Christ in the camp: or, Religion in Lee's army

Introduction

By rev. J. C. CRANBERRY, D. D. ,

Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; formerly Chaplain in Army of Northern Virginia.

RICHMOND, VA. :

Copyright, 1887, by B. F. Johnson & Co.

i

TO

WHO HAS DONE SO MUCH TO HONOR THE MEMORY OF OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD; WHO HAS CARRIED • SUNSHINE INTO SO MANY OF THE HOMES OF THEIR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS, AND WHOSE WARM HEART AND LIBERAL HAND HAVE SO OFTEN ALLEVIATED THE SORROWS AND LIGHTENED THE BURDENS OF LIVING "MEN WHO WORE THE GRAY," THIS BOOK IS, BY HIS PERMISSION, RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED — WITH THE EARNEST PRAYER THAT THE EVENING OF HIS DAYS MAY BE CHEERED BY THE CONSTANT PRES- ENCE OF THE SAVIOUR WHOM HE SERVES.

Preface

THE history of the Army of Northern Virginia is yet to be written. Much concerning it has already been pubhshed — much that is valuable as " material for the future historian;" more, perhaps, that is worthless — but it remains for some master-hand to separate the wheat from the chaff and tell the true story of the heroic deeds and splendid achievements of that Grand Army which sheds lustre upon the American name and is fast becoming the pride of the whole country — North as well as South.

It will ever be a source of regret to all lovers of the truth of history that the great chieftain who led this army to so many splendid victories, who sheathed his stainless sword at Appomattox and retired to the shades of academic life at Lexington, the Idol of his people and the admiration of the world, was not spared to finish the task he had begun of writing the history of his campaigns ; for the world would have believed what he wrote as implicitly as it did those modest despatches which used to be signed, " R. E. Lee, General."

But he was called from his unfinished work to wear his glittering '' crown of rejoicing," and so we must wait for the historian of the future to study the material, estimate the " overwhelming numbers and resources " against which the Army of Northern Virginia fought, and give to posterity the results of his labors.

But any history of that army which omits an account of the wonderful Influence of religion upon It — which

6 PREFACE.

fails to tell how the courage, discipline and morale of the whole was influenced by the humble piety and evangelical zeal of many of its officers and men — would be incomplete and unsatisfactory. The Army of Northern Virginia has a religious history as distinct and as easily traced as its military exploits, and the material for volumes on this feature of its history is so abundant, that in attempting its portrayal one is embarrassed chiefly by the richness of the mine he is to work — the main difficulty being that of selecting from the mass of material at his disposal so as to condense the wonderful story widiin the limits of a single volume. For such a work I think that I may (without improper egotism) claim some special qualifications.

It was my proud privilege to follow the fortunes of that army, as private soldier or chaplain, from Harper's Ferry in '6i to Appomattox Court House in '65 — to know personally many of its leading officers — to mingle freely with the private soldiers in camp, on the march, in the bivouac, on the battle-field, and In the hospital — and to labor In those glorious revivals which made nearly the whole army vocal with God's praises.

In 1865 I was solicited by many of my fellow-chaplains and old comrades, and by General Lee himself, to prepare this chapter of our history, and I collected at that time a large amount of material, to which I have since made constant additions. It will, therefore, be for me a " labor of love " to cull here and there an incident, to recall here and there a reminiscence, to paint here and there a picture which will serve to illustrate the subject, and to show beyond all cavil that " religion In Lee's army" was not a myth, but a blessed reality, a "silver lining " to the dark cloud of war, a bright spot in the gloomy picture, a solace in hardships, sufferings and afflictions, and a bright guiding star to many of our brave men when called on to " cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees."

PREFACE.

In the preparation of this volume I have made free use of my own diary, and of letters from the army which I wrote for the Religious Hei^ald dihd the Christiaii Index, and especially of a series of papers recently published in the Religious Herald, which were very kindly received, and for the publication of which, in book form, I have received many calls from friends living in different sections of the country and representing all creeds of our evangelical Christianity.

I must also make especial acknowledgment of Indebtedness to the excellent book of my friend, Rev. Dr. W. W. Bennett (late President of Randolph-Macon College), on "The Great Revival ; " to war files of several religious newspapers ; to a large number of letters and other documents furnished me in '65 and '66 by chaplains, missionaries, and others of our army-workers, and to a complete file of the minutes of our Chaplains' Association of the Second and Third Corps, furnished me by the courtesy of the accomplished secretary, Rev. L. C. Vass.

