
 ever be permitted to get back to your friends and homes 
 I wish you to tell it there that we ministers of religion 
 in the South came to you here, not to upbraid j-ou with 
 invading our homes, but to comfort and cheer you in 
 your present uncomfortable condition ; and it will be my 
 study to avoid saying anything that can be so construed 
 as to give you pain. I stand among 3'ou as but a poor 
 representative of the Southern people. If others were 
 here in my place they would win your hearts by their 
 loving words, and your minds by the wisdom of their 
 counsels ; but as it falls to my lot to address you, let 
 me tell you the plain and simple story of Him who once 
 came a long way and suffered much in order to speak 
 words of life and love and hope to those who were all 
 their lifetime in bondage through fear of death, and to 
 break their bonds asunder and set them free ; yes, and. 
 to place them in a land of peace and plenty, where there 
 shall be no more war.' It would be impossible to recall 
 the words spoken ; but the emotions of these men as 
 they listened to words of life and love and home amid 
 scenes of death and war, emotions that flashed in every 
 feature of their countenances, and the wondrous earnest- 
 ness and power of their song as thej^ all joined in when 
 the address was ended — 
 
 "Lo ! what a cloud of witnesses encompass us around : 
 Men once like us with suffering tried, but now with glory 
 crowned" — 
 these are still fresh in my recollection. I am the only 
 one living Wiat witnessed that scene ; Lieutenant Sceva, 
 Captain May, and all tliose officers and men, are now 
 dead." 
 
 The life of a Cliristian, whether in peace or war, 
 should be a life hid with Christ in God ; the death ot 
 a Cliristian in peace or war is but a translation to a 
 higher life in heaven. Let us look at the proof of the 
 power of grace as given in this period by our dying sol- 
 
AUTUMN AND WINTER OF 1864-65. 411 
 
 fliers. Lieut. J. P. Duncan fell at his post near Peters- 
 burg, Va. '* His last noble act was to distribute a pack- 
 age of tracts to his men on the subject of heaven. He 
 stepped on a log in rear of his guns to look at the ene- 
 my's movements, and was instantl}^ killed." William 
 Smith Patterson, of the Palmetto Sharpshooters, was a 
 noble soldier of Christ and of his country. Colonel 
 Walker, his commander, wrote to his mother : 
 
 "Your son was a gallant young man, and fell bravely 
 doing his duty in the foremost ranks while engaging the 
 enemy. He was never found lacking in his duty either 
 as a soldier or Christian. He was shot through the 
 body, and died almost instantly." 
 
 "When I told her," says Dr. Whitefoord Smith, "the 
 sad tidings, her first words were, ' Glory ! glory ! glory ! 
 The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed 
 be the name of the Lord. I know he is safe, and I 
 would not have him back if I could by asking.' " 
 
 Such were the mothers whose sons upheld the banner 
 of the South. 
 
 Sergeant Alfred L. Robertson, of the 12th Georgia 
 regiment, fell in one of the battles in the Valley of Vir- 
 ginia. He was a Christian from childhood. "He told 
 me," says a friend, " as he lay dying upon the battle- 
 field, that he knew his time had come and he was will- 
 ing to go, feeling that all was bright, desiring only some- 
 thing to alleviate his suffering until his spirit should 
 wing its way to the realms of the blessed." 
 
 Captain Henry F. Parks and Captain Wesley F. Parks 
 were sons of Rev. W. J. P.arks, of Georgia. The former 
 was converted at eight years, the latter at thirteen ; both 
 entered the Confederate army and fought gallantly. 
 Wesley died of disease — Henry b}'^ the bullet. 
 
 " When he was stricken down upon the battle-field he 
 begged his comrades to leave him and to take care of 
 themselves, for he felt sure that he had received his 
 'last furlough.' Said he, 'Tell my father and friends 
 
412 THE giii:at hevival. 
 
 that I died praying.' " They were buried on the same 
 day. 
 
 Andrew J. Peed, of the 59th Georgia, received four 
 wounds in a charge ; he lived five hours, and then fell 
 asleep in Jesus. " Just before his death he said, ' Fare- 
 well, boys ;' and he requested a fellow-soldier to tell his 
 wife that he was ready to die, and happily ended earth'^ 
 toilsome journey." 
 
