LI GHTS AND SHADO\WS
OF
ARMY LIFE:
OR,,. I'
Pen Pictures from the Battlefield, the Camp,
and the Hospital.
BY REV. W. W. LYLE, A.M.,
CHAPLAIN ELEVENTH REGIMENT, O. V. I., U. S. A.
THIRD EDITION.
C I -N C I STN ~N A T I:
CINCINJNATI'
R. \W. CARROLL  & CO., PUBLISIIERS,
73 WEST FOURTII STREET,
. OPERA-IIOUSE BUILDING.
186S.
t~~~~~g~I 
.L   - 
I  v 6
I S7 6  --
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865,
BY W. W. LYLE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern
District of Ohio.
STEREOTYPED AT TlHE
FRANKLIN TYPE FOUND)RY,
CINCINNATI, O.
c I
-!' 
TO
COLONEL P. P. LANE,
ELEVENTH REGIMENT OHIO VOLUNTEERS,
9tis?oeumz
IS D ED ICAT':2D,
AS AN HUMBLE TRIBUTE OF RESPECT FOR HIS PURE PATRIOTISM; HIS ARDENT
DEVOTION TO THE CAUSE OF HUMAN LIBERTY; HIS BRAVERY AS A
SOLDIER; HIS RESPECT FOR AND INTEREST IN OUR
UNION DEFENDERS;
AND AS AN HUMBLE BUT SINCERE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE INTEREST
HE EVER MANIFESTED IN THE MORAL AND RELIGIOUS
WELFARE OF HIS COMMAND.
THE AUTHOR.  
CONTENTS.
PAGE
PREFACE..................................................................... iX
CIIAPTER I.
Introductory-God and our Country-Interest in our Volun   teers-First Impressions..............................................
CHAPTER II.
Slavery and the Rebellion-Organization of a Regimental
Church.....................................................................
CHAPTER III.
Gauley Bridge, Western Virginia-General Cox at Flat-top   Hospital Scenes..........................................................
CHAPTER IV.
Angels in the Hospital-Woman's Work-A  Remarkable   Death-bed................................................................. 62
CHAPTER V.
Flowers  for the Sick-A Joke at the Chaplain's Expense....   78
CHAPTER VI.
"What is a Woman Worth? "- Soldier Mechanics - Pack's
Ferry...................................................................... 84
CHAPTER VII.
Changes-Sacramental Services-Battle at Bull Run-Fight
at Frederick City, Md......................................... 103
(v)
9 1
22 -
40 
vi                      CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
PAGS
Battle of South Mountain-Bravery of the Twenty-third Ohio
Regiment Incidents of the Field................................. 123
CHAPTER IX.
The Ideal and the Actual of War- "My Brother, 0 my
Brother!"-Woman's Love and Sympathy....................... 140
CHAPTER X.
Battle of Antietam —Heroic Bravery-The Stone Bridge   Death of Colonel Coleman-Treachery or Cowardice........ 147
CHAPTER XI.
A Gleam of Sunshine-The Dying Soldier and his Bible   The Loved One Remembered in Death........................... 164
CHAPTER XII.
Divine Service on the Field-Religious Comfort in the Hour of
Battle...................................................................... 174 
CHAPTER XIII.
A Terrible March-Soldiers' Prayers and a General's Purga   tory-Political versus Military Strategy........................... 181
CHAPTER XIV.
Cold Knob-Bravery and Endurance-Rebels Caught Nap   ping........................................................................ 190
CHAPTER XV.
At Summerville-Religious Interests The Prodigal's Return. 199
CHAPTER XVI.
The Soldier's Last Resting-place-Reveries in a Graveyard.... 209
CHAPTER XVII.
"Little Shady "-Beauties of Slavery................................. 220
I 
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XVIII.
PAGE
The Army of the Cumberland-Rebels in Front, Meaner Rebels
in Rear-Soldiers' Resolutions...................................... 225
CHAPTER XIX.
A Kidnapper Frustrated- Tribute to a Christian Soldier' Gottesacker" -Posterity and our Military Cemeteries... 236
CHAPTER XX.
A Beautifuli and Impressive Scene-Living Water............... 249
CHAPTER XXI.
Hoover's Gap-Very Romantic - Hydropathy, Mutton, and
Conscience-A Brave Chaplain..................................... 257
CHAPTER XXII.
Rosecrans's Strategy-Crossing Lookout-Perilous Position
of the Army............................................................. 276
CHAPTER XXIII.
Battle of Chickamauga-Religious Services on the Field   Turchin's Brigade-Cut Through or Surrender................ 286
CHAPTER XXIV.
Wilder's Brigade and Longstreet's Veterans-Frightened Cor   respondents-God's Providence..................................... 307
CHAPTER XXV.
War is Dreadful-Brighter Days for our Country- Name   less Crimes-Irish Chivalry-"In de Cane-brake."....... 316
CHAPTER XXVI.
Incidents of the Field-The "Old Flag yet!"-Letter from
a Christian Soldier-An Adroit Movement...................... 328
a
vii 
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXVII.
PAGE
Secrets of Slavery-White Slaves-The Poor Whites-New
Application of Scripture............................................. 341
CHAPTER XXVIII.
The Dying Soldier's Dream of Home-The Sentinel-Life ai
Battle....................................................................... 354
CHAPTER XXIX.
Bebel Barbarities -National Cemetery  at Chattanooga   Courage and Generosity............................................. 372
APPENDIX..................................................................... 391
viii
I 
PREFACE.
IT is said that a preface is seldom read. From this it
has been inferred that it is unnecessary to write one. Some
literary oracles have even gone further, and asserted that
it is a violation of good taste to detain the reader at the
threshold of a book, and compel him to endure several
pages of prefatory explanations, which, at the best, are but
covert egotisms, when, it is to be presumed, he is desirous
of entering at once upon the work of examining the book
itself Others, with equal authority, declare that a proper
regard for the claims of etiquette demands that strangers
be introduced to each other by a third party, and that the
same rule holds good in the literary world. Whatever
opinion may be adopted on this not very important question, the general practice seems to be in favor of the timehonored custom of making at least a bow to the reader
before thrusting upon his attention the full contents of a
volume.  It is generally safe, in matters of mere etiquette,
to follow established customs. In the present instance it
is considered not only safe, but necessary.
A few sentences will comprise all that need be said in
this prefatory note.
And first, the book is not a history of the war; it makes
no such pretensions. Even in the brief sketches given of
several severe battles, such as South Mountain, Antietam,
Chickamauga, etc., no attempt is made at elaborate details.
The sketches themselves are merely outline pictures, with
(ix) 
PREFACE.
here and there some scene of touching pathos, a bright
beam of sunshine, perhaps, against a dark background,
or some humorous incident reproduced, and thrown in, by
way of relief, to some somber shadows. It is believed
that, however rough the outlines may be, they are faithfully and correctly sketched. More accomplished artists
may glance at such outlines, drawn, as they have been,
amid the excitements and dangers of the camp and field,
and which have been traced by those who mingled in the
scenes described; they may correct all the erratic lines of
the humble sketchers, fill in where there were only unmeaning blanks, finish what was unfinished anid imperfect,
and leave, for the admiration and safe-keeping of future
generations, critically correct and elaborately finished pictures, that will live and be admired ages after such humble
sketches as the following will have been buried beneath
the waves of oblivion.
However imperfectly the work of tracing the LIGHTS
AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE may have been done, it has
been a labor of love. Undertaken at the repeated and
urgent solicitation of friends, both in and out of the army,
it has been prosecuted with a twofold purpose, namely, to
pay an humble tribute to the bravery, integrity, and
moral worth of our patriot heroes, and bring before the
Christian public facts connected with the religious experiences of our soldiers in the-field, and place upon record
facts and incidents which testify to the saving power of
the Gospel. Other and abler pens have given thrilling
narratives of the devotion, zeal, unflinching courage, and
heroic endurance of our brave defenders, and others will
yet be employed in the same noble work.  While  thG
author has by no means ignored such a worthy theme,
but has recorded, in the following pages, numerous inci
dents of bravery and endurance, he has sought, at the
x 
PREFACE.
same time, to bring out, in bold relief, the less imposing,
but not less important and interesting, facts connected with
the living and dying of our  patriot heroes.   Nearly
three years' service in the army, both East and West, afforded ample opportunities to notice the fruits of religious
culture and effort upon the soldier, whether he was resting
in camp, or was on the long, weary march; amid the dread
scenes of the battlefield, or in the wards of the hospita].
While the author, therefore, has grouped together incidents of the camp, or sketched tragic scenes and heroic
deeds on the battlefield, given here or there some humorous occurrences, or traced some army movements, he has
endeavored to keep steadily in view the moral and religious elements connected with the army. The saving
power of the Gospel of the Son of God, the strength
which is imparted to the heart of man, through faith in
our Lord Jesus Christ, and which buoys him up amid the
most trying and terrific earthly scenes-the cheering influences of religious hope and trust in the hour of sickness, and amid heart longings and loneliness, together with
the glorious triumphs of the believing soul in the hour
of death, have all been exemplified in the army; and the
following pages have been primarily devoted to the recording of such facts and incidents as illustrate these
truths.
To all who love our Lord Jesus Christ, and who labor
and pray for the salvation of the world; to all whose
hearts thrill with patriotic ardor and devotion at the sight
of that dear old flag-dearer  now than ever, because
stained with the life-blood of Freedom's  martyrs-and
which is the emblem of peace to "men of good will," and
the emblem of liberty to the oppressed of all nations;
to all who love and honor the memories of our fallen
heroes, and who treat with respect and honor our living
xi 
PREFACE.
defenders; to all who labor, by word and deed, in behalf
of our beloved country; to all who are willing to make
every sacrifice in order to hand down to coming generations an unbroken, unimpaired, and untarnished heritage
of freedom; to the weeping fathers and mothers and wives
and children of those who have fallen in battle, and to
the noble women of the land, who have labored so heroically and perseveringly to sustain the thrice-blessed Sanitary and Christian Commissions-to all such does the author humbly commend this unpretending volume, with the
prayer that it may not only interest, but instruct and
comfort, every reader.
NOTE.-A word, by way of explanation, relative to some features
of a local character connected with the volume. In order to relieve the book from any undue prominence of merely local, or
rather, regimental interest, and yet weave into the general narrative outline sketches of regimental history, the author, at the suggestion of friends in whose wisdom he could trust, has simply
noted matters of general interest connected with the history and
movements of the Eleventh Ohio Regiment, of which he had the
honor of being chaplain, and thrown into an appendix items of interest to those who had friends in the regiment. To the friends
of those connected with the Eleventh it will be an interesting
feature of this work. The intention was to give an abridged
history of the regiment proper, but this was found to be impracticable. A list of those killed in battle or who died of wounds
or disease is given. The author has spared no pains to make it as
reliable and interesting as possible.
xii 
"iAg ts an  iaba~   of   rIse WaCift.
CHAPTER I.
O STAR-SPANGLED BANNER! the Flag of our pride I
Though trampled by traitors and basely defied,
Fling out to the glad winds your Red, White, and Blue,
For the heart of the Northland is beating for you I
And her strong arm is nerving to strike with a will,
Till the foe and his boastings are humbled and still!
Here's welcome to wounding and combat and scars,
And the glory of death-for the Stripes and the Stars I
From prairie, 0 plowman! speed boldly awayThere's seed to be sown in God's furrows to-day I
Row landward, lone fisher! stout woodman, come home!
Let smith leave his anvil, and weaver his loom,
And hamlet and city ring loud with the cry,
"For God and our country we'll fight till we die!
Here's welcome to wounding and combat and scars,
And the glory of death-for the Stripes and the Stars!"
E. D. PROCTOR.
INTRODUCTORY.
IN all ages of the world the military hero has been
applauded, his name recorded in history, and his deeds
celebrated in song. The chisel of the sculptor, the
pencil of the painter, the harp of the minstrel, and
the pen of the historian have vied with each other
(9) 
10     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
in paying honors to his genius and in eulogizing his
bravery. While the more prominent or more fortunate of those who have hewed with their swords a
pathway to fame have been thus immortalized by history and art, the humble ballad literature of various
nations, distinguished more for its chivalrous spirit
and adaptation to the necessities of a rude age, than
for its elegance of diction or literary taste, has embalmed, in rustic song or simple melody, the memories
of less noted, but no less honorable, heroes of humbler
name.
Many of those thus honored, however, although
brave in personal daring, and great in military genius,
neither drew their swords in defense of human rights,
nor lived nor labored for the benefit of their fellowmen. While they cut their way to a niche in the
temple of fame, or to the crown and scepter of imperial honor and power, it was over the prostrate forms
of those whom they had robbed of their rights; and
they drove their chariot-wheels over the mangled bodies of unnumbered slain, and amid the smouldering
ruins of peaceful homes, while the music to which
they kept step in their career of conquest were the
groans of anguished hearts, and the agonizing cries
of the wounded and the dying. A selfish ambitiona cruel, devouring lust for power and dominion-governed them in all the plans they formed and in all
the battles they fought; and they considered no destruction of human life or happiness too costly a sacrifice to make in order to secure the coveted prize.
Thus they lived and planned and fought, not to bless,
but to curse mankind. Around their names and deeds 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
have been thrown those seductive charms which unhallowed Genius so frequently creates, and with which
she seeks to conceal the profligacy and tyranny of
wicked men; but Time has lifted the gorgeous drapery,
and revealed the so-called heroes of ancient and modern times in all their moral leprosy and deformity.
But there have been' true heroes, nevertheless.
There have been pure-hearted patriots, who have toiled
nobly for their country-brave defenders of human
liberty, who have bared their bosoms to the tyrant's
sword,'rather than permit his chains to be placed on
their own or their children's limbs-noble, devoted
adherents of righteousness and truth, who, with the
Bible in one hand and the sword in the other, have at
once sought to maintain inviolate the sacred principles
of civil and religious liberty, and to strike down, if
need be, the assailants of either the one or the other.
True, their names and noble deeds have not always
been recorded in history, or celebrated in song. Yea,
rather, many of the bravest and best of such heroes
have been stigmatized as the basest of men; their motives have been impugned, and their noblest deeds denounced, while their memories have been loaded down
with reproach, and their names pronounced with scorn
and derision. But the same hand that has torn away
the gilded, gaudy drapery with which kingly tyrants
and imperial robbers have been invested, has also removed the stigma and reproach that the foul hand
of Wrong had sought to fasten upon the memories of
the truly good and great; and to-day, more than at
any previous era of the world's history, are the noble
deeds, the patient endurance, the spotless integrity,
11 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
and the deathless devotion to principle of such heroes
better understood and more fully appreciated.   The
efforts which we, as a people, have put forth, as well
as the sacrifices we have made in order to subdue a
rebellion, the foulest in spirit and design the world
has ever seen, have led us to a clearer understanding
and appreciation of the worth of the w-orld's unhonored heroes. We have learned, in a most practical
and impressive manner, that a nation's safety or the
interests of humanity rest not in the hands of a favXored few, whose claims for superiority are constantly
urged, but in the pure, brave hearts and strong hands
of the toiling many.
The history of the war for the preservation of,the
Union is a record of personal bravery and self-sacrificing devotion, on the part of the loyal men  and
wvomen  of the nation, to which history furnishes no
parallel. During these years of bloodshed and strife,
our cities and hamlets and rural abodes-the luxurious
dwellings of the city merchants, and the log-cabins of
our frontier farmers-have sent forth as heroic men
as ever drew sword; and they have furnished as illustrious examples of womanly tenderness, affection, and
love, blended with the truly heroic in self-sacrificing
devotion and patient endurance, as the world has ever
seen.  No monumental brass or marble will ever receive for safe-keeping the names of all the heroes
and heroines of this mighty struggle for freedom;
neither will the historian's stately periods nor the
poet's touching lyrics hand down  to posterity the
records of their noble deeds, or the requiems sung
over their honored graves. The richly carved, storiedcl 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
urn may be costly and beautiful, but it will be broken
in pieces and buried in the dust.  The "ever-during
brass" may be elaborately finished, and the names of
the illustrious dead deeply engraven upon it, but it
will corrode and waste away.   The  stately monu mental marble may be solid in structure and imposing
in appearance, but it, too, will crumble and decay.
The historian's records may be just, and the poet's
songs may be sweet, but they will all be marred by
the fingers of hoary Time. But good thoughts and
noble deeds never die. Like their authors, they are
immortal. They go marching down the ages with
stately, steady tread, elevating and ennobling successive, generations, and moving forward the shadows on
the dial-plate of human destiny, long after the bosoms
that gave them birth are buried beneath Oblivion's
wave. The noblest monument that will ever be reared
to the honor of our heroes in the field and our heroines
at home, who have acted so nobly and endured so patiently, will be a free, happy, redeemed country; and
the sweetest songs that will be sung in their praise will
be the jubilee anthems of earth's disenthralled sons
and daughters-anthems which will yet be heard on
every shore; for every nation under heaven will be
brought under the influence, and share in the benefits
of the present struggle for Liberty, Righteousness, and
Truth.
The simple sketches which follow will show the reader
how some of our noble heroes live, and they will also
show how some of them have died on the battlefield
and in the hospital.
13 
14     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
GOD AND OUR COUNTRY.