Nor must I fail to make due acknowledgment to my old friend and honored brother. Rev. J. C. Cranberry, D. D., Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, for his admirable introduction. Bishop Cranberry's zealous and efficient service as chaplain in the Army of Northern Virginia — a service which was only temporarily suspended when he was wounded and taken prisoner in the faithful discharge of his duty — gives him special qualification to speak on this subject, while his wide Influence with evangelical Christians of every name gives peculiar weight to his kiiid words of commendation. ,

It may be proper to add that, while the book Is written by an ardent Confederate, who does not pretend to conceal warm Confederate sympathies, everthing has been scrupulously avoided which could reasonably give offence from either sectional or sectarian bias.

PREFACE.

The work begun twenty-two years ago is now finished, and the author sends it forth with the earnest hope that it may prove acceptable to many at the North as well as at the South, with the fervent prayer that it may be useful in leading men to Christ and in strengthening the faith and brightening the hope of true children of our loving Father, who, behind the " frowning providence " of war, hid '' a smiling face " for those who trusted Him even in the storm.

J. w. J.

Richmond, Virginia,

Contents

Introduction, by Bishop Cranberry . , . . « , . • I3

Chapter I. Religious Elements In The Army

The spirit in which the men in gray went to the front — A boy who found Jesus in the camp — Bitter memories of the war passing away — But the people of the South entered the war in a spirit of dependence upon God, and with earnest prayer for His blessing — Illustrations of the large proportion of Christian officers and men who entered the Confederate army — Letters from the camps and hospitals — Negroes praying for their young masters — Recip-* rocal tenderness l^etween the soldiers at the front and loved ones at home — Letter from Rev. Dr. Robert Ryland to his son in the army — Items from war-files of religious newspapers — Prayer-meetings, religious fervor and real consecration in the camps at the beginning of the war 17

Chapter II. Influence Of Christian Officers

President Jefferson Davis — His messages and orders — His private character — General R. E. Lee — His official life and utterances — "A poor sinner trusting in Christ alone for salvation" — Plis attendance upon religious services— At the soldiers' prayer-meeting — A believer in prayer — Hearty co-operation in effiarts for the good of his men — His despatches and orders breathing a spirit of humble trust in Christ — His life of active piety in Lexington — Illustrations of his ardent desire for, and active efforts for, the religious welfare of the students of his college — A man of prayer and a lover of God's Word — A liberal contributor and an earnest worker — A " son of consolation " to the afflicted — Letters of condolence — His friendship for Stonewall Jackson and grief at his death — "A revival that shall bring all of these young men to Christ" — His unsectarian spirit and love for all pertaining to our evangeli- , cal Christianity ............ 42

Chapter III

influence of christian officers — Continued.

Stonewall Jackson, the Christian soldier — My first interview with him — Introducing a colporter — Jackson's first public prayer — " Deacon Jackson " — An efficient collector — A conscientious m?ister — His colored Sabbath-school —

10 CONTENTS.

Leaving home for the army — His earnest devotion to the religious instruction of the negroes, and their a^ectionate attachment to him and his memory — Giving thanks for victory — A man of constant prayer — Trust in God at all times — "(iod blessed our arms with victory" — Fond of religious conversation — Efforts to supply his corps with chaplains and to promote the spiritual welfare of the men — Preaching and prayer-meetings at his head-quarters — His influence upon individuals — Details of his triumphant death . . . 82

CHAPTER IV. INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIAN OFFICERS— Conc/z(ded

General J. E. B. Stuart— General John B, Gordon— General D. H. Hill— General R. S. Ewell — Colonel Lewis Minor Coleman ; sketch by Rev. Dr. J. L. Burrows — Rev. (Captain) Dabney Carr Harrison; sketch by Rev. Dr. Moses D. Hoge — Captain Hugh A. White ; sketch by his father, Rev. Dr. W. S. White— Fall of Captain Hugh White and Colonel W. H. S. Baylor— Dr. John A. Broadus on the influence of officers — Other illustrations . . . I02