 We might largely multiply such scenes, but these are 
 enough to show the faith of our believing soldiers in the 
 dying hour. And their testimony was not given, be it 
 remembered, in their peaceful homes, with kind friends 
 and kindred ministering around them, but on the blood- 
 stained battle-field, or in the close" and cheerless hos- 
 pital, far from the scenes of their childhood, and often 
 in the midst of strangers. But the Friend that sticketli 
 closer than a brother was near, and his words were 
 sweeter to them than even the memories of home. 
 
 In the close of this 3'ear (1864) the revival power was 
 as great, perhaps greater, among our soldiers than at any 
 previous period. A writer from that part of the army 
 stationed in East Tennessee says : 
 
 " Not a meeting is held by the chaplains of the differ- 
 ent commands but what they have large assemblies of 
 soldiers in attendance ; and when the invitation is ex- 
 tended to those who desire an interest in the prayers 
 of the Christians, many are seen pressing through the 
 crowded throng and bowing humbly on the cold, damp 
 ground, with but the broad, blue sky for a covering 
 What scenes — resembling so strongly the great re- 
 vival periods of the early pioneer settlements. The 
 eloquent voice of tlie minister, the heavy sighing of the 
 penitent, and the deep melancholy spirit of the soldier- 
 audience, is a scene for the artist, and one of no small 
 moment. Not an evening passes by but what there can 
 be seen here and there gathered together small clumps 
 of soldiers singing sacred songs, and occasionally send- 
 
AUTUMN AND AVINTKIl OF 1864-65. 413 
 
 ing up an humble prayer to heaven. The idle jester, 
 and he who wouhl make light of their romantic worsliip, 
 stand in awe, and refrain from saying anything that 
 would tend to mortify or molest their feelings. How 
 often do we hear the expression, not alone from the 
 3^oung, but the aged soldier, as the crowded throng dis- 
 perses and they go winding their way to their respective 
 commands, that, ' I am determined to live a better life 
 and move in conformity with the Christian Church,' etc." 
 
 Up to Januar}', 1865, it was estimated that nearly one 
 hundred and Jiffy thoiisavd soldiers had been converted 
 during the progresr, of the war, and it was believed that 
 fully one-third of all the soldiers in the field were pray- 
 ing men and members of some branch of the Christian 
 Church. A large proportion of the higher officers were 
 men of faith and pra3^er, and many others, though not 
 professedly religious, were moral and respectful to all 
 the religious services and confessed tlie value of the re- 
 vival in promoting the efficiency of the array. 
 
 As the cloud of war in mid-winter grew thicker and 
 darker over the Confederacy the zeal and faith of the 
 chaplains and missionaries increased. In Petersburg, in 
 December, a meeting was held in which Rev. Dr. Arm- 
 strong, Rev. L. C. Vass, Rev. Dr. Pryor, Rev. J. Wm. 
 Jones, and Rev. J. C. Granbery, with other faithful la- 
 borers, participated. The object was to form an Associ- 
 ation of Chaplains and Missionaries for the purpose of 
 conducting more systematically the work of grace among 
 the war-worn veterans. Dr. Armstrong preached an ap- 
 propriate sermon from the words, "The entrance of thy 
 words giveth light ; it giveth understanding to the sim- 
 ple." They agreed to hold regular monthly meetings, 
 and at these reports of the work in each brigade and in 
 the hospitals were to be presented and read — all neces- 
 sary measures taken to promote the cause of religion 
 throughout the arm3^ Along these lines of defence in 
 the last months of the war the work of grace was pow- 
 
41i THE GREAT RKVFAKL. 
 
 ftrful, and many a noble soldier pressed into the Iving- 
 dom. 
 
 A soldier gives a picture of the Church in the army : 
 " A stranger to pass along our lines here would con- 
 clude we were a very religious people. lie would see 
 commodious churches every six or eight hundred yards. 
 They are made of logs, of course. To save labor and 
 heat they are three or four feet below the surface. The 
 congregation is well and comfortably seated. Praj'cr- 
 raeetings are held twice generally during the week, and 
 preaching twice on Sabbath. Young Men's Christian 
 Associations are organized. I understand that the As- 
 sociation near us attached to Corse's brigade haA'e in- 
 vited many distinguished gentlemen to lecture before it 
 tliis winter, and that there is a prospect of success in 
 the worthy enterprise. The great theme will be the 
 twin duties — Piety and Patriotism. These are noble 
 subjects. The world furnishes manj'^ splendid illustra- 
 tions for the speakers, and thej'^ will use them with ef- 
 fect I doubt not. Thank God, in our own short history 
 we can furnish noble examples of both these cardinal 
 virtues. Our cause has been already baptized in the 
 blood of Christian patriots." 
 