On a bright, beautiful Sabbath in April, 1861, there
met in the Franklin Street Presbyterian Church, Troy,
Ohio, as sadl and yet as brave and hopeful a congregation as perhaps ever met, or ever will again meet,
within those walls. Fathers and mothers, wives and
children, had come together to join in farewell religious
services with loved ones who had promptly answered
to their country's call, and who, on the morrow, were
to depart for that dark field of strife on which were
marshaled the armed legions of a wicked and causeless
rebellion. The Star-spangled Banner was unfurled, and
hung in graceful folds from the pulpit; and that flag,
always beautiful in the eyes of every true American,
and ever dear to his heart, never seemed so beautiful
nor so precious as at that moment. During the previous night, and the greater part of this sacred day,
the rooms attached to the church had been filled with
ladies, busy at work preparing lint and bandages, and
other articles considered necessary for the soldier; and
it will ever be remembered as one of the strange yet
significant facts connected with the history of this war,
that the click of busy sewing-machines, and the hum
of voices that tell of earnest labor, mingled on that
hallowed day with the sacred songs of the sanctuary.
The electric wires had flashed the news all over the
land that the Star of the West had been fired into,
Fort Sumter bombarded, and the national flag trailed
in the dust by traitor hands. The blood of Massachusetts' freemen had stained the streets of Baltimore, and it had been declared by rebel mobs and 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
by traitorous legislators that troops rushing to the defense of the National Capital would not be permitted
to tread the soil of Maryland.  The whole country was
excited. Conflicting emotions swayed the public mind.
Some were in fear and sadness, and could only ask,
Vhat next?  Others were bitterly indignant, and called
only for speedy and condign vengeance on the heads
of traitors, while all the truly loyal and brave breathed
but one determination-that, with the blessing of God,
the foul rebellion must be quelled, and the Union be
preserved, at whatever cost of treasure and blood.
The meeting on this peaceful Sabbath, in the sanetuary of God, was but one of thousands such held all
over the land, and was significant as showing the elements of religious hope and trust that, from the commencement of the war, have entered so largely, anal
marked so distinctly, the patriotism of the loyal North.
Addresses of thrilling earnestness and lofty patriotism
were delivered by the Rev. W. M. Cheever, of the
Franklin Street Presbyterian Church, the Rev. J. J.
Thompson, of the M. E. Church, and others, after
which a copy of the New Testament was presented to
each volunteer, in the name of the Troy Female Bible
Society. As the sacred volumes were being distributed,
and words of cheer spoken to each recipient, a feeling, of deep solemnity pervaded the entire assembly,
and the language of every one seemed to be, "OUR
TRUST IS IN GOD!"  The entire services were of such
a deeply interesting character, while the surrounding
circumstances were so thrillingly impressive, that no
one could possibly be an indifferent spectator. That
meeting will never be forgotten, especially by those
11
a 
16     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
for whose special comfort and encouragement it was
held.
The volunteers present at this meeting were two
companies raised by Captain A. Coleman and Captain J. C. Drury, subsequently known as Companies
D and H of the Eleventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer
Infantry. Little did the writer of these pages think, as
he gazed upon those brave, patriotic men, and joined
with others in speaking words of cheer to them, that
in a few short months he would be with them on the
tented field, and sharing with them their perils and
privations.  Still less did he think that three years
and three months would roll round ere they would
return to their homes; and that, even then, war's fierce
tumults would still be raging in the land, and  the
wicked pro-slavery rebellion still be showing its defiant front.   But, so it is.  In peace as well as in
war-with nations as well as with individuals-we
know not what the future may develop; neither can
we tell what strange positions we may occupy, nor by
what unexpected and unwonted circumstances we may
be surrounded.
I have mentioned this little incident as a fitting introduction to the pen-pictures of the following pages,
thinking that no apology is needed for bringing before the reader the fact that the noble Eleventh Ohio,
as well as other regiments, went forth to fight for
home and country, for liberty and truth, with the
dearest and holiest remembrances and associations of
the sanctuary of God, and with the prayers and blessings of Christian patriots.
A few months rolled past. The three-months' serv 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ice had been finished, the regiment reorganized and
mustered in for three years. The first Kanawha camp,ign had been accomplished, and Floyd  and Wise
driven from theValley, and the Eleventh had come
down the Kanawha River to Point Pleasant, and were
in winter quarters, when the author of these pages
was surprised by the announcement that he had been
appointed chaplain of the regiment. A week or so
thereafter found him, for the first time, on the sacred
soil-or, rather, in the sacred mud-of Virginia, and,
for the first time, within the army lines.
After reporting for duty, the first official work I
performed was visiting the hospital. The immediate
result of the first visit was the entire change of preconceived opinions relative to military hospitals in
general, and of regimental hospitals in particular. I
had pictured to myself dreary, hopeless, repulsive
scenes, such as I had read of in the published correspondence from the French and English armies in the
Crimea, and imagined that, even at the very best, our
sick and wounded soldiers must necessarily be partially
neglected, and their wants unsupplied. War, too, it
had been stated, had an indurating effect on the human
heart, and that the camp was only a school of vice and
immorality, and that, therefore, an indifference to the
sufferings and necessities of others would be the inevitable result of such influences as surround the soldier. But although not adopting the whole of such
gloomy views of army life and experiences, I was not
prepared for a scene so entirely the reverse of what
I had anticipated.   Every ward in the hospital was
scrupulously clean, every cot was neatly arranged, the
2
17 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
patients looked quite comfortable and cheerful, and I
noticed that the hospital attendants were kind and attentivre. Dr. Hartman, as brave and generous a man
as ever entered a hospital, and who, during the three
years he was in the army, did more for the comfort of
the soldier than many surgeons in shoulder-straps, and
that, too, while drawing only the pay of a private soldier, was acting as warden.
Although the exigencies and necessities of several
active campaigns have shown me some hospital scenes
very different from this, I have never had occasion to
change the opinions then formed of the general manner in which our brave soldiers were cared for when
sick or wounded. That blessed institution, the Christian Commission, with its noble band of laborers, and
its generous supplies of good things for soul and body,
was not then in existence. The Sanitary Commission,
too, was but in its infancy, and Government supplies
alone were depended upon in attending to the wants
of our sick and wounded soldiers. If at that time, and
under such circumstances, they were comparatively so
comfortable, any one can form an idea of their improved condition under the auspices of these twin institutions of patriotism and Christian beneficence. If
the writer had a hundred voices, he would employ them
in urging upon the attention and fostering care of
every man and woman in the land the elaims of the
Christian Commission, knowing, as he does, from experience in the field and in the hospital, how much
good it has accomplished and is still accomplishing in
the army.
is 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
The sight of a large multitude is always interesting
and impressive. This is true, whether in civil or military life. The spectator, however, is often swayed by
very different and even conflicting emotions; for the
opinions he may form concerning such a spectacle, as
well as the impulses or feelings it may awaken in his
heart, will be in accordance with the views he entertains, exalted or otherwise, concerning human duty and
destiny. The motives by which he is actuated in mingling with his fellow-men, and especially with those
who are brought into close and important relationships,
will also have a decided influence upon his opinions of
their individual or aggregate value, as well as upon the
manner in which he acts toward them.
The politician, for example, looks upon them as so
many of " The People," who must be reasoned with,
cajoled, hoodwinked, flattered, or bullied into some political scheme. The political economist looks upon
them as so many consumers as well as producers of
the necessaries of life, and who will increase or diminish the resources of government according to their individual and aggregate intelligence and industry. The
patient plodder in dry,matter-of-fact statistics looks
upon them as so many breathing numerals, increasing
in a certain ratio not very clearly defined, and which
are to be considered valuable only as supporting some
scientific theories. He delights not so much in the individual or aggregate value of the living numerals as
their dumb representatives on the census returns; for
he can exultantly refer to the figures on the tables in
19 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWAS OF ARMY LIFE.
support of his theories, for figures, like facts, are
stub)born things, and will not lie.  The man of busy
wvheels, spindles, looms, cranks, and levers, looks upon
them as so many living "hands" with brains to think,
and whose principal responsibilities during one-half of
their time is to work with or control the movements
of brainless hands of brass and steel. The professional warrior, like an Alexander or a Napoleon, looks
upon a multitude of men as so many individual forces
which may be combined-so many nerves and muscles
that may be equipped, drilled, and disciplined, and
whom, for his own glory, he will lead forth and dash
upon similar battalions of living, thinking beings, or
hurl in impetuous storms upon yawning embrasure or
bristling earth-work. The Christian, on the other hand,
not forgetful of man's earthly relations, duties or necessities, but.with feelings of deep interest and Christlike love, looks upon them as so many precious immortals, for whom the Savior suffered and died, and who
have to work out the great problem of human duty
and destiny.  He  looks upon  them as heirs of immortality, who will never scale the bights or fathom
the depths of their own spiritual capacities, nor reach
the boundary line of their own existence; as so many
individuals, around each of whom are clustering responsibilities and duties, sympathies and emotions, that
will seal and settle forever the destiny of each, and
raise to the high position and glorious enjoyment of
heaven, or sink to the dishonor and despair of hell.
On many occasions, I have seen immense armies,
either in camp, where the white tents, gleaming in the
summer's sun, looked like a dream of fairy-land, or
20 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
on the march, when it seemed as if a nation were on
a pilgrimage. And I have seen the same armies as
they rushed on to battle, when the ground shook with
the tramp of armed men, the roar of cannon, and the
sharp rattle of musketry, and when it seemed as if
the very heavens were filled with shrieking demons of
death and destruction, in the shape of shot and shell.
And, whether reposing quietly in camp, on the weary
march, or amid the perils and excitements of battle,
I always experienced solemn and even sad emotions
when contemplating such masses of men. Not that I
ever had a doubt in regard to the righteousness of the
cause in which we were engaged-not that I entertained any fear regarding the final result of the struggle-but because of the all-important questions pertaining to the eternal interests of each individual soul.
There is something fearfully solemn connected with
such questions when applied to one human being; but
when thousands and tens of thousands of deathless
spirits are placed before us, and we try to grasp as it
were the infinite aggregate of hope and fear, pleasure
and pain, glory and despair, life and death, undying
energies, immortal appetites and capacities, and unsatisfied longings, we sink beneath the rushing tide-wave
of our own aroused emotions, and can only exclaim,
"WTho is sufficient for these things!"
Add to all these the peculiar circumstances connected with army life, and it will soon be apparent
that the responsibility attaching to those who go forth
to labor for the moral and spiritual welfare of the soldier are of the most solemn and important character.
It is no trifling matter to preach Christ and salvation
21
I 
22    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
anywhere, and under any circumstances; but to do so
in the army, among those who are not only away from
the temporal comforts and the social and religious
privileges of home, and who are always exposed to
danger and death, the sacred responsibilities connected
with such work are seen to be vastly increased.
These, and other matters that might be named, are
what make a chaplain's position at once honorable
and responsible. It is but anticipating what may be
referred to in the following pages to state, that on addressing the regiment, for the first time, as it was
drawn up in line, I felt that if the Grace of God, the
IVisdom that cometh down from above, were needed for
weak man to guide him in efforts to do good, especially
among those who had nobly laid their all upon their
countrv's altar, that was the hour, and those were the
circumstances when such was specially needed.
As an evidence of the kind interest felt in the spiritual welfare of the soldiers in the field, as well as a
record of the encouragement given to laborers in the
army, the following incident is recorded.
A large meeting of the Sabbath-school children and
their friends was held in Troy, to participate with the
Band of Hope, in a Bible presentation. Mrs. Lizzie
James, in behalf of the children, presented a beautiful
Bible, on which was a suitable inscription. The following was the address she made on the occasion:
" No fact more strongly marks the fearful war which is now
upon us than the unity of purpose on the part of our soldiers
in the field, and of friends at home. Very many and varied
are the good things prepared by loving hands at home, for the
comfort of dear ones far away in the camp, or in the field, and 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
we all take an interest in the good work which our mothers
and sisters are engaged in, for the benefit of our dear fathers
and brothers in the army. In token of our love for the soldier, the Band of Hope have directed me, to-day, to present
their offering for the noble Eleventh Regiment. Though onr
offering is of but little pecuniary value, yet it is a priceless
treasure-the richest ever presented to man. We rejoice to
know that many of the Eleventh Regiment are Christians;
and we feel assured, therefore, of the appropriateness of our
offering.
"Chaplain Lyle, in placing this volume in your hands, we
are more than glad that you are chaplain of our own Eleventh.  Take this Blessed Volume-this Chart of' Life-and present from it to your soldier Christians things both new and
old. May its lessons, as you shall dispense them, from time
to time, comfort and sustain the tried and tempted, encourage
the penitent, awaken  the careless; and, with the attendant
blessing of the Divine Spirit, may every member of your regiment be presented perfect in Christ Jesus.  Our most fervent
prayers shall rise before God that your ministrations may be
abundantly blessed-that the dying soldier taught therefrom,
whether breathing out his life in the hospital or on the battlefield, may triumphantly say:'But thanks be to God, who
giveth the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!' and, at
last, greet you, their chaplain, where men learn war no more.
Take this BooK, this Word of the Lord, and bear it to your
gallant men from the Troy Band of Hope."
23 
CHAPTER II.
SLAVERY AND THE REBELLION-A& SOLDIER'S OPINION OF THE ISSUE        ORGANIZATION OF A REGIMENTAL CHURCH, ETC.
What gives the wheat field blades of stee
What points the rebel cannon?
What sets the roaring rabble's heel
On the old star-spangled pennon?
What breaks the oath of the men of the Sou
What whets the knife for the Union's life?
Hark to the answer-Slavery I
IT is a well-known fact that, when the rebellion first
threatened the overthrow of the country, and it was
distinctly affirmed by rebel leaders that slavery was to
be the corner-stone of the Southern Confederacy, and,
indeed, was the prime moving cause of the foul conspiracy, the masses of the loyal people were slow to
believe that the institution of slavery was, in any important respect, connected with the rebellion. They
wvere equally oblivious to the fact that to deal deathblows upon the one, was to insure the destruction of
the other. And so very anxious were many of the political and military leaders to convince  slaveholding
rebels that the Government had no intention of interfering with the institution of slavery, that declarttions were made, officially and otherwise, that any such
interference would not be tolerated; and that, in the
(24)
WHITTIER. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
event of any uprising of the slaves against their masters, the whole strength of the Federal army would
be brought to bear upon such demonstrations so as
to crush -them; and further, that fugitive slaves from
the rebel lines would invariably be sent back. In
strict accordance with such a policy, books or tracts
sent to the soldiers by private parties, or by public
societies, known as reformatory, were carefully examnined, lest any anti-slavery sentiments should be
propagated in the army, and sectional feelings or
issues introduced into military circles. Many chaplains, in their religious exercises, carefully ignored
the existence of the agitating subject, or gave it a
wide berth, when they accidentally drifted in that
direction; while every conceivable plan was adopted
to cool down the Southern heart, which had been so
frequently and so terribly " fired up."  As an evidence
of the extent to which this spirit prevailed at the
commencement of the war, it may just be stated that
when the American Reform Tract and Book Society
of Cincinnati sent packages of reading matter into
the army, addressing them to the care of regimental
chaplains, some of them thought that they had been
grossly insulted, and their respectability and good
standing  in the army  greatly endangered by such
high-handed impertinence.   One chaplain we heard
of, culled out all the tracts that contained the slightest symptoms of Abolitionism, and deliberately burned
them; and another, after asking the advice of his colonel, a godless pro-slavery scoffer, disposed of his
packages in a somewhat similar manner.   Others of
these clerical compromisers were careful to procure
3
25 
26    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
tracts and papers from the American Tract Society
alone.  In doing so, there was not the slightest danger of meeting with any sentiment likely to disturb
the most sensitive of pro-slavery consciences; for, at
that time, any reference to the " sum of all villainies,"
by way of condemnation, would not have received
the "approbation of all evangelical Christians;" and
hence, any such references were carefully excluded.
It is, perhaps, but just to say, in this connection, that
in this year of grace, Eighteen hundred and sixty-five,
after the lessons taught by four years of relentless
effort on the part of slaveholding traitors to overthrow the institutions of liberty in our beloved country, and to roll back the advancing tide-wave of liberty throughout the world, the position of the Tract
Society at New York has been considerably modified.
WVhen the last link of Oppression's chain is broken,
however, and the nation is redeemed and purified from
the vile sin of slavery, and the dear old flag floats in
the breeze from the granite hills of New England to
the gold-veined mountains of California, and from the
dark pine-woods of the icy North to thie cypress
swamps and cotton-fields of the sunny South, and the
dark, thrice-accursed fiend Of slavery is forever driven
from the earth, the claims of this mammoth publishing
enterprise, for occupying an advanced position on the
great question of human rights, and as having given
the Gospel-trumpet no uncertain sound in the darkest
hour of great moral conflicts, will neither be great in
themselves, nor reflect honor upon those who urge
them.
It is not to be supposed, however, that there were 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
none in the army who could look beneath the surface
of things and recognize, at once, the deeply-laid plans
of wicked men and the rapidly-unfolding purposes of
a righteous God.   In the quarters of the men, at the
picket-posts, in the hospital, on the march, anywhere
and everywhere, the question of slavery, as affecting
the interests of the country, and as having an important bearing upon the conduct and issues of the
war, was freely and frequently discussed. One day,
wvhile visiting the hospital, one of the sick men called
my attention to one of the tracts which I had distributed a few days before.
"Look  here, chaplain," said he; "here's a tract
that's chuck-full of good common sense.  Don't pretend nohow to profess much religion, and do n't care
much about dry, sermon-like tracts; but this one is
none of your milk-and-water, tweedle-dee tweedle-dum
affairs, that gives a poor sinner some scorching reproofs for taking a chew of tobacco, or shaking his
foot in a ball-room, or ripping out some bad grammar- swear myself sometimes, chaplain-fact-bad
habit though!-or finding fault with things that nearly
every body condemns. There," said he, with emphasis,
holding up the tract in question, which was:',What
are we fighting for?" by Rev. J. A. Thome, of Cleveland-"that's the kind of reading the army  needs.