Chapter V. Bible And Colportage Work

Scarcity of Bibles — Liberal donations of the British and Foreign Bible Societies — Dr. Hoge's visit to England — Liberality of the American Bible Society — Incidents of dead soldiers' Bibles — Anxiety of the soldiers to procure Bibles — Earnest Bible-readers—" The tract man " — Tract societies and their work — Liberal contributions and large work — Letter from Hon. John Randolph Tucker — Speeches by Hon. J. R. Tucker, Colonel Wright, Hon. J. I ,. M. Curry and Judge Chilton — Reports of colporters ...... 148

Chapter VI. Hospital Work

" Wayside hospitals " — " Field hospitals " — " Receiving hospitals " — " General hospitals" — The work of colportei'S, missionaries and chaplains in the hospitals — "Ministering angels" — Triumphant deaths— Christ in the hospitals — Reports of the workers ......... 196

Chapter VII. Work Of The Chaplains And Missionaries

Christian union — Letter from Dr. Wm. J. Hoge — Incidents— Rev. Dr. Jos. C. Stiles on chaplains and their work — Rev. Dr. Geo. B. Taylor — The " men wanted" — Organization of the Chaplains' Association — Address of the chaplains to the churches 223

Chapter VIII. Eagerness Of The Soldiers To Hfj^r The Gospel

Large congregations and eager listeners — Incident? showing that one can preach

CONTENTS. 11

any day and any hour of the day — Preaching in the rain — On the march — On the battle-field — Prayer on eve of battle — Baptismal scenes — " I am alone in the world" — Wounded at preaching — A prayer-meeting in the "bomb-proof" — Chapel-building — Universities in reality vs. " Universities " in name. 242

Chapter IX. State Of Religion In 1861-62

Home mfluence and early spirit — Demoralization after first Manassas — Drunkenness, profanity and gambling — Incidents — The disasters bring people and soldiers to their knees — Effect of the battles as "powerful preachers " — Be ginnings of revivals ........... 264

Chapter X. Revivals In The Lower Valley And Around Fredericksburg

Trimble's Brigade — Rev. Dr. Siiles's preaching — Letter from Dr. Stiles — A chaplain's account — Revival in the reserve artillery — Captain T. J. Kirkpatrick's account — Rev. Hugh Roy Scott's sketch of "Camp Nineveh" — Revival in the Staunton hospitals — Interest in the Ninth Georgia — The great revival at Fredericksburg — Letter from Dr. Stiles — My own impressions and reports— A "last message" — Letter from Rev, Dr. Wm. J. Hoge on his visit to Fredericksburg and vicinity — Other revivals — Letter from Rev. James Nelson — Other reports • 283

CHAPTER XL

THE GREAT REVIVAL ALONG THE RAPIDAN.

The work in Winchester — Letters from Rev. Dr. J. A. Broadus — RevivgJ in Rockbridge Artillery, Fifteenth North Carolina, Thomas's Georgia Brigade, Sixtieth Virginia Regiment, Wise's Brigade, Forty-second North Carolina Regiment, etc. — Great work along the Rapidan — Letters from chaplains and missionaries describing the work — Report of meeting of the Chaplains' Association — Great revivals in Wilcox's Brigade, Mahone's Brigade, Gordon's Brigade, Walker's Brigade, Dole's Brigade, Armistead's Brigade, Kemper's Brigade, Ninth Virginia Cavalry, Smith's "Brigade, Hoke's Brigade, Hays's Brigade, Cobb's Legion, the artillery, Daniel's Brigade, Ramseur's Brigade, Scales's Brigade, Battle's Brigade, Wright's Brigade, Posey's Brigade, J. M. ■Jones's Brigade, Stonewall Brigade, Corse's Brigade, Garnett's Brigade, Benning's Brigade, Kershaw's Brigade, Lane's Brigade, Davis's Brigade, Kirkland's Brigade, Semmes's Brigade, Barksdale's Brigade, Law's Brigade, Anderson's Brigade, Stuart's Brigade, Iverson's, Cooke's, McGowan's Brigade and other commands — Letters and details concerning the work . .312

Chapter XII. Progress Of The Work In 1 864-65

Peculiar difficulties — Chapel-work — On the picket-lines — With the reserve artillery — Revivals in Wise's Brigade, Wright's Brigade, Long's Artillery Corps, Walker's Artillery Corps, B. R. Johnson's Brigade^ Davis's Brigade, '

