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[For the Army and Navy Herald.]
Sketches and Incidents—No- 11.
B T W . A . V .
“ H how Jo you feci ?”
*t No better, sir.”
“ Are you suffering much pain
“ No sir.”
“ I wish you had a more comfortable bed.”
He turned his eyes slowly towards his bunk,
replying, “ This will do me.”
. “ Have you a Testament V
He made no reply.
“If you have no Testament to read while
here in the hospital, I will get you one."
H kept his eyes steadily fixed upon the
tent-wall, but made no reply.
“ I hope while you are lying here you are
trying to pray, to think about God and reli
gion."
Ho changed not his gnze nor seemed to know
that any one addressed him. I pressed his
hand tenderly, saying, “Do tell me—do you
try to pray?”
He turned his eyes, and with a most disdain
ful look,. said, “Don’t say anything to me
about that—it’s a subject I don’t allow any
one to speak to me about.”
Thinking it useless to say more to him, at
least at that time, I turned to his young mess
mate at the other side of the tent, who was
evidently nearing the stream of death. He
spoke freely of his pious mother, of her prayers
and pious admonitions—said lie had tried to be
an obedient son, and ta-live a Christian ever
since he had been in the service—he did not
expect to live long—was ready and willing to
die. It was comforting to witness the patience
and assurance of this soldier, so near his final
discharge.
Before leaving the tent, I said to II :
“ Shall 1 bring you that Testament?”
He turned his lace from me, as much as to
say,,/ told you to say nothing to me!
I walked away studying some plan by which
1 could gain his attention and interest him in
the salvation pf his soul. II was a young
man, with a remarkably good intellect, but
only partially cultivated, lie had been brought
up under the influence of Universalisrn. It
had been taught him by his parents, it was
the prevailing religion, and almost the on’ly
doctrine preached in the community where he
had been raised. He had avowed (he faith to
his comrades in arms, lie had been a faithful
soldier from an early period in the war.
The above conversation occurred during (be
siege of Vicksburg. lie was much reduced by
disease, lying on a cane bunk, in the field hos
pital, with one blanket for his bed. Though
able to walk, he was quite feeble. His large
blue eyes rolled slowly in the sockets—his pale
face appeared'marble like, as the last lingering
rays of the setting sun shone softly upon it.
There was no hope for his recovery : life was
slowly but certainly waning. What his hops;
of the future was 1 could not toll; if any at
all, it was •without foundation, [it all proba
bility lie trusted in his Uuiversalism.
The same evening after seeing II , I in
formed the Assistant Surgeon of the regiment
of his refusing to speak upon the subject of re
ligion. The next morning the Surgeon told
me that II was dead. The intelligence
shocked me. A terror came over me, as 1
thought of liis doom. Imagination pictured
the awful leap of his immortal spirit into the
eternal dark, crying lost! lost! 1— regretting,
when too late, that he slighted the offers of
God, his spirit rising again upon the dark and
billowy waves of eternal despair, crying, lost!
lost! 1 Why did 1 not kneel by his bunk and
plead and pray until he should become interest- ;
ed for his soul ?
I knelt alone in my tent, unmindful of the !
shrieking shell o flying over, and promised God
I would be a more faithful chaplain; more
faithful in pointing the war-worn and dying j
soldier to the land of eternal peace. * * j
Twenty of the sick in the field hospital were
removed to one of the city'fiospitals. Learning ;
the ward they occupied, i went to see them, j
found them in the large .Masonic Hall, lying
on the floor, each with but a scanty bed.
While passing on from one to another of the !
men belonging to my own regiment, speaking
a word of cheer to each, 1 observed in the far !
end of the hail a young man extending his ]
hand and motioning me to him. Upon ap- i
proaching he took my hand, pressing it, his j
large bine eyes looking at me with much ten
derness and emotion. “Is it possible ? How j
can it be ? II ,is this you ? I thought you |
were dead
“No, 1 am not dead ; I've just commenced j
to live! his eyes tilling with tears. It was j
II • The Surgeon was mistaken ;it was t lie j
messmate that had died. had been re- j
moved to the city hospital with the twenty, i
Soon after he had refused to speak about re- \
ligion, and refused the Testament, he began to |
THE ARMY & NAVY HERALD.
think seriously, he had better “ try
to pray that it might not be safe to' die with
no hope but that of a Universalist. Feeble as
he was, he rose from his bunk, retired to a
dense cane-break near by, and knelt rn fervent
prayer to God. For the first time in his life he
raised his eyes and heart to God in private
prayer. He praypd, wept, and earnestly sought
for pardon, till the, answer came. lie arose a
child of God. With a trembling step he re
turned, telling his eontrades of the love of God
as he walked up the hospital street.
