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HoVaKD: 
 
 The Christian Hero 
 
 BY 
 
 LAURA C. HOLLOWAT Lariorov 
 
 AUTHOU OF "THTC LADIES OF THE WHITE nOUSS,"" " AK HOUR WITH 
 CHAKLOTTB BRONTE ; OR, TLOWEKS FROM A YORK- 
 SHIRE MOOR," ETC., ETC., ETC. 
 
 
 ^*^^!fitt-, . 
 
 FUNK & WAGNALLS 
 
 NEW YORK ^ LOI^DOJq^ 
 
 10 & 12 Dey Street 44 Fleet Street 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, by 
 
 FUNK & WAGNALLS, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. 
 
 [A /I Rights Reserved \ 
 Registered at Stationers' Hall, London, England. 
 
C01srTElN[TS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 I. 
 
 Characteristics — Early days and ancestry — His two grandfathers 
 — School and home life — Youthful experiences — Engaged to 
 be married — Leaves college — At West Point 11 
 
 II. 
 Military career — First stations — In the Florida war — Becomes a 
 professing Christian — A temperance sermon — Influence with 
 soldiers — About the Master's work — Returns to "West Point — 
 Diary and letters 36 
 
 III. 
 
 The Civil War — Colonel of a Maine regiment — Reception and 
 dinner in New York — Battle of Bull Run — With the Army 
 of the Potomac — Life in camp — The battle of Fair Oaks — 
 Twice wounded — Returns to his home — "The empty 
 sleeve " 61 
 
 IV. 
 
 At home and at work — Raising volunteers — Returns to the Army 
 of the Potomac — Battle of Fredericksburg — Views regarding 
 Generals McClellan, Burnside, and others — The battle of 
 Chancellorsville — Mr. Chancellor's opinion of General How- 
 ard's conduct 81 
 
 V. 
 
 Gettysburg — The three days' fight — Honors to General Howard 
 — Congress and the Maine Legislature thank him — Hastened 
 West — In command of the Army of the Tennessee 97 
 
IV COi^TEii[TS. 
 
 VI, PAGE 
 
 The march to tlie sea — Incidents by the way — With General 
 Sherman at Columbia, S. C. — Called to Washington — The 
 new department oflfered him — The Christian and humani- 
 tarian work he engaged in — A legacy from President Lincoln 133 
 
 VII. 
 The Freedmen's Bureau — Its organization and ramifications — 
 Christian work in Washington — Friends and foes of the 
 Bureau — The destitute refugees — Problems which perplexed 
 General Howard — A thankless labor and its reward 141 
 
 VIII. 
 Peace commissioner to the Apache Indians — In Arizona with 
 Captain Jeffords and "Cochees" — Returns to Washington 
 with a delegation of Indians — Peace secured — Howard's 
 treaty confirmed by President Grant, 164 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Court of Inquiry — Vindication — General Howard triumphant 
 — Ordered to the Department of the Columbia — The Nez- 
 Perces War — Incidents of the pursuit and capture of Chief 
 Joseph and his band — An answered prayer — The return — 
 Appointed Superintendent of the Military Academy at West 
 Point , 184 
 
 X. 
 
 Excerpts from letters, documents, and private diary, showing 
 General Howard's inner life — The war, the Freedmen's 
 Bureau, the church, and public events discussed — xinecdote 
 of General Howard's kindness of heart — Conclusion 210 
 
 
INTEODUCTIOK 
 
 The difficulties which beset the path of a biographer, 
 even under tlie most favorable circumstances, are well 
 known ; they are by no means lessened when the subject 
 of the memoirs is still living. Presentation of a man to 
 a public composed of his friends and enemies is a task of 
 extreme delicacy. The time has not yet arrived to pub- 
 lish all the facts of General Howard's career ; he is still 
 in the active pursuit of his profession, and full of prom- 
 ises of future achievements. 
 
 Even the strictest sense of justice will not save the 
 biographer from disappointing the expectation of friends 
 and hurting the feelings of others who have taken part 
 in the dfama of Howard's life. The purpose of the 
 present volume is neither to chronicle the military events 
 with which the name of General Howard is connected 
 nor to criticise the different personages with whom he 
 has been associated. General O. O. Howard, the Chris- 
 tian soldier, is the subject of this biography, which, it 
 is hoped, will tell those who know him more about his 
 eventful and distinguished life, and introduce to those 
 who do not know him a character well worth study. 
 
 General Howard has been called the ^^ Havelock of 
 the American Army," and been likened to Palmer, to 
 Yicars, and latterly to Gordon, whose line spiritual 
 character was akin to his own. The comparison with 
 Chinese Gordon, of all others, is best sustained for both ; 
 
6 INTRO DUCTIOi?'. 
 
 "Peace hath her yictories not less renowned than war ;'* 
 
 Gordon's jDeace triiimplis in Africa and China find strik- 
 ing parallel in Howard's services to the Freedmen and 
 his missions to the Indians of the West. Unlike Gordon, 
 Howard had the opportunity of not only fighting to free 
 the enslaved, but also to be the leader in establishing 
 them under altered conditions of life. To pursue the 
 comparison further, the religious element has been in- 
 tensely strong in both ; but religion with them has been 
 a living sentiment, which has refused to bend the knee 
 to any ecclesiastical system. The large-hearted Catholi- 
 cism of both has called forth repeated criticisms from 
 sectarians. Although it is unfair to compare and con- 
 trast the religious tenets to which they hold, it may be 
 safely asserted that the general effect on their characters, 
 produced by deep religious convictions, has been similar. 
 In all acts of life each has been first the Christian, and 
 then the soldier or administrator. They were also alike 
 in this, that they have not looked upon honest poverty as 
 a reproach, but have estimated wealth at its true value — 
 as a means to noble and manly ends. Nor must the dis- 
 similarities between the two characters be overlooked ; 
 each has a strongly marked individuality of his own, 
 which even a superficial observer wdll not fail to note. 
 But while both are products of the same conditions in 
 our civilization, Howard's Pilgrim ancestry and his tem- 
 perament, curiously at variance with accepted theories 
 regarding heredity, render it impossible to class him 
 with this other eminent character. It is needless to 
 establish further parallels, as the qualities in which the 
 subject of this memoir resembles the illustrious names 
 we have mentioned, as also their points of dissimilarity, 
 are too striking to escape observation. 
 
Iiq-TRODUCTIOIT. 7 
 
 The progress of civilization, and the influences brought 
 to bear upon war hj science, have altered the character 
 of the soldier's life, and have eliminated from the pro- 
 fession the possibilities of physical heroism which once 
 existed. War has lost much of its savage and romantic 
 character as well : it has been reduced to the level of a 
 gigantic play of chess, involving frightful massacres of 
 the rank and lile, but requiring of leaders more intelli- 
 gence and quick observation and less strength of arm. 
 In modern times military achievements, however brill- 
 iant they may be, rarely allow a soldier to acquire glory 
 as the slayer of numbers of his enemies ; but at the same , 
 time it has removed from the soldier's character that stain 
 of murder which attaches itself to even such a heroic 
 personage as King Arthur. It is curious to note how 
 Murat, afterward King of Naples, and one of the finest 
 cavalry officers that Europe has ever Reen, fought two 
 hundred battles Mdthout havini^ himself taken a sino^le 
 life. The very fact that the difficulties of gaining glory 
 through military achievements are now so great, adds 
 additional lustre to the fame of those who have won 
 renown for brave leadership in battle. General Howard 
 at Fair Oaks and Atlanta aSords striking examples of 
 dashing bravery carried to the verge of recklessness 
 through self-made opportunities. 
 
 The growth of enlightened public opinion and humane 
 feelings, which prevent the development of a modern 
 Alva, does not render it impossible for a soldier to bo 
 also a philanthropist. Of course war itself, considered 
 from the highest moral standpoint, is a violation of that 
 law of love which the philanthropist instinctively recog- 
 nizes and joyfully obeys. But, as Cowper says : 
 
 " Such men are raised to station and command, 
 When Providence means mercy to a land. 
 
8 INTRODUCTION-. 
 
 He speaks, and they appear ; to him they owe 
 Skill to direct, and strength to strike the blow ; 
 To manage with address, to seize with povrer 
 The crisis of a dark decisive hour." 
 
 The defence of the innocent and the oppressed is looked 
 upon, in all lands, as the highest privilege of the pure 
 and strong. 
 
 Since the introduction of artillery in warfare, the 
 actual havoc made on the hostile ranks has ceased to 
 bring glory to the soldier. The student of military his- 
 tory looks for different elements of greatness in a general 
 than mere personal bravery or the fury of destruction. 
 Life has become artificial, and every natural quality 
 which can be simulated by art has ceased to attract any 
 especial attention. Our intellectual civilization will 
 deny recognition to the thundering arms of an Ajax, and 
 put the laurel crown on the head of a mutilated Nelson. 
 The ^diole tendency of the last few centuries has been to 
 suppress the personal element in every department of 
 life. Manners have felt this depressing weiglit the 
 most, and have robbed the world of the charm of a sin- 
 cere expression of feeling, which no age or country can 
 well afford to lose. Nor has personal courage and 
 bravery escaped the newly -introduced influence. To 
 judge from the past, it does not seem impossible that 
 before long a day will arrive when active courage will 
 not be regarded in the light of a merit, as the necessity 
 for it slowly disappears. Each age but admires most 
 that which it needs. As the true value of life comes to 
 be recognized, the reckless exposure of it, which the 
 savage possesses in such great abundance, will be de- 
 servedly looked upon as a crime. True bravery consists 
 in risking one's life in the performance of a duty ; 
 throwing it away for any other purpose is self-murder. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 Public opinion has given unmistakable indication of its 
 decision bj refusing to recognize aggressive courage as 
 noteworthy unless accompanied by other specially intel- 
 lectual gifts. 1^0 historian in these days will give the 
 precedence of heroism to one whose sole merit lies in 
 slajdng a number of adversaries at a single combat in 
 competition wdth one whose skill baffles a stratagem of 
 the enemy. Ours is a pre-eminently intellectual age ; 
 even the fine arts show the influence of the intellect, 
 which seem to have carved the forms of beauty with 
 v/hich the centres of civilization are filled out of solid 
 blocks of gold. The same intellectual eye regards with 
 admiration the moral power in a soldier, his foresight 
 and faculty for combination. 
 
 One effect of these forces upon the character of the 
 soldier is traceable in the fact that hardly a general of 
 any celebrity has been produced since the last years of 
 the past century who has not distinguished himself 
 also as an administrator. In a marked degree has the 
 dual character of soldier and administrator distinguished 
 Howard, who, whatever may be the eminence assigned 
 to him as a man or as a soldier, is a child of his aoje and 
 country, and these general remarks find a good illustra- 
 tion in his biography. 
 
HOWARD: THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 I. 
 
 Characteristics — Early days and ancestry — His two grandfathers — 
 School and home life — Youthful experiences — Engaged to be mar- 
 ried — Leaves college — At West Point. 
 
 '^ An indefatigable man" was the remark once made 
 by Major J. H. Taylor concerning General Howard — a 
 remark which, in the opinion of those who most thor- 
 oughly know him, best expresses his leading character- 
 istics. 
 
 By nature Impetuous, ardent, and impulsive to a 
 degree, he has evolved, through a long course of self -dis- 
 cipline, that resultant quality defined by his friend as 
 '' indefatigability." His military training was an im- 
 portant factor in his work of self-development, and this, 
 combined with his inherited religious tendency, enabled 
 him, early in his career, to gain an ascendency over him- 
 self, which is the secret of his moral influence over 
 others. 
 
 Unlike Yicars, whose Christian character Howard 
 chose as a model years ago,* he early gave evidence of a 
 religious l)ias, and we find him at the age of nine years 
 
 * Hedloy Vicars, of whom Charles Keade wrote : " Here you have 
 a fighting saint, a religious red-coat, a man who cuts down a Russian 
 with the Gospel of mercy in his mouth." 
 
13 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 standing up in a cliiirch-gatliering, to which lie had gono 
 alone, and, in response to the usual invitation of the 
 leader to hear from any one who had a word, speaking a 
 verse from the Bible. It was the admonition, ^' Chil- 
 dren, obey your parents, for this is well-pleasing in the 
 sight of the Lord." This selection, we may w^ell be- 
 lieve, was not due to his own judgment, or chosen with 
 any special fitness to the occasion, but seized uj)on at the 
 moment because familiar, and perhaps for the reason 
 that his mother's teachings had indelibly impressed it 
 upon his memory, or perhaps because it referred to chil- 
 dren and he wanted to say the suitable thing. The ex- 
 citement he labored under caused his limbs to tremble and 
 his cheeks to flush ; but he had done his part, and was not 
 at all disconcerted that the grave, elderly men about 
 observed him in silence. It is not difficult to imagine the 
 effect it produced upon them, but the circumstance im- 
 pressed itself upon the lad's mind, and was never forgot- 
 ten. His desire to do something impelled him to the be- 
 lief that the leader wished all to speak who had anything 
 to say, and he did so, as unconscious of effect as if 
 he had tendered the use of his jack-knife to a companion. 
 He went home to his sick father and busy mother, who 
 had not noticed his absence, and reported the part he had 
 taken in the meeting. His father eyed him curiously, 
 and expressed surprise that a little boy should have 
 spoken at such a time. The child said he was invited to 
 speak ; and the father hesitated to point out to him the 
 difference between the literal and the conventional invi- 
 tations of people, seeing the happy trast of the lad in the 
 matter. He was interrupted in his revery by the ques- 
 tion, ^^ Father, do you ever pray?" The sick man 
 looked out of the window over the moonlit scene, so 
 quiet and restful, a long time ; he could not at once 
 
HOWAllD : THE CnRISTIAK HERO. 13 
 
 gather strength to conquer the clioking sensation in his 
 throat. The sober-looking little boy waited at his side, 
 leaning on his arm-chair, and when the sick man said, 
 '^ Sometimes, my son ; w^oiild you like to have me 
 pray?" he instantly responded, ^' Yes, father." The 
 hand of the man held that of the child as they knelt for 
 the first time together, and when the simple, earnest 
 petition was ended, the boy was sent to bed with his 
 father's blessing. A few weeks subsequent to this event 
 Mr. Howard died, and the boy never forgot this occur- 
 rence. He came to look upon himself as in some way 
 responsible for his father's death, and all that related to 
 him he naturally remembered vividly. 
 
 On the day tliat Mr. Howard was taken ill young Otis 
 had been sent to watch the cattle in a field some distance 
 from the house. It was Sunday, and only the most 
 urgent work was done on the Sabbath day on that Isew 
 England farm ; but there was a field of growing corn, 
 and it was important to keep the cattle out of it. The 
 lad was sent to guard them while feeding near by, and 
 was having a pleasant time with the dogs at play when 
 he heai'd his father's voice. It was church time, and he 
 knew why he was summoned ; but he did not know 
 then that it had been a great exertion for his father to 
 make him hear. The wdnd was blowing briskly in an 
 opposite dh-ection^ and he strained his lungs in the effort 
 he made to be heard over the fields. The family went 
 to church, leaving Otis behind, and at noon-time Mr. 
 Howard was brouglit home exceedingly ill. "While in 
 church a hemorrhage came on, and it was with difficulty 
 that the weak man could be removed. The doctor who 
 attended him attributed the attack to the violent exer- 
 tion he had made that morning. He lived an invalid for 
 eight months, and the little boy, who fully realized the 
 
14 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 cause of his long illness, grieved contritely for liim. To 
 Ills motlier he tried, in his childish way, to make atone- 
 ment for the loss of his father, and his love for her was 
 intensified in consequence. Years afterward he wrote 
 these words of him in a story for boys,* which is to some 
 extent autobiographical : 
 
 '* Donald now learned about his father's early life : 
 how promising a young man he was ; how he was rising 
 in the world, when he was obliged to return to his father 
 (Donald's grandfather) and to take care of him, as the 
 old man had fallen into misfortune and embarrassment ; 
 how he had been engaged to the most beautiful of young 
 ladies of a high family ; and how, with diminishing 
 prospects, his father had offered, in sorrow (so it was 
 reported), to break off the engagement ; but that, Kuth- 
 like, she was too constant to permit it. Be it teacher, 
 merchant, or farmer, with him she had cast her lot. 
 They were married. Farmer Woodward, by constant 
 labor, always helped by his good wife, had paid up the 
 old debts, supported his father all his life, and had now 
 a nice farm and property all clear, and some money in 
 the bank. How much real poetry there is in almost 
 every life, if one could but find it ! These self-denials, 
 these unremitting efforts, these thrifty ways, such as 
 Farmer Woodward and his wife had followed from day 
 to day for years, were a real inheritance, better than 
 gold to their children." 
 
 Young Howard's attachment to his mother was not 
 only unusual in its strength, but was based on apprecia- 
 tion of a real worth. He was thoughtful of her from 
 his earliest youth, and now in her ripe old age she re- 
 joices in the fulfilment of the promise that " her chih 
 
 * "Donald's Scl;ool-pays.'* 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 15 
 
 dren shall rise up and call lier blessed." lie lias penned 
 many beautiful things of that beloved parent and of all 
 mothers. These are some of his tributes : 
 
 " She never appeared untidy, even at the hard work 
 of cooking. . . . Isn't it wonderful that these mothers 
 hold out so long in their ceaseless routine of daily duty ! 
 . . . Every afternoon of a week day, when the work 
 of the dinner was over, a brief time w^as given to the 
 demands of her toilet. Then you would have noticed, 
 for a few moments, her woman's adornment — a profuse 
 spray of hair, glossy, brown, and flowing to the waist. 
 Yery quickly it was rolled and flattened, and became a 
 crown to her head, fastened by the high-crested comb. 
 She was remarkable for two excellent qualities of mind 
 and heart — forethought and self-possession." 
 
 It is pleasant, as well as instructive, to quote what he 
 says of her characteristics, for they give his own por- 
 trait. "Writing of these early days, he introduces an 
 accident which occurred to his brother, and makes this 
 allusion to his mother : 
 
 '' The boys used to say, when older, it was almost 
 worth while to be hurt or sick to find out mother's real 
 heart ; for she seldom at other times used expressions of 
 tenderness to her children, not after they had passed 
 babyhood. . . . She gives him a fervent kiss — those 
 mothers' kisses, what meaning ! how they last !" 
 
 Soliloquizing over the value of this beloved parent, he 
 says : 
 
 " Boys do not seem to notice the pains a mother takes 
 to show her love for them ; but when years have gone 
 by, when the mother's eye is dim with age, and their 
 ov,m children are receiving the same attention from 
 painstaking, self-denying, tireless mothers, then the old 
 picture comes back, and their hearts catch glimpses of 
 
16 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 real motlier-love, and warm up with grateful affection 
 that did not perhaps at the time find any coveted ex- 
 pression. ' ' 
 
 And these are his reflections concerning parents' 
 counsel and its blessing to the young : 
 
 " If a boy had the power to forecast the future, and 
 could look the consequences of his outreachings clearly 
 in the face, he might be very content never to roam 
 from his father's counsel and his mother's care, and he 
 might snuggle down in his soft bed, fully satisfied with 
 the present ' well enough. ' ' ' 
 
 The love and sympathy he entertained for his mother, 
 greatly strengthened by the feeling that he had been 
 instrumental in hastening his father's death, increased 
 with years. She v/as equal to any sacrifice for her chil- 
 dren, and self-denying to a degree, while just to herself 
 in her government of them. She would walk a m.ile in 
 the deep snow to carry him a message which it was im- 
 portant he should know, but would require the perform 
 ance of the more trifling duty with rigid determina- 
 tion. Her children's education was her first ambition, 
 and she almost overvalued a college traiuing. She 
 willingly saved and denied herself that her sons might 
 have the advantages she wished for them. The ambition 
 of her boy gave her infinite pleasure, and she heartily 
 sympathized with him in his decided disinclination to 
 take up farm-work for his livelihood. Where a mother 
 wills she usually wins, and the clear-headed Mrs. Howard 
 had a well-balanced character, which sustained her in 
 this as in all other duties, however difficult and long- 
 continued. It accordingly pleased her to hear the lad 
 discuss plans and project ways and methods of raising 
 himself to a different sphere of life beyond the severe 
 and unremunerative occupation of a farmer. Once he 
 
HOWARD ; THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. 17 
 
 retnrned from a Foiirtli-of-Julj celebration full of the 
 desire to be an orator ; mounting a cliair in his enthusi- 
 asm, he repeated the words and imitated the gestures of 
 the speaker of the day, while his mother listened in 
 silence, mentally resolving that Otis should have all the 
 advantages she could secure for him. 
 
 There were elements, she saw, of a good and use- 
 ful man in him ; his pedigree was unexceptionable, and 
 his inheritance of blood, brains, and purpose ought to 
 insure success. After years proved the correctness of 
 her judgment. 
 
 The Howards were an English family settled at 
 Bridgewater, in Massachusetts, where they remained for 
 several generations. When the Revolutionary "War 
 broke out Seth Howard, the head of the family then, 
 went into the army with the rank of captain, leaving to 
 his youngest son the care of the farm, where he resided 
 with his mother. Tliis youngest son, also Seth Howard, 
 was the grandfather of the subject of this biography. 
 During the latter part of the war the son joined the 
 father in the army, and saw service in the field. 
 
 Seth Howard the younger, many years after this 
 time, removed from Massachusetts to Leeds, Kennebec, 
 now Androscoggin County, Maine. He w^as a man of 
 family, and when he made this change of homes his son, 
 Rowland Bailey, the father of General Howard, was 
 ten years of age. Seth Howard was a noble specimen 
 of manhood, who commenced life with no other fortune 
 than his character. His was a generous, convivial 
 nature, fond of life and his fellow-creatures, and full of 
 hope and good cheer. He built himself a granite house 
 at Leeds, solid and substantial, like himself, and owner 
 and house were known far and wide. The name '^ Seth 
 Howard " was carved around the border of its ample 
 
18 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 hall, and its tliick walls were reared to stand for years to 
 come. It was a spacious dwelling in its day, and long 
 remained an imposing reminder of its owner. 
 
 Mrs. Howard, his wife, was a daughter of Dr. Eow- 
 land Bailey, of New York, and their family consisted of 
 nine children, the youngest of whom, Kowland Bailey, 
 was, as we have said, the father of General Howard. 
 This young man had for his inheritance a delicate consti- 
 tution, and he appears to have been the bearer of heavy 
 family burdens from his early manhood. During the 
 latter part of Seth Howard's Hfe he became embarrassed, 
 and upon this son, who had gone out into the world to 
 care for himself, devolved the burden of his relief. 
 
 The worldly ambitions which he very naturally enter- 
 tained were blighted by the heavy pecuniary cares that 
 were upon him, and when he married his first love it was 
 to take her to the old farm, where he was struggling to 
 free himself from debt. His bride, Eliza Otis, was the 
 daughter of Oliver Otis, of Scituate, Mass. Mr. Otis 
 was a rich farmer, and as remarkable in physical appear- 
 ance as Seth Howard. He was a man of fine ability, 
 and possessed of those sterling qualities which secured 
 for him the respect and affection of his neighbors. 
 
 Of this grandfather, his namesake says : '^ He was 
 one of I^ew England's sturdy sons, who in his youth 
 started out, with a strong body, a stout heart, and an axe 
 on his shoulder, almost penniless, to hew his way to fort- 
 une. ' ' The sum of his earthly wealth was five dollars and 
 his useful axe. In those days woodmen were very essen- 
 tial members of a community, and Mr. Otis had no diffi- 
 culty in making a start in the world. He became a wealthy 
 and influential citizen, and lived to see the second genera 
 tion of his name rejoice in his presence and prosperity. 
 
 The young couple had many tastes in common, and 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 19 
 
 both were refined and ambitious. Mrs. Howard was a 
 self-educated woman, for schools were not always con- 
 venient for farmers' daughters, and in her early woman- 
 hood she taught school ; she was unusually well-read, 
 and possessed a strong liking for art, poetry, and music. 
 Her husband shared with her in these likings, and the 
 two were exceedingly happy in their marriage, though 
 both would have preferred to have had less hard work 
 of an uncongenial kind. They were young, and she 
 was stroDg, and regrets and repinings were not in- 
 dulged in by the young wife. Each had the other 
 and a home, and with her coming to gladden his life 
 with her presence came also the certainty of a com- 
 petency in time. At her father's death Mrs. Howard 
 inherited a comfortable fortune. The issue of this mar- 
 riage were three sons, the eldest of whom is Oliver Otis, 
 born on his maternal grandfather's sixty-second birthday, 
 and named for him. The two younger brothers of Gen- 
 eral Howard were as well educated as he, and both were 
 graduates of Bowdoin College. Rowland Bailey, the 
 second son, became a lawyer, and afterward left the 
 profession to enter the ministry. Charles H., the 
 youngest, who was studying for the ministry when the 
 war broke out, enlisted in the Third Maine Regiment (his 
 brother's) as a private, and was promoted through every 
 grade to be a colonel and brevet brigadier-general. Rev. 
 Rowland B. Howard is at present secretary of the Peace 
 Commission, while Charles Howard has lately been the 
 editor of the Chicago Advance, the Congregational 
 organ for the West. He was at one time secretary of 
 the Western branch of the American Missionary Associa- 
 tion ; during the existence of the Freedmen's Bureau he 
 w^as an inspector of a large district, and subsequently in- 
 spector of Indian affairs. All of the children of this 
 
20 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAlSr HERO. 
 
 exemplary and wise mother liave been useful and earnest 
 Christian men, and the meed of her ambition has been 
 thrice fulfilled in their careers. 
 
 While Oliver (called Otis at home) v/as yet a little 
 child his grandfather, Seth Howard, came to live with 
 his son Eowland, and the fondness of the lad for his 
 grandfather and of the latter for him was equally strong. 
 There was no pleasure of his childhood keener than that 
 experienced when running by the side of the old gentle- 
 man, talking to him, as the man, forgetful of the strain 
 he was putting upon the baby body, strode along at a 
 gait few grown-up boys cared to accompany, or in sitting 
 on his knee in the evening listening to his entertaining 
 stories. The lad was encouraged to be industrious and 
 energetic, and he endeavored in many ways to secure his 
 grandfather's approbation by doing tasks deemxcd diffi- 
 cult by his elders. He was healthy and strong, and not 
 infrequently made trouble for himself by attempts at 
 
 ^ feats of endurance to which he was unequal. His idea 
 of manliness was to do a man's work, and as he grew up 
 
 ' he was intrusted with many responsibihties at times. One 
 of his early boyish duties, commenced when he was 
 only eight years old, was to go to school at sunrise and- 
 build the fire, and this journey was often made through 
 deep snow. The large boys took turns in this work, and 
 Otis was ambitious to be looked upon as one of them. 
 
 ' They permitted it, and, his mother consenting, he was as 
 prompt as they in his work. Active even to restlessness, 
 he was always doing something, and executiveness and 
 conscientiousness marked all he attempted. He was 
 persistent, too, and determined in his efforts to accom- 
 plish anything he undertook. His lack of mechanical 
 skill was conspicuous, though he could not be convinced 
 
 \ of the fact. If he took a fancy that he should like a 
 
HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAN" HEllO. ^1 
 
 box or a sled, lie would set about its construction with a 
 zeal that lield out unflaggingly to the end. Persistently 
 lie would hainnier until the nerves of the household 
 were irritated, and advice would be given him to desist. 
 It was idle, however, to try to persuade him to stop until 
 he had completed his work ; he would move his base of 
 operations, and go on carpentering until his sled was 
 ready for use. 
 
 This want of the mechanical faculty was felt at West 
 Point, where he had much difficulty ^vith drawing, a 
 study in which his standing was very low for the first 
 year. By bird effort he attained that excellence which 
 enabled him to lift his standing from thirty-four to nine, 
 which was his highest rank in that study. 
 
 Mrs. liov/ard was a good musician, and accompanied 
 her children on Sunday evenings in their singing of 
 hymns. This was the one evening of entire leisure for 
 all the household at the farm, and it was observed in 
 this pleasantest of ways. The memory of the hour of 
 song lives Vvdth the man to-day, and he was musing over 
 them when he wrote : 
 
 '' It is a sweet picture in the memory to after years. 
 Possibly, with softer harmonies and more real music, the 
 same group may occupy and thrill the rooms and hall of 
 an upper mansion, already preparing, as one after another 
 is entering the gates. ... In the mother's heart these 
 Sunday evening scenes dwell, though the husband and 
 father has ceased from his earthly work, and the boys 
 have grown up and gone forth to bear their part in the 
 great world's battle." 
 
 A circumstance that will partly explain General How- 
 ard's unusual interest in colored people, apart from his (^ 
 convictions on the subject of slavery, was this : When 
 he was a lad of 'five years his father, out of compassion, 
 
22 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 took charge of a colored boy of se^en, who lived for 
 many years an inmate of the house. The family had no 
 race prejudice, and the waif who had come among them 
 to be sheltered and cared for was a bright, intelligent 
 child, whose sunny nature and happiness in his new 
 home made him a favorite with the family. The 
 farmers of New England had no servants, and the boy 
 was never looked upon as a menial. He was the associ- 
 ate of the sons, and w^as treated by Mr. Howard with 
 kindness and consideration. Young Otis, who was 
 nearer this boy's age than either of his brothers, was 
 constantly with him in play and in the work which all 
 lads perform about a farmhouse. The example of 
 benevolence set by his parents in taking this homeless 
 child, their kind treatment of him, and the responsibility 
 they felt in his training — all made an impression never to 
 be effaced on the mind of the little boy whose name in 
 after years was to become so prominently identified with 
 the colored race. Perhaps this accounts for the inability 
 always shown by General Howard to understand why 
 the color of a man's skin should be the impassable barrier 
 to advancement and the cause of ostracism from all asso.- 
 ciation with the dominant race. During the war, when 
 race-enmity was at its height, he was perhaps the most 
 peculiar man in the army in this respect. He treated 
 white and black alike, and was able to estimate good quali- 
 ties at their true value, whether found under the white 
 or the black skin. Yery recently General Howard, in 
 replying to a question as to his abolition feelings, said he 
 did not know in slavery days that he was an extremist ; 
 he had been taught to respect all who were deserving of 
 it, and had never heard a reservation made in the case of 
 the colored people. He simply acted upon the teachings 
 of his mother and father, and was surprised sometimes 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 23 
 
 to see how miicli more liberal and truly democratic had 
 been his training than that of many of his friends and 
 associates. But he was personally very benevolent, and 
 his freedom from prejudice was due largely to his 
 humanitarian and catholic spirit. Ilis natural ten- 
 dency toward active benevolence, which is one of his 
 most marked traits, was early exhibited. Though pos- 
 sessed of a quick temper, he was always one of the first 
 to show a friendly spirit, and if any one loved him he 
 returned the feeling tenfold. Kind, tolerant, and sin- 
 cere as a lad, the child is the father of the man in these 
 his strongest characteristics. 
 
 After the death of his father he was a help and com- 
 fort to his mother, who for a time remained on the farm, 
 managing it and caring for her children. Young Otis 
 went to a school in- the neighborhood until he was old 
 enough to go to the academy at Hallowell. Then he 
 left home to live in the house of his uncle, the Hon. 
 John Otis, a Member of Congress, and a man of liberal 
 culture. Here he earned his board by doing the chores 
 about the place and taking care of the family hcrse and 
 cow. His aunt was a woman of so much gentleness and 
 sweetness of disposition that he loved her ardently, and 
 her influence over him at this formative period of his 
 life was invaluable. For two years he remained there, 
 and w^as improved in all ways, by his studies and the 
 associations of his religious life. His aunt and cousins 
 were constant in their attendance at church, and he was 
 their companion at prayer-meetings, church-gatherings, 
 and social entertainments. 
 
 The winter months were spent at home with his 
 mother and brothers, and there he attended a country 
 school with his brother. The mother was ever glad to 
 have him with her, for his hands w^ere always wilhng, so 
 
24 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 that he was a helpful member of the family. The 
 genuine goodness of the boy was constantly attested in 
 many ways, and wherever he could be doing he was 
 active. His energy sometimes tired less restive people, 
 but he was tractable, and could be controlled by kindness. 
 The transparent nature was open to all, and, child and 
 man, he has been easy to read, because there was nothing 
 to conceal. His characteristic promptness in any act of 
 kindness was a lovable trait in him. Swift to do a good 
 turn, he did it with such unaffected heartiness that it was 
 a pleasure to receive a service at his hands. When he 
 first went to Hallo well to school, a speaker of the Sab- 
 bath-school which he had just joined asked the scholars 
 for contributions to purchase a Bible for a family in the 
 neighborhood who had none and were not able to buy. 
 '^o sooner had young Howard heard the request than he 
 ran instantly home, secured his Bible, and hastened back 
 to the church. On the way he met the speaker, and 
 handed his treasure to him to give to the needy family. 
 The earnest request had, no doubt, made as great an im- 
 pression upon others who heard it, but no one else had 
 felt the appeal to be so directly personal. To have kept 
 his Bible under the circumstances would have been im- 
 possible, and to have delayed in giving it almost as great 
 a trial as not to have given it at all. 
 
 Mrs. Howard, some years after the death of her hus- 
 band, was married to Colonel John Gilmore, three 
 of whose children became members of her house- 
 hold. Colonel Gilmore was a kind husband and step- 
 father, and was greatly beloved by the fatherless 
 boys. The family continued to reside on the Howard 
 farm, where the youngest son of Colonel Gilmore by the 
 first wife still abides. The only child born of this union 
 was a son, Eodolphus Howard Gilmore, who is now a 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq- HERO. 25 
 
 prominent lawyer and member of the Legislature in 
 Denver, Col. From Ilallowell young Howard went to 
 Monmouth Academy, where he studied a year, and at 
 the age of fom-teen he entered Yarmouth Academy, 
 where he was fitted for college. At both of these schools 
 he studied very hard, and in the term intervals attended 
 the district school near his home. He had made such a 
 good record for himself wliile with his uncle at Hallowell 
 that his mother was entirely confirmed in her purpose of 
 giving him a college education, and his example stimu- 
 lated his younger brothers to work in the same direction. 
 Otis always looked beyond farm work, though he did 
 much of it when at home in the vacations, up to the time 
 that he began to teach, and his mother, who had never 
 ceased to regret that circumstances had compelled his 
 father to spend his life on a farm, when his education and 
 abilities fitted him to work to better purpose in another 
 pursuit, furthered his wishes in relieving him of this re- 
 sponsibility. After her marriage there was less necessity 
 for him to do so, as Colonel Gilmore took charge of 
 the agricultural labor. The family were well oft, but 
 lived economically, so far as mere outlay was concerned. 
 They spent little, and the boys were taught to practise 
 frugality as a Christian virtue and most essential duty. 
 If young Howard owed to his parents no other gratitude, 
 he cannot in this life repay them for the great boon they 
 conferred in teaching him the value of money and how 
 to use it rightly. 
 
 Having no expensive habits at any time in his career, 
 neither smoking, drinking, playing cards, nor gambling 
 in any form, his has been a fortunate life in respect to 
 pecuniary matters. He has prayed that prayer which 
 asks ^^ neither poverty nor riches, but food convenient 
 for him," and has lived for the most part untrammelled 
 
 V 
 
36 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN- HERO. 
 
 by debt or monetary anxiety. He lost the savings of 
 years in "Washington, from a twofold cause : the depreci- 
 ation of m.ortgaged property and the expenses of legal 
 counsel, but was able to live, as before, upon his pay as 
 an army officer and what he earned by his pen, without 
 incurring indebtedness. 
 
 While at Yarmouth Academy young Howard, by dint 
 of hard work, completed a two years' course in one, 
 and entered Bowdoin College just before the age of 
 sixteen. 
 
 When on his way to college the first term, in company 
 with a fellow-student, they stopped at a wayside inn for 
 refreshments, and while waiting for their food his young 
 companion invited him to the bar, and proposed a drink. 
 Howard declined and kept his seat at the fire. His 
 friend urged him, saying that it would refresh him, and 
 then justified his own conduct in so doing with the 
 excuse that all great men drank. Neither Daniel Webster 
 nor Henry Clay shunned the pleasures of the bottle, 
 he asserted, and he could see no reason why they should. 
 ''I prefer, then, not to be a great man," was young 
 Howard's reply, and his friend took his drink alone. It 
 is a sad commentary on the example set by these and 
 other brilliant men then in the height of their great pop- 
 ularity, to add tliat this young lad died a drunkard. 
 
 Howard passed through his first term at Bowdoin, and 
 'then tried to get a country school during the winter 
 months. He was refused the position he sought because 
 of his youthful appearance. The winter was passed at 
 home, and it was during this vacation, while on a visit to 
 a classmate residing at Livermore, that he met at a social 
 gathering the young girl — Miss Elizabeth A. Waite — who 
 afterward became his wife. She was a daughter of 
 Alexander B. Waite, a business man of Portland, and 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 37 
 
 was an only cliild. Howard was sixteen and she four- 
 teen years of age, lier birthday occnrring on the 4th and 
 his on the 8th of November. It was a case of mutual at- 
 traction, and though the course of true love did not run 
 perfectly smooth, their affection never abated, and they 
 were true to their girl and boy fancy for each other. 
 This absorbing affection was the most fortunate of bless- 
 ings for the young man, since it settled his mind and in 
 time influenced and colored his every step. The young 
 people became engaged while he was at college, where 
 he studied hard and continued uninterruptedly until the 
 first term of the senior year, when he remained away in 
 order to teach in a high school and earn the necessary 
 means to pay for the final term. His studies were kept 
 up, and he was graduated well in his class. 
 
 "While at college he had an experience of a social na- i^ 
 ture that confirmed him for life in his temperance prin- 
 ciples. He was mistaken for another college student who 
 was seen intoxicated, and his aflfianced, whose family 
 were strict temperance people, refused to see him again. 
 Her relatives had met a young man driving furiously 
 along the road, in company with a fellow-student, and 
 were quite positive that it was he, so that there was noth- 
 ing for the unhappy girl to do but to give him up. The 
 young man did not know what had caused the change 
 in the sentiments of the young lady, and for weary 
 months there was no communication between them. 
 Howard's room-mate, long after this occurrence, 
 learned of the great injustice that had been done his 
 friend, and was instrumental in bringing about a recon- 
 ciliation. 
 
 This was not the only trial that the dissipated habits 
 of college friends cost him, but it was by far the most 
 serious, and it made him less lenient to this vice than 
 
^8 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 before and more zealous in his efforts to save his friends 
 from its soul-destroying and easily-acquired habit. 
 
 We have seen that he was an abolitionist by instinct, 
 and from his boyhood expressed himself fearlessly on the 
 subject of slavery. 'No one at all acquainted with him 
 was left in doubt as to where he stood on the then lead- 
 ing issue of the day. In a graduating oration which he 
 imputed to another,'^ he had something to say regarding 
 the hated institution, and used these flowery phrases in 
 discussing it : 
 
 '' As sure, Mr. President, as the fact that the sun rose 
 this morning and will set this evening — as sure as the 
 fact that the moon and the stars are swinging in space 
 and jDerforming their appointed motions — as sure as 
 there is a power behind these motions — the power of the 
 one omnipotent Being who made all things, and who 
 sustains all — so stire is God's work among the moral 
 forces in men's souls ! By His silent, mighty working, 
 Slavery^ the hideous monster, is doomed !. You and I, 
 sir, will live to see the flag of Universal Freedom waving 
 in our clear sky, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. ' ' 
 
 He was at this time much exercised about what he 
 should do as a present means of livelihood and future 
 employment ; he wavered between the law and medi- 
 cine. Both presented an almost insurmountable obstacle 
 — that of expense. He could not well ask his mother 
 to devote more of her means to his education. How 
 should he manage to secure professional training ? 
 About this time in his career he became much inter- 
 ested in religion, though he did not then publicly 
 manifest feeling on the subject. His associations were 
 mainly with people of orthodox views, and all his 
 
 * «' Donald's School-Days." 
 
HOWARD : THE CHMSTIAN HERO. 29 
 
 real friends were clmrcli-goers and Bible-readers. He 
 had noticed tliat the true Christian life was full of unsel- 
 fishness ; that the friendship of Christians was a constant 
 absorbing and heart-uplifting interest, and he was in 
 sympathy with their aims and ideals. He says, in one 
 of his early letters: ^^ Christians seem like brothers. " 
 But now he would doubtless have studied for and entered 
 the profession of the law, his inclinations leading him in 
 that direction and his respect and admiration for the pro- 
 fession being very strong, had not an opportunity pre- 
 sented itself for an education of a wholly different nature. 
 The ministry in New England, from the earliest times, 
 has been universally honored, and the minister was by 
 far the most important personage in the place in w^hich 
 he lived. He was consulted on all occasions, in sickness 
 and in health. His presence at weddings, feastings, and 
 family gatherings secured for him all the success desired, 
 and his opinion on any subject was authority. 
 
 Young Howard, studying and probii^ his own heart 
 to see what would be his life-work, turned over in his 
 own mind all the advantages for doing good which the 
 ministry presented. He wanted to be useful, to influ- 
 ence men to lead ennobling lives, so that he thought not 
 a little of the Christian ministry. But at this time ho 
 was not a member of the church, so he gave the balance 
 weight to the law ; nor had any but his own family any 
 idea of his plans and hopes. The gift from his uncle of 
 a cadetship at West Point decided his career and made 
 him a soldier of the army, as well as subsequently of the 
 Cross. 
 
 Hon. John Otis, who, as a member of Congress, had a 
 cadetship appointment, gave it to his own son. The 
 lad failed to pass the medical examination, and the 
 father then offered it to his favorite nephew. It opened 
 
30 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 the way to a career for joiing Howard, and lie saw in it, 
 if lie succeeded, four years of study and a livelihood, if 
 he followed a soldier's calling. It was a great relief to 
 him to be independent of bis mother's help. The family 
 property would bear no division, and his younger 
 brothers were yet to be educated. School-teaching 
 offered but a poor inducement to an ambitious young 
 man who was engaged to be married and was anxious to 
 begin work in some permanent pursuit. Self-reliant and 
 physically strong, he felt prepared to enter the military 
 academy, the more especially as he had a talent for 
 mathematics, the crucial study of the institution. 
 
 Then, too, the stories of his grandfather, Seth How- 
 ard, who had been, as we have seen, a soldier of the 
 Hevolution, had fired the imagination of the lad. He 
 now recalled anew the reminiscences of the old man, 
 who had also fought in the later Indian wars, and pict- 
 Tii'ed thrilling scenes of adventure and hairbreadth escapes 
 to the eager listeners about the farmhouse fireside. 
 
 The bias in favor of a soldier's life given the youth by 
 his grandfather's evening chats was not fully realized by 
 him until the way was opened to pursue the same call- 
 ing* He was at his uncle's house w^hen the offer of the 
 appointment was received, and was so overjoyed with his 
 good fortune that he could scarcely wait for his mother's 
 consent before sending his acceptance. This was rather 
 reluctantly given, and he spent the intervening weeks in 
 reviewing his studies and preparing for the examination. 
 His cousin's preliminary trial had taken place in June, 
 and his own was for the fall. He went to "West Point 
 the last of August, passed the initial examination, and 
 was enrolled as a cadet in September, 1850. The follow- 
 ing November he w^as twenty years old. 
 
 The career he had now entered upon had a marked 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIANS" HERO. 31 
 
 effect upon Cadet Howard. He soon learned at tlie 
 academy system and order practically, as well as tlieoret- 
 ically. He encountered rivalry, and measured his abilities 
 with those of other young men who had been trained, 
 as he had been, in the best schools of the land. Among 
 his classmates for four years were G. W. Custis Lee, 
 H. L. Abbott, Thomas H. Ruger, John Pegrani, J. E. B. 
 Stuart, and many others whose names are identified with 
 the Civil War. 
 
 To a youth of Howard's temperament and religious 
 tendency West Point was not a place where a pleasant 
 time might be expected. The minority among the 
 cadets were church-members, and few w^ere interested in 
 matters outside of their present duties and future pros- 
 pects as army officers. The subject of slavery was then 
 being agitated in every part of the Union, and the 
 cadets, hailing from the several sections of the country, 
 had much to say on this topic. The larger number of 
 them from the Southern, Middle, and South-western 
 States were hostile to the Northern sentiment on the 
 slavery question, and a JjJew Englander who had very 
 pronounced views either kept his sentiments private or 
 w^as at once at enmity with the extremists on the other 
 side. Howard almost immediately elicited bitter and 
 persistent hostility, and during his whole coui-se suffered 
 from this cause. His quick temper was a great trial to 
 him, and it w^as with difficulty that he held himself in 
 check when annoyed by remarks or unjustly treated on 
 parade. None but one who has been a cadet can under- 
 stand the difficulties of such a position. He was free- 
 spoken and independent, and naturally smarted greatly 
 under the unmerited situation in which, after a time, he 
 found himself. His comrades will remember the spirited 
 and sometimes bloody contests that grew out of these 
 
32 HOWARD : THE CHIIISTIAK HERO. 
 
 things ; blows were the frequent results of their dis- 
 putes, for Howard was always too ready to fight. Had 
 blows decided the right of the quarrels he would have 
 triumphed in the majority of cases, because his lusty 
 vigor was such that few could overcome in single combat. 
 In his stndies he did well from the start, and had it not 
 been for an extreme political and religious sentiment 
 imputed to him, he w^ould have had nothing to mar the 
 pleasant student life. He was marked at guard -mount- 
 ing and parades constantly by the cadets who were liis 
 enemies, and his demerit marks, due to fights, affected 
 his general standing, as did also absence from the class- 
 room caused by injuries received. 
 
 Once there was a bloody struggle, and the yonng man 
 received from another cadet wounds that laid him np for 
 many days, and have troubled him through life. Injury 
 due to another cause also cost him much valua])le time. 
 While practising in the gymnasium one day the hori- 
 zontal bar turned under his legs, and he came to the 
 ground, cutting his scalp severely ; erysipelas set in, and 
 he was dangerously ill. To the tender care of Dr. 
 Cuyler, the surgeon, who nursed him through his long 
 illness, he always attributed his recovery. 
 
 Notwithstanding the loss of many weeks from study, 
 he came out, the first year, at tlie head of his class. 
 Mathematics was his forte, and in that study he gradu- 
 ated ahead of all. His final rank in all studies, conduct 
 included, was fourth in a class that entered one hundred 
 and twenty, and graduated thirty-six of the original 
 members. George Washington Custis Lee stood at the 
 head, and in one of General Robert E. Lee's letters to his 
 sons he makes mention of Howard, and advises his son to 
 look out for him. Abbott came second, Ruger gained 
 the third rank, and Howard, who ranked the three in 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN- HERO. 33 
 
 the test study at West Point, stood fourth. Chiefly his 
 conduct marks pulled him down to this figure, and it 
 was no fault of his enemies that he was not farther from 
 the head of the list. 
 
 Had young Howard's temperance views been as pro- 
 nounced as his conclusions regarding slavery, he would 
 have fared even worse than he did at the hands of his 
 opponents ; but he did not then hold as extreme opinions 
 as he afterward entertained. However, he ^^^ssed 
 through his four years' course at "West Point, as he had 
 done his college course, without acquiring the habit of 
 tippling. After he entered the army he occasionally 
 drank socially with his brother-officers, but this custom 
 was cut short by an occurrence which led him to see the 
 dangers of even moderate dissipation. 
 
 At that time the question of temperance had not 
 grown to be of the importance it is now ; the all-engross- 
 ing slavery agitation overshadowed every other, and the 
 Church exhibited a strange lukewarmness on this subject. 
 A few years later it was the reform advocated by a small 
 party, but it was not until about the close of the war 
 that it developed into a live issue in church circles. As 
 yet it is not a political one, though it is undoubtedly des- 
 tined to be such in the future. 
 
 While a cadet Howard was a regular attendant at 
 the chapel and the Bible-class, and was constant in 
 his outward observances of religion. It was second^ 
 nature to him to keep the Sabbath day, to refrain front- 
 profanity, to read his Bible daily, and to try to keep the 
 commandments. His mother had trained him to be 
 punctual in prayer, and he was sincere in his desire to 
 be a good man. Up to this time he had not decided to 
 associate himself with the Church, but his mind was 
 often intent upon the thoughts that grew out of his 
 
34 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 position, as a seeker after religion. Had lie met with no 
 opposition, his -might have been a merely formal adhesion 
 to matters relating to the higher life ; but he suffered, 
 and tlie conflict made him strong and determined in this 
 direction. He had aroused some feeling by joining 
 the Bible-class conducted by Professor Sprole (the pro- 
 fessor of English studies, and chaplain), and he had been 
 accused of selfish motives in so doing. It was said that 
 he had taken the step in order to curry favor with the 
 authorities ; but ho persisted in his course, and soon his 
 enemies added to the name of '^ abolitionist" other 
 sobriquets. The first time he walked from barracks to 
 the Bible-class meeting, with his Bible in his hand, 
 under the eyes of many of his fellow-students, it re- 
 quired an amount of moral courage not always forthcom- 
 ing in a young man. The habit once established, the 
 way was easier for him, and the cowardly impulse to 
 stay away from the class never assailed him after the 
 first hard step had been taken. 
 
 From AVest Point he went back to the loving house- 
 hold awaiting him at the farm, and the summer months 
 w^ere spent in pleasure-taking. He was happy in his 
 success and in the prospect of his early union with the 
 sweet girl who had been so loyal to him through all the 
 years of waiting. In September he was ordered to his 
 first post, and it was understood between them that the 
 wedding should not be long delayed after he had settled 
 himself in his new quarters. His mother's happiness 
 was secured in his, and he enjoyed the satisfaction of 
 knowing that he w^as approved' not only by her, but by 
 all his kindred, and as v/ell by the parents of the young 
 lady whose future was to be associated with his. Behind 
 him were the trials he had known at West Point, and if 
 he thought of them, it was to remember that he had 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 35 
 
 overcome much of tlie hostility so freely lavished upon 
 him in the beginning, and had well sustained a part in 
 the drama of cadet life now ended forever, and ended, 
 so far as he was concerned, with credit and honor, and 
 with kindly feelings toward all his classmates. 
 
II. 
 
 Military career— First stations— In tlie Florida war—Becomes a pro- 
 fessing Christian — A temperance sermon — Influence with soldiers 
 —About the Master's work — Keturns to West Point — Diary and 
 letters. 
 
 Howard's military career presents a distinct line of 
 cleavage. From the period of his first entrance into 
 military life to the breaking out of the Civil War forms 
 the first 2)art. The second commences when he was 
 appointed to the command of a regiment of volunteers 
 by Governor Washburn e, of Maine. The first part, 
 although marked by dihgent and useful service, was 
 only a preparation for the new field 023ened up by the 
 war. 
 
 Watervliet, West Troy, N. Y., was the first station 
 to which he was ordered after his graduation at the 
 military academy. After the discipline of the four 
 years' espionage at West Point, the young army oflicer 
 naturally enjoyed his newly-gained liberties, and in the 
 refined charms of the social life of Troy and Albany, 
 Howard, in common with the young officers of the post, 
 found congenial associates in the family circle of Major 
 Symington, the commanding officer of the Arsenal, 
 which received constant enlivening re-enforcements from 
 social representatives of other cities, to whom the gaye- 
 ties of an army post afforded many attractions. New 
 interests clustered around his life when, in February, 
 1855, he brought his bride into these connections. His 
 *^ brevet" was ended the day after the wedding, so that he 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq- HERO. 37 
 
 was a full second lieutenant when he returned from his 
 twenty days' leave, during which he went to Maine to 
 wed his early love, Howard's marriage made his hap- 
 piness complete ; he was not then, or at any time in hisl 
 life, over-fond of social gayeties, and his idea of domes- 
 tic happiness was fully shared by his wife. The young 
 couple were welcomed to the circle of army people at the 
 post, and were soon fairly settled at the Arsenal. Mrs. 
 Howard was a woman of much personal beauty, and 
 possessed those characteristics which added refinement 
 and expression to her features as time passed away. In 
 temperament she was the counterpart and opposite of 
 her husband. Quiet and reserved, her influence has 
 been a beneficent one in his life, and no man ever was 
 blessed with a friend stancher and steadier than she. 
 
 Yery soon after their marriage Lieutenant Howard 
 was ordered to Kennebec Arsenal, Me. This indepen- 
 dent command, w^hich every ordnance ofiicer looked upon 
 as among the best stations, was a promotion which he 
 did not expect, and the compliment paid him by Colonel 
 Craig, the chief of the Ordnance Department, was a 
 pleasant one to accept. Some of his fellow-oflicers slyly 
 hinted that he owed it not to his own merits, but to the 
 charming little woman who made his house so delightful 
 to the old gentleman (Colonel Craig) when on his tour 
 of inspection. Doubtless the elderly officer was pleased 
 with the young couple whose hospitality he had enjoyed 
 and very likely thought to make her happy by sending 
 her husband to a higher command. The change of 
 quarters took her nearer home, and that was an added 
 pleasure. The attractions of Kennebec were many, and 
 the station afforded special advantages to Lieutenant 
 Howard, in enabling him to fully master tlie duties of a 
 quartermaster and commissary. While stationed there 
 
38 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAI^- HERO. 
 
 he perseveringly worked in the interests of others, and 
 made constant representations to the Maine Legislature, 
 Bitting on the opposite side of the river from the Arsenal, 
 till that body passed a law allowing the soldiers' children 
 living on United States grounds to have the free benefit 
 of the public schools within reach. He became a father 
 before he left this j^ost, and very naturally took an inter- 
 est in children and their welfare. The well-being of 
 soldiers' children has always concerned him seriously. 
 At Kennebec were formed many friendships destined to 
 be permanent. Here he found the Blaines, the Williams 
 (General Seth Williams's father's family), the Mullikins, 
 the Childs, the Wainwrights, the Tappans, the Webbs, 
 the Lamberts, and other prominent families, with which 
 he has been more or less connected ever since. It was 
 thought at Washington, at the end of the year, that 
 Lieutenant Howard had long enough exercised, with his 
 small rank, this command, and he was relieved by Cap- 
 tain Gorgas (who afterward became the chief of ordnance 
 to the South), and returned to Watervliet, where he 
 established himself with the expectation of staying for 
 some time. 
 
