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A MEMORIAL 
 
 Lieut, Franklin Butler Crosby, 
 
 OF THK FGCKTH REijIMKXT C. S. AKTIU.EKY, 
 
 WHO WAS KILLED AT CHAJTCELLORSVII.LE, VA.. 
 MA/ 3, L863. 
 
 ; 
 
 Brwf, bra' e, and giorioo? was- his yoitg career. : 
 
 AJXSOJX 13. IP. RANDOLPH, 
 6 S 3 BROADWAY. 
 
 tf'O £> ~ 
 
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 A*, 
 
 Entored, according to Act of Congress, in the year 18o"4, by 
 
 ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH, 
 
 ,1 the Clerk's OfhVe of the District Court of the United 
 States for the Southern District of New-York.. 
 
 2 i I 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 The patriot's devotion to his country 
 ranks only next to the Christian's de- 
 votion to his Lord ; and when patriotic 
 ardor is vitalized by Christian faith, it 
 must impart a true heroic beauty to the 
 character, which will render it illustrious 
 in any sphere of life. TTe who in these 
 days are paying so terrible a price for 
 national existence have constant need to 
 keep in mind the grand moral meaning 
 of our struggle, and to realize the tone 
 and spirit which animates our sons and 
 brothers in their endurance unto death. 
 Certainty, one of the marked features 
 of our historic era is the readiness with 
 which the young men of the loyal States 
 
Introduction. 
 
 have comprehended its real import, and 
 the alacrity with which they have arisen 
 to meet the grand emergency. 
 
 While politicians wavered, and old 
 men trembled before the coming shock, 
 our heroic youth saw with clear intui- 
 tion the line of duty, and rising in 
 mighty multitudes, pledged the ardor 
 of their brave and loyal hearts to the 
 rescue and salvation of the country. 
 
 It is impossible for any candid mind 
 to mistake the spirit which has inspired 
 their voluntary sacrifices. An innate love 
 for military service has had as little to 
 do with it as the mere mercenary mo- 
 tive which, in other lands, often trans- 
 forms the citizen into the soldier, solely 
 that he may escape the ills of poverty. 
 The most favored sons of fortune, the 
 educated and refined, have accepted their 
 portion in this bloody baptism as cheer- 
 fully as those to whom hardship was 
 
Introduction. 
 
 familiar, and life an uncertain and ad- 
 venturous quest. 
 
 The explanation can be found only in 
 the wholesome influence of our free in- 
 stitutions, and in that wide diffusion of 
 Christian principle which has taught 
 our youth that loyalty and truth and 
 righteousness are always to be pre- 
 ferred to selfish ease and a material 
 prosperity. Not useless to the nation 
 in its time of sorest need have been the 
 painful labors of the Church of Christ. 
 Our Sabbaths sanctified, our Sunday- 
 schools established far and wide, our 
 glorious revivals sweeping across the 
 land, with all the inspiration of a higher 
 life, have been the means, under God, 
 of lifting our generation to the heights 
 of moral principle, on which alone the 
 crisis could be met, and the struggle 
 sustained, until its victorious consum- 
 mation. A Christian heroism has been. 
 
Introduction. 
 
 in a large degree, the main spring of this 
 mighty movement, and has called forth 
 these loyal bands to guard the liberties 
 their fathers won — knowing full well 
 the cost, and willing to pay it down in 
 rivers of blood, for the grand recom- 
 pense. 
 
 To recognize this unshrinking valor 
 in our youth, and to bless God for its 
 well-timed display, is the spontaneous 
 impulse of every loyal heart. To send 
 amid their shattered ranks the nation's 
 blessing, to minister to their mutilated 
 bodies, in camp and hospital, by the 
 sympathy and practical relief they need, 
 and to place over their lowly graves the 
 record of a gratitude that shall endure 
 while memory survives — this is the 
 duty which we owe them, in the pre- 
 cious interest of liberty — in the sacred 
 name of Christ. 
 
 Evidently, then, nothing can be more 
 
Introduction. 
 
 fitting than to perpetuate, in a perma- 
 nent expression, the moral lineaments 
 and life-work of those who have fallen 
 in this glorious service. We rejoice in 
 those contributions to our " living liter- 
 ature," which have already made the 
 lives of Frazer Stearns, Adjutant Bacon, 
 Sergeant Thompson, and Chaplain Ful- 
 ler a continuous power for lofty impulse 
 and self-sacrifice among us. 
 
 The name inscribed on this memorial 
 is a fit companion for the noblest of 
 these martyrs for liberty and Union. 
 
 Circumstances which need not be here 
 detailed have as yet prevented an elabo- 
 rate and finished record of his life ; but 
 for the sake of a large circle of sorrow- 
 ing friends — and it is also hoped for 
 public interest and profit — the follow- 
 ing pages have been put in print. 
 
 They consist chiefly of the addresses 
 made at the funeral, in the Mercer street 
 
8 Introduction. 
 
 Church, New-York, to which his re- 
 mains had been brought for the last 
 offices of religion, where, on the twen- 
 tieth of May, a large congregation gath- 
 ered to honor his precious memory. 
 
 Imperfectly as these published frag- 
 ments can set forth the beauty and de- 
 votion of this young life, so courageous- 
 ly surrendered at the behest of duty, 
 they may avail to add one more voice 
 to the many witnesses who, from the 
 churchyards and cemeteries of our land, 
 proclaim the heroism of our young men, 
 and the value of the institutions thus 
 loyally defended to the death. Hallow- 
 ing their memories, perpetuating their 
 spirit, cherishing in our heart of hearts 
 the cause they loved so well, let those 
 who still survive think tenderly of those 
 who made their lives the ransom for the 
 State. R. R. B. 
 