Now he was rejoicing in his first love ; was
much grieved that he had forbidden my speak
ing to him on the subject of salvation ; asked
pardon, saying that God had forgiven him, and
he hoped I would. He asked for a Testament.
His pallid face was radiant with joy'as he
spoke of the amazing love of God in saving
such a sinner as he had been. In visiting him
subsequently, I always found him reading his
Testament. A Louisiana Captain, who was
wounded, and near hint, said to me one day.
“ What young man is that ?” pointing to H ,
“He reads,” said he, “his Testament from
morning till night, sometimes weeping for an
hour.” 'While 1 related the circumstances of
his conversion, the Captain—who.was not him
self a religious man—the sympathetic, unbid
den tear came in his eye. * * The garrison
had been surrendered, * * we were march
ing out of the enemy’s linos. ] called by the
hospital to see 11 for the last time. Out of
the twenty, but three survived. 1 found him
already wading into the stream of death.
Life's warfare was over ; the last battle closing ;
the victory won. Pressings his hand, I found
the warmth of life h-vl departed, never to re
turn ! “Cold clammy sweat” had settled upon
the dying soldier’s brow. No hand of affection
was there to soothe in his expiring moments.
All alone he was breathing out his soul to God.
Finally he turned his death-glazed eyes to
wards me, and whispered my name. “H ,
how do you feel?” He revived, and in broken
whispers replied, that he should “soon be
gone.” Said he was “willing to die there,”
but expressed a desire “to go home,” as his
“ comrades were going.” Spoke of the loved
ones at home. 1 reminded him of meeting
them in heaven, and spoke of the soldier’s
peaceful home above. He looked up, pointing
heavenward; a sweet smile rested upon his
face. My time was out. 1 pressed his. cold
hand, laid it across his breast, and “kissed
him for his mother.”
REFLECTIONS.
1. We oftitnes win souls to Christ when it
seems that no good is accomplished.
2. \ ears or months of penitence are not neces
sary to salvation ; but whenever and wherever
the soul is truly penitent, and looks to God in
faith, then and there the seal of pardon is <*iven.
3. Universalisrn may satisfy the unbelieving
in life, but fails to support the soul when death
approaches.
4. The religion of Jesus hangs her bright
lanterns of faith along the dark “ Valley of the
shadow of death,” the light of which meets
the brightness of glory that shines out from
i heaven.
Good Men at Variance.
Mauy a sharp conflict there has been between
j saint, and saint, scuffling in the dark through
misunderstanding of the truth and each other.
Abraham and Lot, at strife. Aaron and Miriam
jostled with .Moses for the wall, till God inter
posed and ended the quarrel by his immediate
stroke ou Miriam. The apostles, even in the
presence of their Master, were at high words,
contesting who should be greatest. Now in
these civil Wars among saints, Satan is the great
kimlle-coai, though little seen, because, like
Ahab, lie fights in a disguise, playing first on
one side, and then on the other, aggravating
every petty injury, and thereupon provoking
to wrath and revenge; therefore the apostle,
dehorting from anger, useth this argument,
“ Give no place to the devil;” as if lie had said,
Fall not out among yourselves, except you long
for the devil's company, who is the true soldier |
ot fortune, us the common phrase is, living by
his sword, and therefore hastes thither where
there is any hopes of war. Gregory compares
the saints in their sad differences to. two cocks, j
which Satan, the master of the pit, sets on fight- i
ing, in hope, when killed, to sup on them at
night. Solomon saitli (Frov. xviiiG:) “The
mouth of the contentions man calls for strokes.”