SPUING OF 1865. 415 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 SPRING OF 1865. 
 
 We are near the end of the tremendous struggle for 
 Southern independence. 
 
 In the last month of winter the famous Hampton Roads' 
 Conference was held between President Lincoln and the 
 Southern Commissioners. The only terms offered were 
 unconditional submision to the Federal authorities, and 
 it proved an utter failure. In Richmond gloom and anxi- 
 ety filled the minds of the people. The noble army of 
 Gen. Lee, reduced to thirty thousand men, had a line 
 forty miles long in front of Gen. Grant, with his splen- 
 didly equipped force of a hundred and fifty thousand 
 men. Gen. Johnston, in command of the remnant of 
 Hood's army and portions of other forces, could count 
 only twenty-five thousand men to confront forty thou- 
 sand, fliisb.ed with victory, moving from th^> South under 
 Gen. Sherman. 
 
 In the midst of disasters, and under the thickening 
 gloom of war clouds, the people of the South lifted up 
 their voice to Him that ruleth the nations. The Presi- 
 dent, in accordance with a resolution of the Confederate 
 Congress, appointed the 10th day of March as a day of 
 fasting, humiliation, and prayer, with thanksgiving. In 
 the spirit of a Christian patriot he addressed his procla- 
 mation to the suffering 'peoi)le of the Confederate States : 
 
 "It is our solemn duty, at all times, and more espe- 
 cially in a season of public trial and adversity, to ac- 
 knowledge our dependence on His mercy, and to bow in 
 humble submission before His footstool, confessing our 
 manifold sins, supplicating His gracious pardon, implor- 
 ing His divine help, and devoutly rendering thanks for 
 
416 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 the many and great blessings which he has vouchsafed 
 to us. 
 
 "Let the hearts of our people turn contritely and 
 trustfully unto God ; let us recognize in his chastening 
 hand the correction of a Father, and submissively pray 
 that the trials and sufferings which have so long borne 
 heavily upon us may be turned away by his merciful 
 love ; that his sustaining grace be given to our peo- 
 ple, and his Divine wisdom imparted to our rulers ; that 
 the Lord of Hosts will be with our armies, and fight for 
 us against our enemies ; and that he will graciously take 
 our cause into his own hand and mercifully establish 
 for us a lasting,* just, and honorable peace and indepen- 
 dence. 
 
 "And let us not forget to render unto his holy name 
 the thanks and praise which are so justly due for his 
 great goodness, and for the many mercies which he has 
 extended to us am.id the trials and sufferings of pro- 
 tracted and bloody war." 
 
 To this earnest call there came a response from all 
 parts of the South. In the churches, in the hospitals, in 
 the camps and in the trenches, thousands bowed in hum- 
 ble prayer for the blessing and mercy of God. 
 
 And, as in earlier periods of the war, many of the 
 brightest examples of endurance and faith were found 
 in the army. The anchor of hope held more securely as 
 the storm increased. The serene courage and perfect 
 trust of Christian soldiers were the richest legacies of 
 those gloomy days. The Rev. Thomas A. Ware, of the 
 M E. Church, South, who labored with untiring zeal as 
 a Chaplain in the army of Northern Virginia, gives a 
 vivid picture of a scene after a day of blood. In the 
 midst of the surgeon's work, as he spoke to the sufferers 
 stretched upon the ground, his ear caught the soft mur- 
 mur of prayer. 
 