 The little home was reorganized at the Arsenal, and the 
 family circle was enlarged by the addition of the mother 
 of Mrs. Howard, who in her widowhood had come to 
 live with her daughter, and Rowland Howard, who was 
 then studying at the Albany Law School. With the 
 expectation of long remaining there the Howards fixed 
 tliemselves in comfort, and had every reasonable wish 
 gratified in their surroundings. The young couple, in 
 accordance with an agreement made betv/een them at 
 the outset, had a Bible-reading every morning, and were 
 regular in their attendance at church. They were not 
 members of the church at this time, but were desir- 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 39 
 
 able additions to the cluircli society, and were practising 
 if not professing Christians. 
 
 Hardly a year had passed wlien, in December (185G), 
 Lieutenant Howard unexpectedly received an order to 
 report to the then famous General Harney, who was 
 commanding the Department of Florida, in the field 
 against the last remnant of the once powerful Seminoles. 
 These Indians were remarkable for their dexterity in 
 ambush and for their wholesale massacres, as the monu- 
 ment to Major Dade and his companions -in-arms, erected 
 at "West Point, attests. 
 
 The young wife for the first time realized that she had 
 married a soldier. Her anticipations of home-life were 
 rudely destroyed, and she saw the household articles 
 which she had so leisurely and carefully selected dis- 
 persed, the pretty phaeton and pony sold, the home 
 broken up, and the prospect of a long separation from 
 her husband before her. It was decided that she should 
 return with her mother to Maine, while Lieutenant 
 Howard turned his face southward. The wife's unhap- 
 piness was not decreased by the thought of the climate 
 and the enemy her husband was to be exposed to, 
 and the day of his departure was saddened by the 
 heavy snow-storm that raged fiercely around. It was his 
 first separation from his wife, and it was a trial severer 
 than he had realized until it had to be met. The con- 
 tending emotions of a husband and father were traced 
 on his face. He could not bear to go, and when all was 
 ready for the final leave-taking he did not meet it until, 
 for the first time at the Bible-reading, he had dropped 
 on his knees and offered a prayer for strength and resig- 
 nation. He commended his dear ones to his Heavenly 
 Father, and asked that they might be kept in safety and 
 happiness while he was away. When he had done so he 
 
40 HOWAED : THE christia:n^ hero. 
 
 was more composed, and took Lis farewell of wife and 
 mother, cliild and brother. 
 
 Howard had a position well suited to him in Florida ; 
 he was cliief of ordnance, and gained much military ex- 
 perience in preparing volunteers, whom he had to supply 
 with arms. While stationed at Fort Brooke, near 
 Tampa Bay, he was thrown in with a circle of young 
 officers, the majority of whom have attained celebrity in 
 their country's service. He met his old classmate, 
 Greble, there, whose untimely death prevented the ful- 
 filment of his early promises ; he was the first regular 
 ofiicer who fell in the war. There were also Hazzai'd, 
 mortally wounded before Eichmond ; R. B. Marcy, 
 whose daughter married General JVlcClellan ; Stephen 
 D. Lee, subsequently lieutenant-general in the Southern 
 army ; Pleasanton, afterward the great cavalry ofiicer of 
 the North ; Dana, Mack, Kilburne, Hancock, and many 
 others whose names became celebrated in various ways 
 during the Civil War. 
 
 The result of Colonel Loomis's activities was a camp 
 of Indian captives, poor, forlorn, discouraged, unkempt, 
 and half clad. In course of these operations a company 
 of volunteers had chased and brutally treated a number 
 of Indian women and children, scattering them in the 
 wilderness, after killing and wounding several. Colonel 
 Loomxis, anxious to avoid further bloodshed, deputed 
 Lieutenant Howard to take with him a captive Indian 
 woman and an interpreter, and attempt to get these 
 to return without any further fighting. Howard gladly 
 undertook the task assigned to him, and though not 
 crowned with complete success, the persistent effort gave 
 satisfaction to his chief. It is an evidence of the confi- 
 dence he had inspired that he, so young an officer, 
 should have been chosen for such a mission. Thus early 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAlfT HERO. 41 
 
 he began his dual work as soldier and administrator, the 
 latter character best according with his nature. His 
 ideal work is that of a peace mission ; he behoves in j 
 '' nine parts for love to one for force." | 
 
 How few people remark what great changes come over ' 
 the course of their lives from circumstances which usually 
 escape notice by their insignificance ! How often do we 
 find one's whole life colored by what would be con- 
 sidered an accident ! But, as Disraeli remarks, with his 
 characteristic shrewdness, '' Life itself is made up of 
 accidents." There is no feature in General Howard's 
 later life which is so peculiarly marked as Iiis piety ; 
 tracing back its course, we find its origin, which seems to 
 be strikingly out of proportion with the effects ]3roduced. 
 One day the new commandant, who was a Presby- 
 terian of the olden type, handed Lieutenant Howard some 
 religious books, with the "remark : " You are of an 
 inquiring mind ; read these ; they will help you." 
 Coupled with these books the lieutenant had another, 
 which his brother had sent to him. He read them all, 
 and was particularly influenced by his brother's gift, 
 which was the life of Captain Hedley Yicars, of the 
 British army. 
 
 Previous to this time he had constantly attended the 
 Methodist, the only active church near Fort Brooke, 
 and on one occasion publicly manifested his interest 
 in religion. Several scoffers had annoyed him during 
 the service by their comments upon those who were 
 going up to the altar for special prayers. A small, de- 
 formed woman w^as a source of ill-suppressed amusement 
 to them, and the young lieutenant, as much to rebuke 
 them as for any other reason, rose, and buttoning his 
 military coat about him, walked behind her to the front. 
 He knelt with others at the altar, and as the clergyman 
 
42 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 prayed his tears trickled down upon Howard's bowed 
 liead. No perceptible difference of feeling resulted from 
 tliis step, but a stand had been taken before the world. 
 The radical spiritual change which, under divine leader- 
 ship, resulted in making him a Christian of a peculiar 
 type, came to him subsequent to this time, as he sat 
 alone one day in his little room at the Ordnance Depot. 
 He was reading that part of Yi cars' s life wherein he de- 
 scribes his own conversion. Yicars was persuaded by the 
 passage of Scripture, ^' And the blood of Jesus Christ 
 His Son cleanseth us from all sin." '^ Howard, in try- 
 ing to solve its meaning, found the light through the 
 realization of the fact that " the cleanseth" was a per- 
 petual process through which men could always find 
 Christ. 
 
 His heart was filled with peace and his tongue with 
 praise. For him it was impossible to keep the joy he 
 felt to himself ; he talked to his army friends, took 
 active part in religious work, held meetings for soldiers, 
 and was constant in visiting the -sick in the hospitals. 
 Many were converted through his instrumentality. He 
 went to the poor and the sorrowing, and this among 
 many incidents is related of his strong sympathy for even 
 strano-ers in bereavement : 
 
 A young volunteer, son of a captain, was accidentally 
 killed ; his body was taken to his home, where the 
 mother, totally unprepared for the shock, was over- 
 whelmed with grief. The tears which relieved the 
 father came not to her eyes ; the blow seemed to have 
 completely stunned her. On the day of the funeral 
 there stood by the grave a young officer, a stranger, who 
 wept with her. He attracted her notice as one about 
 
 * 1 Jolin 1 : 7. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAISr HERO. 43 
 
 the age of lier lost son ; slie spoke to her husband about 
 him afterward, and Howard was invited by him to visit 
 them. He went immediately to the house of mourning, 
 and talked with the mother of her son until the tears 
 flowed and the heavy heart found relief. It has been a 
 peculiarity of Howard's life that people in trouble in- 
 stinctively turn to him, and find comfort in his quick 
 and unobtrusive sympathy. 
 
 It was due to a circumstance which took place during 
 Howard's stay in Florida that the deepest of impressions 
 was made upon him by those temperance principles 
 which he has ever since advocated, both by precept and 
 unflinching practice. An oflicer lower in rank than 
 himself visited him at his quarters, and was offered a 
 drink, which probably became the im.mediate cause of 
 an attack of delirium tremens. Howard, when he heard 
 of the condition of the young man, went to his home, and 
 nursed him through his illness, doing all in his power to 
 reform the unfortunate officer. But he resolved then 
 and there to practise temperance habits and to advocate 
 them so long as he lived. Thenceforth the rare indul- 
 gence in a glass of liquor at the table of friends was dis- 
 continued, and he was safe from temptation in this direc- 
 tion. He never at any time in his life had used it in his 
 family. TJie little woman who, as we have seen, had so 
 nearly parted with him forever because of her belief 
 that he had been under the influence of strong drink, 
 was too deeply im^bued with temperance principles to 
 have countenanced such a course. Fortunately for her, 
 the companion of her life was early in their married 
 career convinced of the right of her position, and it be- 
 came his own. 
 
 As with the use of wine, so with tobacco. He had occa- 
 sionally smoked while in Florida and previously, but gave 
 
44 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HEEO. 
 
 up tlie habit from principle. One day liis attention was 
 particularly directed to this verse in the Bible, '' Happy 
 is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he 
 alloweth ;" * and thinking earnestly upon it, he con- 
 cluded that it applied to the habit of smoking in his 
 case ; therefore he gave it up, and never again indulged 
 in the unnecessary luxury. 
 
 During his stay in Florida Lieutenant Howard culti- 
 vated a little garden about his quarters, and in the early 
 summer had a fine watermelon patch. The fruit 
 tempted the soldiers, and they took his melons whenever 
 opportunity offered. When the crop was sufficiently 
 ripe for a number of melons to be gathered, he greatly 
 shamed the offenders by inviting them to his quarters 
 and treating them to all the fruit that was ripe. Ever 
 after that feast the lieutenant's melons were his own, to 
 dispose of as he chose. 
 
 Lieutenant Howard's work in Florida terminated in 
 September, 1857, when, at the recommendation of Pro- 
 fessor Church, he was appointed mathematical instructor 
 at the military academy. Plere Howard was united with 
 his family, which had been enlarged by the birth of a 
 second child. They lived at first at Hoe's Hotel, his 
 rank not allowing him a house. Subsequently they 
 removed to a little cottage, where a quiet family life was 
 enjoyed for several years. Within a short time of his 
 arrival at West Point he was advanced to a first-lieuten- 
 ancy, and before leaving the academy he became Pro- 
 fessor Church's first assistant. Many officers who hold 
 to-day high positions remember Lieutenant Howard's 
 instruction, and speak of him with warm recognition of 
 his helpful interest in them. 
 
 * Romans 14 : 22. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 45 
 
 During the four years lie spent at West Point as in- 
 structor of mathematics he was active in religious work, 
 visited the Soldiers' Hospital, and every Wednesday 
 night lectured to soldiers and their families in the little 
 church under the hill. These lectures on the different 
 commandments and on each clause of the Lord's Prayer 
 were carefully written out, and are kept by him as 
 souvenirs of those happy days when he was studying 
 Hebrevf , with a view to entering the ministry. With the 
 families about the mountains and at the Falls below he 
 was largely acquainted, and v/as engaged in missionary 
 work with many of them. lie established and con- 
 ducted a cadets' prayer-meeting, wdiich flourished from 
 its inception. In his cliary, kept during this period of 
 his life. General Howard has preserved the names of his 
 class-members, together with some mementoes of the 
 spiritual work they tried to perform. It was the custom 
 at each meeting for the class to hand in requests for 
 prayers, and from among very many in the possession of 
 their leader a few are copied as indicative of the zeal and 
 earnestness of the young writer. The names of the class 
 are also given. They were : 
 
 Townsend, 
 
 Holgate, 
 
 Field, 
 
 Hamilton (F.), 
 
 Wright, 
 
 Eamsey, 
 
 Bobbins, 
 
 Blocker, 
 
 Washiugton, 
 
 Drumm, 
 
 Burton, 
 
 Chapman, 
 
 Graves, 
 
 Twining, 
 
 Nelson, 
 
 Adams, 
 
 Meigs, 
 
 Smith (C), 
 
 Dixon, 
 
 Warner, 
 
 Butler, 
 
 Clark, 
 
 Eussell, 
 
 Button, 
 
 Phipps, 
 
 Buchanan, 
 
 Smith (J.), 
 
 Farquhar, 
 
 Michie, 
 
 King (W.), 
 
 Murray, 
 
 Harris, 
 
 Henry (Guy), 
 
 Upton, 
 
 Hoxton, 
 
 Kirby. 
 
 Dresser, 
 
 Benjamin, 
 
 Counselmau, 
 
 
 Cadet ITpton, afterward General Upton, was among 
 the first to attend. He was a devoted Christian, and his 
 
46 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAlSr HERO. 
 
 name appears oftenest in connection witli petitions. 
 Here are several of liis, which read as follows : 
 
 ** The prayers of tlio meeting are requested for a room-mate. 
 
 (Signed) ** Cadet Upton." 
 
 " Prayers are requested for two near relatives. 
 
 " Cadet Upton." 
 
 And again, on Jnne llth, 1860 : 
 
 *' The prayers of the meeting are requested for its individual mem- 
 bers during the ensuing encampment. 
 
 (Signed) *' Cadet Upton." 
 
 Between Lieutenant Howard and this young cadet 
 there existed the warmest attachment and the heartiest 
 co-operation in their religious work. A letter (dated Oc- 
 tober, 1860) from Upton to his instructor shows the confi- 
 dential rehations existing between them and the unusual 
 religious fervor of the young man. He is speaking of 
 the death of his brother, and he tells his friend that '^ he 
 took great interest in religion, and died glorifying God ; 
 after he had told my mother that his hands were cold 
 and that he was dying, he would not relinquish the hand 
 of a neighbor until he had promised to meet him in 
 heaven. His charge to me was that I should delay no 
 longer my preparation for eternity." Speaking of his 
 return from the funeral, he continues : ^^ I read the 
 Bible more attentively, and then resorted to prayer. I 
 continued my efforts imtil I experienced relief." After 
 attendance at the prayer-meeting he says : ' ' I feel a closer 
 communion with God, and then I enjoy prayer. ... I 
 look forward to the time when I can show forth my faith 
 more in works. In whatever capacity 1 may serve, I 
 hope to do good and advance the cause of Christ. . . . 
 I believe in God ; 1 beHeve in Christ, and 1 pray for the 
 time when I shall know no doubt, and when I shall have 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 47 
 
 a steadfast faitli in all of God's promises. I ask yonr 
 prayers that I may continue faithful unto the end, and 
 that I may ever remain a true and humble follower of 
 Christ." 
 
 Extracts from Howard's diary will reveal the inner life 
 of the young officer while engaged in his public duties as 
 instructor of mathematics at the academy. 
 
 *' Friday, Oct 2, 1857. — What is wanting? More heart, more love, 
 more of the Holy Spirit. I almost listened with pleasure to things 
 said about a lady that will do me no good ; found myself gradually 
 drawn into the man-fearing, praise-loving vortex. How far my spirit 
 gets from my Kedeemer ! To-day I went to the Soldiers' Hospital, 
 and visited a young man of the Engineer Company by the name of 
 Haviland, who has the consumption. I talked with him on the sub- 
 ject of his soul's salvation, and tried to draw him to the true Saviour. 
 But I did not read or pra}^ with him. He seemed pleased at my visit, 
 and asked me to come again. I promised to visit him and bring him 
 things to read." 
 
 " Odoher 7, 1857. — I find the labor of the section-room rather trjnng 
 to my lungs, but am getting on admirably in my duties. Lizzie and 
 I spent some little time after I returned from recitations in making 
 calls. This afternoon I took little Guy and went to Cold Spring in a 
 small rowboat. Guy enjoyed the row, and particularly enjoyed the 
 sight of hens, dogs, and pigs that he saw in the streets of the town. 
 
 " I don't want to do anything else before looking to God for His 
 blessing in the morning. We must try to systematize a little. This 
 evening I went to a prayer-meeting under the liill. W^e had nine or 
 ten souls only, and a very pleasant season of praying and singing. 
 We must persevere till we get a large audience. God bless our efforts 
 and sanctify our hearts." 
 
 ^'August 8, 1857. — A day to be remembered. Saw Haviland ; he, 
 poor fellow ! seems to be failing ; may God bless him ; and may he not 
 have the saving grace? I read him some of God's promises to him 
 who turns from sin, a letter in the life of Captain Vicars, and 
 prayed in his room by his bedside. This evening Lizzie and I visited 
 Mr. French and his family. Mr. French came to the hotel with us, 
 and talked and prayed with us in the north parlor. Lizzie has re- 
 solved to be baptized next Sunday, and his conversation was prepara- 
 tory. . . . God be near us through this night. May we continue to 
 turn from sin and strengthen our faith at the foot of the throne." 
 
48 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 " West Point, N. Y. 
 
 "October 11. — Lizzie vas baptized at the cliapel to-day by Mr. 
 French. The ceremony was very impressive. ... I had a pretty 
 full Sunday-school to day. Went to see Haviland, and prayed with 
 him. He seems low indeed. Attended prayers this afternoon, the 
 Methodist Church this evening. Heard a sermon from the text, ' He 
 that will confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father 
 which is in heaven.' I spoke to the people after the sermon, and ap- 
 pointed a prayer-meeting and lecture for Wednesday night. I have 
 had a pretty active day and much Christian enjoyment. It is after 
 half-past ten. Will God bless the ordinances, services, and sermons 
 of this day to our soul's good? May the Saviour become more -pve- 
 cious to Lizzie and myself !" 
 
 "Mnday, Oct. 23. — We seem quite retired here, just after moving 
 into the little cottage. A little house, a little wife, and two little chil- 
 dren constitute a very pleasant family. It is after ten. I am so 
 happy here I fear I shall not at all times think it gain to depart and be 
 with Christ. But let me say always, ' Not as I will, but as Thou 
 wilt. ' I did my usual duties to-day ; wrote a letter to Charles this 
 evening." 
 
 "October 24. — In the afternoon I went to see Haviland, but he was 
 asleep, and I did not waken him." 
 
 "Sunday, Oct. 25, 1857. — I did not visit Haviland. Will the Lord 
 be gracious and merciful and long-suffering toward him ? Lizzie and 
 I have been searching the Scriptures together. She told me how she 
 enjoyed communion with God while I was away. She is reading the 
 life of Hedley Yicars. We are very happy now. Our joys are not all 
 in the future. We know that God is merciful and gracious. Together 
 we embrace the privilege of going to Him in prayer. Our children 
 are all we could wish them, and they are to us not the least of the 
 bounties of our Heavenly Father's bestowing. May we love them, but 
 not supremely. May we. enjoy them as precious gifts, but never 
 idolize. God gives us wisdom and strength." 
 
 "West Point, N. Y. 
 "November 1 {All Saints' Day), 1857. — I had the happiness of partak- 
 ing the Lord's Supper for the first time to-day, and with my wife — 
 this being also her first time. . . . To-day, after the second lesson, 
 they (the children) were carried forward for baptism. . . . Now we 
 have all been baptized, and I trust God will give His blessing, that 
 we may bring up the children in the right way and be able early to 
 present them to the Church as worthy members. God grant that 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 49 
 
 they both be made useful in His kingdom ! . . . This has been a 
 bright day ; the sun has shone — first communion to Lizzie and me, 
 and the baptism of our children. Thank the Lord, oh my soul !" 
 
 "Sunday, Xov. 8, 1857. — My birthday has passed — twenty-seven 
 years old to-day. It has been a glorious Sabbath to me. My heart 
 has been much in communion with the Spirit. I had a joyous morn- 
 ing service ; listened to a delightful sermon from Mr. French on 
 faith ; had a very good attendance at Sabbath-school ; visited Havi- 
 land at the hospital, and found him more disposed to listen to Chris- 
 tian truth than he seemed to be before ; had a meeting of the Meth- 
 odists this evening." 
 
 "Friday, I^ov. 20, Cottage. — Drum-Major "William J. Skinner came 
 in for me to explain the Scriptures. . . . Poor Haviland is gone ! 
 He said he died in peace. Thank the Lord for His mercy." 
 
 "Saturday, Nov. 21, 1857. — Went to Haviland' s funeral ; tried to 
 enter into the circumstances of his death with more heart. ... I 
 have detected myself in many a selfish mood to-day. I desire too 
 much worldly credit. Oh, that I might be more constantly under the 
 influence of my Saviour, and be prepared at any moment to go to 
 meet Him ! I don't like to have doubts as to the work of grace in my 
 heart ; I don't want to be deceiving myself as I do by words. Lord, 
 help me to gain strength and manliness in the Christian character !" 
 
 "Saturday, Dec. 19, 1857.^Mr. Greble (lieutenant and classmate) 
 came to visit us. I walked to his room, and we conversed together on 
 the subject of religion. Oh, I would like to have him become a 
 Christian, and may he not ? O Lord, show me Thy mercy, and take 
 not Thy Holy Spirit from me !" 
 
 "Sunday, Dec. 27, 1857. — Christmas was a lovely day. Aunt, Lizzie, 
 and I went to the church ; listened to a beautiful and spiritual ser- 
 mon from Mr, French. His appeals to the young men are faithful, 
 earnest, and strong. The service, the singing, the trimming of the 
 church— all were excellent. Lizzie and I enjoyed the communion. 
 How delightful to go to the table of our Lord ! To-day I have had 
 the usual exercises. The Sunday-school increases in interest. Mr. 
 Tannatt (afterward General Tannatt, of Massachusetts), a cadet of 
 the first class, came to help us. May God bless him !" 
 
 "Thursday, Jan. 28, 3858.— I have spent this evening in writing to 
 my friend P., and I pray my Heavenly Father to bless the letter to 
 the awakening of his soul. Give me the power, O my Saviour, to 
 feel more deeply for my friends and companions 1 Wilt Thou, I be- 
 seech Thee, make me an instrument in Thy hands for the salvation of 
 those with whom I am connected? Help me to walk humbly before 
 
60 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIA:N" HEEO. 
 
 Thee. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Oh, deepen the work 
 of grace that Thou in Thy mercy hast begun !" 
 
 '^Friday, Jan. 29, 1858. — I met my Bible class to-night at the hos- 
 pital. We prayed together. Considered the subject of sin, and 
 branched off into various directions. Oh, I pray that I may be led 
 to say the truth, and nothing but the truth, at these meetings ! I 
 received great encouragement to persevere. Graham was there. He 
 kex^t silent the most of the time. I don't know that he spoke once. 
 God grant that he may find the light as it is. . . ." 
 
 *' Monday, March 8, 1858. — Lizzie and I have been home ; children 
 asleep. The girls gone to Buttermilk Falls, and not returned now, at 
 eleven ; a cold, starry night. Lizzie and I have taken turns at read- 
 ing ' English Hearts and Hands.' We find much that is pleasant 
 and much that is encouraging in the book, for these little sketches 
 show what a field of labor is open to the humblest Christian, and 
 how very much may be accomplished by persevering effort when one 
 trusts in God. It shows tis hov/ Ignorant are the proud and haughty 
 of a real source of enjoyment in this world." 
 
 *' Thursday, March 16. — On my way home from church Lieutenant 
 Alexander overtook me, and came home with me. He gave me two 
 books to be used for doing good in the Christian cause. He also gave 
 me five dollars to be expended in the way I thought v/ould best pro- 
 mote the salvation of souls. A. remained with us, and talked a good 
 deal about religion. He wants to be thought by his men to be on 
 the Lord's side, that they may come to him for religious sympathy 
 on the expedition [to the extreme frontier] upon which he is going 
 with them. Last night I visited Graham, and found him in a good 
 mood. We talked long together, read the second chapter of Colos- 
 sians, and united in prayer. He prayed fervently. I tried to direct 
 him more and more fully to Christ. To-night a young Mr. C, who 
 has been seeking religion for some time, but don't feel satisfied of 
 this change of heart, has been talking with us, and Lizzie and I have 
 been directing him as best wo could how to find jDeace in believing. 
 O Lord, my Eedeemer, show him the way !" 
 
 *' Wednesday, AprU 21. — Lizzie and I went to walk this evening, 
 about five o'clock, toward Cro'nest. When v>^e had been gone nearly 
 an hour the girl, Mary, met us oj)posite the Cadets' Garden, and said 
 the baby was sick, very sick. Lizzie and I started to run, and I out- 
 ran her and almost lost my breath. When I got to the house I found 
 Mrs, Weir holding the baby. She extended her to me, and said, 
 * Your dear little lamb.' She was as white as a sheet, froth and f 
 little blood around her mouth. I put my finger in her mouth, an^- 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 51 
 
 instantly removed from her throat one of Guy's marbles, that had 
 remained there for half an hour. Mary had first gone for the doctor 
 to the Cadets' Hospital before she started for us. Grace soon got 
 better, though she looked yery pale for some time. The Lord 
 reminds us thus that we must hold His gifts as from Himself, and 
 ■when He calls and demands His own we should be ready to surren- 
 der." 
 
 Leiier io his Mother. 
 
 " West Point, May 23, 1859. 
 ** . . . Y/e have had a nice visit from Eowland (Eev. E. B. How- 
 ard). He spoke Sunday evening a week ago at the Camptown Chapel, 
 and made somfe remarks there on Wednesday evening ; went once to 
 my cadet prayer-meeting, and yesterday, all day, officiated for Eev. 
 Mr, Gray, the Presbyterian minister at the Falls, and preached for 
 him a funeral sermon a mile and a half below the Falls. His dis- 
 courses were very good, and I trust left a deep impression on many 
 of the hearers. In public Eowland seems possessed of a most excel- 
 lent spirit, and wins by the kindness and gentleness of his manner. 
 I hojDe God will continue to bless and prosper him. Before he left 
 this morning I had rheumatism in my knee, but it has all left me 
 now. I got mj^self damp, and the weather changed suddenly. I am 
 sorry to hear that Charles is not better in health. . ., . It will not 
 be long before we shall be with you. We are talking of going by the 
 way of Niagara and Montreal. The children are pretty well. . . , 
 A few are manifesting an interest in religion, but not many, I fear. 
 You cannot think how delightful West Point now is on a pleasant 
 day, and how rich the scenery, unless your memory is vivid. Good- 
 night. With much affection, 
 
 ' * Your son, 
 
 "0. O. HOWAED." 
 
 "Septeraber 1, 1858. — We had family praj-ers this morning, and shall 
 have this evening before retiring. I think I enjoy much of the 
 presence of God s Spirit, and feel myself conformed to His will, * It 
 is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth Him good.' Now I have two 
 new sections in mathematics. I trust I shall struggle harder than 
 ever before to do justice and lead a Christian life before them. . . ." 
 
 "September 2. — Speaking of an engineer soldier who had just died, 
 the officer's letter before me does not say anything of his religious 
 views and feelings before being launched into eternity ; but it may 
 be that God brought the hours when we met for prayer and the 
 lessons we learned home to his soul. * He died at the hospital of 
 
52 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 the Sixth Infantry, and was buried at the next camping ground.' 
 I presume by this that it was a moving hospital. ..." 
 
 "Septemher 5. — L. and myself had quite a conversation to-night. 
 She thinks me full of extremes — impulsive and impatient — and I 
 think she is partially, if not wholly, right. We prayed God for union 
 of heart and spirit in Christ. I am not close enough in my walk to 
 Christ. I think too much of myself ; am growing dry, I fear. Oh, 
 keep me from coldness and lukewarmness !" 
 
 "Sepiemher 6, 1858. — The superintendent declined to give me per- 
 mission to meet the young men in the Dialectic Hall, and said he 
 must i^rovide me some other place, which he has not yet done. I 
 thought of meeting them in one of the recitation rooms, but there 
 being no gas obtained from the fixtures, we postponed our meeting 
 till Thursday. I hope we will be able to hold our prayer-meeting 
 again for my benefit, as well as for the cadets." 
 
 ^'September 8. — This evening I delivered the address I have been 
 preparing (in connection with the event of William Slayter's death) 
 at the little church. There was quite a good attendance. Norris 
 and his daughter seemed very much affected. Would that they 
 might give their hearts to Christ !" 
 
 "Sepiemher 9. — We opened our cadet prayer-meeting this evening in 
 one of the rooms in the barracks. I read a portion of Scripture, the 
 fifty-fourth chapter of Isaiah ; then Mr. Wright led in prayer. After 
 his prayer, which was a fervent supplication for mercy upon his com- 
 panions, I read a few passages from a book of sermons, said a few 
 words, and then we had two prayers. I asked if any one had a word 
 to say, and a young man who had just come among us arose and 
 spoke of his peculiar trials and temptations, and asked for our 
 prayers. He said he was but a young convert. I spoke a few words 
 of encouragement, telling him we had more for us than against us, 
 for God is on our side. Again we all united in prayer, as the call of 
 the bugle blew. Such is a brief sketch of the half hour at the prayer- 
 meeting. Lord, have mercy upon us and make our little meeting 
 for prayer especially beneficial to our souls !" 
 
 "Tuesday, Sept 14. — . . . Speaking of Cadet Kingsbmy, whom I 
 visited in hospital ; he is an intelligent young man, and, I should 
 think, with more than ordinary ability. I would be glad to have his 
 influence in the cause of Christ." 
 
 "Saturday, Sept. 18, 1858. — Wednesday evening we had a good 
 attendance at lecture. Our new choir did admirably, though I neg- 
 lected to give out the hymns as desired. I lectured on the first of 
 the ten commandments. I pray that God will bless these lectures 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 53 
 
 to my benefit, as well as to that of those to v/hom they are addressed. 
 Thursday evening we had a full i:)ra3^er-meeting Mith the cadets. I 
 read them a tract on the ten lepers. We had the pleasure of having 
 two voices new to us. We need the blessing of God upon every 
 effort for promoting the kingdom of Christ. ..." 
 
 "Sepiemhcr 20.— It is now one year since I came to this post as an 
 instructor. Am I much advanced in the grace and knowledge of 
 Christ ? I find my rebellious heart so ready with its own ways and 
 projects that I tremble. ..." 
 
 "September 25. — The week is drawing to a close. I heard early in 
 the week that poor Graham had yielded to the temiDter, and begun to 
 drink ; he has succeeded in keeping out of my way. I went to see 
 his poor wife yesterday. She says it is only since he went on a pass, 
 about two weeks since, that he has got in a bad way. He has prayed 
 with her, and she has never been happier than since they have lived 
 here. He has not been seen for two days, and must have deserted. 
 It is all due to liquor. May God have mercy on the poor insane 
 man !" 
 
 ''October 7. — Thursday evening prayer-meeting ; good attendance. 
 Read Bushwell on the confession of Christ. W^e prayed for the aid 
 of God's Spirit to destroy the profane spirit in the corps ; we con- 
 tinue to pray for the cadets. God will give His blessing at the proper 
 time." 
 
 "Wednesday, Oct. 6. — Careless in losing proper self-government. 
 Ruled myself pretty well at recitation. Came near getting impatient 
 to-day ; checked myself in time. I fear my policy in procuring 
 quarters is too selfish. I must make sacrifices of comfort for the 
 sake of others." 
 
 "Sunday, Oct. 17. — I have had a good Sabbath. Mr. French's 
 morning sermon very good ; from the text, ' Love the Lord thy God 
 with all thy heart,' etc. 
 
 " This evening I went to Buttermilk Falls ; called at Mr. Gray's ; 
 addressed a roomful at the Methodist chapel on the new life. I hope 
 God will bless the efforts to the good of some. Walked back with 
 Mr. Morrison and Mr. Clark (Edward) ; had religious conversation with 
 them. Mr. C. is with me ; we talked about various things in connec- 
 tion with religion. Oh, my Saviour, that I might be now as true- 
 hearted as the words I write seem to imply ! Help me to be less 
 thoughtful and talkative of self. Mr. C. and I read and prayed 
 together. ** 
 
 "Monday, Oct. 18. — . . . On my return I met Lieutenant M. ; we 
 had a long conversation ; asked me about my religion, and talked 
 
54 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. 
 
 about the want of it, even in the chaplains on the frontier. The 
 chaplain at Fort Leavenworth makes * toddies ' for the sitters at the 
 gaming-table, etc. In New Mexico they have no religion ; gambling 
 and all manner of corrupt i^ractices a common thing on the Sab- 
 bath. ..." 
 
 "Wednesday, Oct. 20. — We had the very interesting ceremony of 
 the baptism of a little child, at my little church, by Mr. French this 
 evening. The house was quite full. The little innocent was beauti- 
 ful, and did not cry, and looked very pretty in Mr. French's arms as 
 he put the water on him and signed him with the cross. After the 
 ceremony Mr. French left. I was sorry, because I vranted him to see 
 what sort of discourses I delivered ; but maj^be there is pride in the 
 wish. The Eev. Mr. Parker was present. He made some remarks 
 after the address ; complimented me very highly. I don't need any 
 compliments but to know that souls are being led to God, and ought 
 not to receive any. We can easily get the applause of men ; but how 
 much better is the approbation of our Lord and Saviour ! . . ." 
 
 *' Sunday, Oct. 30. — We had our usual family exercises this morn- 
 ing ; after family prayers I went to the Soldiers' Hospital, talked a 
 little with three sick soldiers (now very sick), and gave them tracts. 
 I got a German youth who used to belong to my Bible-class to come 
 again to Sunday-school. ... I then started for the Falls ; overtook 
 a large boy and a little one on the road ; little boy had a man's hat on 
 the top of his cap. He looked quite bright, and I began to question 
 him. He was learning the Catholic catechism ; did not know of the 
 Saviour. I chatted with him, pointed to a star, and told him about 
 the star that went before the wise men ; both boys listened quite at- 
 tentively. I told them how men treated Christ ; how He died, and 
 how He had risen and ascended up to God. The little boy didn't 
 think he could remember all I had told him. He said he swore some- 
 times. I told him he must not any more. It seemed to be a new 
 thing to the boy to be talked to in this v/ay." 
 
 "Noveriiber 7. — Went to evening prayers at chapel ; mind wander- 
 ing much during service. I conducted the service, and addressed the 
 people at the Methodist chapel under the hill, on the first command- 
 ment. The house pretty well filled. Congregation very attentive. 
 My Saviour seemed to draw near to me and bless the lecture — I mean 
 the delivery and subsequent remarks. What a beautiful day is this 
 Sabbath ! How different from those Sabbaths before God called me 
 into His fold !" 
 
 "Saturday, Mv, 27, 1858. — Another week has drawn to a close. I 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 55 
 
 have been through the same routine duties during the past week as 
 heretofore. How many thousand words have been spoken ! How 
 much has gone forth never to return till the day of accounts ! O 
 God, cause the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart 
 to be accejDtable in Thy sight ! O Lord, my Strength and my Ee- 
 deemer !" 
 
 ^'Decemher 13. — I obtained the ' Higher Life ' through the Rev. Mr. 
 Gray at the Falls, and Lizzie and I have been reading it attentively, 
 thoughtfully. It has indeed sent a thrill of joy into my heart 
 and been the means of smoothing much rough ground within me. 
 Sunday night, at our evening prayer, after spending a portion of the 
 evening upon the subject of * a second conversion, ' or * a full salva- 
 tion,' my heart became full of great gladness ; and the peculiar peace 
 was more than usual. How glorious the Lord is ! How abundant in 
 His bestowments ! I thank Thee, O my God ! that Thou hast 
 blessed, that Thou art blessing, and that Thou wilt continue to bless 
 me ; for such is Thy good i^leasure. I will endeavor to bear in mind 
 Thy inlinite mercy and loving-kindness, in the imparling to my soul 
 such knowledge of Jesus my Saviour, and Jesus my Sanctifier, so as 
 to render Him all in all. Oh, let me, my insignificant self, be 
 absorbed altogether in the brightness of His image, and fit me for 
 thine own work by helping me to live every moment of my life by 
 faith in the Son of God !" 
 
 "February 3, 1859. — Last Sunday morning we had a sermon from 
 Eev. Dr. Henrj'-, Episcopal clergyman, a right manly, out-and-out 
 discourse, showing the reason why a man should do right and avoid 
 the wrong—' because it is right, and not do wrong because it is wrong.' 
 He attacked that prevalent philosophy with directness and success, 
 which makes a subtle selfishness the procuring cause, the motive of 
 goodness. After church I visited him, and thinking, from his bold- 
 ness and informal declaration of the truth, a discourse from him 
 might awaken some of the frequenters of the Camptown Chapel, I 
 invited him to go there in the evening. He went, and delivered a 
 most excellent and affectionate discourse on the love, character, good- 
 ness of God as exhibited in the gracious invitations set forth in a 
 chapter of the prophet Isaiah that he read. Dr. Henry is eccentric, 
 full of humor, telling anecdotes continually in i)rivate, and replete 
 with pointed illustrations in his public discourse. I like him very 
 much, for I believe he has a large heart, and loves his blessed Mas- 
 ter. . . . How plainly poor Reed's case shows the necessity of a 
 previous preparation for death! He says he don't rely much on a 
 
56 HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. ' 
 
 death-bed change ; but I told him he did not know it was his death- 
 bed. He said, ' True, ' and I urged him to give himself to Christ for 
 life or for death. ..." 
 
 ^^ February 8. — Poor Reed died Saturday evening at half -past five, 
 and was buried yesterday at three p.m. Tuesday night I watched 
 with him. Ho grew gradually weaker. I did not see him again 
 after "Wednesday morning. He had the most assiduous atten- 
 tion of his wife, the family, and his friends. His death seemed 
 to cast a gloom over the corps of cadets. Both brothers were 
 with him. I wrote Monday, before the funeral, an account of the 
 conversations I had with him, in the form of a letter, to his 
 mother. His eldest brother thought it would be a pleasure to 
 her to have them. His wife bore up wonderfully under the trial. 
 She went to the chapel and to the grave. The whole service was 
 comi^leted at the chapel, and the band played there in the gallery, 
 and did not accompany the remains to the grave. Early, just having 
 entered upon his career, he was cut off ; but God, who doeth all things 
 well, will bring the blessing He has in store. Oh, that it be the sal- 
 vation of the entire family ! Oh, that it be the will of God to bring 
 those brothers, who have such tender hearts, to the truth as it is in 
 Jesus! ..." 
 
 ^'Monday, Feb. 14, 1859. — . . . Good prayer-meeting with cadets ; 
 nearly all the seats filled. I read a piece on decision of character and 
 the first chapter of Timothy. I made some remarks on the besetting 
 sins of the army, particularly drunkenness and gambling. I be- 
 sought the young men to lay a good, solid foundation in principle, 
 for they would need it. I got ' Thomas a Kempis ' in Latin. Have 
 read a little of the sketch of his life, a chapter of his sayings, and a 
 chapter in St. John in Latin this evening. We have had our even- 
 ing prayer, and now for bed." 
 
 "Wednesday, Feb. 23, 1859. — . . . Saturday evening, just before 
 night, I visited Mrs. Cashman (wife of Sergeant Cashman), who has 
 the cancer. She can scarcely eat, or sleep, or talk ; is in a terribly 
 hopeless condition. I talked to her, read a portion of Scripture, and 
 prayed with her. I had a little talk with Colonel H. this evening. 
 He is almost persuaded to be a Christian. Miss Maria has some 
 troublesome doubts of her acceptance ; we have been talking about 
 them. I trust they will ba removed. . . .", 
 
 ^'March 8, 1859. — • . . . Mrs. Morrison lies very ill. I have visited 
 her several times. She can scarcely speak or move, but her trust is 
 clear and unswerving in Jesus. She says, 'His grace is sufficient 
 for me ;' ' I put all my trust in Him,' and the like expressions. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN- HERO. 67 
 
 She has four littlo girls ; the eldest does not seem more than eight 
 or nine years." 
 
 ^'Sunday, March 'IQ. — In the morning we breakfasted a littlo after 
 eight. After family prayer I took the * Lily of the Valley ' of 
 a Kempis, given me by Professor Weir for Mrs. Cashman, and went 
 to see her. She was in bed, and did not seem in much pain from the 
 cancer, and I thought appeared more cheerful than when I first 
 visited her. I inquired particularly if she had an interest in Christ ; 
 if she loved Him and trusted Him. She said something about a want 
 of the inward witness of the Spirit. She believes in Jesus, but 
 doubts her own acceptance. I talked to her as best I could, read a 
 portion of Scripture, and prayed. The sergeant came in just before 
 the prayer. He seemed grateful for my attentions to his wife in her 
 suffering. I then went to the Soldiers' Hospital ; sat and talked with 
 Saunders, a soldier. . . . 
 
 "To-day, Thursday, the 31st of March (1859), is rather windy 
 weather, and cold. I have done little to-day ; had a good cadets* 
 prayer- and reading-meeting ; one new face. I am reading * The 
 Shadow of the Cross.' My own religious views perplex me. I find I 
 am certain only on a few points. I think, however, Jesus will take 
 care of me.' ' 
 
 " Wednesday, Ajyrll 4, 1859. — . . . After the prayer was said in 
 •unison at the cadets' prayer-meeting, Cadet Upton made a short 
 prayer — I expect the first he ever made in public. I was exceedingly 
 rejoiced. He stopped back after the rest had left. Said his brother 
 had died in joy, and invited him to meet him in heaven. Oh, these 
 brothers, whom God has called into His vineyard ! Mr, W. told me 
 he had made a practice of reading two chapters in the Bible every 
 day. God has rewarded him, and will bless him. O'Hearn (sapper) I 
 visited this evening at the Soldiers' Hospital, He bled much last 
 night. He thanked me heartily for my visit, and I saw the tears in 
 his eyes after the prayer when he invited me to come again. ..." 
 
 * ' Wednesday, April 6. — I visited the hospital this evening. O'Hearn, 
 poor fellow ! continues to bleed ; I saw the blood on his lips and in 
 the spittoon. It made me feel badly to see him. He is cheerful and 
 resigned, and I think has his trust in the right place. He asked me 
 if anything should happen and he sent for me if I would come. I 
 told him ' Certainly,' for I saw he meant death might visit him soon. 
 I tried to get * L,' to do me a great favor. I asked him, as a personal 
 favor to me, not to drink liquor any more— certainly nothing stronger 
 than beer. He said he would not. I lectured this evening on * The 
 Christian's Hope ;' there were more soldiers out than usual. I said 
 
58 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 some liard things (to hear), but I hope the truth frankly spoken may- 
 do some good. 1 am still apt to think myself of some considerable 
 importance. Oh, that I might give my whole heart continually to 
 the Lord !" 
 
 "Saturday Night, April 9. — . . . I am not abstemious enough in 
 the use of food. I fear if God should give me success with my heart 
 as it is now, that I should be puffed with pride, and thus lose the 
 countenance of my blessed Saviour. I am conscious that I do not 
 make a good warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. But 
 blessed be God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ ! Jesus, will He not bring us off conquerors ?' ' 
 
 ^' March 15, 1861. — Poor Dr. Gray has gone to his reward. He died 
 at Syracuse. ... I carried the news of his death to his j)oor feeble 
 wife and his daughter yesterday. . . Two cadets have found Jesus 
 precious to them and been baptized, and I understand that over a 
 hundred souls have been converted here and at the Falls, among 
 those with whom it has been my privilege to work, 
 
 "... I am ever indulging in complacency, thinking of what I am 
 doing, speaking of it. I see and name the failings of others. I find 
 pride, vanity ; don't think I am as kind as I ought to be in recita- 
 tions, yet I am blessed with much peace of mind, and hate to be 
 brought into subjection by these things. Appetite and passion keep 
 getting the mastery of me; but I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and hope 
 He will keep me from denying Him in the words of my mouth and in 
 the meditations of my heart, and that He will finally help me conquer 
 every wicked thought and resist every temptation of the devil," 
 
 ''May 2, 1859. — . . . Last Wednesday evening I delivered a lect- 
 ure on the subject of ' Grace,' and last night on the second miracle of 
 Jesus at Cana ; had a fair attendance and good attention. I do hope 
 and pray that the work of grace may show itself among us abun- 
 dantly, but I don't know as I have the right notions prompting this 
 wish. I have finished the life of Payson, and am reading Cotton 
 Mather's ' History of New England ' aloud to Lizzie. It is very in- 
 teresting, and I hope will prove useful to me. ..." 
 
 '"'October 6. — . . . Mrs, Cashman (sergeant's wife, who has been 
 sick so long with a cancer) died Sunday ; has gone to sleep in Jesus. 
 Sunday morning she told me she understood the Scripture I read her, 
 and said she was waiting patiently. She put her whole trust and 
 confidence in Jesus, she said, the Friday before, I have visited her 
 regularly every Sunday morning since she has been so very ill, and 
 read and prayed with her, and I think God has made me the humble 
 instrument in leading her to put her trust in Jesus. ..." 
 
HOWARD : THE chrtstia:n' hero. 59 
 
 ''November 8, 1859. — My twenty-ninth birthday is just drawing to 
 its close. God grant that I may be more truly consecrated to His 
 service this year than last. My besetting sin is the love of the praise 
 of men. I am in danger continually of contemplating my own work 
 with complacency. Oh, my Inlinite Helper, what is any effort of 
 mine but air without thine assistance !" 
 
 "Sunday, Nov. 27, 1859. — A shade of gloom has been cast over West 
 Point during the past week. Lieutenant Weitzel, of the Engineers, 
 a short time ago went to Cincinnati and brought back a youthful 
 bride. Last Wednesday, when he was in the hotel office, he heard a 
 scream up-stairs, and immediately ran toward his room. In the hall 
 he met his wife and others, the flames completelj'' enveloping her and 
 rising above her head. As soon as possible the fire was extinguished, 
 but she was so dreadfully burned that she lingered only till the next 
 evening. She was of German extraction, a member of the Lutheran 
 Church, and seemed in her suffering to have a sense of the presence 
 and power of the grace of God. She was perfectly happy, and said 
 she was going to a ' better home.' Her husband seems to look upon 
 her death like a Christian. I hope he may realize the true end of 
 sorrow. Oh, prepare him to meet his wife in heaven !" 
 
 ^'January 9, 18G0. — Yesterday, about noon, Lieutenant Holabird 
 [now Quartermaster General] lost his oldest child, a beautiful little 
 girl. To-day we followed her little coffin to the grave, where Mr. 
 French, with his wonted earnest solemnity, pronounced the last 
 solemn words over her mortal remains. The officers were nearly all 
 present, and showed every mark of kind and respectful sympathy with 
 their afflicted brother-in-arms. ... At the Sunday-school and at 
 the cadets' prayer-meeting this evening prayers were offered for the 
 afflicted parents." 
 
 Recording the deatli of Lieutenant E. II. Day, in 
 Eiclimond, Ya., lie says : 
 
 '^ January 10, 1860. —Day and I were together in Florida, and had 
 many conversations upon religion before I was fully a Christian. I 
 wrote him once after, telling of what a Saviour I had found. I got 
 one reply. I saw him once afterward, and am hoping he gave his 
 whole heart to the Lord before his removal. Day had a warm heart 
 and noble sentiments. He was a true friend and a modest gentle- 
 man." 
 
 ''March 30, 1860. — Brought me a good letter from Lieutenant O. A. 
 Mack [afterward General Mack], now become an earnest helper in 
 
60 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 the vineyard of the Lord. This letter brought to me these first joyful 
 tidings." 
 
 Lieutenants Mack and Howard were room-mates in 
 Florida. 
 
 "September 23, 18G0.— Stood as sponsor for little Clara French 
 Greble, daughter of Lieutenant John T. and Mrs Sallie Greble. O 
 Lord, help us to be truly interested for the salvation of this child ! 
 Without Thee, my Saviour, I can do nothing." 
 
 Colonel Greble, the classmate and friend of General 
 Howard, was the lirst regular officer to fall in the war of 
 the rebellion, at Big Bethel, Ya. 
 
III. 
 
 The Civil War — Colonel of a Maine regiment— Eeception and dinner 
 in New York — Battle of Bull Run — With the Army of the Potomao 
 — Life in camp — The battle of Fair Oaks — Twice wounded — Ee- 
 turns to his home — " The empty sleeve." 
 
 The darkest days of the nation's history now dawned. 
 The Civil War had come — that period which had heen 
 constantly predicted for thirty years by the extremists of 
 both sides. Tlie people were agitated as never before in 
 the history of the United States. The inevitable bitter- 
 ness between the sections was fast developing into vio- 
 lence, and the opponents were enrolling themselves for 
 the coming strife for supremacy. Army officers were 
 the first to feel the effects of the changed condition of 
 public affairs ; their prof ession necessarily placed them in 
 the front, and the country looked with no little anxiety 
 to see what course they would pursue in the crisis. 
 Many resigned and hastened to avow their allegiance to 
 their separate States ; others resigned from the regular 
 army to take commands of higher rank, with volunteer 
 organizations, and not a few waited, watching the course 
 of events. These changed so rapidly that men of every 
 class were in doubt as to the effect of any step. Mean- 
 time the outlook was gloomy ; army ties were being 
 broken rapidly ; friends were parting, not perhaps to 
 feel personal hostility to each other, but to become 
 public enemies. Those who had been comrades in social 
 life were separating to appear on opposite sides of the 
 conflict, and everywhere men's minds were absorbed in 
 
62 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 the troubles of tlieir country. Lieutenant Howard pon- 
 dered tlie situation with much concern ; certain religious 
 convictions (those looking to the ministry) came into 
 conflict with what he conceived to be his duty to his 
 country. He reflected much after the first gun had been 
 fired at Sumter. The government had educated him 
 at its expense for such an emergency as had now come ; 
 he had pledged himself to serve his country's flag. 
 Should he forget his training ? Should he belie his 
 pledge ? His brothers from the South claimed the right 
 of secession and adherence to their native States. There 
 was no sucli call on Howard. His course thus became 
 clear ; his heart responded to the voice of duty. H.e 
 w^as prepared to tight for the integrity of the American 
 Union, and the religion of his soul supported the decision 
 of his intellect. 
 
 Obtaining a temporary leave of absence from West 
 Point, he answered in person the call of his compatriots 
 in Maine. Mr. Bhiine, then the Speaker of the Maine 
 House, presented his name for the colonelcy of the first 
 three years' regiment, the Third Maine, one thousand 
 /strong, and he received his commission from Governor 
 "Washburne, dated the 28th of May, 1861. He had 
 left West Point on a leave of absence, but before 
 he received his commission he tendered his resigna- 
 tion as an ofticer of the regular army, and sent a 
 friend to Yv^est Point to inform his wife and accom- 
 pany her to 'New York. Mrs. Howard, in her home 
 at the Point, heard a gentleman at the door inquir- 
 ing if Colonel Howard lived there. Instantly the whole 
 truth flashed upon her : her husband had accepted an ap- 
 pointment in the volunteer army, and would not return 
 to the academy. Hasty preparations were made, and 
 soon she was en route to meet him, with her three little 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq- HERO. 63 
 
 children, and to say good-by for an indefinite time. On 
 the 5th of June the regiment left Augusta, and reaching 
 Kew York the next day. Colonel Howard met his 
 family at the Astor House. 
 
 Lord Melville once declared in Parliament that ^^ bad 
 men make the best soldiers." Yicars, in answering a 
 similar argument, made by a fellow-officer who opposed 
 his rehgious work among the privates, said : '' Were I 
 ever, as leader of a forlorn hope, allowed to select my 
 men, it would be most certainly from among the soldiers 
 of Christ ; for who should fight so fearlessly and bravely 
 as those to whom death presents no after terrors ?" 
 
 Colonel Howard believed, wdth Iledley Yicars, the 
 better the man, the better the soldier, and when intro- 
 duced to his regiment by Mr. Blaine, in front of the 
 Capitol at Augusta, he rather shocked the feelings of 
 some of his hearers by plainly emphasizing his abhor- 
 rence of intemperance and profanity. He declared that 
 no man could do his duty under the influence of liquor, 
 and asserted his aversion to profanity, especially in sol- 
 diers, w^ho, he believed, needed divine favor above 
 other men. The majority of the newly-enlisted men 
 looked upon a soldier's life as one entirely free from 
 restraint, and many murmured at the Puritanical views 
 of their new colonel. They did not applaud him with 
 the spirit they would have manifested had he shown 
 himself less a disciplinarian and more a maker of fine 
 compliments. But later, when they realized his sterling 
 worth and sincere interest in them, they trusted him, and 
 would have followed him into any danger. 
 