Indeed, we by our mutual strifes give the devil j
a staff to beat us with; he cannot well work j
without fire, and therefore blows up these coals 1
of contention, which he useth as his forge, to j
heat our spirits into wrath, and then we arc mill- ■
leable—easily hammered as he pleaseth. Con
tention puts the soul into disorder, and inter
arma silent leges. The law of grace acts not
freely, when the spirit is in a commotion ; meek
Moses, provoked, speaks unadvisedly. Me
thinks this, if nothing else, should sound a re
treat. to our unhappy differences, that this
Joab hath a hand in them; besets this evil
spiril between brethren ; and what lolly is it to
bite and devour one another, to make hell sport!
We are prone to mistake our heat for zeal,
whereas commonly in strife between saints it is
a fire-ship sent in by Satan to break (heir unity
and order; wherein while they stand they are
an armada invincible; and Satan knows he
hath no other way but this to shatter them;
when the Christians’ language, which should be
one, begins to be confounded, they are then near
scattering ; it is time for God to part his child
ren, when they cannot live in peace together.—
Gurnall.
From the Columbus Enquirer.
President Davis.
I wish to say a werd of him whose name
heads tills article.
President Davis, despite what may be
said of him, is the master mind of to-day.
As Wm. L. Yancey said at Montgomery
when he was inaugurated, “.the man and
the hour have met.” The enemy freely
confess his eminent fitness for the post he
fills. They speak of him as the impersona
tion, “the head and front” of the rebellion.
So he is, and we should know it. There is
certainly a want of appreciation of our Ex
ecutive in the land. One would think
sometimes from the character given him by
our Governor aud other disaffected ones,
that he had not performed a wise act during
his administration. Why else should allot'
his measures be sneered at, liis appoint
ments decried, and every action be ascribed
to bigotry or prejudice?
Let us recall a few of his most unpopu
i !ar deeds at the time they came before the
j country. We will mention first, the appoint
! ment and continuance in command of Gen
| Albert Sidney Johnston. There never was
! a greater clamor raised against a Confeder
| ate General—the press and the people de
; nounced him as unfit for command—“ was
too late coming into our service”—“retreat
ied too much—“ would not fight,” Ac., Ac
1 Several applications were made to Richmond
for his displacement; hut. when thisactiom
| plished leader fell at Shiloh, the country
did homage to his genius, and passed from
j paroxyisms of denouncement to paroxyisms
jof adoration. <
The appointment of General Lee to the
command of the Army of Northern Virginia
was made entirely against the popular cur
rent. Gen. Lee had, under great disadvan
tage, carried on a campaign against Rose
cranz among the mountains of Western
Virginia, and had failed most signally He
had next been sent to command at Charles
ton and Savannah, where his an pea ranee
was as the application of a bucket of cold
water upon those high toned communities.
He was then even compared to Charles Lee,
the traitorous character of the Revolution,
who advised the evacuation ol'Fcrt Moultrie,
The writer remembers well it was on the
battle field of Seven Pines that he first
heard of Gen. Lee being placed' over the
Y irginia Army ti fill the place of General
Joseph E. Johnston, wounded the day be
fore; the evidences of dissatisfaction upon
all sides are fresh in his memory ; he heard
a distinguished Georgian, then a Brigadier
in the field, sneer at the idea of Gen. Lee,'
ot whom it was said that lie left the Unit* and
States army with reluctance, that his heart
was not with us, and that he had shown no
ability, succeeding to the command of Gen.
Johnston. Yet, when he brought that army
under his control, it fought as it had never
fought before.
Again, when Dick Taylor was appointed
Major General, some years since, there was
a howl of indignation in the land; “Jeff.
Davis was guilty of favoritism”—“had
promoted his brother-in-law, a man of noto
rious incompetency, to the neglect of other
talented officers.” Yet few will doubt now
that the campaign of General Taylor in
trans-Mississippi stamps him as a General
of great ability.
Ihe foregoing examples, wo think, w ill
show that the popular judgment is not al
ways the best criterion, and when the strong
will ot the President is found fau't with,
may it not be truly said that it requires a
will oi the strongest kind to contend against
such opposition ? I would now ask the Pres
idents most hitter t neiity, “ would you be
willing to exchange the appointments of
these unpopular officers, Generals A. S.
Johnsten, R. E Lee n«d Dick Taylor, for
any other three Generals who' might be
picked up in the country ?
