The Methodist Quarterly Review
July, 1863

ART. V.-METHODISM AND THE WAR.

Not among. the least of the arguments in favor of the righteousness of the present war on the part of the Union for the suppression of the rebellion, is the fact that the great leading denominations of the North have uttered a clear and decided testimony in its support. Without disparagement to any of these denominations we must say, that first and foremost of the Churches in the North stands the Methodist Episcopal Church.. As when in the war of the Revolution, the Methodist Church was the first, through her accredited representatives., to give. in her unqualified adhesion and support to the government, so now, when that government is assailed by traitor hands, is she the first to spring to arms in its defense. At the time when tory preachers uttered anathemas against the war and fled tile country, the heroic Asbury, though an Englishman, stood his ground and battled manfully for American liberty, notwithstanding Wesley had issued tracts condemnatory of resistance to British authority and in opposition to the Revolution. As Asbury was the pioneer bishop, and had pastoral oversight of the ministers in the Methodist Church of that day, he infused his spirit into them and set his face most loyally against all the English preachers who manifested the least opposition to the American cause. In the very commencement of the present war the Methodist Church not only was the first to show her hand, but the first to fill the ranks of the gathering armies. Methodist preachers, fired with the spirit of patriotism, thundered from their pulpits the notes of freedom, and leaving tile sacred desk called for recruits for the Union army. One whom we knew and loved full well, the heroic Ward, raised a company of noble young men from his Church, and at their urgent request became their captain, and led them forth to the field of strife. At their head, bravely leading them on to the deadly charge, he fell; but his fall was covered with glory. His was a sublime life, and sublimely did it close. Captains, lieutenants, and non-commissioned officers can be numbered by the thousand from the Methodist Church, and in some instances almost entire regiments are composed of Methodists. In tile Western and North-western States, where the Methodist population is largely in excess of any other denomination, and in some of them equal to all others, the Methodists are found in the ranks by tens of thousands. Contributing to tile strength of the sword and the purse more extensively than perhaps any other denomination in the country, it has often occurred to us as somewhat remarkable, that in the civil and military appointments of the country, with perhaps one exception, and that a subordinate appointment with meager emoluments, the Methodist Church has been treated in just such a manner as we would expect a Church to be treated if it had been the design of the government to ignore its claims altogether. We allude to the chaplains; but even these are not government appointments, inasmuch as they are chosen by the respective regiments, and the number only goes to show the prevalence of Methodism over other denominations in the army. The number of Methodist chaplains, according to the printed minutes of the conferences, shows one hundred and ninety-four; but this does not give the entire number, as many local preachers are serving as chaplains whose names do not appear in the minutes.

The Hon. M. F. Odell, member of Congress from Brooklyn, in an address before the New York East Conference, in which he expressed his love for the Church and his country, and stirringly affirmed that he desired his religion should run parallel with his patriotism, and that he had no disposition to exclude his country from the closet and altars of the Church, said:

Among the most patriotic in the land were the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He had been informed by the President, the commander-in-chief of the army and the navy of the United States, that no Church had given its ministers and men more freely than the Methodist Church all over the land. What the President asserted corresponded with his own observations. The last Sabbath he was in Washington, during the session of Congress, he, in company with other Christian brethren, visited one of the hospitals located in the suburbs of Washington. One of the company was the present chief magistrate of Connecticut. They found in the wards of the hospital six hundred soldiers, and before they left the whole company of wounded men united in singing the well-known battle hymn,

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,"

to the tune of Coronation. Such singing he had never heard before, and he ventured to say that every loyal state in the Union was represented by Methodist soldiers. In all the camps and hospitals he had visited, and they were numerous, he heard the grand old hymns of Methodism sung, and he never found a company in which were not Methodists. His love for the Church had been enhanced by the fact, that from her sanctuaries had gone forth her noble sons in defense of the country.

A few weeks after the honorable gentleman delivered the substance of this address before the New York Conference, which had contributed largely of its members for the suppression of the rebellion, and whose loyalty was expressed in a series of resolutions which were adopted with only two dissentients.

The above desultory remarks we have made as preliminary to a tribute to some of our noble and patriotic brethren in the ministry, who have won for themselves on the field of battle a lofty niche in their country's history, and whose heroic deeds deserve a passing testimonial. The time is not far distant when all who have been connected or in any way sympathized with the Southern rebellion will feel the consequences of their treason and disloyalty, when from its hideous form shall he torn the mask, and its demoniac grin will haunt their souls forever. And, on the other hand, the patriotic and loyal, who, by their acts and sympathies, have stood by the government and rallied for its support, will live in national history and song, while every year of the country's prosperity will add freshness to their laurels. Every grave of the noble dead will become a shrine of freedom, while every drop of blood shed in the came of liberty will prove a nation's harvest and the world's hope.