ADDRESS 
 
 OF 
 
 REV. ROBERT R. BOOTH. 
 
 It is, my friends, a precious 
 consolation for us to know, amid 
 the ordinary troubles of our 
 earthly lot, and more especially 
 when the bitter sorrow which 
 death brings befalls us, that "af- 
 fliction cometh not forth from the 
 dust, neither doth trouble spring 
 out of the ground." "It is the 
 Lord, let him do what seemeth 
 good in his sight." " The Lord 
 gave and the Lord hath taken 
 
io A Memorial of 
 
 away ; blessed be the name of 
 the Lord." "I was dumb; I 
 opened not my mouth because 
 thou didst it." 
 
 These were the utterances of 
 God's afflicted servants, in the 
 olden time ; and in this recog- 
 nition of a will that ought to 
 be supreme, of a wisdom that 
 can never err, and of a love 
 that is personal, tender, and eter- 
 nal, there is reason for comfort 
 in the bitterest bereavements of 
 our mortal life. 
 
 I well know that it is some- 
 times hard for us to realize that 
 such blows can fall upon us from 
 a loving hand. Certainly, if we 
 look only at the present anguish 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 
 
 and bereavement, if we think 
 only of the hopes which have 
 been blighted, of the sweet fel- 
 lowship cut off, and the drear 
 vacancy that now remains, we 
 shall be cast down and desolate, 
 as we cry in our anguish : "All 
 thy waves and billows have 
 gone over me." But I speak 
 on God's authority, and from 
 experience too, in saying that 
 we must read these dark pages, 
 in the book of Providence, by 
 the light of God's revealed, 
 eternal love, if we would catch 
 their true meaning, and find our 
 chastisement "joyous and not 
 grievous." 
 
 Life is the sovereign gift of 
 
1 2 A Memorial of 
 
 God alone. He dates its rising, 
 orders its progress, and ordains 
 its moment of transition. It 
 should always be remembered 
 by us, in our times of loss, that 
 while earthly friends have been 
 longing and praying for its con- 
 tinuance, One mightier in wis- 
 dom and in love may have been 
 interceding for a contrary result, 
 according to his own precious 
 word : " Father, I will that they 
 also whom thou hast given me 
 be with me where I am, that 
 they may behold my glory." 
 
 " Say, mourner, wouldst thou have pre- 
 ferred that heard 
 Had been the prayer of earth or that 
 of heaven ; 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 13 
 
 Eternal bliss deferred or realized, 
 The cross continued, or the kingdom 
 won ?" 
 
 Oars, my friends, is a time of 
 costly sacrifices, of widespread 
 desolations, of sorrows which fall 
 heavily on our once peaceful 
 homes. Our country's service 
 is exacting now " the price of 
 blood/' For liberty, and union, 
 and the supremacy of law, how 
 many thousands are wasting with 
 disease, or mutilated with gaping 
 wounds, or lying in the solemn 
 calm of death, like this dear 
 youth before us ! Among these 
 many martyred patriots, not one 
 has fallen more worthy of our 
 
14 A Memorial of 
 
 sincere affection and grateful 
 memory than he. 
 
 When a young man of such 
 rare promise and true nobility of 
 character has finished his course 
 in the presence of the nation 
 and for its defense, it is the 
 duty and the privilege of those 
 who feel that he died for them 
 to proclaim his virtues, and im- 
 press the example of his beauti- 
 ful career. 
 
 He whom we mourn to-day 
 was, in a peculiar sense, the 
 child of this church, having been 
 brought here in his infancy to 
 the baptismal font, and having 
 grown up in vital union with 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 15 
 
 all the ordinances and privileges 
 of this house of God. 
 
 It is, therefore, the occasion of 
 sincere thanksgiving that it has 
 pleased God to permit us to re- 
 ceive his precious dust among 
 us, and from this scene of his 
 own Christian faith and labors, 
 to bear it to the house appointed 
 for all the living. 
 
 Franklin Butler Crosby 
 was born on the fourth of Feb- 
 ruary, 1841, being the first child 
 of Mr. John P. and Mrs. Mar- 
 garet Butler Crosby. His bap- 
 tismal name was derived from 
 his maternal grandfather, Ben- 
 jamin Franklin Butler, between 
 whom and this first-born of his 
 
A Memorial of 
 
 children's children there existed 
 the most tender and affectionate 
 sympathy, a tie of earthly love 
 now purified and made perpetual 
 in God's heavenly kingdom. 
 
 As a child of the covenant, 
 Frank was successively connect- 
 ed with the infant-class, the 
 Sabbath-school, and with the 
 church, to which, when under 
 the pastoral charge of the Eev. 
 Dr. Prentiss, he united on the 
 eighteenth of October, 1854, be- 
 ing at the time thirteen years of 
 age. Afterward he was connect- 
 ed with the young men's Bible- 
 class, and with the mission-school 
 in Avenue D, where he contin- 
 ued to labor as a faithful teacher 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 17 
 
 until his departure from the city. 
 He was also interested and active 
 in the young men's prayer-meet- 
 ing. Thus, in the church of 
 God, he lived and grew to man- 
 hood in relations which became 
 continually closer to all that i3 
 lovely and of good report. 
 
