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A SKETCH 
 
 BY J. W. K. 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE ARMY COMMITTEE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Boston Voung Men's Christian Association, 
 
 BY THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY 
 

JAMES SHERMAN KIMBALL. 
 
 A S K E T C I-I . 
 
 By J. W. Kaa^'^-^^- 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 THE AMEBIC AN TRACT SOCIETY; 
 
 ISSTITDTED 1814. 
 
 DEPOSITORIES, 28 COENHILL, BOSTON, AND 13 BIBLE HOUSE, 
 
 ASTOK PLACE, NEW YORK. 
 
IT 
 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Childhood -..•--- 
 
 PAGE 
 
 n. 
 
 
 
 A Tl Qi^i:Ti^/~WT — — . 
 
 12 
 
 m. 
 
 1^ 
 
 In College ..---.- 
 
 - 27 
 
 IV. 
 
 
 Faem Life 
 
 - 38 
 
 V. 
 
 
 Delegate of the Christian Commission 
 
 - 43 
 
JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 I. 
 
 CHILDHOOD. 
 
 AN a father, his heart yearnmg 
 with unspeakable tenderness 
 I over a child worthy of all the 
 love he inspired, tell the story 
 of that child wisely, fairly, profitably? 
 Let me try : for to me it seems full 
 of the sweetest lessons our Lord could 
 bestow on parents and on children. 
 Perhaps a ray of heavenly light from 
 his life may fall pleasantly upon some 
 
6 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 path, — a somber and rugged path, 
 perchance, — bringing assurance that 
 in God's time " the rough ways shall 
 be made smooth," and "light arise 
 in the darkness." 
 
 James was received at his birth as 
 a loan from the Lord, and was then, 
 and thenceforward, consecrated un- 
 conditionally to him, to serve in 
 whatever capacity he should be best 
 pleased to employ him. God gave 
 him a most affectionate, and home- 
 loving disposition. He was the sturdy 
 friend and helper of the little ones, 
 and in his earliest letter written to 
 his parents, before he was eight, he 
 said, •' I wish to live, with God's con- 
 sent, to see you in a good old age ; 
 
CHILDHOOD. 7 
 
 and I wish to live to support yon in 
 your old age." 
 
 He began life as other boys begin 
 it, with great delight in hardy sports, 
 and a fair interest in study. He was 
 unselfish, frank, and fearless. Hav- 
 ing no inclination to be unkind to 
 others, it seemed never to occur to 
 him that others could be unkind to 
 him. Secure in this unconscious pan- 
 oply, he was welcome everywhere, 
 and made friends before he thought 
 of doing so. 
 
 At fourteen he began to realize 
 the want of the new life, — the life 
 from above, which our Lord pointed 
 out to Nicodemus. For a time he 
 was much perplexed to discern the 
 
8 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 signs and tokens of this life. It is 
 not given to every one at once to 
 find an open road straight before him. 
 It was not given to James. He found 
 it true that " the natural man re- 
 ceiveth not the things of the Spirit 
 of God." He had at first little or 
 no spiritual discernment. The light 
 came, as morning light comes, in like 
 circumstances, gradually, and strug- 
 gling through clouds. It was indeed 
 a long morning, and the omens for 
 the coming day were equivocal. 
 Faith waited for the evening and the 
 morning to become the first day. In 
 the best time the sky became clear, 
 the sun warm, and it marched grand- 
 ly on towards its meridian. A light 
 
CHILDHOOD. 9 
 
 breeze of favoring influence did much 
 to dispel the clouds. It was thus: 
 he went down one evening to the 
 prayer-meeting of the young men of 
 the Christian Association. One of 
 them whispered the inquiry, " Are 
 you a Christian ? " " That is what I 
 don't know, but would like to know," 
 was the answer. " Why not ask 
 prayers that you may ? " It had not 
 occurred to him. He rose and asked 
 at once. The cloiids melted. 
 
 On the followin g Sabbath evening he 
 went down to the seamen's meeting 
 — a very favorite meeting with our 
 young converts — and told the hardy 
 and sympathizing sailors what God 
 had done for him. From that hour 
 
10 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 he stood committed to a hearty coop- 
 eration in every Christian endeavor 
 to diffuse light, love, and kindness. 
 Knowing well that no man can 
 " freely give " who does not freely 
 and constantly receive from the foun- 
 tain of spiritual truth, he gave him- 
 self assiduously to the study of the 
 Bible, to much meditation and prayer. 
 He did not divest himself of a healthy 
 interest in all good readings but loved 
 a superior book, in almost any de- 
 partment of thought, and loved that 
 bopk best which led him most direct- 
 ly to the reason of things. " I have 
 been reading," he said, '• ' Locke on 
 the Understanding ; ' just the book, 
 I believe, I wanted. You know I 
 
CHILDHOOD. 11 
 
 was in some perplexity when at home, 
 and tried to make Dr. — understand 
 what it was, but did not succeed very 
 well. This essay of Locke's seems to 
 meet my case exactly. I seemed to 
 be in search of first principles ; some- 
 thing to base my reflections upon. 
 Locke supplies that want ; shows me 
 what is self-evident ; what is capable 
 of demonstration, and what must be 
 settled by a balance of probabilities." 
 
II. 
 
 AT SCHOOL. 
 