 When passing through New York, a silken banner was 
 presented to the regiment, and the officers were enter- 
 tained at a public dinner given at the Astor House. In 
 his speech accepting the flag, which wm presented by 
 
64 HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAIsr HERO. 
 
 Assistant District-Attorney Stewart L. Woodford, in the 
 old White Street arsenal, Colonel Howard said : 
 
 " I "was born in the East, but I was educated by my count^3^ I 
 know no section ; I knov/ no party, and I never did. I know only 
 my country to love it, and my God that is over my country. We go 
 forth to battle, and we go in defence of righteousness and liberty, 
 civil and religious. "We go strong in muscle, strong in soul, because 
 we are right. I have endeavored to live in all good conscience be- 
 fore God, and I go to battle without flinching, because the same 
 God that has given His Spirit to direct me has shown me that our 
 cause is righteous ; and I could not be better placed than I am now, 
 for He has given me the warm hearts of as noble a regiment as the 
 United States has produced." 
 
 At the dinner given to the officers of the regiment 
 Colonel Howard's temperance convictions w^ere charac- 
 teristically illustrated. The company, consisting of some 
 of New York's best-known citizens, proposed to pledge 
 him in a bnmper. All rose. The guest of the evening 
 took up his glass of water, and made this brief response 
 to the toast : 
 
 " Gentlemen, our country is in peril ; I go at its call to do my 
 duty. The true beverage of a soldier is cold water , in this I pledge 
 
 you." 
 
 Every wine-glass was put down, and the toast was drunk 
 in water. 
 
 He had not intended to influence the actions of others, 
 and was somewhat disconcerted when lie saw the effect 
 of his words. Absorbed in the serious duties before 
 him, and solemnly impressed with the responsibility he 
 had undertaken, his intensity of feeling had led him into 
 what he feared his kind hosts would look upon as a 
 breach of etiquette, despite the hearty approval of his 
 course, conveyed through the medium of applause. 
 
 Mrs. Howard, with her little children, accompanied 
 her husband to the depot, and while crossing the river 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 65 
 
 she was introduced to tlie officers of tlie regiment. Mr. 
 "Woodford, wlio was one of the party, presented the chil- 
 dren of their colonel to the regiment, and the men, 
 fresh from their own firesides, gathered about the little 
 boy and girl seated on either of Mr. "Woodford's shoul- 
 ders. War was a new experience awaiting the soldier, 
 and their hearts were easily moved by reminders of 
 family and home, now forsaken for an uncertain fate. 
 The future seemed darkly outlined on the political hori- 
 zon, and departures of troops w^ere occasions of sadness. 
 
 After bidding her husband farewell, Mrs. Howard 
 went to Augusta, Me., to reside, choosing that city be- 
 cause it vfas the home of the majority of the officers and 
 many of the soldiers of the regiment. She desired to be 
 with the families of the men w^ho had gone with her hus- 
 band to the war. 
 
 The arrival in Washington of Colonel Howard and his 
 gray-clad men was greeted with satisfaction by the anx- 
 ious Secretary of War, who welcomed the coming of 
 troops commanded by West Point officers. In sympathy 
 with the homesickness of the men, who were enduring 
 for the first time in their lives a soldier's fare, empty 
 barracks, and cheerless meals, he gave the regiment a 
 supper at W illard' s Hotel. Army officers laughed at his 
 sentiment, but the people of Maine loved him for his 
 kind heart, and the generous governor had the bill paid 
 by the State, saying that Howard had done enough in 
 devising the thoughtful j^^?-^^- The regiment was im- 
 mediately put in training for the task before it, and 
 the hard work of its colonel at once won the confidence 
 of the men. Colonel T. W. Osborne, who was long 
 of his staff, says that he never saw another officer so in- 
 tensely solicitous for the care and welfare of his men 
 at all times, that they should be clothed, fed, well en- 
 
6Q HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 camped, not over-fatigned ; that they should not be 
 treated roughly by mounted officers riding along the line 
 of iparch, and that their moral and religious wants should 
 never be neglected. It is needless to portray the toil 
 and anxiety he went through in those days of 1861. 
 Men were commissioned or enlisted fresh from the 
 fields, the shops, the schools, necessarily without the 
 knowledge or training of soldiers, and they were to be 
 physically remodelled and mentally brought under re- 
 striction and discipline. This work the colonel had to 
 do, and shortly after his arrival and tlie pitching of his 
 tents on Meridan Hill, near the college, it was not 
 strange to see crowds witnessing the drills and parades of 
 this splendid regiment. But the work and the ejffects of 
 a sudden change of climate and diet produced illness, 
 and in less than forty-eight hours he was at death's door 
 with camp cholera. He owed his life to his splendid 
 physique. His physician, Surgeon G. S. Palmer, said 
 of him that he had never found before such recuperative 
 energy in any system as in his. In a few days he was 
 on his feet again and at his w^ork. Among the observers 
 of Colonel Howard's diligence in preparing his regiment 
 for the front was General Irvin McDowell, and one day, 
 after laughing at the prediction of an army friend that 
 he would be the first brigadier from Maine, he was the 
 recipient of a note from General McDowell, through the 
 War Department, directing him to select three other 
 regiments besides his own for his command. He took 
 three Maine and one Yermont regiments, and this bri- 
 gade formed a part of the hasty levees which McDowell 
 hurried into Yirginia to meet Beauregard and Johnston 
 in the first large battle of the great war — that of Bull 
 Eun— fought July 21st, 1861. 
 
 Colonel Howard and his men^ stood ready that day, 
 
 i 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 67 
 
 according to orders, the latter burdened with their knap- 
 sacks, their ammunition, and their equipments, from half- 
 past two A.M. till the sun was an hour high. Many grew 
 faint and became ill, and at last, as the march began, 
 numbers sat down by the roadside, unable to go farther. 
 Forward the troops marched toward Sudley Springs, 
 halting en route within hearing of the continuous thun- 
 der of the heavy guns and the indescribable rattle of 
 distant musketry. At one time, as he sat on his horse 
 waiting for the order to enter the combat, Howard's 
 heart sank within him and his strength began to fail. 
 He realized the fact w^ith a momentary feeling of mis- 
 giving, and then he prayed : '^ O God, help me and 
 enable me to do my duty !" The spell at once passed off, 
 and he was possessed of a cheerful calmness, which did 
 not leave him during that awful day. Orders came for 
 him to move his brigade as quickly as he could to the 
 relief of Heintzelman, and soon his men were hurrying 
 into their first battle. As they came nearer, the bomb- 
 shells burstinsr over their heads attestino; the fierce work 
 going on, some showed signs of fear ; and Colonel How- 
 ard, to encourage them, halted at the head of his column, 
 and had his entire brigade pass by him as if in review. 
 The men looked up into his face, and reading the resolu- 
 tion and confidence expressed there, gave him an answer- 
 ing smile as they passed on to their places in the battle 
 line, followed by his silent prayers. 
 
 It will be found in the life of General Howard that 
 his more sterling qualities are brought to light in adver- 
 sity. When others are sorely troubled, he has his faith 
 strengthened by prayer ; and when there is really nothing 
 left but failure, he folds his hands serenely, and wears 
 that intense expression which indicates to his friends 
 upon what themes his thoughts are concentrated. 
 
68 IK>WA1U) : THE CIIRTSTIAN" HERO. 
 
 Ill tlie encampment, before marcliing for the battle- 
 field, one who was j)resent sajs of Howard : 
 
 '* It was a solemn and impressive scene there on the hill-side, when 
 Colonel Howard, Cromwell-like, assembled his brigade in four lines, 
 facing toAvard the base of the sloj^e on which they stood, and 
 taking his place in front of them, with his chaplain at his side, in- 
 dicated his wish to have them hear a prayer. Four thousand men 
 uncovered their heads while the chaplain prayed, and when the 
 prayer was ended the colonel addressed to them a few words of hope 
 and counsel, and impressed upon them the necessity now for a com- 
 plete trust in God, before whom they should be ever ready to ap- 
 pear. The majority of the men could not understand one who was 
 always prepared for a battle or a prayer-meeting, and who seemed to 
 have no fear of consequences anywhere." 
 
 The Second Vermont Regiment in Howard's Brigade, 
 after the first battle of Bull Hun, was much attached to 
 General Howard. After he had been promoted and left 
 them, a deputation of non-commissioned ofiicers, who had 
 just been j^romoted, came to his headquarters and pre- 
 sented him with a sword, sash, and belt. The sword 
 bears the following inscription : ''Palmam qui meruit 
 ferat. Tuum est. ■ ' * This sword has ever been treas- 
 ured by General Howard, and has been used by him on 
 frequent occasions since that day. During his visit to 
 Europe in 188i, he wore this token of his comrades' affec- 
 tion and respect, when representing the American army 
 at the autumn manoeuvres of the French forces. 
 
 The famous battle of Bull Run was fought on a Sun- 
 day, and it produced a great sensation throughout the 
 country. The outrage on its Christian feelings, because 
 of the violation of the Sabbath, impressed the people 
 with the dreadful horrors of war. The soldiers, once 
 removed from the influences of home and old associa- 
 tions, and other causes arising which need not be 
 
 * *' Let him bear the palm who merits it ; it is thine." 
 
HOWARD : THE christia:n' hero. 69 
 
 detailed, went to extremes, and in consequence great 
 demoralization prevailed among them. Siibsequentlj, 
 General McClellan tried to improve matters by issuing 
 tlie following order : 
 
 "The major-general commanding desires and requests that in 
 future there may be a more perfect respect for the Sabbath on the 
 part of his command. We are fighting in a holy cause, and should 
 endeavor to deserve the benign favor of the Creator. . . . One day's 
 rest in seven is necessary to men and animals. More than this, the 
 observance of the holy day of the God of mercy and of battles is our 
 sacred dut}^" 
 
 The state of affairs which this order was intended to 
 rectify was, as conld be imagined, very galling to Gen- 
 eral Howard's feelings, and great was his satisfaction 
 v\'hen it was issued by his chief. He has always admired 
 its beautiful spirit, and being the first case of the kind, 
 it made a lasting impression on his mind. 
 
 General McDowell, aware of the efforts made after 
 the defeat of Bull Run by many officers to obtain pro- 
 motion, and anxious to have Colonel Howard receive his 
 star, went to the President, without prompting, and asked 
 that it should be bestowed on him. Senator Fessenden, 
 of Maine, also urged this recognition of merit, and 
 on September 3d, 1S61, he became a brigadier-general 
 of volunteers. 
 
 General Howard was a constant correspondent, and 
 his home circle retain many letters written from the 
 field. A few excerpts from several penned during the 
 gloomy summer of 1861 are permitted to be used, and 
 are inserted here as giving a glimpse of his interior life. 
 
 To his Wife. 
 
 " Washington, D. C, June 11, 1861. 
 " Poor John Greble's death struck me like a thunderbolt this after- 
 noon. It seems to have been a disastrous fight under incompetent 
 
70 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN- HERO. 
 
 leaders. His parents, his wife, and tlie French's— what sorrow for 
 all ! I remember now the relation I have assumed of godfather to 
 little Clara. I recall the walks and talks that Johnny and I have had 
 together, and sorrow fills my heart. 'Be ye also ready ' sounds plainly 
 for you and me, darling. God must comfort them, I shall write 
 Mrs. Greble as soon as I can have heart to do it. I hear also that 
 Warren [afterward General Warren] is slain. I hope it is a mistake. 
 To-night my band came to my tent and played a piece in honor of 
 Lieutenant Greble, and the soldiers crowded around and heard what 
 I said of him in great sorrow. ..." 
 
 To Same. 
 " AiiEXANDKiA, Va., Sunday, July 7, 1861. 
 " I hope I shall have a chance to go to church, a part of the day at 
 least. Oh L., I should like to be at home to-day, where there is a 
 different aspect of things from what we find here ! The city is 
 gloomy indeed : nearly all the houses shut up ; beautiful residences 
 deserted ; no business transacted, except what an army carries with it. 
 ' ' Soldiers at the best are like locusts : fences and trees are con- 
 sumed, and private property generally is much infringed upon. . . ." 
 
 To Same. 
 
 " Sangstees, July 18, 1861. 
 (Just before first BuU'Run.) 
 " I wish we had men who had more regard for the Lord. We 
 might then expect His blessing. ..." 
 
 To Same. 
 " Centeeville, Ya,, July 20, 1861. 
 '* We haven't j^et been in battle. The Lord will take care of us ; 
 (but) if we were not so wicked He would not bring such disaster upon 
 us as Tyler's defeat. . . . Above all, remember me constantly at the 
 throne of grace. ..." 
 
 To his Little Bay. 
 
 "Bush Hill, Va., July 25, 1861. 
 (Just after Bull Eun.) 
 *' Mrs. Scott lives here with four little children. She asked your 
 papa to conduct prayers this morning. The little ones repeated the 
 Lord's Prayer after me, as you and Grace do, and it makes joapa cry 
 to think of it. Oh, my son, do love God and serve Him ! . . . May 
 God bless and keep you all, for Christ' s sake !" 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 71 
 
 To his Wife. 
 
 " August 1, 1861. 
 " Mr. M. wonders how I can be so completely engrossed with ray 
 official duties and say so little about my family, particularly when I 
 have so interesting a family. I told him it was because I exercised 
 faith in God, who is able to protect and care for them, and is willing 
 to do so. I do pray to Him constantly for you, and Guy, and Grace, 
 and little Jamie. I do regard you all as sacred treasures that will be 
 kept in store for me, while I am trying to do my duty for my country. 
 There are untold trials after a defeat. Everybody is sick in body or 
 in heart. . . . Grumbling, fault finding, and charges against my 
 officers come to me from every quarter ; but thus far my heart has 
 been light. I try to do my duty as I have done heretofore, and don't 
 worry. I think of Mrs. Greble and her dear little children often, 
 and try to remember them in prayer. . . . There seems to be a 
 want of principle and true f)atriotism among our friends. I don't 
 know what we will come to." 
 
 To Same. 
 
 " August 8, 1861. 
 " There are over one hundred sick in each regiment. . . . They 
 are quite well cared for, though it is rather sickening to go through 
 that Clermont House, where there are so many poor fellov/s to- 
 gether. ... I visited nearly every room last Sunday morning, and 
 tried to say a word for my Saviour to them. Charles thinks we fall 
 far short of living such lives as Vicars and Hav clock did." 
 
 To Same. 
 
 "August 15, 1861 
 "... I couldn't think of going home, as delightful as it would be, 
 even if I could get a leave, after having refused so many poor sol- 
 diers. . . . Lieutenant M. thinks I have sweet little children, and 
 so do I. God bless them and help them to grow up to do His M'ill." 
 
 To a lady who wrote General Howard, with bitter com- 
 plaints, after the Bull Run confusion, he sajs : 
 
 " August 24, 1861. 
 
 "I thank you for writing me just as you believed and felt. . . . 
 Permit me to say that you have been entirely misinformed with 
 regard to me by some one. [Then follows a full explanation of the 
 causes of the destitution and other evils complained of.] I shall, dear 
 madam, take the greatest pains to do my duty, and, as you say, ' God 
 is my Judge.' I ask no better. I have worked for my command 
 early and late. 1 have been without proper food and sleep, and 
 
72 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAI^ HERO. 
 
 Bometiraes I am weary — weary ; and then I am misrepresented and 
 misunderstood ! Still, I believe the soldiers love me, and know that 
 I have left no stone unturned to get them their dues. 
 
 " I am truly sorry for the iinpopularity that awaits me in your sec- 
 tion, but I have been unpopular before ; the thing that I want is to 
 see the men provided for, contented and happy, and ready for duty. 
 . . . My religion consists in striving to do my duty." 
 
 Referring to tlie plundering of the soldiers, in a letter 
 to his wife dated August 25th, 1861, he sajs : 
 
 " You ask about robbing Clermont. The Hospital Department of 
 my regiment, without my knowledge or consent, took all the bed- 
 ding, some divans, and, I think, crockery and cooking utensils, and 
 I learn that plate has been taken, and that the house has been com- 
 pletely ruined. The defence is that it belongs to secessionists ; this 
 is true, but we do not allow people to steal even secession property. 
 I have had to fight this propensity to steal ever since I have been 
 here. Nothing will be safe in Maine when we get home." 
 
 Edrad from Letter to Mrs. Iloicard. 
 
 " Headquaetees Thied IMaine Volunteees, ) 
 September 15, 1861. j" 
 
 " My deaeest Wife : I haven't yet left my regiment, as you see by 
 the heading (Monday morning). After I wrote the above line I was 
 employed all day without intermission. The men are bringing me 
 their money to send by express to their friends, and it has made me 
 a good deal of extra work. I am going to Washington this morning 
 to send the money and make other arrangements. I am disappointed 
 in Major Staples not returning before this. It will make me behind 
 everybody in the choice of my brigade. I should not have gone to 
 West Point if you had been there now, darling [she was in Maine], 
 for I shall not show myself at the North under reverse if I can help 
 it. It is no time to leave one's command now. Political generals 
 may do it, but army generals had better keep the field and keep their 
 eyes open, not for credit, but for the salvation of the country. We 
 have had glory enough ; now is the time for work." 
 
 "While awaiting assignment to a command General 
 Howard remained in Washington, and from there, 
 under date of October 22d, 1861, he wrote a letter to 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq- HERO. 73 
 
 liis wife, in wliicli is a reference to General Baker. He 
 
 says : 
 
 "This morning we have the sad news of General Baker's death 
 and the fear that we have met with a defeat again in the vicinity of 
 Leesburg (Ball's Bluff). The enemy manage in every encounter to 
 outnumber us. God has not yet seen fit to withhold His hand from 
 humbling us, neither will He, I fear, till we have to acknowledge 
 Him. ' The battle is not always to the strong.' General Baker is 
 the Senator from Oregon. ... I am glad you took [step] father's 
 bond, for father's sake. I do not mind taking an interest in the Gov- 
 ernment loan. I think the very debt that is accumulating will cement 
 us, unless there comes a general break-up, which nobody can account 
 for. ... I met the Prince de Joinville, and exchanged a word with 
 him about General Baker's death. He says 'he died a soldier's 
 death, fighting for his country.' I think he must have been a little 
 rash in exposing himself, and I feel especially the regret that one of 
 our first men should be sacrificed to so little purpose." 
 
 To his Wife. His first Letter after Promotion to Brigadier-General. 
 
 "September 4, 1861. 
 ' * I have been appointed brigadier-general. I hesitate now whether 
 it is better for the country, for the cause of Christ, and for my poor 
 self to take or decline the position. . . . May God direct us all in 
 the way He would have us walk !" 
 
 Howard spent the fall and winter of 1S61, after the 
 disasters of Bull Kun, in camp near Alexandria, Ya. 
 Here he occupied his time in industriously drilling his 
 men and in teacliing them every requirement pertaining 
 to their calling. He made them practise firing, with 
 himself in front of them, and instructed them that they 
 must be cool enough in action not to hit him or any 
 other officer he put there to lead them. This brigade, 
 which YV2iS a new one assigned him after his promotion as 
 brigadier- general, became a strong oue, passing through 
 the most desperate battles, but never failing to honor 
 General Howard, who gave it its first lessons in discip- 
 line and organization. General Sumner, w^hom he 
 names as the ''strict, straightforward, brave general," 
 
74 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAlsr HERO. 
 
 commended General Howard liiglilj for Ms Scrnpulons 
 fidelity during this period of preparation. 
 
 In the spring of 1862 the Confederates, nnder General 
 Joseph E. Johnston, withdrew from Centreville too soon 
 for General McClellan's plans ; the latter, however, hur- 
 ried forward Sumner's division and some cavalry and 
 other troops to follow up his retreat, while he himself 
 took his army down the Potomac to Yorktown. Sumner, 
 in command of the Second Corps, hastened the pursuit 
 of Johnston, with French's, Howard's, Blenker's, and 
 Meagher's troops, and made his first halt at Warrcnton 
 Junction. Tiien the corps went to the Peninsula, land- 
 ing at Shipping Point. General Howard was intrusted 
 with the dangerous exploit of a reconnoissance forward 
 to the Pappahannock from Warrenton Junction, and 
 drove the enemy across it. In this short expedition he 
 met the troops of his Confederate classmate and former 
 intimate. General J. E. B. Stuart, wdio in his retreat 
 across the river burned the bridge behind him. "While 
 Howard's troo]3S cam23ed for the night at the river's 
 side, the enterprising Stuart is said to have visited the 
 neighborhood of the camp during the darkness, and re- 
 connoitred the position of his old friend. Finding him 
 altogether too well prepared against a surprise, he with- 
 drew to the opposite side of the stream. The booming 
 of the guns next morning could be heard by the troops 
 at Warrenton, and General Sumner was anxious for the 
 safety of the command until he received a message from 
 Howard to the effect that Stuart's cavalry, which had 
 slowly retired from point to point, disputing every mile 
 of the way, was now out of the way of the army's prog- 
 ress. General Sumner was much pleased with the young 
 general, who accomplished his hazardous undertaking 
 with so little loss of men or time. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 75 
 
 While on tlie marcli to the Peninsula, as in camp at 
 Alexandria, General Howard, while attending to his 
 military duties, almost constantly devoted some time to 
 religious observances. He kept the Sabbath day holy, 
 and induced others to do so ; held meetings in his tent, 
 and encouraged the officers wdio attended to a greater 
 faith and more willing service in the Master's work. 
 Happily for those who loved him he kept well and was 
 always cheerful, hopeful, and busy. His recreation w^as 
 in visiting the hospital, lending religious books, reading 
 the Bible, and praying with the sick. Disagreeable days, 
 when it rained and time hung heavily on the hands of 
 those around him, he would invite all who would come to 
 his tent to hold a religious meeting and talk over the things 
 that concerned their mental and spiritual development. 
 He was so happy in his faith, that he could not realize the 
 entire absence of such a feeling on the part of any one, 
 and he knew no greater delight than in sharing his sj^ir- 
 itual peace and contentment with others. He never 
 wanted to be alone or apart from those who were, like 
 himself. Christians ; they were his kinsmen, and he made 
 his tent a meeting-place and a quiet retreat always for 
 raen wishing to chat with him or read and pray together. 
 In the bloody battle of Williamsburg, fought the 4th and 
 5th of May (1862), it was not permitted General Howard 
 to take part ; he could not get his troops forward in 
 time, though they marched all night through the deep 
 mud and rain. In the morning, when he reached the 
 battle-ground, the conflict, ^'fought," says General 
 Webb, '' without a plan, with inadequate numbers, and 
 at a serious sacrifice, without compensating result," was 
 over. General Howard went over the field where the 
 dead lay in numbers, and in one of his letters home he 
 speaks of the prayer he is '' constantly making, that God 
 
76 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 will hasten tlie end of tliis horrible war.' ' From the time 
 of his conversion in Florida he had been in the regular 
 habit of visiting hospitals, for the purpose of talking and 
 praying with the sufferers always there. And now, as 
 soon as he had viewed the field of battle, he went into the 
 hospitals, and sympathized with the wounded of both 
 armies, who lay writhing in pain. The least kindness he 
 could show the occupants of the cots — a glass of water 
 here, a word or a look of interest there — he gave un- 
 stintedly, and wherever he went men felt happier for his 
 presence and his earnest '' God bless you !" 
 
 His brigade was, a little later, ordered back to York- 
 town, and from there to West Point, Ya. At the 
 Chickahominy, near which occurred so many hard con- 
 tests on and after the last day of May, General Johnston 
 was waiting, his army drawn up in order and ready for 
 the advancino; foe. General McClellan divided his 
 army, Heintzelman's and Key's corps facing Johnston 
 on the Richmond side of the river, and the main body 
 on the other side, and much dispersed. While the river 
 was low it was everywhere passable, and this separation 
 was of no account ; but there came on a fearful storm ; 
 the rain poured in torrents ; the waters rose rapidly, and 
 the bridges began to give way. Johnston, taking ad- 
 vantage of the favoring circurastances, began, the morn- 
 ing of the 30th, a most vigorous attack, first attacking 
 and displacing Casey's division. Before the day was 
 over and the battle entirely lost to McClellan, Sumner, 
 whom McClellan's orders had kept back, finally worked 
 his way over the trembling bridges nearest the Fair Oaks 
 Stq,tion, waded through the water and mud, and with 
 Sedgwick's division and the troops he found on the 
 ground, waged battle upon Johnston's ex]3osed flank. 
 Johnston's troops, hitherto victorious, were suddenly 
 
HOAVARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 77 
 
 checked by a force supposed to have been on the other 
 side of the s^Yohen river. Johnston himself was severely 
 wounded, and carried from the field. Yet the battle was 
 not over. General Howard, now belonging to Richard- 
 son's division, bore his part in the" second day's battle, 
 and his name is imperishably associated with Fair Oaks. 
 He showed extraordinary bravery among brave men, and 
 fought with a courage as dauntless as it was abiding. 
 Headley says of his conduct at Fair Oaks : 
 
 " Howard exposed himself like the commonest soldier, until at last 
 he was struck by a ball, which shattered his arm. Instantly waving 
 the mutilated member aloft as a pennon, he cheered on his men to 
 the charge, and was then borne from the field." 
 
 He was first wounded in his sword arm, and his 
 brother, near at hand, tying a bandage about it, he held 
 it high in the air, and called for the men of his command 
 to charge. He is represented, incorrectly, as having had 
 the arm severed by a shell. 
 
 Shortly before receiving this wound his horse was 
 badly wounded in the shoulder. Waiting a few mo- 
 ments for another horse, he caused his men to lie down 
 and creep under the shelter of the railway embankment. 
 As soon as a fresh horse was brought up he mounted and 
 rode in front of his troops in line, and the men obeying 
 his command with a shout, passed up through the woods 
 and across the enemy's outer lines, taking prisoners. 
 
 General Webb says of the fighting, which followed in 
 front of General Casej^'s old camp : 
 
 "The fire soon became the heaviest yet experienced, the enemy 
 putting in fresh regiments five times to allow their men to replenish 
 ammunition. This lasted for an hour and a half, when the enemy, 
 unable any longer to bear the fire, fell back, but in the course of half 
 an hour renewed the contest with re-enforcements, when an action of 
 about an hour's duration ensued." 
 
78 HOWARD : THE CHRTSTIAJs- HERO. 
 
 During this action General Howard was wounded for 
 a second time in his right arm, this time bj a large 
 miinie-ball, which tore through and broke the bones of 
 the elbow. He was helped from the saddle by Lieuten- 
 ant Mclntyre, of the Sixty-fourth New York, aided by 
 one or two private soldiers. Soon after he turned his 
 command over to .Colonel Barlow, and started for the 
 rear. On the way, meeting his friend Colonel Brooke, 
 he requested him to send Barlow re-enforcements. The 
 loss of blood caused great faintness, and he was moving 
 painfully along when a private, who was also wounded 
 in the arm, though not so severely, put his well one 
 around General Howard, and sustained his failing 
 strength. 
 
 The surgeons examined the disabled arm, and declared 
 that it must come off ; and gaining his ready consent, the 
 sufferer was carried to the hospital and put upon the 
 operating-table. From the nature of the wounds the 
 suffering was intense nntil the amputation was com- 
 pleted. Then General Howard appeared to recover his 
 usual vitality, which continued to sustain him. 
 
 General Howard's brother Charles, who rose grad- 
 ually from a private to brevet brigadier-general, was 
 severely wounded in the same battle. The two brothers 
 started from the field in the same train, and on reaching 
 Fortress Monroe their wounds Avere dressed by the ven- 
 erable Surgeon Cuyler, who had nursed Cadet Howard 
 at "West Point through his long illness. 
 
 An incident occurred at Fair Oaks Station between 
 Generals Kearny and Howard which has been reported 
 in so many ways that it is perhaps well to give the true 
 details here. General Kearny was at the station to bid 
 farewell to General Howard, and he jocularly remarked 
 to him that he would be consoled during his absence from 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN^ HERO. 79 
 
 the army by tlie sympathy of the ladies when he reached 
 home. This officer's left arm had been sacrificed to his 
 country's service, and General Howard calling attention 
 to the fact, said '' they might buy their gloves together 
 in future." ^' Sure enough," he replied, and then they 
 parted, to meet no more in life.^ 
 
 At Baltimore, New York, Boston, and Portland the 
 attentions shown General Howard convinced him that 
 his services were known and appreciated by the country. 
 At Levviston, Me., the destination of the wounded 
 heroes, a large crowd greeted them, a speech of welcome 
 was made, and the tired and suffering general summoned 
 strength enough to make a fitting rej^ly. He was then 
 permitted to seek his wife and children, who, after the 
 long and anxious separation, awaited his coming at their 
 home on the other side of the river. 
 
 At home once more, the careworn man, upon whose 
 face were signs of the great anxieties he had experienced, 
 sat down at his own table, with his lo^ed ones about 
 him, and but for the empty sleeve hanging loose at his 
 side they would have been wholly happy. This empty 
 sleeve, which touched many hearts by its silent elo- 
 quence, moved the poet, David Barker, to dedicate to it 
 the following poem. The circumstances were as follows : 
 In one of General Howard's addresses at Bangor, Me., 
 while speaking one night from the steps of the Bangor 
 House to a large throng of citizens in the street. Barker, 
 the poet, stood within the hallway w^atching the scene 
 and listening to the speaker's words. Suddenly the 
 picture outlined itself on the poet's brain, and placing 
 his paper against the wall, he wrote the verses substan- 
 tially as they now stand. 
 
 * General Kearny was killed at the battle of Cliantilly. 
 
80 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 '' By the moon's pale light to r, gazing throng, 
 Let me tell one tale, let me sing one song ; 
 'Tis a tale devoid of an aim or plan, 
 'Tis a simple song of a one-arm man. 
 Till this very hour I conld ne'er believe 
 What a tell-tale thing is an empty sleeve— 
 What a weird, queer thing is an empty sleeve. 
 
 ** It tells in a silent tone to all. 
 
 Of a country's need and a country's call. 
 Of a kiss and a tear for a child and wife, 
 And a hurried march for a nation's life. 
 Till this very hour who could e' er believe 
 What a tell-tale thing is an empty sleeve — 
 What a weird, queer thing is an empty sleeve ? 
 
 " It tells of a battle-field of gore, 
 
 Of the sabre's clash, of the cannon's roar, 
 Of the deadly charge, of the bugle's note, 
 Of a gurgling sound in a foeman's throat, 
 Of the whizzing grape, of the fiery shell. 
 Of a scene which mimics the scenes of heli. 
 Till this very hour would you e'er believe 
 What a tell-tale thing is an empty sleeve — 
 What a weird, queer thing is an empty sleeve? 
 
 ** Though it points to a myriad wounds and scars. 
 Yet it tells that a flag with the stripes and stars, 
 In God's own chosen time will take 
 Each place of the rag with the rattlesnake, 
 And it points to a time when that flag shall wave 
 O'er a land where there breathes no cowering slave. 
 To the top of the skies let us all then heave 
 One proud huzza for the empty sleeve — 
 For the one-arm man with the empty sleeve." 
 
lY. 
 
 At home and at work — Eaising volunteers— Returns to the Army of 
 the Potomac — Battle of Fredericksburg — Views regarding Generals 
 McClellan, Burnside, and others — The battle of Chancellorsville — 
 Mr. Chancellor's opinion of General Howard's conduct. 
 
 After a few days of rest and recuperation General 
 Howard left liis bed, and commenced active religious and 
 patriotic work. Within ten days he made two public 
 addresses before a large religious convention ; spoke to 
 political gatherings in favor of McClellan ; pleaded for 
 volunteers, and promised to return with them to the 
 field. On the Fourth of July he addressed an audience 
 of several thousand men for a full hour. On this occa- 
 sion a touching incident occurred. As he stood upon 
 tlie platform after the meeting, a lady apparelled in 
 mourning approached him, unattended, and putting her 
 hand in his, said : " Oh, general, my husband, whom 
 you helped to a commission after he and 1 treated you so 
 badly, is dead. He was killed in battle !" The by- 
 standers, who heard the hysterical exclamation of the 
 poor woman, saw the quick, kindly response of the gen- 
 eral, as he offered her his left hand, and spoke words of 
 comfort and resignation. The past was forgiven, and 
 both were glad of the meeting. 
 
 The husband had written home grievous complaints 
 after the first battle of Bull Run ; the wife had, in 
 response to these, sent an anonymous letter to General 
 Howard, full of reproaches and accusations of selfish 
 conduct on his part. The latter had divined the source, 
 
83 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 made a careful reply, and, for subsequent good con- 
 duct, recommended the liusband for advancement to a 
 lieutenancy. General Howard nev^er met lier liusband 
 again or knew of liis fate until the heart-broken widow 
 described his death upon the field of battle while doing 
 the duty he had given up family, home, and friends to 
 perform. No man living would have been more prompt 
 than General Howard to relieve the sufferings of another 
 under the circumstances, and the public interview be- 
 tween the two was not lost upon the observant multitude, 
 many in it knowing the facts of the case. 
 
 At Brunswick he spoke to a great throng, among 
 whom were many of his old teachers of Bowdoin Col- 
 lege. His reference to his lost arm created great enthu- 
 siasm. Calling upon men to enlist for the service of 
 their country, he added that he wanted them to go with 
 him and help him recover the ground where it was 
 buried — ground which, as all present knew, McClellan 
 had lost in his retreat after Howard's departure."^ 
 
 The endeavors of General Howard, with Senator Lot 
 Morrill, Barker, and others, to raise the assigned quota 
 of volunteers in his native State were crowned with suc- 
 cess. He canvassed the State, and his brief and serious 
 appeals for volunteers were wonderfully effective. 
 Great crowds greeted him with a hearty welcome, and 
 wherever he a]3peared his utterances were received with 
 respect and approval. His earnestness touched all men. 
 They would look at his pale face and empty sleeve as he 
 pleaded with them to go to the rescue of their country, 
 and weep like children. Even those opposed to the 
 
 * While in Kome, in 1884, General Howard met the distinguished 
 artist, Mr. Simmons, who recalled the words of this address. He 
 was a young lad at the time, but they made an impression which the 
 lapse of years has not elfaced. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHKISTIAI^ HERO. 83 
 
 party in power and the measures being adopted to put 
 down the rebelhon yielded ready assent to his persua- 
 sions, and many enhsted solely from his version of the 
 public need and from a trust in the results he predicted. 
 Extremists, such as were known in France as ^'Red 
 Republicans," were ever disappointed in Howard ; they 
 expected a partisan, one who would denounce and cast 
 imprecations uj^on his enemies ; but he was never heard 
 to speak either harshly or depreciatingly of the Confed- 
 erates. He would say, in his moderate, thoughtful way, 
 " They are undoubtedly wrong ; they are mistaken ; 
 how happy we shall be when the struggle is over, and 
 tlie Union restored !" Beyond utterances like these he 
 would not go. There was no hate in his heart — no hos- 
 tility toward any man. He was a soldier, not a partisan. 
 His motives were pure, and his desire was to be an in- 
 strument for good in the sad w^ork in which the Govern- 
 ment was engaged. His aid was invaluable in raising 
 troops, and Governor Washburne gave him the credit of 
 filling the State's quota of men in that darkest period of 
 the war. His earnestness was the irresistible weapon 
 wliich none could resist. He was better than an enthu- 
 siast for the task he was trying to accomplish, for he was 
 able to arouse enthusiasm in others. 
 
 After an absence of two months and twenty days from 
 the army, nearly the whole of which he spent in travel- 
 ling about and making speeches, he rejoined General 
 McClellan's army as it came back from the Peninsula. 
 Here he w^as assigned to the command of a new brigade, 
 wliich Senator Baker, who was killed at Ball's Blaff, had 
 organized and named the " Calif ornian Brigade." It was 
 composed of Pennsylvania soldiers, and General Burns 
 had just been wounded and retired from its head. The 
 first battle in w^hich he was engaged with these troops 
 
84 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 was the closing reconnoissance of General Pope, as Gen- 
 erals Lee and Jackson threw liim back upon Washington 
 after the second battle of Manassas. In the depressing 
 retreat that followed, when General McClellan came 
 back to take command, he inquired regarding the dispo- 
 sition of the troops. He observed, after hearing that 
 General Howard was in command of the rear-guard of 
 the Chain Bridge column, '' There could not be a better 
 selection." 
 
 At Antietam General Howard succeeded General 
 Sedgwick in command of his division (Second Division, 
 Second Corps) when the latter was wounded in charging 
 the enemy's troops, which occuj^ied a formidable posi- 
 tion in a thick wood. 
 
 Regarding the battle of Antietam — a battle in which 
 victory was claimed by both sides, and concerning which 
 recrimination and fault-finding were widely indulged in 
 at "Washington — General Howard, in a letter, described it 
 as a triumph for Lee. The plans of the Union generals 
 were good, but their execution was bad. Howard be- 
 lieved that if Burnside had been an hour earlier on the 
 field Lee's army would have suiSPered a great defeat. 
 Lee's generalship he considered superb, and Burnside's 
 movements vigorous, but not successfully supported. 
 
 General Sedgwick's grand division had received a 
 severe check, and lost some ground before General 
 Howard came to the command. He helped to 
 gather the men and put them into line. The troops 
 after that did not accomplish mtich, but kept their 
 ground, and contributed to the general result, which was 
 a victory for the Union army, thongh not a very de- 
 cisive one. Howard's division stayed to bury the dead 
 — a dreadfully offensive task, there being many horses 
 on the field as well as men. The thick atmosphercj full 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. 85 
 
 of the smoke of the burning animals, made General 
 Howard quite sick for several days, but he went with 
 his command to Harper's Ferry, and then left the field 
 for a few days. "When he returned to that point the 
 army was on the march southward toward General Lee, 
 and was already below the Rappahannock. General How- 
 ard took a conveyance and followed the arjny through 
 an unguarded part of Yirginia, till he overtook it near 
 Rectortown. The day after he arrived (E"ovember 
 7th, 1862) orders came for the relief of McClellan and 
 the appointment of Burnside. Lee withdrew and crossed 
 the Potomac, and Porter's command, which followed 
 him, suffered severel}'. 
 
 Howard heard, of the change of commanders with 
 surprise and sincere regret, and wrote in his letters home 
 most touchingly regarding the subject. An apology is 
 hardly needed for quoting General Howard's opinion 
 about the two principal characters who figured in this 
 army. Opinions form the integral part of a man's nature ; 
 the world of thought is perhaps as real as the world of 
 facts. Incidents but exhibit one side of a man's charac- 
 ter, whereas thoughts reveal another and more important 
 side. For instance, the publication of Carlyle's opin- 
 ions about his contemporaries has shown to the world 
 most forcibly its mistaken estimate of that profound 
 thinker. 
 
 Speaking of McClellan 's conduct on receipt of the 
 news of his removal. General Howard says : 
 
 " Burnside betrayed more feeling than McClellan ; the latter, after 
 reading the dispatch, passed it to Burnside, and said, simply : * You 
 command the army. ' . . . The next morning I turned out my troops 
 and drew them up beside the road to give a parting salute to General 
 McClellan. He rode along the line ; the tattered colors were lowered ; 
 the drums beat, and the men cheered him. Burnside rode quietly by 
 his side. At my last interview he said to me : ' Burnside is a pure 
 
86 HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAN- HERO. 
 
 man and a man of integrity of purpose, and such a man can't go far 
 astray.' 
 
 " One other remark I have preserved : ' I have been long enough 
 in command of a large army to learn the utter insignificance of any 
 man unless he depend on a Power above.' 
 
 " It is easy to see from the details which I have given why the 
 officers and soldiers were so much attached to McClellan. 
 
 " Soon after this interview I met Burnside, who appeared sad and 
 weary. He had been for two nights almost wdthout sleep. He re- 
 marked in my presence that he had concluded to take the command 
 of the army, but did not regard it as a fit subject for congratula- 
 tion." 
 
 There was widespread op230sition toward Burnside on 
 tlie part of many officers, whose affection for McClellan 
 outweighed every other feeling. This the new com- 
 mander knew, and calling together a number of officers, 
 he addressed them on the subject. General Howard was 
 one of many who listened to his manly protest against 
 their hostility toward himself, and he was one of those 
 who gave him loyal support from first to last, as he did 
 every officer who ranked him. 
 
 His note-books are full of references to his fellow- 
 officers, and from first to last there is not a harsh expres- 
 sion. General Reno fell at the battle of " South Moun- 
 tain" — a battle which preluded Antietam, and General 
 Howard finds time to record his appreciation of this man. 
 '' True and strong" lie styled Reno, and tlien he writes 
 of him and of other officers whose eyes were there closed 
 in death : '^ When they awake, may it be in the likeness 
 of the Man of Peace and clad in the garments of the 
 redeemed !" 
 
 Into battered and deserted Fredericksburg General 
 Howard accompanied his brigade on the evening of 
 December 12th, 1862. On the morning of the 13th, as 
 he sat with his officers at breakfast, a charming old lady 
 who lived near by accosted him with an assurance that 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIANS" HERO. 87 
 
 tlioiTgli they had taken Fredericksburg, the South would 
 yet win the day. She was firm in her faith, and tliough 
 the general predicted a different ending of the war, she 
 smilingly asserted that her foes would have a '' Stone- 
 wall • ' to encounter, '' Hills'' to climb, and a '' Long- 
 street" to wander through before they had finished their 
 task. She watched the officers as they listened to the 
 usual morning reading of the Scriptures by the general, 
 and heard their cheerful words as they separated to 
 attend to their respective duties. The old lady was 
 struck wdth their actions, and said to General Howard, as 
 he bade her good-morning : ^ ' Xow I fear you more 
 than ever, for 1 had understood that all Lincoln's men 
 were bad." She wondered, she said, at his cheerfulness 
 on the eve of battle, and was surprised that there were 
 Christians among the Yankees. 
 
 The next day was almost fatal to the Union cause. 
 General Howard came into action again with his divi- 
 sion, and took part in the hopeless fight, which proved a 
 slaughter for the Federal trooj^s, in front of General 
 Lee's prepared defensive works on Marye's Heights. 
 The loss in his division, which remained in close prox- 
 imity to the foe till far into the night, was sixty- four 
 officers and eight hundred and thirteen men. The poor 
 fellows lay in clusters all over the hill-side, and far into 
 the night the living fought over the ground and strug- 
 gled against the fate that was irrevocable. General 
 Burnside retired to the north side of the river on the 
 night of the 15tli inst., and the weary army rested after 
 its fierce and almost fruitless effort. 
 
 The letters which General Howard constantly wrote 
 to his wife from the front gives us an insight into the 
 real character of the man. The winter following his 
 return from his forced furlough at home was one of the 
 
88 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 most depressing periods of the war. The outlook was 
 gloomy, and not even the most cheerful could foresee 
 any hope of a termination of the terrible struggle now at 
 its fiercest jDoint, He writes : 
 
 " Men are getting discontented, restless, complaining — their hearts 
 are failing, money is growing scarcer, business is paralyzed. Now is 
 the time for all men of true patriotism and courage to stand fast ; we 
 must as a people see hard times ; we must be humbled before the 
 Lord will exalt us." 
 
 He was constantly visiting the sick in hospitals and 
 holding meetings in his tent for Bible-reading and 
 prayers. In a letter written to his mother just before 
 the battle of Fredericksburg, dated Falmouth, Ya., 
 December 2d, 1862, he says : 
 
 "... "We are still in the same place. I heard that we were to 
 have re-enforcements — General Couch said some sixteen thousand 
 to the right grand division. We shall then probably halt till these 
 troops come up. The enemy have much heavy artillery across the 
 river in position, and mean to contest our passage, and unless our 
 crossing is managed very carefully w^e shall suffer a very heavy loss, 
 if not defeat. It is the most difficult of military operations to cross 
 a river in the face of an enemy of equal strength. We could 
 easily have done it the day we arrived, but General Halleck had 
 ■withheld the pontoon-bridge, and it was impracticable to move over 
 without it, and folly to throw over a small force for the enemy to 
 crush, as at Ball's Blaff. We had to wait, and while waiting the 
 enemy brought a hundred thousand men to our front, and Jackson 
 brought some thirty thousand to threaten our base of supplies. 
 So goes war, a game that both armies can play at, and one that the 
 small item of a bridge may disconcert if the bridge is not at the 
 right place at the right time. However we may get impatient, 
 God's ways are not always our ways, and He will doubtless regulate 
 us to His own praise. I feel that I am too little dependent on Him, 
 too disposed to be ambitious. You must pray for me that I be kept 
 in the right path." 
 
 After the battle he wrote his wife from the Knox 
 House, Fredericksburg, December 13th, saying : 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 89 
 
 "... On Thursday we left camp at half-j^ast six a.m., and moved 
 down near the raih'oad and near the place of crossing the river, . . . 
 We got as far as Third Street, parallel with the river, and I ordered 
 firing to cease as soon as it could be done. Pickets were placed. Our 
 men were in the houses, and pillaging and destroying went on to 
 some extent. Women and men who had spent the day in cellars came 
 for protection ; some mothers brought little children for permission to 
 cross the river. A few men got into wine-cellars and became pretty 
 drunk, but no instance of abuse occurred that I heard of. I took 
 headquarters in a little old house knocked to pieces somewhat by our 
 shot ; did not sleep much, and went out frequently to quiet the men. 
 Another brigade came over the bridge, built half a mile below, com- 
 manded by Colonel Hawkins, Dexter's brother. This bridge was 
 built like ours, by throwing over men in boats, after they heard 
 what we had done. Colonel H. reported to me, and took post on my 
 left. At three a.m. I went around the outlj'ing pickets, and found all 
 quiet, no enemy near. At daylight I threw forward General Sully 
 and Colonel Owens, took the whole town, and picketed the front 
 range of heights near by. During the da}^ we have had a little skir- 
 mishing. The enemy have shelled us from their hills, but the army 
 has been crossing. General Franklin is over, so is General Sumner. 
 To-day the heights will be attempted. By God's blessing we shall be 
 successful. Burnside says he puts his trust in God. He made some 
 remarks to a roomful of generals on Wednesday evening. He heard 
 they had murmured ; he rebuked them, and told them he lacked, but 
 his trust was in God, Solemn, noble, and manly were his remarks, 
 and God will bless him. We are now in a house abandoned by Mr. 
 Knox and near the front line. One or two shells have passed clear 
 through it, but my room is in pretty good shape. Charles joined me 
 the day before the battle ; is well and sleeping ; so is Mr. Stinson, 
 Captain Whittlesey, and Mr. Atwood. Mr. Steel is sleeping on the 
 floor near me. I am sitting on the floor by a fireplace which is like 
 that of Professor Church's, writing on my lap, having inkstand, 
 candlestick, and paper on a large portfolio, with Tom, a little colored 
 boy, holding up the outer edge, Tom drops asleep now and then, 
 when my candle, etc., with its light, and inkstand with its ink, slip 
 down. But I wake Tom, and it is soon all righted. Tom also acts as 
 paper-clamp at the bottom of the pages, Tom works for Captain W. 
 and Charles, and, as you see, everybody works for me, darling, but 
 rebels. Guy and Grace will be much interested in papa's letter, and 
 Jamie can be told that papa found a little white pussy here, and a 
 big, big dog, big as Lion. Much love to my precious children, and a 
 
90 HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAl^" HERO. 
 
 prayer to God in their and yonr behalf, that He will bless you and 
 keep you all as His faithful children. By the military committee I 
 learn that I am unanimously recommended for a major-general. It 
 seems less strange, now that I have become accustomed to a larger 
 command. Oh, that I may increase in love to God, who so abun- 
 dantly blesses me ! Much regard to Mrs. Stinson. Harry [Stinson] 
 is a man, a brave and true one. He is among my blessings. . . . 
 We may be in battle to-day. We trust in Gtd to do for us. 
 ** Affectionately, your own 
 
 "Otis." 
 
 To his Wife. 
 
 " Neae FAI.M0UTH, Va., December 26, 1862. 
 
 *' General Sedgwick has now returned and assumed command of 
 the corps, and I have only my own division to attend to. The 
 weather is rather warm, and I do not feel as strong as I wish I did, 
 though I am well, and endure a great deal of fatigue. I am nervous, 
 and feel, like Dr. Wiggin [one of the surgeons], as though a few days' 
 rest would not hurt me. When I think of you, my patient little wife, 
 suffering so much without complaint, I don't feel that I have a right 
 to say ' I am tired.' Dr. Wiggin spent two days with me for rest and 
 recuperation, and went back evidently refreshed. His eye was dead 
 [dull], his flesh thin, and he looked worn. . . . You can hardly think 
 how pleasant my tent is. John has got me a white table cloth and a 
 tall brass candlestick from some place. My ground floor is now 
 nearly covered with boards, and my fireplace and hearth very cheer- 
 ful. John puts on big logs which last all night. . . . General Sedg- 
 wick, who dined with us to-day, exclaimed, as he came in, * What a 
 beautiful tent! I would as leave have it as a house.' General 
 French has gone, and General Sully has been assigned to his divi- 
 sion. There has been a reduction of generals of late. In this corps, 
 the Second, there is not one commanding a brigade. All are wounded, 
 dead, or on the shelf. 
 
 "I did hope for success in the last battle [Fredericksburg]. I 
 prayed for it when Hooker's men were giving way, but it was not the 
 v/ill of God. Oh, we must wait on Him, and learn His will, and then 
 do it ! Would that He would give me the wisdom ! I omitted to tell 
 you that our noble General Couch was taken sick and obliged to 
 leave. He expected to return, but I fear will not be able. I like 
 General Sedgwick. I believe I always have good commanding offi- 
 cers ; at least, I have had the good fortune to get along with 
 them." 
 
 1 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 91 
 
 During the winter of 1862 the favorite son of Presi- 
 dent Lincoln died, and the public heart saddened in 
 sympathy with the grief of the head of the struggling 
 nation. General Howard, in a letter to his wife, refers 
 to the event in these characteristic words : 
 
 *' You will have read of the death of Willie Lincoln before this 
 reaches you, and perhaps think how the Lord tempers prosperity 
 with sorrow. I hope He, in infinite wisdom, may make President 
 Lincoln a Christian like George Washington. My trust is not in 
 princes, but in God ; but no auspices are more satisfactory and 
 promising than the work of the Lord in raising up men after His 
 own heart to hold the rule. The inauguration of Jefferson Davis, 
 encroaching upon the anniversary of Washington's birthday, is not 
 by any means in joy or hope. Washington City and Kichmond are 
 shadowed in sorrow, and I am hoping that good will come to us from 
 both events. How calm, how firm, how constant a man can be if he 
 has a real trust in his divine Master ! He knows, he feels that events 
 are in good hands, and that all will be well— Jehovah Jireh." 
 
 The defeat of Burnside, the withdrawal of his army, 
 the few other futile attempts to renew the campaign, fol- 
 lowed each other in quick succession. In January, 1863, 
 Burnside was superseded by Hooker. It must be re- 
 marked here that on the 29th of J^ovember preceding 
 Howard had received promotion to the rank of major- 
 general. 
 
 The 2d of April (1863) General Howard went to 
 Stafford Court-House, and assumed command of the 
 Eleventh Corps. Of this time he thus writes : 
 
 " As soon as General Sickles, who was my junior in rank, was 
 assigned to the Third Corps, feeling that I had been overlooked, I 
 T>'rote a brief letter to General Hooker, asking to be assigned accord- 
 ing to my rank. Immediately I was ordered to take command of the 
 Eleventh Army Corps, which General Sigel had just left in some 
 dissatisfaction. . . . The corps was then, in round numbers, thir- 
 teen thousand strong. It had about five thousand Germans and 
 eight thousand men of American birth. . . . Outwardly I met a 
 cordial reception, but I soon found that my past record was not 
 
92 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq' HERO. 
 
 known here ; that there was much complaint in the German langnage 
 at the removal of Sigel, who merely wanted to have his command 
 projDerly increased, and that I was not at first getting the earnest and 
 loyal support of the entire command. But for me there was no turn- 
 ing back. I was soon permanently assigned, and did my best." 
 
 A montli after liis assignment to the Eleventh Army 
 Corps General Howard led it in the Chancellorsville 
 campaign. He, with General Slocum, received much 
 credit for the long and successful preliminary march 
 around Lee's flank ; but after Hooker had begun his 
 attack, on Friday, May 1st, he (Hooker) suddenly 
 changed his mind, and drew back his troops to the 
 ground first occupied, an indefensible position. The 
 Eleventh Corps was on his right flank. Stonewall Jack- 
 son was detached from Lee's corps on Saturday, with 
 twenty-five thousand men, and under cover of tlie forest 
 succeeded in getting around General Hooker's extreme 
 right. While Jackson's march was progressing. General 
 Hooker and others, thinking Lee's whole force was 
 retreating, sent forward the Third and Twelfth corps 
 from Howard's immediate left. These, it must be ob- 
 served, were Sickles' and Slocum's corps ; and finally 
 Howard's principal reserve was sent also. 
 
 Howard was left with about eight thousand men, the 
 nearest help being some two miles or more away, and 
 then engaged in battle. Jackson, at about six o'clock in 
 the evening, came speedily through the thick wood with 
 his twenty-five thousand men, well organized and full of 
 ardor. An attack was made, and the right brigade of 
 the Union forces soon gave way, and not long after the 
 other brigades followed, and a panic ensued. General 
 Howard and many of his officers endeavored to change 
 front ; he filled his cross intrenchments with his retreat- 
 ing men, but nothing could keep them long standing 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 93 
 
 firm. Stein wehr's division, occupying his left, faced 
 about and lield on for an hour, and some of the batteries 
 were well served. After falling back more than a mile 
 General Howard met his friend, General Hiram Berry, 
 of Maine, commanding a division. The two generals 
 grasped hands, and General Howard said ; ^' Berry, you 
 take the i-ight, and 1 will take the left of this road, and 
 make a stand." A firm stand was accordingly made, and 
 many cannon w^ere brought forward and located on a 
 neighboring hill. General Pleasanton's troops, with 
 others, had checked Jackson farther to the left, while 
 General Howard was at this hill, working with all his 
 might to rally men and place regiments in support of 
 batteries. Berry's men did their part, but their gallant 
 commander fell at the head of his column. The Con- 
 federates, however, came no farther. 
 