Among the officers of the Union army who went forth at the call of his country stands the name of Rev. JAMES HAZARD PERRY, D.D., a minister of the New York East Conference, and, at the time of his volunteering, pastor of the Pacific-street Church, Brooklyn. As Colonel Perry has fallen in the service of his country, a biographical sketch should embrace the incidents of his early life, and we avail ourselves of extracts from an excellent memorial drawn by an intimate friend and brother minister, Rev. Dr. kennaday. Having been with him from the time he entered upon the command of the Forty-eighth New York State Volunteers, we can finish a statement of all his military acts until he fell at his post. The following is Dr. Kennaday's sketch, which was read at the funeral, which was held in the Fleet-street Church, Brooklyn, of which Colonel Perry was once a pastor.

"JAMES HAZARD PERRY was born near Latintown, a small but old village near the line of Ulster and Orange counties, in the state of New York, in the year 1811. His education commenced at an early age, and he made rapid progress in his studies, until he became competent to enter as a cadet at the Military Academy at West Point. Becoming strongly interested the cause of Texan independence, he resigned his position in the academy in the third year of his connection with it. He left behind him a good reputation for scholarship and manly deportment. Accepting the appointment of colonel in the service of Texas, he proceeded to raise a regiment.

Succeeding in raising a large part of his regiment in New York, he embarked, intending to recruit the residue of it in New Orleans. The recruits with whom he sailed were undisciplined, and under very little restraint, save the influence of their colonel. The brig in which they sailed was a dull and indifferent craft, and they were driven by stress of weather upon the Bahama Banks. On nearing Nassau harbor the vessel was so disabled that thc soldiers, fearing lest they should be lost, made every effort to escape, and reached the beach some distance below the town, "The men had suffered much from hunger, and began their depredations upon the fields, much to the alarm of the inhabitants, many of whom were blacks. Word was soon carried to the town that a piratical vessel had landed her crew. The authorities at once proceeded to the arrest of the intruders, and their colonel, among them, was placed in custody. The magistrates and citizens, upon hearing Colonel Perry's statement of the facts, immediately released the men, and extended to them a generous hospitality. The colonel was invited to the residence of Mr. Lightbourne, a local preacher of the Wesleyans, father of Rev. James Lightbourne, now of the Philadelphia conference. Though at this time no professor of religion, and but little acquainted with Methodism, his deportment in this family, and before the citizens generally, won the highest respect. His soldierly demeanor, his mild yet decided control of his men, made him friends, and every kindness was shown tile regiment during its stay and upon its departure. Upon arriving at New Orleans he used all diligence to reach the scene of his future activity. His military education, together with his various other qualifications, made him a great acquisition to the little army of Texas, and its master-spirit, General Houston, soon appointed him an aid-de-camp. Great privations and sanguinary contests were then the daily incidents of that often dubious struggle. Colonel Fanning and his brave associates having surrendered as prisoners of war, had been brought into the presence of Santa Anna and ordered to be shot; only one of the number escaped. A little time after-ward Colonel Crockett and his companions were all masacred, by the cruel edict of the same ungenerous conqueror, at the Alamo. Meanwhile Houston's forces continued retreating until it became a question whether it would not be better to relinquish the contest, and retreat across the lines into the United States and there disband, rather than continue a struggle so disastrous. At length they met Santa Anna at San Jacinto. A council was held, and the question whether to, fight or to retreat was debated. General Rusk and Chief Justice Collingwood, then with the army, advised resistance, in which opinion Colonel Perry coincided, and arrangements were made for the life or death struggle of Texas.

"On the, first fire of the enemy General Houston was wounded, and General Rusk took the command of the right wing. The command of the left wing devolved on Colonel Perry, who took the place made vacant by the transfer of Rusk. This position brought Colonel Perry in immediate contact with the officer commanding the right wing of the Mexican forces, who was supposed to be Santa Anna. So exasperated were the men by the cruelties of the Mexican general, that they not only resolved to die rather than fall into his hands, but they determined to avenge, by his death, the slaughter of their countrymen. The Mexican line was formed upon the crown of a hill, at the base of whose slope the Texans were drawn up. The impetuosity of the latter was such that they rushed, at the first word of command, up the hill, shouting one to another, 'Remember the Alamo.' Santa Anna was not, as supposed; in the army. Being sick, as he alleged, he remained in a thicket some distance from the action, in company and care of General Coss, where he was found and captured after the engagement. This change devolved the command of the Mexican forces upon General Castillo, who, being on the right wing, was brought in immediate contact with Colonel Perry. Under the impression that Santa Anna was in command, and sharing in the general abhorrence of the man, Perry engaged with him in a sword light. They were upon their saddles, and for a few moments the contest was desperate. At length Castillo fell. Upon ascertaining that it was not Santa Anna, Perry felt extreme regret.