 "I turned," he says, "to catch the words. I &aw one 
 form bent over another, prostrata on the grass, until the 
 
SPRING OF 1865. 417 
 
 lips of the suppliant nearly touched the pale face of the 
 sufferer. 'Oh, precious Redeemer!' he said, 'we thank 
 thee for thy abounding grace, which of late brought him 
 from the ways of folly and sin to know and love thee, 
 and that now makes this dark hour the brightest of his 
 'life Be thou graciously with him to the end. Merci- 
 • fully pour into the hearts of his dear ones at home the 
 balm of thy love and, sweetly resigning them to thy will, 
 bring them all at last to meet him in heaven.' The 
 prayer was ended. 'Amen,' murmured the faded lips. 
 The Chaplain recognized me, and gave me an introduc- 
 tion to the dying man. 'I trust you are a Christian, my 
 friend,' said I, 'and that even now you are resigned and 
 happy.' ' Oh, yes,' he said. ' I entered the army a 
 wicked man, but I must tell you now of the influence of 
 a good sister. Will you please unroll my knapsack, sir, 
 and get me a letter lying on my clothes? I wish you to 
 read it to me. I have often read it, but you will be so 
 kind as to read it to me now.' I obeyed. The touching 
 appeal for patriotism and piety, especially the entreaties 
 for the latter, couched in all the tender sentiments of a 
 sister's love, evoked frequent ejaculations of prayer that 
 ' God would reward and bless her forever.' ' Oh, sir,' he 
 said, ' her precious letters have proven my salvation. 
 Thank God for such a sister.' Soon after the manly 
 form lay cold and stiff on the ground, and the spirit, 
 leaving the impress of its rapture on the upturned face, 
 went with the angels to heaven to await the coming of 
 its best beloved." 
 
 Not only the veterans, but the boys, died in faith and 
 glorious hope. 
 
 "As I walked over a battle-field," says a writer, "I 
 found an interesting boy, who was rolled in his blanket, 
 and resting his head against a stump. He had been 
 fearfully wounded through the lungs ; his breath came 
 painfully ; and his broken arm hung helplessly at his 
 side. His lips were pallid from loss of blood, and it 
 
418 TILE GREAT KEVIVAL. 
 
 seemed as though such pain and exhaustion would quick- 
 ly wear his life away. I said : 
 
 " ' My dear boy, you are severely wounded.' 
 
 " ' Yes ; I am going to die.' 
 
 " ' Wouldn't you like to have me write to your mother?' 
 
 " ' O yes ! I do,' he eagerly said ; ' you will write to 
 her, won't you? Tell my mother I have read my Testa-, 
 ment and put all my trust in the Lord. Tell her to meet 
 me in heaven, and my brother Charlie too. I am not 
 afraid to die.' 
 
 "And then, exhausted by the. effort, the head fell back 
 and the eyes closed again. Several soldiers had gather- 
 ed about, attracted by the patient heroism of the boy ; 
 and that sermon from those white lips wa,s a swift wit- 
 ness to tliem of the power of the religion of Jesus. 
 Strong men turned away to hide their tears as they saw 
 that young soul, strengthened and cheered in its agony 
 by the hopes of the gospel. It was not hard to assure 
 him of Christ's love and remembrance, and lead him still 
 closer to the Cross. At length the eyes opened again : 
 
 " ' Tell my mother that I was brave, that I never flinched 
 a bit.' " 
 
 We cannot forbear to record a rare instance of the 
 devotion of a soldier to the spiritual welfare of his com- 
 rades in his last hours : 
 
 "W. E. Howard, of Douglass' Battery, a soldier from 
 Texas," says Dr. J, B. McFerrin, "was converted in one 
 of our revivals in the army and became an active, zeal- 
 ous Christian. During one of the fights last fall he was 
 mortally wounded. Before his death he requested his 
 effects converted into cash and applied to the cause of 
 Christianity in the Army of Tennessee, especially in cir- 
 culating religious reading among the soldiers. Lieu- 
 tenant Harden thinks when all is realized thex-e will 
 be about eight hundred or one thousand dollars to dis- 
 pose of in this wa3^" 
 
 Of all who adhered most firmly to our cause in the 
 
SPUING OF 1865. 419 
 
 darkly closing days of the struggle, the women of the 
 South have tlie noblest record. By their letters from 
 homes, where they were pinched with want, tbe}' infused 
 just courage into the hearts of fathers, husbands, and 
 brothers, and held many a desponding soldier to the post 
 of duty. The same writer, from whom we have quoted, 
 says : 
 
 '"If I were to go home without leave,' said a Colonel 
 to me yesterday, 'my loip, tliough I am sure as anxious 
 to see me as it is possible I should be to get home, would 
 send me back.' You are right, sir, 'tis home influences 
 that make us, under God, what we are. If a man falter, 
 they at home are apt to be responsible. Depression is 
 rather reflected from home on the army than from the 
 army home. 
 