There's truth in that, I tell you-and we have all got
to come to-it before the war is ended; and the sooner
the better. No use dodging any longer. Better face
the music at once.  Just read that page there, chaplain-it's true as preaching, an' a mighty sight truer
than some preaching is, too."
27 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARIMY LIFE.
The sentiments which were enunciated by the tract
in question, and which elicited from the sick soldier
such hearty commendation, were the following:
"Slavery curses the South, the North, the whole
country. It has, at last, embroiled the nation in a
destructive civil war. It has set brethren in deadly
combat with brethren. Already fraternal blood has
flowed, which never would have been shed but for
slavery. Alas, more blood must be spilled, hundreds
and thousands of victims must be sacrificed in this
terrible fight between brothers! Slavery is responsible for this, and the blood-stained monster must die.
It can not be suffered to live longer in this Republic,
to foment another such war! We fight in vain, unless we aim at the extermination of slavery...
"We fight for the Flag as the symbol of Liberty
and Union, and as the aegis of our citizenship throughout the Republic, whether in Boston or in Charleston,
in Bangor or in Mobile. We remember that the flag
was not for the first time struck down at Fort Sumter, was not for the first time outraged by the firing
on the Star of the West, was not for the first time
set at naught by the Ordinance of Secession passed
by the Palmetto State. These were, by no means, the
first acts of flagrant aggression upon our country's
flag, and upon the sacred rights its folds shelter.  For
years it has afforded no protection to American citizens in one-half of the Republic. For years it has
yielded no security to free speech, no guaranty to the
rights of conscience, no safeguard to the irrepressible
yearnings of humanity where these have been most
called for. For years, beneath its witnessing stars,
28 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
innocent beings have been chained, scourged, driven,
sold, and worked like dumb cattle!  For years, its
stripes have blazed over slave marts, slave pens, and
slave auctions, from Washington City to New Orleans.
Since this flag has waved at all, it has waved
O'er the land of the free,
And the home-of the SLAVE 
" These are the desecrations that have covered our
Star-spangled Banner with infamy in the sight of
Christendom, before secession dared to insult it; and
these are the grievances which ought to have aroused
the fires of patriotism, and driven us to some form of
united resistance long ago. These are the outrages
which, so oft repeated and so tamely suffered, have left
little for secession to do to our flag that has not already been done by slavery.  To avenge all these violations, therefore, and to raise the flag of freedom
to its rightful place of undisturbed supremacy, is the
aim of this war.   If the flag of freedom goes  up,
that of slavery must come down. We can no longer
tolerate two flags in this Commonwealth. We can
allow no further compromise between liberty and chattelism. We can no longer assent that a certain line
of latitude shall divide this Republic into free and
slave sections. No! No! The flag we fight for will
frown upon the soldier who, under its folds, swears
fealty to slavery."
As already remarked, the question of slavery, in
connection with the rebellion, was now being freely
discussed; and events, taking place almost every day,
both in military and civil circles, were tending more
29 
30     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
and more to increase the interest and importance of
the discussion.   General Fremont's memorable order
regarding the slaves of rebels in arms, declaring them
free, had electrified the people at home, as well as the
masses of the soldiers in the field. The President
had thought proper to interfere with General Fr6mont
in his somewhat radical, but really the only wise and
practical method of dealing with slaveholding rebels,
and so neutralized the celebrated general order as to
render it practically null and void. This interference
of the Executive, perhaps, more than any other circumstance, tended, at this time, to attract attention
to the great question which, sooner or later, must be
settled; namely, the policy to be pursued in dealing
with the slaves of rebels in arms, and, indeed, with
slavery itself, under any and all circumstances. Then
Fremont's removal from the Department of the West,
with all the accompanying circumstances, only tended
to increase, both in political and military circles, the
interest already felt in this subject. As if to show,
however, that the entire question would, erelong, meet
with a practical solution-that there was no10 design
on the part of the Government to evade the responsibility of dealing with it in such a manner as to satisfy
the more timid and conservative, if not the more courageous and radical-the President, on the 6th of
Ilarch, sent the celebrated special message to both
houses of Congress, recommending such legislative
action as would secure compensation to those who
should emancipate their slaves-a message which, to
use a phrase which frequently occurs in it, might be
wyell-named as the Initiatory Proclamation of Eman 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
cipation. This was soon followed by a general order,
published throughout the entire army, as follows:
"All officers and persons in the military or naval
service of the United States are prohibited from employing any of the forces under their respective commands, for the purpose of returning fugitives from
service or labor who may have escaped from any persons to whom such service or labor is claimed to be
due, and any officer who shall be found guilty, by a
court-martial, of violating this article of war, shall
be dismissed from the service."
Whether the men of the Eleventh were pleased
with the President's message, and the general order
referred to, may be inferred from the fact that a
vhipping-post which stood near the court-house, where
Company B was quartered, was very speedily demolished; and on the question being asked of a group
standing, one day, where the post once stood, what
they would do were a slaveholder to tie up a slave in
their presence, they promptly answered: "Do! Why
we would give him such a dose of blue pills he would n't
know what hurt him!" These matters are referred
to, at this point, in order to show what were the feelings in the army upon the questions involved. Many
a loyal heart beat joyfully on that day, when it was
known that henceforth liberty, in the full and true
sense of that blessed term, would no longer be ignored
either in the cabinet or in the camp. It was seen
that the issue was about to be met fairly and squarely,
and every true patriot felt that God would bless the
right.
31 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ORGANIZATION OF A REGIMENTAL CHURCH.
Quite a number of those composing the Eleventh
Regiment were professors of religion, and there were
not a few who were anxious to keep up some visible
bond of union, so that not only might there be mutual
aid and encouragement in leading a religious life while
in the army, but that direct efforts might be made to
promote the interests of morality and religion in the
regiment.  In union there is strength.  This is felt in
religious as well as in other matters; hence the craving of the believing soul for Christian fellowship and
communion. A few of the more spiritual and devoted
of the men had arranged to hold two prayer-meetings
duiing each week, and for this purpose had engaged
a small room belonging to one of the citizens of the
town. The first of these meetings I attended a day
or two after joining the regiment; and such were the
peculiarly interesting character of the services, together with all the accompanying circumstances, that
it will never be forgotten. There was an entire absence of form or ceremony, and, seemingly, there was
no room for any thing like the old stereotyped prayers or addresses which obtain so largely in more
formal and, perhaps, more fashionable religious meetings.  There were but few at that meeting-not more
than a dozen, perhaps-but each countenance is as
pl.-in before me now while I write these lines as if the
meeting had been but last night; and there were
impressions made upon the minds of all present that
will never be forgotten. It was nothing more than an
humble prayer-meeting, held by Christian soldiers far
32 
LIGHTS AND SItADOIVWS OF ARMY LIFE.
from home, and deprived of the privileges of the sanetuary; but it was one of those precious seasons when
the souls of believers rise superior to outward circumstances, and have fellowship with the unseen and
eternal. One after another of those present engaged
in supplicating the Throne of Grace, or spoke of the
felt preciousness of the love of God in the soul; and
so full of joy and comfort and gratitude seemed each
one, that as soon as one stopped praying or speaking,
another commenced! These were men who had endured incredible hardships during the previous summer
and winter; had laid out in the open field or in the
woods for sixty bleak, cold days and nights, without
tents and with few blankets; had been fighting or
marching, scouting or standing guard, day after day,
and night after night, subsisting on a few hard crackers and a drink of muddy water! These were men
around whose heads musket-balls had whistled like
driving hail, and against whose bosoms had been pointed
the glittering steel! The Lord had covered their heads
in the day of battle, and His presence had cheered
their hearts in the hour of suffering. For these they
thanked Him as they knelt in prayer; and to the power
of religion to comfort the heart they testified, as each
arose to tell what the Lord had done for him. O,
how true it is, that living, experimental religion-the
love of God in the soul-is man's most precious treasure, at all times and under all circumstances! In the
bright day of prosperity, when all is happy and cheerful, or in the dark day of adversity, when all is dreary
and discouraging, religion is found to be the pearl of
great price. In health or in sickness, among friends
33 
34    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
or enemies, at home or abroad, in life or in death, it
is the same precious, priceless treasure of the soul.
And amid all the changing scenes of life, the Christian
can say, "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor hight, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Blessed religion! Who would not gladly suffer all
things, to realize the fullness of comfort, hope, and
joy which these words of Christian triumph express!
At the close of the services, it was proposed to organize a regimental Church, and a committee was
appointed to act with the chaplain in preparing some
formal bond of union or Church covenant. This was
on Thursday evening, the 27th of February, 1862.*
On the ensuing Monday evening, the 3d of March,
a meeting was held in the Masonic Hall for the purpose of completing the Church organization. The record kept from that time till the regiment was mustered out, in 1864, contains the following minutes of
that meeting:
"CAMIP Cox, POINT PLEASANT, VIRGINIA,1
" I-arch 3, 1862. 
"Pursuant to notice, a meeting of the soldiers
of the Eleventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
U. S. A., was held in the Masonic Hall, Point Pleas
-' The general reader will, perhaps, excuse this apparent show
of punctilious regard for dates. There are those into whose
hands this unpretending volume may fall who will be glad to
note these dates. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ant, for the purpose of organizing a Church in said
regiment.
"The  Chaplain, Rev. W. W. Lyle, was appointed
Chairman, and MI. L. Sheets Secretary.
"After devotional exercises, the business of the
meeting was introduced, and the committee, appointed
at a previous meeting, to prepare a constitution for
the contemplated Church, presented their report,
Nvhich was unanimously adopted, as follows:
" BOND OF UNION OF THE CHURCH OF THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT
O. V. I., U.S. A.
"Believing it to be our duty, as the professed followers of
the Lord Jesus Christ, to maintain a visible Church organization in our regimnent, we, whose names are hereto appended,
form ourselves into a Church, under the Designation, Articles
of Faith, and General Rules, as follows:
"1. This organization shall be called THE  UNION  CHURCH
OF THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
"2. The object of this Association is to bring into visible
unity and organization the religious element in our regiment;
to watch over, encourage, and comfort one another as brethren
in the Lord, and, as much as in us lies, to promote good order,
morality, and piety in our camp.
"3. Memnbers of all Christian Churches shall be eligible for
membership, and shall, in common with all applicants, be
received on certificate or profession of faith.
" ARTICLES OF RELIGION.
"W e believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven
and earth, and in His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
who came into the world to make an atonement for sin. We
believe in the Holy Spirit, the Divine Comforter and Sanctifier; in the Scriptures of Divine truth, as the only sufficient
rule of faith and practice, and in the necessity of repentance
toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, as conditions
35 
36     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
of salvation. We believe it to be the duty of every Christian
to maintain a godly life, walk, and conversation at all times,
and under all circumstances; and by gentleness, meekness,
and fidelity, to commend the religion of Christ to the hearts
and consciences of men.
"Candidates for admission will be addressed in the words
of the following
"COVENANT.
"You do avouch the Lord Jehovah to be your God, the
Savior Jesus Christ to be your Redeemer, and the Holy
Spirit to be your Comforter and Sanctifier. You profess to
have renounced the world, the flesh, and the devil, and are
determined, through grace, to live soberly, righteously, and
godly in this present world.   In joining this Church, you
promise to labor for the edification and welfare of your
brethren; to attend as often as you possibly can the meetings
for Divine worship; to labor for the conversion of your companions in arms, and to promote good order and morality in
the regiment. [Answer-I do.]
"RESPONSE OF THE CHURCH-[The Chaplain, in the name of
the Church, will say]-We receive you, dear brethren, into our
fellowship and communion, and promise, through Divine
Grace, to watch over you as beloved brethren in Christ; to
sustain, comfort, and encourage you in the Christian warfare,
and to discharge such duties as are incumbent upon us as
fellow-believers in the Lord Jesus. And may the blessing of
God our Father rest upon us all. Amen."
After the adoption of the foregoing, a committee,
or Official Board-jocularly known ever after as
"The Chaplain's Staff"-was appointed, as follows:
A. Conklin, E. HI. Eyer, C. J. McClure, M. L.
Sheets, W. T. Burns, and J. B. Woolson.
An opportunity was then given for any who wished
to join the new organization to do so, when some
twenty-five immediately subscribed to the Bond of 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Union.  While the interesting services  were  being
conducted, and one after another expressed a desire
to be numbered with the little Christian band, an
occurrence took place which was deeply affecting. A
young man arose, and said: " I have known what it
is to enjoy religion; I have known what it is to experience God's love; but since I came into the army
I have backslidden from God. I have a praying
father and mother, and when I left home my mother
wept over me, and told me not to forget my God."
While speaking, his voice faltered, and the tears
trickled over his cheeks. "Yes," he continued, after
a pause, "my mother is a praying woman-and, 0,
she is praying for me to-night!  I know she is praying, for me to-night; for when I said farewell to
her, she said,'I'll pray for you night and morning,
my son, but, 0, do n't neglect to pray for yourself!'"  These words, and the peculiarly tender tone
in which they were spoken, had a thrilling effect upon
every one present. After a moment's pause, he expressed an earnest wish to be prayed for; and we all
knelt down to petition a Throne of Grace in his
behalf. Another man arose, and said "he had long
been a wanderer, but now he wished to be with the
people  of God-would  we  receive him?"   "Yes,
yes!" was the answer.  "Come, and we will do thee
good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning
Israel." Another season of prayer was held, after
which a very sensible and spirit-stirring little address
was made by the oldest soldier present-Mr. Nathan
Whittaker, of Company E. HIow long that little, unpretending meeting might have been held, it would
37 
38    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
be difficult to say; but certain it is, the drummer's
call for "tattoo" seemed to come too early that
night.   Services were again held the next evening.
The Savior's tender compassion for the penitent
sinner" was the theme of discourse. At the close
of the services, several were received into the Church,
some on profession of faith, and others by certificate
fiom their respective Churches at home. The meetings were continued every night during that week,
and the interest manifested in religious matters generally was both hopeful and encouraging.
On the ensuing Sabbath, the ordinance of baptism
was administered, when two young men,  who  had
found peace in believing, publicly professed their faith
in Christ. At the same services, six more joined the
Regimental Church. Meetings were held each night
during the succeeding week also; and such were the
indications given of God's gracious presence, that it
seemed as if the language of every attendant was, "It
is good for us to be here."  This state of things continued for several weeks, during which, services were
held generally every night. The movement could not
be dignified with the name of a revival, and yet not
a few Christian soldiers were strengthened and encouraged, while several others, who left home thoughtless
and godless, were constrained to give their hearts
unto the Lord. There was an increased demand for
Testaments, tracts, and religious reading generally,
with which, thanks to Christian friends at home, we
were abundantly supplied. On Sabbath, the 23d of
March, the ordinance of the Lord's Supper was observed, for the first time, by our little Christian broth 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
erhood, and, perhaps, for the first time within the
lines of this portion of the army. It was truly a sea son of refreshing from the presence of the Lord-a
time long to be remembered by those who participated
in the solemn and interesting services. Perhaps the
privilege of commemorating the sufferings and death
of Christ, by those Christian soldiers, was all the more
highly appreciated, because of the circumstances in
which they were placed-away from the refining and
elevating influences of home, and the sacred associations of home-Sabbaths and the home-sanctuary-together with the fact that such a privilege had not been
enjoyed for a long time, while the expectation of an
active campaign about to open gave no favorable
promise of enjoying  the same privilege very soon
again.  It was a time, too, of very solemn inquiry relative to the responsibility of professing Christians in
the army, not only in regard to their own spiritual
welfare, but also in regard to their influence upon their
companions in arms.
39
I 
CHAPTER III.
GAULEY BRIDGE- -.RALEIGH COURT-HOUSE-SUSPENSE-GENERAL COX
AT FLAT-TOP-A POWERFUL BATTERY-HOSPITAL SCENES.
ON the 16th of April, the regiment, with the exception of Company F, which was left to guard Government property, left Point Pleasant for Winfield, on
the Kanawha River. We remained at Winfield till
Mlay 8, when orders were received to move to Gauley
Bridge. At five P. M., six companies left, followed
next day by the rest of the regiment. The transports
could go up the river only as far as Cannelton, a landing near some coal-oil works, and about twelve miles
from Gauley Bridge. At four o'clock next afternoon-Saturday, the 10th-the regiment encamped at
Gauley Bridge, within a short distance of the camp
ground occupied about five months before, and under
the very shadow of Cotton Mountain, whose rugged
summit the last lingering rays of the setting sun were
illuminating with the soft, dreamy splendors of an
early summer's eve, as we drove our tent-pins and
stretched our cumbrous "Sibleys."
"in for another campaign, in this jumping-off place
of creation," said one, as he dipped his tin-cup into
the kettle of steaming coffee.
(40) 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"Wh;o wants to go on a scout to Sewell Mountain?"
shouted another.
"Hold on, partner," said a third; "we  are going
to Richmond, by way of Greenbrier."
"WYhat'11 ye bet," said another, "we don't mnarch
straight for Newbern and cut the Conthieveracy in
two, and distinguish ourselves generally?"
"Yery likely," chimed in another, as he leisurely
cut into a chunk of fat pork, using a piece of hard
tack for a plate-"very likely, boys, we'11 distinguish
ourselves generally, and some of us may get extinguished particularly."
"Did you hear the news, boys? The rebs are at
Lewisburg and up New River," said another, who had
just come from the camp of the Forty-fourth Ohio.
"Tell us something we do n't know," was the polite
answver made in return for the information so freely
volunteered.  "Wouldn't be surprised if old Jenkins
was n't considerably nearer than Lewisburg."
"Say, boys, do you remember when the rebs opened
on us with that old smooth-bore from Cotton Hill, yonder?" said one.