12 CONTENTS.

Wright's Brigade, Mahone's Brigade, Kirldarid's Brigade, Gordon's Brigade, Scales's Brigade, Third Virginia Infantry, etc. — Reports of meetings of the Chaplains' Association — Reports of chaplains and missionaries — Letters from the camps — Work in the trenches — Meetings in the bomb-proofs — An appointment to preach broken by the breaking of our lines — Incidents . . 353

Chapter XIII. Results Of The Work And Proofs Of Its Genuineness

Reports of an evangelist — The number of converts estimated at fully 15,000 — Proofs of the genuineness of the work — Testimony of religious bodies and leading ministers — The after-lives of the converts — Active workers for Christ — Ready to lead in prayer — Speaking for Christ — Becoming preachers — Fasting in order to give to God's poor — Incidents illustrating the calm resignation or ecstatic triumph with which ihey met death — "Apples of gold in pictures of silver " — Their conduct since the war — Filling our pulpits — Pillars in our churches — Plowing with one arm — Going to work — The leaders in every vocation — " The New South " made by the brains, the muscle, the pluck, the piety, of " the men who wore the gray " — Conclusion . . 390

Appendix

Roster of Chaplains — Letters from leading Chaplains and Missionaries . . 465

INTRODUCTION.

By Rev. J. C. Cranberry, D. D., Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, formerly Chaplain in the Army of Northern Virginia.

THESE annals are fresh and vivid. They read Hke the story of what happened yesterday. They are not less accurate for being aglow. Dr. Jones was no small part of the religious movement he narrates ; a quarter of a century does not fade in the memory of an actor in such extraordinary scenes. But he has not trusted memory alone. He has preserved or collected publications of the day; he jotted down many incidents when they occurred, and this history is with him no new thought. Besides, he writes out of his heart. Add to this how he loves the Army of Northern Virginia. He is too wise and live a man to miss present duties and privileges in brooding over a lost cause, or burying himself in the grave of the Confederacy : but reconstruction did not work out of him admiration and affection for his fellow-patriots and fellow-soldiers of 1 86 1-5 ; he went back into the Union with his whole heart (which, like his body, is big and strong), but the integrity of that heart includes changeless devotion to his comrades of the fiery struggle.

To us of the South, this volume possesses special interest. For the men who wore the blue we have no unkindness ; we are ready to cast flowers on the neatly-kept graves of those who fell, and to clasp the hands of those who survive; but the men who wore the gray are our brothers, defenders, heroes. The ex-Confederate may now be a Democrat or a Republican ; he may reside in Florida or Washington Territory : but his heart will be still and cold in death when it ceases to throb and warm at the mention of the soldiers of the South, whether they sleep as the greater part do, or yet live. How grateful then to us should be the story of what divine grace did for those brave men; how it exalted and hallowed their character, comforted

14 INTRODUCTION.

them amid all their risks and sufferings, inspired the dying, whatever may have been the issue of the day, with immortal triumph, and continues to be in peace as in war the guide and joy of those whom battle, accident and disease have spared !

But the value of this book is not restricted by sectional, partisan, or national lines. It is independent of all political and social questions involved in the civil strife. These pages do not discuss slavery, State-rights, secession ; nor compare the skill of generals and prowess of troops on the opposing sides. " Christ in the Camp; or. Religion in the Army," never mind what camp or army, is a theme of deep, thrilling, world-wide significance. The only triumphs the author records are the triumphs of the cross. That so many soldiers were saved by the power of the Gospel to the praise of the riches of God's grace is the fact in which he desires all Christians to rejoice. Some narrow and prejudiced Federals may not be able to understand how it was possible for those men to be saved without repenting of " the sin of rebellion." We cannot waste time on them. Those of broader views and more generous spirit, especially godly men who followed the Stars and Stripes, will thank God for the evidence that the soldiers who opposed them with constancy and valor, many shedding their lifeblood on the field, were partakers of like precious faith with themselves. To me it is a happy thought that in the two confronting camps, often at the same hour, there rose with voice and heart the common strain,

"All hail the power of Jesus' name ! "

r would add my testimony to that of Dr. Jones on the evangelical tone of the preaching and worship in our army. Chaplains and visiting ministers determined not to know anything among them save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. It was always assumed that the cause for which they contended was righteous ; on it was invoked the divine blessing, and the troops were exhorted to faithful service. But the grounds of the war Were not discussed ; constitutional and historical questions were passed by, except a certain local coloring, such as illustrations drawn from active military life and appeals based on the perils of war. The sermons in the camp would have suited any congregation in city or country, and with even less change might have been preached to the Union armies. Eternal things, the claims of God, the worth of the soul, the wages of sin which is death,