 It would hardly be appropri- 
 ate for me to speak, in a public 
 assembly, of that domestic life 
 in which the tenderness of his 
 filial and fraternal love was 
 blended with the graces of his 
 growing manhood ; making him 
 so obedient, so helpful, so dis- 
 creet, that those who were re- 
 lated to him thus lavished upon 
 him the fullness of their hearts. 
 
i8 A Memorial of 
 
 After his graduation at the 
 Free Academy in 1860, he en- 
 tered the law-office of his father, 
 and gave diligent attention to 
 his elected calling. 
 
 Soon after this, the flame of 
 civil war was kindled in the land, 
 and he immediately prepared to 
 give a loyal and hearty support 
 to his country's cause. His 
 health was vigorous, his form 
 a model of perfect manhood, 
 and he numbered himself, from 
 the beginning, among those who 
 ought to go to the war. 
 
 At this time he joined a reg- 
 iment then organizing in the 
 city, to be prepared for active 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 19 
 
 service when the country should 
 require its aid. 
 
 After the battle of Bull Bum, 
 he felt that he was imperatively 
 summoned to the field. A com- 
 mission as Second Lieutenant in 
 the Fourth Kegiment, U. S. Ar- 
 tillery, was soon obtained, and 
 he joined his regiment at Fort 
 McIIenry, in August, 1801. 
 
 He was soon promoted, for 
 good conduct and ability, to be 
 the First Lieutenant ; and, on the 
 appointment of Captain Best, 
 his commanding officer, to the 
 post of Chief of Artillery in the 
 Twelfth Army Corps, Lieutenant 
 Crosby became the acting com- 
 mander of his. company, an . hon- 
 
20 A Memorial of 
 
 orable and responsible position, 
 whose arduous duties he ever 
 performed to the entire satisfac- 
 tion of his superiors. Of the 
 various services which he ren- 
 dered to the cause in this re- 
 lation it would be impossible 
 for me to speak as they deserve. 
 
 During the winter of 1861 and 
 1862 he was stationed with his 
 battery in General Banks's divi- 
 sion, which was then guarding 
 the line of the Potomac, above 
 the Monocacy. Here he saw 
 constant service, and had a full 
 share in all the labors of that 
 arduous winter. 
 
 At one time prostrated by a 
 severe attack of fever, on his 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 21 
 
 recovery stationed at Harper's 
 Ferry, afterward with the ad- 
 vance down the valley of Vir- 
 ginia to Harrisonburgh ; guard- 
 ing the rear in Banks's retreat 
 from Winchester, and bringing 
 off all his guns in safety ; ar- 
 dent in action, courageous in 
 reverses; always anxious for the 
 most active service ; careful of 
 his men, unsparing of himself; 
 courteous toward the population 
 around him — he continually sus- 
 tained the character of the pa- 
 triot soldier and the Christian 
 gentleman. 
 
 In a letter written from this 
 locality, and received since his 
 death, it. is remarked: u He has 
 
22 A "Memorial of 
 
 left a truly honorable name in 
 this community, and every one 
 who knew him here in his life- 
 time, now that he is dead, has 
 an expression of regret for his 
 untimely fall, and a word of 
 j) raise for his memory." 
 
 During the spring of the pres- 
 ent year he was stationed with 
 his company at Stafford Court- 
 House, in Virginia, until he was 
 ordered to the front to partici- 
 pate in the recent movements 
 of the army. A letter which 
 he wrote in January will reveal 
 the spirit with which he stood 
 in his appointed lot. After de- 
 ploring the ill success which had 
 attended so . many efforts, and 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 23 
 
 the failure to achieve decisive 
 victories, lie adds: "Each one, 
 however, must do his duty, work 
 out his own part of the great 
 plan ; and, although knowing 
 and lamenting existing errors, 
 which are beyond his control, 
 must not be discouraged, but, 
 with a pure intention and a firm 
 trust in God, go forward on his 
 path of duty." 
 
 It was in such a spirit that 
 he marched with his men to 
 join in the wild storm of bat- 
 tle which was soon to rage in 
 the wilderness on the south bank 
 of the Kappahannock. 
 
 On the second day of May, 
 his battery was stationed at 
 
24 A Memorial of 
 
 Chancellorsville, and was active- 
 ly engaged, with some loss, 
 though he himself escaped all 
 harm. On the evening of that 
 day his guns were well posted, 
 in readiness for service, and sent 
 forth their volleys through the 
 night, assisting to repel the as- 
 sault of " Stonewall " Jackson. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 
 third, another attack was made 
 by the enemy upon a ridge, 
 where his battery, with several 
 others, about thirty guns in all, 
 had been massed to check their 
 furious charge. The onset was 
 bravely met, and the conflict 
 prolonged for hours about that 
 spot. Many brave men there 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 25 
 
 yielded up their lives, and among 
 them it pleased God that Lieu- 
 tanant Crosby should be num- 
 bered. At half-past eight, on 
 that fair Sabbath morning, a 
 bullet from a sharpshooter, who 
 had secretly gained the right 
 flank of the battery, and had sin- 
 gled out its commander, pierced 
 his breast, and in about five 
 minutes his brief but glorious 
 career was ended. It was a 
 quick summons from that fiery 
 battle to the spirit world, but 
 long enough for him to resign 
 himself to God's forgiving mercy, 
 through the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and to send a loving, comforting 
 message to his parents. " Tell 
 
z6 A Memorial oi 
 
 my parents that I die happy. 
 Loid forgive my sins." 
 