 '"You know the circumstances,' said an enraged sol- 
 dier to me as to 'a father confessor,' asking my advice as 
 to a rash act to which he felt he had justifiable provoca- 
 tion. 'Do 3'ou think my dear wife would think any the 
 less of me if I did it?' ' She may not censure,' I replied, 
 * but she must regret. The heart of your dear wife would 
 perhaps cling to you even in folly and crime, but yoii 
 may bre ik that heart.' The appeal was sufficient. 'Sir,' 
 said he, 'I'll take your advice — I'll desist.'" 
 
 The women of the South were never happier than 
 when serving the soldiers. On ever^' great highway 
 there were open houses for the wearj'', wounded, hungry, 
 and footsore, where rest, and food to the ver}' last quart 
 of meal and pound of meat, were freely tendered. 
 Speaking of what he saw at " Sunshine," the residence 
 of Bishop George F. Pierce, near Sparta, Ga., Dr. E. H. 
 Myers says : 
 
 '•Bishop Pierce keeps the apostolic rule that a Bishop 
 must be a ' lover of hospitality,' in which good work he 
 is nobly seconded by a wife whose time seems almost 
 wholly given to providing for the weary, wayfaring sol- 
 dier. While I was at ' Sunshine,' the current of travel 
 
420 THE GREAT REVIVAL. 
 
 tad somewhat slacked, j'^et, even then, the callers were 
 at the rate of from twenty to thirty a day. Tired sol- 
 diers, wounded soldiers, want a shelter for the night; 
 hungry soldiers want a lunch or a full merd ; si;k sol- 
 diers want a glass of milk, or some little <lelieacy ; and 
 these wants recur, not at regular meal-time, but at all 
 hours of the day, and sometimes of the night. And the 
 applicants are not denied. What though tlie cooli is at 
 work, with extra help, all day? The supply of prepared 
 food must be kept up, and every needj' case must receive 
 attention. And thus has it been at ' Sunshine" since No- 
 vember, and thus must it be until another route for travel 
 is opened." Such scenes were daily repeated in thou- 
 sands of Southern homes. 
 
 Tlie truly devout spirit that pervaded the armies of the 
 South in the last da3's of the war could not be more fully 
 shown than in the following resolutions adopted by Ben- 
 ning's, lirj-an's, Wofford's, Anderson's, and Evans', bri- 
 gades of Georgia troops : 
 
 "Resolved, 1st. That we hereby acknowledge the sin- 
 fulness of our past, conduct as a just and sufficient 
 ground for the displeasure of Almighty God; and that, 
 earnestl}' repenting of our sins, we are determined, by 
 his grace, to wincnd our lives for the future ; and, in 
 earnest supplication to God, through the mediation of 
 his Son, Jesus Christ, we implore the forgiveness of our 
 sins and seek the Divine favor and protection. 
 
 " Resolved, 2nd. Tiiat we earnestly and sincerely re- 
 quest our friends in Georgia to remember us in all their 
 supplications at a throne of grace : praying that we may 
 be enabled to continue steadfast in the foregoing resolve ; 
 that we may secure, through Divine grace, the salvation 
 of our souls ; that God may preserve our lives through 
 the coming campaign, nerve our arms in freedom's con- 
 test, and crown our labors, privations, and toils, with 
 Southern independence, peace, and prospcrit}-." 
 
 "These resolutions,"' says Rev. T. B. Harden, ' were 
 
SPRING OF 1865. 421 
 
 unanimously adopted in every instance except one, and 
 then there was but one vote in the negative.'* 
 