"Guess we paid'enm back when we fired our tenpounder ramrod at them. They did n't know what in
thunder it was. Rather guess we knew, though. How
they scampered off on the double-quick, seemingly
scared to death at what they thought was a new gun,
just got into position!  Wonder if old Wise did n't
think we were sending chain-shot after him, when our
rammer  went booming  and splintering through the
trees?"
And thus remarks, half in fun, half in earnest, re
4
41, 
42      LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ferring to incidents and experiences of the preceding
summer's campaign, were freely bandied about. But,
with all the good-humored repartee and joke around
the camp-fires that night, there was a very general disgust at the idea of another summer's scouting and
bushwhacking in that bleak, dreary, forsaken region
of Western Virginia.
Next day, Sabbath, May 11, the Forty-fourth Ohio
moved up the east side of New River, toward Lewisburg, and on the following day, part of the Eleventh
moved up the west side of the river by the Fayetteville road, toward Beckley or Raleigh Court-house.
These movements fairly inaugurated the campaign of
the Kanawlha in 1862.
A few days after the movements above mentioned,
Company E, Captain Douglass, and Company G, Captain Higgins, left Gauley Bridge also, and followed
the regiment toward Raleigh. It was on Saturday,
the 17th of May, that this detachment set out.  It
was a bright and beautiful morning, and but for the
roll of the drum, which was answered by repeated
echoes from the deep mountain gorges and frowning
steeps of the New River and the Gauley, with an occasional bugle-blast, no one would have imagined that
wvar's dread visage was darkening, even then, this
wildly romantic but beautiful country.   More  stirring scenes have been enacted since that morning,
and many a bloody battle has been witnessed by the
writer of these lines, and by those who were his companions in arms, since then; but that morning's scene
on the banks of the Gauley-the crossing of the river,
the toilsome march up Cotton Hill, with all the at 
LIGHTS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
tendant circumstances-will never be forgotten.  Long
before  day the  reveille6 was  beat, each  note  being
taken up by the
"Echoes wildly flying,"
and flung back again as if with tenfold power. In a
short  time the tents were struck, horses saddled, and
baggage  in the wagons, and we were on our way to
th e            front. The "front," by the way, was, as usual,
somewhat of a vague locality; for, as we afterward
found, it was pretty near right and left, as well as befo re  us. W hile the heavy supply-train was toiling
wearily and slowly up the rough, rugged road that
winds up and around Cotton lill for some six or
seven miles, I had ample time to survey the whole
scene,and indulge in such reflections as it would naturally  suggest.  This is but a living picture of man's
life upon earth, thought I, as the bustling, changing
scenes of the past few days seemed to rise up before
me.  H     ow true it is that life, at the best, is but a
warfare; and hlie only is truly happy who lath taken to
himself  the whole armor of God, and in the strength
which Christ imparts, struggles bravely on till the
victory is obtained over the world, the flesh, and the
devil. Glorious is the crown which the Captain of our
salvation will give to those who conquer on the spiritual battle-field; and glorious even in this life are the
rewards of him who daily says
"Fight on, my soul, till death
Shall bring thee to thy God He'11l take thee, at thy parting breath,
Up to his blest abode.'
43 
44      LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMIY LIFE.
Toward  evening, we reached the picket-posts of
what I supposed was some regiment stationed at Fayetteville, and at first paid little attention to the matter; but on coming closer, I saw that something was
in the wind.  Here were some of our own men, who
had preceded us some four or five days before, and
w-hom I supposed were twenty miles further on. They
had a keen, vigilant, wide-awake look about them, as
much as to say, "Look out for bushwhackers, boys!"
"We have been expecting an attack all day," said
the men at the picket-post, in reply to our questions"Jenkins's cavalry have been scouting around, and
fired on our pickets on the Raleigh road last night.
And there was warm work up at Princeton, yesterday, too. General Cox had to fall back to Flat-Top,
and the Thirty-fourth Regiment has been badly cut
up.
Such were the reports given as we passed along.
I could not help thinking to myself that "ignorance
is bliss," sometimes-at least temporarily. I had
been bringing up the rear-that is, half a mile behind —walking quite leisurely, in order  to allow a
wearied soldier to help himself along on my horse.
On getting into the village, preparations were instantly made for both eating and skirmishing; which
of the two duties would come first it was hard to tell.
The first stage of excitement was beginning to subside into coffee and crackers, when scouts  came in,
and reported a rebel force advancing toward Fayetteville in such a manner as to make a sudden attack
during the night.  The pickets were  strergthened,
additional rounds of ammunition distributed, and, 
LIGHIITS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARlMY LIFE.
having  spread  our  blankets  whiere  we  could, we
went to sleep, and slept, if not comfortably, safely
enough, for we were not disturbed.   Early  in the
mornling, orders were received from head-quarters to
push forward with the utmost dispatch. This was a
difficult matter, owing to the rough and hilly roads,
and the heavily-loaded wagons; but, as there seemed
to be trouble ahead, every thing was done to advance
as rapidly as possible.
At night we encamped on what had been a farmyard, and, after a late but delicious supper of crackers and coffee, threw ourselves down wherever there
were the best indications of comfort.  The greater
number enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in the open
air; a few, however, were fortunate enough to get
into a dilapidated log-cabin.  This  cabin  was the
most thoroughly ventilated institution of the kind
imaginable-fully equal to the demands of the most
radical of hygienic reformers. The boys, had they
not been accustomed to "roughing it in the bush,"
migiht, perhaps, have had some sympathy for the poor
fellow, of whom we have all heard, who caught a
severe cold by sleeping one night in the pasture-field
wvith the gate open.
A thunder-storm came up during the night, and
we had a plentiful supply of fresh water in addition
to fresh air; but as it is not what a man has, but
what he enjoys, that is really valuable to him, so, on
the same principle, we valued very highly the opportunity of resting our aching limbs, even under such
circumstances. It is not likely that any of us will
make annual pilgrimages to that ancient log-cabin,
45 
46    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
as the followers of Mohammed do to Mecca; but
I think, for one, that I will always look with considerable respect upon all log-cabins in general, and
particularly upon those that are minus doors, windows, chimneys, clapboards, and chinking.  We  were
just fully into the blessed enjoyment of sound sleep,
when I was unceremoniously aroused with "Captain!
Captain! here's a messenger from head-quarters."
"That ain't the captain; that's the chaplain," said
Henry Culbertson, who was occupying a neighboring board.  "Where's the captain, then?   Where's
Captain Douglass? " By this time we were all at
least half awake; and Captain Douglass, taking the
dispatches from the orderly, read them hastily, and
soon  "Fall in! Fall in, boys! " awakened  every
sleeper, and made him start to his feet. In a short
time the train was in motion, and away we went,
over steep hills and through deep defiles, as rapidly
as possible. In a few hours we reached Raleigh, and
found every one busy at work preparing to receive,
in a becoming manner, a rebel force expected every
moment.   General  Cox  had  sent dispatches  fromn
Flat-Top to Colonel Coleman, informing him that a
rebel force was reported moving around by way of
Logan, with the evident intention of cutting our
communications, and that it was probable an attack
would be made on the garrison at Raleigh. Scouts
were sent out in all directions, and every precaution
was taken by the brave and ever-watchful Colonel
Coleman to prevent  a surprise.   Log-houses  were
quickly transformed into tolerably good stockades;
the court-house-a large brick building-was loop 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
holed for sharp-shooters, and covered ways were made
leading to the principal spring. It was, however, a
time of no little anxiety; for, aside from our exposed
position, there was but a handful of men to guard the
post. Two companies, under command of Captain
Lane, had been gone for three days on a scouting
expedition, and had not been heard from. The expedition had started for a point somewhat east and
south of where the battle of the Friday previous had
been fought, and no little anxiety was felt for its
safety.   One  company,  as  already stated,  was  at
Fayetteville, while Company F was still on duty at
Point  Pleasant.  There was quite a number of sick
belonging to the Twelfth, Twenty-third, and Thirtyfourth Regiments in the hospital; and in case of any
reverse, the facilities for their removal were very limited.   Notwithstanding these  somewhat  perplexing
circumstances, every one felt determined and hopeful.
Not soon will I forget Colonel Coleman's reply to a
remark I made to him, relative to the difficulty of falling back to any safer position, in the event of being
attacked by a superior force. "The Eleventh do n't
fall back from this point.  We intend to stay here at
all hazards, and advance rather than retreat!"  Brave
Coleman! He sleeps in the honored grave of a patriot soldier, but those words, spoken with such earnestness and decision, at a time when matters looked
gloomy in the Kanawha Yalley, will never be forgotten. The only expression indicative of anxiety which
he uttered at this time was, " I only wish those two
companies that are out with Captain Lane were back.
They have gone too far. I am anxious about them."
47 
48      LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMIY LIFE.
Some of the more waggish of the boys had got a
sheet-iron camp-stove-which bears no slight resemblance to a small mortar-and had placed it in such
a position as to command  one of the approachles!
Others had mounted a joint of  dangerous-looking,
stove-pipe on the fore-wheels of an old wagon; while
in keeping with the brilliant military strategy displayed elsewhere, and which had such powerful influence on the ever-cautious McClellan in front of
Manassas, some reckless wags in Company IH had
still another piece of stove-pipe duly mounted en
barbette, on the top of their log-house lunette, on
which they had painted, in staring capitals:  TiE
LAST CHANCE!
As a tribute to a brave and worthy young man, now
"sleeping his last sleep," it may be mentioned, in this
connection, that Colonel Coleman had sent out Andrew
Thompson, accompanied by a stalwart negro as guide,
with dispatches for Captain Lane. Having each a
rifle and a cartridge-box, and With three days' rations
in their haversacks, they started out on their perilous
mission. Over hills and through valleys, following
bridle-paths and blind trails, they pressed on resolutely, and finally succeeded in finding the detachment. The confidence reposed in Andrew by Colonel
Coleman, and the words of approbation with which he
welcomed him, when he and the detachment came into
camp, were alike honorable to both. How freely some
of us breathed, and how comfortably brave and selfconfident some of us felt, when the two companies defiled past, with their prisoners and genuine Union
home-guards, and carrying any quantity of tobacco, I 
LIGHITS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
would not dare to say.  Certain it is, however, that
the thermometer of hope and confidence went up rapidly, and we all felt brave enough and strong enough
to make Raleigh both the last chance and the last
ditch. Whether the sentiment attributed to Napoleon-that "God is always on the side of the heaviest battalions "-be true or false, one thing is certain,
people generally feel considerably more courageous
and resolute when in a tight place, if they only know
they have good backing.
HIOSPITAL SCENES AND INCIDENTS- " A  STRANGER
HERE."
While officers and men were attending to their appropriate duties, I commenced my work among the
sick and wounded in the hospital, or rather hospitals,
for there were two. In one of the wards I found a
sufferer upon whose countenance Death had set his
dark seal.  I spoke to him, but he heard me not-he
was too close upon the shores of eternity to hear
words of earth. No one in the hospital knew him,
or could tell where his home was, or whether any one
called him son or brother. I knelt down at the side
of his lowly bed, and commended him to the tender
mercies of a gracious God. Was he prepared to die?
Were the ministering angels hovering near to waft his
spirit to the better land? Now, that no human language could reach his ear, was Jesus whispering peace
and joy in his heart? and while his glassy eyes were
closing upon earth, did he see the gates of glory openinog to receive him? Or, was the harvest past and the
5
49 
50     LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
summer ended-the Savior unsought and the soul unsaved?  These were, questions which it were vain to
ask.  0, DEATH! how solemn art thiou!  But much
more solemn is LIFE; for it is the living tiat invests
the dying either with the darkness of despair, or with
the glorious sunshine of hope. If we live right, God
will see to it that we die right, wherever we may be,
and whatever may be our circumstances.
In a few minutes the poor sufferer breathed his last,
and as we closed his eyes, I thought of some homecircle of loving hearts anxiously waiting for the return
of the absent one, but whose face they would see no
more. WVe got his knapsack, and searched it for any
letters that might contain the address of relatives.
One was found, written by a brother, to which a postscript was added by his father, as follows:
. "And now, my dear boy, do your duty to your
country; and, above all things, remember your Creator in the
days of your youth, that you may receive his blessing.
"Your affectionate father,
" J. FORSTER."
On the same evening-Monday, May 19-just as the
sun was setting, we consigned to the earth the body
of this young man; and, unless removed, there stands
on his grave a board-placed there by our kind hospital steward, J. H. Harden-with the inscription:
" RICHIIARD FORSTER,
Company E,
Thirty-fourth Regiment,
Ohio Vol. Infantry."
I 
LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"I WILL ARISE AND GO TO MY FATHER."
I was much interested in the case of a young man
who was wounded in a skirmish with a guerrilla band,
between Raleighl and Flat-Top. When I first saw him,
which was about fifteen days after he was wounded, he
was suffering very much. A large Belgian rifle-ball
had passed through his lungs, and at every breath
he took, the air and blood bubbled out thlirough the
wound. Our excellent surgeon, Dr. Gabriel, had pronounced his case hopeless, and did not expect him to
live till the next day. I spoke to him of his condition,
and found that he had a pious father and mother, and
that he had been religiously trained. He was greatly
discouraged, not so much on account of his bodily
affliction as on account of his soul. I spoke to him
of the love of God in Christ Jesus, of his tender
mercy and long-suffering grace.  The tears began to
trickle over his cheek, and he whispered earnestly and
sadly:
" O, chaplain, I wish it was with me as in months
past, when the candle of the Lord shone upon my
head. I was happy a year ago, but now "  He could say no more. In a few minutes he recovered somewhat, and asked me to pray with him. I
said to him that Jesus was able to save unto the uttermost all that came unto God through him, "seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for us."
"That's very precious," was his reply.
"Well, here  is another  precious  text for  you:
'This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
51 
52      LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
sinners."'  He was too feeble to reply audibly, and
was in great physical distress; but he made signs, indicating how sweet and comforting were those words.
Kneeling down by his side, I prayed for him, and for
the wounded all around, that the joys of salvation
might be vouchsafed unto them.
Toward midnight I visited the hospital again, and
found that nearly all the sufferers were sleeping. I
found my young friend, however, in great distress,
and apparently sinking rapidly into the arms of death.
Again I tried to soothe his troubled spirit by whispering in his ear the promises of a gracious God, and
pointing him  to the all-sufficient Savior.   He expressed a hope that God would be merciful to him,
and forgive his backslidings.
"I have been a professor of religion, a member of
the Methodist Church," said he, in a whisper; "but,
since coming into the army, I have neglected my duty.
Darkness has come upon me; I am backslidden from
God; but, 0, I will arise and go to my Father, and I
will say, "Father, I have sinned!"'
I pressed his hand, bade him good-night, and returned to my quarters, thanking God for the opportunity of speaking "a word in season to him that is
weary."
THE WOUNDED OF THE PRINCETON FIGHT.
The Post Hospital of the Kanawha District of the
Mountain Department had been located at Raleigh,
shortly after our arrival. Dr. Gabriel was in charge,
assisted by Dr. Gill, and, for a short time, by Dr. Neal, 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
of the Second Virginia Cavalry, and also by Dr. Mc Nutt, the latter of whom  was subsequently Second
Assistant Surgeon to the Eleventh.   On the 24th of
May, Dr. Gabriel received orders from head-quarters
at Flat-Top to make hospital arrangements for a nuin ber of the wounded of the Princeton fight. The
court-house, which had been occupied as company
quarters, was cleaned out most thoroughly. Bunks or
cots were made of all the available lumber, which, at
the best, was only the rough fencing-boards about the
town; and as much straw as could be collected within
several miles was used in making the rough bunks a
little more comfortable.
The work was finished by Sabbath evening-next
day-and on Monday the long train of ambulances
with the wounded arrived, under charge of Dr. Gill.
As quickly as possible the sufferers were laid on the
cots provided for them, and every thing done to make
them as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.  But, alas! they were in a sad state.  Many
of them had been taken prisoners by the Confederates,
and had had but little attention paid them. They had
been brought forty miles after being exchanged, and
for several days their wounds had not been dressed.
When it is added that the weather was very warm and
sultry, the reader will be able to form some idea of
their terrible state.  During that night and next morning the surgeons and nurses worked faithfully, and did
every thing that skill and kindness could do to alleviate their sufferings.
Next day, their wounds having been dressed, and
every thing done for their mangled bodies, I tried,
53 
54      LIGItTS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY  LIFE.
through the help of God, to lead the wearied, exhausted sufferers to the healing streams of salvation,
and to Jesus, the ever-living and ever-loving Physician of souls.
"I DON'T WANT TO TnINK "
An officer of the        Regiment was  among  the
first that attracted  my  attention.   He had been
wvoundcled in the knee; mortification had taken place,
and it was evident he had but a few hours to live. I
spoke to him as kindly and soothingly as possible, and
inquired how he felt.
"Very bad! very bad!" was his reply.  He called
incessantly for brandy; was restless, nervous, dying.
I gave him some brandy and water, which the surgeon
had ordered for him, and as I laid his head back on
the pillow, and spoke to him of that loving Savior who
died to redeem the world, I said: "Would you like
me to read a little to you out of God's Word, and pray
with you?"
"I'm too weak-I can't be troubled-some time
again.  Give me brandy!  give me brandy!"  was
his reply.
"You are indeed weak, and seem to be dying, and
that is the reason I asked whether you would not wish
to be prayed for. Do you think you will get well?"
"I am afraid not," said he.
"I come to you," said I, "as a friend and brother,
to speak to you in the name of Christ, who says to all
sufferers,'Come unto me, all ye that are weary and
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'  It is a solemn 
LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
thiing to die. Do you think you are prepared to meet
God?"