 The Eleventh Corps had the w^orst of it in this battle, 
 and afterward and for a time was in disgrace, and Gen- 
 erals Howard and Sedgwick have fared alike in the 
 criticisms passed upon their generalship on that field. 
 This was the only occasion where General Howard's rep- 
 utation suffered. He was charged with having located 
 his command in an indefensible position ; but he went 
 precisely to the place he was ordered to occupy, and 
 made good disposition of his men, intrench men ts, and 
 covers for his artillery. He believed and asserted that 
 had Barlow's command, his main reserve, not been car- 
 ried away by Captain Moore, an aide of Hooker's, that 
 the panic of his right would have been checked in time 
 and the main field saved till re-enforcements from Chan- 
 cellorsville could arrive. Under precisely the same cir- 
 cumstances in subsequent battles, he was able to stop 
 more than one fierce assault, by the means he then 
 adopted, long enough for help to come. 
 
94 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 Colonel G. C. Ivniffin, of Kentucky, who was on 
 General Stanley's staff during the war, gives this account 
 of the conduct of General Howard at Chancellors ville, 
 which was furnished him by a Southern gentleman who 
 lived near the field of battle, and from w^hose family 
 name that of the battle-field is derived : 
 
 ** Fortunately we have, to substantiate the narration of the day's 
 operations as given by General Howard, the testimony of Kev. Mr. 
 Chancellor, who lived at the Dovv'dall House, where General Howard 
 had his headquarters. 
 
 " Meeting Mr. Chancellor during the excursion, while returning 
 from Sjaottsylvania, the writer asked him if he remembered the 
 events of the day on which Jackson's forces charged the Eleventh 
 Corps, and, if so, to be kind enough to give them to him in detail. 
 He replied that every event of the day was ineffaceably impressed 
 upon his memory, and made substantially the following statement : 
 * I was living at the Dowdall House then, and General O. O. Howard 
 made his headquarters there. The day before that on which the 
 charge was made by Jackson General Hooker came out from Chan- 
 cellorsville and rode with General Howard and several other officers 
 along the line of General Howard's troops, and on his return I heard 
 him say to General Howard and quite a number of officers who were 
 assembled in the yard in front of the house : * ' You have a very 
 strong position here, and if you do your duty you can hold it against 
 anything." The next day everything was quiet ; the farm in front 
 of the house was alive with men and animals, and the woods, extend- 
 ing from the road beyond the junction of the Orange Eoad, around 
 beyond the Hawkins's House, were full of men. Just as General 
 Howard and his staff-officers sat down to dinner they jumped up and 
 ran to the door. We all went out, and there seemed to be a good 
 deal of commotion along the edge of the woods and a good deal of 
 firing. General Howard called for his horse, and rode rapidly down 
 the road toward the front. In a few minutes the field was swarming, 
 with men, running for dear life, throwing away their guns and knaj)- 
 sacks and everything that could impede their flight. Looking down 
 the road, I saw that thousands of men were pressing toward Chancel- 
 lorsville, and I saw General Howard and his officers trying to stop 
 them. When they reached the Dowdall House I could hear him 
 plainly. He turned his horse around, rose in his stirrups, and 
 shouted : " Here, men ; form a line here !" but they paid no atten- 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 95 
 
 tion to him — neither officers nor men —but ran on as fast as they 
 could. As far as I could see him, he was begging them to stop, but 
 to no effect. Yes, sir ; if there were anj- brave men on that field that 
 day, General Howard was one of them. If they had obeyed him they 
 would not have run away without fightiug, even if the}-^ had been 
 whipped.' 
 
 " A year later General McPherson, the splendid commander of the 
 Army of the Tennessee, was killed at Atlanta. General Sherman chose 
 General Howard to succeed him, and the inevitable conclusion is 
 that the astute general of the army, during the hundred days of battle 
 in the Atlanta campaign, had discovered qualities in the commander 
 of the Fourth Corps that eminently fitted him to assume command 
 of an army and department." 
 
 General Howard was, of coarse, mortified at the repu- 
 tation given the corps, and he begged, at Hooker's 
 council, to be allowed to recover the esjyrit of his com- 
 mand bj leading an attack. l!^apoleon would have per- 
 mitted it, but Hooker, lacking his insight, refused. 
 That General Howard disobeyed his orders or shrunk 
 from his personal duty nobody who knows him believes. 
 Certainly at the time General Hooker would have 
 brought him to trial if he himself had believed it. The 
 charge of disobedience came years after, and was ground- 
 less. 
 
 Concerning Chancellorsville, General Howard once 
 remarked to the writer: ^'I think this battle perhaps 
 the weakest link in my militarj^ record, but no military 
 critics who have represented the facts just as they were 
 have found any flaws in the dispositions within the limits 
 allowed me." 
 
 I It has been said that Howard answered certain Ger- 
 mans who criticised his position that day by saying : 
 '* Trust in God." That is not like him ; he is a man 
 not given to disrespect, even toward the humblest. He 
 did say, substantially,^' Let us obey our orders ; do the 
 best we can, and trust the results with God." Such a 
 
 i 
 
96 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIN" HERO. 
 
 rejoinder would be most like one who trusts all issues be- 
 yond conscientious effort to the great Ruler of events. 
 
 Some one once asked General Howard how he and 
 ''Stonewall" could both be answered by the God of 
 heaven. Howard replied, thoughtfully, " We loere both 
 answered. He won the battle and gave his life. I was 
 put into the deepest valley of humiliation for that time, 
 but was never sent there again. The cause for which I 
 prayed was finally won, and my life was spared." 
 
 Mr. Lincoln, when requested by an army delegation 
 to remove General Howard, replied : " No, let him 
 alone ; he is a good man. Give him time with his com- 
 mand, and he will come out all right." 
 
Gettysburg — Tlie three days' fight — Honors to General Howard — Con- 
 gress and the Maine Legislature thanli him — Hastened West— In 
 command of the Army of the Tennessee. 
 
 We next meet, in the history of the war, with the 
 name of General Howard at Gettysburg, and the story 
 of his work on that battle-field appears in different liglits 
 as presented by different writers, though all agree to 
 certain undoubted statements. He had clung to his 
 Eleventh Corps, reorganizing it in some measure, and at 
 this time Generals Barlow, Yon Steinwehr, and Carl 
 Sclmrz commanded his three divisions. The 1st day of 
 July (1S63) Hovrard set in motion his corps, under in- 
 structions from his wing commander, General John F. 
 Reynolds, who was bivouacked six miles nearer the field. 
 Leaving the little town of Emmettsburg in two columns, 
 he sent one colum.n, under Barlow, to follow the direct 
 route behind Reynolds ; the other, with Schurz at its 
 liead, moved eastward by Horner's Mill, and reached the 
 famous Gettysburg Cemetery by the Taneytown Road. 
 As soon as his men were well in motion General How- 
 ard, accompanied by his staff and a small escort, hurried 
 on through the fields, avoiding the crowded thorough- 
 fares, with a view to join Reynolds and ascertain his 
 plans and v/islies, for the instructions were for the Elev- 
 enth Corps to keep within supporting distance. On ap- 
 proaching the town he met a staff- officer of Reynolds 
 after the firing on the Oak Ridge had begun. This 
 officer reported that his general wished the Eleventh 
 
98 HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 Corps to come quite up to Gettysburg. " Supporting 
 distance" for the corps wliile in campaign had been live 
 or six miles off. An enemy of unknown strength was 
 in front, and with all haste General Howard moved for- 
 ward to the highest point of Cemetery Hill, where he 
 expressed to his adjutant, Colonel Meysenburg, his ap- 
 preciation of that point and the neighboring ridge as the 
 best defensive position in that region. Meysenburg 
 responded that it was '^ the only position." At eleven 
 o'clock General Howard went to the top of Falmestock's 
 Observatory in the town, and w^as there with two maps 
 spread out before him studying the field, while the roar 
 of the battle beyond Oak E-idge reached his ears, and 
 while Captain Hall, of his staff, and several orderlies 
 were searching for Keynolds that he (General Howard) 
 might join him if Reynolds so desired. His own corps 
 was yet far back, obstructed on the shorter route by 
 dreadful roads and by the trains of the other corps. The 
 other route, by Horner's Mill, was thirteen miles, so that 
 the two divisions there could not be expected till be- 
 tween twelve and one o'clock. It was at this critical 
 time, while putting his leading troops into position, that 
 the wing commander fell. A staff-officer appeared be- 
 low, in the street, and said, ^' General Howard, General 
 Eeynolds is wounded !" '^ I am sorry," was the quick 
 response ; and then, expressing the wish that he might 
 be able to keep the field. General Howard turned to at- 
 tend to a messenger, when another officer hurried in with 
 the news, '' General Reynolds is dead, and you are the 
 senior ofiicer here." The battle had begun ; prisoners 
 taken indicated the presence of a large force ; Meade's 
 main, body was far away, and the Union force at hand, 
 inclusive of Buford's cavalry, did not exceed thirteen 
 thousand ! 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 99 
 
 A strong sense of responsibility came upon the young 
 general, but lie met it promptly, and planned and acted 
 without delay. Aides and orderlies were quickly 
 despatched to Sclmrz, to Barlow, to Sickles at Emmetts- 
 burg, to Slocum toward Baltimore, and away to Meade 
 at Taney town. General Doubleday took the First 
 Corps, Schurz the Eleventh, and Howard commanded 
 the whole. On the cemetery crest General Howard had 
 his own position. Steinwehr's division and the reserve 
 corps of artillery were near by, and the remainder of the 
 Eleventh Corps w^ere moved through the town, with 
 Schurz at the head, and j)laced on to the right of 
 the First Corps, already engaged. Then leaving his 
 officers, orderlies, and escort there, wdtli the exception 
 of two aides-de-camp. General Howard rode quietly 
 down to the Emmettsburg Road, where, meeting General 
 Barlow at the head of his column, he accompanied him 
 through the principal streets of Gettysburg. The can- 
 non-balls from the left were crashing chimneys and strik- 
 ing houses, and shells were bursting in the air above. 
 The inhabitants had nearly all fled, and the streets were 
 given over to the troops. One young w^oman, alone and 
 seemingly undaunted, stood on a porchway waving her 
 handkerchief as the corps passed by. The soldiers re- 
 sponded with a shout as they moved by the home-remind- 
 ing vision. 
 
 General Howard inspected his lines from right to 
 left ; all told his men did not exceed twenty-four thou- 
 sand, while General Lee had, more quickly than Meade, 
 concentrated at least fifty thousand effective troops. As 
 soon as word of the situation reached General Meade he 
 sent General Hancock forward, and he reached the 
 cemetery just as General Lee was pressing back the 
 forces of Doubleday, Schurz, and Buf ord from the line 
 
100 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 beyond tlie town. General Howard had j)revionsly 
 ordered the retreat, and had covered it by a brigade 
 from Yon Steinwehr in the enter edge of the village, 
 and arranged batteries to do effective work against all 
 who should approach his right. Under the terrific fire 
 and rapid advance of Lee, his troops, however, except 
 those at the cemetery, became mnch entangled and 
 broken. It was then that Hancock arrived. The 
 troops were rallied and well posted, stragglers were 
 stopped and brought back, and everything made ready 
 for the next attack, which Lee then but faintly attempted. 
 Meeting with increased obstinacy, he withdrew and post- 
 poned further attack until the next day. 
 
 For this first day's work General Howard's name was 
 associated with that of General Meade in the thanks of 
 Congress, and he received also a beautiful recognition 
 from the Legislature of his ovv^n State.* Whenever 
 rivalry assails his record, the general's friends j)oint to 
 the report of General Meade, which commended him for 
 having selected the field for the great and decisive strug- 
 gle of the contending armies ; to the eloquent words of 
 
 * Resolution extending the thanks of the State of Maine to Major- General 
 0. 0. Howard. 
 
 Whereas, In times of national trial and war, the security and hap- 
 piness of the people, the fame of the nation, and the permanence 
 and progress of the country's institutions are committed to the cour- 
 age, fidelity, and ability of patriotic soldiers, it becomes the duty, 
 as it is the pleasure of an intelligent people, publicly and gratefully 
 to honor those who have served them well, and particularly to ac- 
 knowledge splendid individual achievement, even where all have 
 done gloriously ; therefore, 
 
 Eesolved, That the State of Maine has watched with deepest satis- 
 faction the brilliant and successful military career of Major-Geneml 
 O. O, Howard, and particularly his distinguished conduct on the 
 Peninsula, at Gettysburg, and throughout the Georgia campaign, and 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 101 
 
 Senator Grimes concerning tliat clay on tlie floor of the 
 Senate, and to tlie unanimous and unsolicited approval, 
 by formal vote, of tlie two distinguished legislative bodies 
 referred to, as well as also to the press records of the 
 time. In sending him the resolution, Mr. Blaine wrote 
 him the following letter : 
 
 " Washington, D. C, 28 January, 1864. 
 " My deak Genekal : I enclose j-oii a copy of the joint resolution, 
 v/hose adoption by a unanimous vote in both Lranches of Congress 
 you have doubtless already noticed. 
 
 " The effect of the resolution is to recognize you, and to perma- 
 nently record ^''ou in the annals of the country'' as the hero of the great 
 battle of Gettysburg, 
 
 " I congratulate you on a result at once so just and generous on 
 the part of the national Congress, and so honorable and auspicious to 
 yourself. 
 
 " I remain, very heartily, yoiir friend, 
 (Signed) •' J. G. Blaine." 
 
 IIajok-Geneeal IIowaed, etc. 
 
 The joint resolution expressive of the thanks of Congress 
 to Major-General Joseph Hooker, Major- General George 
 G. Meade, Major-General Oliver O. Howard, and the 
 officers and men of the Army of the Potomac, read thus : 
 
 Eesolved hy the Senate and House of Eepresentaiives of the United 
 States of America in Congress assembled, That the gratitude of the 
 
 offers him the public thanks for the honor he has conferred on his 
 native State. 
 
 Resolved, That the Governor be requested to cause a copy of these 
 resolutions to be transmitted to General Howard, 
 
 In the House of Representatives, February 23d, 1865. Eead and 
 
 passed. 
 
 Y/. A. P. Dillingham, Speaker. 
 
 In Senate, February 21th, 1865. Eead and passed. 
 
 David D. Stewakt, President. 
 
 February 2tl:th, 1865, Approved. 
 
 Samuel Cony. 
 
103 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 American people and the tlianks of their representatives in Congress 
 are due, and are hereby tendered, to Major- General Joseph Hooker 
 and the o£acers and soldiers of the Army of the Potomac, for the 
 skill, energy, and endurance which first covered Washington and 
 Baltimore from the meditated blow of the advancing and powerful 
 army of rebels led by General Kobert E. Lee ; and to Major-General 
 George G. Meade and Major-General Oliver O. Howard, and the 
 ofHcers and soldiers of that army, for the skill and heroic valor which 
 at Gettysburg repulsed, defeated, and drove back, broken and dis- 
 pirited, beyond the Eappahannock, the veteran army of the rebellion. 
 
 Senator Grimes, of Iowa, said on tins occasion : '^ As 
 I read tlie history of that campaign, the man who 
 selected the position where the battle of Gettysburg was 
 foiiglit, and who, indeed, fought it on the first day, was 
 General Howard ; and to him the country is indebted as 
 much for the credit of securing that victory as to any 
 other person." 
 
 It was intimated afterward that General Howard was 
 ambitious for the command of the army. Hearing this 
 on many sides. General Howard wrote the following 
 characteristic letter to Mr. Lincoln : 
 
 ' ' Headquaetees Eleventh Coeps, ) 
 
 Aemt oj? the Potomac, neae Beelin, v 
 July 18, 1863. ) 
 ** To the President of the United States : 
 
 " SiE : Having noticed in the newspapers certain statements bear- 
 ing upon the battle of Gettysburg and subsequent operations which 
 I deem calculated to convey a wrong impression to your mind, I wish 
 to submit a few statements. The successful issue of the battle of 
 Gettysburg was due mainly to the energetic operations of our present 
 commanding general prior to the engagement, and to the manner in 
 which he handled his troops on the field. The reserves have never 
 before, during this war, been thrown in at just the right moment ; 
 in many cases when points were just being carried by the enemy, a 
 regiment or brigade appeared, to stop his progress and hurl him back. 
 
 "Moreover, I have never seen a more hearty co-operation on the 
 part of general officers than since General Meade took command. 
 As to not attacking the enemy prior to leaving his stronghold beyond 
 the Antietam, it is by no means certain that the repulse of Gettys- 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 103 
 
 burg might not have been turned upon us. At any rate, the com- 
 manding general was in favor of an immediate attack ; but with the 
 evident difficulties in our way, the uncertainty of a success, and the 
 strong conviction of our best military minds against the risks, I must 
 say that I think the general acted wisel3^ As to ni}'' request to make 
 a reconnoissance on the morning of the llth, which the papers state 
 was refused, the facts are that the general had required me to recon- 
 noitre the evening before, and give my opinion as to the practicabil- 
 ity of making a lodgment on the enemy's left ; and his answer to my 
 subsequent request was that the movements he had already ordered 
 would subserve the same purpose. We have, if I may be allowed to 
 say it, a commanding general in whom all the officers with whom I 
 have come in contact express complete confidence. I have said thus 
 much because of the censure and of the misrepresentations which 
 have grown out of the escape of Lee's arm3\ 
 
 '* Very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 "O. O. HowAKD, Major-General." 
 
 Mr. Lincoln's reply was as follows : 
 
 ' ' Executive Mansion, ) 
 Washington, July 21, 18G3. \ 
 ** My dear General Howard : Tour letter of the 18th is received, 
 I was deeply mortified by the escape of Lee across the Potomac, be- 
 cause the substantial destruction of his army would have ended the 
 war, and because I believed such destruction was perfecth' easy ; 
 believed that General Meade and his noble army had expended all 
 the skill, and toil, and blood up to the ripe harvest, and then let the 
 crop go to waste. Perhaps my mortification was heightened because 
 I had always believed — making my belief a hobby, possibly — that the 
 main rebel army, going north of the Potomac, could never return if 
 well attended to, and because I was so greatly flattered in this belief 
 by the operations at Gettysburg. A few days having passed, I am 
 now profoundly grateful for what was done, without criticism for 
 what was not done. General Meade has my confidence as a brave 
 and skilful officer and true man. 
 
 " Yours very truly, 
 
 " A. Lincoln." 
 
 General Howard, in an article in the Atlantic MontJily 
 on the '' Campaign and Battle of Gettysburg," pub- 
 lishes these two letters, and says of the battle : 
 
104 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 " The main hindrance to onr concentrating at Gettysburg as rap- 
 id]y as Lee was a strategic one. Meade threw forward the left flank 
 of his general line, so that Lee was able tcr strike it. Had Gettys- 
 burg, and not Taneytown or Pipe Clay Creek, been Meade's objective 
 point, his general line on the 30th of June would have been more 
 nearly parallel to that of Lee. But a kind Providence overruled 
 even this mistake to our advantage, inducing, as it did, undue confi- 
 dence on the part of General Lee. 
 
 ' ' For myself, I am content with the work accomplished at Gettys- 
 burg, and avoid aiming any bitter criticism whatever at those true- 
 hearted officers and men, in any corps or division of our army, who 
 there acted to the best of their ability." 
 
 Mr. Lossing, in his liistoiy of the war, speaks in these 
 words of General Howard's plan of the battle of Gettys- 
 burg : 
 
 " Howard, who had arrived in advance of his corps, had left Stein- 
 wehr's division on Cemetery Hill, placed General Schurz, whose divi- 
 sion was intrusted to General Schimmelpfennig, in temporary charge 
 of the corps, and, ranking Doubleday, took the chief command of all 
 the troops on the field of action. He placed the divisions of Barlow 
 and Schurz to the right of the First Corps to confront Early, and so, 
 from the necessity of meeting, an expected simultaneous attack from 
 the north and west of the national line was lengthened and attenu- 
 ated along a curve of about three miles. This was an unfortunate 
 necessity that could not be avoided, for Howard had perceived the 
 value of a position for the [whole] army on the series of ridges of 
 which Cemetery Hill forms the apex of a redan, and had determined 
 to secure it, at all hazards, if his inferior numbers should be pressed 
 back from the battle-line on the north and west of the town, which 
 now seemed probable." 
 
 The statements of eye-witnesses are always interesting, 
 and the following, bearing directly upon the Gettysburg 
 battle, pnbhshed in a Washington journal, is additional 
 evidence of the historical truth outliued in these pages 
 in regard to that battle and the events immediately pre- 
 ceding it. The author is W. A. Bentley, U. S. Signal 
 Corps, and his statement is as follows : 
 
HOWARD : THE CHEISTIAiq' HERO. 105 
 
 " In 18C3, and at the time of the battle of Gettysburg, I was a resi- 
 dent of the town of Gettysburg. At that time I was about seventeen 
 years of age, and subsequently I enlisted in the Signal Corps, U. S. A. 
 Some five or sis hours after the battle had been in progress, myself 
 and a companion, Daniel Skelly, together with Mrs. E. G. Fahne- 
 stock, were together, and had ascended to the upper floor of Fahne- 
 stock's Observatory. We w^ere looking anxiously to the north and 
 west of the town where the battle was raging, and of which we had 
 from our elevated position a good view. This observatory was on 
 the souLh-west corner of Baltimore and Middle streets. While we 
 three were watching the movements of the troojos a general with only 
 one arm (Howard), with his stair and an escort of cavalry, came dash- 
 ing down Baltimore Street and halted in front of the observatory. A 
 staff-oflicer directed the general's attention to us, and we were asked 
 how to reach our position. Young Skelly went at once to the side 
 entrance on Middle Street and admitted General Howard and a staff- 
 officer, who seemed to be a captain and a German ; I cannot say who 
 he w^as. This officer had a large field-glass. General Howard took 
 the glass and swept the field long and anxiously. Just at this time 
 an oflicer came clashing ujp on horseback, and shouted : ' General 
 Eeynolds is killed.' General Howard, I recollect, seemed profoundly 
 agitate^, but at once turned, and in these exact words said : ' Cap- 
 tain, go immediately to General Steinw-ehr and tell him to stop hig 
 division en Cemetery Hill and put his men in position for defence.' 
 The captain went down at once. As General Hov\-ard gave this 
 order, Mrs. Fahnestock said : * Oh, sir, you are not going to let the 
 rebels come into town, are you ? ' To this General Howard said : 
 * Madam, no one can tell what may happen in war.' Soon after this 
 shells began passing near, and we all went dov/n. As I came down I 
 inquired of a w^ounded officer who that general was, and he replied 
 that it was Howard, this being the first time I had ever seen him. 
 As to the exact time v/hen Eeynolds's death was announced, I can 
 only give my best judgment ; I think it was between twelve and two 
 o'clock. The general speaks of being in the observatory, and I am 
 confident he will recall these facts. Of course I know nothing of 
 what orders he may have had, but as he had no general command 
 until Reynolds's death, it is impossible that he could have been 
 directed to fortify Cemetery Hill, and I do know that information of 
 Eeynolds's death came to him at the observatory, and that he gave 
 the orders in the above language. The other parties who were with 
 me this eventful July 1st, 1863, are still living, and will verify these 
 details. That General Howard is entitled to the credit of selecting 
 the battle-field of Gettysburg, I am quite certain." 
 
106 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 Eeturning to his corps, Howard bore his part in the 
 subsequent battle. The evening of the 2d of July 
 (1863) the Confederates broke through Yon Steinwehr's 
 hues ; it was after dark, and the struggle for a time be- 
 came hand-to-hand. General Howard, who was pres- 
 ent, called upon Schurz for re-enforcements, and as the 
 struggle grew fiercer and fiercer, and one of his brigades 
 gave way. General Carroll, sent by Hancock, who 
 heard the terrific firing, deployed his brigade, and the 
 men charged with a shout, and cleared the breach. 
 Howard's lines now being safe and strong, he sent 
 troops to aid Generals Green and Wadsworth, who were 
 meeting an attack from an overwhelming force. 
 
 There are many incidents related of General Howard 
 in connection with this battle. Lossing ^ introduces 
 two characteristics of him. The first, referring to his 
 batteries, is as follows : 
 
 " The batteries of Bancroft, Dilger, Eakin, Wheeler, Hill, Taft, 
 under Major Osborne (General Howard's chief of artillerj'), were 
 placed in the cemetery, where the kind and thoughtful General 
 Howard had caused the tombstones, and such monuments as could 
 possibly be moved, to be laid flat on the ground, to prevent their 
 being injured by shot or shell." 
 
 Of the other he says : " There is one incident related 
 by Professor Stoever, of the Gettysburg, Pa., College, 
 as coming under his own observation, which so vividly 
 illustrates the character of a true man and Christian sol- 
 dier, that it should not be unrecorded, and is here given : 
 
 ** When orders were issued for the army to pursue Lee, General 
 O. O. Howard, commanding the Eleventh Corps, hastened to the bed- 
 side of Captain Griffith, one of his beloved staff-officers, who had 
 received a mortal wound. After a few words the general opened his 
 
 * " Sherman and his Campaigns.' 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 107 
 
 New Testament, read part of the fourteenth chapter of John, and 
 then, kneeling, commended his dying friend to God. An embrace 
 and a hurried farewell followed, and so the friends parted, never to 
 meet again on earth. That night Captain Griffith died, and Howard, 
 in pursuit of Lee, bivouacked in a drenching ruin near the base of 
 South Mountain range." 
 
 At the end of tlie battle, July 5th, he wrote to his 
 wife : 
 
 " We are through another terrible conflict of three days. The 
 enemj' has been baffled and is gone. God grant us a complete vic- 
 tory ! Charles and I are well ; love to the children, and the blessing 
 of our Father be yours." 
 
 Soon after Gettysburg one of General Howard's 
 divisions was detached from his corps and sent to South 
 Carolina, yet for the fall and winter of 1863 the corps 
 organization was preserved with two divisions — those of 
 Sclmrz and Yon Stein wehr. These, under Howard, with 
 the Twelfth Corps (Slocum's), after Rosecrans's defeat 
 at Chickaniauga, he being penned up at Chattanooga, 
 were hastened West, Hooker leading the two for Rose- 
 crans's relief. When they arrived at Lookout Yalley 
 that grand soldier. General George H. Thomas, had 
 succeeded Eosecrans in command of the Army of the 
 Cumberland, holding Chattanooga. Thomas had de- 
 spatched troops twice crossing the Tennessee to the 
 mouth of Lookout Yalley to meet Hooker's force com- 
 ing up from Bridgeport. Howard's troops had gone 
 along in the valley under lire from Lookout Mountain, 
 and succeeded in forming a junction with those sent by 
 Thomas ; but Hooker left what he had there of the 
 Twelfth, commanded by General Geary, back at a junc- 
 tion of roads called '' Wauhatchie." Geary had with 
 him quite a train of wagons. The Confederate com- 
 mander on the top of Lookout Mountain thought he saw 
 a grand opportunity for a night surprise and capture. 
 
108 HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAH HEllO. 
 
 The terrible attack came after miclniglit. Geary re- 
 j)ulsed the direct assault, and Howard's divisions cleared 
 the intervening foot-hills, where reserves and supporting 
 Confederates were posted. It was a hard battle, though 
 on a small scale. General Howard in person, w^ith a 
 small body of cavalry, managed to make his v/ay to 
 Geary just after the latter had hurled back the night 
 attack, and at the moment when he was standing near 
 the body of his own son, an officer of artillery, who had 
 been killed but a few moments before. In his depress- 
 ing grief General Howard was a strength and a solace, 
 and General Geary never forgot the strong sympathy he 
 exhibited toward him on that night of gloom and car- 
 nage. General Thomas's published letter gave to Gen- 
 eral Howard's troops, as well as to Geary's, the highest 
 commendation for their gallantry during that fearful 
 nifirht. So the Eastern and Western soldiers bee'an t]]eir 
 acquaintance in battle, while the taking of Lookout 
 Yalley gave food to Chattanooga, already nearly starved 
 out. 
 
 " General Thomas remarked," says Colonel Dodge, in congratulat- 
 ing Hooker on liis victory iit Lookout Mountain, that " the bayonet- 
 charge of Howard's troops, made up the side of a steej) and difficult 
 hill, over two hundred feet high, completely routing and driving the 
 enemy from his barricades on its tojD, . . . will rank with the most 
 distinguished feats of arms of this war." 
 
 The battles about this strono:hold, includino^ Lookout 
 Mountain and Missionary FCidge, were momentous to 
 both Korth and South. General Grant came to combine 
 Sherman's and Thomas's troops against General Bragg, 
 who, trusting to the immense natural strength of his 
 positions on the heights of Lookout Mountain and Mis- 
 sionary Kidge, had recently sent away Longstreet's corps 
 to operate against Burnsicle, then holding Knoxville, 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 109 
 
 East Tennecseo. Tlio battle need not be described. As 
 it was beginning, General Howard, taking Biislibeck's 
 brigade, liis corps being massed as a reserve near Fort 
 Wood, with liis nsnal fearlessness when duty called, 
 worked his way np the Tennessee on the Confederate 
 side of that river, skirmishing as he went. It was done 
 so rapidly, under cover of ravines and trees, that the 
 brigade met with no disaster, and the general was in 
 time to walk out upon Sherman's pontoon-bridge and 
 meet him as the last boat was being brought in. Sher- 
 man sprang over the remaining unplanked chasm, and 
 the two generals met, not absolutely for the first time — 
 for Howard had seen Sherman before — but this was the 
 first real recognition between them, an acquaintance 
 which ripened into a lasting friendship. Sherman took 
 Howard's hand, looking pleasantly into his face, and 
 thanked him warmly for his resolute and prompt co- 
 operation. He asked for the brigade that Howard had 
 brought, and it did gallant work in his severe flank at- 
 tacks upon Bragg's position near the railroad tunnel. 
 Under its distinguished German colonel, Bushbeck, it 
 had maich fighting to do, and many of its officers and 
 men met death on the hill-sides in that bloody and dis- 
 couraging part of the conflict. Soon General Howard 
 marched the remainder of his corps to the extreme left 
 to support and help General Sherman, while General 
 Thomas, at the centre, was breaking over the Confeder- 
 ate lines and crowning the heights of Missionary Ridge, 
 which the confident Bragg had deemed impregnable. 
 
 As soon as the battle was over Howard joined Sher- 
 man in the pursuit, and made a flank march through 
 Parker's Gap of Taylor's Ridge so speedily that the 
 Confederate rear guard, which had done so much damage 
 to the pursuing Union troops farther south, was obliged 
 
110 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiT HERO. 
 
 to let go and withdraw. Taking a strong liking to Gen- 
 eral Howard as a soldier, Sherman asked for him for the 
 immediate Knoxville march. The troops of Sherman 
 and Howard stopped for neither tents nor supplies ; 
 they crossed numerous rivers, making their own bridges, 
 and succeeded in relieving Burnside and forcing oH 
 Longstreet toward Virginia before he could complete his 
 siege. General Sherman was delighted ; he found 
 Howard always wide awake, cheerful, sanguine, and in- 
 defatigable. Here is what Sherman said of him after 
 this memorable campaign : 
 
 '' In General Howard throughout I found a polished 
 and Christian gentleman, exhibiting the highest and 
 most chivalrous traits of the soldier." ^ 
 
 General Thomas, who was for eight months his army 
 commander, never ceased to trust General Howard. He 
 had been his instructor in artillery at the military acad- 
 emy, and there was a mutual affection existing between 
 them, which is often enthusiastically expressed in Gen- 
 eral Howard's letters and writings. It resulted from this 
 confidence reposed in him by these commanders that, 
 after General Sherman had replaced Grant in the West 
 in the chieftainship of the three armies, and a partial 
 reorganization had taken place, the Fourth Corps in the 
 army of Thomas fell to Howard. It was in the spring 
 of 1864 about twenty thousand strong, and composed 
 mainly of Western men. Generals T. J. Wood, Stanley, 
 and Newton were its division commanders. Sherman, 
 
 * A less formal thougli as gratifying a tribute was paid General 
 Howard by this distinguished officer, in a good-natured rebuke which 
 he gave General Wood. The latter was urging General Howard to 
 take a drink with his friends, as the others were doing, when General 
 Sherman, who was standing near by, said, * ' Let Howard alone. 
 Wood ; I want one officer who does not drink." 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. Ill 
 
 witli his four helpers — Tliomas, McPherson, Schofield, 
 and Stoneman — made his beginning against General 
 Joseph E. Johnston at or near Dalton, Ga., about May 
 1st, 1864 
 
 Howard's corps, forming a third of Thomas's force, 
 for a Imndred days, almost in succession, took what one 
 may call the brunt of the battles. It mounted to the 
 crest of Taylor's Ridge, defended by an intrenched foe ; 
 it followed on the heels of Johnston, retreating through 
 Dalton to Reseca, and joined McPherson's flanking 
 force, which had the day before hurried on through 
 Snake Creek Gap. It fought in the centre at Adairs- 
 yille and Cassville. It came up beside Hooker, who 
 had the new Twentieth Corps (a consolidation of the 
 Eleventh and Twelfth), at the intrenchments and tangled 
 thickets near Dallas, Ga., and helped fight the bloody 
 battle of *' New Hope Church." One of its divisions 
 made that strong left flank movement together with the 
 Fourteenth, under R. "VY. Johnson, and at sundown of 
 May 2Yth made the almost hopeless assaults at Pickett's 
 Mill, and afterward worked the whole night through 
 to intrench and ''log up." The Confederate General 
 Johnston, who had with a larger force anticipated that 
 movement ordered by Sherman, said, after the war, that 
 he never in his life saw better conduct than that ex- 
 hibited by Howard's men in that spirited engagement. 
 He mentions a case where six non-commissioned officers, 
 successively disabled by wounds or killed, had in turn 
 held up the flag and kept it flying. Howard's two divi- 
 sions, though repulsed in their assault, still held the 
 ground, and forced the Confederate commander to change 
 his front and fall back. His corps bore its part as 
 ordered at the desperate ascent of the Kenesaw Ridge ; 
 they were compelled to attack una])proachable abatis 
 
112 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 and to leave many bodies close up to strongly-manned 
 intrenchments. All the way to Atlanta tliey were fight- 
 ing, and digging, and marching close to resolute, obsti- 
 nate foes commanded by able generals. Through the 
 battles of Smyrna Camp-ground, Chattahoochee River, 
 Peachtree Creek, and Atlanta this command fought to 
 the entire satisfaction of General Thomas, and met the 
 warm approval of General Sherman. 
 
 One instance among the many that could be gathered 
 will serve as an illustration of General Howard's conduct 
 in battle. At Bald Hill, a place which was reached after 
 passing the fields of Dallas and Good Hope, the Fourth 
 Corps found a Confederate force in strong possession. 
 The Confederates held the hill by infantry, and covered 
 it by batteries not far oif, bringing to bear a fearful 
 artillery cross-fire. The men of Howard's leading 
 division had tried to take the hill" by storm, and had 
 been more than once driven back. Hearing of the 
 repulse. General Howard made his preparations with 
 care, and when all was ready he took a position in plain 
 sight of his men, quietly waiting the advance of liis 
 infantry on the crest of a parapet behind which was a 
 battery in full play. It was firing to clear the way for 
 an infantry charge. The general did not move Vvdiile 
 the replies of the Confederate batteries caused shells to 
 strike the parapet beneath his feet, the trees over his 
 head, and filled the air vfith smoke, roar, and fragments. 
 His staff and others begged him to dismount and go 
 under cover: '^ Not this time, gentlemen," he replied ; 
 ^' we must take that hill." Soon his men, who knew 
 that he was watching them, cleared the crest and gained 
 the height. It was a hot place, full of peril, and the 
 general was anxious lest his men be again dislodged. 
 He meant that they should stay and intrench the hill, 
 
HOWAIID : THE CIIRISTIAK HEKO. 113 
 
 Pttid the instant he saw the skirmishers pass the crest he 
 sprang into the saddle and, followed bj one or two 
 officers and orderlies, galloped to the very top of the 
 height. His soldiers welcomed him with a shout. The 
 position was soon strongly intrenched by the willing men, 
 and made secm'e against attack. 
 
 It is related that two soldiers of Howard's command, 
 who were watching him while he sat motionless on his 
 horse as the enemy's guns were discharging, remarked, 
 upon his attitude : 
 
 '' He don't seem to hear the thunder," one said, mo- 
 tioning toward their commander. 
 
 '' Oh, he's praying," was the quick reply ; '' wait till 
 he's through, and then he'll go in." 
 
 Several letters, which give us glimpses of the individ- 
 
 nal life of General Howard during this busy time, are in 
 
 place here. 
 
 To his Wife. 
 
 " Lookout Yalley, March 8, 1864. 
 "... This morning Mr. Eej'nolds, a young man, you Avill remem- 
 ber, who came to me Vv-hile I was wouncled, and whose father gave me 
 the Herald to read, arrived by cars to take the place of clerk to Col- 
 onel Hayes. He rode with Charles and I over Eaccoon Mountain 
 to the rough, stony valley beyond. We visited the people living 
 there. One family, consisting of an old man by the name of Scott, a 
 second wife, and little daughter, presented a picture of wretched des- 
 olation very painful indeed. As I entered his log hut, just opposite 
 the door lay what looked to me like a corpse, the head bound up, the 
 arms thin, the eyes closed, the face deadly i^ale, and no breathing 
 perceptible. I asked Mr. Scott if his wife was sick, and he said 
 ' Yes.' The little child was dirty and pale, as nearly all the poor 
 children are here. I still thought the woman must be dead, but sud- 
 denly a coughing fit came on. She opened her black eyes and looked, 
 if anything, more miserable than before. She said she couldn't 
 cough many more times like that. When I spoke of the better layid, at 
 first neither understood me ; but when I said beyond the grave the old 
 man brightened up, and said it was a good thing if he were only pre- 
 pared. He had a hope in Christ, but didn't think he was holy 
 
114 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq" HERO. 
 
 enough. I asked, ' How is it with you, madam ? ' She said she had 
 had a * hope ' for many years, and then wanted to know if I was a 
 ' professor.' ' Yes.' ' What do you belong to ? ' 'A branch of the 
 Presbyterian Church.' Her friends were Presbyterians, and my reply 
 seemed to please her. As soon as they found my name was Howard 
 they seemed like new people. Brother Charles had been there be- 
 fore, had spoken kindly, and protected their corn when we first came 
 to the valley. But oh, the poverty, the misery of these poor people ! 
 No clothes but rags, no bedding but filthy old coverlids, no sheets, 
 no cleanliness, living on meat and hard bread. * Oh, I can't eat that ! ' 
 she said. He has money, but nothing else, and cannot buy. The 
 old man was quite familiar with Scripture. Thousands will die from 
 want of vegetable diet. All the people look thin and haggard, with a 
 sort of chopfallen expression of countenance. We have to feed 
 every family within five miles of us out of the common crib. . . ." 
 
 To Same. 
 
 " Near Dallas, Ga., May 29, 1864. 
 " Deaeest : This is a little the longest and most fatiguing of any 
 campaign we have had. For twenty-five days, with the exception of 
 two, we have been more or less under fire. Thus far a kind Provi- 
 dence has protected us all except poor Stinson. The doctor thinks 
 this morning that he will get entirely well. He was close by me, ex- 
 amining the enemy's works with a glass, when the ball struck him. 
 He stooped forward and said he was hit, but he thought by a spent 
 ball. He lay back, and we found the wound. The ball had struck 
 his breast, and passed quite through him. We carried him back a 
 little way into a safer place. He began to fail, growing cold. I 
 asked him if he was trusting in Christ, or something like it, when he 
 said, * Yes ; tell them all at home that I expect to meet them in 
 heaven.' After he was given a little stimulant he rallied and looked 
 bright. The surgeons came to him. Our own beloved medical direct- 
 or, Dr. Head, is attending him. How much I wish he was at home ! 
 Stinson is a perfect man. As I review his life and think of his per- 
 sonal character, I find no fault in him. Always ready for duty, 
 always cheerful, night and day, always brave, I never thought how 
 much I loved him till I thought I was bidding him a final good-by. 
 I had seen General Wood cry over a beautiful young ofiicer who was 
 mortally wounded earlier in the day. Now my turn came. The Lord 
 can come very nigh us all in these terrible blows. I had my foot hit 
 by a piece of shell the same day (Friday, May 27th), but my boot-solo 
 was so thick that my foot was saved with only a contusion. The 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 115 
 
 Bliock was enoiTgh to make my foot black and blue across the instep 
 and toes, but I am able to wear my boot and walk to-day. Yesterday 
 I rode and walked in a sli^jper. At the time I was wounded I was 
 commanding two divisions— General Wood's and General Johnson's 
 ■ — attempting, under cover of the woods, to turn the enemy's flank ; 
 but they were prej)ared, and we had a severe engagement. We suc- 
 ceeded in gaining a position two miles nearer the railroad, but did 
 not dislodge the rebels. They were behind well-constructed intrench- 
 ments, as usual. The army opposed to us is large and in good condi- 
 tion, and we have no easy task before us ; but under the Divine 
 blessing, and with a cause as sacred as ours, we shall succeed. As 
 soon as Harry Stinson is able to take the ride, we will send him 
 North. At present he is better here, with good medical care." * 
 
 Extract from next Letter. 
 
 "June 2. 
 ' ' We have at last really got into the sunny South. We are en- 
 camped in a wood. My tent was our only one, and that we gave to 
 Stinson. Charles and I put our robes on the ground under a tent-fly, 
 and when the rebels will let us we sleep very well. Give my love 
 and sympathy to Mrs. Stinson" [the mother of Captain Stinson]. 
 
 ■■\ 
 
 To Same. 
 
 " Headquaktees Foukth Coeps, 
 AcEoss Chattahoochee, neae Powee's Feeet, 
 July 16, 1864. 
 
 "... We are still in same camp as when I last wrote. General 
 Schofield often visits me, and I him. He has proven himself a very 
 fine officer, good to manage men, and of excellent judgment in other 
 military matters. ..." 
 
 To Sam.e. 
 
 " Neae Atlanta, Ga. (two miles), July 23, 1864. 
 " Deaeest : We were all made sad yesterday by the death of Mc- 
 Pherson, so young, so noble, so promising, already commanding a 
 department. I believe you saw him at Watervliet. . . . We are 
 now within two miles of Atlanta, and the matter will soon be decided. 
 Hood, now in command of Confederate army, was a classmate of 
 McPherson. He is a stupid fellow, but a hard fighter ; does very 
 unexpected things. ..." 
 
 * Captain Stinson died in Florida just after the war from the 
 effect of his wound. General Howard has a son named after him. 
 
116 HOWAED : TnE CHKISTIAH HERO. 
 
 To Same. 
 
 ' ' Headquaktees Department of Tennessee, ) 
 July 29, 18G4. \ 
 " Dearest : You will see by the papers that I liave been assigned 
 to the command of this department and army. It is indeed a very 
 high comiDliment to me, as I am junior to Generals Hooker and Slo- 
 cum ; but as a matter of fact it is an assignment to new duties and 
 new responsibilities. The first day, the 27th, I received the army in 
 motion from our extreme left, and was obliged to displace the enemy 
 to put it in position on the extreme right. We did not have time to 
 get into position at night, so that early yesterday morning the move- 
 ment was continued. We had hardly got into position before the 
 enemy attacked me all along General Logan's corps (Fifteenth) and 
 a little beyond the flank. My flank gave back probably thirty paces. 
 The enemy was repulsed at every point, and even on the flank every 
 inch of ground was recovered. I v/as about two hundred paces in 
 rear of the centre, and I assure you for four hours the engagement 
 was terrific, on one point and another, and sometimes all along ; 
 there was a continuous roll of musketry from half past eleven a.m. 
 till half past three p.m. Our men had covered themselves with rails 
 and old logs, hastily thrown together. We had about six hundred in 
 killed, v/ounded, and missing, but the dead lay in great numbers in 
 our front. All night the enemy's ambulances were carrying off their 
 wounded. Poor fellows ! they were rushed into the fight without 
 mercy. They lest a thousand where we lost a hundred. My first 
 engagement in command of the Army of the Tennessee has proven a 
 success. I take the place of a commander very much beloved and 
 very accomplished. It remains to be seen whether I shall be able to 
 fill his place. . . . Captain Stinson has got back ; came yesterday. 
 I shall have him keep a journal till he gets strong enough for hard 
 knocks. He saj'-s he is well, but he is a shade or two whiter than his 
 fellow-soldiers. ..." 
 
 • To his Wife {after Arrival at Savannah). 
 
 " Savannah, December 26, 1864, 
 "... I want to see the loving faces — yours and the children's — so 
 much that I am really homesick. I went to General Sherman and 
 told him, ' Now let me off. I don't ask but two days at home.' He 
 said, ' General, I would give a million of dollars, if I had it, to be 
 with my children ; would you do more than that ? ' I told him I 
 should say nothing more, and I have given up for the present. . . . 
 I brought in a flock of little children last night— some little girls and 
 
HOWARD : THE CIIIIISTIAN" HERO. 117 
 
 boys — and had a nice time with them. Carrie Emstein, an accom- 
 plished little girl, ten years old, promised to come and play for me 
 on my piano some time. Carrie was very sweet, but couldn't give 
 me a kiss. ' Not allowed to kiss j)eoi3le/ so I must go home to get 
 sweet kisses." 
 
 General Howard tliiis describes his first meeting with 
 General Grant, in one of his letters to his wife (dated 
 Bridgeport, Tenn., October 21th) : 
 
 " General Eosecrans called to see me as he came through, and I 
 accompanied him to Stevenson. There I met General Grant, who 
 had telegraphed that he would be at this place that night. The tele- 
 gram came after I had left. I returned immediately in his train. He, 
 General Meigs, and Mr. Charles A. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War, 
 took tea with me. General Grant was on crutches still. I gave him 
 up my bed and tent, because he was lame, and not wholly because he 
 was General U. S. Grant. I liked his appearance better than that of 
 any major-general I have seen. He is modest, quiet, and thoughtful. 
 He looks the picture of firmness. He does not drink liquor, and 
 never swears. A member of his staff told me ho never had used a 
 profane word. How di:Serent from what wo had imagined, when 
 those stories of Shiloh were being circulated ! I rode v/ith him 
 Thursday morning as far as Jasper, a ride of about twenty-four 
 miles. ... I expect some change of organization will take -place 
 soon, as General Grant has taken hold. ..." 
 
 " November 4. 
 "... 1 am very much pleased with General Grant. He doesn't 
 play the great man a^t all, but goes straightforward about his busi- 
 ness. General Grant's headquarters are also at Chattanooga. The 
 rebels still occupy Lookout Mountain, and occasionally throw a shell 
 down into this valley. ..." 
 
 " Lookout Yallet, November 20. 
 ' " . . . Some rebel letters were thrown across the lines to-night, 
 open. One is from a captain to his lady-love, and the other from a 
 soldier to his mother. As there was no harm in them, I sealed them 
 and sent them on. Poor fellows ! how many of them long for the 
 war to be over and for home. Many have come in lately and given 
 themselves up. May God bless and protect you and the children ! 
 Pray for me that I may rise above all temptations to evil. I hope you 
 are well. Lovingly, Otis." 
 
118 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 After the death of the gallant McPherson, near 
 Atlanta, July 22d, 1864, Generals Thomas and Sherman 
 recommended General Howard to the President for this 
 vacancy — the command of the Army and "Department of 
 the Tennessee. The President promptly made the 
 assignment as requested. It now appears that General 
 Howard, for the sake of harmony, urged General Sher- 
 man to give the place to General Hooker, as Hooker was 
 Howard's senior in commission and much desired the 
 special promotion. Logan, too, having fallen to the 
 command in the battle of the 22d of July, because of 
 his relative rank there, naturally desired to continue as 
 an army commander. Much feeling arose in conse- 
 quence of Sherman's ultimate decision and recommenda- 
 tion — a feeling which had some immediate and serious 
 results. General Hooker resigned liis corps, the Second, 
 and left the front ; General Logan remained with his 
 troops, and commanded the Fifteenth Corps under Gen- 
 eral Howard, but lie and his friends greatly blamed 
 General Sherman. It will be of interest to insert here 
 General Sherman's own explanation of his reasons, 
 given in his Memoirs, which are so honorable to General 
 Howard. He says : 
 
 "... It was all-important that there should exist a perfect under- 
 standing among the army commanders, and at a conference with 
 General George H. Thomas at the headquarters of General Thomas 
 J. Wood, commanding a division of the Fourth Corps, he [General 
 Thomas] remonstrated warmly against my recommending that Gen- 
 eral Logan should be regularly assigned to the command of the Army 
 of the Tennessee by reason of his accidental seniority. We discussed 
 fully the merits and qualities of every officer of high rank in the 
 army, and finally settled on Major-General O. O. Howard as the best 
 officer who was present and available for the purpose. On the 24th 
 of July I telegraphed to General Halleck this preference, and it was 
 promptly ratified by the President. ... I wanted to succeed in 
 taking Atlanta, and needed commanders who were purely and techni- 
 
HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 119 
 
 cally soldiers, men who would obey orders and execute tliom prompt- 
 1}' and on time ; for I knew that we would have to execute some 
 most delicate manoeuvres, requiring the utmost skill, nicety, and 
 precision. I believed that General Howard would do all these faith- 
 fully and well, and I think the result has justified my choice. . . ." * 
 
 General J. D. Cox, in his " Atlanta," f in speaking 
 of the reorganization of the Army of the Tennessee after 
 MoPherson's death, says : 
 
 '' Hooker was the senior officer availahle, if the whole 
 army were considered, and Logan, if the Army of the 
 Tennessee should furnish the commandant. A doubt 
 whether other corps commanders of the army would 
 cheerfully serve under Logan, owing to some existing 
 jealousies, was one of the reasons for making a selection 
 outside of that organization. 
 
 " Hooker was the senior of both Sherman and Thomas, 
 and looked upon the appointment to the vacancy as his 
 right. Since the incident of June 22d Sherman had 
 found the differences between them increasing, and 
 honestly doubted whether he could have the cordial 
 co-operation from him which was so essential in his 
 j^rincipal subordinates, and he put Hooker out of the list 
 of those eligible for assignuient. After consulting with 
 Thomas, Sherman recommended Howard for the posi- 
 tion. In Howard Sherman found most of the same 
 traits which made his association with Thomas and 
 Schofield a satisfactory one. Conscientiously true and 
 loyal to their superior, all three of them asked only how 
 they might most thoroughly carry out his plans, without 
 caption, hesitation, or complaiut. Their abilities and 
 experience made them at ease in the handling of large 
 bodies of men, and it is rare that a large army has had 
 
 * Sherman's Memoirs, vol. ii. f Campaigns of the Civil War Series. 
 
120 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 its principal generals so cordial in co-operation, so free 
 from jealousies or intrigues, and so able to relieve tlio 
 general-in-cliief from tlie details of administration and of 
 the tactical handling of troops." 
 
 General Bowman says of Howard in similar connec- 
 tion : 
 
 *' General Sherman seems greatlj^ to have admired the Christian 
 character of Howard, making frequent mention of him in his corre- 
 spondence in terms similar to those above quoted ; and not only as a 
 Christian, but as a soldier, preferring him and promoting him to the 
 command of one of his armies, ' ' 
 
 Mr. Blaine wrote Glenoral Hovv^ard from his home in 
 Augusta, Me., when he heard of his promotion, these 
 words : 
 
 *' August 13, 1864. 
 " My deae Geneeal : Your promotion to the command of the 
 Department and the Army of the Tennessee has been hailed by your 
 friends and the public with profound satisfaction. Enviable as was 
 your record before, you have added to it immensely by your masterly 
 conduct in the trying and splendid campaign from Chattanooga to 
 Atlanta. Not to detract from others, I should say to-day that in 
 popular esteem Grant, Sherman, Hov^-ard, and Hancock stand a niche 
 higher than any other generals in our service. . . . 
 
 ' ' Most truly yours, 
 (Signed) " J. G. Blaine." 
 
 General Howard was put to an immediate test. The 
 next day, after he took command of his army, it fought 
 unaided the hard battle of Ezra Chapel against the Con- 
 federate General Hood, who liad but recently replaced 
 General J, E. Johnston at Atlanta. Howard had moved 
 his command from the left, where McPherson fell, by 
 the rear of Thomas and Schofield, to the extreme right ; 
 and just as he had deployed his force Hood attacked 
 him w^ith great suddenness and fury. But the assault 
 had been carefally prepared for by General Howard, 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRTSTIAX HERO. 121 
 
 who had ordered his right front to be covered witli piles 
 of fence rails. The attack of Hood was most snccessfully 
 met. Three times did General Hood try his utmost, 
 and once drove back Logan's right, but General Howard 
 sent two regiments from Blair, who were armed with 
 repeating rifles, and took from Blair and Dodge enough 
 cannon to be so massed in t^clielon with his rio-ht flank 
 that the enemy could not stand against its fire. General 
 Hood was at last forced to retire within the works at 
 Atlanta, and General Howard had the honor of gaining 
 a battle with his new command. Howard and Hood 
 were three years together as cadets. 
 