 "Ah me! that by so frail and feeble 
 thread 
 Our life is holden ; that not life 
 alone, 
 But all that life has won 
 
 May, in an hour, be gathered to tho 
 dead." 
 
 His body was borne tenderly 
 to the rear by bis own men, 
 whose tears fell on him as they 
 laid him on the green sward ; 
 and after the retreat, it was re- 
 covered, nnder flag of truce, em- 
 balmed, and brought for burial 
 to this house of God, where, 
 twenty -two years ago, he was 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 27 
 
 publicly consecrated in the or- 
 dinance of baptism. 
 
 In a letter written at five 
 o'clock, on the morning of the 
 preceding day, he has expressed 
 tbe feelings with which he en-' 
 tered upon these fatal scenes. 
 "This, from appearances last 
 night," he wrote, "is destined to 
 be the day. If we fight, it will 
 be the hardest of the war, and 
 it is awful to think of the im- 
 mense slaughter. I hope I may 
 be preserved; but if I am not, 
 I trust only in the merits of a 
 crucified Saviour, for acceptance 
 with God." And this last letter 
 closes with a desire that if he 
 should be ..among the dead, his 
 
23 A Memorial of 
 
 loss might be tenderly blessed 
 to the dear borne be loved so 
 well. 
 
 I am permitted to extract from 
 tbe letter of Captain Best, bis 
 commanding officer, a few lines, 
 which reveal the esteem in which 
 bis subordinate was held : " Be- 
 lieve me, when I say that this 
 shock is nearly as great a one 
 to me as it can be to you. 
 Lieutenant Crosby was a young 
 man of fine promise, unexcep- 
 tionable in his habits and moral 
 character; a Christian who prac- 
 tised what he believed ; ambi- 
 tious in his profession, and will- 
 ing to stand by the government 
 in all its measures. He had my 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. tg 
 
 company in splendid condition, 
 and fought it well." 
 
 To these statements of his 
 military career one thing should 
 be added. His connection with 
 these scenes of war was only 
 for a purpose and for a time. 
 When I last spoke with him, 
 standing there close by the spot 
 where his coffin is now placed, 
 I asked him: " Are you in for 
 this service permanently, or only 
 till the war is over?" His re- 
 ply was : "I shall be very glad 
 to be back in the old place, but 
 I must do my duty to the end." 
 His was no craving for military 
 position and renown, but a pure, 
 patriotic fervor which made him 
 
30 A Memorial of 
 
 a soldier from principle, so long 
 as his country needed his sword; 
 that service finished, he longed 
 to take his place again in peace- 
 ful scenes, and live apart from 
 strife and war. 
 
 This record should not close 
 without a further reference to 
 the consistency of his Christian 
 character, amid the trying scenes 
 of his career. We can all real- 
 ize how great a trial of the faith 
 of a young Christian it must be 
 to stand up for Jesus amid the 
 corruptions of the camp, and in 
 the carnage of the battle. Oar 
 dear friend never forgot that he 
 was Christ's soldier before he 
 was- the - soldier of the nation. 
 
Franklin Buticr Crosby. 31 
 
 His letters show a real growth 
 in grace and Christian manhood 
 daring his military life. In one 
 he writes: " Another Sabbath is 
 just past, one in which I have 
 very much felt the want of some 
 Christian friend to converse with. 
 I am, as it were, alone, but not 
 alone, for there is one Friend 
 who always is with those who 
 trust in him. I pray that I 
 may be enabled to live nearer 
 to him, to put more implicit 
 trust and confidence in his 
 doings, to have more faith in 
 his word, and to do more for 
 his cause than I have ever done. 
 At times I feel very despondent, 
 for I do not seem to. have made 
 
3 2 A Memorial of 
 
 any progress in the Christian 
 life, but to be continually more 
 and more falling short of my 
 duty. I lack perseverance. Oh! 
 that Christ might strengthen me 
 to do his work ! ' 
 
 That these were really the 
 aspirations of a soul hungering 
 and thirsting after righteousness, 
 is evident, as one traces the 
 manner of his daily life. I find 
 him laboring for the spiritual 
 welfare of his men, talking about 
 Christ to his negro servant, act- 
 ing as chaplain at the burial 
 of his soldiers; on one occasion 
 reading the eleventh, chapter of 
 St. John's gospel, making com- 
 ments upon it, and offering pray- 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 33 
 
 er. He was kind to the sick, 
 patient with the erring, atten- 
 tive to every little duty, winning 
 thus the entire devotion of his 
 command. I have read the tes- 
 timony of an unbeliever and 
 skeptic concerning him. " He 
 was a true Christian." 
 