Hle seemed to quiver under the power of some untold agony, whether entirely physical, it were difficult
to tell. He pressed his hands repeatedly on his forehead, as if trying to keep back unwelcome thoughts,
and then exclaimed, through his clenched teeth, "I
do n't want t tthink!"  There was a terrible energy
in the manner he pronounced those sad words, and
they conveyed a terrible meaning.
"God waits to be gracious; look to Him in this the
hour of your suffering, and pray for pardon through
the Savior's blood," said I, smoothing back the tangled
locks from his clammy brow.
"I don't! I do n't! "  he  exclaimed, in a loud
whisper, at the same time grasping the blanket convulsively, and drawing it over his face.  It seemed as
if the poor dying man either did not wish me to speak
about spiritual matters, or that the reference to them
caused intense anguish. With a sad heart I turned
away from this fearfully solemn and gloomy scene,
with the intention of making yet another effort to
point the dying one to Christ. But the second effort
was, if possible, more hopeless than the first, and in
an hour or two he had passed into the eternal world!
"He was an infidel," said one who knew him well,
in answer to some inquiries I made concerning him.
And is this all the comfort that infidelity can give
in the hour of suffering and death? Cold, cheerless,
and dark as the grave is the skeptic's pathway! lIe
begins by refusing to think of God and eternity. God
is not in all his thoughts. He continues in the dark
55 
.56    LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
and cheerless pathway of unbelief, saying to the God
of light and life, "Depart from  me, O  God, for I
desire not the knowledge of thy ways!"  And when
he stands shivering on the brink of eternity, the poor,
hopeless, homeless unbeliever exclaims, "I DO N'T
WANT  TO THINK!"  And does not this exclamation
of this poor dying soldier contain the very essence,
the very life, of all ungodliness? How many are
there who every day and hour refuse to think on the
everlastingly important and precious interests of their
souls! They plunge madly into the rushing, deceitful current of worldly pleasure, alike forgetful of the
claims of God  and the interests of their innmmortal
souls! We speak of their folly-their thoughtlessness. But why thoughtless? Simply because they
refuse to think on the fearfully-important issues at
stake.  Practically, they say, "We  do n't want to
think!"  Were they to pause in their mad career,
and think of their souls' eternal interests, they would
be led to repentance. In fact, the enjoyment which
any sinner derives from unhallowed pleasures depends
upon the success with which he can keep himself from
all serious thought. A godless life commences, and is
continued in a refusal to think on those matters which
affect the soul's happiness, and if persevered in till the
light of eternity begins to flash upon the dying pillow,
thought then becomes terrible. That dying scene will
never be forgotten by those who beheld it. The terribly significant words will not soon be effaced from
their memory! 
LIGHTS AND SHIADOWVS OF ARMY LIFE.
A BRIGIITER SCENE-CHRIST PRECIOUS.
Turning away from the sadl and gloomy scene just
described, I went to -a young man a few steps further
on, who had been severely wounded in the foot.  le
had apparently been reading his Bible, for it lay near
him, with several of the leaves turned down.
"I am glad to see you with your Bible," said I, as
he welcomed me to his lowly cot, with a contented,
cheerful smile.   "You  have been reading some of
God's own words-I trust you feel them to be precious in the hour of affliction?"
"Yes," said he, "I feel that the Bible is indeed
precious, when one is in suffering. I am not what I
ought to be," he continued; "I have not lived as near
to my Savior as I ought to have done; but I can say
to-day, that what little religion I have in my soul I
would not give for all the world!"
"I am glad to see you so happy and contented," I
replied, "and trust that Jesus will be near you in all
your sufferings. Don't forget this blessed text:'I
will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.'"
"That is one of my favorite texts," said he, "and
I know, from blessed experience, that it is true. Jesus
never forsakes his people; He never leaves them comfortless. I have tried sometimes to preach a little,
and if God restores me to health and strength, I intend to go on in my long-desired work of preaching
the Gospel."
"What Church do you belong to?" I inquired.
"To the Methodist Church," he replied. "I was
attending college, at Delaware, Ohio, when the war
57 
58     LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
broke out, but I thought it my duty to shoulder a
musket in defense of my country.   I have done so,
and feel I did right. If I die, all is well. I know
that I love the Savior, and, blessed be God! I know
he loves me, too." The tears rolled down his cheeks,
while he added, "and I amn certain, through grace, to
have a blessed homne in heaven."
Much more he said to the same import.  Hle  was
truly happy, although suffering very much, and in expectation of undergoing a painful operation. Speaking a few more words of comfort to him, and laying
my hand on his noble, broad forehead, I said:
"Now, Brother M, don't get the least discouraged about your wound. Keep cheerful; be of good
courage. God has work for you to do in the world
yet, and, by and by, this head will be seen in a pulpit."
I turned away from this pious young soldier, thanking God for such testimonies to the living power of
experimental religion, and feeling how closely connected are true piety and lofty patriotism.
"THE ONLY SON OF I-IS MOTHER, AND SHE WAS A
WIDOW."
There was one of the wounded men brought from
Princeton who, by his uncomplaining, patient demeanor, notwithstanding his severe sufferings, attracted my attention from the moment he was removed
from the ambulance and placed on the hard cot which
had been prepared for him. The first words he uttered, except a suppressed cry of pain when laid
down, were, "Thank God for this! "
I 
LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
On the following day, while visiting the lower wards
of the hospital, where he was, and doing some little
thing to make one of the patients comfortable, some
one called, several times, "Steward, steward, come
here! " Hearing the call frequently repeated, I looked
up, and noticed that he was the person who was calling.  Beckoning me to come to him, I did so, inquiring if he wished any thing.
"Yes," said he, "I do; are you one of the stewarclds?"
"No," I replied; "but that makes no difference, if
I can help you.  What can I do for you?
"What are you, then?" he asked.
"The chaplain," I replied.
"Excuse me, excuse me," said he.  "I didn't know;
you do n't dress like a chaplain."
"Nothing wrong at all," I replied.  "You know a
blouse is a fine thing to work in, and there is plenty
to do here.  What can I do for you?"
"I don't want any thing now. Please sit down; I
want to talk with you. I'm glad you are a chaplain.
I am much discouraged about myself.  I don't think
that I can get better."
Poor fellow! he was in a dreadful state. Hils leg
had been mangled fearfully, and in addition to lying
some forty-eight hours on the battlefield before his
wounds were dressed, he had been neglected by the
rebel surgeons to such an extent that they were rendered incurable.
"What are you discouraged about-your prospects
of living, or is it about your soul?" I inquired.
"I think," said he, "that I can not get better; but
59 
60     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
I am trying to put my trust in God. I am not so
much troubled about myself; but, 0, if I die, it will
break my dear mother's heart!" And the noble, brave
man turned away his head and burst into tears, while
his whole frame shook with the violence of his emnotions.   "Poor mother! dear mother! her heart is
bound up in me. I don't think of myself, I think of
her; for I am her only son, and she is a widow. She
has no one to depend on but me."
In a few moments he recovered himself somewhat,
and requested me to pray with him. Kneeling beside
his hard, lowly cot, I commended him to the tender
mercy of that God who hath said, "Call upon me in
the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify me."
While talking with him, our excellent surgeon, Dr.
Gabriel, came to him, and said that in a few minutes
he would have to undergo amputation; that it was the
last hope of saving his life; that although every thing
would be done for him that was possible, yet he might
not live half an hour after the operation, and that it
would be well for him to consider all that might be
necessary under  such  circumstances.   Dr.  Gabriel
pressed his hand warmly, and spoke to him as tenderly as if he were his own brother. That little episode, at the side of that hard, rough cot, in the midst
of all that was heart-rending of suffering and death,
revealed to me the fact that, under all that was quiet,
cool, and decided of medical skill, there could beat
one of the warmest and tenderest of hearts. From
that moment I felt attracted toward the doctor; and,
singularly enough, from that very tine till he left the
I 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
army, we were hardly ever separated, either in the
camp, on the march, or on the battle-field.
In about half an hour or so, the nurses came to take
him into the operating-room.  As he was carried out,
he said: "Farewell, boys! farewell!" In two hours
afterward he breathed his last! As I watched by him
for a few minutes-a few minutes, reader, for I went
from one dying man to another, and from the bedside
of the dying to the grave, and from the grave to the
bedside again-O God! this is war!-as I watched
by him a few minutes, I thought of that brave, noble
heart yearning for a mother's soothing voice, and the
gentle pressure of a mother's soft hand, and whose
last hours were troubled only by the thought of her
loneliness and distress; and I wondered whether that
mother, all unconscious, perhaps, of the condition of
her dear boy, was, even then, praying for him as she
used to pray with him, in other days, beside a little
crib, while she taught him to lisp, "Now I lay me
down to sleep."
As a fitting close to this hospital incident, I append
the following extract from my note-book:
" TVed)esday, May  28, 1862.-Corporal Thomas
Johnson, Company D, Thirty-fourth Regiment Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, died this evening, a few hours
after having leg amputated. Ile was from Kenton,
Ohio, and was wounded at the battle of Princeton."
61 
CHAPTER IV
ANGELS IN THE HOSPITAL-WOMIAN'S WORK-A REMARKABLE DEATIH                BED-A MOTHER'S INFLUENCE.
THE wife who girds her husband's sword,
'Mid little ones who weep or wonder
And bravely speaks the cheering word,
What though her heart be rent asunder,
Doom'd nightly in her dreams to hear
The bolts of death around him rattle,
Hath shed as sacred blood as e'er
Was poured upon a field of battle l
The mother who conceals her grief,
While to her breast her son she presses,
Then breathes a few brave words and brief
Kissing the patriot brow she blesses;
With no one but her secret God
To know the pain that weighs upon her,
Sheds holy blood as e'er the sod
Received on Freedoma's field of honor!
T. BUCHANAN READ.
MINISTERING ANGELS.
have had angel visits in the army.  Angels
ministered to the suffering patriot soldier in
a camp  and  hospital, and on many a battle i Not angels direct from heaven, nor angels with
wings and golden crowns, as represented by
and painters; not angels who are considered
(62)
IVE
have
many
field.
-Nvhite
poets 
LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
superior to some of the little frailties of humanityno, nor angels whose visits are said to be few and far
between-but angels of the earth who never were in
heaven (unless Beecher's "Conflict of Ages" be true),
but who, we earnestly pray, may yet be arrayed in
white robes, be adorned with unfading crowns, and
dwell forever in the city of God; angels in veritable
human bodies, and-be it faintly whispered-not always superior to some of the frailties supposed to be
incident to such habitations. Yes, to be plainer still,
angels who have nimble fingers, and who rattle knitting-needles, and flourish scissors, and thrust with
thimbles, in a way that looks as if they h-d a very
close connection with something more practical than
poetic.  "Angels!  Bah!  You mean ladies!" sneers
some cynical old bachelor, who never was pleased in
his life, and never intends to be. "Angels! Pretty
angels, forsooth!" exclaims some long-faced Pharisee,
who thinks he is pious, when he is only bilious, and
who considers it a special mark of virtue to make a
sanctimonious outcry against the failings of men in
general (except himself, good soul!) and of women
in particular. Yes, angels! ye solitary croakers and
ye canting Pharisees, who perform the double drama
of saints at church and sinners at home!  Yes, angels! all ye true, noble hearts who can understand
the unspoken wants of the sad and suffering, and who
can appreciate the noble efforts of mother and wife
and sister to supply those wants. Yes, angels truly!
all ye noble women of the loyal North, who have
made sacrifices so heroically, and labored so faithfully
and perseveringly in your Soldiers' Aid Societies, and
63 
64     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
done so much for God and humanity in the day of
the nation's deepest distress.
But what has all this to do with the army, which, at
the best, is not the most favorable place to meet with
angels, either from heaven  or earth?  Very much,
dear reader-very much indeed; and if you have
never been in the army, perhaps you will understand
my idea of the angelic in camp-life, if I paint you two
living pictures as they might have been seen at the
time referred to in the previous chapter.
FIRST PICTURE.
It is a large room or hall, and running its entire
length are six rows of rough cots or bunks.   Come
up stairs. Here is a room of similar dimensions, and
containing the same number of cots. On each of
these rough cots lies a wounded soldier.  Here is one
whose arm was amputated a day or two since.  He is
very weak and discouraged, for unfavorable symptoms
have appeared. He has only a little loose straw laid
on the boards for his bed, and his overcoat or knapsack is his only pillow.  He is hungry, but can not
eat the hard crackers and coffee, which is all he can
get. Here is another, wounded in the breast, who, in
his a,gony, rolls his head uneasily from side to side.
He will die, likely, to-night. There is another near
by. A ball went crashing through his leg, and you
can see, from the appearance of the sufferer, that there
is little hope of his recovery. Yonder is another, who
has been gashed terribly. He is bleeding to death,
and a few hours will close the scene.  Close by you 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
there is a mere youth, whose shoulder has been torn
by a piece of shell.  He looks deathly pale, and is
wasted to a skeleton.  He says if he had something
nice, such as his mother would get up for him, he
would get well right away. You see that poor fellow
close by the window there, propped up by a couple of
knapsacks?   He may die any moment, for you could
almost turn your hand in the gaping wound through
his lungs.   Go from cot to cot, and suffering is seen
everywhere.   Now, just look a little closer.   Can
you see a single pillow, or sheet, or bed-cover? Can
you see a clean garment on those poor sufferers?
No, not one! A coarse army blanket has been
spread on the scanty allowance of straw; the wearied,
wounded soldier has been laid down on it, and another coarse blanket has been thrown over him. Nobly the surgeons and nurses have been working to
render the poor fellows as comfortable as possible,
but the hospital stores are nearly exhausted. This
large draft on our resources was totally unexpected,
and we are forty-five miles from the nearest supplies.
The men look haggard, dirty, and distressed.   God
pity them!
"Click!  click! click!" goes the key of the telegraph instrument, and the electric messenger tells the
tale of suffering and want and death to those who
are in comfort and peace at home, hundreds of
miles off.
Day succeeds day, and night, weary, dreary night,
comes and goes. Cries of pain, moans of deep distress, labored breathings, murmured prayers for mercy,
and long last sighs are heard every day and every
6
65
.1 
66     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
night.   The roll of the muffled drum, and the subdued, plaintive notes of Pleyel's Hlymn, are heard
frequently, as the soldier is carried to his long home.
The large hospital is not so crowded now; but, see,
yonder is a row of graves which tells a mournful tale!
SECOND PICTURE.
It is Sabbath afternoon-a bright, beautiful day,
which reminds us of blessed meetings in the sanctuary, and dear friends at home in the  enjoyment of
many spiritual and temporal comforts. It reminds
us, too, of the blessed, beautiful Sabbath of heaventhe fadeless splendors, the undying glory, and the
unruffled calm of God's upper sanctuary. Let us
visit the hospital again.  Lo, what a change!  Nice,
soft pillows, white as snow, have taken the place of
coats and knapsacks. Clean sheets and ample coverlets have been substituted for the coarse, dark army
blankets, and the patients are all dressed in clean,
white garments, which remind us of those robes in
which John saw the saints arrayed as they stood before
the great white throne. A subdued yet unmistakable
cheerfulness is depicted on every countenance.   The
luxury of cleanliness has been enjoyed, and the patients feel not only more comfortable and cheerful,
but absolutely better. The hospital, and all within it,
has been entirely transformed, and you feel like asking whether the days of miracles  are passed.  By
what means has this thrice-welcome change been accomplished?
There are marks on those snowy sheets and pillows 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIE.
and soft quilts.  Examine them, and see whether they
will explain the mystery.   Ah, yes, the mystery is
solved! "Soldiers' Aid Society of Cleveland;" "Soldiers' Aid Society, Toledo;" "Sanitary Commission,
Cincinnati," are the words marked on those pillows
and sheets and other valuable articles; and they tell
us at once who the good angels are who, unseen, performed this miracle. But this is not all. Fruits of
different kinds, various cordials and delicacies, and
many little tokens of sympathy are in abundance, and,
for the past day or two, the sick have had something
better than mere army rations. They now feel that
they are not forgotten. Their hearts are cheered and
encouraged. Beautiful visions of wives and mothers
and sisters are brought vividly before them; a Sabbathl calm pervades the whole scene, while we seem
to hear, audibly, the words: "Blessed are the mereiful, for they shall obtain mercy."  "It is more blessedcl
to yive than to receive."  Blessings, rich blessingsblessings in time and blessings in eternity-rest upon
the noble women of the land, who remember the sick
and wounded soldier, and who, for his comfort, ply
the busy needle with such skill and industry! The
blessings of him who was ready to perish shall come
upon them, and their noble deeds will be had in everlasting remembrance!  Never, till they stand before
Jesus in glory, will they fully know the good they have
accomplished, the hungry they have fed, the naked
they have clothed, the sick they have visited, and the
dying they have soothed.
Am I correct in saying that we had the ministrations of angels?
67 
68     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
THIE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER S LAST VICTORY-A THRILL                    ING SCENE.
The circumstances under which any remark is made,
or               quotation repeated, often invest  that remark or
quotation with additional interest.  This is specially
true of some of the most beautiful and familiar of our
sacred lyrics. How often does the reading or singing
of some old familiar hymn awaken in one's bosom the
tenderest memories of the past, or the sweetest remembrances of some dear friend, long since gone to
rest! H ow often does some old, simple melody, which
fashionable choirs, in the rage for operatic singing,
have condemned as obsolete and in bad taste, carry
us away back, by the mere force of association, to
scenes of childhood, when we knelt beside a now
sainted mother, and felt her hand laid affectionately
upon our head, as we repeated the beautiful little
prayer
"Now I lay me down to sleep!"