INTRODUCTION. l5

and the gift of God which is eternal Hfe through Jesus Christ our Lord — these were the matter of preaching. The marrow And fatness of the Gospel were set forth. The' style was not controversial, speculative or curious, but eminently practical and direct; hortatory, yet also instructive. There were pathos and urgency of appeal. The hearers were besought to immediate and uncompromising action, for the time was short. The songs^ prayers, lay testimonies and exhortations, in a word, all the exercises, were in the same line. There was no stirring up of bad blood ; no inflaming of malice and revenge. The man of God lifted up, not the Bars and Stars, but the cross, and pressed the inquiry, " Who among you are on the Lord's side ? "

" Religion in the army " was a peculiar type or phase of piety. I mean not that it differed from religion in other armies, but that it differed from religion at home and in peace ; identical in essence, but modified in manifestation by the extraordinary circumstances amid which it sprang up or developed. It was a variety in the fruit of the manifold grace of God ; it had its own form, color, flavor. Military discipline was not wholly unfavorable. The martial imagery of which Paul was fond shows an analogy between the life of the soldier and the life of the saint. The centurion of Capernaum and the centurion of Cesarea were patterns of faith and of a devout spirit. The soldier's habits of unquestioning obedience to orders, of trust in superior officers, and of freedom from anxiety about things for which he is not responsible, fit into the life of faith. Our men planned not for the future, but did the duty of the hour; they went when and whither they were bid, were content not to know beforehand the object of a campaign or the strategy for its accomplishment, and drew not back from any feat, however apparently impossible, or any hazards, however apparently unnecessary. Yet they were intelligent and thoughtful and full of enthusiasm in the cause for which they fought. Multitudes of them, privates as well as officers, prized not their own liberty, health or life in comparison with the honor and success of the Confederate States. They carried into their religion a profounder faith and consecration.

Certainly our soldiers were exposed to severe temptations, and deprived of many aids to pious culture. Yet grace triumphed overall those advantages. I have nowhere witnessed more complete, symmetrical and beautiful examples of Christian character than in the army. Some of them were boys, others

16 INTRODUCTION.

mature men; some in the ranks, others officers of various grades. Away from the happy influences of neighborhood and home, they were chaste, temperate and pure. Cut off from Church and Sunday-school, often having no day of sacred rest and httle communion of saints, they feared the Lord and thought upon His name. On every march they carried the well-thumbed Bible, and the hard ground on which they lay without pillow, bed or tent, often proved to them a Bethel. The lonely vigils of sentinels and picket were hallowed and cheered by sweet meditations of God. Patience had her perfect work amid the long privations and discomforts of their lot. They were kind, sympathetic and generous to their comrades in arms; and these were the only persons with whom, as a rule,- they came in contact. They delighted in devotional meetings, and were not ashamed to witness for Christ. Not recklessly, but with thoughtful and prayerful solemnity, they went into fierce battle ; yet the peace of God which passeth all understanding kept their hearts against alarm ; and if a ball shivered a limb, or entered the body, a smile of resignation lit up the rugged faces as they were borne off to the hospital and surgeon, or with words of victory they on the field yielded up their spirit to the God in whom they trusted. To God be all the glory ! J. C. Cranberry.

Chapter I. Religious Elements In The Army

ON the memorable 17th day of April, 1861 — the day on which the Virginia Convention, in response to Mr. Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand men to coerce the seceded States, passed its ordinance of secession — there occurred at the little village of Louisa Court House a scene similar to those enacted all over Virginia and the South, which none who witnessed it can ever forget. The " Louisa Blues," a volunteer company composed of the best young men of the county, were drilling at noon on the court green, when a telegram from the governor of the State ordered them to be ready to take a train of cars at sundown that evening. Immediately all was bustle and activity — couriers were sent in every direction to notify absentees — and in every household there were busy fingers and anxious hearts preparing those brave men to meet promptly the call of the sovereign power of their native State.