 ^EAK eyes compelled him to 
 leave the Latin School for a 
 ^f0^ farm in Michigan. Not gain- 
 ing all the relief desired, he 
 then went for a year into a store, and 
 thence proceeded to finish his prep- 
 aration for college at a military 
 school ; from which he wrote, " You 
 can't do me a greater favor than 
 to write me on religious topics. I 
 have no religious society here, and, 
 strange as it may seem, my interest 
 in religion has increased daily since 
 
AT SCHOOL. 13 
 
 I came. My confidence in Christ is 
 becoming stronger and stronger. I 
 was firmly convinced, before I came 
 here, that he would deliver me from 
 evil, and I am more and more per- 
 suaded of it. I can't tell you how 
 much religious happiness I have got 
 from the very worldliness of the 
 school influences. Place a plant in a 
 hot-house till it has had the opportu- 
 nity to become delicate ; then expose 
 it to the chilling winds of heaven : 
 and if it can straighten up and resist 
 them, you know that there is a real 
 healthy, independent life in it. That 
 is the feeling I have had here. I 
 am getting on nicely, and like the 
 school better every day, and have 
 
14 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 come to the conclusion that they are 
 a very nice set of fellows, after all. 
 It takes a great while to get ac- 
 quainted though ; I find that I have 
 been on trial all this time. They 
 have now about concluded to trust 
 me ; so I find them much more 
 agreeable. You would be surprised 
 to hear several of the hardest fellows 
 in school, who scarcely ever stop 
 swearing, tell me that they would be 
 glad to change places with me. Sev- 
 eral have said so, and that entirely of 
 their own accord, introducing the sub- 
 ject themselves. My chum told me 
 that ' I had a great many advanta- 
 ges ; ' — in having taken a decided 
 stand as a Christian, he meant. He 
 
AT SCHOOL, 15 
 
 told me that he had sat up in our 
 room, with his legs out of the window, 
 looking down to tlie ground, and 
 thinking, to use his own language, 
 ' how soon he would be in hell if he 
 dropped out.' He added, that once, 
 in a skirmish in Western Virginia, the 
 bullets were flying pretty thick, and 
 he thought that he was going to die, 
 and that he would recognize his Ma- 
 ker in death, if he had not in life ; 
 and he ran over ' Now I lay me,' 
 in his mind. I have heard him con- 
 fess that he did not know the Lord's 
 Prayer. Think what a life he must 
 have led since he was twelve years old, 
 when he ran away from home, and 
 went down the Mississippi as far as 
 
16 JAMES S. KIMBALL. ^ 
 
 New Orleans in the position of assist- 
 ant bar-keeper. ' But then,' said ho, 
 ' you know I hate to be called pious.' 
 I wonder how many souls have boon 
 lost through that fear ! 
 
 " ' You think I'm a pretty hard 
 case — don't you, fellows ? ' said an- 
 other, to a little collection of boys' 
 yesterday morning. ' I might be 
 reformed, now, I tell you.' They 
 asked me whether I thought it was 
 necessary for a man to be religious ? 
 I said I thought we were made for 
 religion, and felt unsatisfied all the 
 time without it. 
 
 " ' Now that's so,' said one ; ' I feel 
 that way all the time myself And 
 another said, ' Not all the time ; ' 
 
AT SCHOOL. 17 
 
 which imjDlied some assent. And yet 
 they were all of them, perhaps, swear- 
 ing away as much as ever in three 
 minutes. 
 
 " All this only proves that a good 
 many arc walking into the net with 
 their eyes open. 
 
 " I have felt since I have been here 
 that I should be proud to give my 
 life to the spreading of Christ's king- 
 dom, even as a missionary, or in 
 whatever way he might see fit. I 
 never read my Bible with half the 
 interest I now feel in it. Nor did I 
 know liow it was adapted to every 
 possible situation. I don't know at 
 all what is before me in life, but I 
 have no doubt that if God intends 
 
18 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 me to grow up to man's estate, he 
 will give me some situation in which 
 I may honor him, and love and ben- 
 efit my fellow-men. I have conned 
 your letter over carefully, and feel 
 it in my bones. I am convinced, 
 as grandfather wrote me, that the 
 Christian gentleman * is the highest 
 style of man, notwithstanding the 
 sneers of the profane and the un- 
 godly.' I hope that I could never 
 be happy living without some worthy 
 object ; and I can conceive of nothing, 
 as an object in life, more glorious 
 and desirable than ' conducting timid 
 pilgrims through the perils of the 
 wilderness to the promised land.' 
 
 . / 
 
AT SCHOOL. 19 
 
 You quote a couplet which is often 
 in my mind : 
 
 ' The love of Jesus — what it is 
 None but his loved ones know' " 
 
 A classmate writes of him as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 " My heart is too full for utterance, 
 and yet I feel I must let you know 
 what he was to me, and how he was 
 everywhere a blessing. I first knew 
 him at the militar}^ school. I had 
 been there a year longer than he, 
 and the first day he came I met him. 
 Cheerful, frank, and sincere, the 
 hearts of all went out to him at once, 
 and there in school, the only Chris- 
 tian, the only unprofane man, he was 
 ^. universally esteemed and respected. 
 