\\ e grant that Pemberton’s appointment
was unfortunate, hut he was an officer of
military education, and if' one will take tip
the register of the old army, he wilt find
his name as distinguished and brevetted tor
gallantry whenever he hail opportunity for
showing it. He was also highly recou men
ded by Generals Lee, Cooper and Longstreet.
There must necessarily he much experi
ment in the appointment of so many officers,
and with the heavy duties and limited chan
ces of' information, of the President, it is
impossible that he should be always infalli
ble.
President Davis has sacrificed nearly
everything in the present struggle. His
fine lands and negroes in the Valley of Mis
sissippi are all lost to him. That pale, earn
est face at Richmond has been too much
engrossed with the mighty cares of the
Republic to look after private interests.
Few can fail to admire his unyielding integ
rity of character in administering the Gov
ernment, his severe and commendabe
silence, when unjustly assailed, and his able
and pointed State papers as compared with
the bungling ones of Lincoln.
A short times ago, the writer had a'very
unreserved conversation with iome Yankee
officers of high rank, on the occasion of a
flag of truce. These remarked the strange
want of appreciation of Jeff. Davis with
us. They said that he stood much higher
with them for ttbility, and that they were
glad to see us falling out with him, as they
were well satisfied that no man in America
could hold our Government together as he
had dune.
General Robert E. Lee remarked, a few
weeks ago, in private conversation with a
friend in Virginia, that in his judgment we
had no man in the country who could fill
the post of President Davis, should it bo
vacated.
In conclusion, lot us not be understood as
holding it of necessity a crime to speak
against the “ Anointed,” hut we really re
gard the wholesale and indiscriminate de
nunciation which has lately been heaped
upon the head of our Government by the
people and the press, as a great and growing
evil in the country. ***
— * *•
•- The Family Circle.—-No earthly circle
can be compared to that of the family. It
comprises all that a human heart most val
ues and delights in. it is the centre where
all human affections meet and entwine, the
vessels into which they all pour thems.fives
with such joyous freedom. There is no ore
word which contains in it so many endear
ing associations and remembrance, hid in
the heart like gold. It appeals at once to
the very centre of man’s being—his “ heart
of hearts.” All that is sweet, soothing,
tender and true, is wtapped up in that one
name, ft speaks not of one circle, or of one
bond ; but of many circles and many bonds,
all of them near the heart. The family
home, the family hearth, the family table,
family habits, family voices, family tokens,
family situations, family melodies, family
joys and sorrows—what a mine of recollect
ions lies under that one word. Take these
away and earth becomes a mere church-yard
of crumbling bones, and men so many grains
of loosened sand, or, at best, but the frag
ments of a torn flower, which the winds have
scattered abroad. All that is loveable and
precious in the movements of the human
heart, front its lowest depth to the upper
most surface—all these are wrapped u>> in
the one name, f'am.ily ! For close-knit bonds,
for steadfast faithfulness in love, for depth
of sympathy, for endurance in trial and dan-
shall we find anything that can
be compared to the story of earth’s family
circle? Conjugal love, parental love, broth
erly love—all arc there.
Mutual Forbearance.— That. house
will be kept in a turmoil where there is no.
toleration of each other’s errors, no lenity
shown to failings, no meek submission to
injuries, no soft.answer to turn away wrath.
If you lay a single stick of wood in the
grate, and apply fire to it, it will go out;
put on another, and they will burn ; and
half a dozen, and you will have a blaze.
There are other fires subject to the same
conditions. If one member of a laiutly
gets into a passion, and is let alone, he wifi
cool down, arid possibly he ashamed, and
repent. But oppose temper to temper, pile
on the fuel, draw in others of the group,
and let one harsh answer he followed by
another, and there will soon he a blaze,
which will enwrap them all in its burning
heat.
YY bile the Prince of Wales was at
Hebron, he and his suite obtained permission
to visit the cave of Machpelah, Abraham’s
burial place. They are the first Christians
who have been allowed to enter it since the
Crusades, nearly seven hundred years ago.
Dr. Stanley says every thing is kept in the
most beautiful order, and nothing cou’d be
more satisfactory than the state in which the
tombs are preserved. Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Joseph, Sarah, Rebecca, and Lenb
are buried there.
Remember the the poor always.