 The same spirit animated a large majority of the sol- 
 diers in otlier armies of the Confederacy, as they nobly 
 stood with daily decreasing numbers in the darkly clos- 
 ing daj's of the war. Richmond, the centre of the strug- 
 gle, was destined soon to hear tlie tramp of tlie last reg- 
 iment of Southern soldiers as they departed southward 
 across her burning bridges. A picture of tlie cit}' at this 
 period will not be out of place. As the capital of the 
 Confederac}^ it was the point to which all eyes were 
 turned. The various government offices added thousands 
 to the population. Refugees crowded in from all parts 
 of the State and from other States, until her population 
 readied to nigh a hundred thousand'. Nearly every 
 dwelling-house was packed from cellar to garret. Feau- 
 tiful women, refined and educated, and accustomed to 
 all the luxuries of life, cleaned their own rooms, cooked 
 their own meals, and endured all the privations of war 
 with a patience, cheerfulness, and courage unsurpassed 
 in the histor}' of any people. A writer, from the midst 
 of the scenes he describes, sa3's : 
 
 "All the government departments are filled with fair 
 workers. The most accomplished find employment in 
 the "War, Post Office, Commissary, and otlier departments 
 requiring recording clerks, while others labor in the 
 clothing and other inferior bureaus. Even the govern- 
 ment telegraph office has its fair bevy of fair operators. 
 Those who cannot obtain such positions as are men- 
 tioned betake themselves to the Confederate laboratory, 
 or if no government employment can be had, turn a will- 
 ing hand to any business which can earn them an honor- 
 able support. Not one of this vast crowd of refugee 
 ladies is to be seen at the doors of the charitable insti- 
 tutions of Richmond. With a self-reliance which reaches 
 sublimity, they depend wholly upon their own exertions 
 in their hour of need. 
 18a 
 
422 THE GREAT RE\aVAL. 
 
 "Many of these ladies are the descendants of the 
 Masons, Henrj's, Tylers, Tazewells, Randolphs, "NVythes, 
 Pres'tons, McDowells, Smythes, Paxtons, and other fam- 
 ilies of the Old Dominion, whose names are historic. 
 Tlieir ancestral homes are desolate or in ruins. Fire 
 and sword, shot and shell, have made homes once bloom- 
 ing gardens of beauty, a blackened desolation. But 
 there are no tears shed by the fair beings wlio are re- 
 duced to poverty. Tliey thinli tliat from woman's lips 
 bhould fall no murmur of complaint while soldiers brave 
 all the hardships of war, in defence of the Old Common- 
 wealth and lier si-ter States of tlie Confederacy." 
 
 The condition of the Confederacy at this time cannot 
 be conceived of by any one who did not live there as an 
 actor in the bloody drama, now so near its close. The 
 Federal armies drew nearer to the coveted Capital and 
 to all the important lines of communication with the 
 sister States of the South. They were daily growing 
 stronger, while General Lee's army was daily growing 
 weaker. The lait desperate resolve was to ask the own- 
 ers of slaves to send them to the camps of instruction 
 to be drilled for soldiers. The proportion called for was 
 twenty-five per cent, of all the male slaves between the 
 ages of 18 and 45 in each State. . General orders were 
 issued relative to the treatment of the^e slave fcoMiers. 
 The officers were ordered "to be-^tow humane atten ion 
 to whatever concerned their health, comfort, and discip- 
 line — to a uniform observance of kindness and forbear- 
 ance in their treatment, and to protect them from injus- 
 tice and oppression." No s^lave was to be accepted as a 
 recruit, unless with the owner's consent, by written in- 
 strument, confirming, as far as he might, the rights of 
 freemen. But at the late perio \ of tlie war when this 
 scheme was adopted it was not possible to put it into 
 execution, and it may be well doubted whether at an 
 earlier date it would have been successful. 
 
 The evident purpose of General Grant lo move his 
 
SPRING OF 1865. 423 
 
 left wing far enough to the south of Petersburg to cut 
 General Lee's most valuable railroad line induced the 
 Confederate leader to attack the Federals on tlieir right, 
 near the Appomattox river. The Confederates assaulted 
 with their usual valor, and carried two lines of works and 
 one or two heavy forts, but the Federals massed their 
 artillery', and poured in so terrible an enfilading fire as to 
 compel a speedy evacuation of the captured lines. Five 
 Forks, fought on the first of April, compelled the evacu- 
 ation of Petersburg and Richmond. 
 