 \ 
 
20 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 And yet among scoffers he was never 
 afraid of the offense of the cross. 
 Boldly and manfully he upheld it all 
 alone. Speaking to others on the 
 subject of religion was a thing which, 
 as he often told me, came hard to 
 him, and yet for that reason "'he was 
 all the more active in doing it. He 
 set out to speak with every individual 
 member of the school on the subject 
 of his soul's salvation ; and I believe 
 he accomplished it. I know that he 
 set many to thinking as they had 
 never thought before, and, I have no 
 doubt, sowed much seed which will 
 hereafter spring up and bear fruit to 
 the honor and glory of that Master 
 he was so diligent in serving. Among 
 
AT SCHOOL. 21 
 
 the many, I was as openly a scoffer 
 as any. One day, however, I can 
 never forget ; for from it I date the 
 beginning of a new and higher life. 
 It was the last Wednesday in May, 
 1862. He asked me to walk with 
 him, as we had often done on hol- 
 idays before. We had gone some 
 little distance and turned a corner 
 on the road ; he turned to me ab- 
 ruptly, and asked, ' B., why are you 
 not a Christian ? ' My mouth was 
 stopped. I tried to make excuses ; 
 but no, nothing could I say. I had 
 pious parents, who had brought me 
 up to fear God, wlio had prayed for 
 me night and morning, and who had 
 often pointed out to me the way of 
 
22 JAAIES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 salvation and my duty. Yet how far 
 was I from God ! What excuses could 
 I make ? James gave me no rest 
 until I would promise him to repent 
 and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and follow him for life. After a long 
 struggle, I did promise him ; and he 
 prayed with me then, and often af- 
 terward ; fixing it upon my mind that 
 the Bible and prayer were the only 
 helps I should use. During the va- 
 cation that followed, before we went 
 to college, he wrote, encouraging 
 me to hold on in the course which I 
 had begun. We roomed together, 
 you know, at college. It was a dif- 
 ferent atmosphere from that at the 
 school; but James was always the 
 
AT SCHOOL. 23 
 
 same, — the most active in prayer- 
 meetings, and ever ready to talk with 
 and advise the hesitating. During 
 the winter there was a revival in our 
 class, and I could mention the names 
 of several whom he was instrumental 
 in turning from darkness to light. 
 Ever on the watch for opportunities 
 of doing good, of speaking a word in 
 season, he never lost one. As a room- 
 mate, he was the best of friends, — al- 
 ways willing to do, in the kindest 
 way, that hardest of Christian duties : 
 he would point out faults in me, and 
 tell me where I came short of doing 
 right ; and this in no spirit of fault- 
 finding, but from pure Christian love. 
 Had he lived a long life, I could 
 
24 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 never half repay him for the good he 
 has done me in this way. He made 
 friends everywhere. He loved every 
 one, and how could they help loving 
 him ? I assisted him in maintaining 
 some prayer-meetings among the poor 
 of the place ; and he won their hearts 
 completely. Every Sabbath noon he 
 went to read and pray with them, and 
 after he left they were never tired of 
 hearing about him. The Bible was 
 almost his only book at some periods, 
 when his eyes were very weak : I nev- 
 er saw a more diligent student of the 
 Holy Book. It was in truth a lamp 
 to his feet and a light to his path. 
 Amid the bustle and turmoil of school, 
 he alone found time and opportunity 
 
AT SCHOOL. 25 
 
 to read it. No one who has not been 
 at the military school can under- 
 stand the difficulties in the way of 
 private devotion there. And yet he 
 overcame them all ; and many, many 
 a time has he spoken in our class 
 prayer-meetings of the necessity of 
 strict devotion to our Bibles and 
 closets, — duties which students are 
 apt to neglect. Last September I 
 spent a few days with him at Hadley ; 
 and a little card he gave me then 
 has been my constant companion 
 since. Many a time have I taken 
 comfort from it, and hope to many 
 times yet. On it was printed, ' If 
 you want to be miserable, look with- 
 in. If you want to be distracted, look 
 
26 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 around. If you want to be happy, 
 look to Christ.' How faithfully did 
 he look to Christ ! And Christ has 
 now taken him to live with Him." 
 
 
III. 
 
 IN COLLEGE. 
 
 HE transition from school to col- 
 lege was very pleasant to him. 
 "I am having a grand time," 
 he wrote ; " heaps of pleasant 
 occupation ; just enough work in get- 
 ting my lessons to make it interesting, 
 and manly fellows to associate with, 
 who have some experience of life, in 
 place of those narrow-minded little 
 
 scatter-wits of School memory. 
 
 Up here you hear the question. How 
 can he write ? or. Is he a deep man ? 
 Is he a solid scholar, or a mere dig ? 
 
28 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 Is he a fellow of principle ? etc., etc., 
 instead of, Is he handsome ? Does he 
 dress well ? How much money has 
 he ? or, Will he stand treat ? My 
 mind has a chance to get well waked 
 Tip." 
 
 By nature he was full of energy ; 
 and full occupation was essential to 
 his happiness. 
 
 In his Bible he had pasted the fol- 
 lowing extract from Sir Fowell Bux- 
 ton : " The longer I live, the more 
 I am certain that the great difference 
 between men, between the feeble and 
 the powerful, the great and the in- 
 significant, is energy.) — invincible de- 
 termination ; a purpose once fixed, 
 and then ' death or victory.' That 
 
IN COLLEGE. 29 
 
 quality will do anything that can be 
 done in this world ; and no talents, 
 no circumstances, no opportunities, 
 will make a two-legged creature a 
 man without it." 
 
 Into his endeavors to get the full 
 benefit of out- door exercise he car- 
 ried this energy, while on the Hudson 
 River, and also at Williamstown. 
 He delighted in the scenery among 
 our mountains, and often went on 
 rambles of five, ten, and sometimes 
 twenty miles or more. He was a 
 close observer of nature, and often in- 
 dulged in lively descriptions of what 
 he saw. 
 
 Never was a son or brother more 
 aifectionately eager to return to his 
 
30 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 beloved ones at home ; but after a 
 week or ten days' solace in their so- 
 ciety, such was the inexorable de- 
 mand of hig nature for some useful 
 employment, that he could not bring 
 himself to remain without it. In 
 December, 1862, his first college va- 
 cation, he offered his services to the 
 Christian Commission, and was sent 
 to the Army of the Potomac, in which 
 he labored, at Camp Convalescent, 
 and at Falmouth, acceptably and 
 heartily, for nearly six weeks. 
 