We seem to see that dear mother again, and hear
that loved voice that so often soothed our childhood's
sorrows; and we again see that dear old home, and
brothers and sisters, some in the grave, and others
"scattered far and wide, by mountain, stream, and
sea." We stand again in that peaceful old graveyard,
where the grass is growing green on many a grave,
and where, perhaps, we have shed many a bitter tear;
or we are carried away by the force of association, to
some little room, where a dear Christian friend calmly
and peacefully entered the valley of the shadow of 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
death, and we seem to hear again his shouts of triumluph, as he neared the celestial city, "Thanks be to
God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ! "
There is one hymn which, perhaps, more than any
other, awakens sweet and tender emotions in the truly
Christian heart, because of its frequent association
with all that is peaceful, hopeful, and glorious in
death-bed experiences. The hymn referred to contains the following sweet and soul-thrilling lines:
"Jesus can make a dying bed
Feel soft as downy pillows are;
While on his breast I lean my head,
And sweetly breathe my life out there."
These lines have always been peculiarly interesting
to me, as expressing the calm repose and childlike confidence which the believer enjoys while " waiting, only
waiting, till the dawning of the day," when he shall
be wafted to the realms of immortality. But to some
whose duties called them to minister to the wants of
the sick and wounded in the hospital at Raleigh, they
are invested with more than common interest. Whenever I hear them read or sung, they bring before me
one of the most thrillingly interesting and peaceful
death-beds I have ever seen.
Among those brought from Princeton, spoken of in
a preceding chapter, was a young man, very severely
wounded. There was something about him which was
very prepossessing.   He had such an air of manly
dignity, intelligence, and refinement, that no one could
be long beside him without feeling a deep interest in
69 
70     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
him, and having the desire to render him as comfortable as possible.  Shortlv after hlie arrived, the surgeons decided that amputation of the leg was absolutely necessary. A few hours before the operation
was performed, I had a long and interesting conversation with him.  HIe said that he was blessed with
killnd, Christian parents, who had set before  him  a
gaodly example.   He  made very special reference to
his mother, speaking of her in the most respectful and
affectionate  language.   With tenderest emotion, he
spoke of his being a child of many prayers-the youngest of the family-and how peaceful and happy was
home-dear, sweet home-sanctified by the daily offerlngs on the family altar!  "And I may never see
home again-I may die here, far from friends, andand-(-0, if I could just get home!"
He spoke these words in a low, sad tone, while a tear
glistened on his cheek and his whole body quivered in
aoony.
"And if you were to die here," I asked, "what do
you think would be your prospects for eternity? Do
you feel prepared to meet God?"
"INo," said he, "I am afraid not.  At least I don't
feel happy in the thought of dying. I know that God
is merciful, that the Savior died for me;  and whether
I live or die, I am determined, through grace, to put
nay trust in him, yet I want something."
'Have you ever been a professor of religion-are
you a member of any Church?" I inquired.
"No, I am not," he answered, "and yet I think I
have sometimes enjoyed religion. But I am not satisfied-there is som)ethiing waCnting." 
LIGIITS AND SIIADOWVS OF ARMY  LIFE.
"Are you ti-ving to throw yourself, as a poor, lost
sinner, on the imercy of God in Christ?"
',I am trying to do so," he answered; "for althou,gh
I have not followed the example of wicked men in the
arimy-such as swearing and drinking and gamnbl]ingyet I have not read my Bible, nor prayed as I should
have done. I feel I am a poor, unworthy sinner, and
I pray to God for mercy."
I tried to encourage him by repeating the blessed
invitations of Christ himself, and urging upon his attention the glorious truth that "God is love."  Poor
boy! his sufferings were very great, but scarcely a
murmur escaped his lips.
In the afternoon he was carried into the operatingroomi, and his leg amputated. WThile the wound was
being dressed, he raised his hand, and laying it on my
shoulder, as I moistened his lips with wine and water,
he whispered to me:
" 0, I have such a good mother! if she knew"  A cry of pain, occasioned by the surgeon's needle,
closed the sentence.   I gathered from these words
that, in the midst of terrible suffering, visions of home
and of a dear, kind mother flitted before him, and, no
doubt, he longed to lay his weary head once more on
her bosom.   0, the sweet, tender, holy power of a
mnother!  How beautiful the web of love which she
weaves and throws around her loved ones, so that,
wherever they may wander, they feel as if mother is
still near them! I have been among the sick, the
wounded, and the dying, in the hospitals and on the
field of battle, and have looked upon scenes of suffering which no pen can describe.  I have gone from one
71 
72    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
dying soldier to another, hurried to the funeral of one
and then of another, and back again to my post beside
the hard, hard pillow on which others were struggling
with the last enemy. I have knelt on the battlefield
to pray with the dying. soldier as his life-blood oozed
away, and his eyes were growing dim in death. And I
make this record for you, 0 mothers, that next only
to the Savior-second only to the blessed name "Jsus"-the dying ones have murmured in their last
moments, and breathed in their last prayers, the endearing words, "MOTHER! HOME!"  Your son may
be thoughtless and wayward, and it may seem as if
your pious example and oft-repeated injunctions have
been all in vain, and your prayers all unanswered;
nevertheless, remember that you have not only the
word of the Faithful Promiser to encourage you, but
you have under your control the purest and most tender sympathies of the human heart, through  which
you may exert the most powerful influence for good,
long after your son has left your roof, and even when
the grass is growing green upon your grave.
Two  days after the operation, it was  my painful
duty to inform my young friend that his days, yea, his
hours, were numbered.
"Would you be disappointed," said I, "if you were
told that you would not get better?"
"Well-yes, I would," was his answer.  "Do  you
think I won't get better?"
Poor boy! even then Death's dark shadow was upon
him. I answered, that it was not possible for him to
live.
"If that is so," said he, with an anxious, disap 
LIGHIITS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
pointed look, "I hope God will have mercy upon me,
and receive me unto himself. How long will I live,
do you think-a few days?"
" No," I answered, " not many hours."
"I wanted to see father and mother-but-but well, I'll try to be resigned. Pray with me, chaplain."
I knelt down beside him, and commended him to
the tender mercy of that God who hath declared him self as the Lord God merciful and gracious, slow to
anger, and plenteous in mercy. He followed the prayer
audibly, and responded with fervor. I then repeated
some of those texts of Scripture which seemed most
appropriate to his condition, after which I inquired
whether he could trust in Jesus as his all-sufficient
Savior?"
"I do n't want to deceive myself," said he, "but I
think I can say I trust in Christ. I have nowhere
else to go.  I'm a poor sinner, but I think Jesus will
not cast me off."
HIe then requested me to write, at his dictation, a
letter to his father and mother.  I did so; and from
what he directed to be written, I was enabled to know
more fully the state of his mind. Having finished his
little worldly business, and requested his pillow to be
adjustedcl, he said:
"Nowv I'm tired; I'll rest a little."
Others in the hospital required my attention, and I
left him for an hour or so.  On returning to him, I
found that he was fast sinking-his sufferings were
very great.  As soon as he caught a glimpse of me,
lie gasped  "You're the one I want.  Come, stand by me, and
7
73 
74     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
speak to me of Jesus. 0, chaplain," said the dying
boy, with thrilling earnestness, "you won't leave me,
will you?  0, don't leave me-wait with me till all
is over, and speak to me!   0, this pain!  JesusJesus, bless me-keep me!"
I repeated to him part of the fourteenth chapter of
John's Gospel, and when I came to the words, "I WILL
NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS; I WILL COME TO YOU "a sweet but melancholy smile lit up his countenance.
"Can you take these words and apply them to yourself? " I asked.
"Yes, yes, bless the Lord! I can-I  can!" he
answered, warmly.
"Do you remember any particular hymn your
mother used to sing?" I inquired.
"Yes, a great many," he answered.
"Do you remember this-' Jesus can make a' "   "I know it," said he
"'Jesus can mare a dying bed
Feel soft as downy pillows are;
While on his breast I lean my head
And sweetly breathe my life out there.'
"I'm trying to lean on Jesus.  I think-yes, I know
he won't cast me off."
"Do you think Jesus loves you?" I inquired.
"Yes, yes," he replied, with great earnestness,
"Jesus loves me-I know Jesus loves me!"
"Here is a hymn I like," he continued, and immediately commenced singing
"Say, comrades, will you meet me?
Say, comrades, will you meet me? 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Say, comrades, will you meet me
On Canaan's happy shore?
Yes, by the grace of God, I'll meet you;
Yes, by-the-grace "
He could sing no more!
" I'm too weak-I'm too weak to sing any more,
chaplain-but I'll sing in heaven, won't I?"
The hospital was hushed, and the nurses, who had
gathered round this wondrous scene, were in tears.
Turning to the nurse who attended him-a member
of his own regiment-he thanked him for his kindness, and, stretching out his hand to him, said, with
deep pathos:
"Will you meet me in heaven?"
In a few minutes after this,Death's dark, mysterious
shadow passed over him. I thought he was gone, but
he rallied again for a short time. Suddenly looking
up in my face, he said:
"What is your name?"'
I told him.
"Well," said he, "I'm so glad you've been with
me-we'11 soon  part-but,  0! we'll  meet-inheaven-won't we "
"Yes," I said, "by the grace of God, I'll meet you
in heaven!"
"It's getting very dark, chaplain-I can't-see."
"It will soon be light," I replied, "for you will
soon be where there is no night."
He asked for some water, and after he had taken a
little, he stretched out both hands, and in a mournful,
pathetic manner, cried out:
"Lord Jesus, come and take me! Blessed Savior,
75 
76      LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
take me in thy arms-I am so weary-I'm so weary!
Come, dear Savior, come!"
"Is the Savior precious to you?" I inquired.
"Yes, he is precious," was the reply.
"Do you think he loves you?" I again inquired.
WVith thrilling earnestness, though with feeble voice,
he replied
"I know he loves me-O! yes, I know  he  loves
me.   And now I'm going," he continued; "I'll soon
be in heaven."
He fixed a long, wistful gaze upon me, and his
countenance assumed once more the dark hue of
death.  Raising, with great effort, both hands,  he
clasped me round the neck as I stooped over him,
and, drawing me down, kissed me affectionately, and
whispered:
"When you see-my-mother, tell her-I-Idied a Christian and-and"  The  sentence was finished in heaven!   Dear, patient boy! when torn, mangled, dying, thy brave
heart yearned for home, and a mother's tender care
and soothing words; but now thou art safely in the
home  of God.   But if departed spirits ever look
down upon this earth, perhaps thou art hovering near
me, as I pen these lines to the praise of that Savior
with whom thou art now dwelling! No wonder 1
contrasted the condition of this boy with the lines
which he quoted:
"Jesus can make a dying bed
Feel soft as downy pillows are."
"Soft! "-a little straw laid on a few rough boards! 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE..
" Downy pillows! " his weary head was laid on a hard
knapsack! Yet Jesus made that hard pillow soft, and
around that humble cot on which lay this suffering
boy, angels from heaven were hovering, and, when his
last battle was fought, they wafted him to the bosom
of Jesus.
So died J. L. Ransom, of the Thirty-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteers.
77 
CHAPTER V.
"LISTEN! I hear the harmonies of heaven,
From sphere to sphere, and from the boundless round,
Reechoing bliss to those serenest hights
Where angels sit and strike their emulous harps,
Wreathed round with flowers and diamonded with dew Such dew as gemm'd the ever-during blooms
Of Eden, winterless; or as all night
The Tree of Life wept from its every leaf
Unwithering."-FESTUS.
FLOWERS FOR THlE SICK.
IF it could not be said of Raleigh and vicinity that
it was a land flowing with milk and honey, it might,
at least, be said to be a land abounding with flowers.
Perhaps the veterans of some Ohio regiments who have
often done picket duty on some of the bridle-paths
leading to "everywhere and nowhere" in the woods,
and whose eyes may glance over these pages, may
say, "Yes, it was a land of snakes, too!"   Well, it
is conceded there were snakes in abundance. Ugh!
the very thought of them makes one feel "shivery!"
But, then, let us forget the snakes just now, and
speak of the flowers.
If the writer were inclined to be a pantheist, his
pantheism would be limited;  that is, every thing
would not be God, nor God every thing. Hle would
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LIGHIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
make a selection from the elements of universal deity,
and would be in danger of becoming an out-andout heathen-even supposing pantheism to be only
a more philosophical system  of  paganism.   There
would be but three elements-or, if it suit better,
three  idols —he would  worship; namely,  Children,
Flowers, and Music.   Or perhaps he might associate
the three with the idea of unity, and thus have but
one idol, a trinity; for children and flowers seem to
be always associated together, and wherever there are
children and flowers, there is music too.  We might
go further. Children, flowers, and music are associated with all our ideas of heaven, and there is not
the least doubt that there are myriads of radiant,
happy children in the better land, whose dwellingplaces are amid scenery of exquisite beauty and fadeless splendor, and where there is breathed perpetually
the sweetest music.   Yea, may there not be infant
choirs in heaven, whose melodies will forever be the
glorious echo of the child-loving Redeemer's words"For of such is the kingdom of heaven! " May
there not be scenes of surpassing loveliness there?and may not every hill and vale of that blessed land
be beautified withl the richest treasures of the floral
creation?  And what of heaven's music? What shall
be said of those grand oratorios performed by the innumerable hosts of angels and redeemed saints before
the great white throne, whlen the grand choral symphonies will be as the voice of many waters?
Speaking of flowers has led my erratic pen from
the line of narrative.  This is somewhat natural, although it is generally admitted that there is not much
79 
80      LIGHTS AND SHADOIWS OF ARMY LIFE.
of poetic sentiment, except the epic, perhaps, about
camp life. What I intended to say was, that one of
the most pleasant employments I had while at Raleigh
was to go out to the woods every morning and gather
as many flowers as I could carry, and make bouquets
for the sick and wounded in the hospital. The bouquets were given in the name of mother or sister, or
somnebody else's sister, whose likeness they had laid
away snugly in their knapsack, or placed securely in
their bosom. A glad smile and warm pressure of the
hand often told, more eloquently than words, how acceptable the little gifts were. Some of the most
pleasing remembrances of hospital duties and experiences while at Raleigh are connected with the distribution of those flowers among the sick and wounded,
and not a few truly pathetic scenes rise up before me
as I pen these lines. Too hallowed, however, by the
sweeter and more tender and sacred of human  sensibilities, to be revealed to every eye, they are vailed
and laid away in the sanctuary of the heart, with
other sacred memories of the past.
GATHERING FLOWERS UNDER DIFFICULTIES-A
PLEASANT POSITION.
On a beautiful morning in July, in search of flowers, as usual, for the sick and wounded, I got my
friend Byron to accompany me to the woods, a little
north of the camnp.
While we were busy at our pleasant task, we were
startled by the report of a musket and the whiz of a
ball in too close proximity for our comfort. Bang!
I 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
whiz! hum! whir-r! There goes another right over
our heads. instinctively we make  for the nearest
trees, and get as close to mother Earth as possible.
While talking, whiz goes a ball between Byron and
myself.  We crawl closer to the tree.  Bang! bang!
w]lir-r! shug!  The ball struck the tree I was leaning against, and I felt the jar very perceptibly! What
in the world does all this mean?  Bang! bang! whiz!
hum! wliir-r! again, and the balls come thicker and
faster.  There was, after a few minutes-it seemed
hours —a lull;  and, deeming discretion the greater
part of valor, we threw a hill between us and the
place whence  we thought  the firing proceeded-at
least, we put ourselves behind the hill, which amounts
to the same thing. I never let go my flowers; but,
somehow or other, whether they had wilted by being
kept in the sun, or whether they had been too roughly
treated for their delicate organizations, or whether my
sense of beauty had been disturbed somewhat by beingc under fire, or whether the ideal had given way to
the intensely actual, I will not undertake to determine.
Certain it is, however, my flowers were not so beautiful as usual that morning; and hereafter wild honeysuckiles, forget-me-nots, blue-bells, and fox-gloves will
forcibly remind me of Minie6 balls.  The whole was
caused by a mistake of Captain T, who had just
come  into  camp  with his  company.    They  were
firing off their pieces, and only mistook the target-that was all!  I have a quarrel with the  captain yet for that, and I here revenge myself by
putting his initials-S. T.-in good type, and wishing
him swung off into-matrimony!  Hope I'll be there
81 
82    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
to perform the execution.   Rather guess the knot
won't slip.
Apropos to the foregoing, I may give the following as
A SOLEMN JOKE AT THE CHAPLAIN'S EXPENSE.
One morning, when visiting the hospital, and speaking an encouraging word to each patient individually,
I came to one who had been severely wounded, and
whose  sufferings the day before, while having  his
wounds dressed, were very severe. Hle was deathly
pale, and had a very sad, desponding expression of
countenance.   Believing more  in  a good-humored
smile and a genial, encouraging word, as being better, both for moral and physical health, than demure
looks and sanctimonious sighs, I did the best I could
to comfort and encourage him. In doing so, both religion and patriotism were spoken of. Among other
encouraging things, I told him-" That very likely he
would go home a cripple; that he would have but one
leg on which to journey along through life; that he
might, perhaps, have some serious difficulties to contend with, but it would always be a great comfort for
him to reflect that he had suffered in a good cause;
that he had shouldered his musket in defense of his
country; that his wounds were honorable to him, and
that God would bless him "-and so on.
"He's a secesh, chaplain-he's a secesh!" said a
wounded boy, occupying the next bunk.   "He  was
wounded when bushwhacking us on the Flat-Top road.