 Many of his letters are radiant 
 with his Christian experience. 
 "What a glorious, blessed thing," 
 he writes, "is the Christian re- 
 ligion ! How simple and how 
 wonderful ! I have, this past 
 week, been enabled to live much 
 nearer to Christ than ever be- 
 fore. And while I have enjoy- 
 ed it much, it makes me de- 
 sire, more strongly than ever, 
 
34 A Memorial of 
 
 to live wholly to him. The 
 whole religion is summed up in 
 the one word 'faith,' and that 
 mine might be increased is my 
 earnest prayer. And when this 
 faith is perfected in sight, what a 
 blessed experience will be ours! 
 At times I feel as if I could 
 almost wish for trouble and suf- 
 fering, to bring me near to 
 Christ. How happy we shall 
 be when we all meet around 
 the throne of God in heaven, 
 where is no more sin or sorrow, 
 and where we shall know Christ 
 as we ought ! That through his 
 righteousness all our dear rela- 
 tions may have this blessing, is 
 my prayer." 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 35 
 
 I look with admiration upon 
 this fair example of a Christian 
 character, coupled with so much 
 devotion to the stern, rugged 
 war-work to which he was ap- 
 pointed. So brave, and yet so 
 gentle; so thoughtful for others; 
 so unsparing of himself; so pure 
 in his morality, and yet so re- 
 liant on his Saviour's righteous- 
 ness. I utter only the honest 
 convictions of my heart in say- 
 ing, that while among the he- 
 roes who have fallen in this 
 strife, he may take rank with 
 Greble, with Ellsworth, and with 
 Winthrop, his name and mem- 
 ory are also worthy of a place, 
 in Christian annals, by the side 
 
36 A Memorial of 
 
 of those of Major Vandeleur 
 and Headley Vicars, of the Brit- 
 ish army, or Frazer Stearns, 
 and Chaplain Butler, of our own. 
 
 " Soldier of Christ, well done ; 
 Rest from thy stern employ : 
 The battle fought, the victory won, 
 Enter thy Master's joy. 
 
 " The voice at day-dawn came ; 
 He started up to hear ; 
 The mortal bullet pierced his frame, 
 He fell — but felt no fear. 
 
 " Soldier of Christ, well done ; 
 Praise be thy new employ ; 
 And while eternal ages run, 
 Rest in thy Saviour's joy." 
 
 To the young men who were 
 his comrades and companions we 
 commend this radiant picture 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 37 
 
 of a heroic Christian life. His 
 course is finished; but although, 
 dead, he still is speaking to us. 
 The lesson of his sacrifice bids 
 us cherish those two great ob- 
 jects of devotion which he loved 
 so well — that flag, our coun- 
 try's emblem, which now en- 
 folds him with its stars and 
 stripes ; that cross to which on 
 earth he came, and before whose 
 ascended Sufferer he now stands, 
 clothed in a beauty not of earth. 
 
ADDRESS 
 
 BY 
 
 REV GEO. L PRENTISS, D.D. 
 
 As I look over this great 
 congregation, my mind's eye re- 
 verts to another assembly con- 
 vened in this same sanctuary 
 some nine years ago. How 
 well I remember the impressive 
 scene which presented itself, as 
 standing in this place I minis- 
 tered at the altar of God, on 
 that Sabbath afternoon in the 
 pleasant month of October ! 
 How vividly I recall from among 
 
Franklin Butier Crosby. 39 
 
 the faces that then slione "upon 
 me that of the sainted grand- 
 father* of him whose mortal re- 
 mains lie before us. Who that 
 saw him will ever forget that 
 eye or that face ? He was one 
 of the best men I ever knew. 
 I esteem it one of the privileges 
 of my life to have been his pas- 
 tor and friend, and I esteem it 
 a privilege hardly less to have 
 been so long the pastor and 
 friend of the noble youth whose 
 early confession of Christ he 
 watched that afternoon with such 
 tender interest, and around whose 
 bier we are gathered this morn- 
 ing. 
 
 * The late Hon. Benjamin F. Butler. 
 
4.0 A Memorial of 
 
 It would be wrong, my friends, 
 to say that we have not been 
 summoned to this house of God 
 on a mournful errand. A great 
 private and public loss has call- 
 ed us together. The sudden ex- 
 tinction of so much manly 
 strength and beauty, of so much 
 Christian promise, must needs 
 excite emotions of sharp regret 
 in every bosom. 
 
 To weep with those that weep 
 is a sacred duty ; and who of 
 us does not feel like doing so 
 now? For myself I would 
 gladly leave this pulpit, take 
 my place among the mourners, 
 and mingle my tears with theirs. 
 Certainly they need our warm- 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 41 
 
 est sympathies. Oh! how many 
 bright hopes, what ardent and 
 clear affections, what a fair pro- 
 mise of useful and happy days, 
 lie buried in this coffin ! And 
 yet, blessed be God ! there is 
 another side to the picture, a 
 side radiant with immortal joy 
 and peace. He whom we mourn 
 has indeed been snatched from 
 us in the very prime of man- 
 hood ; but, as you have just 
 heard, with what fine Christian 
 qualities was that early man- 
 hood adorned ! The days of 
 two and twenty summers suf- 
 ficed to ripen in him the love- 
 liest virtues. He had the inno- 
 cence, the joyousness, and the 
 
42 A Memorial of 
 
 simple tastes of a pure-minded, 
 happy boy, combined with the 
 intelligent vigor, the loyalty, 
 courage, and determination of 
 maturest years. But the most 
 striking feature of his character, 
 as I recall him, was that to 
 which allusion has already been 
 made — his ardent, filial piety. 
 Nothing could be more charm- 
 ing than this trait, as it appeared 
 in the domestic circle, of which 
 he was such a "bright, particu- 
 lar star." All who knew him 
 in the bosom of his family will 
 bear witness to his rare devo- 
 tion, both as a son and broth- 
 er. The first words which he 
 is reported to have uttered, after 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 43 
 
 the fatal bullet pierced his side, 
 "Tell my parents that I die happy, 11 
 are as characteristic as they are 
 touching and beautiful. Nature 
 and grace conspired to render, 
 him dear to his friends. It 
 would take a long time to give 
 full utterance to my own affec- 
 tion for him, and my high es- 
 timate of his worth. But, while 
 I shall attempt no labored eulo- 
 gy, there are some features of 
 his Christian character which 
 seem to me deserving of special 
 emphasis. You have just been 
 told that he chose the profession 
 of arms, not because he desired 
 it, but from an overwhelming 
 sense of duty. I well remember 
 