 From Camp Convalescent he wrote : 
 " I have now made fair trial of camp- 
 life, and find it, in some respects, 
 inferior to home-life. Nevertheless, 
 we make ourselves pretty comforta- 
 
/iV COLLEGE. 31 
 
 ble. We go round camp in the day- 
 time, distributing and talking with 
 the men : also in the hospitals we 
 read and pray with the soldiers. We 
 have a prayer-meeting in our tent 
 every morning at half-past nine. It 
 is a very pleasant meeting ; our tent 
 is quite filled — twenty men or more. 
 The men here are well off for food, 
 clothing, and fuel, but they want some 
 one to look after their souls." 
 
 From Falmouth he wrote : " I am 
 leading a queer life. Last night I 
 slept in a car on some hay. I am 
 well, but not accomplishing all I 
 should like to ; in fact, it would take 
 a month or a year to learn this busi- 
 ness. It requires business faculty, 
 
32 • JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 knowledge of men, a warm heart, or 
 rather warm love for Christ, and for 
 telling others about him. Mere ma- 
 chine labor don't tell on souls. I 
 feel as if I needed more of Christ in 
 my own heart to be useful in a high 
 degree to others. We have been do- 
 ing what we could for the poor fel- 
 lows leaving in the cars ; that is, the 
 wounded, who are sent off by hun- 
 dreds every day for Washington." 
 
 Returning to Camp Convalescent, 
 he wrote again : " Shall I come home ? 
 I don't know ; I am feeling my way 
 along. I am interested, I hope much 
 profited, by the work here. There are 
 nine thousand men, with no one to 
 care for their souls. The officers are 
 
IN COLLEGE. 33 
 
 not unfriendly. We are getting a 
 churcll tent ; we have good meetings, 
 and seem blessed. Perhaps I am 
 taking it too easily and too comforta- 
 bly. 
 
 " ' Be not forgetful to entertain 
 strangers.' A gentleman came out 
 to see us day before yesterday, with 
 his wife and child. It was too dark to 
 return to Alexandria. As Mr. E. 
 was away, I put the gentleman and 
 his child into Mr. E.'s cot, and his 
 wife into my own, and left them to 
 enjoy them. I slept in our church 
 tent, with a board floor ; some boughs 
 and three army blankets for a bed, 
 and a log of wood for a pillow. 
 Practice makes perfect. I gave them 
 
34 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 some breakfast, and sent them on 
 tlieir way rejoicing." 
 
 Soon after tliis he returned to col- 
 lege ; and through manifold trials, 
 arising from- the weakness of his eyes, 
 endeavored to hold on in the prosecu- 
 tion of his studies. In September he 
 wrote : " Tlie freshman class is great 
 and populous, like the cities of the 
 Anabasis. They are no striplings, 
 but bearded men, who have gone to 
 church in black coats, and gone afield 
 in overalls for ten years of tlieir lives. 
 Their class president is a venerable 
 chap with huge black beard and am- 
 ple proportions — one whose face 
 seems to say, ' I have beheld the 
 generations of men, lo, these many 
 
IJSr COLLEGE. 35 
 
 years.' Nevertheless, '66 put them 
 through on Saturday night, causing 
 them to sing songs and make speeches 
 on tables which ever and anon dis- 
 appeared from under them. I don't 
 believe in hazing; and I think our 
 men will be unable to do more of it, 
 because the freshmen are finding out 
 that they are stronger than we are." 
 November 11, 1863, he wrote as 
 follows : " I have been thinking over 
 my past life since my eyes have trou- 
 bled me. As well as I can reckon, it 
 was in the spring of 1858 they first 
 gave out — the result of reading while 
 recovering from a fever. I left school 
 and went to Michigan. In the au- 
 tumn I went back to school, and found 
 
36 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 my eyes improved as cold weather 
 came on, and I went on for two years. 
 I next broke down in the spring of 
 1860, and went into a store. In the 
 fall of 1861 I went to the military 
 school, and found my eyes but little 
 better. I have gone through '62 and 
 '63 in the same way ; and now I find 
 myself looking forward to the sixth 
 spring since the first annoyance, and 
 what are my prospects ? They are as 
 weak as ever, and I have not aver- 
 aged over two hours and a half of 
 studying this term. Can I hope that 
 they will be any better next spring 
 and summer ? Can I hope that they 
 will permanently improve in college 
 and literary life ? May I not hope to 
 
I^r COLLEGE. 37 
 
 save my eyes by abandoning literary 
 pursuits ? I am not discouraged : I 
 feel sufficiently buoyant ; but I wish 
 to exercise a manly judgment ; above 
 all, to please my Maker. If a sea 
 voyage of five years would cure me, 
 I think it would be, perhaps, advis- 
 able." 
 
 The army, the sea, and the woods 
 of Maine offered their several induce- 
 ments. After counseling with tbe 
 experienced, he decided to begin with 
 lumbering ; and, failing of advan- 
 tage there, to make a second trial of 
 farm life. He did both, employing 
 ten months, with only partial im- 
 provement. 
 
IV. 
 
 FARM LIFE. 
 