 General Howard, in an article in the Atlantic Monthly 
 (October, 1876) remarks about the closing scenes of this 
 combat : 
 
 "I lieard, I think it wfis throngh Colonel Howard on his return 
 from Sherman, that the men who had given away at the first onset 
 had fled as far as Sherman's headquarters, and that an officer had 
 headed them in the retreat and had said to the general, ' Everything 
 is lost ; the troops are missing McPherson ; if you don't at once 
 take care of that flank you will be defeated ! ' Sherman simply asked, 
 ' Is General Howard there ? ' ' Yes. ' ' Then I shall wait for his 
 report.'" 
 
 General Howard remarks further : 
 
 " It is difficult to fight any battle without suffering from at least a 
 few stragglers and croakers. Approaching the battle line during the 
 progress of an engagement, the nearer you come to the actual front 
 the cooler and steadier you find the men. This was my first trial 
 with these men, and I was delighted with their conduct." 
 
 The confidence was mutual ; the front line had seen 
 Howard with tliem when the danger was at its height ; 
 and at the close of the eventful day, as he rode along by 
 the piles of rails, they gave him cheer after cheer. In 
 the next movement General Howard by niglit drew his 
 
122 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq- HERO. 
 
 command out from fronting Atlanta witli so mncli care 
 and quietness that his march was undiscovered by Hood. 
 He swung off southward twenty-five miles to strike 
 Jonesborough, Ga. Here he obtained great credit from 
 Sherman for taking in the situation, anticipating all 
 orders, moving six miles farther than prescribed ; for 
 forcing the abandonment of the Flint River Bridge ; for 
 stojDping the flames already lighted and intrenching the 
 heights of Jonesborough all night, close up to the ranks 
 of the Confederate General Hardee, who had, with a good 
 portion of the Atlanta garrison, hurriedly come hither by 
 rail to meet him. The battle of Jonesborough, August 
 31st, 1864, was joined the next day by an assault from the 
 Confederates, and General Howard was again successful. 
 Other troops of Sherman came to complete the battle, 
 and Hood was thus forced to abandon Atlanta, which 
 had been so long and so ably defended. 
 
 General Sherman, in his reports, commended General 
 Howard for his independent and vigorous action, and in- 
 deed the results due to his ability and energy were cer- 
 tainly confirmatory of the wasdom of his choice. 
 
YI. 
 
 The marcli to tlie sea — Incidents by the way — "With General Sherman 
 at Columbia, S. C. — Called to Washington — The new department 
 offered him — The Christian and humanitarian work he engaged in 
 — A legacy from President Lincoln. 
 
 The indomitable Hood did not close his operations 
 after the loss of Atlanta. The last scene of the first 
 act was at Love joy Station, below Jonesborough, where he 
 again, after the evacuation of Atlanta, brought together 
 his separated forces. The battle at Lovejoy was but a 
 brief combat ; then Sherman withdrew and moved back 
 to East Point, tlie first railway station south of Atlanta. 
 General Howard went into camp near this place for the 
 purpose of resting and re-supplying his army. He had, 
 however, sent one division, under General Corse, back 
 to the north of the Etowah, to guard Sherman's commu- 
 nications with Chattanooga and the North. Meanwhile, 
 after but a brief respite, Hood turned his face north- 
 ward, turning Sherman's right flank and towing back all 
 Sherman's army except the Twentieth Corps, which 
 Sherman obstinately kept at Atlanta during his blind 
 chase after the aj)pearing and disappearing Confederates. 
 As Hood neared the Etowah, he sent one division, ten 
 thousand strong, to take the sub-depot at Altoona Pass, 
 near where the railroad crosses the Etowah. Corse 
 hastened thither from Eome, Ga., and with fifteen hun- 
 dred men successfully defended the pass and depot. 
 
 General Howard, with the remainder of his three 
 corps, made forced marches night and day, first reliev- 
 
12~4 HOWARD : THE CirRTSTIAN"- HERO. 
 
 ing Altoona and then following up Hood closely toward 
 Cliatt^mooga. So fast did lie come that Hood tried to 
 get away from him by turning to the leftUhrough the 
 famous Snake Creek ,G;ap,ywhich foi" a space of five miles 
 in length, though nar^^w in width, the Confederates had 
 filled with bushes and felled trees. Howard, almost 
 upon his heels, with staff, orderlies, engineers, pioneers, 
 and a division of infantrj^ quickly cleared the crooked 
 canyon of its obstructions, and he and his antagonist 
 slept the night following Hood's passage on the same 
 side of Taylor's Ridge. General Hood now took a 
 south-west course with great sj)eed, passed to Graysville, 
 Ala. , and threatened another turn — namely, to cross the 
 Tennessee and move toward ISIashville. Sherman, at 
 Graysville, seeing this threat, really desired to favor the 
 movement ; so he slowly brought his forces back to the 
 line of the Chattanooga and Atlanta Railroad, and rested 
 them, while he matured and perfected his plans. These 
 were to send the troops of Schofield and Stanley, the 
 Fourth Corps, and what could be spared from the Missis- 
 sippi and elsewhere to I^ashville, with as much despatch 
 as possible. The new army thus formed was to be 
 under the command of General Thomas, to stand warily 
 on the defensive, but to be strong enough to meet and 
 defeat Hood if he came north ; while the remainder, the 
 Army of the Tennessee, under General Howard, the 
 Army of Georgia, consisting of the Fourteenth and 
 Twentieth Corps, under General Slocum, and Kilpat- 
 rick's cavalry, in all sixty-eight thousand men, should, 
 under Sherman's command, make a march to the sea and 
 form a junction with the naval fleet then in Southern 
 waters. The movements began, Howard having the 
 right wing, and also, for a few days, Ivilpatrick's 
 cavalry. He set out from Atlanta E"ovember 16th, 
 
HOWAllD : THE CHEISTIAK HERO. 125 
 
 1S64, toward Macon, Ga. ; Slocum and Sherman accom- 
 ]}anjing liim moved directly toward Augusta. General 
 Howard had a battle near Macon, that of Griswoldville, 
 where he engaged G. W. Smith, who had been his 
 engineering teacher at West Point. One division only 
 vv^as much involved ; General Smith's troops were prin- 
 cipally raw recruits, and were badly beaten, so that 
 General Howard was now able to cross the Ocmulgee 
 Eiver and draw off in safety his long trains and those of 
 Kilpatrick, which Smith had threatened to destroy. He 
 parted them and bivouacked his men at Gordon, coming 
 up abreast of Sherman, then at Milledgeville, the two 
 vrings being nov\^ well forward and but ten miles apart. 
 The cavalry passing to the left, all the divisions moved 
 on, sweeping both sides of the Macon and Savannah 
 Eailroad. General Howard marched habitually in three 
 columns, Slocum in two, the whole force making a 
 swathe of forty miles in breadth. 
 
 At the Oconee River, General Hardee, the Confed- 
 erate conjmander, had troops to dispute its passage. 
 The river-crossing was a narrovv^ place, w^ith high bluits 
 on either side, well defended by Confederate artillery 
 and infantry. General Osterhaus, who commanded for 
 Logan during his absence at home, was puzzled how to 
 proceed. He said at first, ''I can go no farther." 
 General Hov/ard advised him to deploy skirmishers 
 under the nearest trees and keep extending his line up 
 and down nntil he could get no reply from the other 
 bank. It v/as done, and then farther up the river, 
 beyond danger, a brigade was sent over. The Confed- 
 erates, fewer in number, fled when the movement w\as 
 discovered by them. The bridge was rebuilt, and soon 
 the comim.and was quietly marching along, chatting and 
 sm^oking as if nothing had happened. Some dead re- 
 
126 HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. 
 
 mained there, but numerous wounded were borne along 
 the hard corduroy roads to Savannah, watched over by 
 their commander, who took the deepest interest in the 
 comfort of his men, especially of the sick and wounded. 
 "Wherev^er he saw an ambulance train his attention was 
 attracted to it, and the poor men always had a cheery 
 word or a kind assurance of sympathy from their leader. 
 To the dying he went with sincere prayers a,nd earnest 
 faith, and soothed their sufferings as their eyelids closed 
 in death, far from home and loved ones. It was a duty 
 he never ignored, and one that he was peculiarly fitted 
 to perform. Gifted with a hopeful, religious nature, 
 he saw the cheerful side of every affliction and misfort- 
 une, and where the case admitted of no hojje, he 2)ointed 
 the way to the rest that remaineth for the weary. To a 
 man of his temperament war had no triumphs. Only 
 a stern, impelling sense of duty, joined with great ability 
 and discipline, made him a soldier and kept him to his 
 profession. 
 
 There were many things he did not like in the life 
 he was compelled to lead. He could not bear to inflict 
 pain or cause suffering upon the meanest of God's 
 creatures. His heart ached for the poor people, who, 
 powerless to protect themselves, were often left destitute 
 by the foraging parties which gathered supplies for the 
 army. In one of his letters home he says, on this point : 
 
 " We do so many things that are wrong in this living off the coun- 
 try, in the v/ay we do, that I do not like it, and I am afraid of retribu- 
 tion. I hope, indeed, some wonderful thing will soon hapijen, so as 
 to let us return to peace and prosperity," 
 
 The march to the sea continued, and its story is full of 
 interest. The accounts of the last fight, at McAllister, 
 vary. The fort at the mouth of the Ogeechee Eiver 
 was to be taken, and Sherman ordered Kilpatrick to 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 1^ 
 
 attack it, while lie, with the army, should try more 
 directly to get into Savannah and expel General Hardee 
 from that city. Kilpatrick tried, but failed to take the 
 fort, for cavahy conld not traverse the swamps, ditches, 
 and abatis. General Howard went to Sherman, and 
 asked the privilege of sending Hazen's Division. It was 
 granted, and immediately Hov/ard ordered Chief-Engi- 
 neer Reese to rebuild the burnt bridge over the Ogeechee, 
 by having the piers, only partially destroyed, sawed off 
 to near the water's edge, and then replanked, using the 
 sheds, barns, and buildings near at hand for this pur- 
 pose. The work was quickly done. As soon as Hazen 
 had set out, Sherman, taking General Howard with him, 
 went to the Kice Mill, and there they witnessed the 
 ])attle. The field of encounter was several miles away, 
 but plainly in sight, the signal-officers communicating 
 back and forth, giving Hazen's report and Sherman's 
 orders. 
 
 General Sherman says of this engagement : 
 
 " The signal-of&cer had built a platform on the ridge-pole of the 
 rice-mill. Leaving our horses behind the stacks of rice-straw, we all 
 got on the roof of a shed attached to the mill, wherefrom I could 
 communicate with the signal-officer above, and at the same time look 
 out toward Ossabaw Sound, and across the Ogeechee Kiver at Fort 
 McAllister. . . , The sun was rapidly declining, and I was dread- 
 fully impatient. . . . Almost at that instant of time we saw Hazen's 
 troops come out of the dark fringe of woods that encompassed the 
 fort, the lines dressed as on parade, with colors flying, and moving 
 forward with a quick, steady pace. Fort McAllister was then all 
 alive, its big guns belching forth dense clouds of smoke, which soon 
 enveloped our assaulting lines. One color went down, but was up in 
 a moment. On the lines advanced, faintly seen in the white, sul- 
 phurous smoke ; there was a pause, a cessation of fire ; the smoke 
 cleared away, and the parapets were blue with our men, who fired 
 their muskets in the air, and shouted so that we actually heard them, 
 or felt that we did. . . . During the progress of the assault our little 
 group on Cheves's Mill hardly breathed ; but no sooner did we see our 
 
138 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq- HERO. 
 
 flags on the parapet than I exclaimed, in the language of the poor negro 
 at Cobb's i^lantation, ' This nigger v/ill have no sleejD this night ! ' " 
 
 During tlie nortliwarcl rnarcli across by sea to Beaufort, 
 to Pocotaligo, across River's Bridge where General 
 Wager Swayne lost Lis leg ; at the Battle of Congaree 
 Creek, crossing two bridges — Saluda and Broad rivers — 
 in tlie face of Wade Hampton, the burning of Colum- 
 bia, the skirmishes and losses at Cheraw, the battle of 
 Averysborough and of Bentonville (the last engage- 
 ment of Johnston and Sherman), General Howard nobly 
 performed his part. INTot one of his seven grand di- 
 visions was ever known to be fifteen minutes behind 
 time. His men became strong and hardy, and were 
 equal to great strains of endurance. After the surrender 
 of Lee to Grant, and of Johnston to Sherman, tlie army 
 w^hich GenerpJ Howard commanded was marched from 
 Raleigh to Richmond kt the rate of twenty-five miles a 
 day. 'No depredations were now committed. Howard 
 was the disciplinarian of the right wing, and his orders 
 v/ere of the sternest character. On the march and while 
 at light property was stolen ; but as soon as peace was 
 secured General Howard invited the co-operation of 
 residents to report any soldier who violated his strict 
 commands. He respected the sufferings of the sad and 
 dispirited people of the South, who were meeting the 
 double calamity of defeat and poverty. Many are the 
 incidents of his kindness at this time, and not one indi- 
 vidual during or after the war heard from his lips a word 
 of hostility or animosity toward the Southern people. 
 YtThere he met individuals who were moody or resentful, 
 and maintained that the !N"orth had overwhelmed them 
 with numbers, he always admitted the fact, and in tones 
 of conciliation advised them to resume their avocations 
 and try to restore their material prosperity. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAI^ HERO. 129 
 
 When Howard and Sherman reached Columbia, S. C, 
 the brigade of Stone (Charles R. Wood's Division), hav- 
 ing halted and stacked arms, cheered Sherman lustily. 
 Hov/ard noticed that some men among them were un- 
 usually wild in demonstration, and at once sent an officer 
 to see if they had obtained liquor. The latter reported 
 that obsequious dealers in goods had sent buckets filled 
 with whiskey along the lines ; that the men, having 
 been skirmishing and marching since daylight, had had 
 no breakfast, and several were already drunk. General 
 Howard ordered them to be put under guard, and until 
 late in the night intoxicated men were being picked up 
 and put in places of safety. Some poor fellows, incapa- 
 ble of taking care of themselves, w^andered oft through 
 the city, and w^ere burned to death during the conflagra- 
 tion. 
 
 General Sherman had given orders that all arsenals 
 and public property not required for the use of the army 
 should be destroyed, but private property and schools 
 were to be protected. General Wade Hampton, who 
 commanded the Confederate rear guard of cavalry, be- 
 fore he abandoned the city ordered all cotton stored tliere 
 to be burned. Accordingly, bales upon bales were rolled 
 into the streets, the bagging cut, and the contents fired. 
 The wind was very high, and flying bits of cotton were 
 blown about, kindling all kinds of combustibles in vari- 
 ous parts of the city. It was not necessary to execute 
 General Sherman's order as to the destruction of the 
 public buildings, for they were soon all on fire, and the 
 Union generals v/ere taxed to their utmost to save the 
 people, whose lives were endangered as much by the un- 
 ruly element as by the flames. As the fire progressed 
 the prisons were opened, and the wildest excitement pre- 
 vailed. It was in vain that the commanders issued 
 
180 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 orders regarding liquor. General Howard, whose in- 
 stinctive hatred of intemperance made him hostile to any 
 insubordination in this direction, tried in vain to stop 
 nuiiieroiis soldiers in their debauch, but it was impossi- 
 ble. "White men and black, citizens and some soldiers, 
 steeped themselves in liquor, while the flames, raging 
 and hissing, wrapped themselves over the houses, licking 
 up everything that was touched, brightened, women 
 and children hurried throagh the streets, while the better 
 soldiers, under command of energetic officers, worked 
 hard to save some buildings by tearing down others, or 
 to carry water to roofs still unharmed. The picture of 
 grief, horror, and wickedness that the two generals wit- 
 nessed as they rode about the city they can never forget. 
 The unselfish effort of those who labored through the 
 night General Ilow^ard tried to supplement ; he sent for 
 Wood's Division ; for men free from the influence of 
 liquor, and detailed organized bodies to work with them 
 and protect the lives and property of citizens. The 
 officers under Howard executed his orders with enthu- 
 siasm, and did humanitarian work that night which 
 greatly benefited the suffering people. General Hov/- 
 ard himself remained all night on duty, directing and 
 watching the scenes about him, and the morning after 
 the carnage was thoroughly sick at heart over the misery 
 all around, and which he was almost powerless to relieve. 
 From Columbia General Howard marched northward, 
 and at Ealeigh, N. C, under date of April 17th, 1865, 
 he wrote to his mother regarding the national calamity 
 which had occurred a few days before, on the 14th inst. : 
 
 " My dear Mother : You have probably seen by the papers before 
 this time that we are iu Raleigh. I would give you a little descrip- 
 tion of our campaign, and dwell upon our bright prospects of peace, 
 were it not that my whole mind and heart keeps returning to the 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 131 
 
 terrible news that has just reached us. I cannot realize it, yet it 
 comes so straight I cannot doubt it. President Lincoln has been 
 ererything to the nation, and the nation will never cease to do him 
 honor. But to me, personally, he has been a friend ; though dealing 
 with thousands, he never forgot me after our first interview. When 
 at Savannah the Secretary of "War took my hand in both his and 
 assured me in the kindest manner of the President's sincere regard 
 and appreciation of my service, I anticipated a real pleasure in 
 serving under his administration after the war was over, cherishing 
 the same complete confidence in Mr. Lincoln that I would in my 
 own father, and knowing that he Vv^ould sustain me in every right 
 course. The prospect of peace and home had filled all hearts with 
 enthusiasm, and everybody was generous ; but the revulsion will be 
 sudden and overwhelming. I am afraid of the spirit it may awaken 
 "when it is known that men have been set on foot to murder those so 
 much beloved and trusted as Lincoln, Seward, Grant, Sherman, and 
 others. I can only say of these blind fools, ' God forgive them, for 
 they know not what they do.' Give my love to all around you. It 
 will not be many days before I shall be with you. ..." 
 
 On reacliing Riclimond General Howard received a 
 telegram from Mr. Stanton, Secretary of War, to cause 
 liis army to march overland, but to come himself by 
 water as quickly as. possible to Washington. 
 
 The 6th of May he arrived, and reported himself at 
 the War Department, where he was informed by the 
 Secretary that it was Mr. Lincoln's wish that he should 
 become the Freedmen's commissioner, as contemj)lated 
 in the law of Congress, as soon as his services could be 
 spared from the field. And thereupon he put into Gen- 
 eral Howard's iiands the act establishing the Ereedmen's 
 Bureau. '' Will you accept ? Think it over, and give 
 me your answer as quickly as you can, ' ' said the Secre- 
 tary. General Howard looked upon the request as a 
 legacy from the martyred President, and was inclined to 
 yield a ready assent. At the same time he w^anted to 
 remain in connnand of the army with which he had 
 fought so many battles until after the grand review. 
 
132 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. 
 
 General Slierman advised liim to accept tlio trust, and 
 deprecated his refusal for any such reason, saying, 
 ^'Howard, you are a Christian; what do you care for 
 that day's display ? It will be everything to Logan to 
 have the command ; why not let him have it ?" 
 
 '^If you put it in tliat ground, General," replied 
 Howard, '^ I yield at once." 
 
 He was disappointed, but quietly conquered his feel- 
 ing, and asked permission to ride with Sherman's staff. 
 General Sherman generously replied, '' Ride by my side, 
 Howard." And so, on the day of the great review, 
 when this great commander at the head of the troops 
 saluted President Johnson in front of the White House, 
 General Howard was at his side, and with his bridle- 
 reins in his mouth and his sword in his left hand, saluted 
 the chief of the nation, and was a noticeable figure in the 
 assembled raultitude. Wherever he went he was quickly 
 recognized, and hundreds cheered him as they looked at 
 his empty sleeve. 
 
 •5f -X- -x- >>t . -5^ * 
 
 But a brief account has been given of General How- 
 ard's military career during the great war of secession ; 
 and as it was a personal strife among our own people, it 
 is difficult to divorce one's self sufficiently from the influ- 
 ences, causes, and effects of the civil struggle to behold 
 the ability and worth of a great actor, without bias to 
 one side or the other. 
 
 General Howard had conceived that his duty to man 
 was of an ethical nature, and had meditated, even 
 planned, to leave the military service. He had studied 
 the Scriptures in Greek and Hebrew ; had read exten- 
 sively in connection with this study ; had even gone so 
 far as to arrange for a course of study at one of the 
 theological seminaries of ITew England. When the war 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 133 
 
 broke out, lie, being a soldier who had been trained for 
 the work at liis country's expense, like Jackson, P'arragut, 
 and Bishop Polk, followed what he declared were the 
 '' limitations and the leadings of Providence." He had 
 always written and spoken much to those who were glad 
 to meet Avith him in public at Sunday and "Wednesday 
 evening meetings ; and in his tent, as at home, he never 
 omitted a brief supplication aloud at his table, whether 
 that table happened to be a mess-chest or a canvas 
 spread on the ground. On the Sabbaths, when the 
 necessities of war permitted, he gathered together all he 
 could, and read or spoke to them of wliat pertained to 
 their highest interests, calling on them to exercise filial 
 fear and love, and to obey the commandments of their 
 Heavenly Father. In all dark days he not only kept up 
 heart, but encouraged all who came near, from the 
 highest officer to the humblest orderly. His faith Jtvas 
 strong in the Lord, and he felt that in His keeping y/ere 
 all the issues of life. 
 
 It is well to note the views of his fellow-officers 
 regarding General Howard's military career, and of 
 civilians who knew him in his higher character as a 
 Christian man. Of Fair Oaks, Colonel Bowman thus 
 speaks : 
 
 ** General Howard was with, the Army of the Potomac on the 
 Peninsula until the battle of Fair Oaks, where he lost his right arm 
 while leading his brigade in a charge against the enemj'. Two 
 bullets entered the arm, one near the wrist and the other near the 
 elbow ; but be did not leave the field until, on being wounded the 
 second time, his strength gave out, and he was obliged to go to the 
 rear and submit [six hours afterward] to amputation. After an ab- 
 sence of two months and twenty days, he returned in season to be 
 with his corps at the second battle of Bull Ptun, and on the retreat 
 from Centreville he commanded the rear guard." 
 
 This historian adds : 
 
134 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIA]t!j- HERO. 
 
 " General Howard, it is well known, has been pious and exemplary 
 from his boyhood, was ever faithful and devoted in the discharge of 
 his religious duties, and this even while a student at West Point," 
 
 " He carried his religious principles with him into the army, and 
 was guided and governed by them in all his relations v>dth his officers 
 and men. No matter who was jDermitted to share his mess or joartake 
 of his repast, whether the lowest subaltern of his command or Gen- 
 eral Sherman himself, no one thought to partake, if Howard were 
 present, without first the invocation of the Divine blessing, himself 
 usually leading, like the head of a family." 
 
 And in '^ Slierman rtnd His Campaigns" is given tliis 
 estimate of Howard's work and military character : 
 
 " Thoroughly educated, an accomj)lished scholar, a true gentle- 
 man, and a brave soldier, General Howard is eminently calculated to 
 inspire the confidence of his superiors, the respect and obedience of 
 his followers, the affection and esteem of all with whom he may be 
 associated. Quiet and unassuming in his dei^ortment ; a fervent and 
 devoted Christian, not only in his belief, but in his daily life ; con- 
 sciefitious to a degree in the performance of the smallest duty ; care- 
 less of exposing his person in battle, to an extent that v/ould be at- 
 tributable to rashness or fatalism if it were not known to spring from 
 religion ; strictly honorable in all things ; warm in his sympathies 
 and cordial in his friendships, Howard jDresents a rare combination 
 of qualities no less grand than simple, equally to be imitated for their 
 virtue and loved for their humanity." 
 
 From General Sliermaii we have always the uniform 
 testimonials, like the following, written at the close of 
 the great campaign through the heart of the Southern 
 country, in which he gives his estimate of a Christian 
 soldier. 
 
 *' At my last interview with Mr. Lincoln [he wrote to Mr. James 
 E. Yeatman, of the U. S. Sanitary Commission, May 21st, 1865, on 
 his boat anchored in James Eiver, in the midst of the army], your 
 name came up as one spoken of to fill the office of commissioner of 
 refugees, freedmen, etc., and I volunteered my assertion that if you 
 would accept office, which I doubted, the bureau would not go into 
 more kind and charitable hands ; but since that time the office has, 
 properly enough, been given to General Howard, who has held high 
 
HOWARD : TPIE CHIIISTIAIN' HERO. 135 
 
 command under me for more than a year ; and I am sure 3'ou will be 
 l^leased to know that he is as pure a man as ever lived, a strict Chris- 
 tian, and a model soldier, the loss of an arm attesting his services. 
 He will do all that one man can do, if not forced to undertake impos- 
 sibilities. ..." 
 
 General Howard's life has been marked by wide use- 
 fulness in serving individuals whose needs lie has helped 
 and whose shortcomings he has tried to remove. Num- 
 berless instances might be related, and one or two are, in 
 justice to this phase of his character, given. 
 
 E. C, a resident of Oregon, a man with a large family, had been 
 for many j^ears a notorious gambler and a rough. Through the 
 prayers and influence of a few good women and the Lord's help, ho 
 had been converted. 
 
 General distrust of the man led people to leave him and his family 
 to shift for themselves. General Howard was his constant and never- 
 failing friend, often lending him money, sometimes as high as two or 
 three hundred dollars at a time. 
 
 From being one of the worst of men he became one of the best, and 
 has now for years led a most exemplary Christian life, and though 
 poor in this world's goods has repaid every cent of those early loans. 
 
 Mr. M., for years an infidel, had an infidel book to peruse. When 
 his heart was smitten for his infidelity he brought his book to Gen- 
 eral Howard, and begged him to read it. 
 
 General Howard said, " No ; it might weaken my faith. That 
 author is an able man." 
 
 " But, General," said he, " read it for my sake." General Howard 
 read the book, making marginal notes. One was, " What is needed 
 here is the Holy Spirit of the living God." 
 
 The general then gave him back his book, and one evening Mr. M. 
 was among the seekers for divine guidance in the Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association rooms. His voice shook wdth emotion while telling 
 the incident and his eyes filled with tears. He became a changed 
 man, and his Christian family were made happy by his conversion. 
 
 One who had been a soldier wdth General Howard went to him, one 
 night, and said : 
 
 " General, I am a gambler ; I hope soon to be a better man, but I 
 must wait God's time." 
 
 *' Ob, no," was the impetuous reply ; "?ioio is the time." 
 
136 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 The two, General Howard and this veteran, walked ami talked 
 together for two hours. Soon ho stood up in a meeting and made a 
 public confession of religious belief. He became a Christian, sur- 
 rendering his gambling implements, and has for years led a good life. 
 
 An instance illustrative of the occupations of General 
 Howard in the intervals of his public duties is as follows ; 
 
 *'"W.'s father was taken suddenly insane, at his home near Eich- 
 tnond, Va. In trying to restrain his father he was sadly hurt. He 
 was poor, and misfortune had followed him closely, for when but a 
 lad he had, in a moment of exasperation, struck a man with a knife, 
 and in consequence had spent years in prison at Eichmond. 
 
 " Some time after the war he went to General Howard in Wash- 
 ington, and frankly told his history. He must have employment to 
 support his poor father's family. The general, touched by his for- 
 lorn condition, gave him employment himself, and, when he could 
 no longer do this, secured him a place in the Interior Department. 
 But W. was j)ursued by those who wanted his j)lace, and who knew 
 his unfortunate early history. His special foe laid his life all bare, 
 and threw up to him his boyish misfortune, and thus drew him into 
 a personal difficulty. Under the terrible provocation he struck his 
 enemy, and was arrested and put in confinement. Then followed 
 the loss of his position. General Howard visited him, paid his 
 fine, and started him in life again, and gave him an honorable place. 
 He stood by him in more trying ordeals than the one mentioned, and 
 finally obtained for him the official position he now holds, and which 
 he is filling with credit. To-day, in consequence, this young man 
 and his family are happy and respected. 
 
 " On one occasion W., nearly heart-broken and in deadly pallor, 
 gave up all hope. General Howard stood by him until he had 
 breathed faith into his heart, took him by the hand, and promised to 
 be to him a brother— a promise which he has always kept." 
 
 The following is one of many letters of a similar im- 
 port received by General Howard during the w^ar, illus- 
 trating the wide faith reposed in his Christian helpful- 
 ness : 
 
 " Canandaigua, N. Y., September 14, 1864. 
 
 *' Deas General : The accompanying letters will inform you of the 
 fate of our dear son Albert. Mrs. Murray, having made your ac- 
 quaintance at West Point, and you having spoken favorably of our 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. 13? 
 
 dear boy, she intended to write and thank you for your Christian ex- 
 ample, and the interest you expressed and exercised in his spiritual 
 welfare ; but as she has not been able to do so, she desired me to give 
 utterance to the gratitude and great obligation we feel toward you for 
 the part you have taken in preparing our child for that rest to v/hich 
 he has been called. Although it is hard for us to part with him, wo 
 are comforted with the belief that for him to die is gain, and we bow 
 in submission to the wise providence of God. It would be a great 
 comfort to us to procure his remains. Lieutenant Breckenridge has 
 been very precise in his letter in describing his grave, and it may be 
 possible that an opportunity may present itself for its removal, 
 which, I feel assured, you would approve and have it done, or advise 
 me if it could be done, and the manner of doing it. We may be un- 
 reasonable to feel so anxious, but it is a long time since we have seen 
 our dear child, and we have not a relic as a memento, as everything 
 belonging to him was taken with his battery. ... I congratulate 
 you upon the brilliant success of your army. It has imparted hope 
 to the country and encouraged recruiting, so that our dej>leted 
 armies will soon be strongly re-enforced, and the rebellion subdued. 
 I ask pardon for this trespassing on your valuable time. 
 
 " Very respectfully yours, 
 
 *'A. G. MUKBAT." 
 
 All Christian workers turned to him in time of trouble, 
 and always in the confident belief that he would help the 
 cause that lacked assistance. One letter of this character 
 is as follows : 
 
 " U. S. Christian Commission, . 
 Beanch Office, t 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., April 13, 1864. ) 
 0. 0. Howard, Ifajor- General, Commanding Fourth Army Coi-ps. 
 
 " My dear Sir : Your own kindness is my apology for troubling 
 you with a statement of a new difficulty into which we have 
 fallen. 
 
 " General Sherman has never met the Christian Commission as an 
 organized effort in the army, and consequently holds our request for 
 so much passing and transportation as a presumption to be denied 
 and rebuked. He says that nearly every regiment at the front has a 
 champion. This, of course, will make a speedy end of all our pres- 
 ent plans of working in this military division. These plans require 
 the ]3assage, on an average, of one delegate per day from Nashville 
 
138 HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 front. Perhaps for an army so encompassed with difficulties of trans- 
 portation, some change of plan will be best, th.it shall lessen the 
 number of delegates to be passed, by increasing their term of service. 
 But there are great advantages in these frequent reliefs. Each man 
 brings a inll,f7'esh invoice of home feeling and religion, and carries 
 back reliable information of the need and encouragement for benevo- 
 lent and religious work in the army. If, however, the public service 
 is more hindered than helj^ed by this frequent passing, then there 
 must be a change. 
 
 " Will you not give us your views on this matter as relates to this 
 army ? 
 
 " I am waiting a suitable opportunity to lay before the general 
 commanding a statement of the object and plan of the commission, 
 and ask his permission to go on. 
 
 " A note of introduction and your indorsement of the twofold pur- 
 pose of the commission — bodily relief and moral re-enforcement — 
 would be of great weight in our favor. 
 
 *' My full conviction after a year's experience is, that an average 
 delegate, in his volunteer service, re-enforces the fighting ability of 
 the army by as much as one able-bodied veteran. 
 
 * ' Your love for the Master and solicitude for the welfare of men in 
 service, and your well-known appreciation of the endeavor of the 
 Christian Commission, lead me to ask this favor at your hand. So 
 that, if in my ignorance of the delicate nature of military relations, I 
 have asked what you cannot grant, I shall have no difficulty in appre- 
 ciating the ground of your refusal. . ^ 
 " With gratitude and unfeigned respect, 
 
 " I am. General, your obedient servant, 
 
 " Edwakd p. Smith, 
 " General Pield Agent, U. S. C. C." 
 
 General Howard prom^^tly aided in securing tlie 
 presence of these workers. 
 
 And now the war was over, and he was called upon to 
 take charge of another army, greater than any he had 
 commanded, and to assume a responsibihty the magni- 
 tude of which would have appalled any man whose 
 courage was unfortified by religious conviction and trust 
 in a Higher Power. Of this position to which he was 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN- HERO. 139 
 
 destined by the martyred President, one of liis fellow- 
 officers wrote subsequently these truthful words : 
 
 " At the close of the war General Howard was made chief of the 
 Freedmen's Bureau, headquarters at "Washington. His duties were 
 * to correct that in which the law, by reason of its universality, was 
 deficient.' He was placed at the head of a species of poor-law board, 
 with vague powers, to define justice and execute loving-kindness be- 
 tween four millions of emancipated slaves and all the rest of man- 
 kind. He was to be not exactly' a military commander, nor yet a 
 judge of a court of chancery, but a sort of combination of the relig- 
 ious missionary and school commissioner, with power to feed and in- 
 struct, and this for an empire half as large as Europe. But few offi- 
 cers of the army would have had the moral courage to accept such an 
 appointment, and fev/ men are so well fitted to fill it, and discharge 
 one half its complicated and multifarious duties." 
 
 As soon as General Howard concluded to accept his 
 new appointment, he apprised his old commander of the 
 fact by a friendly letter, and received the following in 
 answer : 
 
 " In the Field, Dumfbies, Va., ) 
 May 17, 1865, 9 p.m. ) 
 " Dear General : Your letter of May 12th, inclosing General 
 Orders, War Department, No. 91, of May 12th, reached me here, on 
 arrival at camp, about dark. ... I hardly know whether to con- 
 gratulate you or not, but of one thing you may rest assured, that you 
 possess my entire confidence, and I cannot imagine that matters that 
 may involve the future of four millions of souls could be put in more 
 charitable and more conscientious hands. So far as man can do, I 
 believe you will, but I fear you have Hercules' task. God has 
 limited the power of man, and though, in the kindness of your heart, 
 you would alleviate all the ills of humanity, it is not possible, nor is 
 it in your power to fulfil one tenth part of the expectations of those 
 who framed the bureau for the freedmen, refugees, and abandoned 
 estates. It is simply impracticable. Yet you can and will do all the 
 good one man may, and that is all you are called on as a man and a 
 Christian to do ; and to that extent count on me as a friend and fel- 
 low-soldier for counsel and assistance. . . ." 
 
 After giving his view^s of the negroes and whites in 
 
140 HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAlSr HERO. 
 
 their new and trying relations, Sherman closes with 
 these w^ords : 
 
 " I am not familiar with the laws of Congress which originated 
 your bureau, but repeat my entire confidence in your pure and ex- 
 alted character, and your ability to do, in the premises, all that any 
 one man can do." 
 
Yll. 
 
 The Freedmen's Bureau— Its organization and ramifications— Chri-s- 
 tian work in Washington — Friends and foes of the bureau — The 
 destitute refugees — Problems which perplexed General Howard — 
 A thankless labor and its reward. 
 
 General Howard in his northward march passed the 
 island of Beaufort, S. C. Here he visited the schools 
 for colored children then in existence under the charge 
 of ISTorthern people, who had gone there to begin the 
 work of educating the race. At this time, while on a 
 visit to a Sunday-school, he relates this incident : He 
 asked the smaller boys, '' Who was the Savionr of the 
 world ?■ ' A httle stammerer quickly answered, ^' I ken 
 tell gen'l, sah : Ab'am Lincoln, sah — Ab'am Lincoln." 
 
 He had, at the time Sherman issued his orders sending 
 negroes to the Sea Islands, sent away from his wing of 
 the army eighty- five hundred blacks — men, women, and 
 children — who had made an exodus from the Carolinas. 
 They had followed the troops day by day, and had 
 been a source of anxious care to General Howard, who 
 liad treated them with marked kindness, bestowing 
 covering and food, and supplying them with wagons and 
 escort to their nev/ homes. The care of these helpless 
 people was a serious problem to all the generals, and to 
 General Howard especially, because of the numbers who 
 were gathered about him. The young men and women 
 were hilarious and happy in their new freedom ; the old 
 were sad and burdensome, but all had to be cared for 
 alike. General Howard was their hero ; he could not 
 
142 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 go among them without the greatest demonstrations of 
 affection on tlieir part. He asked an old auntie, who 
 had marked her fourscore and ten years, when she joined 
 the number and commenced to trudge along beside the 
 marching men, '^ Where are you going, auntie?" 
 '^ Along with you!" ''"What for," he asked; "can 
 you not fare better here ?" " Eo, sah," was herreply ; 
 *' I'se want to be wid you !" and she continued her 
 journey from day to day, with a bundle in one hand and 
 a long staff in the other. 
 
 General Howard was kept busy on the march caring 
 also for the whites who were in great distress and wdiose 
 pitiable condition touched the stoutest hearts. It was no 
 unusual sight to see peoj^le sitting in their doorways, 
 after the foraging wagons had passed by, in utter despair. 
 He was constantly trying to prevent injustice, and 
 while the army had to draw its subsistence from the 
 country, he supplied the needy and re-issued rations to 
 the poor whites, whose condition was hardly better than 
 that of the blacks. General Sherman, when appealed to 
 in all such cases, would say, good-humoredly, " Go to 
 Howard ; he will be better to you than your own gen- 
 erals ;" or, '' Go to Jloward ; he runs the rehgion of 
 this army, and is feeding the poor." 
 
 General Howard never turned away ^the poor ; he 
 never lost patience nor grew tired of hearing their griev- 
 ances. With the better class he was sterner, but it is 
 said that he has but one instance in all his experience to 
 regret. At Orange, S. C., a woman worried him greatly 
 by her demands for a guard, which at this time he could 
 not spare from his v/orking party. He reminded her 
 that she had no claim upon the Union army. She went 
 to General Sherman, who laughed at her complaint 
 against General Howard ; but the latter, when told of it, 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiT HERO. 143 
 
 said that slio was right, and that he was very sorry he 
 allowed himself to be impatient. 
 
 About the time that the operations of the war were 
 closing General Howard wrote to a friend, from l^ew- 
 bern, N. C, to whom he said, after speaking of the 
 news, just received, of the taking of Richmond, and of 
 seeing unexpectedly in the papers a notice of his promo- 
 tion to brigadier-general in the regular army ; "I believe 
 I detect some little ill-feehng on the part of old army 
 friends. They probably suspect me of manoeuvring to 
 get the place, and cannot easily forgive me for ranking 
 them.'' And, after noticing the vote of thanks of his 
 State, he said, speaking oi his brother Charles, who had 
 just become the colonel of the One Hundred and 
 Twenty-eighth Colored Regiment, and had gone to the 
 Sea Islands : 
 
 " I have rather stood in his way than assisted him, and he is 
 obliged to be directed so much by me when we are together that he 
 is not fully himself. Where he is now going good. men are needed — • 
 men of princii)le and men who are interested in doing good to their 
 fellows, whether white or black. I expect during- my life to have a 
 great deal to do with the negroes, especially because I have so high 
 rank in the regular service ; for, both on account of the increased 
 demand of the Government for soldiers, and that the Government will 
 be obliged to support and govern a large portion of these people, so 
 suddenly set free, general officers will be obliged to organize and 
 superintend this new department of the service. " 
 
 While at Newbern he thought much of the condition 
 "of the negroes and what their future would be, and in 
 reflecting on this subject the old desire to enter the min- 
 istry returned. He believed that God had a plan in his 
 life, and he had about concluded, for the second time, 
 that he ought to leave the military service so as to work 
 more directly in keeping with his heart. About this time 
 General Grant's telegram (May 7th, 1865), ordering him 
 
144 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIsT HERO. 
 
 to report to the Secretary of War witliOTit delay , reached 
 him. 
 
 His decision in regard to the Freedmen's Bureau 
 being made, and Secretary Stanton being notified of his 
 acceptance of the task, he went to tlie War Department 
 for instruction. Mr. Stanton handed him a copy of the 
 act of Congress and a large wooden tray filled with huge 
 bundles of papers relating to the refugees, saying, as he 
 did so, ''There's your bureau. General," at the same 
 time adding that he could have his army ofiicers and 
 existing agents from whom to choose his helpers. A 
 building had been secured for the work at the nortli-east 
 corner of Nineteenth and I streets, and the Secretary 
 advised him to do what was necessary to organize, and he 
 would give him what assistance he could. '' Remem- 
 ber," said Mr. Stanton, '' there is not one dollar of ap- 
 propriation !" Thus was begun the work of the Bureau, 
 and the first great trouble to General Hov/ard that ensued 
 was due to lack of funds. Had there been money 
 enough to organize it properly, the w^ork would have 
 been accomplished with half the.w^orry and humiliation 
 to its chief, and the Government would have escaped 
 much of the trouble caused by its alleged failure to meet 
 the requirements oE the case. 
 
 General Howard took his tray to the National Hotel, 
 and while waiting for his building to be made ready, he 
 set at work to find out the needs of the freedmen, who 
 were, in Washington and other cities, clamoring for assist- 
 ance. Meanwhile he submitted a list of proposed assist- 
 ants to Mr. Stanton. To some the latter objected. For 
 example, General Howard selected General E. J. Hart- 
 zuS for Virginia, and Mr. Stanton favored the retention 
 of Colonel Brown, who was already working as an agent 
 at Norfolk ; also Mr. Stanton favored the continuance of 
 
HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 145 
 
 Rev. Mr. Conway (cliaplain) for Louisiana, who had very 
 soon to be replaced by General Absalom Baird. G-eneral 
 Howard did not know either of these men. The assist- 
 ant commissioners who had the States, and were to be 
 responsible for all sub-assistants and agents in those 
 States, were : Colonel Orlando Brown (Virginia), Gen- 
 eral Eliphalet Whittlesey (North Carolina), afterward 
 General E". A. Miles ; General Eufus Saxton (South 
 Carolina, Georgia, and Florida). Afterward General 
 Davis Tillson had Georgia and Colonel T. R. Osborne 
 Florida, leaving General Saxton in charge of South 
 Carolina only ; General "Wager Swayne (Alabama), 
 General John Eaton (Mississippi), Rev. Thomas Conway 
 (Louisiana), and General Gregory (Texas). Soon Gen- 
 eral Gregory was transferred to Maryland, and General 
 Griffin was given Texas. The latter held the position 
 until his death, and was succeeded by General J. J. 
 Reynolds. General J. Y/. Sprague was given Arkansas, 
 General Fiske Tennessee and Kentucky ; later General 
 Davis was given the latter State. Colonel Seeley was 
 sent to Missouri, and General S. C. Thomas took Gen- 
 eral Eaton's position, while the latter was transferred to 
 supervise the District of Columbia and a part of Vir- 
 gin ia. When the work grew so as to require more 
 force. General Eaton was called to assist in the office at 
 Washington, and General C. LI. Howard finally had 
 Maryland, Delaware, a part of Yirginia, and the District 
 of Columbia. The latter officer had been previous to 
 this appointment an ins]3ector at large. Finally General 
 Eaton left Washington to become superintendent of edu- 
 cation for the State of Tennessee, under the reorganized 
 State government. 
 
 All these appointments were considered good, and not 
 one of the original assistant commissioners recommended 
 
146 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 bj General Howard has to-day aiiglit against him. 
 Their subsequent careers were all remarkable. General 
 J. W. Sprague was for years the superintendent of the 
 western half of the North Pacihc Kailroad. General 
 Swayne, an eminent and successful lawyer, was, like his 
 father. Justice Swayne, of the Supreme Court of the 
 United States, a high-minded and upright man. Gen- 
 eral Tillson in Maine and General Thomas in Ohio were 
 at the heads of great business enterprises, and General 
 Whittlesey, a college professor, afterward filled a like 
 position in Howard University, and was the secretary of 
 the Board of Indian Commissioners. 
 
 The a]Dpointments were conferred on military men 
 (1) because Congress had failed to make an a2:>propriation 
 directly for the Bureau, and (2) because of the wording 
 of the act, which was to the effect that the officers of the 
 Bureau might be detailed from the officers of the army. 
 There was much feeling about this at the time ; civilians 
 claimed that they were better suited to effect the exercise 
 of the benevolent functions of the Government than 
 army officers, and complaints were made to General 
 Howard on the subject. He always made the reply that 
 the gentlemen whom, he proposed as assistant commis- 
 sioners had, with very few exceptions, gone from civil 
 life into the army at the beginning of the war ; that they 
 were lawyers, merchants, civil engineers, and teachers, 
 and well suited to do the work because of their experi- 
 ence with the negroes during the war. President John- 
 son much desired, and finally, on General Howard's 
 recommendation, so ordered, that under the primary in- 
 struction the military commander of each State should 
 be also the assistant "commissioner of that State. The 
 only trouble that General Howard anticipated was that 
 each officer so situated would be obliged to have two 
 
HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAl^ HERO. 147 
 
 heads at Washington — one General Grant and the other 
 Howard himself. However, the harmony existing be- 
 tween Generals Grant and Howard was such that the 
 work was never impeded from this cause. 
 
 General Howard organized the Washington office 
 gradually. The divisions became six in number, as fol- 
 lows : The (1) adjutant-generals, (2) quartermaster and 
 commissary, (3) disbursing, (4) educational, (5) medical, 
 (6) abandoned lands. Later on the payment of bounties 
 was added by an act of Congress, making seven separate 
 departments. 
 
 The large wooden tray which Secretary Stanton had 
 given into General Howard's hands held evidence of 
 upward of one hundred and forty thousand poor people, 
 white and black, who were receiving rations in Wash- 
 ington, Eichmond, xitlanta, Kashville, and other South- 
 ern cities. He had at once a large army transferred to 
 his care. Army rations were allowed to these people 
 for a time ; but when the famine came on, at General 
 Howard's solicitation, special appropriations from Con- 
 gress were made for the purchase of food to supply the 
 necessaries. Before the appropriation was made, and 
 while the suffering w^as greatest along the Southern 
 coast. General Howard bought a ship-load of provisions 
 and sent them at once to be distributed in the destitute 
 districts. Congress subsequently relieved him from 
 his personal risk. While the work of feeding these y 
 people was under way, a sensational report that '' Gen- 
 eral Howard w^as feeding niggers in idleness" arose, and 
 the newspapers sj^read it over the whole country. 
 
 The work of securing employment for the able-bodied, 
 and transferring them to places where their services 
 were wanted and would be compensated for, was begun 
 as soon as the dangers of starvation were overcome, and 
 
148 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiq' HERO. 
 
 in time from Washington alono ten thousand were sent 
 away to different parts of the i^orth. The word '^ ref- 
 ugee" was broadly interpreted by the colored people in 
 those days, and the department very likely furnished 
 homes for many w^lio had no claim whatever for helj). 
 Complaints of this nature were made, to which General 
 Howard rejDlied that he could not prove the genuineness 
 of every case, but at least the colored population of 
 "Washington was reduced by the removal of those who, 
 in spito of his efforts, secured the advantage of being 
 ranked as refugees. 
 
 The educational division of the Freedmen's Bureau, 
 enlarging as other divisions diminished, was the one*^ 
 which did the greatest work, and with it General How- 
 ard accomplished the best results. He called to his co- 
 operation twenty-seven different ]N"orthern benevolent 
 organizations which were sending teachers into the 
 Southern field. Some were Freedmen's branches ^^r se, 
 and some were societies of churches. The Methodists, 
 Episcopalians, Cathohcs, Congregationalists, Presb^^te- 
 rians. Baptists, Friends, Unitarians, etc., had their re- 
 spective societies and associations under different names. 
 Nearly all these General Howard succeeded in consoli- 
 dating into a Union Agency for a time, with its head- 
 quarters in New York, and known as the Freedmen's 
 Aid Union, v/ith a national executive committee at its 
 head. Some bodies, like the American Missionary Asso- 
 ciation, which disbursed much money, and already had 
 many schools, deemed it best not to enter into that 
 Union. This fact, together with some obstacles that the 
 Union met with, divided it, and the plan was after 
 some months abandoned. 
 
 To facihtate the educational work General Howard 
 adopted the simple arrangement of giving a dollar for 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 149 
 
 every dollar tliat a society would invest in the work. 
 Tliis dollar-for-doUar plan worked well, and the funds 
 for it he raised by the sale of abandoned property. Much 
 money was secured in this way, and structures were 
 erected for schools, and teachers transported from their 
 homes to their new scenes of labor. The different 
 church societies paid the salaries of these teachers, who 
 did such excellent work. As the Government could not 
 lawfully buy land. General Howard welcomed the ap- 
 pointment of trustees from the different societies, who 
 made the purchases and held the titles to the school 
 lands. In many instances the buildings used for schools 
 were rented, and thus, in one way and another, the igno- 
 rant classes were j)ut at school. 
 
 Much public objection was made to General Howard's ' 
 educational projects. It was said that it would lead to 
 voting and other ills, and many school-houses were 
 burned in the South. In the I^ortli the opposition was 
 to colleges and universities for the colored people. The 
 common schools were enough, and the argument was that 
 the race designed to be benefited could not appreciate 
 or profit by anything higher than these. In the South 
 the greatest bitterness was expressed toward the project 
 of universities for negroes, for the whites themselves 
 could hardly afford to support the public-school system. 
 
 General Howard, in his writings, speeches, and orders, 
 insisted that the common schools brought into existence 
 by the general government could not be permanent ; 
 and, further, that to keep up the lower grades the higher 
 must be provided as an incentive, and to give a supply of 
 the needed teachers. His enemies denied his assertions, 
 and maintained that '^Howard never would see that i^' 
 niggers are not white men." And he, enthusiast and 
 Christian as he was, demonstrated in reply that the color 
 
150 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAiT HERO. 
 
 of tlie skin did not necessarily paralyze the intellect. 
 His favorite method of persuading people to liis own way 
 of thinking was to take a visitor from the South or 
 E'orth into one of the best schools in Washington and 
 show him its actual results. Thoughtful and reasonable 
 people in great nambers were converted to his view, and 
 early came to his aid ; and in time there sprang up many 
 seats of learning which have become permanent, such as 
 Howard University (at "Washington), Hampton (Yir- 
 ginia), Atlanta (Georgia), Fiske (Nashville), Straight 
 (I^ew Orleans), and others. Some, like Lincoln Univer- 
 sity (Pennsylvania) and Berea College (Kentucky), were 
 simply ^' aided into larger proportions." In time the 
 common schools passed to the control of the States ; but 
 the higher graded schools have remained, with their 
 good organizations and w^ith increased constituencies. 
 Their pupils to-day furnish the greater proportion of the 
 teachers of the descendants of the emancipated race, and 
 Southern and ]N"orthern leaders of political parties vie 
 with one another in commendation of their good work. 
 A few years ago a one-armed Governor of Yirginia, 
 while visiting Hampton Institute, took the remaining 
 hand of Howard, and with great emotion thanked him, 
 before a great audience, for what he had done there for 
 the colored people of Yirginia. He, like thousands of 
 his countrymen, was surprised at the results obtained by 
 educating the freedmen. 
 
 Not so v/ith General Howard. He was too firm in 
 two cardinal princij^les to be surprised at the fullest frui- 
 tion of his work. He had always maintained that there 
 should be no distinction on account of color, and none 
 on account of sex. He applied these two principles not 
 only to the schools, but to the church in "Washington 
 (the First Congregational), where he was an influential 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 161 
 
 member. He clung to the idea tliat Christ died for all 
 men, and that rights and privileges, in His temples, 
 were not to be given to some and withheld from others. 
 To love God and one's neighbor, he insisted, took in all 
 humanity, and he could not exclude a person because of 
 sex or color from any civil or religious hberty. This 
 liberal position vras deemed fanatical by narrow minds, 
 but upon a less generous and noble ^^latform General 
 Howard would not have succeeded as he did. It is still 
 alleged that lie favored his own Congregational denomi- 
 nation, and much criticism was passed upon him. Be- 
 fore the Congressional Committee and the Court of 
 Inquiry he denied all this. It came before these bodies 
 in the form of a charge, made in a vile letter forged at 
 the W^ar Department under General Belknap's adminis- 
 tration. It is almost needless to say that it was fully 
 disproved. Acting on the proposal he had made, of 
 giving dollar for dollar, some organizations received 
 more money than others. But if the American Mission- 
 ary Association received much help, it was because it 
 had put many dollars into its work.* If the Friends 
 had large aid, it was for the reason that this sect gave 
 liberally. What mattered it to a true friend of humanity 
 who engineered the educational work, so long as it was 
 effectively done ? General Howard was not the man to 
 favor a society because he belonged to it, but if it did 
 well he heartily commended that work. He had too 
 much enthusiasm to show favoritism to one section of his 
 workers. 
 
 The adjutant-general's division had charge of the labor 
 question, and to it General Howard gave much thought. 
 
 * The American Missionary Society alone, from 1862 to 1869, ex- 
 pended |1, 650,000 in the education of colored children in the South. 
 