44 A Memorial of 
 
 his decision to go into the army. 
 It so chanced that I was spend- 
 ing a few weeks under his fath- 
 er's roof at the time. I had 
 several conversations with him 
 on the subject, and am quite 
 sure that he consecrated himself 
 to the service of his imperiled 
 country with a self-devotion not 
 less pure and entire than that 
 with which, nine years ago, he 
 here offered himself to God, and 
 took the sacramental oath of 
 allegiance to Jesus Christ. His 
 piety was the very soul of his 
 patriotism. 
 
 I hold in my hand a little 
 book, whose name is familiar 
 as a household word through- 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 45 
 
 out Christendom. It is a book 
 marked by some faults, but full 
 of holy thought and pious coun- 
 sels. For several centuries it 
 has been a manual of the Christ- 
 ian life to many myriads of 
 saints. It is Tlie Imitation of 
 Jesus Christ I find that our 
 young friend took with him this 
 little book, upon setting out for 
 the war. It passed into his 
 hands in August, 1861, and 
 passed out of them only with 
 his life. That he read it often 
 and carefully is evident from the 
 number of passages which bear 
 his pencil-marks. And here let 
 me say, that such marks on the 
 books he reads afford an almost 
 
46 A Memorial of 
 
 infallible test of a man's moral 
 and religions taste. There are 
 old family Bibles which contain, 
 in simple lines on the margin, 
 the history of many a devout 
 and eminently nsefnl life. How 
 often has the life of the devoted 
 minister or missionary of the 
 cross been written in these dumb 
 characters upon the pages of 
 God's Word! Now the passages 
 marked in this little book are 
 very striking in one respect ; 
 they nearly all indicate a severe 
 inward conflict such as no one 
 would have anticipated in a 
 young man so fall of life and 
 spirits. You will perceive the 
 nature of the conflict if I read to 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 47 
 
 you a few sentences. In the table 
 of contents I find these two chap- 
 ters specially marked : " How a 
 desolate person ought to offer 
 himself into the hands of God." 
 " We ought to offer up ourselves 
 and all that is ours unto God." 
 And, in the body of the work, 
 of the many passages marked, 
 allow me to read a few: "Fight 
 like a good soldier ; and if thou 
 sometimes fall through frailty, 
 take again greater strength than 
 before, trusting in my more abun- 
 dant grace." " Christ's whole life 
 was a cross and martyrdom, and 
 dost thou seek rest and joy for 
 thyself?" "Sometimes thou shalt 
 be forsaken of God, sometimes. 
 
48 A Memorial of 
 
 thou shalt be troubled by thy 
 neighbor ; and, what is more, 
 oftentimes thou shalt be weari- 
 some to thyself; neither canst 
 thou be delivered or eased, by 
 any remedy or comfort, but so 
 long as it pleaseth God thou 
 oughtest to bear it." "Be mind- 
 ful of the profession thou hast 
 made, and have always before 
 the eyes of thy soul the re- 
 membrance of thy Saviour cru- 
 cified." 
 
 I will read but a single pas- 
 sage more : {; There is scarcely 
 any thing wherein thou hast 
 such need to die to thyself as 
 in seeing and suffering those 
 things that are adverse to thy 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 49 
 
 will, especially when that is 
 commanded to be done which 
 seemeth unto thee inconvenient 
 or useless." 
 
 It is not likely that such a 
 book should have been taken 
 to the camp, and there read so 
 often, and that many such pas- 
 sages should have been marked 
 by one whose spiritual life was 
 not in vigorous exercise. It is 
 plain, that while fighting in the 
 service of his country, this gal- 
 lant young soldier was also fight- 
 ing earnestly the good fight of 
 faith, and laying hold on eternal 
 life. 
 
 This occasion, then, is one of 
 joy as well as sadness : nor can 
 
50 A Memorial of 
 
 1 close without congratulating 
 you, my clear brother, and all 
 this bereaved family circle, upon 
 the rare privilege of having pos- 
 sessed such a son, such a young 
 relative and friend, for the serv- 
 ice of Christ and of our af- 
 flicted country. I look upon 
 this lamented youth, as a type 
 of the young American patriot 
 and Christian soldier ; and I 
 do not doubt that out of this 
 war, out of all these public and 
 private tribulations, there will 
 come forth a great company, 
 fashioned after the same pattern. 
 We shall have thousands and 
 tens of thousands of them. Let 
 the old men who hear me, and 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 51 
 
 whose hearts sink within them 
 at 'the sight of so many of our 
 noblest youth cut down in their 
 beauty, comfort themselves with 
 this thought. The blood of these 
 young soldiers of the republic 
 is to be the seed of a better 
 church and state of the future. 
 A new race of American citizens 
 will arise, who shall live, and 
 move, and have their being, first 
 in God, and then in the service 
 of this vast and glorious com- 
 monwealth of Christian order, 
 freedom, and humanity, which 
 we have inherited from our 
 fathers. I say, therefore, that 
 even in the presence of this 
 great bereavement, we have am- 
 