 IS months upon tlie farm were 
 not permitted to be barren of 
 "^^^ spiritual results. The pastor 
 whose ministrations he then en- 
 joyed writes : " I yield, not unwil- 
 lingly, to the impulse which prompts 
 me, an entire stranger, to tell you 
 that the announcement of the death 
 of your noble son has brought sadness 
 to many hearts in this community. 
 It was with great pleasure that I 
 made his acquaintance, on taking 
 charge of this society ; and I very 
 
FARM LIFE. 39 
 
 soon found that he was exerting, in 
 a quiet way, a most useful influence 
 among those near his own age. He 
 was recognized among them for what 
 he was, — for what I at once saw 
 him, — an open-hearted, intelligent, 
 affectionate Christian youth ; a rec- 
 ognized leader in the weekly prayer- 
 meeting for young people ; and I was 
 exceedingly pleased with the frank 
 and fearless character of his piety, 
 which was no doubtful possession 
 with him, but an integral part of his 
 nature. The brightness of his intel- 
 lect, too, and the easy play of his 
 fancy, expressing itself often with 
 singular fluency, rendered him all 
 the more interesting and useful. We 
 
40 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 were all truly sorry when he left us, 
 and I regretted him not only for his 
 own sake, but as a helper in every- 
 thing good among us, though none 
 of us thought he was going from us 
 to finish his course so soon." 
 
 The future life was never far from 
 his thoughts. Nearly a year before, 
 he wrote thus : " I find myself, in my 
 most blessed hours, looking forward 
 with pleasure to meeting father's 
 parents hereafter. And, as in child- 
 hood each new friend bound us to 
 earth, so it seems to be the order of 
 Providence, in advancing years, to 
 draw us by one tie and anotlier 
 towards heaven. I can but think 
 that we shall find peculiar bliss in 
 
FARM LIFE, 41 
 
 meeting and associating with those 
 loved most and best on earth. Vari- 
 ous hints in the Bible show us that 
 there is no loss of individuality ; and 
 if Christ's love, as shown to us in 
 our earthly pilgrimage, is to be our 
 song in heaven, why may we not 
 suppose that the love which he has 
 shown us through the agency of our 
 friends, will draw us closer to those 
 friends in the world to come ? I like 
 to think that the Christian is living 
 for eternity in his friendships, in his 
 self-cultivation, and in his efforts for 
 others ; and that he is beginmng a 
 work, and cultivating a taste, for 
 pleasures which shall continue to ad- 
 vance and to please for ever. There 
 
42 JAMES 8. KIMBALL. 
 
 may be music in heaven ; there will be 
 society : above all, there will be love. 
 " About my eyes : If I find it advis- 
 able to go into some business, shall 
 I not do more for mankind, with 
 God's blessing, than I could do in 
 the ministry with weak eyes ? Still 
 a business man can not be a student. 
 Well, Rufiis Landholm, Brother & 
 Co. had poverty to struggle agahist 
 in toiling for an education. I have 
 weak eyes, and a chance of poverty 
 too, perhaps, if I am many more years 
 preparing; still, perhaps, something 
 like their pluck will give me an 
 education. I am resolved to try." 
 Nevertheless the weak eyes would 
 not become strong. 
 
V. 
 
 DELEGATE OF CHEISTIAX COMMISSION. 
 
 ffiONYINCED that the usual 
 course of study for a profession 
 "^^ was thus indefiuitely postponed, 
 '^ and foehng a deep sympathy 
 for his country and our brave sol- 
 diers, he determined to renew the 
 offer of his services to tlie Christian 
 Commission ; and early in October. 
 1S64, was sent to Louisville, Ken- 
 tucky, where for four weeks he was 
 unremitting in his labors. From 
 Louisville he wrote : *• I am having 
 too oood a time now. I find the 
 
44 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 delegates splendid fellows ; rough in 
 manners, but earnest, whole-souled 
 Christians. I hope that I may profit 
 much by being here. My mind is in 
 a constant flutter from seeing so 
 many new faces and strange sights. 
 To tell you all were impossible ; but 
 I will speak of a few things. I went 
 first across the river to Jeffersonville, 
 and thence a mile Or two to Joe Holt's 
 Hospital. This is more than a thou- 
 sand feet square, and is a collection of 
 wooden barracks, on each side of a well- 
 graded street, with board sidewalks 
 some five feet higher than the street, 
 all in the pink of neatness. The 
 convalescents bask in the sunshine 
 before the ward doors, and within 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 45 
 
 each ward are neat beds lining each 
 wall: everything clean, airy, and com- 
 fortable. We found not over three 
 hundred patients in all. We passed 
 from man to man, giving each an In- 
 dependent, or soldier's paper, with a 
 kind word of advice or sympathy, 
 and found them very grateful to get 
 them. I came home, and in the eve- 
 ning, went to the prison barracks, 
 where one hundred and fifty pris- 
 oners are strewn over two rooms, so 
 thickly that as they squat on the 
 floor they touch each other. We 
 had a little meeting here, in the midst 
 of filth and ' gray-backs,' and found 
 them very eager listeners. They 
 begged us to come again. They 
 
46 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 have their own prayer-meeting every 
 evening, with their Httle hymn-books. 
 Singing is a great thing. Frank, 
 Alice, everybody, learn to sing. The 
 first thing I heard was, ' You can 
 sing religion into them twice as fast 
 as you can talk it into them. Can 
 you start your own tunes? — it's 
 half.' Singing is the rallying cry. 
 They flock together when a tune is 
 started. Poor creatures ! it is the 
 only pure pleasure tliey know, to 
 sing tlie old home tunes. I think I 
 could write twelve hours and not tell 
 you half. I could scare you, too, by 
 telling you how many rebels are 
 here, and how wild work war makes. 
 But I think we are perfectly safe 
 here. 
 
CHRISTIAN COMMAS DELEGATE. 47 
 
 " I wish you could see the colored 
 soldiers : such listeners ! They seem 
 magnetized, and hardly breathe while 
 you address them." 
 