152 HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 He influenced tlie organization of joint-stock companies 
 to raise money for farming the abandoned lands, and 
 with the transportation funds whicli Congress j^laced at 
 his disposal he gave employment to thousands of idlers. 
 He risited the South in the autumn of 1865, and set up 
 those '^ Bureau Courts," in which contracts were settled 
 between the freedmen and their employers. These 
 courts were composed of three men : one, the agent of 
 the Bureau ; another, the black man's agent, and the 
 third that of the white man. In all the workings of the 
 Bureau he tried to introduce the simplest details, in order 
 that the most ignorant of its beneficiaries might under- 
 stand its workings. From town to town General Howard 
 journeyed, addressing all, white and black, and explain- 
 ing the aims and objects of the Freedmen's Bureau. He 
 visited Richmond, Raleigh, Wilmington, Charleston, 
 Hilton Head, Savannah, Tallahassee, and other places in 
 Florida, Mobile, and Atlanta, and returned to Washing- 
 ton by Tennessee and Kentucky. It was while on this 
 trip and in Atlanta that the incident related by the poet 
 Whittier occurred. It is as follows : 
 
 HOWARD AT ATLANTA. 
 
 *' Bight in the track where Sherman 
 
 Ploughed his red furrow, 
 Out of the narrow cabin, 
 
 Up from the cellar's burrow, 
 Gathered the little black people, 
 
 With freedom newly dowered, 
 "Where, beside their Northern teacher, 
 
 Stood the soldier, Howard. 
 
 *' He listened and heard the children 
 Of the poor and long-enslaved 
 Reading the words of Jesus, 
 Singing the songs of David. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 153 
 
 Behold the dumb lips speaking, 
 
 The blind eyes seeing ! 
 Bones of the Prophet's vision 
 
 Warmed into being ! 
 
 " Transformed he saw them passing 
 
 Their new life's portal ! 
 Almost it seemed the mortal 
 
 Put on the immortal. 
 No more with the beasts of burden, 
 
 No more with stone and clod, 
 But crov/ned with glory and honor 
 
 In the image of God ! 
 
 *' There was the human chattel 
 
 Its manhood taking ; 
 There, in each dark, brown statue, 
 
 A soul was waking ! 
 The man of many battles, 
 
 With tears his ej'^elids pressing, 
 Stretched over those dusky foreheads 
 
 His one-armed blessing, 
 
 *' And he said : ' Who hears can never 
 
 Fear for or doubt you ; 
 What shall I tell the children 
 
 Up North about you ? ' 
 Then ran round a whisper, a murmuu 
 
 Some answer devising ; 
 And. a little boy stood up : ' Massa, 
 
 Tell 'em we're rising ! ' 
 
 * * Oh, black boy of Atlanta ! 
 
 But half was spoken ; 
 The slave's chain and the master's 
 
 Alike are broken. 
 The one curse of the races 
 
 Held both in tether ; 
 They are rising— all are rising, 
 
 The black and white together ! 
 
 " Oh, brave men and fair women ! 
 Ill comes of hate and scorning ; 
 
154 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. 
 
 Shall the dark faces only 
 
 Be turned to morning ? 
 Make time your sole avenger, 
 
 All-healiug, all-redressing ; 
 Meet Fate half way, and make it 
 
 A joy and blessing," 
 
 After President Jolmson had decided upon returning 
 tlie abandoned lands to tlieir former owners, upon cer- 
 tain conditions, General Howard went to tlie Sea Islands, 
 and met tlie negroes there, addressing them in all the 
 towns he passed through. He urged them to see things 
 as freemen saw them, and impressed upon them the 
 necessity for industry and uprightness for the grown 
 people ; right training in schools for the young, and the 
 fear of the Lord for all. The burden of his appeals were 
 tlie resistance to vice and fidelity to God, and he incul- 
 cated the lesson of kindness by making the most careful 
 effort to bring about good feeling betv/een the whites 
 and the blacks. Mutual toleration and friendliness he 
 aimed to secure by his presence, and he succeeded in 
 inspiring his assistants with a large share of his own 
 spirit. Perfect results he never exp)ected, but lie approx- 
 imated them as nearly as possible. His work was that 
 of preparing the foundation for the enfranchised race, to 
 begin their work of education and higher development ; 
 he realized that it was a task never to be understood by 
 those for whom he was immediately concerned. The 
 difficulties constantly before hiiii would have discouraged 
 any but a temperament like his own. He is simply in- 
 capable, by reason of his all-abounding trust in the 
 Higher Power, of being wholly subdued by disappoint- 
 ments or failures. His career from boyhood abundantly 
 proves this fact. 
 
 The task of reasoning with the negroes of the Sea 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 155 
 
 Islands regarding the decision of the President was most 
 difficult and delicate. They were dreadfully chagrined 
 at losing their recent possessions of land, and charged 
 him with robbing them to help their enemies, the orig- 
 inal ow^ners. In one church where he was to speak he 
 met with much excitement and anger on the part of the 
 audience, an immense one, which had assembled to hear 
 his explanation. The decision of the gov^ernment, as 
 they understood it, Vv^as cruel, and their great rage was 
 blind and fanatical. General Howard talked to them 
 quietly until he had aroused their interest ; then he ex- 
 plained the nature of a title, how it rested in the owner 
 or landholder, and declared that neither the Presidents 
 nor Congress had the right to wrest the land from the 
 real owners and give it to them. The Government gave 
 them tax- titles, he told them, and where the people own- 
 ing the islands had paid up their taxes the Government 
 could not lawfully prevent their claiming the soil they 
 originally possessed. The promise made in General 
 Sherman's orders could not be fully kept, now that the 
 owners were pardoned and reinstated in their full rights. 
 It was hard to control the storm. His hearers insisted 
 that a distinction should be made between loyalty and 
 disloyalty, and maintained that they had lived on the 
 lands when the whites abandoned them, and finally that 
 the great general (Sherman) had given to them and to 
 the refugees whom he sent there these lands, which they 
 were now called upon to leave. General Howard ex- 
 pressed his strong sympathy for them, and touched their 
 hearts by talking of their trusted leader, Abraham Lin- 
 coln, vvdio had appointed him to the freedmen's work, 
 because he was their friend. Tiien he asked them to 
 trust him with the settlement of the matter, promising 
 faithfully to do the best he could for the poor black set- 
 
156 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 tiers. All over tlie building voices cried out, ^' We'll 
 trust you ; we'll trust you !" 
 
 He had promised very much, as he knew, but he car- 
 ried out the policy of the government in this case, and 
 settled the troubles without any serious difficulties. 
 
 A problem which perplexed General Howard in an- 
 other direction was the following. The valuable lands 
 on Meridan Hill and in the environs of Washino:ton were 
 overrun by refugees, former slaves of Maryland and 
 Virginia, who were living in temporary huts and old war 
 buildings. They could pay no rent, and the owner of 
 the land wanted to be rid of them. He called upon 
 General Howard, and asked for their removal. The lat- 
 ter went with him in his buggy to see the black settlers. 
 They were miserably poor and ragged, and it j)ained him 
 to be the bearer of such ill tidings as he had to. convey. 
 He assembled them, however, and explained carefully 
 the situation ; the land they were on would soon be sold 
 and divided into building lots, and they must go. They 
 answered, Where can we go ? He looked into their 
 distressed faces, and instantly devised a plan for them. 
 Then he asked how many men about him were willing to 
 work ? Nearly all replied, ^' We do work." '' How 
 many will help to get farms of their own ?" he asked. 
 *^ How can we?" was the hopeless response. "Sup- 
 pose," said he, " I get the money for a house and farm 
 near the city, how many of you will work together and 
 pay me for your section of it ?" Nearly all excitedly 
 exclaimed, '' I will, Gen'l ; 1 will !" He then promised 
 to go and see what could be done. 
 
 It was this emergency wdiicli led him to secure from 
 the appropriation for schools, etc., a fund which, upon 
 taking legal advice, he transferred to trustees, and the 
 " Barry Farm," near the Hospital for the Insane, was 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 157 
 
 pnrcliased. Little plots of an acre eacli were made, the 
 lumber for a building was quickly purchased, and the 
 accommodations for these homeless people obtained. 
 The needed relief was secured by this plan, and, be it 
 said to the honor of these people, the j)i'Oceeds of the 
 sales of the little famis enlarged the school fund, which 
 was distributed to certain institutions. This became the 
 best colony of negroes near the capitaL Men of character 
 and standing among diem influenced those weaker than 
 themselves ; school-houses and churches were erected, 
 and General Plov/ard took great pride in their prosperity. 
 Good pe )ple in England, watching his work, sent him 
 funds to further its prosecution. This money he used 
 in similar projects. He saw the best results follow the 
 plan of making the blacks land-owners, and lie helped 
 hundreds to purchase small tracts convenient to schools. 
 The main problem was to employ the people, and he 
 resorted to every practical expedient to obtain work for 
 this purpose. He was constantly warning himself that 
 he must not make paupers. A favorite remark of his 
 was, ^' Give a staff to a lame man, but if you would cure 
 him he must not use it too lon^ !" 
 
 o 
 
 The hospitals and children's asylums from the Dela- 
 ware to the Ilio Grande took all army strnctures, Con- 
 federate and Union. General Howard's medical men 
 conducted them, wherein great humanitarian work was 
 done. Gradually they were transferred to the local 
 authorities, who were reimbursed, for so doing with the 
 buildings and other property belonging to the Govern- 
 ment. In these difTerent institutions, when the transfers 
 were made, Vv^ere between five and six hundred of old 
 and decre]_oit people for whom nobody would care. 
 These General Howard had taken to Washington, where 
 they became inmates of the IVeedmen's General Hospi- 
 
158 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 tal, wliicli still exists in connection with the Medical De- 
 partment of Howard University. Here these aged peo- 
 ple were made as comfortable as possible, and the Gov- 
 ernment gave them appropriations. 
 
 The next duty General Howard undertook in connec- 
 tion with the freedmen was to abolish the Bureau 
 Courts, which had fulfilled their purpose. After some 
 correspondence with the Governor of Alabama, he, ac- 
 companied by General Swayne, who had advised the 
 change, had a consultation with the governor, and the 
 plan of turning over the Bureau cares to the local magis- 
 trates was discussed and approved. The governor guar- 
 anteed the freedmen full right to testify in local courts, 
 and the transfer v/as thereupon made. Immediately the 
 people of the North cried out against the step. The 
 newspapers, in many instances, said that General How- 
 ard was giving lambs into the care of wolves, and pro- 
 tested against the course he had pursued. He replied 
 that the policy of the Government was to close the 
 Bureau work as soon as practicable, and that justice 
 would work itself clear in this instance if the right to 
 testify was not restricted. And this was the beginning 
 of the negro's testimony in the courts of the South. It 
 soon extended to other States. 
 
 Little by little the work of the Bureau was narrowed 
 in a similar way, by encouraging local or outside help, 
 and every department, excepting the educational, was 
 gradually restricted, until, at the end of two years, the 
 business was practically finished. 
 
 Unfortunately for the completion for which he was 
 always ardently hoping, Congress imposed upon him and 
 his Bureau a yet heavier task. An act was passed, as 
 before stated, by which devolved upon him as commis- 
 sioner the payment of bounties and dues to those col- 
 
HOWARD : THE CHKISTIAK HERO. 159 
 
 ored soldiers who liad served in the v/ar, or to their legal 
 representatives. There were about two hundred thou- 
 sand of these. They were to be paid by Bureau agents 
 without checks, the law requiring the money, in green- 
 backs, to be ]3laced in the hands of each soldier. These 
 men were scattered throughout the United States, and 
 many of them to regions outside its limits. The task 
 was the heaviest imposed upon General Howard, but he 
 organized the work, and as good a system as could be 
 devised was adopted and put into active operation. The 
 disbursing of so much money attracted dishonest people, 
 who looked upon it as an opportunity not to be lost. 
 Claim agents were corrupted and bought up, false claims 
 were put in, and the money obtained was too often 
 divided between the agents and the claimants. But, 
 after the most thorough investigation, it was proven that 
 ^' the entire loss of the GovernQuent from all sources in 
 the disbursement of vast sums hy General IloioardJs 
 Bureaii came within one eighth of one ])er cent of the 
 7no7iey expended.^'' 
 
 It was not possible that an officer carrying on such a 
 w^ork as the Freedmen's Bureau should escape calumny. 
 In its prosecution ho was brought into contact with sel- 
 fishness, self-seeking, rivalry, party spirit, deep-seated 
 race prejudices. Against him were also made charges of 
 misappropriation of funds belonging to the Government. 
 He was accused, and asked for a trial. The country rang 
 with the foul aspersions cast upon his name, and his use- 
 fulness was well-nigh paralyzed before the truth was 
 established. 
 
 It is not necessary to enter into the details of the 
 origin of the scandals circulated against him, or name the 
 pei-sons who were instrumental in bringing them. His 
 ardent advocacy of the rights of the negro was the pri- 
 
160 HOWARD: THE.CHRISTIAIT HERO. 
 
 mary cause of these attacks, and the ignorance of the 
 2)iil)lic regarding the Bureau and its workings led to 
 many erroneous and exaggerated stories gratuitously 
 circulated throughout the country. He, as its chief, was 
 held responsible not only for the faithful performance of 
 his work, but for that lack of hearty co-operation which 
 the public withheld from liim. He was at the head of 
 the most unpopular work which the Government had on 
 its hands — a work wliich, in view of race prejudice and 
 political opposition, seriously threatened the long military 
 record and national reputation of General Howard. 
 
 The freedmen were difficult wards to care for, and the 
 legitimate work given the commissioner to do was suffi- 
 cient to engross his time and thought. Helpless as chil- 
 dren, with wholly erroneous ideas of the meaning of the 
 word freedom, fresh from the excitement of war, a more 
 hopeless undertaking than giving them work and teach- 
 ing them to do it could hardly be imagined. It was not 
 until the true state of affairs and the nature of the burden 
 that rested upon Howard's shoulders was made public, 
 through the Court of Inquiry, that a just idea of the 
 magnitude of his task and its drawbacks was realized. A 
 less unselfish and patient man would have abandoned a 
 post open to assault from those who should have sastained 
 his work ; many times, weary of ingratitude, he longed 
 for release from its vicissitudes and vexations. 
 
 The public investigation of the Bureau management 
 was a blessing in disguise, though at the time the neces- 
 sity for it — constant misrepresentations — seemed the final 
 humiliation which his advocacy of human rights in the 
 interests of the colored race had entailed upon him. 
 Generous American sentiment came to his defence when 
 the facts were laid bare. All the difficulties under 
 which he had labored, the work that had been accom- 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 161 
 
 l>lislied, and tlie persecutions wliicli had followed him — 
 all that he v/ould have left nntold of himself, in his own 
 honor and to his credit, the investigation brought out, 
 and the nation's vindication came before the findings of 
 the investigating committee. The report of this com- 
 mittee was concluded in these strong sentences : 
 
 ' ' Has the Bureau been a success ? Success ! The world can point 
 to nothing like it in all the history of emancipation. No thirteen 
 millions of dollars were ever more wisely spent ; yet from the begin- 
 ning this scheme has encountered the bitterest opi^osition and the 
 most unrelenting hate. Scoffed at like a thing of shame, often 
 struck and sorely wounded ; sometimes in the house of its friends 
 aj)ologized for, rather than defended ; yet, with God on its side, tho 
 Freedmen's Bureau has triumphed ; civilization has received a new 
 impulse, and the friends of humanity may well rejoice. The Bureau 
 work is being rapidly brought to a close, and its accomplishments 
 will enter into history, while the unfounded accusations brought 
 against it will be forgotten. There is a day and an hour when slan- 
 der lives not. Wlien the passions of men subside, and wh-en the dust 
 of time has well fallen, then comes the hour of calmer judgment. 
 ]ife,ny-tongued scandal has the briefest of existence : 
 
 A wandering night-moth, 
 Allured by taper gleaming bright, 
 Now busy, now all darkling, 
 She snaps and fades to empty air. 
 
 Evil is quickly forgotten ; truth alone is abiding. 
 
 " In conclusion, the committee find, on the whole case, that the 
 charges are utterly groundless and causeless ; that the commissioner 
 has been a devoted, honest, and able public servant. The committee 
 find that his great trust has been performed wisely, disinterestedly, 
 economically^, and most successfully. If there be anything in the 
 conduct of the affairs of the Bureau which could excite a susj^icion, 
 even in the breast of partisan oi* personal hate, it is owing to the fact 
 that General Howard, conscious of his own purity, intent on his 
 great work, has never stopped to think of the appearances which 
 men of less conscious integrity much more carefiilly regard. Who is 
 the inventor or instigatar of these charges, it is not the purjjose of 
 the committee to inquire. Mr, Vv'ood, of New York, as has already 
 been stated, disclaims all personal responsibility for them. The 
 evidence which he adduced was not evidence tending to establish 
 the accusation, but was, nearly all of it, merely experimental— an 
 
1G2 HOWARD : the christiak hero. 
 
 inquiry by the person calling the witness into the details of transac- 
 tions of which he seemed to have neither accurate knowledge nor in- 
 formation, "While the examination was going on, with closed doors, 
 under a pledge of secrecy imposed on the committee, counsel and 
 parties, incorrect statements, purporting to be reports of the testi- 
 mony, were spread extensively through the country most injurious 
 to General Howard, and utterly without support in the evidence. It 
 is not in the power of the committee or the House to repair this in- 
 justice, or to compensate this faithful public officer for the indignity, 
 anxiety, and expense which his defence has entailed upon him. All 
 that is in our power is to recommend to the Plouse the passage of the 
 following resolution, as expressing our opinion of the whole case, 
 and an act of justice to a faithful and distinguished public servant : 
 "Eesolmd, That the policy pursued by the United States toward 
 four and a half millions of its people suddenly enfranchised by the 
 events of the great Civil War, in seeking to provide for them educa- 
 tion, to render them independent and self-supporting, and in extend- 
 ing to them civil and political equality, is a source of just national 
 pride ; and that the House hereby acquits Major-General Oliver O. 
 Howard of the groundless and causeless charges lately preferred 
 against him, and does hereby declare and record its judgment, that 
 in successfully organizing and administering with fidelity, integrity, 
 and ability the Freedmen's Bureau, which has contributed so much 
 to the accomplishment of the first two of these great ends, he is de- 
 serving of the gratitude of the American people. 
 
 " Samuel M. Abnell, 
 
 " John Beatty, 
 
 " Geoege F. Hoar, 
 
 *' "Washington Townsend, 
 
 " Charles M. Hamieton, 
 
 " Samuel S. Bubdett, 
 
 '' James N. Tyner, 
 
 *' Legeanb W. Peece." 
 
 "What tlie Bureau had done was well told in an article 
 in the Old and New (February, 1870), written by Sidney 
 Andrews. 
 
 ' ' Of the thousand things that the Bureau has done no balance 
 sheet can ever be made. How it helped the ministries of the Church, 
 saved the blacks from robbery and persecution, enforced respect for 
 the negro's rights, instructed all the people in the meaning of the 
 law, threw itself against the strongholds of intemperance, settled 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 163 
 
 neighborhood quarrels, brought about amicable relations between 
 emploj^er and employed, comforted the sorrowful, raised up the 
 down-hearted, corrected bad habits among whites and blacks, re- 
 stored order, sustained contracts for work, compelled attention to 
 the statute-books, collected claims, furthered local educational 
 movements, gave sanctity to the marriage relation, dignified labor, 
 strengthened men and women in good resolutions, rooted out old 
 prejudices, ennobled the home, assisted the freedmen to become land- 
 owners, brought offenders to justice, broke up bands of outlaws, 
 overturned the class-rule of ignorance, led bitter hearts into brighter 
 ways, shamed strong hearts into chjirity and forgiveness, promulgated 
 the new doctrine of equal rights, destroyed the seeds of mistrust and 
 antagonism, cheered the despondent, set idlers at work, aided in the 
 reorganization of society, carried the light of the North into dark 
 places in the South, steadied the negro in his struggle with novel 
 ideas, inculcated kindly feeling, checked the passion of whites and 
 blacks, opened the blind eyes of judges and jurors, taught the gospel 
 of forbearance, encouraged human sympathy, distributed the gen- 
 erous charities of the benevolent, upheld loyalty, assisted in creating 
 a sentiment of nationality — how it did all this and a hundredfold 
 more, who shall ever tell ? What pen shall ever record ?" 
 
 In an article in Johnson's Universal Cyclopsedia, on 
 the ^' Freedmen's Bureau," General Howard says : 
 
 ' ' Out of the * labor questions ' naturally came the questions for 
 courts — next, ' bureau courts and magistrates.' These were kept up 
 till the testimony of black men was received in the State and local 
 courts. . . . For a while, too, the subject of the marriage relation 
 gave rise to much perplexity. There were so very many who had 
 been married several times, or there had been so little recognition of 
 marriage at all before freedom, that the difficulties were great. 
 Agents saw to it that the marriage ceremony was performed, and a 
 careful record kei^t. In fact, scarcely any subject that has to be 
 legislated upon in civil society failed at one time or other to demand 
 the action of this singular Bureau. In time bureau coin-ts gave place 
 to others— bureau contracts and bureau marriages to local and cleri- 
 cal. The pauper class was gradually transferred ; the asylums and 
 hospitals one after another assumed by societies or towns ; ques- 
 tions of land-titles closed ; in brief, all operations were purposely 
 reduced and transmuted into the common system of government in 
 this country. The last thing of importance given up were the 
 schools, one asylum at Washington, and the payment of bounty." 
 
YIII. 
 
 Peace commissioner to the Apache Indians— In Arizona with Captain 
 Jeffords and " Cochees"— Returns to Washington with a delegation 
 of Indians — Peace secured — Howard's treaty confirmed by Presi- 
 dent Grant. 
 
 While hard at work closing up the Freedmen's Bureau 
 in Washington, in March, 1872, General Howard was 
 called to assume new duties in an unexpected quarter. 
 He was appointed Peace Commissioner to the Indians 
 of Arizona and 'New Mexico, including the Chiricaua 
 Apaches, a sub-tribe of the powerful Apache Indians of 
 Arizona. His reluctance in lea vino; a work in which he 
 had toiled througli so many difficulties and oppositions, 
 and done his duty amid bitter experiences of every char- 
 acter, which had only endeared it the more to him, was 
 tempered by the consideration that his mission still was 
 to bring peace and good-will among men. The Govern- 
 ment officials and the benevolent agencies of the country 
 had, by their combined efforts, succeeded in establishing 
 peace between the numerous tribes of Indians ; of the 
 two hundred and fifty thousand tribes, it was only a few 
 scattered bands near the Mexican frontier that had 
 continued their predatory raids, committing the worst 
 acts of cruelty wlien opportunities occurred. They had 
 been at desperate war with the white race for more than 
 ten years, killing and being killed, robbing and being 
 robbed. Their homes were in the fastnesses of the 
 Dragoon, Chiricaua, and Mogollon mountains, from 
 which they made constant sorties upon trains of wagons, • 
 
HOWAIID : THE CHRISTIAiT HERO. 165 
 
 stages loaded witli passengers, and individual travellers 
 who ventured along the rough paths of Arizona. They 
 occasionally attacked small hamlets and put villages on 
 both sides of the border under contribution. Living on 
 the debatable ground between the United States and 
 Mexico, they could escape the military forces protecting 
 the borders of either country by flying into the other. 
 A secret friendship existed between the different tribes ; 
 men and women of the Chiricauas were constantly going 
 among the other bands, inciting them to acts of violence, 
 so that outbreaks were expected at any moment by the 
 scattered white population of the frontier. Military 
 companies had followed Cochise and his captains into the 
 fastnesses of the mountains, and invariably been routed 
 and driven back. Of late they had given unusual 
 trouble, and the civil agents and missionaries had labored 
 in vain to conciliate them. It seemed likely that the 
 military power would have to be invoked to wipe out this 
 refractory band. But this last resort is always to be de- 
 plored, not only on account of the opposition of public 
 opinion favoring peace, but also the dangers of a general 
 Indian war. 
 
 While the authorities were deliberating as to the best 
 course to be adopted for the settlement of the troubles 
 without a military expedition, a member of the Indian 
 Board, an aged Friend, commonly called ^' Father 
 Lang, ' ' of Maine, went to the Secretary of the Interior, 
 Mr. Delano, and said, "Why not try General Howard 
 with the Apaches?" He answered thoughtfully that it 
 could do no harm, and promised to speak to the Presi- 
 dent. When the matter was laid before President Grant 
 his reply was, " You could not select a better man for 
 that." The appointment gave general satisfaction, and, 
 as it turned out, was the best that could have been 
 
166 HOAVARD : THE christia:n^ hero. 
 
 made. General Howard, however, was loatli to leave 
 Wasliington ; his heart v/as centred in bringing to a suc- 
 cessful and fitting termination his work on behalf of the 
 negroes ; but he has never allowed his personal wishes to 
 stand in the way of the performance of a duty. He put 
 the reins of his office into the hands of a subordinate, 
 and receiving written instructions and personal letters 
 from the President to grand-division and department 
 commanders whose territories he had to visit, started on 
 his long journey to the West. His commission extended 
 to the inspection of all the numerous Indian agencies in 
 New Mexico and Arizona, and gave him full powers. 
 
 General Howard is a man of great decision of charac- 
 ter ; once embarked in his new duties, he surveyed the 
 situation with much care, and formed his plans, from 
 which he never departed, and which, as events showed, 
 were best suited to the case. He began at the Pacific 
 side, went to tribe after tribe and band after band of 
 friendly Indians, as well as those whose attitude was 
 doubtful. The Yumas, the Pimas, the Maricopas, the 
 Papagos, and all the worst tribes of the Apaches, as the 
 Tontos, Arivipas, and White Mountain bands, were in 
 turn visited by him. He finally brought together in coun- 
 cil, on the Arivipa Creek, delegates from all the bands and 
 tribes which he could reach, hoping thus to meet with 
 some of the Cochisi party and to negotiate peace with 
 them. But these latter did not come. Besides the 
 representatives from various tribes, there were present at 
 the convention General Crook, department commander, 
 with an escort of soldiers ; the United States District 
 Attorney, with Americans and Mexican- American citi- 
 zens from Arizona. With these latter were brought the 
 little Indian children whom white men had taken at a mas- 
 sacre of Indians some time before, and had since kept as 
 
HOV/ARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HEUO. 167 
 
 servants. The district attorney, wlio was not in sympa- 
 tliy with the peace policy, and wanted to favor those who 
 held the children in slavery, strongly opposed their res- 
 toration to their own tribe. The wliite men present 
 were not more friendly ; they believed that the best plan 
 was to keep np tribal enmities as the surest means of 
 '' kee2:)ing the Indians down" and rendering them harm- 
 less. General Howard held that the best policy was to 
 " begin with peace, and peace with one another." He 
 Vvas strongly opposed in this view ; Mexicans and Ameri- 
 cans cursed him for his advocacy of peace ; soldiers 
 laughed at what they called his ^' fanatic folly." While 
 one side vehemently supported the retention of the capt- 
 ured children by the captors, the other, the Apache 
 tribes present, vowed they would make no permanent 
 peace without the restoration of the children. 
 
 The convention separated the first day without any 
 decision ; that night the tired disputants lay down to 
 sleep beside the Arivipa River, and, wearied after their 
 long journey, soon sank into repose. "While all around 
 were buried in sleep, General Howard, a prey to anxious 
 thoughts, held a kind of watch over his sleeping compan- 
 ions. The beauty of the night, which under ordinary 
 circumstances would have attracted him, was scarcely 
 noticed in the absorbing thoughts that banished slumber 
 from his eyes. His companions lay uncovered on their 
 blankets, for there was no chill or dampness in that soft, 
 mild atmosphere. One of the number, an Indian 
 teacher, who was asleep among the Pima delegates, he 
 softly approached and aroused. This man, George Koch, 
 was remarkable for his strong Christian faith and sincer- 
 ity, and the perplexed general sought his advice. ^' For- 
 give me," he said, '' for disturbing you, but I want your 
 counsel ; what would you do with those children ?" 
 
168 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 '^ Give tliem back to tlieir relations, of course," was 
 the prompt reply ; '' tliat is justice." 
 
 ^' But that will only stir up trouble, and will not bring 
 peace." 
 
 ''It is best to do right and take the consequences," 
 was the answer. 
 
 General Howard thanked him for his frankness, bade 
 him good-night, and walked away. He was no nearer a 
 decision in the matter than before, and could see no 
 practical way to carry out such a recommendation. In 
 his unrest and perj^lexity he wandered some distance ofi 
 and sat down by an old fallen tree, which afforded him a 
 resting-place. Plan after plan he revolved in his mind, 
 but no solution of his problem could he find. He 
 prayed for light in the mental and spiritual darkness that 
 oppressed him, but the answer came not. At last, over- 
 come by fatigue, he slept with his saddle for his pillow 
 and his civilian overcoat for his cover. Unarmed and in 
 the dress of a citizen, as became his mission, he had gone 
 among the Indians, and his bodily comforts were as few 
 as theirs. In all his sojourns among them he adapted 
 himself to tlieir mode of life, asking nothing more than 
 the privilege of sharing with them in all the discomforts 
 of any situation in which he might find himself. 
 
 The sun was not far up in a sky which seldom was 
 shadowed by a cloud when he awoke next morning. In- 
 stantly he sprang to his feet, and as quickly realized that 
 his problem was solved. The thought that had flashed 
 into his mind was to seek a care-taker for the children, 
 and leave them in the care of such a third person until 
 the authorities at Washington could consider and settle 
 the matter. To find this person was the next step, and 
 he could think of no better plan than to go to Camp Grant 
 and there counsel with the wife of the commandant, 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 169 
 
 Mrs. Crittenden. Hastening tliitlier, he found a ready 
 listener to his hopes and plans, and one who, fortunately, 
 could help him in his dilemma. '' Did she know of a 
 good, patient woman whom he could employ to take care 
 of these Indian children for a few weeks ?" Her reply 
 was that there was stationed at the post a sergeant whose 
 wife, the mother of a child frightfully afflicted with St. 
 Yitus's dance, might be induced to undertake the task. 
 She had been schooled in affliction, and was a patient, 
 gentle nurse, a Roman Cathohc, and hence all the more 
 suited to have the care of these waifs, who were all con- 
 verted into that faith by their present guardians. She 
 was sent for, heard the proposition, and, as Mrs. Crit- 
 tenden had predicted, said that she would accept the 
 responsibility at a fair compensation. The delighted 
 general went back to his post and made preparations for 
 the grand council, which met at noon. All the morn- 
 ing they had waited in vain for Eskiminzin's band of 
 Apaches, which claimed the captive children ; and now, 
 when it was mid-day, the proceedings were ordered to 
 begin,, and the leaders, with painted faces and sullen 
 manner, came filing in. 
 
 General Howard took his place of judge, and heard 
 again all that white men, officers of the army, Mexicans, 
 and Indians had to say. When all had spoken he rose, 
 and in a few simple words addressed them. Many of 
 the Indians could speak English, and those vvdio couid 
 not were quickly informed by interpreters. Tliey listened 
 attentively as he said, in substance : 
 
 '' I want you all to make a good peace — tribe with 
 tribe. Pimas and Apaches have been foes ; be friends. 
 The whites and Indians, too, have been at war, and must 
 lay aside their differences ; the Government demands 
 peace. As to the poor children taken at the massacre. 
 
170 HOWARD : the CHRISTIAiT HERO. 
 
 many were wounded, and were carried off bj families 
 claiming to be Christians. I decided yesterday that they 
 ought to be returned. The new guardians cry out 
 against it, saying, ' What, give the children we now love 
 and are Christianizing back to the wild Apaches ? It is 
 wrong ! ' The district attorney formally protests, and 
 says that it will make bitterness more bitter, and stir up 
 hate that will end in blood, and he ap]3eals from me. 
 All right. I will entertain his appeal. He serves the 
 attorney-general at Washington, and, just now, I serve 
 the Secretary of the Interior. Our common head is the 
 President. He shall decide this matter. Meanwhile the 
 children will remain at the agency near here ; all parties, 
 relations and guardians, can visit them freely at will, 
 and, providentially, we have found a Christian matron 
 of the same faith as the Mexican guardians, who will 
 have the immediate care and instruction of the children 
 till the President's wishes shall be known." 
 
 The district attorney, enraged at the decision, offered 
 to give bonds if General Howard would let him keep the 
 children. 
 
 "!N"o," was the prompt response; ''bonds are not 
 necessary. General Crook, with the army, will be secu- 
 rity." 
 
 The joy of the Indians was instantly manifested ; they 
 laughed and shed tears ; they embraced each other, first 
 by the right and then by the left embrace ; Pimas, 
 Apaches, Papagos, and all, and soon the Mexicans and 
 Americans, catching the spirit of the occasion, mingled 
 with the Indians, and returned their hearty demonstra- 
 tions with at least a show of cordiality. 
 
 That night, intent upon making peace with those of 
 the tribe who would not attend the council, he set out, 
 with an aide-de-camp and several other army officers, 
 
 < 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 171 
 
 and tlie agency interpreter, for the general camp of 
 Esldminzin's Apaclies, some miles distant from the scene 
 of tlie meeting. The Indians were encamped in a wild 
 region on high banks bordering a deep ravine, near the 
 scene of what was called " the Camp Grant massacre," 
 w^here the Indian cliildren had been taken captive. 
 
 It was General Howard's purpose to take with him a 
 delegation of these Indians to "Washington to interest 
 them in the civilization of which they knew nothing, 
 and to impress them, if possible, with the fruitlessness 
 of any straggle against the Government. He hoped also 
 by this means to keep up a friendly and influential con- 
 nection with them until the wild Indians, still at war as 
 outlaws, should be brought in and placed on a public 
 reserve. For this purpose he made the visit, lighted 
 only by the stars, to these Indians, who, on seeing the 
 general and his party coming up the ravine, set up a 
 great shout, which was followed by the gathering to- 
 gether of all the men, women, and children on the reser- 
 vation. The interpreter explained the object of the 
 visit, and General Howard sat down at the camp-fire of 
 the chief. Soon the storm of voices subsided, the terms 
 of peace explained, and arrangements were made for his 
 Washington delegation from that tribe. GeuBral How- 
 ard was greatly helj:>ed, as he had previously been at the 
 council and elsewhere, by the father-in-law of Eskiminzin, 
 an old Indian (an ex-chief), whose acquaintance and 
 friendship he had gained at a preliminary visit to the 
 ^' Camp Grant Agency." At that time the general, 
 when walking wdth an interpreter, saw an old Indian 
 almost without clothing, whose magnificently propor- 
 tioned head attracted his attention. The Indian was sit- 
 ting on a rough bench, looking attentively at General 
 [I - Howard and other new arrivals. Learning the name of 
 
172 noY/AED : the, cheistiak heeo. 
 
 the old chief, General Howard, looking kindly into his 
 stolid, expressionless face, directed the interpreter in 
 these words : *' Say to Santo that I have a Father- 
 above. ' ' It was so told him. ' ' Yon, Santo, have a Father 
 above." This also was interpreted. ^' My Father and 
 your Father ; He is tlie same Being." The Indian's face 
 brightened. '' Then you and 1 must be brothers." 
 
 The old chief quickly rose, the tears stood in his eyes, 
 and he went directly to General Howard and put his 
 hand into his. From that time this old man became 
 General Howard's best assistant and coadjutor among tlie 
 Indians. He was the first to consent to go to Wasliing- 
 ton, and during the trip never failed in his cordial help 
 to keep the Indians in heart amid their new experiences. 
 
 A month from the time of General How^ard's decision 
 regarding the Indian children, the President had ratified 
 the agreement, and peace was established. 
 
 The visit to Washington was made in July, 1872, the 
 Indians attracting much attention eii route. Arriving at 
 the capital, they were introduced to the President, who 
 welcomed them kindly ; to tlie Secretary of the Interior, 
 who made them j^resents which deh'ghted them, and they 
 were taken to see the Capitol, the arsenals, the schools, 
 the asylums, the prisons, churches, and manufactories. 
 They were presented to large assemblies of people who, 
 in Washington, Philadelphia, and Kew York, were in- 
 terested in them and in the efforts which were being 
 made to civilize them. The relations existing betw^een 
 General Howard and his fellow-travellers were of the 
 most harmonious character ; they looked up to him as to 
 a father, and trusted him with the unquestioning confi- 
 dence of children. He, in his turn, indulged their 
 childish whims, and instructed them as they travelled 
 regarding the country, its people, and other objects of 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO, 173 
 
 interest. An instance will show how perfect was their 
 confidence in General Howard, and how they were dis- 
 tressed vrhen anything told by him could not be brought 
 within the compass of their limited intelligence. On 
 being informed that the world was round, they turned to 
 the general in great amazement, and begged of him not 
 to make such absurd statements. He assured them that 
 one of his own family had started in a ship from the 
 port, to which he came back after a long voyage without 
 having changed the ship's course. They repeated the 
 same reply, and expressed the fear that their friend had 
 been bewitched. 
 
 General Howard returned with them to Ai-izona, and 
 they were delivered to their respective tribes after their 
 long journey of eight thousand miles. Disappointed at 
 learning, on his arrival at Camp Apache, that the parties 
 despatched to communicate with Cochise had failed to 
 reach him, he set out for Kew Mexico to visit other 
 tribes yet to be treated with, and had almost given up 
 hope of meeting Cochise, when he heard that there was 
 one man in Arizona who could get to him unharmed. 
 This man, known as Caj^tain Jeffords, had always been 
 spared by this chief and his people when other whites 
 were killed, and he had penetrated at least once into the 
 very camp of these hostiles. Unfortunately, no one 
 could tell Jeffords's whereabouts, and General Howard 
 reluctantly pursued his journey to the camp of a dissatis- 
 fied band of New Mexican Apaches, who were located in 
 the western part of that country, in a wild district where 
 they were watched by United States troops. These 
 Indians had been forced away from the growing settle- 
 ments along the Rio Grande, their beloved grounds near 
 Canada Alamosa ; and to their new habitation among the 
 hills he went to hear their complaints and see what could 
 
174 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 be done for tliem. An Indian's love of home is one of 
 the strongest traits of liis character, and these Indians 
 were homesick and unhappy. The kindly peacemaker 
 was in their midst, hearing their well-grounded com- 
 plaints against those wiio had forced them to accept, in 
 lieu of their fertile lands, the wild region they were 
 in, and had heen with them for a day at Tulerosa, 
 when Captain Jeffords, at evening, made his appearance 
 in the neighborhood as a guide to some scouting cavalry. 
 General Howard went to the cavalry camp and found 
 the noted scout, who, on learning his wishes, agreed to 
 take him to Cochise's camp, if he would consent to go 
 without escort. The ready assent of General Howard to 
 go in any way desired surprised and pleased Jeffords, 
 who at once set about making preparations for the trip. 
 General Howard was not to part so speedily as he in- 
 tended, however, with the Alamosa Indians, who clung 
 to him, and insisted upon his visiting their old home 
 with a party of their tribe. This would take him a hun- 
 dred miles out of his way, but the request was complied 
 with, as Jeffords thought it well for him to travel with 
 these messengers, and particularly with a young nephew 
 of Cochise, whom they found in the Alamosa band, 
 and whose presence they hoped would help in obtain- 
 ing an interview with his bloody uncle, the old and 
 wily Apache chief. The young wife of the nephew 
 Chie, who was at Tnlerosa, had been conciliated by 
 the present of a beautiful horse, which the general gave 
 to her. 
 
 The little party of half a dozen men, the general in 
 their midst, set out to travel the hundred miles, camping 
 in the woods by night, cooking, eating, and sleeping 
 together. When Sunday came General Howard notihed 
 his companions that he would halt for the day. The 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 175 
 
 Indians, attaching no special significance to the ddj, 
 proposed to have a hunt ; Jeffords told them that it \Yas 
 General Howard's habit to meditate and pray on the 
 Sabbath. They were much affected at this, and at once 
 declined to go on their hunt, saying that they would stay 
 in camp. They had only to know the manner in which 
 he wished them to act, and obedience was spontaneous. 
 After the first day's march, when the dinner was ready, 
 General Howard invited the Indians to come and dine 
 with him. His table was a piece of canvas spread on 
 the ground, and about it they grouped and waited in 
 reverential silence while lie asked God's blessing upon 
 the repast. This simple act, common enough in the 
 homes of our land, these children of the plains witnessed 
 for the first time, and they were greatly impressed v/ith 
 it. Chie soon became General Howard's devoted friend, 
 and when later they met with white men Vvdio hated 
 Indians and threatened him, the lad rushed to General 
 Howard for protection, and promised a reciprocal thing 
 when the wilder Apaches should be reached. 
 
 After Alamosa, on the Rio Grande, had been visited, 
 Jeffords desired the influence of another Indian helper, 
 the chief of a band called Ponce. This band had just 
 escaped from a I^ew Mexican agency, and had been 
 driven by Granger's troops into a wild valley about a 
 day's journey from Alamosa. To this place General 
 Howard, with Captain Sladen, his aide, Jeffords, tlie 
 Indian lad Chie, and three others, started early one 
 morning, and that afternoon the general, with Jeffords, 
 who were several miles in advance of the rest of the 
 party, came to the brow of a hill which overlooked a 
 deep ravine and bej^ond a meadow-land bordering a 
 small stream. There encam23ed, perhaps three miles dis- 
 tant, was the band of Ponce. The braves were grouped 
 
17G HOWARD: THE GHRISTIAIT H^RG. 
 
 in a circle on the ground ; the women were variously 
 employed, some watching the ponies that grazed near 
 by, others were caring for the bal)ies, while still others 
 were engaged in cooking by little fires. The larger 
 children were busy at play. General Howard and his 
 companion, following the trail of a returning Indian 
 scout, descended the ravine at once, and when they had 
 arrived at the camp Ponce, who v/as in the circle, left 
 his companions and approached the intruders. Jeffords 
 explained their business, and General Howard won his 
 consent to accompany them by the presentation of a 
 horse to him and one to his wife, and by promising to 
 give protection and food to his wife while he should be 
 away. Accompanied by Ponce, his party now number- 
 ing nine persons, he turned his face again toward the 
 Apache Pass and the Arizona line. Ponce was the son 
 of a famous old chief. Ponce, who had been in his life- 
 time a good friend to Cochise ; he could S23eak Spanish, 
 and would be therefore of value to General Howard in 
 his interviews with the Indians he was to visit, all of 
 whom spoke the Mexican-Spanish as fluently as their 
 own dialect. 
 
 One or two incidents illustrative of General Howard's 
 methods of dealing with the emergencies which arose 
 during this long, wearisome march may be related here. 
 Over and above the dangers presented by the wild coun- 
 try he had to traverse, a constant source of anxiety was 
 the attitude of white men toward the Indians of his party. 
 These latter consisted, as we have seen, of Chie, the 
 nephew of Cochise, and Ponce, the friend of this chief. 
 At a small mining town, where they had encamped for 
 the night, a hostile demonstration was reported to be on 
 foot against his Indian companions. Learning the fact, 
 General Howard promptly called a meeting of the peo- 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAI^ HERO. 177 
 
 pie, and explained the wishes of the President and his 
 mission to the Indians. In the assembled crowd mnr- 
 mnrs of dissatisfaction were heard at first, but the earnest 
 words and manly aj)peal of the speaker soon qnieted 
 them. When the crowd dispersed, General Howard, % 
 considering it imprudent to risk another outburst of 
 public feeling against the Indians under his protection, 
 left before sunrise. 
 
 "While travelling, one day, he met a party of '^ pros- 
 pectors" armed to the teeth. One of the number, a 
 strong, rough frontiersman, v/hose brother had been 
 murdered by Indians, was particularly bloodthirsty. 
 He had sworn revenge, and rejoiced that the opportu- 
 nity had now come to retaliate by taking the lives of 
 the Indians with General Howard. The latter was 
 unarmed, and the assailants outnumbered his men. 
 Resistance was useless, and moral power accomplished 
 that which physical force would have failed to secure. 
 Stepping in front of the Indians, he opened his coat and 
 said, "Shoot me first." The men hesitated, when he 
 explained to them who he was and what was his purpose 
 in travelling with these dusky companions. The leader 
 turned aside with an oath, and the general and his 
 party went their w^ay. The rest of the journey was 
 made in safety. After tracing individual trails to larger 
 ones, using the Indians to divine and interpret signs, 
 they came to the foot of the Mogollon Range, where 
 they reached an Indian outpost, with which Chie ex- 
 changed signals, which consisted in barking like coyotes, 
 and discovered that it belonged to Cochise. A friendly 
 greeting v/as accorded the travellers, who ate and slept 
 with their hosts. The leader of this band of scouts, a 
 stolid, old Apache, objected to General Howard going to 
 ShieJcshah (Cochise) with so many men. After some 
 
178 HOWARD : THE CHEISTIAK HERO. 
 
 parleying it was decided tliat tlie general should be per- 
 mitted to proceed, accomj)anied by two others. 
 
 The next morning General Howard, accompanied by 
 Captain Sladen and Jeffords, the scont, and preceded by 
 .Ponce and Chie, wonnd their way along the trail over 
 the mountain range. On being remonstrated with on 
 the imprudence of venturing into the powder of an un- 
 friendly band with such a small company, General How- 
 ard quietly replied : 
 
 " 1 have considered the situation carefully, and do not 
 feel that 1 am doing wrong. This is the work given 
 me. ' He that saveth his life shall lose it, and he that 
 loseth his life for my sake shall find it.' I have laid 
 mine on the altar." 
 
 After a further j^erilous journey of a hundred miles, 
 crossing the second range of mountains from the 
 Mogollon, the travellers found themselves near the last 
 fastness. Here they unpacked their mules, unsaddled 
 their horses, and got their dinner, while Chie preceded 
 them, gliding down a fearful crag into a deep cut of the 
 huge Dragoon Hange. Before sundown two Indian lads 
 appeared and guided them six or seven miles into a 
 cavernous inclosure, where natural side walls rose up 
 hundreds of feet, and the ingress and egress of v/hicli 
 could be successfully guarded by half a dozen rifles. 
 
 That night even Chie and Ponce were gloomy. 
 Cochise was not there, and the hostile sub-chief in charge 
 of the camp, mainly one of women and children, could not 
 tell when he would be back. When the general pre- 
 pared his blankets and lay down under a tree for such 
 repose as would come under the circumstances, he 
 noticed that some of the Indian children were near by, 
 though the women had all gone to the slopes of the in- 
 closing steeps. "When these children gathered about him 
 
nOWARD : THE CHIIISTIAJ^ nERO. 179 
 
 and several lay down on liis blanket beside liim, lie felt 
 greater safety, and was satisfied that he and his compan- 
 ions wonld at least live until morning, l^ext morning 
 tlie Indians assembled near him, as he consulted with 
 Jeffords as to the best step to take ; while talking to- 
 gether the brother of the chief appeared riding down the 
 ravine, and behind him followed a small, well-mounted 
 party. It w\as Cochise, his son, w^ife, and sister, and the 
 Indians, when they recognized their chief, sent up a great 
 shout of w^ el come. He rode among them, dismounted, 
 and seeing Jeffords, embraced him, and was then pre- 
 sented to General Howard, whom he eyed suspiciously. 
 Shortly afterward a council was held ; blankets were 
 spread for Cochise and the strangers, and the Indians, 
 men and women, formed a circle about the group. 
 Ponce and Chie reported the travels of the white party, 
 and when they had concluded Cochise asked the gen- 
 eral sternly, ^ollat lie came there for. The latter re- 
 plied, " The President sent me to make peace v/ith you, 
 Cochise." 
 
 The majestic-looking Indian replied in Spanish, ''No- 
 body can want peace more than I do." 
 
 '' Then we will effect it," said General Hov\^ard. 
 
 The talk that followed was a long one, the Indian 
 warily avoiding any promise while exacting many. 
 Finally the chief abruptly asked, " How long will you 
 stay with me V 
 
 It was not a safe place for a white man to be in, but 
 General Howard replied, '' As long as is necessary." 
 
 "Well," he answered, "my warriors are faraway 
 getting their living, some in Mexico ; it will take ten 
 days to get word and bring them in." 
 
 The general answered that he would wait ten days. 
 The chief seemed p)leased, and showed signs of trust. 
 
180 ■ HOWARD : THE CHKISTIAis- HERO. 
 
 wlien his face again clouded, and lie said, " The soldiers 
 will kill them as they come back." 
 
 The general answered, '^I^o; I will send Captain 
 Sladen with orders." Cochise shook his head in disap- 
 ' proval, and said, " E"o, you go yourself ; they will obey 
 you. Leave Captain Sladen with me ; we have young 
 ladies to entertain him." At this the numerous Indian 
 maidens clapped their hands and shouted. It was finally 
 arranged that General Howard should go to Camp 
 Bowie, the nearest army post, upward of fifty miles 
 away. He asked the chief to send a guide w^itli him, 
 but no Apache lad could be induced to go, certainly not 
 before a peace had actually been established. In the 
 dilemma Chie stepped out and said, '^ I will go." The 
 offer was accepted, and the two, mounted upon mules, 
 set out to cross the Dragoon Range and make their way 
 to the military garrison through a pathless wilderness. 
 The travellers could speak but few words that either 
 could understand, and the tedious journey was unrelieved 
 by conversation. Guided only by the stars they crossed 
 canyons, flanked perilous steeps, and finally reached the 
 rolling prairies, entering Hogers' Ranch in a forlorn 
 condition. The owner of this ranch was a lonely fron- 
 tiersman, and a venturesome whiskey-trader, who was 
 finally murdered by the Indians. He took the travellers 
 the remaining distance in a wagon, passing en route Apache 
 Pass, where the father of Chie, with numerous other 
 Apache Indians, had been hanged by our soldiers ten years 
 before. This affair it w^as that caused the unrelenting sav- 
 agery and hate of Cochise and his band. As the party 
 drove into the ravine the young Indian covered his bov/ed 
 head, and seem^ed oppressed witli painful emotions. Gen- 
 eral Howard comforted him with his sympathy and quieted 
 his outburst of feeling before they entered the camp. 
 
HOYfARD : THE CIIRISTIAiq" HERO. 181 
 
 Major Sumner, wlio was in command of the garrison at 
 Bowie, conld at first hardly heheve that the forlorn-looking 
 individual, with scratched face and ragged apparel, could 
 be the officer he claimed to be, though he had known him 
 previously ; and before m^atters were explained several ex- 
 asperated soldiers threatened to shoot the Apache in re- 
 venge for one of their comrades, who had been dread- 
 fully wounded by Indians in ambush only a day or two 
 before. General Howard rested while wagons were 
 loaded with provisions. Instructions were issued to 
 restrain all garrisons and soldiers from prosecuting war 
 against Cochise and his band until further orders. Then 
 he returned to the stronghold of the Apaches, Cochise, 
 Jeffords, Sladen, and a large party of Indians meeting 
 them some miles away to welcome hint back. 
 
 Thirteen days altogether General Howard and his 
 party remained with these wild savages, utterly at their 
 mercy. General Howard had no w^eapon with him, not 
 even a pistol. "With but his left hand to use it, he was 
 as well off without a weapon as with one, perhaps better 
 off. The instinctive hking of the children shown for him 
 the first night he entered the camj) most undoubtedly 
 turned the scale in his favor and saved the life of himseK 
 and Captain Sladen. The absence of Cochise and the 
 warriors made the few Indians in camp suspicious, and 
 the spies among them, w^ho kept close watch over Gen- 
 eral Howard, v/ould have unhesitatingly despatched him 
 had he returned their feelings of doubt and mistrust. 
 But he had gone there prepared to die, and was cheerful 
 and hopeful in consequence. When, however, they saw 
 the feeling of the children toward the man, and observed 
 that they were sleeping beside him and about him, their 
 vigilance relaxed, and Cochise's coming was awaited by 
 them vvithout anxiety. The women liked him, and at 
 
182 HOWARD : THE CHIIISTIAH HERO. 
 
 times, gjpsj-like, made liim dance witli tliem on the 
 green. T^YO women would liold to him, one bj his 
 hand, the other by liis empty sleeve, till he had given 
 them some present, called the dance forfeit. He amused 
 himself by teaching the children to make letters, and 
 suffering them to teach him counting and other Apache 
 words. Cochise soon revered and iinally loved him as a 
 brother. One day he said, '' Don't be sad, General, 
 w^hen you see the rifle of a white man here, for there has 
 been war." Another time he asked Jeffords how Gen- 
 eral Howard dared come tliere where every white man 
 for years had been killed. Jeffords replied, '' General 
 Howard fears nothing." This idea that he neither 
 feared nor hated them won the hearts of the Indians. 
 Cochise would not suffer tlie smallest article to be taken 
 from him unless he gave it as a present. 
 
 At last all the warriors were in, and the council was 
 called for the night. The strangers were left by them- 
 selves, and they assembled on a plateau in the mountains. 
 After some time they were sent for, and went to the 
 circle, in the centre of which was Cochise, standing. 
 His captains were on the ground about him, sitting in 
 Indian fashion. Outside were the women and children. 
 They had begun a low chant before General Howard 
 and his companions reached them, and this gradually in- 
 creased in sound until the high, shrill voices echoed, like 
 a wild scream, through tlie caves and canyons of the 
 mountain. After it had ceased Cochise spoke, and 
 Jeffords, the guide, interpreted his words to mean that 
 the spirits had been consulted and had told them that 
 the time had come for the Indian and white man to eat 
 bread together. 
 
 We can imagine the satisfaction with which General 
 Howard received this news ; he eagerly grasped the 
 
HOWARD : THE CHKISTIAK HERO. 183 
 
 proffered hand of Cochise, and then joined in the hearty 
 congratulations with all the camp. 
 