I remember one doting mother who wept in secret the tears she restrained in the presence of her loved boy of just sixteen summers, who had but recently risen from severe illness, but whose frame grew strong with eagerness to march with his comrades to the post of duty. When asked if she was not willing tor her boy to respond to his country's call, she replied in that spirit of patriotism which characterized the women of the South throughout the war: " Certainly I am! I wish him to go, and should be ashamed of him if he were unwilling to go. But there is one thought of which I cannot rid myself, and which causes me the bitterest anguish. I have always looked upon an army as a complete * school of vice,' and I fear that, amid the demoralizing influences of the camp, my boy (carefully nurtured though he has been) will wander far from the paths of virtue and religion, and will come back, if spared to return, not the innocent boy I send forth to my country's service, but a reckless, vicious man."

2 (17)

An hour before the appointed time that splendid companymustering considerably more than its previous roll strength, for a number of new recruits had enlisted in its ranks — marched to the depot where an immense crowd had assembled to see them off. An aged minister of the gospel (now gone to his reward) spoke words of earnest counsel, and led in a fervent prayer that the God of Jacob might go forth with these young men, keep them in the way whither they went, and bring them back to their homes in peace and safety — but, above all, that he would shield them from the vices of the camp and lead them into paths of righteousness.

The man of God is interrupted by the shrill whistle of the iron horse — the train dashes up to the depot — all are soon aboard, and, amid tender farewells and suppressed sobs of anxious friends, and the waving of handkerchiefs and vociferous cheers by the vast crowd, those patriot-soldiers hurry forth at the bidding of their loved and honored Virginia.

At Gordonsville they were met by companies from Augusta and Albemarle, and two companies of students from the University of Virginia, who marched forth from those classic shades to illustrate a bright page in the history of their Alma Mater.

Orange, Culpeper and other counties along the route swelled their numbers as they rushed to the capture of Harper's Ferry and the defence of the border.

The call of Virginia now echoes through the land — from seaboard to mountain-valley, from Alleghany to Chesapeake, from the Potomac to the North Carolina border, the tramp of her sons is heard. Maryland, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas catch the sound, and her sons in every clime heed the call of their Mother State. The farmer leaves his plow in the furrow, the mechanic his job unfinished, the merchant his books unposted, the lawyer his brief unargued, the physician his patient unattended, the professor his chair unfilled, the student his classes, and the preacher his pulpit, and there rush to our northern frontier, not Hessian or Milesian mercenaries, not men bought up for so much *' bounty money," but the wealth, the intelligence, the refinement and culture, the virtue and patriotism, the very flower of our Southern youth and manhood.

Thus was formed what was afterwards called the Army of

NortJiern Vii'ginia — the noblest army (I hesitate not calmly to affirm, after the lapse of years) that ever marched under any bc,nner or fought for any cause " in all the tide of time." But I do not propose, in these papers, to atternpt even a sketch of the military exploits of this noble army of heroes.

I revert rather to another and far different scene from the one I have sketched. Over a year has rolled by, and that fair-haired, rosy-cheeked boy, "mother's darling," of April, 1861 — now a bronzed veteran of the Army of Northern Virginia, who has followed the " stars and bars " on many a victorious field — returns to his boyhood's home. But he comes not back with light, elastic step and erect carriage as when he marched forth so gayly at his country's call. He is borne on a litter — he has been shot through the lungs, his life-tide is ebbing away, and he has come home to die. On that memorable 27th day of June, 1862, at Cold Harbor, when " Stonewall " Jackson issued his crisp order, " Tell General Ewell to sweep the field with the bayonet," and our whole line pressed grandly forward, carried every position before it, and persuaded General McClellan that it was indeed time to " change base " from before Richmond to the shelter of his gun-boats at Harrison's Landing, our youthful hero fell in the very forefront of the battle in one of the most splendid charges of the famous old Thirteenth Virginia Infantry. The surgeons gave us no hope, but God spared him to reach hom.e and linger for over six months to illustrate how a Christian soldier could be patient under suffering, and how, when he came to die, a smile could light up his countenance, joy could beam from his eye and peace reign within his heart. The camp had not proven to him a "school of vice," but on the contrary he had learned there the preciousness of his mother's Bible, and had gone with simple faith to her Saviour. And as the last hour drew near he met death with calm resignation, said to the weeping loved ones who stood around : " I trust in Jesus and am not afraid to die," and left, in his triumphant death as well as in the peaceful hours of his later life, the fullest assurance that he went to join his sainted mother — for she had " gone before," a few weeks prior to his death — in that brighter, better home above, where " war's rude alarms " never disturb, and loved ones never part.