 A month later he writes : *' I leave 
 this afternoon for Nashville. I hope 
 God's approval will sanction this 
 change, and that it is not the result 
 of impatient restlessness. I feel as 
 if I had just commenced this work ; 
 and as I find the best of the delegates 
 are increasingly fascinated with it, I 
 hope that I shall cultivate a taste for 
 it. It is still quite an effort to me ; 
 yet I am often interested and en- 
 couraged by tokens of feeling and 
 gratitude in those I deal with. I 
 find it agreeable and profitable to 
 
48 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 come in contact with so many men. 
 The delegates are coming through 
 here all the time, and, as a rule, are 
 wide-awake, well-educated men. Mr. 
 
 is a perfect genius in the rough ; 
 
 smart, pushing, funny, and demo- 
 cratic in his style of speaking, writ- 
 ing, thinking, and walking." 
 
 From Nashville he wrote : " I have 
 N.'s offer of a commission in the 
 army. I have thought and prayed 
 over it, and concluded that I had 
 better remain in the Christian Com- 
 mission. I am already here. I know 
 I can do good — perhaps all the good 
 I am capable of doing ; and to take 
 a commission would be an experi- 
 ment. I am inclined to think that a 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 49 
 
 delegate, a permanent delegate, can 
 do as much good as a chaplain ; for 
 the chaplain is compelled to move with 
 the army. I trust God has guided 
 me into this decision, and shall en-, 
 deavor to dismiss the subject from 
 my mind. We have sweet music in 
 the evening here. The delegates are 
 very pleasant." 
 
 Dec. 1, he wrote : " Nashville is 
 stirring to-day ; Hood within fifteen 
 miles ; cannonading quite audible. 
 Was up from eleven last night till 
 half-past four this morning, unload- 
 ing the wounded. This morning the 
 whole army is crowding into town." 
 
 Dec. 7 : "I think you would be 
 interested if you went round with me 
 
50 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 one day. This week I have been go- 
 ing across tlie Cumberland, to our 
 cavalry on the other side. I take 
 two hundred religious papers, one 
 ream of paper, three hundred soldiers' 
 books, and spend all day distributing 
 them. I have to walk two or three 
 miles, so I dine with the boys on hard- 
 tack and beans, and don't get home 
 till supper-time. Last evening I spent 
 in teaching some little colored chil- 
 dren to read. One of tliem said that 
 Adam lived in the garden of Egypt. 
 We hear cannon tliundering day and 
 night. The fight at Spring Hill was 
 a terrible affair. The rebels charged 
 three times with determined hardi- 
 hood. We came near losing our 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 51 
 
 whole army, but finally repulsed 
 them." 
 
 How he performed his duties, both 
 at Louisville and at Nashville, in bar- 
 racks, hospitals, prisons, and on the 
 field, will best be told in the words 
 of his associates. 
 
 Says one : " He was the youngest 
 delegate we ever had in Louisville ; 
 and we found our hearts going out to 
 him as to a younger brother. We 
 liked his original ways. There was 
 something so fresh and childlike about 
 him, — a simplicity both rare and ad- 
 mirable in a young man. His kind- 
 ness to all was unbounded ; but when 
 a soldier came to our rooms, he would 
 start up quickly, and wait upon him 
 
52 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 as politely as tliougli be were a king. 
 He made the soldiers feel at home, 
 assuring them that we all considered 
 it a privilege to wait upon our brave 
 defenders. Nov. 6, Sunday, I accom- 
 panied him to the ' Taylor Barracks.' 
 He read Isaiah liii. ; dwelling on the 
 third and fourth verses, and repeat- 
 ing many times, ' Surely He bath 
 borne our griefs and carried our sor- 
 rows.' In imagination I can see him 
 now, standing before those colored 
 soldiers, reading each word so dis- 
 tinctly, so understandingly, and they 
 listening so attentively, drinking in 
 every word, and looking so thankful 
 for assurances of home and lieaven. 
 He sought to impress upon them the 
 
CHRISTIAN COMWS DELEGATE. 53 
 
 necessity of being prepared ; to make 
 them realize that God, though invis- 
 ible, was near, and willing to receive 
 them. He urged them to be zealous 
 for Christ, because life was uncertain. 
 He was very earnest ; the color came 
 and went in his cheeks ; and his ' my 
 friends ' to those boys and men can 
 never be forgotten." Says another : 
 " I shall never forget that sermon. 
 I was touched with his remark upon 
 ' His visage was so marred.' He did 
 not think it taught that Christ's ap- 
 pearance was repulsive ; but simply 
 that it was wan, and wasted with his 
 many cares and ceaseless labors. 
 One night there was a crowd. Mr. 
 K. despaired of full attention because 
 
54 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 he could not be seen. He looked 
 about for an elevation. He mounted 
 a pile of boxes, and called for * Rally 
 Round the Flag, Boj^s.' This secured 
 them, and he kept their attention to 
 the end." 
 