 The next day the officers from Bowie met General 
 Howard and the Indians at Dragoon Springs, some ten 
 miles distant from the stronghold, and peace was estab- 
 lished — a peace which Cochise ke^^t as long as he lived. 
 Our own people were the first to violate the conditions 
 in subsequent years, and to take those lands from the 
 Indians which were giv^en to them by General Howard 
 and confirmed by President Grant. 
 
IX. 
 
 The Court of Inquiry — Vindication — General Howard triumphant — 
 Ordered to the Department of the Columbia — The Nez-Perces War 
 — Incidents of the pursuit and capture of Chief Joseph and his 
 band — An answered prayer — The return — Appointed Superin- 
 tendent of the Military Academy at West Point. 
 
 When tlie Freedmen's Bureau act was passed in the 
 House, it liad but one majority, its educational feature 
 being particularly unpopular with, the re]3resentatiyes. 
 Mr. Elliott, of Massachusetts, the chairman of the Freed- 
 men's Committee, remarked to General Howard one 
 day : '' I rejoice at your work, but I would hardly dare, 
 at this time, tell my colleagues what you are doing." 
 This statement indicates very conclusively the tone of 
 feeling then existing in the minds of those who were to 
 make or mar its usefulness. The act creating the Bureau 
 was for one year, and it was the wish of its friends in 
 Congress to have it do its work and be brought to a final 
 close in that length of time. Though Republicans were 
 supposed to wish to make it a permanency, and engraft 
 another doubtful branch, like the Indian Bureau, u2:)on 
 the general government, yet leaders like Mr. Morton, of 
 Indiana, were exceedingly anxious to rid themselves of 
 a measure that was not popular at the start. 
 
 This being the case, it is not surprising that during 
 General Howard's absence from Washington such oppo- 
 nents of the Bureau worked toward its abolishment. In 
 fact, the Secretary of War (it being a bureau of his de- 
 partment) promised a committee of the House to close up 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 185 
 
 its operations if it should be left to liim. This promise 
 doubtless governed the last Congressional measure and 
 also caused that searching investigation made by the War 
 Department into all the accounts of disbursing agents 
 during the absence of General Howard. Though no 
 substantial charge was raised against him directly, yet 
 for a time several of his disbursing oflScers v/ith unsettled 
 accounts presented favorable points for partisan attacks 
 for the framing of charges. 
 
 Smarting under these unjust charges formulated by the 
 Secretary of War, pubhshed in all the newspapers of the 
 country, and sent to Congress officially, General Howard 
 wrote letters to Generals Grant and Sherman, and also 
 to Secretary Belknap, demanding a speedy and thorough 
 examination. The one sent to General Sherman best 
 portrays his state of mind under the circumstances. 
 
 *« Washington, D. C, November 27, 1873. 
 General W. T. Sherman, Commanding Army of the Uniied States. 
 
 ' ' Geneeal : On account of the steady confidence you have reposed 
 in me, I write the following to you ; I am constrained to take a step 
 that I believe I ought to explain to you and to the officers of the 
 army affected by it. I wish to be assigned to army duty wherever it 
 shall seem best to you to select my place of assignment. 
 
 " You have twice offered me this opportunity. My reasons for not 
 promptly embracing the offer were twofold : (1) I was anxious to 
 complete the work of the Freedmen's Bureau, to which I had been 
 assigned without any solicitation on my part, but which of necessity 
 developed into enormous proportions, and which requires time prop- 
 erly to close, (2) I was anxious that the university, which had 
 grown up under my eye, and which I deemed all important as a part 
 of the higher educational advantages I had been instrumental in 
 securing, especially for those classes of our people whose interests 
 were for a long time so largely committed to my care, should be put 
 upon a secure basis in all its breadth of scope, before committing its 
 presidency to a successor. 
 
 " I have endeavored to give it an endowment worthy of the object. 
 Unexpected opposition, the usual misrepresentation of the motives 
 
186 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 of one engaged in such a work, and hindrances of a public and pri- 
 vate nature have made this work slow and onerous. It is not yet 
 done, but I am unable with my private income to continue it. I had 
 intended to ask to be placed before a retiring board— in fact, I did so 
 apply to the War Department. But I was sent to Arizona and New 
 Mexico very soon thereafter, and was obliged to undertake duty 
 equally arduous with any that I performed during the war ; on this 
 I withdrew my application. I found myself as able to undergo 
 fatigue and privation and all the labor that jpertains to field duty 
 as at any previous time in my life. You will remember also that 
 the loss of my arm never disabled me from the performance of any 
 duty demanded of me as a general officer. I have, however, often 
 thought of retiring, hoping that my hard services during the war, 
 and the much harder services required of me since the war, would 
 be considered in my favor. But under present circumstances it is 
 not prudent for me to take this step of asking to be retired. 
 
 " While many who commanded a division only for a time have 
 been retired with the rank of major-general, I cannot lawfully be so 
 retired, because I was v/ounded so early in the war, while a briga- 
 dier, commanding a brigade, and would, therefore, be obliged to 
 retire as a brigadier. 
 
 " This might seem to be ample, and would be doubtless but for 
 the obligations I have been forced to incur in the work providentially 
 given me to do. 
 
 * ' I confess that weightier reasons affect me now than any I have 
 given to influence my return to army duty. 
 
 " Bulletins affecting me unfavorably have gone broadcast. My in- 
 tegrity is officially acknowledged, I admit, and I hold letters of high 
 commendation ; and further, my seven years of unremitting toil, 
 anxiety, and responsibility are known, and the good fruits are seen 
 by those who care to see and acknov/ledge them. 
 
 " Yet it is idle for me to try to conceal from myself the plain fact 
 that there is a persistent effort to tarnish my record, and if not in 
 official quarters the result is precisely the same. All the books and 
 papers of a large bureau are transferred to other hands. 
 
 " A lengthy examination is then instituted, and whatever there- 
 suits of this examination may be, from it grows public suspicion and 
 accusation against me and the honorable officers who were associated 
 v>dth me. 
 
 " Now all this I wish to face. You have seen me in battle, and 
 know how I can face death. I shall face accusation with the same 
 fearless spirit. I wish to go to duty, to give all accusers ample time 
 
HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 187 
 
 and opportunity to round out their charges, and if they see fit so to 
 do, I wish to be tried by a court-martial as the tribunal best suited to 
 one of my history and rank. 
 
 " Again, I have another reason for service. Should we now have 
 a war with Spain, to free more slaves from dire oppression and de- 
 fend the honor of our flag, the President would surely give me the 
 opportunity of service, I do not wish to be shelved or crushed. 
 
 " Is it not a good thing to endeavor to preserve, and not destroj'", 
 the fair fame of men vv^ho ardently love their country, and who have 
 in a series of successful battles demonstrated that this love is no 
 empty boast ? 
 
 " By the consideration of past service, by my earnest loyalty to 
 my country, by my desire to preserve an unsullied record for my 
 children's inspection, I ask for my proper place among the ofTicers of 
 the arm J'-. 
 
 ' ' I am not only conscious of integrity, but of fidelity. My work 
 was of necessity incomplete, but no wrong on the part of any ofl&cer 
 or clerk was ever knowingly covered up by me, and I was as diligent 
 as I could be in the jjursuit of wrong-doers. 
 
 " I shrink from no danger or trial or duty, but I deprecate insinua- 
 tion and suspicion. On j)ublic and personal grounds I ask your aid 
 to restore me to the post of service and confidence that I know you 
 to believe belongs to me. 
 
 "Very respectfully yours, 
 *' O, O. HowAED, Brigadier-General U. S. Army." 
 
 Tlie Special Court of Inquiry was appointed, with 
 General Sherman as president, and after a thorough ex- 
 amination of QYerj charge its findings were as follows : 
 
 "First The court is of opinion that, in matters referred to it for 
 investigation, General 0. 0. Howard has not, with knowledge and 
 intent, violated any law of Congress, regulation of the army, or rule 
 of morals, and that he is ' not gviilty ' upon legal, technical, or moral 
 responsibility in any of the offences charged. 
 
 " Second. The court finds that General Howard, when charged by 
 his superiors with a great work arising out of the war, devoted his 
 whole time and all his faculties and energies to the execution of that 
 work. In this he employed hundreds of assistants, and dealt with 
 hundreds of thousands of men. In regard to the expenditure of 
 money, it appears that his accounts are closed and settled to the sat- 
 isfaction of the accounting officers of the Treasury, whose decisions 
 
188 HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 in such matters are by law the highest authority, ' final and conclu- 
 sive upon tlie executive branch of the government, and subject to 
 revision only by Congress or the proper courts.' 
 
 ^^ Third. In relation to the investment of certain public moneys in 
 United States bonds, while the court does not hold that such invest- 
 ments were justified by existing laws, yet, in view of the fact that 
 these investments were made only under the opinion and advice of 
 the Second Comptroller, the court attaches no blame to General 
 Howard therefor. The investment of portions of a similar fund — 
 viz., the ' irregular bounty fund,' had previously been authorized by 
 express law. 
 
 ^'Fourth. Some questions arising out of the sudden termination of 
 the operations and organization of the Freedmen's Bureau yet remain 
 to be settled, with those who were formerly subordinates and assist- 
 ants to the commissioner. Some few erroneous payments made by 
 honest subordinates, and some others made, or not made, by officers 
 now dead or cashiered for fraud, remain to be adjusted. The adjust- 
 ment of these matters belongs properl}' to the successors of General 
 Howard in the Bureau ; and in these matters, as in all others brought 
 to notice of the court during thirty-seven days of careful and labori- 
 ous investigation, the court finds that General Oliver 0. Howard did 
 his whole duty, and believes that he deserves well of his country.' ' 
 
 This was not tlie result hoped for bj rivals ; instead 
 of censure the court gave General Howard high praise, 
 and President Grant's apj)roval was quickly affixed to its 
 findings. Howard's long martyrdom was ended, and on 
 the 3d of July he received his appointment to the com- 
 mand of the Department of the Columbia, with head- 
 quarters at Portland, Oregon. 
 
 As may be imagined, the troubles that prevented a 
 peaceful solution of the Freedmen's Bureau problem, 
 and cost General Howard so much personal anxiety and 
 annoyance, reacted upon his devoted household. Soon 
 after entering npon his duties as commissioner. General 
 Howard removed his family from Maine to "Washington, 
 and for nine years they resided uninterruptedly there, 
 occupying for a time a house on the corner of Pennsyl- 
 vania Avenue and Twenty-fifth Street, and afterward 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 189 
 
 moving to the University gromids. Tliey had many army 
 friends at the capital, and were happy in the reunion of 
 family and friends after years of separation ; and but for 
 the persecutions which were waged npon General Howard 
 throngh political and personal hostility, the home-life 
 would have been delightful. It was ever a restful and 
 peaceful retreat after the trials of each day, and when 
 the storm was fiercest and the future looked darkest, 
 then did it seem indeed a veritable haven to the weary 
 man. It was the hope of the hearthstone circle that.^ 
 
 !* after his return from Arizona, he would be released 
 from the department over which he had presided and be 
 permitted to rejoin the army. As we have seen, he 
 { returned only to meet the mental and pecuniary drain of 
 a trial by a military court, which he in self-justice had 
 been forced to demand. On the day when the charges 
 which resulted in this court were first published. General 
 Howard, entirely ignorant of the blow in store for him, 
 went to his ofiice as usual, and was busy at his desk when 
 an intimate friend entered, and, after a few remarks, 
 inquired if he had seen the Eew York papers. He 
 had not, he said, and carelessly asked vrhat was in them. 
 The painful task of informing him of the charges that 
 had been sent broadcast over the land that morning was 
 performed, and General Howard sat reading them in 
 silent anguish, when a poor woman entered and made an 
 appeal for help. His state of mind was such that he 
 could hardly comprehend her words at first ; but, sum- 
 moning strength, he kindly inquired into her case, 
 relieved her wants^ sent her away happy, and then went 
 home. His wife received the papers he handed to her, 
 and sat down beside the sofa on which he had thrown 
 himself until she had read the cruel charges through in 
 silence. Her ready tact and composure were never so 
 
190 HOWARD : THE chuistiait hero. 
 
 greatly needed, for tlie strong man's heart was sorely 
 Inirt by the ruthless slanders uttered against Inm ; and as 
 she laid the papers aside she gave him encouraging assur- 
 ances that it would all come out right. Long and earnest 
 were the silent prayers he offered, and searching was the 
 examination he made of himself to see that no hatred of 
 those who w^ere persecuting him was in his heart. 
 Finally he arose and went to his desk to write the letters 
 to General Sherman and others, that secured the prompt 
 trial which resulted in his vindication. 
 
 Then it was decided that he and Mrs. Howard should 
 go to New York to engage counsel, and the journey was 
 made, the tired couple returning to Washington on the 
 evening of the second day thereafter. During their ab- 
 sence the occasion had been taken by some of their 
 friends to place in their parlor a reminder of their love 
 and unalterable confidence in the general. 
 
 The children welcomed their parents with impatient de- 
 light, and one of the little boys urged his mother to come 
 directly to the parlor. Yielding to his entreaties, she 
 went to the room, and found, in addition to its usual fur- 
 nishings, a superb piano. On the instrument was the 
 sentence, '' From your friends, " and embroidered on the 
 rich cover was the verse, '^ Blessed are ye, when men 
 shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all man- 
 ner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." ^' The date 
 affixed was the same as that on w^hich the charges were 
 preferred by the Secretary of War. 
 
 The children could give no information regarding the 
 donors, and, thinking that a sight of the beautiful instru- 
 ment would cause great pleasure, were surprised to see 
 both father and mother weeping. They were completely 
 
 * Matt. 5 : 11. 
 
nOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 191 
 
 unnerved and overjoyed, and tlieir joy was of tlie kind 
 that is closely allied to pain. Years af terv/ard, in speak- 
 ing of tills event, Mrs. Howard, with a beautiful light 
 shining through her tears, said, " It came at a time when 
 we did not know that we had a friend !" They never 
 knew to whom they were indebted for this prized gift. 
 
 The Department of the Columbia, to which the gen- 
 eral was assigned, included Washington Territory, Idaho, 
 and Alaska. Here had been terrible wars with the 
 Indian tribes of the Simcoes, "Walla "Wallas, Umatillas, 
 Spokanes, and others, the last being with the relentless 
 Modocs, where General Canby and his companions were 
 treacherously slain. General Howard visited ail the 
 tribes and agencies ; he saw the friendly and unfriendly, 
 and even penetrated the remote territory of Alaska, and 
 answered earnest petitions of those Indians for teachers, 
 by securing the attention and interest of missionary 
 bodies for the poor red man of the fcir West. 
 
 Many chiefs of Washington Territory and Idaho, who 
 had been irritated and driven to hostility by those reck- 
 less frontiersmen, who, for the sake of trade, continued 
 to sell whiskey, arms, and ammunition, and took posses- 
 sion of their lands, did not scruple to betray them, were 
 conciliated and persuaded to peace. Isfot a few travelled 
 hundreds of miles to meet him, and scrupulously kept 
 with him all their ao;reements. The famous Chief 
 Moses, who reigned over a few wild lands in the extreme 
 north-west, was once treacherously seized by white men, 
 disarmed, put in irons, and confined in a close prison. 
 When first surprised he ordered his followers to put 
 down their arms and not lire, for he had so promised 
 General Howard. In prison he continued to entreat that 
 General Howard should be informed of his case, for he 
 constantly averred that the instant that friend knew of 
 
192 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 liis trouble lie would be released. Moses did not trust in 
 vain. He was released and restored to his place by 
 General Howard at the expense of much hostility and 
 many curses from those wdio were determined to annihi- 
 late this Indian and his tribe. Subsequently, during the 
 severe wars of 1877 and 1878, thousands of Indians were 
 kept at peace by the help of Moses and others whom 
 General Howard had bound by ties of mutual trust to 
 himself. 
 
 In 1877, while in command at Portland, Or., and 
 inspecting his post of Lapwai, Id., trouble broke out 
 between the Nez Perces Indians and the settlers, induced 
 primarily by the reductions of their reservation. The 
 course of the Government toward the tribe was not 
 based on absolute or even relative justice, and the Ind- 
 ians naturally resorted to retahatory measures. General 
 Howard, in his book '' 'Nez Perces Joseph," * gives a 
 history of this tribe, and sets forth the true state of affairs 
 which brought on war and caused so much bloodshed be- 
 fore it was subjugated. Speaking of the responsibility 
 of the Government for many of the WTongs inflicted 
 upon the red man, General Howard says : 
 
 ** It is difficult to explain the almost uniform injustice which the 
 American people have practised toward the Indians. I do not be- 
 lieve that we are worse than the French, the Sj^anish, or than our 
 English neighbors in British Columbia, though surely we can nearly 
 match the massacre of St. Bartholomew, the cruelties of the Inquisi- 
 tion, or the ferocity of London rioters in our dealings with the red 
 men. I am inclined to believe the jar to be in our unadjustable sys- 
 tem, which, like a machine built upon a springy soil, is perpetually 
 out of gear. Our fathers, finding the Indians here, and being dis- 
 posed to peace, first recognized in them the right of occupancy of the 
 lands. This recognized right the Indians have always misunder- 
 
 ■"' Nez Perces Joseph. His Pursuit and Capture. Lee & Shopard, 
 publishers, Boston. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 193 
 
 stood. They have believed it to mean much more than simple occu- 
 pancy. 
 
 " As our new settlements have rapidly extended, we have entered 
 into and recorded solemn treaties, by which we have made of the 
 numerous small tribes so many nations. Soon the national and local 
 laws, which are constantly in conflict with the laws of these inde- 
 pendent nations, go into active and often antagonistic operatior 
 For example : the settler, in carrying out the homestead law, plants 
 his stakes on the Indian's farm. A petty contest results. An Indian 
 or a white man is killed. Close upon this follows a horrid Indian 
 war — a war so outrageous that ho7ia fide forgiveness anywhere in the 
 neighborhood of the remembered crimes seldom, if ever, succeeds." 
 
 Blood was shed in the Nez Perces war by white men 
 first, and the w^ork of murder was begun ; the non- 
 treatj portion of the tribe, who boasted that they had 
 never killed a white man, at last went to war, commit- 
 ting outrages too horrible to recall needlessly. General 
 Howard took the field in person, and continued to gather 
 his troops and combat the Indians till he had conquered 
 them in battles. At last the wily and able young chief, 
 Joseph, with his braves, women, and children, and his 
 droves of ponies, undertook a flight of more than thir- 
 teen hundred miles, in order to pass the familiar buffalo 
 hunting grounds, get into Canada, and form junction 
 with Sitting Bull, the chief w^ho had previously de- 
 stroyed General Custer and his cavalry. The pursuit 
 was conducted across the continent, and General How- 
 ard was fortunate to secure the co-operation of other 
 forces than his own, especially that of General Miles, so 
 that Joseph and his warriors were finally defeated and 
 the band captured before they passed the British line. 
 
 The Christian spirit which has been often referred to 
 in these pages as the marked characteristic of this soldier 
 of the cross, as of his country, was beautifully exhibited 
 in tliis instance. He had been greatly depressed in 
 consequence of the lack of entire success in the cam- 
 
194 HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 paign, though he had beaten the Indians in every battle 
 where he himself had engaged them. The work, in his 
 judgment, would not be completed until the tribe was 
 captured or surrendered. While riding along with sev- 
 eral of his officers one day, after news had reached him 
 that Miles, to whom Howard had given the cue, was 
 pursuing the Indians, one of his officers expressed a 
 doubt of the latter' s success. General Howard, who 
 had been silently asking for God's help in the case, 
 turned suddenly to Colonel Mason, and said they would 
 finally succeed ; he added that he had prayed earnestly 
 to God to give him the victory, even if he himself lost 
 the credit of the campaign. His spirits became brighter 
 after this prayer, and he was as confident as though the 
 end was already accomplished. 
 
 Dr. Alexander, at his side, said, '* What is more hope- 
 less ? There isn't one chance in a milhon for Miles. I 
 cannot see. General, where you find your hope." 
 
 *' All right," was the cheerful reply ; ^^ see if 1 do not 
 prove a true prophet. ' ' 
 
 It was as he predicted it would be. General Miles, 
 being apprised of the situation in time by despatches 
 from General Howard, gave chase, and with his fresh 
 troops soon intercepted the savages, offered battle, and 
 drove them to their deep trenches, but his work was not 
 completed before General Howard and his scouts, in 
 advance of the main body of his troops, reached the 
 camp. The latter used his own scouts to negotiate the 
 surrender ; but when the Indians came trooping in, and 
 Joseph and others extended their rifles to him, he waved 
 them off to General Miles, vv^ho received them. The 
 prayer renouncing all desire to have the credit of cap- 
 turing his enemies, if only the campaign might bo 
 successful, v/as remembered by him, and he generously 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 195 
 
 gave to another the honors of the result. But, let it be 
 observed, he does not stint the praise due to his own 
 troops, even in his own self -surrender. Of this campaign 
 and its outcome General Howard says, in the volume 
 named : 
 
 " After Miles' s march and engagement there arose all sorts of 
 heart-burnings, reports filled with claims and counter-claims for 
 credit. There were necessarily diversities of statement, rivalries, 
 criminations, and controversies, such as we read of in Europe after 
 an important battle or campaign. ... I was sent to conduct a war 
 without regard to department or division lines. This was done with 
 all the energy, ability, and help at my command, and the campaign 
 was brought to a successful issue. As soon as the Indians reached 
 General Terry's department Gibbon was despatched to strike his 
 blow ; then Sturgis, in close alliance, and finally Miles in the last 
 terrible battle. These troops participated in the struggle with ex- 
 posure, battle, and loss, as we have seen. They enjoyed the appre- 
 ciation and thanks of their seniors in command and of their country- 
 men. But when, with the fulness of an honest and generous recog- 
 nition of the work, gallantry, losses, and success of all co-operating 
 forces, I turn my attention to the troops that fought the first battles, 
 and then pursued the swift-footed fugitives with unparalleled vigor 
 and perseverance, amid the severest privations, for more than a thou- 
 sand miles, would it be wonderful if I magnified their doings and 
 gave them, were it possible, even an overplus of praise for the part 
 they bore in this campaign ? 
 
 " Personally, according to the covenant which I have recorded, I 
 Bhall be satisfied to let another bear the crown of triumj^h, while my 
 heart is deeply moved with thankfulness that the work itself was 
 brought to a successful conclusion." 
 
 From the beginning of the pursuit until the embarka- 
 tion on the Missouri River for the homeward journey, 
 including all halts and stoppages, occupied from July 
 27 to October 10 (seventy-five days), and General 
 Howard's command marched one tliousand three hundred 
 and twenty-one miles. During this campaign, when 
 asked one day, w^hile the soldiers were burying the bodies 
 of those the Indians had butchered and mutilated, if 
 
196 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 he was not disgusted with war when looking over the 
 bloody field after a battle, he answered, *' Yes, yes ; 
 disgusted, horror-stricken ; but it is the same with rail- 
 way accidents, and with fire and pestilence. Indian 
 warfare is horrid, but Indian massacres, outrages, and 
 brutality, and Indian rule, which is war, are a thousand 
 times worse." 
 
 In this campaign he had an assembly on Sunday, 
 whenever it was possible and proper, for religious 
 services, and he says of one of these meetings, held at a 
 post where he stopped for supplies : 
 
 " I -was glad enough to have this service of prayer, singing, and 
 Bpeaking before we left. I think many besides myself felt as I did. 
 There is a stern reality in going from all you love into the dread un- 
 certainty of Indian fighting, where, perhaps, the worst form of tor- 
 ture and death await you. It is very wise and proper to ask God's 
 blessing, and particularly so in these turning-points of life, when 
 about to plunge into the dark clouds of any warfare." 
 
 It was reported and published in the press generally, 
 because of a necessary halt, on one particular Sabbath 
 day, when time was precious, that he wasted the day in 
 giving religious exhortation to his command and in the 
 distribution of some three hundred Bibles. Of course it 
 was not believed, even by those who took the pains to 
 extend its circulation. It is a fact that in General How- 
 ard's military history he never made a halt for religious 
 exercises when the least necessity existed for action. 
 
 The Piute and Bannock war of the next year, 1878, 
 began outside the limits of his department, but worked 
 back through it, rolling up tribe after tribe like a big 
 snowball ; first the Bannocks, then the Flutes, and 
 finally the treacherous Umatillas, with some others, 
 sprang to the war-path again. General Howard took the 
 field and pursued them until, after several battles, they 
 
HOWAED : THE CHniSTIAif HERO. 197 
 
 wero conquered. Then, wliile combing the country by 
 numerous small columns, he managed to gather all the 
 Indians who had dispersed and spread themselves over 
 the country, like so many frightened birds. He gath- 
 ered them and put them upon a reservation, where they 
 could have good farms and competent teachers. In this 
 campaign he travelled nearly two thousand miles, and 
 wdien he had concluded it the Indians whom he had 
 fought were his friends. 
 
 Bad men in not a few cases cursed his name for 
 his lenity. One instance may be recorded. A rough 
 frontier patriot on a steamer excited a crowd against the 
 general, who was, so far as his friends or his officers 
 were concerned, alone at the time. The man fiercely 
 accused him of treachery in saving the lives of murder- 
 ous savages, and the crowd hooted. General Howard 
 walked toward him and said, '^ What is the matter ?'' 
 
 ' ' You receive the surrender of Indians, ' ' was the 
 reply. 
 
 '' What would you do, sir ?" 
 
 '' I would kill them all," said the patriot. 
 
 " Then, sir," answered the general, in firm tones, 
 " you would be a murderer. My Government and the 
 law of nations demand that I recognize the white flag." 
 
 The man in fury began to threaten, when General 
 Howard, facing the crowd, said : 
 
 " Sir, I have never turned a corner in my life to 
 avoid a bullet ; what do you propose to do ?" 
 
 A revulsion of feeling instantly set in as the people 
 recognized the spirit of the soldier before them. They 
 cheered General Howard, and the man, in approval also 
 of his course, invited him to take a drink, an invitation 
 which he promptly declined. 
 
 The ascendency which General Howard could exercise 
 
198 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 over a hostile crowd was shown in another similar in- 
 stance. A saloon-keeper, who had been at one time 
 imprisoned for crime, one day, in the streets of Port- 
 land, Or., gathered a nnmber of roughs to do Mm harm. 
 As the general was passing, he cried out a bitter charge 
 of gross criminality. General Howard walked through 
 the crowd, faced the man, and said, '' You know that 
 what you say is not true !" The man's countenance 
 instantly changed, and, to the surprise of the bystanders, 
 he said, ^^ Yes, General Howard, I know you're a good 
 man, but you interfere with my business." Others, 
 standing about, ready to mob him, said, '^ "We will not 
 strike him; don't strike him ; he has no arms and is a 
 cripple," referring to the loss of his right arm. 
 
 A Spokane chief, who had been protected in his rights 
 by General Howard, came six hundred miles to put 
 his children at school in the general's department. 
 
 On the steamer that took General Howard from that 
 department, in 1880, the last interview between this 
 chief and the general took place. The former was a 
 magnificent specimen of a man and a good Christian. 
 He seemed simple as a child as he pleaded with the gen- 
 eral to remain among them. ^^ We have given you our 
 hearts," he said; ^'how can you leave us? What 
 shall we do without you ?" 
 
 This sad leave-taldng reminded General Howard of 
 his parting with the wild Cochise in 1872. As the latter 
 stood upon his own reserve, which General Howard had 
 secured to him, he said, '' You mast not go ; stay with 
 us and all wn'll be well." The general asked him, '^ If 
 you gave orders to one of your captains to go and do a 
 work and then return, what would you do to him if he 
 disobeyed you ?" 
 
 '^ I would pmiish him," w^as the prompt reply. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAI^ HERO. 199 
 
 ^^ Well, the President lias sent me, and I mnst obey 
 my orders ; is it not right ?" 
 
 '^ Yes ; but ask him to let you come again," was the 
 reply. 
 
 General Howard promised to do so, v\^hen the warrior 
 
 approached, put his arms about and held him for some 
 
 minutes against his breast. General Howard has had 
 
 many wars with the Indians, but could the truth be 
 
 known his influence has been nine to one for peace. His 
 
 soul, instead, rejoices in schools, churches, and homes. 
 •X- * -x- ^ * * 
 
 The country learned with satisfaction of General 
 Howard's appointment to the suj)erintendency of the 
 Military Academy at West Point as the successor of 
 General Schofield, whose term had expired. His family 
 removed thither, and soon Mrs. Howard and her younger 
 children were established near by the little cottage in 
 which her three eldest children, now grown up and gone 
 from her, had played in infancy. 
 
 The position of superintendent is one requiring much 
 hospitality on the part of the family of the incumbent. 
 The Howards were rarely without guests, and, apart 
 from the army circles in which they moved, there were 
 many visitors attracted to West Point by reason of 
 General Howard' s presence there — ministers, philanthro- 
 pists, members of the same denomination, who availed 
 themselves of his nearness to New York to make or to 
 renew his acquaintance. Parents of cadets went there 
 to consult with the superintendent, old soldiers who had 
 served in war time with him, and retired officers, who 
 renewed their memories of cadet days by attending the 
 .reunions. There was never a day that some stranger 
 was not presenting himself at the front door, and it may 
 be' imas-ined that the duties of host were not hVht. 
 
200 HOWARD : THE CnPtlSTIAIT HERO. 
 
 General Howard, on assuming the position of superin- 
 tendent, addressed himself to the improvement of the 
 cadets' mess, which had been complained of universally 
 by the young men. An officer was appointed to take 
 charge of this important department, and the result was 
 a marked and a permanent change for the better. The 
 quality of the food was improved, and the cadet corps 
 was animated by a spirit of gratitude to the new superin- 
 tendent. 
 
 General Howard's solicitation being added to numer- 
 ous petitions, Rev. Mr. Postlethwaite was appointed 
 chaplain, and in order to make his services of practical 
 value to the cadets he had a room set apart for his use 
 in the barracks. Here he met the young men, who, at 
 their leisure time, would call upon him, and he became 
 interested in them, and they in him as they became better 
 acquainted. 
 
 The Bible -class and Sunday-school increased in num- 
 bers, and the church attendance was larger. The de- 
 merit roll was a feature of the academy which General 
 Howard greatly disliked ; and, while he remained at the 
 head of the cadets he controlled its objectionable features 
 as far as it was possible under existing circumstances. 
 The system of vexatious espionage he disapproved, and 
 it w^as his determination to have broken it down had he 
 remained there. Ho objected also to the entrance ex- 
 aminations, believing it an injustice to young men, who 
 in many instances had been ruined for life by failure 
 to pass an examination, which at a time of less mental 
 anxiety they could have met successfully. He argued 
 that a great government had no right to put a blight 
 upon a lad's life by compelling him to meet an examina- 
 tion when he was enduring the strain of new associations 
 and some hardships not down in the curriculum. His 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRIBTIAK HERO. 201 
 
 experience had taught him the injustice of this course 
 of treatment toward the youth, who, fresh from home 
 and friends, was compelled to meet mental and physical 
 demands before he had time, in his new surroundings, 
 to learn to endure them philosophically. 
 
 To one who looks upon the military training as imper- 
 fect unless it comprehends the broadest moral culture, 
 the West Point system has its faults, and General How- 
 ard was intent upon correcting them. In this he was 
 much opposed, and finally was, for other alleged reasons, 
 removed. In 1882 he was transferred to the command 
 of the Department of the Platte, with headquarters at 
 Omaha, and thither he removed his family in the early 
 fall of that year. 
 
 From Maine to Alaska General Howard had made the 
 circuit of the country in his military career, and had 
 now reached the heart of the continent. With the Ind- 
 ians at peace and no distm^bing elements to demand extra 
 vigilance on the part of the commander, he has had 
 time to do much literary work, and has lectured occa- 
 sionally in cities adjacent to his field of labor. In 
 his present position he has made many friends and per- 
 formed much good work. As the years have passed his 
 religion has broadened and his Christian zeal has in- 
 creased. He is not, and never was, a conventional Cliris- 
 tian ; were he such he would please niany more than he 
 has or will. 
 
 In the opinion of the world a certain amount of relig- 
 ion is proper and decorous, but it does not indorse the 
 earnest, impetuous zeal of a man like Howard, who is 
 absorbed in the thought, '' I have laid my life upon the 
 altar, and must work for the Lord. ' ' To begin the day 
 with prayer, to read the Scriptures in the presence of 
 his family, to select a verse that shall be the subject of 
 
202 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 meditation dnring the twenty-four liours, and to live and 
 act to the highest light he possesses, is his idea of personal 
 duty. His theology has sometimes troubled the elders 
 because of its broadness of outline, and his constant dis- 
 position to forget the limitations of sects and creeds. 
 He defines his position in the orthodox church in the 
 following letter : 
 
 " Omaha, Neb., November 28, 1884. 
 
 " My deae Feiend : Yon would like to know if tiiere is any peculi- 
 arity in my religious convictions or beliefs— if they differ from tlioso 
 of the brethren of the so-called ' orthodox churches.' I really think 
 not when the true and real beliefs of men and women are considered ; 
 but some of my convictions differ widely from those imputed to us. 
 
 '^ First. I have never trusted to the letter of the Scriptures of the 
 Old and New Testaments, for ' the letter Idlleth, but the spirit maketh 
 alive.' These Scriptures are the choicest mine to me, of gold and 
 silver and precious stones. The words, the chapters, the books of 
 the New Testament, are the complement of the Old, and the one is 
 essential to the other. As the person is made up of body, mind, 
 and soul, so is the Bible. The Spirit of God breathes through the 
 Book as you would anticipate, for the Book has been written by holy 
 men, who have been moved by the Holy Ghost as they have written. 
 Of course mistakes or slight discrepancies which exist here and there 
 do not spoil the Book any more than the little alloy spoils the gold, 
 or a little loose soil thrown in spoils the well. The best gold can be 
 obtained from the alloy, the best water can be filtered from the well. 
 Yes, go to God's Word with the right spirit, and there is no part of 
 it that will not yield good to the pure soul. 
 
 " As to depravity, I always say to myself, * There is a deprivation 
 of original completeness. ' So every man falls below the perfect man. 
 How to get men back to that completeness is always the problem pre- 
 sented. God can do it. He can bring a man up to the standard. 
 Giving to our God all the powers that are attributed to Him and con- 
 ceiving them to be unlimited, my mind does not worry over them ; 
 for while I know that He by His laws freezes, drowns, and otherwise 
 destroys men, and that His sovereignty cannot be impeached or gain- 
 said, yet I prefer to dwell mainly in the atmosphere of His love. I 
 assume His great loving kindness and tender mercy. 
 
 " Tfie sun in the heavens may be made a means of torture, but its 
 whole intention and lawful action is beneficent. Christ is God's 
 
HOWARD : THE CHEISTIAH HERO. 203 
 
 Spirit-Sun. He may be made the means of spirit unrest and poignant 
 Borrow, but the v/hole intention, the whole plan, is beneficent. 
 
 " Christ is to me always the manifestation of infinite love. Jesus 
 the man is a perfect man, the son of Mafy ; but Christ the God part, 
 the Anointed One, is not earth-born. The Christ principle — an 
 active force— came in power ten days after Jesus ascended, and has 
 been in the world ever since. It is the Spirit of the Living God, 
 usually called the Holy Spirit. It restores to me, after I am born 
 again, what I call my normal power. It enables me and any man of 
 faith in God, through Christ, to perform miracles, not necessarily 
 touching the body or the intellect, but touching the soul. Another 
 soul to which I am sent may find the new birth through me, helped 
 by this power. A man who has been all his life bad, with a hard, 
 unkind face, may be changed by me when thus helped by the Spirit, 
 so that his life becomes good and his face is softened and grows 
 tender, sympathetic, and helpful. Selfishness is converted into un- 
 selfishness. 
 
 '* Life, sx)irit life, everlasting life, it is the pearl of great price ; by 
 my help, by the Christian's hel^?, this life may begin in a soul. God 
 gives this life ; has always done so. He made it plain through 
 Christ. He reveals Himself through Christ to me. 
 
 "When I read the commandments and think, or M'hen I meditato 
 and watch the motions of my conscience, I know that the command- 
 ments or the laws written in my mind have been infracted. I turn 
 from wrong done or intended with sorrow ; I purpose fully, v/ith no 
 secret drawbacks, to make all possible amends for the wrong done, 
 and, further, never, never to do the wrong again. Even in this that spirit 
 helps me. The Spirit shows me Christ as a loving Brother, as a ten- 
 der, sympathizing Friend. The Holy Spirit cleanses me and then 
 fills me — with what ? Peace, joy, hope, love, zeal for helping others. 
 
 " A present salvation is perhaps my hobby. I like the word life 
 better. You, any friend I have, can have this life — should have it. 
 How are all the helps obtained ? God has established a simple prin- 
 ciple, so simple that it is despised ; it is only the asking-principle. As 
 a little child asks its mother, so we — ' I will to be inquired of.' Why 
 not? 
 
 *' Again, fear God never did mean be afraid of God. I did not 
 like to see the distress of my good mother, so I obeyed her. It is 
 only a fear to do wrong. 
 
 " Now, as to a penalty. Let one lie down on his back and open his 
 eyes to the sharp rays of the noonday sun ; it will give him intense 
 pain, and no theorizing can prevent it. Put a proi^er shield between 
 
204 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIT HERO. 
 
 his eyes and the sun, and the light gives him only pleasuro. This 
 but poorly suggests the truth. I suffer so when I do wrong, and feel 
 that the Sj)irit reproves me, that I want a shield — Come unto mo 
 and I will rest you. I go, then, by the asking-principle and I find my 
 shield. How about the eternity of the soul-penalties ? Demons (the 
 souls of departed men not in unison with the Divine or Holy Spirit, 
 the souls whose eyes are tortured by this intense sunlight) are not 
 happy. They flee away from Christ, they really prefer swine to His 
 presence. When will they seek Christ and love Him ? I fear their 
 doY/nward tendencies grow stronger. I have only the Holy Spirit 
 and the Holy Word to guide me in this. There is no wish in me that 
 another shall have soul pain ; there is no such wish in the heart of 
 God. 
 
 " Suppose I have life as a gift, and hold it out to a friend. Suppose 
 he declines the gift. I entreat him to accept it, but he says plainly, 
 * I prefer not to have it,' or he says, ' If I take it, it is upon my own 
 terms.' ' No, my friend, your terms destroy the gift itself.' 
 
 " There is in every soul a will-power. Force the will, and it is 
 weakened. Prevail over it constantly, and it is at last destroyed. 
 The very capacity for pure, simple, lovely, holy affections may bo 
 lost. This loss is the penalty, and the ache is tougher than somo 
 men think. God's redemption is doubtless beyond our weak concep- 
 tion of its power. But for my dear friends, and for all with whom I 
 come in contact, I would rather not have them live one day in the 
 torture of an unhappy soul — no, not even in the apathy of an un- 
 thinking soul. 
 
 " The presenting of an obstinate and hateful face to the tenderest 
 loving-kindness certainly is not wise ; and to trust to the spirit-land 
 for a change when the inducements cannot be any greater than in 
 this terrestrial land, is the sheerest folly. 
 
 "How about the atonement? That is God's part, and He has 
 well accomplished it Himself, and made an exhibit of it in the life- 
 sufferings, especially the spiritual or soul- sufferings of that wonder- 
 ful Being, Jesus Christ. God never ceases to have Christ say, ' Come 
 unto me.* Every one that heedeth the call finds the atonement all 
 done, so far as he himself is concerned. 
 
 " I took down the names of numerous friends, after I realized the 
 completQ forgiveness of my own offences, and I prayed for them and 
 wrote to them, or talked with them. I believe all of them came to 
 the same healing fountain. Each one found the atonement com- 
 Iplete— that is, the ability to get back to the proper spirit-condition 
 of unison with God. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTTAN HERO. 205 
 
 *' My iiltimato philosophy is very simple. Behold it in the prac- 
 tice : study the Scriptures ; read them daily ; have family reading 
 and prayer ; ask God's blessing at meals ; spend the Sabbaths in 
 seeking spiritual benefit ; try every day to make somebody happier 
 and better ; go to the meeting for prayer to meet the Great King, 
 and put in with others our petitions. The gathering of two or three 
 has Christ's promise to sustain it. When people of old spoke often 
 to one another and to Him in company, He hearkened to them ; so 
 will He now. 
 
 " I have tried to avoid a theological way of saying things— in fact, 
 I am not a theologian, but have been long trying in jDlain language to 
 give a clear reason for the actual hope that is within my soul. 
 
 " You say, How with the vast outside x^arties— Pagans, Buddhists, 
 Mohammedans, etc. — and how with those before Christ ? My answer 
 is, it is a limitless God that I speak of ; all are affected through Him. 
 Christ is His spiritual manifestation. Just how He manages in tho 
 detail with every creature, who can tell? The Christ-Spirit has 
 probably visited every soul in the universe. The rejection of the 
 way, the truth, and the life was as plain in Cain and in King Saul as 
 in Judas. The acceptance was as clear in Enoch and Joseph as in 
 John and Philip. Without or within the circle, there infinite wisdom 
 and love are always the same. 
 
 " Sincerely yours, 
 
 " 0. O. HOWAT^D." 
 
 In the ppring of 1 884: General Howard asked for and 
 obtained a six months' leave for the purpose of visiting 
 Europe ; and in order to grant him an extension of time, 
 the War Department ordered him to do duty first in 
 Egypt for one month. He was required to witness and 
 report upon active opera^tions in that country, and then 
 to visit France and report upon matters connected with 
 the grand manoeuvres of the Seventeenth Corps d' Armee. 
 Sailing from IS^ew York early in March, he was absent 
 until the middle of November following. His detailed 
 report covered his visit to Egypt and the information 
 gleaned from the staff-officers and others of the cam- 
 paign of "VYolseley, ending with the battle of Tel-el- 
 
206 HOWARD : THE ClIHISTIAiq- HERO. 
 
 ^Kebir, the battles of El Teb and Tamai, and the mas- 
 sacres under Hicks and Baker Pashas, with an acconnt of 
 General Gordon's work in the Soudan. He wrote and 
 published military articles on Waterloo, and reported 
 upon the French manoeuvres in Southern France. 
 
 In every country he visited General Howard liad inter- 
 views with the missionaries, and especially in Alexandria, 
 Cairo, Smyrna, and Scutari he found them doing excellent 
 work. He attended the International Convention of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association in Berlin, and was 
 invited to take part in a public meeting to be held at 
 Manchester, England. Wherever he went he was wel- 
 comed by the Christian people, who had long known 
 him by reputation ; and in England particularly, where 
 his efforts for the freedmen were well appreciated, he 
 received marked attentions. 
 
 On his return to the United States he resumed his 
 military duties at Omaha, and again became active in 
 Christian and philanthropic work. 
 
 The newspapers have from time to time reported the 
 wide scope of this work, and the following is an incident 
 that will best illustrate his benevolence. It is from the 
 Omaha Bee. 
 
 *'Some time ago a soldier ■was sentenced to five years' imprison- 
 ment in Fort Leavenworth for some offence. The soldier's sisters in 
 New York •wrote to General Howard in behalf of the prisoner, appeal- 
 ing to him to interest himself in his case, and see if something could 
 not be done to lighten the sentence. General Howard had the pris- 
 oner brought before him at headquarters, as he was on his way to 
 Fort Leavenworth in shackles, and asked him if he had any trade. 
 The prisoner said he was a stone-cutter. The general had the pris- 
 oner sent 'back to Fort Omaha, after ho had questioned him still fur- 
 ther, and then he wrote to Washington, and succeeded in having the 
 sentence remitted, the only punishment being a dishonorable dis- 
 charge from the army. Thereupon General Howard got him a job as 
 a stone-cutter in this city. The man did well, and finally went back 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 207 
 
 to New York, where ho is now, a sober and industrious man. Thig 
 is only one of the many kind acts that General Howard has don& in a 
 quiet way while he has been located in this city." 
 
 Tho Eev. Dr. A. F. Slierriil, pastor of .the First Con- 
 gregational Clmrcli at Omahaj estimates in the follow- 
 ing letter General Howard's nsefulness as a public 
 speaker upon religions subjects : 
 
 " General Howard' s services as a public speaker during the war, 
 when his wounds disabled him from field service, are well known. 
 Ever since he has been in constant demand as a public lecturer, 
 speaking to large audiences upon a wide range of topics, and his 
 engagements, in tho midst of regular military duties, have been only 
 limited by time and strength. Ever since his conversion, when a 
 young man, he has heard sounding ia his ears, ' Go and tell how 
 great things the Lord hath done for thee and hath had compassion 
 on thee ;' and he has spoken freely and earnestly in all kinds of relig- 
 ious meetings, until he has a reputation, as a lay religious speaker, 
 such as few possess. He is equally at home standing in a metropoli- 
 tan pulpit before a cultivated audience, or addressing a group of 
 young Arabs in a mission school. He can touch the highest spirit- 
 ual point in the tender moments of a church praj'er-meeting, or 
 improvise a service at a post on the remote frontier, and by his 
 hearty manner win the attention of every man as he tells the ' old, 
 eld story.' Perhaps his power of appeal is most apparent at great 
 religious mass-meetings, where his thoughts and feelings, crowding 
 upon his speech, rise into eloquent and impassioned utterance. Tho 
 old fire of ' war and battle-sound ' is kindled, only now he is calling 
 to enthusiasm and action in the service of the King of kings. As a 
 speaker he possesses that magnetic power by which, as soon as he 
 rises, he comes at once into rapport with his audience and holds their 
 close attention to the end. It is not easy to analyze his speaking, 
 but these three or four things are easily apparent : 
 
 " Eirst, a simple style and si)eech. He realizes, in good degree, a 
 recent definition of eloquence : ' Short words, in short sentences, 
 with the ideas overlapping at both ends,' Such speech suits us all. 
 The writer has heard General Howard addressing college students to 
 their profit, but the farmers and children present also drank it all in, 
 as if intended only for them. It is the use of this great simplicity 
 of speech, in ordinary address, which enables him to tell the story of 
 the Cross with such effect. 
 
208 HOYfARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 
 
 " Second, earnestness. This comes from his love of men and his 
 thorough convictions of the truth. He has studied the Scriptures 
 carefully. He has also lived out their truths. He has seen them 
 succeed with thousands of others to whom he has brought them. 
 He might always say, ' I speak that I do know, and testify that I 
 have seen.' Hence there is no uncertain sound in his speech, and it 
 carries the conviction from which it is born. He uses his personal 
 religious experience a great deal, and very effectively ; not merely 
 that of twenty years ago, however, but that of present daily life, of 
 which he is always full, for he takes his religion everywhere and into 
 all things. This makes his speech fresh and pertinent to the occa- 
 sion, and gives charm and power to it. It makes him practical, and 
 leads to homely turns of Scrii3ture, which one can never forget. No 
 one who listens thinks him speaking for the sake of the speech, but 
 out of a sincere heart to do others good. He is a very apiDreciativG 
 listener, and I have often thought this helped him to speak so that 
 others would listen. 
 
 *' Third, his speech is personal. It is not so in any offensive sense. 
 He is too brave and kind for that. But all the above-mentioned 
 qualities make it certain each will feel the words were meant for 
 him ; and so they were. ' So nghfc I, not as one that beateth the 
 air.' If the audience be a familiar one, he usually has different 
 individuals in mind, to whom he speaks for a purpose ; but each 
 represents a class, and so all are personally addressed. His words do 
 not stick in the heart like barbed arrows, but are rather welcomed aa 
 * good doctrine,' which one does not care to ' forsake.' 
 
 *' Fourth, we read of those who spoke ' as the Spirit gave them 
 utterance.' "We are also told Demosthenes never ascended the bema 
 without a prayer. General Howard has a consecrated heart. He 
 does not desire his speech shall be with enticing words of man's 
 wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit that, so far as he is con- 
 cerned, others' faith should not ' stand in the wisdom of men, but in 
 the power of God.' Hence he asks earnestly for this spirit, and is 
 at no other time so satisfied as when he can feel he was, while speak- 
 ing, filled with the Spirit, suggesting thought and imparting power to 
 his words. It is this presence of the Spirit, in response to his prayer, 
 which chiefly accounts for the fact that men listen so attentively 
 when he speaks, find their hearts so deeply touched, and that so 
 many are persuaded to come to Christ. ' It is the Spirit that 
 quickeneth.' Thus a few words spoken, or a very short prayer 
 offered, v;ill often go through an audience v/ith a power which is not 
 of man. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 209 
 
 •' Wherever General Howard lives he soon becomes a kind of general 
 factotum for all sorts of public religious service and supi^lj^ to which 
 he brings his inspired wealth of mind, and soul, and speech ; nor is 
 he less active in his more private goings about to do good. When 
 we remember he is also commander of a great military department, 
 an office full of responsibility and care, we know that, as to most of 
 us, it all would weary, wear, and soon wipe us out ; but the general 
 seems inexhaustible ; he always comes in fresh and good as new. 
 His face is never long, though full of care and thought, and every 
 one hopes he will live to the age of that other hero of whom it is 
 said, *He was an hundred and twenty years old when he died ;.hi3 
 eye was not dim nor his natural force abated.' " 
 
X. 
 
 Excerpts from letters, documents, and private diary, showing Gen- 
 eral Howard's inner life — The war, the Freedmen's Bureau, the 
 church, and public events discussed — Anecdote of General How- 
 ard's kindness of heart — Conclusion. 
 
 There is no better way of obtaining a just conception 
 of a man's character than by reading what he has written 
 under the varying circumstances of every-day hfe. 
 General Howard, the most methodical of men, has kept 
 for many years copies of his letters and at times a diary, 
 which is an epitome of his career. From the ample pages 
 of his letter books have been taken the following excerpts, 
 which show the man's nature and exhibit his religious 
 aspect of mind at every period of life. As many of his 
 letters have been written to the leading military men of 
 the country, it is easy to glean from them the profes- 
 sional and patriotic side of his character. These excerpts 
 have been made from a rich collection, which would 
 yield many times the number used here, and they have 
 not been selected as the best things he has said, but as 
 examples of his usual expressions of opinion, hopes, and 
 desires. 
 
 " My Bible is to me a source of comfort and strength, and I ear- 
 nestly recommend it as the best companion of every human soul. On 
 its substantial truths must rest all our hopes of good here and 
 blessedness hereafter. ... To my mind, with the Indians the time 
 is near when every dollar appropriated may be made tributary to 
 the schools. It is but little to require that people shall send their 
 children to school. Superstitious reluctance must bo made to do it ; 
 
HOWARD : THE CHIllSTIAIT HEEO. 211 
 
 let it be the law to our wards, and let the law bo executed. . . . 
 I hope Mac will cling to the Divine Wo)'d. This will make him 
 strong and wise." 
 
 To A. 8. Packard. 
 
 " June 7, 1864. 
 "... God is leading us through very difficult paths, and chasten- 
 ing us very hard, but we must learn from whom the chastening comes, 
 and be obedient and hopeful. I do hope and pray that this year 
 may end the war. . . . Every man who sets himself to the task of 
 working for humanity must begin by humbling himself in such 
 measure as to meet the wants of the poorest and lowliest. If he does 
 this, by the blessing of God he will be effective." 
 
 To Bon. J. G. Blaine. 
 
 " August 21, 1S64. 
 
 "... As to the brigadiership in the regular army, I should re- 
 gard it as a high compliment and of material value, but I am inclined 
 to ask for no promotion or appointment, having already received 
 more than I could ask, and beyond my deserts. In times like these 
 it is dangerous to rise too high ; a single misfortune may topple you 
 over into popular disfavor. I shall exert myself in my present posi- 
 tion with the hope of credit to myself and friends, and trust, under 
 God's blessing, to be of substantial service to my country. . . . How 
 utterly absurd it is to stand tremblingly anxious lest we lose a tithe 
 of liberty, when all our liberties are on the brink of ruin ! For 
 mercy's sake, Blaine — for our country's sake, rather — put forth all 
 your energies to sustain and strengthen the Government, and make it 
 confident and fearless in the exercise of positive power — a power 
 adequate to this trying ordeal, for this is the time to put it forth. 
 
 * ' Every family will bleed, every individual will suffer ; but if v/e do 
 our duty faithfully in this crisis, under the Divine blessing the end 
 will be glorious. I fear and tremble as I read the newsiDapers. I 
 fear that we have not virtue enough in this country to stand the 
 trial. I have no objection to peace— peace is what we want ; but let 
 the word ring along the lines of brave men who are giving their lives 
 for victory and peace." 
 
 " I would not stay to see the ' su7i dance,' for I feared the usual tear- 
 ing of the flesh and self-torture ' to appease the Great Si)irit.' I told 
 the chiefs what I thought of this wicked barbarism. They said 
 that they would do what they could to keep out this bad part, but 
 the ' medicine men ' hold the poor people to this 'heathenism. It is 
 their hold against Christian teaching." 
 
212 HOWARD : THE CKIUSTIAK HERO. 
 
 *' A drunken agent, or a man who prostitutes his official position 
 to bribery, I will remove at a blow." 
 
 " The feelings of hostility now existing between the two races I 
 do not regard as permanent. The interests of both tend to decrease 
 it." 
 
 iTo a Southern Friend. 
 