52 A Memorial of 
 
 pie reason for joy and thanks- 
 giving. We can not but praise 
 God as we look back over the 
 beautiful life so early sacrificed 
 upon the altar of our country ; 
 nor can we help rejoicing as we 
 look forward and see thousands 
 taking lessons of patriotic de- 
 votion from the example, and 
 eagerly treading in the footsteps 
 of this heroic youth. Let not 
 our souls be cast down nor dis- 
 quieted within us. Let us hope 
 still in God, and commit our 
 imperiled Union, with all the 
 vast interests at stake, into His 
 omnipotent hands, assured be- 
 yond a doubt that, as He led 
 our fathers like a flock, so He 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 53 
 
 will lead us, and, in due time, 
 bring the whole nation forth, 
 out of this sea of trouble, with 
 the voice of praise and thanks- 
 giving upon its lips; and when 
 we are gone, He will take our 
 children and our children's child- 
 ren by the hand, and guide them 
 also in the right way, even to 
 the latest generation. In this 
 cheering faith let us return to 
 the work of life, and press for- 
 ward with unfaltering steps, un- 
 til wa pass into "a better coun- 
 try, that is, a heavenly," and 
 there join our departed Christian 
 friends, and the saints of all 
 ages, in ascribing blessing, and 
 honor, and glory, and power, 
 
54 A Memorial of 
 
 unto Him that sitteth upon the 
 throne, and unto the Lamb, for- 
 ever and ever. Amen. 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 55 
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 
 
 At a meeting of the Class of 
 I860, New-York Free Academy, 
 held May 13th, 1863, the fol- 
 lowing resolutions were unani- 
 mously adopted: 
 
 Whereas, By the death of Lieutenant 
 Franklin B. Crosby, of the Fourth 
 United States Artillery, killed at the 
 battle of Chancellorsville, on the third 
 day of May, 1863, we lost another class- 
 mate; and 
 
 Whereas, We deem it our duty to 
 honor manliness and Christian virtue, 
 and to bear our testimony to their ex- 
 istence ; therefore, be it 
 
 Resolved, That in Franklin B. Crosby 
 we lost a classmate who, as a scholar, 
 reflected honor on us in the past, and 
 would have continued so to do by his 
 
56 A Memorial of 
 
 ability, his learning, and the success he 
 \vas certain to attain in that profession 
 from the study of which he was called 
 by the demands of a patriotism to which 
 his life was a sacrifice ; a friend, warm, 
 trusted, and beloved ; a man who, car- 
 rying his Christian principles without 
 pretension, into all the relations of life, 
 was modest, energetic, and true. And 
 Resolved, That in his answer, given 
 shortly before his death, at the post of 
 duty, " I command it to-day, and intend 
 to command it," we recognize the same 
 modest energy and decision, and the 
 same enduring loyalty to duty, which 
 characterized his whole life, and caused 
 him, at his country's call, to relinquish 
 the luxuries of home, a dear family, 
 many warm friends, and a future of 
 happiness and ease, for the hardships 
 and isolation of the camp, and the un- 
 certainties of battle. That in his last 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 57 
 
 words, " I die happy," we have an un- 
 necessary proof of his sincerity, and an 
 assurance that he has "fought the good 
 fight," and gone to reap the rewards of 
 a Christian life. And 
 
 Resolved, That we hereby express our 
 sorrow at the loss the community and 
 our country have sustained in the death 
 of so upright and able a man, and so 
 brave and loyal an officer, and we in so 
 dear and honored a classmate and friend. 
 And be it further 
 
 Resolved, That we offer his family 
 and friends our sympathies, hoping that, 
 as we are in common deeply grieved at 
 his loss, so in common we may find in 
 his virtues comfort and reconciliation, 
 and objects of emulation. 
 
Jit titctrarriaw. 
 
 Not so, brave boy, would we have had 
 
 thee die, 
 [f die thou must ! On daintiest couch 
 
 to lie, 
 Soothed with the sweetest ministries of 
 
 love, 
 Ravished with foretastes of thy home 
 
 above, 
 Were meet for thee ; and on our faith's 
 
 tried wings 
 To soar from earth and its disquietings. 
 And when that pure, bright soul had 
 
 sped its way 
 Joyfully homeward, to the unconscious 
 
 clay 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 59 
 
 What reverent office had we loved to 
 
 pay! 
 So would we have it ; but so willed not 
 
 God. 
 Far from all friends, upon the earth just 
 
 trod i 
 
 By footsteps dyed in blood, He bade 
 
 thee lie ; 
 And 'mid the battle's roar Himself alone 
 
 received thy parting sigh. 
 The " drapery of thy couch " alone en- 
 folds thee, 
 But God in His own sleepless watch yet 
 
 holds thee ; 
 Thy precious dust is precious in His 
 
 sight ; 
 Denying it to us, He, day and night, 
 Himself holds guard. And when His 
 
 morning comes, 
 We, who lie slumbering in our marble 
 
 tombs, 
 Shall not spring forth at His arousing 
 
 word 
 
6o A Memorial of 
 
 More joyously than he who on the 
 
 sward, 
 Rather than 'neath it, waits his dearest 
 
 Lord! 
 Thou, too, risen Christ ! in death 
 
 hast lain ! 
 Thou, too, by wicked, murderous hands 
 
 wast slain ! 
 Oh ! help our faltering faith ! Let us be 
 
 still ; 
 And only will what thou, dear Lord, 
 
 dost will ; 
 Yielding to thee, by choice and not by 
 
 might, 
 The body and the soul, so precious in 
 
 our sight. 
 From sunny heights, our loved one, with 
 
 calm brow, 
 Looks down upon the field where he 
 
 but now 
 Stood earnest actor. But 'mid heavenly 
 
 joys, 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 6l 
 
 Oh ! what to him are battle's fray and 
 
 noise ? 
 His work all done — and in his youth 
 
 well done — 
 He early rests with God's eternal Son. 
 A little while, a few more days of strife, 
 And we, too, on the battle-field of life, 
 Shall gaze from those same heights : til; 
 
 then, Lord ! 
 Let us toil on, obedient to thy word ; 
 Strong in thy strength, until the vie 
 
 tory's won, 
 And thou shalt say, faithful souls ! 
 
 well done ! P. 
 