"The encounter with General Castillo was a matter of life-long regret to Colonel Perry, for though most heroic as a soldier, he was a man of tender heart. With thoughtfulness approaching at times almost to melancholy, he returned to the neighborhood of his early home, and settled with his little family at Newburgh. Through the invitation of his sister, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he was induced to attend a love-feast, where the strange but consoling truths of experimental religion excited his attention. At an early moment he disclosed his feelings to the Rev. Seymour Landon, then pastor of the Church. The result was his profession of religion, and his uniting with the Church upon probation. It was but a few months after this that the writer became his pastor, and was at once deeply interested in his history and experience. He was a very child in Christian attainments, and had everything to learn in Christian doctrine. Mr. Landon had fostered him with the greatest care and faithfulness. Though he had never been skeptical, yet his knowledge of the Christian system had not been such as to establish him in any special creed. Never did we know a person excelling Colonel Perry in a strong desire to be governed by the utmost sincerity. His high sense of honor had kept him so free from gross off uses that, in the absence of an external change of character, many were but little aware of the decided and sincere tone of his piety, the emotions of which increased as he advanced in the knowledge of God.

"During his probation, and for some time following, he was engaged in teaching a school in New Mills, just west of New-burgh, until he took the Academy in Newburgh. Supposing that I saw in him elements which God would sanctify to his growth in grace and usefulness, I encouraged him to exercise his gifts in religious meetings, until, in view of the work of the ministry, he entered upon a course of theological preparation. His literary studies had been ample, but his religious reading was limited. Giving him free access to our library, a portion of almost every day was spent by him in the most intimate relations with the writer. In due time he was licensed as a local preacher, and unanimously recommended to the New York Conference. He was very far from being a bold or self-sufficient man. To look upon his stately form and military carriage, and to witness his cool deportment, few would suppose him a man of much timidity; yet such he was. Not wishing to place himself in a position which would prevent his joining the conference, he declined, upon advice, engaging in the Academy beyond the term for when he was then employed. He was admitted into the conference, and appointed to Burlington and Bristol Circuit, in Connecticut, in the year 1838. From this period until his death Dr. Perry filled, with great approval and usefulness, many of the first appointments in the conference. In 1854 the degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by Dickinson College. He shared many public attentions, and was highly esteemed as a Christian gentleman. In 1856 he was a delegate to the General Conference held in Indianapolis.

"At the commencement of the war he considered the claims of his country, and seriously inquired whether it was not his duty to offer his services. The singularity of the position of one who, occupying the sacred pulpit, should relinquish its holy duties to assume the activities of the camp, led some to inquire whether it was fitting. Dr. Perry reasoned, however, from the indications of Providence: for his education he was indebted to his country, and his country conferred this gift with the implied understanding that if at any time her emergencies should require his services they were to be rendered. On the other hand, he had devoted himself to a work of most sacred character. There was a redundancy of men in the ministry, and scores were ready to enter, well qualified, could they find work. Educated military men were few, and in great demand. Believing that his absence from the ministry for a time was admissible, and that he would essentially aid his government, on obtaining the consent of his Church and the proper authority he resumed his military calling. He never thought of other than a temporary absence from the ministry; and before the meeting of the last conference, so far had he hoped for the close of the war and his release from his post, that he consented to take an appointment to one of the first Churches in the conference which had corresponded with him upon the subject. This was with the understanding that the war should first close. In rendering to Cesar the things that are Cesar’s, and unto God the things that are God's, he ceased ‘at once to work and live.’"

The regiment, which was organized in Brooklyn, embarked as a part of General Sherman’s southern expeditionary corps, on the steamer Empire City, and sailed to Fortress Monroe, where, after waiting a short time, it took its position in the fleet and departed for Port Royal, which place it reached after encountering one of the severest storms in the Gulf Stream, which dispersed the fleet, and destroyed several vessels and a large amount of government arms and stores. When the scattered vessels arrived, and all things had been got in readiness for an attack, the gunboats entered the harbor, and commenced the bombardment of Forts Beauregard and Walker. It was a magnificent sight; and as we lay quietly at anchor, witnessing the maneuvering of the war vessels, heard the reports, and saw the explosion of the shells which rained upon the doomed forts, we began to realize something of the realities, if not the horrors, of war. After part of two days of heavy cannonading the forts were abandoned, and the rebel fleet, which offered a feeble resistance to our gunboats, retired.

Here comes a mystery, which must forever remain one unless the naval authorities shall deem, fit to explain it. It is this. After the fort on Hilton' Head was abandoned, and the fragile rebel gunboats had retired, a single Union gunboat could have cut off their retreat from the island by steaming five miles to Seabrook Ferry. Another could have cut off the retreat from Bay Point by Station Creek. It may have been thought "glory enough for one day " to have driven the rebels from their strongholds on both sides of the harbor; but the indisposition to follow up the victory gave them an opportunity to make good their escape. If this were the only instance of want of energy in the following up of victories on the part of our officers in this war, it would not be so remarkable; and the only way, it can be accounted for is in that providential overruling, the wisdom of which we never may be able to see, but which forms a part of the divine plan in the conduct of the war.