 General Lee dispatched to President Davis that his 
 lines had been hopelessly broken, and that the city 
 should be immediately evacuated. This sad news was 
 received b}^ the President as he sat in his pew on Sun- 
 day morning in St. Pauls church. That night he left 
 the city with the members of his Cabinet and the at- 
 taches of the several departments and retired to Dan- 
 ville. From that place he issued a stirring proclama- 
 tion urging the Southern people to show that they were 
 no less able to endure misfortune with fortitude than to 
 encounter danger with courage. In a few hours after the 
 departure of the government Richmond was in flames, 
 and "all the hopes of the Southern Confederacy were 
 consumed in one da^^ as a scroll in the fire.*' In the 
 midst of the awful conflagration the Federal troops 
 marched in and gazed upon the funeral pile of Southern 
 hopes. 
 
 In the meanwhile General Lee, with the remnant of 
 his arm3% was struggling through deep and miry roads 
 towards F'armville. 
 
 He hoped to be able to reach Danville and establish a 
 new defensive line along the Roanoke and Dan rivers, 
 but the Federals, fresh and well-equipped, moving rap- 
 idly with heavy cavalry forces by parallel roads on his 
 left, cut off that line of retreat, and the only alterna- 
 tive was to push directly to Lynchburg. The dispirited, 
 weary and famished Confederates dropped out of ranks 
 
424 TIIE GREAT REATVAL. 
 
 constantly as their lines straggled along tlie wretched 
 roads, until less than ten tI:oasand remained when they 
 reached Appomattox Courthouse. Bat the^'' stood ready 
 in their pitiable condition to give battle at the signal of 
 their Chief to the powerful army that was closing around 
 them. 
 
 Those who were of that band of heroes know with what 
 bitterness of grief they learned that their last line of re- 
 treat was cut off, and that the leader whom they loved as 
 children love a father, rather than spill their blood in 
 vain, had determined to surrender the fragment of the 
 Army of Northern Virginia. Strong men sat down and 
 cried like children ; some, it is said, stuck their swords 
 into the ground and snapped them asunder, while not a 
 few made ready to escape through the closing lines of the 
 Federals, for the purpose of joining the forces of Gen. 
 Johnston in North Carolina. 
 
 The impression made upon the minds of the P'ederal 
 officers and soldiers is given in tbe following extract 
 from an oration before the Society of tbe Army of the 
 Potomac, delivered by General Stewart L. Woodford, of 
 New York : 
 
 " The morning crept slowly on — first into gra}* dawn, 
 then into ros}^ flush. Still on ! Still on ! The mist crept 
 upward and into line you wheeled, and on your musket 
 lay down, each man in place, to get scant rest, which, 
 even in terrible marching, j'ou neither sought nor heeded. 
 You were squarely across Lee's front, and had closed for- 
 ever his last line of retreat. 
 
 " The enemy, reaching your cavalry advance, saw the 
 serried line of Union troopers. Gordon gathered and 
 massed his men for their last charge. Tattered and 
 hungry, worn by ceaseless marching and fighting with no 
 hope of victory, with little possible hope of escape, they 
 closed their lines with fidelity of discipline and soldierly 
 resolution, to which words can do little justice, but which 
 each soldier's heart must recognize and honor. 
 
SPRING OF 18G5. 425 
 
 "As the old guard closed around their Emperor at 
 "Waterloo, so those men closed around the flags of their 
 lost cause. My heart abliors their treason. But it warms 
 beyond restraint to their manhood so grandly brave, 
 even in disloyalty. Slowly they advanced to their last 
 attack. No battle yell, no crack of the skirmisher's 
 rifle broke the strange stillness of that Sabbath morn. 
 Steadily, silently they came when Sheridan drew bacli 
 his horsemen, as parts some mighty curtain, and there 
 stood the close formed battalions of infantry, the cannon 
 gleaming in t!ie openings, quietly awaiting the coming 
 of Gordon's men. 
 
 " Instinctively your enemy halted. Meanwhile Lee 
 has turned back to meet Grant and surrendered his com- 
 mand. Sheridan swung his cavalry around npon Gor- 
 don's left and was about to charge, when Custer reached 
 Longstreet. Assurance of surrender was given, and the 
 end bad come. 
 
 " The Sabbath day, with tears and in sorrow, Southern 
 men folded the banners of the 'Lost Cause,' and their 
 Ivavest and best sought honorably to bury them from 
 sight forever. 
 