 "From myfirst acquaintance," says 
 an Episcopal clergyman, " I was un- 
 usually well pleased with him. His 
 frankness, cordiality, intelligence, 
 above all, his devotion to the Chris- 
 tian work lie had come so far to do, 
 won the esteem of all, and even ex- 
 cited remark from many. His heart 
 was full of that best of Christian 
 graces, cliarity. On Friday evening, 
 Dec. 9, he said to me, ' Let us call on 
 our friends at Hospital 14 ; but half- 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 65 
 
 past seven will be time enough for 
 that, and meanwhile I'll have a short 
 service down in the barracks : I 
 have not done enough to-day ; ' this, 
 thougli I knew he had spent the whole 
 day in ' the front.' The barracks is 
 a large, unfinished hotel, the property 
 of the rebel Gen. Zollicoffer, with no 
 sash in the window frames. This, of 
 course, makes it at best a very un- 
 comfortable place for men to live in. 
 There are generally between one thou- 
 sand and four thousand soldiers here 
 in transit between the front and the 
 North. James, more frequently than 
 any other delegate, visited this place 
 in the evening, to have services. He 
 frequently spoke of the pleasure this 
 
56 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 gave him. We were each in turn 
 appointed to this dutj; but James 
 again and again went, whether spe- 
 cially assigned or not. On Saturday, 
 the 10th, he went. He found there 
 a sick soldier without a blanket, com- 
 pelled to pass the night in a room 
 which was open to the chilling and 
 wintry winds. James felt well, and 
 believed that the short walk liome in 
 the cold would not harm him as much 
 as a long night's exposure would the 
 needy soldier, and at once gave the 
 poor fellow his shawl. Sunday the 
 11th came, and feeling still well, he 
 passed the day among the cavalry, 
 several miles distant from our home, 
 returning quite late. It was not until 
 
CHRISTIAN COMWS DELEGATE. 57 
 
 Monday the 12th that be seemed in- 
 disposed. He kept to the sofa most 
 of tlie day, and had one or two chills. 
 It was not until Tuesday the 13th 
 that his symptoms revealed the fear- 
 ful congestive chill. He would often 
 spend an hour after the labors of tlie 
 day in my room talking over what 
 had been said and done. When lie 
 met with earnest and anxious, but 
 not well-established men, his custom 
 was to insert written pledges, signed 
 by both, usually, in their Testaments, 
 ' to be unceasing in their endeavors 
 to live so as to meet in heaven.' 
 Tha Bible was constantly in his 
 hand when in-doors, before leaving 
 in the morning, and after the duties 
 
58 JAMES S. JvIMBALL. 
 
 of the day. He loved it ; and his 
 conscientious discharge of all his du- 
 ties proved to all that he endeavored 
 to live up to its precepts. On that 
 Friday evening after his services in 
 the barracks, as we walked toward 
 Hospital 14, he spoke of the interest- 
 ing meeting he had just had, and 
 added, ' Though the sermon my con- 
 gregation got was a poor one, it had 
 one good quality, — it was full of the 
 Bible. I always try to introduce 
 plenty of that good book, that those 
 who will not read its pages may hear.' 
 " James was talented above most 
 others. Had he lived he would have 
 been a successful laborer in the vine- 
 yard. His eiTorts were very success- 
 
CHRISTIAN COMMAS DELEGATE. 59 
 
 fill, as long as he was spared, in the 
 work of the Christian Commission. 
 Let us be mindful of David's consola- 
 tion : ' I shall go to him.' Pardon 
 me : I write as I feel ; for I feel that I 
 too need this comfort. In the death 
 of this noble young man I have lost 
 a friend — one whose example has 
 benefited me, and whose warm spirit 
 has enlisted my deepest regards." 
 
 Says another clergyman : "On the 
 10th of December, James and one of 
 the delegates went out of Nashville, 
 on the left, in the front of our cavalry 
 force, where he held a service in the 
 open air. He took off his hat. The 
 day was cold. The cold, as he after- 
 wards said, affected his head. On 
 
60 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 Sunday, Dec. lltli, lie attended the 
 Cumberland Hospital, and preached 
 a most excellent and edifying dis- 
 course. His soul seemed to be en- 
 tirely absorbed in the spiritual and 
 eternal welfare of tlie sick and wound- 
 ed soldiers. On Monday he had chills 
 and fever. On Tuesday I nursed him 
 most of the day, applying mustard 
 draughts to his breasts, arms, feet, 
 ankles, etc., as the doctor ordered ; 
 bathing his feet in hot water, and 
 rubbing him all over to excite per- 
 spiration ; but all in vain. He was 
 delirious in the afternoon. On 
 Wednesday he knew and named all 
 the delegates as they came to his bed, 
 and saluted them with, ' God bless 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 61 
 
 you." During tlie 15th he was de- 
 Urious all the time, preaching, pray- 
 ing, and distributing things to the 
 soldiers. It was very touching to 
 hear him in his wanderings pray for 
 the soldiers, and then ask some one 
 at his bedside to pronounce the bene- 
 diction. When I gave him medicines, 
 he would always say, ' Thank you, 
 thank you, sir.' He did not suffer 
 much pain ; and as the end drew near 
 he became more calm, and died quiet- 
 ly, peacefully, triumphantly ; and we 
 have no doubt that he will rise in 
 the first resurrection. Of this you 
 may rest satisfied : ' Death loves a 
 shining mark ; ' and such talents, so 
 early and so fully developed, seldom 
 
62 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 ever bloom long on this earthly soil. 
 They are matured for the shining 
 shores of eternal joys." 
 
 A chaplain of tlie Illinois cavalry 
 writes from Nashville : " He seemed 
 to have but one desire, and that was 
 to do good to his fellow-men, and be 
 instrumental in saving souls ; and 
 the question was in what sphere he 
 could best accomplish this ? He had 
 had an oifer of a lieutenancy in one of 
 the regiments, and sometimes felt Uke 
 accepting it ; and would, if he could 
 believe that he would be as useful to 
 his company as a Christian, but feared 
 that he might not be as useful to the 
 soldiers as he could now be in the 
 Christian Commission." 
 