In a few days the Forty-eighth, with the other regiments composing the division, landed, and pitched their tents in the corn and cotton fields of the island. During the summer and fall the force was employed in repairing the forts, and throwing up an earthwork across the head of the island and mounting it with guns of heavy caliber. In the mean time, reconnoissances were made toward Savannah by our gunboats, but not until the rebels had time to obstruct the channels of approach by driving piles, sinking hulks, and constructing booms across the rivers. Beaufort was taken possession of after it had been deserted for some time, and also Dawfuskie Island, lying on the north side of the Savannah River, opposite Fort Pulaski.

On the first day of January Colonel Perry was appointed by General Stevens -who fell bravely at the head of his command in Virginia, while bearing the flag, which had been stricken from the hands of a color-sergeant who had fallen-to the command of the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth regiments in an attack at Port Royal ferry. A short battle was fought, daring which the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth were under the fire of the enemy for some time, only one being wounded. It was found impossible to take the masked battery of the enemy, though the fort at the river was destroyed, and the object of the reconnoissance was obtained. Having destroyed the enemy's headquarters, and removed the guns and ammunition of the battery, the force retired to Beaufort and Hilton Head.

Early in February, the Forty-eighth regiment was ordered to embark at Seabrook, on the steamer Winfield Scott, for Dawfuskie Island. On the way, while attempting to round a point in Pull and the .Dam Creek, the steamer ran aground, and as the tide receded she parted amidships, and was abandoned, a total wreck. The right wing of the regiment had previously disembarked at Cooper landing, on Dawfuskie, and the remainder was taken by the steamer May Flower to the place of destination.

To cut off the communication between Savannah and Fort Pulaski had been determined, as a necessity in the reduction of the fort; and to this end it was essential that batteries should be planted on Jones and Bird Islands, commanding the North and South Channels of the Savannah River. The accomplishment of this was one of the most laborious and hazardous undertaking of the war. These islands at high tide were nearly covered with water, and the ground was of such a yielding nature that the men at every step sank to their waists in mud. The work was committed to the Forty-eighth, with detachments of the Volunteer Engineers and Third Rhode Island Regiments. The whole force of the Forty-eighth was employed in cutting pine logs, and carrying them on their shoulders a distance of two miles to the landing, whence they were transported to the islands. A corduroy road was made across Jones Island for the distance of a mile, and the cannon were drawn across by the men. Mud forts were constructed on both islands, and levees thrown lip to keep out the tide. During all the time they were menaced and attacked by the gunboats of the rebel fleet; the Union gunboats in the mean time affording them all the protection in their power.

After a few guns had been placed in position, there was no further communication with the fort by the Savannah River; but still there was an outlet by way of St. Augustine Creek, which was out of range of the guns on Jones Island. It was not long, however, before a battery was constructed on Bird Island, and a gunboat which attempted to run through was struck and disabled. It was the last attempt at communication with the fort.

While this work was going on, the Forty-sixth regiment, Seventh Connecticut, and a detachment of the Volunteer Engineers, under command of Colonel Hall, were busily employed in erecting batteries in the night season on Tybee Island, within a mile of the fort. In fact, the most of the work on the islands was done in the night, and during the spring rains. So secretly were the batteries planted on Tybee that the commandant of the fort knew nothing of their existence until they were opened upon him in April.

From the heights of Dawfuskie Island we had a fine view of the bombardment. It was even more exciting than that at Port Royal. Shell and solid shot were rained in one incessant storm for twelve hours, during which time the flag of the fort was thrice shot away. The beleaguered kept up a steady fire in return of shot and shell; but the dismounting of their guns and mortars, and a terrific breach in the wall, admonished them that further resistance was hopeless, and the white flag showed the surrender of the fort, and invited the besiegers to its occupancy What is remarkable is, that upon the Union side only one man was killed, and he by unnecessary exposure, and only a few of the rebels.

During the month of June, the Forty-eighth was ordered to the fort, and Colonel Perry removed his command from Dawfuskie to its occupancy. Everything was in the greatest disorder. Nothing could be seen but battered walls and rubbish; and here again the herculean powers of the Forty-eighth were called into action. Nor did they cease till every breach was repaired, the fort mounted with a full complement of guns, and everything put in perfect order, so much so, that we doubt if there is a stronger fort in the Union. From its position it must prove invulnerable to any naval attack. It was not long, however, that Colonel Perry was permitted by Providence to remain at this post. A mouth had scarcely elapsed when he was suddenly called away by death. While reposing in his casemate upon a sofa, conversing with one of his officem about placing a battery upon a hulk in the South channel, to guard against the approach of the enemy in that direction, and also by the way of Lazaretto Creek, his head gently declined, and his spirit departed. His earthly warfare was ended, and we trust he has entered into rest.