I got shot by some of the cusses myself. Yes, chaplain, he's a secesh! " 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"Ah! hem! well! yes-hem!" stammered I, feeling somewhat up a stump.   " Secesh! ah-considerable of a mistake," I continued, trying to recover my
equilibrium, and as gracefully as possible remove the
underpinning of the consolatory edifice I had been so
industriously and hopefully building.
"But he is sorry for what he has done, and says
he did wrong in joining the rebs," said the boy, apologizing as much as possible for the wrong-doer, and
magnanimously trying to take the edge off his keen
accusation.
Knowing that this little incident would likely get
thoroughly ventilated, and be a standing joke, the
chaplain was very careful to tell it to two of the most
remorseless jokers of the regiment-Colonel Coleman
and Captain Duncan. As it was, however, the chaplain was bored slightly, now and again, by a goodhumored reference to the circumstance.
83 
CHAPTER VI.
A WOM-AN'S ESTIMATE- OF A WOMAN'S VALUE-PRACTICAL MECHANICS
AND ENGINEERS-OFFICIAL THEORIES AND UNOFFICIAL REALITIES BRIDGE AND FERRY ENGINEERING-A SOUTHERN BAPTIST BROTl ERIS PITY FOR UNCLE SAM3 S SOLDIER-MECHANICS.
WHAT IS A WOMAN WORTH?
Do N'T screw your mouth into a contemptuous sneer,
nor draw down your eyebrows into a disdainful smile,
my bachelor friend, at what, perhaps, you think the
ominous title of this paragraph. It is not intended
to give a homily on woman's rights nor woman's
sphere. Bv no means. Such work would be superfluous now.  If woman has not asserted both  her
rights and her sphere, since this war commenced,
then it will likely never be done.  The author would
state, however, with becoming modesty, that he considers himself quite orthodox on the " Woman's Rights"
question, and that he is a firm believer in the doctrine
first proclaimed in Eden, that woman is man's ministering angel, and that hers is a ministry of love and
joy.
True, woman sometimes falls from the high and holy
position in which God himself placed her; and when
she does fall, she falls as an angel of light-her descent is terrific!  When fulfilling her blessed mission
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LIGHTS AND ShIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
of love and gentleness, she diffuses a heavenly calm
and  peace  all around, and makes the scene of her
special ministry-horne, sweet homne
"The dearest spot on earth."
But when her fine feelings are blunted, her sympathies chilled, her gentleness destroyed, her generous,
unselfish spirit quenched, then is she seen, not as an
angel of light, but as a fallen spirit, scattering firebrands, arrows, and death. The histories of our Marthas and  Marys are beautiful pictures of love and
gentleness-the most beautiful seen outside of heaven.
The histories of Herodias and Cleopatra are dark pictures of malignity and pride-the darkest outside of
hell. A wicked man is barely endurable; a wicked
woman is shocking. Low brutality in man excites
your indignation and scorn; in woman it fills you with
feelings of unutterable shame.   A  swearing, blustering man, who deals in human souls and bodies, is
simply a loathsome brute, whose very existence you
feel to be a huge excrescence on the body politic, and
a ghastly mockery of modern civilization. A vulgar,
boastful, cruel slave-mistress is a fiend incarnate, whose
very delicacy of organization and acute sensibilities
enable her, not to bruise with a club the human body,
but to sting with the keenest anguish the human heart.
The sight of a drunken man wallowing in the mire
causes a feeling of pity, or, at most, of disgust; the
sight of an intoxicated woman causes your cheek to
mantle with shame; and, for the sake of woman's honor
and holy position, you have an instinctive dread of
others seeing the abhorrent sight or hearing the dread
85
I 
86      LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY  LIFE.
tale. When men conceal themselves behind trees,
logs, or fences, and murder unsuspecting Union menas has been done every day in rebeldom-the most intense indignation is aroused in every noble heart, and
swift punishment is demanded for every such murderer; but when women perform the same dastardly
deeds, we stand aghast at the fearful revelation of
female cruelty and degradation.
At one time, two men were discovered by our
"boys" putting poison in the springs near one of the
camps in the valley-they were caught in the very act.
In twenty minutes these same would-be assassins were
hanging on the nearest tree. A few days afterward,
a woman sold poisoned cakes to some in our regiment,
and two purchasers were brought to death's door by
them-and what was done? Nothing.  Why?  I don't
know, unless it was on the principle that the woman
who could fall so low as to become an assassin, was
certainly in that state spoken of by the poet
"Where'er I am,'t is hell! myself am hell I"
These remarks are induced by the remembrance of
an incident which took place during our campaign in
the Kanawha Valley. Once, when traveling between
Gauley Bridge and Charleston, on special regimental
business, I applied at what was styled a first-class
Virginia mansion for supplies for the inner man. The
cavalry escort with which I had been favored from
Raleigh had turned back, and as they had led me on
the gallop for thirty miles, I felt disposed to rest as
well as eat. The information had been volunteered
to me by a half-secesh trader from the North-who 
LIGHTS AND SHTADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
hadn't soul enough to see his country's interests except as they were connected with his two hundred per
cent. profit-that the mansion in question was inhabited by the genuine Virginia chivalry fromn the eastern
part of the State; that the old gentleman was an aristocrat of the "first families," and the daughters were
no disgrace to the old "Norman blood"-and much
more to the same sort.
Dinner being over, I entered the parlor, and, taking
up a richly-gilded book from the center-table, I proceeded to make myself comfortable for an hour or
two. A dreamy, pleasant calm soon began to settle
down upon me, the words were oddly running together,
and "Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep," was gently
wooing me, when I was  startled by a shrill voice,
speaking so harshly and abruptly that I concluded
some  sweet  domestic  misunderstanding  had taken
place among the fair representatives of the chivalry.
Bang! went one door, and slam! went another, and,
in a twinkling, a fair young lady of some five-andthirty summers-or winters, if you like-was standing, or rather stanipiny, before me, in the most approved style of feminine scolding.
"Dog-on them niggers!  Thar again-I'll be dogon'd if they hain't torn my collar, and spoil't my
handkerchief-and-and-blast'em  all, they  ain't
worth their necks! O, if I had the training of'em,
I'll be bound I'd make'em mind! You Sal, thar!
tote them'ar things this way, or"  What the terrible "or" was designed to convey to
Sal I don't know; but the fair beauty's foot went
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88     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
down on the floor with such an emphasis, that it
seemed to say, "You'11ll catch it, by thunder  "
Thinking this exhibition of ruffled temper was not
designed for strangers' eyes or ears, I made a slight
movement by way of announcing my presence. But
this was entirely unnecessary, and I might have saved
myself some little sympathy I felt for the lady caught
in the undignified position of a termagant, for she was
aware of my presence, and turned toward me with
flushed face-not of shame, but of passion-and apos
trophized me thus:
"What a plague them niggers are!  Talk about'em
taking care of'einselves, and all that'ar!  Dog-on't,
they don't know nothin'. I've got to follow'em up,
and follow'em up everywhar, and show'em how to do
this and how to do that, and ef I don't watch'em,
and see that every thing is done as I want it, why it
ain't done at all. They are a lazy, good-for-nothin'
set-now that's p'intedly so. An' the more you do
for'em, the worse they get.   They have no gratitude-not they."
Much in the same polite and lady-like style she rattled off her eminently gracious remarks, and thus
gave free vent to her overtaxed and amiable temperas much, perhaps, for her own comfort as my edifica
tion-and she finally subsided into a calmer mood and
into the sofa at the same time.  I frankly acknowledge that I felt first amused, and then mischievous.
Keeping my face as grave as any New England deacon's, I blandly questioned her regarding slaveholding
kindness, the strong bond of affection between master
and slave, so pathetically dwelt upon by novelists and 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ministers of the South-side school, and finally wound
up by inquiring into the market value of human property in the Kanawha Valley.  All of this seemed to
have a very soothing effect on her irritated nervous
system, and she spoke and acted very much as a hightoned, noble Virginia lady might be expected to do.
In fact, she became quite communicative, and chatted
away as if nothing had transpired to ruffle her amiable
temper. In answer to a question relative to the value
of slave property, she said:
"W;omen don't bring as good a price as men.  You
can't buy a man for much less than fifteen hundred.
But, law me! men ain't worth that no-how. Women
ain't worth near as much."
"What is a woman worth?" I politely inquired.
"Well, that woman  thar"-pointing outside to a
colored woman busy, with laundry work-" cost pretty
high. You can't buy much of a woman for less than
eight or nine hundred-no, sir, a woman that is any
thing of a woman can't be got for much less."
This last was too much for me. It seemed as if
some horrid monster, half brute, half devil, had hissed
in my ears, "You can't buy mnuch  of a woman for
less than eight or nine hundred dollars!" And this
was spoken of woman by a woman! I had read and
heard much of the horrid character of the God-accursed institution of slavery, but I never felt such a
thrill o? horror, such a painful sensation of outraged
womanly dignity and honor, as I then  experienced.
'M It cI OF A WOMAN! "  Woman, her personal appearance, her age, her abilities as cook or laundress, her
affections as daughter or wife or mother, her keen
8
89 
90      LIGIITS AND SHADOW'S OF ARMY  LIFE.
sensibilities, her womanly delicacy-herself, soul ani(
body, put in the balance, and her price estimated by
woman at so many hundred dollars, more or less! If
a low, coarse, blear-eyed villain of a slave-trader had
uttered these words, perhaps the revulsion of feeling
would not have been so great; but that a lady should
utter such sentiments, in a cool, deliberate manner,
was absolutely horrid.   I had a decided  impression
that I was rapidly falling from grace-that is, the
grace of believing every lady an angel-and, lest sclh
a calamity might befall me, I rose and proceeded on
my journey. For days the words seemed to hiss in
my ears, and I felt that this apparently trivial incident was additional proof that slavery pollutes whatever it touches.
ROUGH AND READY ENGINEERS-AXES AND RIFLES.
In April, 1861, when the Massachusetts troops, under command of glorious old Butler, marched through
Annapolis, on their way to Washington City, determined to gain the Capital either through or over
traitor mobs-it made little difference which-they
found the only locomotive in the depot disabled, the
railroad track torn up, and the bridges burned. It
was the work of a few moments to find men in the
regiments who could both build, repair, and run a
locomotive. Others could be found who hadeexperi
ence in laying railroad track, while any number of
practical mechanics and engineers stepped out of the
ranks, and volunteered to rebuild the bridges. What
occurred then with the brave Massachusetts soldiers, 
LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY  LIFE.
has occurred a thousand times since, in all portions of
the army.  Unlike the armies of the older and more
warlike nations of Europe, which arecomposedmostly
of professional soldiers, who practically know but little more than the duties which pertain to a military
life, our armies have been made up of practical and
experienced mechanics from our machine-shops-carpenters from our factories and boat-yards-molders
and workers in iron from our foundries-practical engineers, conductors, and brakesmen from our railroads-steamboatmen and sailors from our rivers,
lakes, and sea-coasts-lumbermen from our pine forests, as familiar with the ax, the drag, and the sawmill as a lady is with her thimble and scissors-editors, printers, dentists, doctors, and dancing-masters
shoemakers, tailors, and bakers-not forgetting even
preachers, with all their reported leanings in the chicken
direction. The Eleventh Ohio was a fair representative of the army in general for mechanical, scientific,
and literary resources. Bridges could be built, locomotives repaired, railroad track laid, ferry-boats built
and navigated, saw-mills erected and kept running,
roads surveyed and made; ovens built, and bread, that
would have driven a Frenchman mad with envy, baked
in them; watches repaired, but not accurately timed
teeth extracted, and dental work performed generally;
type set up and newspapers printed-vide the Weekly
Invincible or Semi - Weekly Eleventh-could all be accomplished within the limits of the regiment.
There were two occasions when the more practical
of mechanical and engineering skill was brought into
more than usual prominence. One was when the
91 
92     LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Army of the Kanawha, under command of General
J. D. Cox, moved for the first time up the valley.
The first obstacle that required the special attention
of the engineers was the Poco, or Pocotaligo River.
The rebel General Wise had burned the bridge on his
retreat up the valley, so as to retard the progress of
the Union troops. When Cox's division arrived at
the river, it could be easily forded at several places,
but, as it was necessary to concentrate the troops and
receive supplies at that point before advancing further,
several days elapsed before it was deemed proper to
cross. In the mean time, the river had been swollen
by heavy rains, and was running bank-full. It was
necessary, therefore, to adopt some means to effect a
crossing, as orders had been given for an immediate
advance. The professional engineer, upon whom the
duty of bridging the stream devolved, received orders
to construct a bridge immediately-in obedience to
which he proceeded to select a site, and ordered a
detail of men to commence the work.  The discovery
was  made, however, that while there were workmen
in abundance, there were no tools with which to do
the work. An order was immediately dispatched to
Ohio for the necessary tools, and the prospect was
that the army would be detained for at least a week
or ten days.
It was suggested to General Cox that Captain Lane,
who was a practical mechanic himself, and in command of a company mostly made up of experienced
workmen, might be of considerable service in erecting
the bridge. The captain was ordered to report immediately at head-quarters. The General stated the 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
necessity of nmoving  forward without delay, and ex pressed his regret that the bridge could not be com pleted for several days after the tools did arrive, and
thus the movements of the army be very seriously
retarded. Captain Lane had already surveyed the
ground, and formed his own opinion as to the best
plan of bridging the stream, and consequently was
prepared to give any suggestions that might be necessary. He, however, only asked the privilege of controlling, the work of building a bridge, promising, at
the same time, to have it completed next day.   The
proposition seemed so absurd, both to the General
and his professional engineer, that they could not refirain from  expressing their incredulity.  No  time
would be lost, however,, even should Captain Lane
fail to accomplish the undertaking, as either success
or failure would be demonstrated before the tools
which had been ordered could possibly arrive. He
was ordered, therefore, to proceed at once with the
work, and the Assistant Adjutant-General was directed to furnish him with a detail of men. At Captain Lane's request, his own company was detailed.
Near the site of the contemplated bridge a raft of
logs was found in the stream, fastened together in the
usual manner.  There were also two or three good
dwelling-houses near, which had been deserted by the
occupants on the approach of the Federal troops.  On
examination into the mechanical resources of the company, several axes and two or three augers were
found. These were all the available materials andcl
tools that could be relied on for the construction of
the bridge. But, if it be true that a Yankee adrift
93 
94     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
on a log is sure to succeed in making port, and eves
in successful "diskiveries," if he have just his jack
knife in his pocket, there was no reason to doubt that
the Poco would be bridged by the extemporized engineers.
The logs were floated to the proposed site, and
placed side by side; poles were securely fastened on
the ends of the logs, so as to keep them in place; all
the log-chains that could be found in the neighborhood were used as anchors, and, when the supply of
chains failed, strong poles were spliced together, and
so arranged as to reach from different points of the
bridge to the shore, so as to keep the structure from
being floated off by the strong current. The deserted houses were then to;n down, the hewed frame
timbers were fastened on the logs for string-pieces,
and boards were laid on these again to form the floor
or covering, green withes being used to bind them together. The work was commenced at nine o'clock
A. MI., and at two o'clock next morning Captain Lane
reported to General Cox that the bridge was completed. By daylight the army was in motion. The
troops, with the artillery and supply-trains, passed
over without delay and without any accident, so that
before the tools ordered from Ohio could have been
much more than packed, the army was safely across
the river and thundering on the heels of Wise.  The
bridge was used during all that summer, without any
special attention being paid to it to keep it in repair,
and the supply-trains continued to cross on it till the
heavy rains and high waters of the ensuing fall ren dered it unsafe. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
In keeping with the foregoing, was the work at
PACK'S FERRY.
As stated in a previous chapter, the Kanawha campaign of 1862 was opened in April, by the forces under
General Cox moving from Gauley Bridge and vicinity
nearly due south, with the intention of cutting the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, at or near Wytheville
or Newbern, and destroying the bridge across New
River, so as to sever that important line of communication. The rebels had been able, by means of this
great central road, to concentrate their troops at almost any point with so much secrecy and celerity as
to strike heavy blows on different points of the Federal line, and by hurling superior numbers against
some given point, not unfrequently causing serious
disaster to our forces before reinforcements could be
brought up.  Having the interior line, they could, with
one army, fight on the Potomac to-day, and, before a
week or ten days elapsed, fight again with the same
army on the Mississippi.   The necessity of severing this important line of comnmunication was, therefore, obvious. As already stated, the K~anawha army
moved forward in two columns-one, under command
of Colonel (now General) Crook, passing up on the
east of New River, toward Lewisburg, and the other,
under command of General Cox, in person, passing
up on the west by way of Raleigh and Princeton.
The head of the column, under General Cox, reached
a point within a few miles of the railroad, had a severe fight with a greatly superior force, but, being
95 
96      LIGHTS AND SIHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
unable to maintain its position, fell back to Flat-Top
MIountain.   As a tribute to a noble regiment, it is
worthy of note, in passing, that the Thirty-fourth Ohio
fought desperately on this occasion, and so resolutely
did they-guard the trains, that, at one time, they had to
cut their way through the rebel lines at the point of
the bayonet. The hospital at Raleigh told the tale of
their bravery and endurance. The other column, under General Crook, met the rebels near Lewisburg,
and achieved a brilliant victory-the Forty-fourth
Ohio, under Colonel Gilbert, covering itself with glory.
This affair took place on the 23d of May. General
Cox proceeded to maintain his positions on both sides
of the river, his left resting on Lewisburg, and his
right on Flat-Top Mountain.   To secure this, however, it was necessary to open direct communication
between the two wings of the army, and a point on
New River, known as Pack's Ferry, was the only
available crossing-place.   Floyd, in his retreat from
Cotton Mountain, in the fall of 1861, had destroyed
all the boats that could be found on New River, and
had obstructed the roads by burning bridges, felling
timber, and by rolling huge rocks down from overhanging cliffs in narrow gorges, thus rendering them
impassable. The roads were obstructed, more or less,
in this way, from Shady Springs to Pack's Ferry, a
distance of some eighteen or twenty miles.