 *' How sad it is that poor ambitions, jealousies of race, 
 the wretched greed of pelf and place, and the miserable 
 hates of social rivalries should so often disturb the hearty 
 reconciliation of that surrender, and for a time revive the 
 bitterness which you then sought to bury in a common 
 grave." 
 
 The interview between Generals Grant and Lee has 
 often been described. "We give the following from Gen. 
 George H. Sharp, who was a member of General Grant's 
 staff, and who witnessed the scene : 
 
 " They met in the parlor of a small brown house Gen. 
 Grant sat in a rocking chair, not appearing to the best 
 advantage, as he was without his sword, and his coat was 
 buttoned up so carelessly that buttons and button-holes 
 were in the wrong places. Lee sat proud and majestic, 
 
426 THE GUEAT KKVIVAL. 
 
 dressed in a new uniform that he probably then wore 
 for the first time, every particle of his dress neat and sol- 
 dier-like, down to the well-polished spurs. Grant apolo- 
 gized for not being equipped, having ridden out without 
 his sword. Lee bore himself with composure, and be- 
 trayed his agitation only when the roar of 400 guns pro- 
 claimed the victory of the Union. Then General Lee 
 glanced reproachfull}' toward Grant, as though to say, 
 • You might have spared me this.' " 
 
 The news of General Lee's surrender reached Mr. 
 Davis at Danville on the 10th of April. He went thence 
 to Greensboro, North Carolina, where he met Generals 
 Johnston and Beauregard, both of whom assured him 
 that in their judgment it was useless to continue the 
 struggle. The surrender of General Johnston followed 
 a few days after this interview, and all resistance to the 
 Federal armies east of the Mississippi ceased. The 
 army west of that river, under General Kirby Smith, 
 soon after laid down its arras, and the great civil war 
 was ended. 
 
 It is a noteworthy fact, and one that speaks w^l 
 for the character of the American people, that the sol- 
 diers on both sides returned so quietly to the pursuits 
 of a peaceful life after the disbanding of the armies. 
 Throughout the South "almost every cross road," says 
 an eminent writer, " witnessed the separation of com- 
 rades in arms, who had long shared the perils and priva- 
 tions of a terrible struggle, now seeking their homes to 
 resume their pursuits as peaceful citizens. Endeared to 
 each other by their ardent love for a common cause, their 
 wordfl of parting, few and brief, were words of warm, fra- 
 ternal affection ; pledges of endless regard, and mutual 
 promises to meet again. 
 
 In closing our narrative the question arises, were the 
 fruits of the army revivals enduring ? To this question 
 thousands can this day, more than twelve years after the 
 banners of the South were furled, give an emphatic affirm- 
 
SPRING OF 18G5. 427 
 
 ative response. In all the churches of the South there 
 are earnest, devout and active Christians, who date their 
 spiritual birth from some revival in Virginia, in the West, 
 or in the far South. And before them vividly'- rises tlie 
 rude camp church, the gathering throngs from the various 
 commands, the hearty singing, the simple and earnest 
 prayers, the tender appeals of the loved chaplain, urging 
 all who stand on the perilous edge of battle to fly for re- 
 fuge to the Friend of sinners, the responsive approach to 
 the place of prayer, the sobs, the groans, the tears of men 
 who could look steadil}' into the cannon's mouth, tlie 
 bright faces, the shouts and hand-shaking, and embraces 
 of new-born souls — these are the bright spots to which 
 memory returns and delights to dwell upon in that dark 
 period that drenched the land in blood and put a load of 
 grief upon every household. 
 
 Strange as it may seem to many readers, the call to 
 preach the gospel of Christ came to the hearts of the 
 men of war on the tented field ; and no sooner were their 
 carnal weapons laid aside than they buckled on the Di- 
 vine armor, and, seizing the sword of the Spirit, entered 
 the battle against the powers of darkness. In this we 
 find one of the strongest proofs of the genuineness of 
 the Arm}' Revival. Truly, its fruits are still enduring. 
 Thousands who were participants in that glorious and, to 
 some, strange work, have passed the flood of death and 
 are seen no more among men, but the seed they sowed 
 in trench and camp and hospital, in the bivouac, and on 
 the weary march, was watered from above and has borne 
 a rich harvest. And may we not hope that the full frui- 
 tion of this work is to be realized in that era of peace 
 and good will which is even now descending upon our 
 common country ? 
 

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