While Methodist ministers were buckling on the armor in the East the mighty West was stirred, and ministers and people flocked to the standard of the Union army. Among the heroic spirits who drew the blade was the Rev. Granville Moody, of the Cincinnati Conference, and at the time pastor of Morris Chapel, Cincinnati. During the latter part of the year 1861, he was appointed Colonel of the Seventy-fourth regiment Ohio Volunteers, the organization of which had been commenced. In January, 1862, the regiment encamped on the fair grounds at Xenia. Associated with him in command was Lieutenant-colonel Baron Von Schroder; a Prussian officer of military education and experience. While in camp the colonel officiated as chaplain, preaching the Gospel in trumpet tones to his men, rousing their religion as well as their patriotism. While on a visit to Cincinnati, where he preached to overwhelming audiences, the Church of which he had been pastor presented him with a splendid sword, Mayor Thomas presented him with a noble horse, and Judge Storer with a brace of pistols. The interest taken in the warrior-preacher was general, and all pat-riots were ready to bid him Godspeed in the noble and glorious work of suppressing rebellion.

Shortly after this, Colonel Moody was placed in command of Camp Chase, at Columbus, Ohio, where he evinced great executive qualities in commanding the regiments rendezvoused at that place. An order from Washington, detaching him from his regiment and placing him permanently in command of Camp Chase, was received by him with regret, as he wished to accompany his regiment to Tennessee. Numerous rebel prisoners, amounting at one time to two thousand, were sent from the South to Camp Chase for confinement; and though rebel sympathizers were at hand to extend them relief, and, if possible, obtain their release, yet Colonel Moody held over them a steady arm of military power. When forty-seven officers were sent from Camp Chase to Fort Warren, a number of them desired to take their slaves with them. The negroes followed their masters out of the prison, carrying their baggage. The colonel, seeing them, ordered them back. At this the officers remonstrated, but the colonel answered that he had orders to send forty-seven officers to Fort Warren, and he intended to execute that order to the letter; the order, he said, did not provide for servants, and slaves were not recognized in Ohio. This fearless performance of his duty greatly chagrined the treason-sympathizers in Columbus.

The regiment was finally ordered to Tennessee, and notwithstanding the urgent entreaties of Colonel Moody to accompany it he was obliged to remain, for the following reasons, set forth by Governor Tod:

State of Ohio, Executive Department,

Columbus, April 19, 1862.

DEAR COLONEL,-The earnest personal and written appeals which you have made to accompany your regiment to the field embarrass me greatly. The strong personal attachment existing between yourself and the men of your command, the expectation and desire of the relatives and immediate friends of your gallant troops, the extreme pertinacity with which you demand it as a right, added to the peculiar fitness for the command, all tend strongly to induce me to yield to your request. But when I remember that we have at Camp Chase nearly fifteen hundred prisoners, (and that the number is daily increasing,) most of whom are commissioned officers, with but a slight and temporary prison, and with but a few fragments of undrilled and untried troops to guard them, I am compelled to deny your request.

You have now brought the responsible and delicate duty of safely keeping and humanely treating these prisoners to a perfect system, which, without your personal presence, may be placed in jeopardy.

In addition to my own convictions upon this subject, I learn from a dispatch just received from General Buckingham, now at Washington City, that it is the wish of Secretary Stanton that you remain in command of Camp Chase.

For these reasons, I feel compelled to refuse the inclosed order, detecting you from your regiment, and directing that you send it to the field under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Von Schroder. When in my power consistently with duty to permit you to join your regiment in the field, it will afford me infinite pleasure to do so. Very respectfully,

DAVID TOD, Governor.

Colonel Grandville Moody, 74^th Reg. O. V. I.

The regiment was stationed in Nashville, and remained at that post until ordered to march, in General Negley's division, on Murfreesboro. In the mean time, Colonel Moody had been successful in being allowed to join his regiment. The history of the battle at Stono River shows that after General M'Cook's right had been turned, the whole force of the enemy came against General Negley. After the Thirty-seventh Indiana had retired, being terribly cut up, the Seventy-fourth was ordered to take its place, in the midst of a perfect storm of shot and shell. With the brave Moody at their head, they marched up boldly to face the storm. They fought without break or falter, and would have continued until the last man had fallen had not Brigadier-General Miller ordered them to cease and retire.