 ** Three hundred thousand of our brethren lie beneath the soil they 
 have wet with their blood, to keep you from breaking and destroy- 
 ing the government purchased by our fathers. They have not shed 
 their blood in vain. Your children will thank us. And would God 
 might not give you over to hardness !" 
 
 To Hon. Horace Oreeley. 
 
 " September 15, 1865. 
 " I notice some of the public journals are disposed to ridicule the 
 idea of a Bureau of Kefugees and Freedmen. Now, while I claim 
 that personally I am not benefited by this administrative branch of 
 the War Department, and not called upon to stand upon the defen- 
 sive, but simply to execute a law under the orders of the President 
 and Secretary of War, yet for the sake of a good cause I deprecate 
 having this Bureau placed before the public in a false position. . . ," 
 
 To Rev. a F. McRae. 
 
 " October 27, 1865. 
 "... I have noticed in the colored schools all over the country, 
 where there were respectable teachers, that there was uniformly good 
 attendance, and a wonderful interest manifested on the part of the 
 children. While this interest is awakened, as if by Divine interposi- 
 tion, should we not, as Christians, put our shoulders to the wheel, 
 and do all we can, by organized efforts, to open up the minds of theso 
 thousands and fill them with useful knowledge ? . . . The past is 
 past, but if you will notice the prevalence of untruthfulness, the 
 want of observance of the marriage tie, and the ignorance of the very 
 groundwork of the Christian faith, you will agree with me that there 
 is enough now to do, and enough for every laborer in the vineyard." 
 
 To James E. Rhoades. 
 
 " October 9, 1865. 
 
 ". . . Education underlies every hope of success for the freed- 
 
 man. This education must, of course, extend rather to the practical 
 
 arts than to theoretical knowledge. Everything depends upon the 
 
 youth and the children being thoroughly instructed in every indus- 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 213 
 
 trial pursuit. Tlirongh education embracing moral and religious 
 training, the fearful prejudice and hostility against the blacks can bo 
 overcome. They themselves will be able to command and secure 
 both privileges and rights that we now have difficulty to guarantee. 
 ... Do everything you possibly can for the elevation of the freed- 
 men. My impression is, that hundreds and perhaps thousands of 
 Southern people would be ready to aid you, if approached in the 
 right way. . . What are the people willing to do to secure the 
 blessings almost within our grasp — the blessings of substantial free- 
 dom and enduring peace? "S^Tiether so or not in a political point 
 of view, I believe every thinking man is ready to admit that we will 
 stand or fall as a nation according as we are true to princij^les, 
 according to our fidelity to trusts evidently committed to us. ..." 
 
 "December 23, 1865. 
 
 " Order exists all over the world without the necessity of slavery. 
 Wealth ditto. Physical condition ditto. Eesources better developed 
 where freedom has existed for any length of time. 
 
 * ' Slavery is a disease or abnormal condition, which always pros- 
 trates the victim, whatever the color, and he cannot always recover, 
 and the seeds of the disease are transmitted, so that the children 
 are often materially affected by it. 
 
 " The evil was making merchandise of a child of God ; restrain- 
 ing or preventing education ; keeping by force men below a certain 
 plane, and not- allowing them the fruit of their own labor ; raising 
 children without respecting the family relation ; keeping out indus- 
 trious white emigrants — every enterprise slow in development, 
 whether it affected manufactures or commerce, the arts or literature. 
 In fact, a careful study of political economy will show the downhill 
 tendency of every slavery system. You point to the chaos at Au- 
 gusta, Ga, ; I point you to the order already existing in Maryland, 
 parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and wherever a fair free 
 system has actually gone into operation. You say the negro differs 
 from other people. I admit it, yet know that he is a man, and may 
 be led and influenced by motives as a man." 
 
 To Rev. C. Van Santvoord. 
 
 " January 3, 1866. 
 *' Your letter has come to me inquiring as to the character of Gen- 
 eral McPherson, with regard to his religious life. While at West 
 Point he was one class ahead of me, having entered in 1849, He was 
 constantly at the head of his own class, and was therefore particu- 
 
314 nowAED : the cheistiai^ hero. 
 
 larly noticed by every cadet. Ho was remarkable for kindness of 
 manner and the sympathy he extended to any who were ill-used. 
 I remember a classmate of his, who is now living, and of excel- 
 lent character, who was ' cut,' as they say at the academy, for some 
 breach of etiquette. McPherson braved the general derision, and 
 was always kind and courteous to him. Toward another cadet, with 
 like circumstances, I remember that his frank cordiality and sym- 
 pathy were marked. His daily life was full of patriotic, cheerful, 
 Christian example. While there, I never knew a word of profanity 
 to escape his lips. I have seen him in Professor Sprole's Bible- 
 class, and always saw him in this character on the Sabbath. Again 
 and again I have thought of his beautiful, Christian deportment, and 
 wondered if he were not really a follower of Christ. After leaving 
 West Point I had no means of knowing his Christian example, but 
 found him, after the lapse of some years, the same gonial gentleman 
 and kind friend as at the academy." 
 
 To H. B. Cadbury, Birmingham, JEng. 
 
 " March 26, 1866. 
 "... Yon ask what security you will have that after the freed 
 people have taken possession, cleared the land, built huts, and set- 
 tled their families on it, they will not be disturbed. There can be 
 no security against lawlessness, but my belief is that interest will 
 soon arouse every owner of any considerable amount of property to 
 throw his influence in favor of law and order. No people are as ob- 
 noxious to the Southerners that have been in rebellion as the Union 
 Yankees, yet these very men have settled in large numbers in differ- 
 ent parts of the South, and propose to remain. My impression ig 
 that whatever policy the Government may adopt, the prejudices and 
 exhibitions of passion will in time wear away. There are some few 
 counties in the insurrectionary States v/here there is a large crop of 
 rowdies. In these it would be unwise and unsafe to settle at pres- 
 ent. As a general rule, capital carries with it its own security. I 
 am anxious to have just such correctives as those you advocate mul- 
 tiplied. I hope there will be plenty of straightforward, fearless 
 men, who will purchase or aid in the purchasing of estates in every 
 part of the South. With such men, or the means they invest, will go 
 industry, thrift, education, and civilization. We are in a political 
 crisis, and my heart is often filled with anxiety lest we may dis- 
 please God by promoting or establishing some system of injustice ; 
 but I trust He will aid us in the exercise of that noble principle 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 215 
 
 which Mr. Lincoln so simply and plainly gave ns — that is, ' Firmness 
 in the right, 'as God gives us to see the right.' ..." 
 
 " It is customary to underrate any man's ability who tries to serve 
 his God, and to impute to him special weakness ; but I wish you 
 could take my administration of the brigade, division, army corps, 
 and Army of the Tennessee, and then of this ' misrex^resented 
 Bureau,' and give to them a thorough examination from 1861 to 
 October, 1868, and then tell me if I have not understood men, and 
 accomplished the jjurposes intended. I write you this partly be- 
 cause 1 have thought you have been deceived, and because by and by 
 I want your sympathy in a great educational enterprise. I asked 
 the question, ' Would you not like to be a slave, if you could only 
 be sure to have enough to eat, to drink, and to wear ? ' The answer 
 is everywhere substantially the same — ' I would rather be i30or and 
 free ; I would rather suffer and be free.' 
 
 " Doubtless there could be found among the degraded and among 
 the criminals those who would prefer to be pampered slaves to being 
 freemen ; but as far as my observation goes, the universal informa- 
 tion is, ' My choice is liberty ; ' and doubtless the expression of this 
 choice, is the voice of God. Were it not for the color of the skin, 
 which is like a thick veil hanging between so many of us and God's 
 truth, how deep and how universal would bo the sympathy of Chris- 
 tian people for these poor dependent objects of humanity, who are 
 just struggling into the sunlight of liberty ! Let every Christian 
 heart offer up a prayer for them, and, to the best of his ability, 
 extend them a helping hand. . . ." 
 
 To General Brown. 
 
 " February 20, 1867. 
 '* My freedmen's and refugees' fund will all be available for ' in- 
 corporated institutions.' Industrial is a better word than manual, I 
 think, for it embodies hands, feet, brains, and souls. I have great 
 contempt for Virginia prejudice ; it means Virginia sin." 
 
 " It is undoubtedly difficult for gentlemen in the Southern States 
 to determine the measure of their responsibility in this work of edu- 
 cation. Yet it is important that this work, which has been so well 
 initiated, should not cease, should not even flag — important for all the 
 interests of the country, important in the interests of humanity, im- 
 portant in the light of a practical solution of the great problem of 
 liberty for the world. Ideas drilled into us from infancy and prej- 
 udices drunk in in childhood cannot easily be changed ; but God 
 
216 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 is just ; and if "we earnestly and prayerfully wait on Him, He will not 
 let us go far astray. I should not have predicted that you would 
 have turned against the Union, and hope you may yet be a true and 
 earnest friend of the Government that we once loved alike, which 
 nurtured and educated us together. ..." 
 
 * ' I hope we may all see to it that we have the same brightness of 
 vision at the last when we seUforth upon the journey to meet the 
 Lord, and our loved ones who have gone to rest in His domain, 
 where the prepared mansions are." 
 
 To Oeneral Orant. 
 " As yon have always been kind to me, even when the waves of 
 trial rolled in upon me, so have I ever been at heart appreciative and 
 grateful to you. I know that you are too strong to need or ask sym- 
 pathy, but you know also in your rugged career how the dark hours 
 are the best test of real friends. ..." 
 
 To A. E. E. Taylor. 
 
 " January 12, 1866. 
 
 " . . . I am exceedingly obliged to you for your defence of me, but 
 I have been subjected to too many vexatious troubles during the 
 war to care much for such articles as that in the Independent I have 
 nothing in particular to suggest, only if you can help us along with 
 our work here in the Bureau, I shall be glad to have you." 
 
 " I have often spoken to children and urged them to the adoption 
 of right principles, no less than the love of Christ ; but I have uni- 
 versally entertained and spread the belief that love is shown in the 
 cheerful and faithful performance of daily duty." 
 
 " June 6, 1867. 
 ' ' Nothing would have given me greater pleasure than to have at- 
 tended your convention and participated in the enjoyments of the 
 occasion, and if any further inducement had been needed, you have 
 offered it in holding out the prospect of my meeting Sir Henry Have- 
 lock. I read the life of his father with great interest and profit sev- 
 eral years ago, and I trust I may ever imitate him in a straightfor- 
 ward Christian life. Almost all strangers who have seen my name 
 associated with his are much disappointed on meeting with me, ex- 
 pecting to see a man of large size and advanced in years." 
 
 To 3Ir. E. Grehle. 
 
 "October 4, 1867. 
 * * . . . You knov/ that I have undertaken to build a church that 
 shall be a home for loyalty and truth, a place for our young men who 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HEKO. 217 
 
 come hero to find a welcome. This building will hold a people that 
 we needed here, to quicken the good and war upon the bad — a people 
 who have a great work to do. We have got our roof on, but are now 
 sorely pressed for help. I will enclose you a copy of what my 
 Brooklj'-n friends did, and if you could aid us a little in this, my 
 heart will ever be filled with gratitude. This church presses heavy 
 upon me. ..." 
 
 To Hon. Henry Wilson. 
 
 " October 12, 1866. 
 
 " I saw a paragraph in the morning paper which said that you had 
 publicly united with the church of Kev. Dr. Kirk, of Boston. It 
 gave me a great deal of pleasure to read this item of good news, and 
 I wish to hasten and extend to you a warm fraternal greeting. I 
 trust God may make you an ornament to the church of Christ, and 
 bless our country still further by an earnest, faithful Christian 
 statesman. He is blessing us politically, and I trust is conducting 
 you through green pastures of His love." 
 
 " Looking to the future, our Western States, like Iowa and Ne- 
 braska, have made ample provisions for their public schools ; noth- 
 ing is placed ahead of the education of their sons and daughters. 
 This is indeed wise ; only one thing should ever be regarded as of 
 more importance than the training of the intellect of the j^outh, and 
 that is the religious and moral foundations which we leave to the 
 home and to the Church. Now, if we who believe in God and the 
 Bible, in the lifting up of the weak, be it ever so little, in opposition 
 to the atheistic theory of favoring only the stronger races — if we who 
 regard the precept to love our neighbors as ourselves would save a 
 remnant of the native race of this continent, we must see, on a 
 moment's reflection, that our principal hope — nay, in fact, our only 
 hope, lies in their complete conversion from savage to civilized 
 methods of doing and living. Carlisle, Hampton, Forest Grove, 
 Metla Katlah, Coeur d'Alene, and other successful schools show what 
 can be done. Take the children, change their minds and hearts by 
 our true, powerful school processes." 
 
 " I deprecate anything calculated to excite hostility, and ask only 
 simple justice for the freedmen, whom I am under solemn obliga- 
 tions to protect. Schools had better be established on some broader 
 basis than for blacks and v/hites alone. The matter of schooling for 
 children on the plantations may be embraced in the contract which I 
 hope every employer will make with his employes for some time to 
 come. When left to me, the indenture of children is regulated as in 
 
218 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 most of the free States — that is, with consent of either parent or 
 guardian, the officers and agents of this Bureau, or those of their ap- 
 pointment, being their guardians until otherwise established by law.' ' 
 
 "... War is devastation. As General Sherman says, it is cruelty, 
 and you cannot easily refine it." 
 
 **...! love the name of Abraham Lincoln, and pray God I may 
 be able to live his pure, simple, honest, noble life, and contribute 
 something toward securing the liberty and charity he worked and 
 died for." 
 
 To Y. E. Tate. 
 
 " April 9, 18G7. 
 
 **...! differ from yon in regard to the ballot. Poor men will 
 Boon learn that it is their protection, and they will use it accord- 
 ingly. They may get fooled a few times, but not perpetually. Black 
 men have just about as much sense as white men of the same educa- 
 tion and advantages. ..." 
 
 Regarding a War Ifonument to he erected at West Foint. 
 
 " The worthy object commends itself to my judgment and heart, 
 and I am glad the officers at the academy are so disposed to honor 
 the noble men, their brother officers, who have given their lives in 
 this, our terrific struggle for national existence. The academy and 
 the regular army have had their usual share of abuse and misrepre- 
 sentation during the war, but when we proudly point to the conduct 
 their loyal sons have exhibited — when we count over the noble records 
 of the killed in battle on every bloody field, every tongue is hushed. 
 The battle monument shall bear witness to the love we bear the 
 national army, the national flag, the national whole. . . . 
 
 " I am gratified that a kind Providence gave me the benefit of the 
 training I received under yourself and the other jDrofessors and in- 
 structors of the academy, and I trust I may ever be enabled to reflect 
 only what in faithfulness you ever strove to impart— strict integrity, 
 good sense, and rational sentiments." 
 
 To Jay Cooke & Co. 
 
 "January 21, 18G8. 
 
 "... I can establish the soup-house at Memphis, and defray the 
 expense of it from the Bureau funds. The officers are instructed 
 everywhere to allow no starvation." 
 
 To an Officer. 
 " I shall have to live unending ages with human souls in some rela- 
 tionships or other, so that I shall be careful not to let temporary 
 
HOWAKD : THE CHKISTIAISr HERO. 219 
 
 impatience control me. A kind Providence vill bring things 
 right. ..." 
 
 To Hon. W. E. Dodge. 
 
 *' February 3, 1868. 
 "... Yonr letter is just received. I have never, in all my inter- 
 course with General Grant, seen him so affected by drink as to be 
 noticeable from its influence ; and I have been recentlj'' assured by 
 his own lips that he is not drinking, and has declared he shall not, ' 
 during the year upon which we have entered, take even wine, and 
 the probability is never for life. You are at liberty to use this state- 
 ment privately if you desire." 
 
 To Rev. J. W. Chicker'mg. 
 "... Strong drink is a cruel enemy, and I trust you will meet him 
 with promptitude, in force, and with persistence. ..." 
 
 To Rev. George Vr^ilpple. 
 
 "February 12, 1868. 
 
 "... I never threatened to leave the church, but have expressed 
 myself willing to leave it, in the event of our brethren unanimously 
 sustaining Dr. Boynton's celebrated sermon, and provided they 
 should relieve me from all pecuniary obligations. . , . 
 
 " As to amalgamation being a doctrine of the Congregational 
 Church, I have simply to say I do not think the Church is called 
 upon to pronounce upon the subject. The pastor may have some 
 trouble, but it strikes me that it would be well for him to wait for a 
 case to arise, rather than call up an imaginary one. So far as tho 
 Church is concerned, I have simply planted myself upon the ground, 
 ' Love thy neighbor as thyself.' I do not wish to see our church a 
 German church, a French church, an Anglo-Saxon church, nor an 
 African church, but simply a church of Christ, with its door wide 
 open ; and I do not care an iota whether the brethren and sisters be- 
 lieve in amalgamation or not, I consider this subject entirely foreign 
 to our controversy, and only put into it with the hope of exciting 
 prejudice against me and my friends by the use of a word, in pre- 
 cisely the same way that prejudice used to be excited against anti- 
 Biavery by the use of the word 'abolitionist' , . ." 
 
 To Dr. H. Barker. 
 
 " February 12, 1868. 
 '■' Mt deae Sir : The story has gone from your lips, with the addi- 
 tion that others are likely to add to stories, that I am an amalgama- 
 
220 HOWAED : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 tionist. Now a letter comes saying that I threaten to leave the 
 church with my friends unless the church indorse my doctrine. 
 Now please answer me a question or two, 
 
 " 1. What do you mean by amalgamation ? 
 
 *' 2. What is your object in circulating this story ? 
 
 " I never threatened to leave the church. I was willing to do so 
 if I could be relieved from all obligations, and so expressed myself, 
 bitter as the disappointment would be to me. I don't care one fig 
 whether people believe in amalgamation or not. In fact, I don't 
 Imow what you mean by it, ..." 
 
 To Mr. A. H. Love. 
 
 " March 31, 1870. 
 " I agree with you who stylo yourself ' radical jieace men ' more 
 nearly than you think. I would labor as earnestly and industriously 
 as any one to secure to my country peace. And really how well the 
 officers and soldiers performed their part during the war ! It was 
 dreadful ; it was more terrible than you can depict, and yet I believe 
 sent upon us as really by divine direction as was any one of the 
 battles under Joshua. I have never, since I loved Christ, hated an 
 enemy ; no more do I hate a man who is to suffer death according to 
 law ; but protection to our country needs an army now, as your city 
 needs the police. I will work with you for peace, for education, for 
 the principle and practice of love, and am not particular about tho 
 title of the general ; yet if Philadelphia should be beleaguered by 
 the British, and your families in great distress, and the permanent 
 peace and welfare of the whole country endangered, I should obey 
 General Grant's order to move with all the force I could muster to 
 your relief, and should avoid a battle, if possible ; but if not, I 
 should feel it my duty not to wear the sword in vain. Our Lord 
 commended the Eoman soldier. It was not paradoxical for Him to 
 say, ' He had not seen such faith ; no, not in Israel.' Let us have 
 peace, but let us be true to our present duty, while we hope, labor, 
 and pray that our duties may be changed by the general diffusion of 
 the principles of peace. Yon would not advise drinking to the army 
 in order to weaken it and render our nation ignoble in the eyes of 
 other nations. Temperance and righteousness Apply to us in the 
 army and navy, as individuals, as they do to you and your friends. 
 Human life is protected by the divine law, yet it does not mean that 
 the criminal shall go unpunished, God takes human life for 
 offences, and Ho has specially directed His children (in Moses' law) 
 to do the same ; not in revenge, not in hate, but for the purpose of 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTlAjq- HERO. 221 
 
 preserving life and rendering it sacred. I do daily pray for my ene- 
 mies, and endeavor to entertain for them a forgiving spirit. Tlio 
 men I fought were, many of them, my intimate personal friends. I 
 never hated them ; I grieved that they raised their hands to destroy 
 their government." 
 
 To Colonel D. L. Eaton. 
 
 "... Yonr question of this morning perplexes me. I am glad yon 
 asked me, however, for if I am wrong in theory or method I ought 
 at once to change. Yon say, * General, do yon think the bringing of 
 people in that way does much good ? ' You further say, ' I think the 
 proper way is by rejection.' By ' that way ' you mean some way that 
 is not by reflection, probably by impulse, or impulse induced by ex- 
 citement. My theory is that no man is Christ's till his purpose ia 
 fixed. Now, in nine cases out of ten an impulse induced by want, 
 by suffering, by an exhibition of joy or sorrow begets in me a reso- 
 lution, and I act upon it. A pure intellectual decision would lead 
 me to do differently ; yet afterward my mind indorses the impulse 
 and the resolution. If you should trust altogether to people's cool 
 reflection, the Unitarian would remain so ; those who never go to 
 church would not be helped — the seed would not be sown beside all 
 waters. If you say that excitement is not religion, I agree ; but if 
 you think that religion can alwaj's be without excitement, I cannot 
 think so. Even you throw your hat high at times. Our Y. M. C. A. 
 meetings have the advantage, like the Bible Society, of meeting the 
 strong ones of the different churches. We know that we cannot 
 regenerate souls nor bring a Lazarus to life, but we can roil away 
 the stone from many a heart. Perhaps it ia pride, perhaps v/orldli- 
 ness, vanity, false teaching, ignorance ; perhaps it is robbing Christ 
 by supposing that man can do all ; or perhaps the stone is apathy, 
 an aggregation of the accretion of years of sinning. A word, a sen- 
 tence, a song, a smile, may be the leverage ; but when the stone is 
 away the cave of the heart is open, and the Lord's voice is heard and 
 heeded. Wo never rely upon feeling, but upon purpose, and the 
 test of a man's purpose is his life. Yet one never finds his Saviour 
 and purposes to be His forever without sacred joy and indescribablo 
 peace. ..." 
 
 '' It is dangerous to feed people without their rendering any labor 
 in return." 
 
 " When we can once get a good, thorough system of common 
 schools in practical operation, self-supporting, with a perennial sup- 
 ply of good teachers throughout the slave States, the material pros- 
 perity of those States will be secured beyond perad venture." 
 
222 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 
 
 " The school system, when once established, must bo nourished by 
 the masses of the people, and they must and will have, as soon as 
 the schools are in practical operation, the power and the means to 
 keep them alive." 
 
 To Mr. Frederick Douglass. 
 
 " July 10, 1870. 
 " My dear Sir : I read a part of your reply to the Philadelphia 
 resolutions, copied into the Independent of July, Much that you 
 there say accords with my judgment and sympathy, but I feel that 
 you speak more strongly and sweepingly than you meant — ' The 
 church and street are about the same in point of authority and in 
 point of excellence. Both are now on the side of popular wrong, 
 and both are against unpopular right.' Such have not been the 
 teachings of the branches of the Church that I have attended from 
 my youth. That individual ministers have led astray, that people 
 have blindly followed them into the practice and defence of crime, I 
 admit ; but this has not been tlie general rule. I learned in tho 
 Church to love God. I learned to reverence the authority of His 
 law. I found in the Church a Saviour, and my heart has been by 
 His word and grace enlarged in its capacity to love my fellow-men, 
 and I firmly believe that it is the operation of the teachings of tho 
 New England churches that made so many strong Abolitionists there. 
 The great majority of ministers I have heard in Maine have been out- 
 spoken against slaverj', against wrong of every kind ; and my view 
 has been that the v/rong-doing of men and women in the Church hag 
 been, not in consequence of, but in spite of tho instruction they 
 receive. ' Love thy neighbor ' is the teaching. Act up to it, and 
 slavery of every description falls. Now as to the abolition ; you do 
 not attribute it to a miracle, not due to any special interposition of 
 Divine Providence, but as resulting from the certain operation of 
 natural causes inherent in the very constitution of human nature. 
 "Were this so we should be just as thankful to the Author of human 
 nature — the Lord God, who so wonderfully arranged all things. But 
 I think some of us who bore the brunt of the battle realized a daily 
 aid, specially given as to a beseeching child. I cannot look upon 
 Mr. Lincoln without regarding him as a special Providence, as much 
 as was David. . . . Natural indeed, because God is in everything 
 and guiding everything, and hindering even the independent will of 
 Satan and his friends. We do not read that God is the Author of 
 wrong — He can abolish wrong. This is the everlasting work of 
 Christ, by His Spirit working in us and with us. He is not tho 
 Author of sin, such as slavery, drunkenness, lying, stealing, murder. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN" HERO. 223 
 
 hate, etc. Yon are a leader, have long been, and may God keep you 
 in the forefront ; but do not let the sins of church members obscure 
 your clear vision and hide the torches of truth that Christ and His 
 followers have lifted up," 
 
 To Editor Evening Bulletin. 
 
 " July 16, 1870. 
 
 "... My quarrel with Eev. Dr, Boynton was rather a controversy 
 in behalf of my charge, the freedmen and theij children. 1 had to 
 carr}^ the fight for them into the Church, the Sunday-school, the 
 courts, and the legislative halls. Martin Luther contended for prin- 
 ciple, and hate arose even against him, and did its best. Attack a 
 popular wrong and defeat its advocate, make your own side popular, 
 and you are never forgiven by the defeated. . . . 
 
 " Circumstances have occurred to teach and subdue my vanity, 
 and teach me new lessons of humility, and I think I am profiting by 
 them. Oh, that my guiding principle might be the honor of Christ ! 
 I am so prone to forget it, and enter so heartily into things that are 
 selfish and earthly, that I lower my spirit thankfully when God sees 
 fit to rebuke and chastise me. ..." 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM DIARY. 
 
 " Washington, D. C. 
 
 "January 1, 1871. — . . . Kead two Psalms and prayed for each 
 member present and absent ; also for Generals G. and S. and fami- 
 lies, E. and family, Secretary of War and family (he has just lost 
 his beautiful wife) ; also for the Church, the Y. M. C. A., and for 
 the university ; for Brother K. and for Mrs. G. and children, little 
 J, G. L., and the two poor men afflicted with drink ; also for God's 
 living presence in me to help me to a purer and higher life. Cousin 
 J. Roddy Hazard stopped over Sunday with us ; breakfast and hapi^y 
 morning prayer. All the family, including Irving (serving man) and 
 the girls, present. ... At church again to-night. Cousin Roddy 
 and L. joined me in pew Gl. Mr. R. kept our minds steadily on the 
 text, * Behold I stand at the door and knock, ' etc. I did long to 
 open the door wider and let Him, our blessed Saviour, in. We rode 
 
 in the beautiful moonlight to the Stables, being without a driver, 
 
 then walked home. Thus begins the year — a busy day. I told one 
 incident, I think chiefly in self-praise, which will do no good, and 
 may do harm. I want to guard against this besetting sin. ..." 
 
 ''January 2, 1871. — . . . Mr. Lewis and his son-in-law. Captain 
 Hall, our neighbors, called ; the latter has met with a terrible acci- 
 
224 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAIS" HERO. 
 
 dent since I saw him, losing his left hand and his left eye. The 
 artificial eye looks just like the other, and moves the same as a real 
 one. Art is wonderful, but it is only the natural eye that can see. 
 He seemed very serious when I told him I must be the most wicked, 
 as God had to take the right arm from me. He said a colored ser- 
 vant told him he must be a very wicked man that God had to pun- 
 ish him so severely. . , Our prayer -meeting very small compared 
 with the size of our church-membership, yet the object was thought- 
 fully and humbly considered — viz., a review of the past year, an hum- 
 bling of ourselves before God in view of the worldliness of Christ's 
 Church. I tried to recall my own record. Oh, how barren ! Asked 
 for prayers for a better, more consecrated future ; also for my friend, 
 ■who has been so long halting at the doorway of Christ's Church. We 
 tried to covenant together so as to be in mood to point sinners to 
 Christ — this prayer-week at least — each one endeavoring to get a 
 clean heart, O God our Father, do not let us, in our weakness, stand 
 in the way of sinners coming !" 
 
 "January 3, 1871. — . . . Our morning reading embraced the pas- 
 sage, ' The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.' 
 I told the children of it. The little ones seem interested. . . . Busy 
 morning at the ofl&ce. I inspected two divisions— Mr. Drew's and 
 General Ballock's— with a view of reduction of force. It is hard to 
 discharge these really good young men, who have been with me so 
 long and done well. I saw the appointment clerk of the Treasury, 
 with a view of getting some of them positions to-day. . . . We had 
 a good prayer-meeting for rulers, nations, soldiers, etc. I spoke for 
 General Grant and the Secretary of War in his bereavement, and 
 tried to pray. We had a crowded prayer-room and a large and pleas- 
 ant sociable afterward. I hope a special blessing will follow this 
 work of prayer. Gracie and Jamie went with me to-night. " 
 
 ^'January 4, 1871. — ... I tried at the meeting that night to point 
 out briefly the difficulties of parents and teachers, and the ways I had 
 been able to interest children in reading the Scriptures with them. 
 . . . Mr. Rankin encouraged us to labor on, though imperfect ; I 
 had said that I must be holier and better that, in exercise of authority, 
 I might not drive away our children from the blessed Saviour. . . ." 
 
 *' January 5, 1871. — . . . Having received a mother's earnest 
 request for prayer for her son — twenty-five years — for immediate con- 
 version, I went to the court-room and thence to the Y. M. C. A, — daily 
 prayer as yesterday. I spoke a few words about not recognizing and 
 not using God's Spirit when He did give it, and tried to pray, One 
 interesting story of the immediate answer to the request of a brother 
 
HOWARD ; THE CHRISTIAIf HERO. 225 
 
 to a praying assembly in the conversion of his brother drew general 
 attention. ... I am reading the life of the Claytons, by Eev. Mr. 
 Aveling, of England. I think the book is helping me, as good mem- 
 oirs of true Christian men generally do, by suggestions and recorded 
 example. " 
 
 "January 8, 1871. — . . . My S. S. class seemed quite impressed 
 with the lesson. Miss B. thought it not possible that any one could 
 be lost. I had a conversation with her after the lesson, entreating 
 her not to let that trouble her now. First come into the kingdom in 
 the appointed way, and then these things become clear. She thinks 
 many form a wrong idea of God's character by this idea being pre- 
 sented. I said I did not doubt it, for all who are alienated from Him 
 form a wrong idea of His character. ... At a temperance meeting 
 Mr. Buckingham (Senator from Connecticut) made a warm-hearted. 
 Christian speech, I followed him, by special request, urging tem- 
 perance as one of the stones that we must roll away before the 
 Saviour would speak life to many souls. ... I began the day with 
 a headache ; have been busy all day, and now am quite well. Some 
 seed has been sown. May the Lord water and nourish it, and in His 
 own time give the increase !" 
 
 "January 9, 1871.— . . . After prayers at the chapel, which I con- 
 ducted, I remarked upon the passage in our reading — ' For the 
 preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,' showing 
 why it was so. They — sinners who have not been with the king- 
 dom at all — undertake to judge of it. Thej' undertake to pro- 
 nounce on that of which they necessarily have no knowledge what- 
 ever. ..." 
 
 "January 10, 1871. — . . . After a long business day we had an- 
 other good prayer-meeting at our church to-night. One member of 
 my S. S. class arose for prayer, and two others. I had a pleasant 
 conversation with Mr. J., who has just found the Saviour." 
 
 '^January 12, 1871. — I began to urge upon him (General Grant, at 
 an interview at the White House) the thought that he might have 
 kept Senator Sumner from opposition [to himself] if he had exercised 
 his accustomed wisdom and knowledge of human character. He 
 smiled, and finished my idea before the sentence was complete, and 
 then told us simply how Mr. Sumner had disappointed him. Mr. 
 Douglass, who was present, presented some thoughts about the un- 
 fulfilled mission of the Eepublican party, and how necessary it still 
 is to continue it. General Grant said, earnestly, * Yes, it is so, who- 
 ever may lead.' I plead, as usual, for education, presenting the idea 
 of a full-fledged department, with a seat in the Cabinet." 
 
226 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 To E. S. Tohey, Esq. 
 
 '' June 27, 1871. 
 
 *' . . . The despatches in the Boston Advertiser are contrived with 
 a show of truth, so as to give an utterly wrong impression. For ex- 
 ample, the one on Eev. George Whipple's testimony, and the one 
 that speaks of ' a whitewashing report.'' 
 
 " 1 cannot give my statement nor my defence until the committee 
 reports. Nov/ I wish you would see the editor, Mr. Stanwood, and 
 tell him that of late his correspondent has joined my enemies. He 
 has associated himself with one who has i^ursued me in the public 
 press in a way that I can never understand. 
 
 " For three years, in at least five papers, in telegrams, he [the 
 latter] has betrayed the most invidious, covert (now and then out- 
 cropping) malignity. In his regular correspondence he laid the founda- 
 tion for, and really brought on, the investigation, under charges of 
 conduct that belongs only to guilty and depraved men. This man 
 has doubtless deceived and misled my former friend, the Advertiser' s 
 correspondent. I have tried hard, my Heavenly Father knows, to do 
 my duty, and nothing can be gained by Kepublican newspapers mis- 
 representing me. ..." 
 
 To Members of his Staff, for " Decoration Day." 
 
 " I shall be glad to have the entire staff, in complete ' full uniform,' 
 accompany me on that memorial occasion. The deeds of our hon- 
 ored comrades who have gone before us into rest ought never to be 
 forgotten." 
 
 To a Friend of his Youth. 
 
 " May 31, 1883. 
 
 "... Don't get vexed at me, P., for I have never ceased to love 
 you, and want you to be supremely happy, to possess beyond ques- 
 tion the everlasting life. I cannot cease to jsray for it. To come at 
 it without the experience of the bruised soul is better — yes, is best. 
 Twenty-seven came, with full hearts, into our church (covenant) last 
 Sunday, among them my seventh child. She must follow her brother 
 Harry. Of course I am more than glad. Disciple is learner. Within 
 the children learn better than without. One needs not crime to make 
 him an honest man. One needs not often break God's law to learn 
 to love Him. " 
 
 " Our w^orn-out bodies often shut us off from the sympathy and 
 praise which, as men, we feel that we merit ; but God looketh upon 
 the heart, and His rewards are above human feelings and honors. 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAK HERO. 2^7 
 
 * Who trusts ia God's 
 Unchanging love, 
 Builds on a rock 
 Tbat naught can move.' " 
 
 " . . . I am but a poor, weak, sinful man. I know that. Yet God 
 is good, and He hears and answers my prayers. So bless the Lord, 
 oh, my soul, and all that is within me, bless flis holy name. ..." 
 
 To Colonel . 
 
 " July 31, 1883. 
 "... I write to ask if all those liquor-sellers who are getting the 
 soldiers into trouble have a proper license. I do not believe they 
 have. Can you not have the matter inquired into ? And can you 
 not in some way legally take the offensive ?" 
 
 To Colonel T . 
 
 "August 20, 1883. 
 "... I see the death announced of Judge Jerry Black. He is a 
 great loss to the country. His trust in God was very clearly set 
 forth in his last moments, and his prayer touchingly simple and con- 
 fident." 
 
 To General 31 . 
 
 " August 9, 1883. 
 " , . . So another, our friend, has gone home. Let us meet him 
 there, where there is no sorrow. It will be more satisfying than the 
 acquirements of science, will it not? We there may yet roam to- 
 gether around brighter steppes and more charmed circles than those 
 we traversed together under the leadership of Dante ! , , ," 
 
 To the Daughter of his deceased Friend. 
 
 "■ January 9, 1883. 
 *' . . . I hope you are not worn out by your prolonged work. I do 
 wish you and your good mamma would come and stay forever with 
 us. I don't think I am fair to you or your good papa, now in 
 heaven, not to care just as much for his child as I do for my own. 
 Surely I would not do less. Don't you wish I were rich ? . . ." 
 
 To Mrs. C . 
 
 " January 2, 1883. 
 "... There need never be despair in America in the matter of 
 compensated labor. With sorrow for the temporary cloud over them, 
 I am hopeful for a better future. ..." 
 
228 HOWARD : THE CHEISTIAl?^ HEllO. 
 
 To his Mother. 
 
 ** . . . I did pray to tlie Lord to relieve me in His own way from 
 this [obligation]. I made many efforts, but all seemed futile, 
 [Shortly after, through a friend, the obligation was discharged.] 
 . . . You must join me in thanking the Lord, who put it into the 
 heart of one of His servants to give me this great gift." 
 
 To his Daughter. 
 
 " January 15. 
 
 ** We received a good letter from James, and now, last night, an- 
 other from you — yours to Harry. You say, * Ask papa to say what 
 would be his answer to a man who believed in God, yet said the 
 Bible is no more inspired than other books — what proofs are there of 
 inspiration ? ' 
 
 ** 1. By history found within and without the Bible. What we 
 call the Scriptures of the Old Testament have always been received 
 and treated as the inspired Word, coming to Christ's time through a 
 regular, undisputed succession of upright men. 
 
 " 2. The prophetic parts of all Moses' writings and of other books 
 "whose fulfilment should have taken place, has taken place in the 
 spirit and in the letter of the record. 
 
 " 3. The New Testament, which shows the fulfilment of all the old 
 types and symbols which refer to Christ and to the Church, is a beau- 
 tiful counterpart and complement to the Old Testament. Our Saviour, 
 who is at the least admitted to have been a good man, always quoted 
 from the Scriptures, and showed their fulfilment in His mission and 
 work. 
 
 *' John the Baptist and all the apostles who wrote did the same 
 thing. 
 
 " ' Holy men of old wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.' 
 
 *' 4. The Scriptures everywhere claim to be the inspired Word of 
 God, not in the sense of God using the English words, but in the 
 sense of good and true and chosen men putting the truth of God 
 into such shape that they may, if they wish, find it out and drink it in. 
 
 " 5. It, the Bible, can be tested like a shut-up garden. One can 
 go in and see ; like a fountain of pure water, one can go to it and 
 drink ; like a distant land, one can visit it, or talk with those who 
 have been there. In the experience of true men the Scriptures prove 
 themselves— prove that they have in them eternal life. This must 
 show inspiration. You cannot go to any ordinary poet for the way 
 of life. 
 
 ■" 6. Where any real discrepanpi^a occur (I think there are very few) 
 
HOWARD : THE christia:^- hero. 229 
 
 they are, of course, human errors. Sacred poems, like that of Job, 
 do not need to be called historic. Symbolic language need not be 
 worked into tales and laughed at. The Bible is like a palace of 
 wealth ; it has in it a vast number and variety of things. But oh, 
 what joy, what comfort, what love, what hope, what heaven, come out 
 of it ! Its (God's) promises are absolutely sure. ..." 
 
 To his Brother. 
 
 " November 7, 1883. 
 
 "... Nothing could be pleasanter to me than to meet, as you sug- 
 gest, in the old place or places. Every spot is crowded with associa- 
 tions not to be forgotten. The contrasts are painful. . . . 
 
 " The old farm and buildings running down —not even the trees 
 that father planted for ^Dosterity cared for. He said, as he leaned on 
 his hoe, ' Otis, I don't expect to see fruit on these trees. I plant 
 them for those that come after me.' How I would have cherished 
 those trees ! . . . But you cannot say too much of the wonderful 
 landscape. Strange that you had to travel so much to understand 
 this ! But who can look at any mountain, lake, or meadow with- 
 out the eye of association and make anything of it ? I have never 
 quite settled the matter of my burial-place, but have always felt that 
 Maine— Leeds — would be the place. Of course, the mere tabernacle 
 is not of much account, but still it is our habit to treat it with 
 respect after the spirit has departed. I would not waste the money 
 needed for the living in making superb monuments, but I would 
 have a plain, durable headstone, good grounds well kept, and never 
 surrounding them a tumble-down fence. ..." 
 
 To . 
 
 " December 7, 1883, 
 
 *' . . . As I believe that God loves a truly brave man, I plenid not 
 for the teaching of business, business ! money, money ! and nothing 
 else, but for instruction in the principles of honor. I love men who 
 count it a pleasure to die, if need be, for the right. And men can 
 only stand to their own and not other people's convictions. It v/ill 
 lift up the standard of character to the youth of our land for Mr. 
 Coffin to show them such men, as thej^ were, as Lincoln and Douglas, 
 Scott and McClellan, Lee and Jackson, Chase and Jeff Davis, Grant, 
 Sherman, Sheridan, Foote, Farragut and George H. Thomas, and 
 a host of others who have left or are soon to leave the stage of action. 
 
 " Let them know the men of history and follow the best, fearing 
 nothing but to do wrong. " 
 
230 IIOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 To a Comrade. 
 
 "... I hope that my name may be pleasantly remembered as you 
 call over the roster of living friends. Our country is still one — a free 
 nation — increasing in prosperity. There are ills which we would 
 cure, mists which we would dispel ; but when we look back to the 
 old days before the war a ad contrast them with the present, we can 
 only rejoice and thank God. Heaven grant that the generations to 
 come may have the virtue and the courage to maintain them ! . . ," 
 
 " It is a good motto, ' Let no day pass without making somebody 
 happier and better.' " 
 
 To Miss D . 
 
 " November 30, 1883. 
 " . . . I am very grateful for your kind letter. It touched my heart, 
 because it is the voice of a child appreciating her father. 
 
 " I was thankful for the picture of the house [the superintendent's]. 
 West Point became irksome to me this last time for various reasons, 
 yet I hope I left some good results." 
 
 " December 8. 
 
 * ' Deae Colonel : Since an ounce of prevention is worth a pound 
 of cure, may I ask you quietly to look into the subject of gambling 
 among the junior oincers at your post. The reputation for gambling 
 has gone out pretty widel}^ which you and I are the last to find out. 
 Gamblers proverbially have no principle. Gambling has been lead- 
 ing to the many duplications of pay accounts. It is a frightful vice, 
 prohibited by human and divine law. 
 
 *' The young officers cannot afford to be found in the company of 
 gamblers, nor to spend their nights in such utterly demoralizing oc- 
 cupation. 
 
 " I do not want an investigation, because my information comes 
 from careless conversations of officers who did not really intend to 
 apprise me of the shameful practice ; but I feel it due to you, dear 
 Colonel, to know of the notoriety." 
 
 " December 30, 1884. 
 
 " Dear Genebal Sherman : I write you near the close of this year 
 to give expression to my feelings of respect and affection. 
 
 " I have, as you know, great confidence in the Christian method of 
 obtaining favors and blessings of the Great Giver— that is, to ask 
 humbly and sincerely in the name of the Master. I endeavor always 
 to do this for you. So Avhen I wish you a bright Christmas and a 
 happy New Year, I wish you a completeness of satisfaction that only 
 
HOWARD : THE CHllISTIAK HERO. 231 
 
 God can give. In the past you have been very kind to me and mine, 
 so it is natural that I should be grateful and seek to make the best 
 return. 
 
 " Give my best wishes to Mrs. Sherman and the children about 
 you, and believe me ever j^our friend." 
 
 To the Countess de Gasparin, near Geneva, Switzerland. 
 
 "May 29, 1883, 
 
 "... I am very glad you gave him (my son) a book to read. He 
 will treasure its precepts and value it from you. I must thank you 
 again for your books just received. I will study them carefully. I 
 have used j^our husband's name in my addresses because he was so 
 faithful and thorough in his researches, so much more so than I have 
 been. ..." 
 
 " My opportunity to lecture last year helped me not a little. With 
 the Lord's blessing I am getting free from troublesome obligations 
 little by little. I hope I shall fight a good fight and come off con- 
 queror through Christ." 
 
 Concerning his Visit Abroad. 
 
 ^ "Feb. 6, 1885. 
 
 *' Paris and the Louvre would make a book. The glimpses into 
 old Eome would make another. 
 
 " I had delightful interviews v/ith the missionaries everywhere I 
 went, and found them doing such wonderfully 'good work, particu- 
 larly with the young girls, teaching them, as our misses are taught, 
 that a very excellent impression has been left with me regarding 
 them at Alexandria, Cairo, Smyrna, Scutari, and Athens. . . . 
 
 " I am fearfully dej^rcssed by the news from Khartoum. My saving 
 thought is that it is yet necessary [in God's inscrutable wisdom] 
 to permit treachery. I do not yet believe that Gordon is dead." 
 
 To General Morrow. 
 
 " February 4, 1885. 
 " General, your talk is wise ; I have no feeling now, and had bet- 
 ter not awaken any. I invite all kindly and candid criticism, but 
 ignore the embittered and poisoned chalice." 
 
 General Howard lias been an industrious correspond- 
 ent, despite the disadvantage he has labored under in 
 the loss of his right arm. He quickly trained his left 
 
232 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 hand in tlie use of the pen, and finds little difficulty in 
 using the one usually so useless to others for this pur- 
 pose. Rarely are his letters written by others, lie deem- 
 ing it a duty to pay his correspondents the compliment 
 of a personal reply. Peoj^le, in remarking upon his 
 facility in this respect, have frequently suggested his 
 f orgetfulness of the fact that he ever had two arms — a 
 suggestion which lie quickly repudiates. lie has suffered 
 too acutely from this cause to treat his loss lightly. 
 With more precision than a barometer does this mutilated 
 member notify him of a change of temperature, and 
 he can never ignore its susceptibility to exposure or 
 overwork. He is constantly reminded of it also in 
 travel, or in streets of a city, where a jostle against his 
 shoulder causes prolonged pain. But he has ever in- 
 sisted that the kindness which he has received on ac- 
 count of his arm has overbalanced the suffering it has 
 cost him. It has taught him patience — a great stock of 
 which he has accumulated in his life — and his dependence 
 upon the family circle has made him its idol. Yet he 
 rides as fearlessly as before, and is capable of as continu- 
 ous work with the remaining hand as many persons are 
 with both. 
 
 A characteristic of General Howard's which should be 
 emphasized is his boundless charity. In his intercourse 
 with men he has remembered the assurance made by the 
 Master, that the greatest of all virtues is charity, and in 
 his constant effort to inculcate this lesson upon his mind, 
 he has strengthened it in himself. In his intercourse 
 with his children he has systematically endeavored to 
 release them from the misfortune of a critical spirit, and 
 the subject of many of the " children's hours" has been 
 this important theme. It has been the custom of General 
 and Mrs. Howard, for many years, to devote the hour 
 
HOWAKD : THE CHRISTIAlf HERO. 233 
 
 succeeding the evening meal to the children, and it has 
 never been neglected. It has made the relationship be- 
 tween these parents and their children a beautiful one, 
 and dignified it with a spiritual significance not common 
 in families. In all his association with his children 
 General Howard has, as a natural consequence, impressed 
 upon them the child-like faith he has reposed in his 
 Heavenly Father, and it has been no matter of surprise 
 with them that blessings have come to their fireside. 
 They have expected them, and have rejoiced and not 
 wondered that they came. 
 
 Some years ago, when the Howard University was 
 started, General Howard became responsible for a Pro- 
 fessorship, and afterward was unable, through his heavy 
 losses in "Washington and the legal expenses of the two 
 investigations made of the Bureau management, to pay 
 the sum of ten thousand dollars, which was the amount 
 he had promised to give. His inability to do so humiliated 
 him, and he worked and prayed continuously to cancel 
 the obligation. Time passed, and it still remained an 
 incubus upon him, he paying the interest upon the sum, 
 and thus maintaining the Chair. His family had almost 
 despaired of his ever being able to meet the debt, and 
 were often tempted to regret that he had created it ; 
 but he met the requirements of his bond each year, and 
 waited in patience and humility for the leadings of 
 the Spirit in the matter. Finally, one day in the sum- 
 mer of 1882, in a most unexpected manner, the debt was 
 lifted from his shoulders, and the Professorship secured 
 to the University. General and Mrs. Howard were 
 travelling together, and while on the cars going "West 
 made the acquaintance of two fellow-travellers, a citizen of 
 ISIew York and his wife, who knew the General by repu- 
 tation, and introduced themselves to him. Their jour- 
 
234 HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 ney laj in the same direction for a few days, and before 
 tliey separated tlie gentleman, who had inqnired con- 
 cerning the University and its prospects, gave, nnsolicited, 
 to General Howard a clieck for the entire amount, sub- 
 ject to the provision that his name should never reach the 
 public. Mrs. Howard alone was informed, and she, too 
 overjoyed and grateful to observe his condition of silence, 
 went to him, and touchingly thanked him for the weight 
 he had lifted from her husband's shoulders and from 
 the hearts of his household. General Howard consid- 
 ered it but another of the countless manifestations of 
 God's goodness, which he, in common with his fellow- 
 beings, was constantly receiving, and he humbled him- 
 self yet more in love before Him. The incident is one 
 that gave satisfaction to every one who knew General 
 Howard, and the modest benefactor has had the silent 
 thanks of thousands who heard of his generosity, but may 
 never learn his name. The release from this responsi- 
 bility, which he w^as pecuniarily unable to meet, lifted a 
 mountain weight of care from General Howard, and will 
 enable him to anticipate the future without the anxiety 
 that would have othervv^ise followed him. 
 
 General How^ard has now reached the summit of his 
 earthly fame, and rounded the pyramid of years which 
 marks the half century and more he has lived in the 
 world. He is at his best intellectually and spiritually, 
 and is happy in the contemplations of the past. Life 
 now has few temptations for him ; he is serene in his 
 strength, full sure that only good can come to him, and 
 ready and willing to accept whatever the Master sends to 
 him to suffer or to enjoy. 
 
 His attitude through life has been one of kindness 
 
HOWARD : THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 235 
 
 toward liis fellow-men ; lie has prayed for liis enemies, 
 forgiven liis foes, and lias not harbored hate in his heart. 
 -:f -X- -^ -j^ -X- 'X- * * 
 
 Such is the record of General Howard, a man of gentle 
 nature, kind deeds, and high Christian character, one 
 who in his daily living has kept in view the last hour, in 
 which he desires to say, with the apcstle, '* I have 
 fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
 kept the faith." 
 
240 
 
 GEORGE ELIOT S ESS A YS, 
 
 Collected and Arranged, with an Introduction on her " Analysis of 
 Motives." By Nathan Sheppard. Paper, 25 cents; fine 
 cloth, $1.00. 
 
 THE NEW YORK EXAMINER. '* These essays ought to be 
 read by any one who would understand this part of George 
 Eliot's career ; and, indeed, they furnish the key to all her sub- 
 sequent literary achievements. • 
 
 THE NEW YORK SUN. " In her essays, as in no other of her 
 writings, we gain access to the sanctuary of her deepest convic- 
 tions, and to the intellectual workshop in which literary methods 
 and processes were tested, discarded, or approved, and literary 
 tools were fashioned and manipulated." 
 
 FROUDKS HISTORICAL AND OTHER 
 SKETCHES, 
 
 Historical and Otker Sketches. By James Anthony Froude. 
 Edited with an Introduction by David H. Wheeler, LL.D., Pres. 
 Allegheny College. Paper, 25 cents; fine cloth $1,00. 
 
 THE TORONTO MAIL. " The sketches are admirably chosen. 
 The volume forms a most readable and valuable collection of 
 papers, and the introductory essay is an especially timely and 
 friendly production." 
 
 THE BUFFALO CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. " These essays 
 abound in the feh'ci ties of the historian's style and are exceed- 
 ingly suggestive." 
 
 FUNK & WAGNALLS, Publishers, 10 & la Dey St., N. Y. 
 
241 
 
 MOTHERS OF GREAT MEN AND 
 WOMEN. 
 
 AND THE WIVES OF SOME GREAT MEN. 
 
 These Pen Portraits include: The Mothers of. The Gracchi, Wesley, 
 Luther, Lincoh,, Napoleon, Cromwell, Madarn Necker, Richter, 
 Byron, Humboldt, Mendelssohn, Webster, and Garfield; and 
 such Wives as Ladies Russell, Beaconslieid, and others. By 
 Laura. C Holloway. 
 
 One large volume, 8vo. Illustrated throughout, with Frontispiece 
 of Raphael's "Sistine Madonna," engraved on steel. Price, 
 cloth, $3.00; same, gilt edges, $5.00; silk, cloth, gilt edges, $6.00; 
 half morocco, gilt, $5.00; full morocco, gilt, $7.00. 
 Maj. Gen. O. O. HOWARD. "lam delighted to have such 
 a pure, good, interesting work as this go into my family." 
 
 THE HOME IN POETR F. 
 
 A collection of English and American verse on The Hojne. By 
 Laura C. Holloway. Paper, 25 cents; fine cloth. ^1.00. 
 THE CLEVELAND MESSENGER. "The selections have 
 been made with discrimination and care." 
 
 AN HOUR WITH CHARLOTTE BRONTE ; 
 
 Or, Flowers from a Yorkshire Moor. By Laura C. Holloway. 
 Paper, 15 cents; fine cloth, with fine steel engraving of Charlotte 
 Bronte, 75 cents. 
 
 THE NEW YORK HERALD. "There are, at times, flights 
 of eloquence that rise to grandeur." 
 
 HOWARD, THE CHRISTIAN HERO. 
 
 A history of Gen. O. O. Howard's religious and philanthropic, 
 rather than his military career. By Laura C. Holloway. lamo, 
 paper, 25 cents; cloth, $1.00. 
 
 CHINESE GORDON, THE UNCROWNED 
 KING. 
 
 A compilation rom Gordon's private letters of his sentiments re- 
 garding life, duty, religion, responsibility. By Laura C. Hollo- 
 way. i2mo, ribbon tied, 25 cents. 
 
 THE ST. PA UL PIONEER PRESS. " His sentences ring 
 like bugle calls." 
 
 FUNK & WAGNALLS, Publishers, 10 & 12 Dey St., N. Y. 
 
 B C 5. 
 

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