 Sunday Evening, May 10, 1S63. 
 
 The above was written when it was 
 supposed that the remains of Lieutenant 
 Crosby could not be recovered. 
 
Jranhlht §utUr Crosbg. 
 
 Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863. 
 
 BY WILLIAM ALLEN BUTLER. 
 
 He was our noblest, he was our bravest 
 and best ! 
 Tell me the post that the bravest ever 
 have filled. 
 The front of the fight ! It was his. For 
 the rest — 
 Read the list of the killed. 
 
 On the crown of the ridge, where the 
 sulphurous crest 
 Of the battle wave broke, in its thun- 
 der and flame, 
 While his country's badge throbbed with 
 each beat of his breast, 
 He faced death when it came. 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 63 
 
 His battery planted in front, the Briga- 
 dier cried, 
 "Who commands it?" as fiercely the 
 foe charged that way ; 
 Then how proudly our gallant Lieuten- 
 ant replied, 
 "I command it to-day !" 
 
 There he stood by his guns ; stout heart, 
 noble form ; 
 Home and its cherished ones never, 
 never so dear, 
 Round him the whirlwind of battle, 
 through the wild storm, 
 Duty never so clear. 
 
 Duty, the life of his life, his sole guiding 
 star, 
 The best joy of his being, the smile 
 that she gave, 
 Her call the music by which he marched 
 to the war, 
 Marched to a soldier's grave. 
 
6.| A Memorial of 
 
 Too well aimed, with its murderous de 
 mon-like hiss, 
 To his heart, the swift shot, on its 
 errand has flown — 
 Call it rather the burning, impetuous 
 kiss 
 With which Fame weds her own ! 
 
 There he fell on the field, the flag waving 
 above, 
 Faith blending with joy in his last 
 parting breath, 
 To his Saviour his soul, to his country 
 the love 
 That was stronger than death. 
 
 Ah ! how sadly, without him, we go on 
 our way, 
 Speaking softer the name that has 
 dropped from our prayers ; 
 But as we tell the tale to our children 
 to-day, 
 They shall tell it to theirs. 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 65 
 
 He is our hero, ever immortal and 
 young, 
 With her martyrs his land clasps him 
 now to her breast, 
 And with theirs his loved name shall be 
 honored and sung, 
 Still our bravest and best ! 
 
Six Wtmmmm. 
 
 Ay ! leave the Stripes and Stars 
 Above him, with the precious cap and 
 
 sash ; 
 The mute mementoes of the battle-crash, 
 
 And of a hero's scars. 
 
 Rest, gallant soldier, rest! 
 Ennobled e'en in dying: Christ's true 
 
 knight 
 Is now a king, in royal glory bright, 
 
 With "Victor" on his crest. 
 
 And yet — God giveth sleep ; 
 No earthly victor's laurels ever shed 
 A glory like the halo round his head. 
 
 Ye loved him — should you weep ? 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 67 
 
 Say ye, " His life is lost. ; 
 Our home's sweet comfort, and our crown 
 
 of hope" ? 
 Nay, friends ! His life has now a grand- 
 er scope. 
 A living holocaust. 
 
 To God, and truth, and right, 
 It aye hath been ; and if the gleaming 
 
 coal 
 On God's own altar hath upborne the 
 soul 
 In fiery chariot bright, 
 
 'Mid battle roar and strife ; 
 If to the fearless soldier, God's release 
 Came swiftly, with the seal of perfect 
 peace 
 
 Upon his earthly life ; 
 
 Ay, though it sorely crush 
 
 The hearts that clung to him — poor 
 
 hearts that ache 
 
68 A Memorial of 
 
 With yearning sense of loss — oh ! for his 
 sake, 
 Each wail of anguish hush ! 
 
 And yet, ye well may weep, 
 As those who mourned the holy martyr 
 
 erst, 
 On whose glad eyes heaven's waiting 
 glories burst, 
 Before " he fell asleep." 
 
 A hero-heart is still, 
 And eyes are sealed ; and loving lips are 
 
 mute, 
 Which bore on earth the Spirit's golden 
 fruit. 
 But peace! It was God's will. 
 
 And for our precious land — 
 The land he loved and died for in her 
 
 need, 
 The blood of heroes is the country's 
 seed. 
 As he stood, let us stand. 
 
Franklin Butler Crosby. 60 
 
 He crowned your soldier, " d}- ing at his 
 
 guns." 
 Oh ! be the nation worthy of such sons — 
 The noble-hearted slain ! 
 
 And so we sadty lay, 
 Yet not all sadly, though with tearful 
 
 eyes, 
 A. little nameless flower where he lies. 
 
 And gently steal away. 
 
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