On the following Friday, the Seventy-fourth was called to pass through a more severe ordeal. In that triumphant charge of the left, the Colonel calmly and bravely led his men. It is reported that just before the shock of that day’s dreadful battle he said, "Now, boys, say your prayers and give them the bullets as fast as you can."' Everywhere on his black charger his plume could be seen nodding in the thickest of the fight. His tall, manly person made him a conspicuous object. He was struck by balls in three places, one of them shattering the stock of a revolver which he wore in his breast; and his horse was shot from under him three times. As if unconscious of being struck, and being immortal till his work was done, he continued upon the field, cheering his men on to victory. Well did Rosecrans, in his report, say of the Seventy-fourth, "it behaved grandly." To one who, like Colonel Moody when he entered the service, had but little knowledge of military science, it is remarkable what proficiency ye made in the art of war, and it may be safely said that he has not been excelled in skill and bravery by any of the commanders of our volunteer forces. Impelled by the purest patriotism, a Baltimorean by birth, he entered the war believing that to crush the rebellion was the most sacred duty of every liberty-loving American citizen.

Among the large number of officers furnished by the Methodist Church, we have taken a representative from the East and one from the West, and they both from the ranks of the clergy. We shall now present a sketch of a representative from the Keystone State.

Colonel J. M. M'Carter, at the time of the breaking out of the war, was a member of the Philadelphia Conference, stationed in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He was well known through-out the loyal states of the Atlantic coast as a strong antislavery man. He seemed to see the storm coming which has burst on our country, and desired and labored to bring the Church up to a higher position on the question of human freedom.

When the governor of the state called for volunteers for the three months service, and meetings were held to encourage enlistments, he was found lending all his energy to send out men. The people of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, will not soon forget the address he delivered in the Court-house of that town on the occasion of the first public meeting to raise soldiers, in April, 1862. Two companies were organized, and next day sent off, who were among the first to reach Washington: this in a town numbering only about three thousand inhabitants.

Upon the solicitation of Colonel Johnston, he became Chaplain of the Fourteenth Pennsylvania regiment, and served in that capacity to the end of the period of its enlistment. In connection with the discharge of his duties to his own regiment, he also faithfully performed the duties of his office for the whole brigade to which the Fourteenth was attached, there being no other chaplain.

Upon each occasion of drill he was present, an eager learner; and as he messed with the colonel, he, had opportunities, which he eagerly embraced, to study military tactics. His tutor, an officer of distinguished ability in the Mexican war, went over m the books the movements of the drill, and was never weary in hearing him recite his military lesson, or explaining the movements of the field.

In the only action of the Patterson column, Colonel Johnston, in the absence of the major of the regiment, assigned him on the day of the fight of Falling Waters, Virginia.

During the time of his absence from his pastorate, his pulpit was supplied by the Rev. John Quimby, one of the stewards of the Philadelphia Conference, and who died in August last, Annapolis, Maryland, of disease contracted on the Peninsula, after serving with Colonel M'Carter nearly a year, as chaplain of the Ninety-third Pennsylvania Regiment. Upon his return from the three months service he resumed the duties of his pastorate, and ministered with great popularity to the crowds who came to hear in the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lebanon.

On September 14, he was honored by the War Department with authority to raise a regiment, to be called the Lebanon Infantry. This was unexpected to him, and entirely unsolicited; for he had been exerting himself to send off soldiers for the three years service, and assisted in sending from the county three or four full companies. The most sanguine scarcely believed there was more than a battalion of volunteering timber in the county; yet on October 14-in about five weeks – his regiment, numbering ten hundred and forty-three men, had been mustered into the service of the United States.

To his old colonel he offered the command of the regiment after raising it, but with this arrangement Colonel Johnston would not coincide; and though the authorities of the state had solicited his acceptance of the command of a regiment for the war, with a view to his obtaining a brigade, for which he was admirably qualified, yet he continued to go as Leutenant-colonel with his friend and former chaplain.

The regiment of Colonel M'Carter, serving in the army of the Potomac, went with General M’Clellan to the Peninsula. Beginning with Fortress Monroe, this campaign had its victims of disease, whose graves mark the whole length of its course to Fair Oaks, and has caused it justly to be regarded as one of the most disastrous of modern times. IT is usual to speak of the thousand who perished on the banks of the Chickahominy by reason of malarious disease; but those forms of disease appeared in the army long before the Chickahominy was reached. In the camps in front of Yorktown, and those more especially located on the Warwick River, sickness prevailed to an alarming extent. Those quartered in what are known as original forests, forests which had never been cut down, where the decay of vegetation, by the action of the gases, generated disease, and into which no Bummer sun ever peered, found them prolific of diarrhea and camp fever. Before the rebels evacuated Yorktown, fifteen percent of the men in Keyes's Corps had contracted disease, and on through to Fair Oaks there may be traced the track of every corps by the mounds that cover their dead. The simple board, often that of a cracker box, marking the spot where a soldier slept, deaf to the call of the reveille and needing no tattoo to command repose, was painfully frequent to those portions of the army which brought up the rear on all that wearisome march. The Ninety-third Pennsylvania regiment shared deeply in these losses, and on arriving before Richmond nearly one third of the thousand had disappeared from its ranks. The call which summoned them to be under arms and in line of battle at daybreak each morning had found fewer and fewer to respond at each succeeding day, almost from its leaving Fortress Monroe.