' CHRISTIAN COMJWS DELEGATE. 63 
 
 " His great interest in his work was 
 revealed in liis delirium : all the pow- 
 ers of his mind were enlisted in ex- 
 postulating, warning, inviting, and 
 urging sinners, to come to Christ. 
 He told them of Christ's wonderful 
 compassion, his sufferings for them, 
 and liis intercessions with the Father. 
 1 Timothy i. 15, ' This is a faithful 
 saying, and worthy of all acceptation, 
 that Christ Jesus came into the world 
 to save sinners,' was one of the texts 
 from which, with great clearness and 
 directness, he addressed his supposed 
 audience more frequently than from 
 any other. He would begin with the 
 fact that all are sinners by nature and 
 by practice ; then point out the wicked- 
 
G4 JAMES S.- KIMBALL. 
 
 iiess of men in rejecting their truest 
 interest, and in violating God's com- 
 mandment ; show their lost and ruined 
 condition ; closing with the encour- 
 aging truth in the text, that Christ 
 came to save sinners. Here he would 
 take up the sufferings of Christ for 
 sinners, and especially for tliose he 
 imagined to bo present ; invariably 
 inquiring, ' Now won't you accept 
 Christ, who has done so much for 
 you ? ' 
 
 " Another text from which he ad- 
 dressed his supposed audience, was 
 Mark ii. 9 : ' Arise, take up thy bed 
 and walk.' On this he would begin : 
 ' My friends, we are taught in the 
 Bible that our Saviour did good to 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 65 
 
 the bodies of men as well as to their 
 souls ; and it is our duty to labor as 
 he did.' 
 
 " Truly you have reason to bless 
 God for the grace so largely bestowed 
 on your dear son, inclining him thus 
 to labor with all his soul for the salva- 
 tion of men, and especially for soldiers, 
 whether in the hospital or in the camp. 
 The soldiers who formed his acquaint- 
 ance esteemed him highly, as did all 
 who knew him ; the delegates of the 
 Christian Commission, and the chap- 
 lains of the army." 
 
 Says another : " I met yesterday a 
 rebel soldier who had been sick in our 
 barracks ; one to whom Mr. K. had 
 taken tea, bread, etc., etc. (often sav- 
 
66 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 ing his own for them), and told him 
 Mr. K. had gone home to the better 
 land of which he had told him. The 
 tears gushed forth, and he said, * Has 
 he gone ? Will I never see him more ? 
 Oh ! you fight us like demons, and 
 when we are sick and prisoners, you 
 treat us like angels.' I told him all 
 about his sickness, and how in his 
 delirium he was striving to save sol- 
 diers ; and that we felt that he was 
 now with God. He replied, * With 
 God's help, I will meet him there.' " 
 
 Christian parents, accept the assur- 
 ance that we need but a supreme con- 
 cern to be filled witli the love of Jesus, 
 and with the knowledge of his will, to 
 accept peacefully the postponement of 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE, 67 
 
 every plan for the education of a son ; 
 to accept what seems but a temporary 
 occupation as life's consummate work. 
 If it please God to compress the use- 
 fulness of a long life into the brief 
 span of twenty years, is not this a just 
 occasion for triumphant ascription of 
 praise that he has wrought in this 
 brief life a finished work? Every 
 day brings fresh testimony that this 
 is his estimate who calls his disciples, 
 and assigns to every man his work. 
 
 His classmates say : " We deeply 
 regret his loss, as an operl, decided, ex- 
 emplary, high-toned; Christian young 
 man.'' And the dear friend who 
 transmitted this expression of broth- 
 erly feeling, added, " I loved James. 
 
68 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 And I think lie made, during our in- 
 timate connection here, an impression 
 on my character that will be lasting. 
 Not long ago he wrote me at some 
 length ; and one part of that letter 
 comes back to me with renewed force. 
 He said, ' I sometimes say to myself, 
 I shall have done something for Christ, 
 if I never live to engage in any busi- 
 ness or profession.' I little thought 
 his sometJiing' was so nearly done. 
 
 " It were useless for me to tell you 
 that he was highly esteemed here, 
 and that his walk among us was thor- 
 oughly Christian. You know him 
 too well. Yet it may be pleasing to 
 you to know that his influence was 
 more than a common influence. I 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 69 
 
 give you the testimony of one of the 
 sober-minded, thoughtful men of the 
 class, who said to me the other day 
 that he thought James had exerted 
 more good influence in the class than 
 any other person that ever belonged 
 to it. 
 
 "Consolation you have — better 
 than any I can offer." 
 
 Yes, indeed we have — God's con- 
 solation. And though with a bleed- 
 ing heart, we can render up our trust 
 with joy in the Lord, despite the con- 
 sciousness of ten thousand short-com- 
 ings in duty, and of measureless 
 inaptitude for the noble work of 
 training a soul for God, so there be 
 but the consciousness : this one thing 
 
70 JAMES S. KIMBALL. 
 
 have I sought for my child, and only 
 this, — holiness in order to usefulness. 
 Glorious, glorious is the translation 
 of my precious, darling boy. To thee, 
 dear Lord, I surrender this precious 
 one, with ten thousand thanks for 
 the loan. From Thee I received him, 
 with the charge and pledge, '^ Take 
 this child and nourish him for me, 
 and I will give thee wages." I have 
 nourished him for Thee, and for Thee 
 alone ; and here acknowledge receipt 
 of abundant and blessed wages. My 
 soul is ravished and leaps for joy, as 
 I think of my wealth of wages. I 
 have made return to Thee of my stew- 
 ardship, and • Thou hast accepted it. 
 Oh the unutterable joy of having been 
 
CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 71 
 
 permitted — certainly in unswerving 
 aim — to train this precious child for 
 Thee ! 
 
 Glory to God in the highest! — 
 Amen ! 
 
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