In the light of Williamsburgh, the character of the regiment was established for the steadiness and persevering valor with which it held its post in the battle-field, amid shot, shell, grape, canister, and bullets, which swept that bloody field. Here seventy-five of his officers and men were killed or mortally wounded. Every field officer except himself, together with the adjutant, during the four hours they were in action, was dismounted, by reason of the wounding of their horses; and though the incessantly-flying bullets laid many a one low in death or wounds, he kept his saddle, uninjured, to the close of the day. This was the first day of the regiments being under fire; and here it was that, with the other four associated regiments, the gallant service was rendered which crowned with distinction the well-known Peck's Brigade, of Conch's division.

Among the incidents of that action the following is given, on the best authority. A captain of the Ninety-third Pennsylvania regiment, who fell in this battle, had the presentiment of his approaching death. He told a follow-officer he should never leave that field. A little while afterward a Minie' ball passed through the lower part of his body. He was found, his head leaning against a stump, his right hand grasping the daguerreotype of his wife, and resting on his heart. The dead captain's sword lay unsheathed beside him, and, brave as he was in life, his sword-hand grasped Rot its hilt in death, but the likeness of one who, though far away, affection summoned in her image amid that terrible carnage to be tile last object of thought to the dying husband.

The major of the regiment was left behind at Warwick, with fever. The battle of Williamsburgh, fought amid rain and storm, found the wearied survivors, after the task of blood was over, lying down in the water on the front, and within reach of the guns of fort Magruder, without other shelter than the skies, with no fire, and the refreshing cup of coffee an impossibility. That night, as Colonel M’Carter passed around among his he saw by the glare of the half-concealed candle the blackened and begrimed faces of those who had fallen into repose, with wet leaves, pulled from the bushes, which they had been sucking in order to quench their thirst. That night cost the regiment the loss of more men by sickness than the battle of the day before, and among them the ever-faithful Lieutenant-Colonel Johnston. Broken down in health, a short time after he was compelled to resign his post; a calamity to the service, and a source of deepest regret to the colonel.

The Chickahominy was reached by Keyes's Corps at Bottom Bridge. Here tradition points out the place where the Indian maiden saved the life of Captain Smith. The spot is a few yards to the left of the road approaching the bridge, and about fifty paces from the stream. The Massachusetts Seventh , Colonel Russell, and the Ninety-third Pennsylvania, Colonel M’ Carter, were on picket duty on the front, in the vicinity of the bridge; and the standards of the former regiment were the first borne across the stream. Colonel Russell and Colonel M’Carter were the first two officers of the same rank who crossed the burned bridge at daylight on the morning of the 14^th of May.

In the action of Fair Oaks, the regiment of Colonel M’Carter was early ordered by General Couch to support Casey’s left front. Here he lost nearly two hundred in killed and wounded, but held the post assigned him against superior odds, and only fell back to the second line of defense on a peremptory order from General Peck, that he should do so. Here he had one of his brothers, a captain, taken prisoner; and another, a captain also, severely wounded. Two horses were killed under Colonel M'Carter in this action, the second having his head and part of his neck shot off by a shell, which tore the colonel's clothing, already riddled with bullets, from his person, and occasioned unconsciousness for thirty hours afterward. The spinal injuries received have made him partially paralytic in the left side; yet most of the time since he has been on duty with his regiment. Ire has for weeks together, on the march from the Peninsula, been lifted into his saddle in the morning and out of it when the march was over at night. He has frequently fallen from the saddle, once on drill, from any cause disturbing his spine. Yet he is comparatively a young man, of good health; and we learn that with rest a month or two he will entirely recover.

After the battle of Fair Oaks and the seven days fight before Richmond, he returned to his regiment, and found only one hundred and five men, three lieutenants, and one captain, of his once splendid regiment, fit for duty at Harrison's Landing. Death, wounds, sickness, and captivity, had buried and scattered them. But one officer besides himself was found wearing the badges of office with which the regiment was organized. It marched from the Peninsula, was in reserve at the second battle of Bull Run, in August last, acted as a reserve at the battle of South Mountain, and marched twenty-five miles to reach the field of Antietam on Wednesday of the battle. It occupied the front on the morning of Thursday, and expected to be engaged, but was not, owing to the flag of truce sent in by the rebels for the alleged purpose of burying their dead. That night the enemy disappeared from the north bank of the Potomac, and the morning witnessed officers and soldiers roaming over a field where lay uncounted dead and all the terrible debris left by a beaten army on a battle-field.

We may properly conclude this article with a sketch of the Rev. Pelatiah Ward, to whom allusion has been made. From an obituary which appeared in the Christian Advocate and Journal, we learn that he was born in Dover, Dutchess County, New York. Having received a good preparatory education, he entered upon the study of the law at Poughkeepsie, where he was converted, and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1846 he was admitted a member of the New York Conference, and in due time graduated to full minister's orders. At all the posts of duty assigned him by the authorities of the Church, he served with fidelity and success. He had been for several years one of the secretaries of the Conference; an office which he filled with remarkable ability up to the time of his death.

In the spring of 1861 he was appointed to Ellenville, Ulster County, and entered upon his charge with every prospect of usefulness. War had sounded its dreadful tocsin, and the bloody hand of rebellion had been raised against the government. With his ministerial brethren in the conference which met at Poughkeepsie he had loyally ranged himself on the side of the Union, and, impelled by a noble patriotism, he exerted his powers to the utmost to meet the demands of the government in furnishing soldiers for the Union army. His noble and generous feelings were thoroughly roused and fully enlisted in the cause of his country, and his thrilling appeals brought one hundred and thirty men to the Union standard in the short space of ten days. He designed going with those who thus gathered around him, as Chaplain of the regiment to which they were assigned, and the position had been offered for his acceptance; but such were the attachments formed for him, and such the confidence in his bravery and his adaptation to the office of commander, that with one voice they clamored for him as their leader, and when their votes were cast he was unanimously chosen captain. We doubt if the history of the whole war can furnish a case equal to this, in the patriotism of the leader or the devotion of his followers. His brave heart could not withstand this appeal from the heroic young men of the company, and he promptly acceded to their request, and gave himself to the discharge of the laborious duties of his new vocation.

Realizing that he was called in the providence of God to the work, he entered, upon it with a zeal and success which only such a conviction could produce. Like the faith which, in the Roman captain, was without a parallel in the whole Church, Captain Ward exhibited a faith in the righteousness of the cause in which he was engaged which never faltered up to the last conflict. So impressed were his ministerial brethren with the propriety of his conduct in taking the position in which Provi

dence had placed him, that at the Conference of 1862 his character passed unblemished, and he was continued in his relation, without the slightest change in his ecclesiastical status, except to give him a nominal appointment, there being no provision in The discipline for one of a purely military character.

Loving his men, and being beloved by them, he entered the field, and cheerfully endured all the hardships of camp life. The regiment to which he was attached was engaged in the battles under General Pope, at Warrenton, Cedar Mountain, Centerville, Germantown, and Manassas, in which the disgraceful blunderings and inactivity of some general officers resulted in a defeat of the Union army. The time when he received his death-wound was Saturday, the 30th of August. He had before received a shot in his right arm, which disabled him, but be kept on the field, wielding his sword with his left hand as be cheered on his men The battle raged with fury, and brave men were falling on every side. Just then the regimental flag was likely to fall into the dust, and be trampled upon by the enemy. Such fatality had attended the color-bearers, six having already fallen, that for a moment none seemed willing to rush to the rescue of the flag. Captain Ward dashed forward, between the advancing and retreating forces, seized the colors, and waving them over his head shouted, "Stand your ground, my boys!" Fired with fresh courage, they rallied, and followed their leader. While moving on, a Minie' ball struck him in the hip, making a wound an inch in diameter. He fell; but though fallen his courage failed not, as he cheered his men on and charged them to hold their ground. While he was being borne from the field, faint with the loss of blood, the fragment of an exploded shell struck him, and produced a frightful wound. Thus mangled, three true and trusty men carried him six miles to the hospital at Centerville, from whence he was taken to Alexandria, where he received every attention that could be given him.

Under these distressing circumstances, neither his religion nor his patriotism failed him. He felt it was "sweet for his country to die;" while the religion which he had professed, and the consolations of which he had administered to many a, dying saint, was his support in the trying hour. To the chaplain of the Twentieth regiment New York State Volunteers Rev. Mr. Santvoord, who had conversations with him in his last hours, he gave assurances of his faith in Christ as his Saviour, and of eternal rest in heaven after the conflicts of life were over.

He lived but a few days, and died on the 2d of September, in great peace. His remains were taken to Yorkville, where he had been stationed a few years previously. A large number of ministers attended his funeral, which was held in the Methodist Church. Rev. L. H. King preached the funeral discourse, from the text, " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course," to a very large and deeply affected audience, a number of whom were the spiritual children of the deceased. After the sermon, hundreds were permitted, for the last time, to gaze upon the face of the Christian warrior, and to look upon the relics of his devotion to his country's cause in the broken sword, the bullet-torn coat, shapeless cap, and the still more interesting evidence of his devotion to his God in the well worn testament found in his pocket and which had been carried in the battles through which he had passed. The flags of the village were hung at half mast and the entire community gave evidence of the deepest respect for his memory. On the following day his remains were taken to South Dover, Dutchess County, and interred there, to rest until the sound of the resurrection trumpet.

Rev. W.P. Strickland, D.D., Chaplain in the U.S. Army
FOURTH SERIES, VOL XV.-28

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