On the 25th of Mlay, orders were issued to Captain
Lane to take Companies G and K, and proceed imme diately to clear the roads, put in repair the ferry, and
build a boat capable of carrying five hundred men. In
making preparations for the expedition, it was found 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
that the tools necessary for the work contemplated had
been left at Gauley Bridge, and no implements could be
had but spades and axes.  The orders, however, were
imperative-it was an absolute necessity that communication be opened without delay.  The two companies, numbering one hundred and thirty-seven men,
inmmediately left Raleigh for the scene of operation.
Company G, composed of as brave and efficient men
as ever shouldered musket or swung an ax, was under
command of Captain Higgins-an old Californian of
enlarged experience, true as steel in the hour of danger, always cool, calm, and collected, and, be it whispered, a dry old wag, whose jokes were as spicy as
pepper-sauce. Company K was in no wise inferior to
their comrades, but, composed of intelligent mechanics
and practical engineers from Cincinnati, their intelligence and experience were only equal to their pure
patriotism and unflinching bravery. Perhaps no officers were ever prouder of their companies than Captain Lane was of Company K, and Captain Higgins
was of Company G.
On  the first day the expedition advanced twelve
miles, halting for the night at Shady Springs. Next
morning  the work of clearing the road commenced in
earnest. One-half of the men were kept under arms,
with rifles loaded and capped, ready for any emergency, while the remainder were busy at work removing the obstructions. These were of no ordinary
character. The road wound round precipices, ran
zigzag with a rocky mountain  stream, and,  in its
general  outline, resembled  an immense  "W"-the
apex, or apices, striking through some deep, precipit
9
97 
98      LIGHITS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ous gorges in the mountains. Floyd's rear-guards
deserved the credit of being skilled in the art of obstruction, if nothing  more.  Trees were cut on the
sides of the mountain and thrown across the road in
such numbers and in such a manner  as to form an
immense network of logs and branches.  Added to
this, huge rocks had been rolled from the overhanging cliffs and rugged precipices, making the entanglement so perfect that the natives declared it could
never be removed. Even the commanding officer of
a reconnoitering party sent out from Flat-Top to
examine the condition of the road, and the possibilitv of building a ferry, had reported that less labor
would be required to open a new road than to remove
the obstructions from the old one; and, moreover, that
there were no materials in the vicinity for building a
ferry. On the evening of the fifth day, however, the
expedition of unprofessional, but eminently practical,
sappers and miners, formed their line on the bank of
New River, at Pack's Ferry, having cleared the road
and made it available for artillery and supply-trains.
The greatest caution and vigilance were necessary,
however, for the expedition was now in front of the
enemny, and it was not less than twenty-four miles to
the nearest support. The very first work, on reaching New River, was to have the position thoroughly
reconnoitered. In doing so, it was found that at a
point called Blue-Stone Creek, about four miles above,
there was a tolerably good ford, and also a road lead ing to the rear of the detachment. Another road
and ford were also discovered at the mouth of the
Greenbrier, about five miles below.  Both points were 
LIGItTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
picketed as strongly as the force would permit, and
the men so disposed and such general precautions
adopted, that whatever disasters or misfortunes might
happen the expedition, a surprise would not be one of
them. These matters having been disposed of, the
work of building the ferry-boat was at once com
nmenced.
New River, for nearly its entire length, is a rapid,
rocky, mountain stream. At the point where the
crossing was to be effected it is about two hundred
yards wide, and the current runs at about ten miles
an hour-a slow pace for New River.  About two
hundred yards above the ferry, and as many below,
the river rushes roaring and foaming over and between immense ledges of rocks, and even at a low
stage is an angry mountain torrent, rushing along with
irresistible power. The difficulties of the undertaking
will at once be apparent. One of the scouts, having
received information that two gunwales for a boat
were concealed in a creek about ten miles up Greenbriar River, a small party was instantly dispatched to
bling them  in.  This important work  was  accomplished in about twenty-four hours, and was the result
of hard and incessant labor. An old "dug-out," or
canoe, was also found, which answered the purpose
of crossing the river, and was perfectly safe for three
or four men-provided they were all experienced
swimmers.
In the vicinity lived a local preacher of the HlardShell persuasion, who was possessed of the happy
faculty of always occupying the right side of the
fence, no matter what troops occupied the country.:
:. * —"
99 
100    LIGHIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMIY LIFE.
Captain Lane took a squad of men and made the clerical diplomat a visit —not, we opine, either for a "sarmnint" or prayer-meeting.  There was something else
in the wind than either of these-something consid erably more tangible and carnal, but, very possibly,
considerably more useful and available just at that
time. The preacher received Captain Lane with all
the politeness and sanctimonious unction imaginable,
and seemed anxious to show his visitors that he was
too good for any thing merely sublunary.  He was
asked whether he knew of any lumber in the neigh borhood. He replied, innocently, that he knew of no
lumber nearer than a certain point some forty miles
up the river.  That point being within the enemy's
lines, the information vouchsafed was not of the most
valuable character, seeing the lumber referred to could
not be made available for present necessities. But
something else was needed as well as lumber. Cap tain Lane having noticed a quantity of flax in the
barn, he informed the preacher that he would be un der the necessity of having some of it, for the pur pose of calking the boat he was now building. The
preacher expressed great surprise at this request, stat ing, at the same time, that, there being no materials
with which to build a boat, of course there could be
no necessity for having flax to calk it with. When
he found, however, that he was dealing with one who
was thoroughly in earnest, and that the flax would
have to be forthcoming, he blandly promised to send
some to camp next day.  Captain Lane informed him^
that he would save him so much trouble as that, and
.ould only take his (the preachler's) team, then at the
ee.a 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
door, and, with the aid of Uncle Sam's boys, he could
easily manag,e the flax.  "In the mean time," said the
captain, "I will look around the premises, and see
whether I can find any lumber suitable for our purpose."
The party accordingly proceeded to the barn, and,
on turning over the flax, lo and behold! a large quantity of fine planking was discovered, of the very quality and dimensions suitable for boat-building.  It had
been very carefully hidden away, and, of course, the
loyal preacher didn't know any thing about it! By
this happy discovery sufficient material to finish the
first boat was very soon secured, as well as other articles, such as tools, which materially aided in the general work.   On the evening of the fourth day after
the arrival of the detachment, a boat sixty feet long
was successfully launched, amid the shouts and cheers
of the one hundred and thirty-seven msen, which made
the woods and rocky sides of New Piver ree'cho again
and again.  Two days had been spent in getting the
gunwales  out from their place  of concealment on
Greenbrier, and in collecting lumber, etc., so that only
two days were occupied in building the first boat.
Preparations were immediately made  for building
another boat eighty feet long, which, in dlue time, was
accomplished; the two were joined together, thus making a ferry-boat one hundred and forty feet long.  By
the time this was accomplished, a rope had arrived
from Gauley Bridge to work the ferry-boat, as it could
not be manag,ed with oars in such a strong current,
and in such a stage of water.   The design was to
make what is known as a "flying bridge," or ferry,
...... _
~ * ~  
101 
102    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LrFE.
propelled by the current, having the boat fastened by
means of a long cable to an anchor placed in a proper
position up stream. The working of such a ferry will
be familiar to most of our readers, but to the natives
on New River, it was one of the wonders of the world.
Some of them shrugged their shoulders and knit their
brows dubiously, and even hinted that the devil, or
some of his special friends, must be in the Yankee
camp. The Hard-Shell brother had owned both the
ferry and the old negro who worked it for a number
of years; but such a profound mystery as an immense
ferry-boat, moving from bank to bank so rapidly and
regularly without oars or other visible means of propulsion, was something beyond either of their wise
heads. The old slave frequently sat on the bank
watching with intense interest the movements of the
Yankee ferrymen, but he would never consent to take
a trip in the new boat, although frequently invited to
do so.   He would shake his gray head, and  mutter
something about "De old Debil pushin' dat'ar boat,"
and that he "wasn't gwine ober dar, lest old Split-foot
should cotch him." The preacher crossed several
times, and finally took such an interest in the spiritual welfare of the boys, that he kindly offered to
preach to them  on  Sundays.   The boys, however,
were not hungering after such righteousness as they
thought he possessed, and preferred literal immersion
to preaching on Sundays, believing that cleanliness
of body was closely connected with purity of mind.
Thus ended one of the half-civil, half-military acc.omplishments pertaining to the Eleventh while lying
a  Raleigh, in the summer of 1862.
.. 
CHAPTER VII.
CHANGE OF LOCATION-BATTLE OF BULL RUN-THE TWELFTH OHIO
FREDERICK CITY, ETC.
CHIANGE OF LOCATION.
ON Friday, the 25th of July, six companies of the
Eleventh Regiment left Raleigh for Gauley Bridgetwo companies, under command of Major Jackson,
being left to guard stores till relieved by the Thirtyseventh Ohio.  They left at seven o'clock P. M., and
marched all night. Demonstrations had been made
by the rebels during the previous few days, indicating
a movement on our base of supplies. Heath's rebel
cavalry had made a dash on Summerville, capturing
quite a number of the Ninth Virginia, and rumors
were afloat of a rebel column moving into the valley
by way of Logan.  But other and ulterior objects
were in view; for a detachment had gone to Pack's
Ferry, on New River, to destroy the ferry-boat which
had been constructed by Companies G and K a month
or two previously, while all means of water transportation, such as skiffs and canoes, all along the river,
were also destroyed. On the following Sabbath orders were received for the remaining companies, A
and E, to start for Gauley at three A. M. on Monday.
In the mean time, the Tlhirty-seventh Ohio had art
(103) 
104    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMIY LIFE.
rived from Flat-Top.  All these movements indicated
a change of programme.
FAREWELL SERVICES IN THiE ItOSPITAL.
In the evening religious services were held in the
different wards of the hospital for the last time at
Raleighi.  Strange as it may seem to those  unacquainted with army life, I felt loth to leave the poor
fellows; and when the "farewell" and "God bless
you" were repeated by many a wan, wounded soldier,
whom I never expect to see again till the Judgment
of the Great Day, my feelings nearly overcame me.
The inmates of that hospital had suffered in behalf
of home and country; but many of them, thank God!
had chosen the Savior as the Captain of their salvation, and had been enabled to rejoice in the hope of
heaven. The prayer of penitent souls had been
heard calling upon God for mercy; the joyful shout
of victory over sin and death had been frequently
heard amid the suppressed groans of mortal agony;
and, while to the physical senses the whole scene was
indescribably sad, melancholy, terrible, the inner eyethe eye of faith-beheld the angels of God hovering
over this dread scene of suffering and death, ministering to the dying Christian sol(lier, and ready to
waft his wearied spirit to the bosom of the Redeemer.
And 0! was it not so? During many a long, weary
night, when every sound was a groan, and every look
was agony-when the brave heart yearned for one
last look of wife or sister, or father or mothelr, and
thought so fondly and lovingly of the dearest spot on 
LIG-IHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
earth-HOmIE-and wishedl but for one earthly boon that of dying there- O! was there not ONE standing beside each sufferer, and, pointing to his own
wounds received on Calvary, saying, "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth
and believeth in me, shall never die?"  Who that has
ever experienced the love of God can doubt it?  Who
that  understands  the  deep  sympathy  and  tender
mercy and loving-kindness which form the essential
elements of God's character, can, for a moment, doubt
that the dark, dreadful scenes of agony and death
were illuminated by his gracious presence?
The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was also observed on this our last evening in Raleigh.  We had
secured a vacant room in a dilapidated house, and
there we made preparations, few and simple, to observe the Christian Passover.  A  rough table was
procured, and for a table-cloth we used a copy of Thte
Anmerican TVesleyan.  We had no Christian sisters to
prepare the communion bread, and see that every
thing was neat and orderly as becometh every thing
pertaining to this holy ordinance;  nevertheless, matters were so managed that the commnunion-table, and
all that appertained to it, was as becoming as the exhibitions of Christian taste and attention I have seen
in some churches.  True, the table-cloth was only a
newspaper, but then it was clean; the decanter was
only a glass wine-bottle, but it looked at least a little better than a whisky-flask, which I had seen more
than once on the communion-table of churches, any
105 
106    LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
one of the members of which could have purchased
a silver-plated tankard or crystal decanter with what
he spent in six months for tobacco.
At the appointed hour for the services to comnmence, a goodly number of Christian soldiers assembled to enjoy the wvished-for meeting. After the
communion services were finished, a short time was
spent in singing and prayer, and in speaking of relgious  experience.   One  little incident  connected
with these exercises will not soon be forgotten by
those who were present. A young soldier, who had
been severely wounded in the chest, and who, seemingly, had hovered between life and death for several
weeks, and whose heart the Lord had opened to receive the truth as it is in Christ, was  supported to
the meeting, and there, with tearful eyes and a countenance indicative of spiritual joy, he testified his
faith in a sin-forgiving Savior, and publicly acknowledged his discipleship by fulfilling the Savior's command, "Thlis do  in remembrance  of me."  Weeks
before, hlie had said, " I will arise and go to my Father,
and will say, Fathler, I have sinned against heaven
and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called
thy son."  He had put his resolution into practice; he
had sought reconciliation with  God through the finished work of Christ, and  now he could testify that
"IHe is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them."
The regiment remained at Gauley Bridge from the
26th July till the 17th August, when nearly the whole 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
of the Kanawha division was withdrawn from the
valley. The Eleventh, Twelfth, Twenty-third, Twentyeighth, Thirtieth, and Thirty-sixth Ohio Regiments,
under General Cox, reached Washington City on
Sunday, the 24th-and the Thirtieth and Thirty-sixth
Regiments having passed through to Warrenton, the
remainder of the division encamped in the vicinity of
Alexandria.  We were now, for the first time, numbered with the grand Army of the Potomac, and
great were the expectations of seeing military life in
its most finished and scientific forms.  Newspapers,
east and west, had been filled with glowing accounts
of the perfect organization of that army-of its efficiency in all military duties, its perfect discipline, and
its unbounded confidence in its leaders. But circumstances were such that, however efficient and highly
disciplined that army might have been, an unfavorable
impression was almost certain to be made. Just at
that time every thing seemed to be in confusion.
With regimental guards in the camps, provost-guards
on every street-corner, guards patrolling the city
from one end to the other, and with apparently the
strictest discipline everywhere, it seemed as if order
and discipline existed nowhere. Without any reflection whatever upon the well-known and well-established bravery and devotion of that army, it seemed
as if the causes for such a lack of discipline and general good order were not hard to discover. It was at
the time General McClellan's troops were returning
from the Peninsula, and when army movements generally seemed to be involved in inextricable confusion.
The general appearance of the men indicated the x-...
107 
108    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
posure, fatigue, and privations they had endured, while
their battle-rent  flags told the tale of that heroic
bravery they had so often manifested in the face of
danger and death.  But, whether by mere  accident,
or on account of the incompetency or neglect of
general officers, there seemed to be a lack of every
thing  the  men required to make  them  feel as if
they were treated with that honor and sympathy which
they had a right to expect as men and as soldiers.
MIany of them, utterly reckless, gave way to their
passions-mean, money-making  sutlers, traders, and
adventurers supplied them with liquor, which only
added to the general confusion and disorder, while the
utter absence of any real effective  check, even  on
many of the officers, showed that something more
serious existed than a mere momentary disregard of
good order and discipline. The truth was, that the
mrovemients on the Peninsula, spoken of as being
"profoundly strategic," "brilliant," "well-timed," "in imitably grand," "successful," and even "unheard of
prior to the existence of the genius of Napoleon,"
were but a series of huge blunders, and, but for the
heroic endurance and unflinching devotion of the rank
and file, together with the pure, unselfish patriotism
and military skill, as well as bravery, of such men as
Sumner and Hooker and others, would have resulted
in disaster and ruin.  That men, under such circum stances, should give way, if even for a brief period,
to discouragemrnent and recklessness, is not a matter
of surprise.
As one instance among many that might be cited,
In'dicating the want of thorough intelligent order anid
... A 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    109
discipline, it may just be stated that while the largest
liberty was taken by the more reckless of officers and
men, a general officer, who  was in command of an
army corps, ere one week had elapsed, was arrested on
the streets of Washington, and lodged in the guardhouse!  One of the most exemplary of men, as diffident as he was brave, a total abstainer, recognized by
all in his command as a good, religious man, as well
as an efficient officer, it is not difficult to tell either
his own or his friends' feelings when he was thus welcomed to the hospitalities of \Washington!
Our camp equipage had scarcely arrived, when two
regiments of the Kanawha division were ordered to
move to the front.  Who gave the orders it was rather
difficult to tell. It has not yet been very clearly ascertainedl, owing, perhaps, to the fact that there were
many aspirants for command, and that there existed
many and bitter jealousies consequent on McClellan
being superseded by Pope.  Be this as it may, however, the matter has not been very satisfactorily explained, although official reports recognized the orders
and movements referred to.
On WVednesdlay, 27th of August, at dawn of day,
the Eleventh and Twelfth Ohio Regiments, according
to orders received an hour or two previous to starting, moved out by the Orange and Alexandria Railroad toward M\anassas, as it was reported a rebel force
was making demonstrations in that vicinity. Colonel
Coleman had been summoned to Washington on official business, and, of course, knew nothing of the
movement.  The expedition was under the command
of Colonel (now General) Scammon, of the Tweiit}                                                *.:.-.:.....
*e * - -~
*   ~    
110    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
third Ohio.  Before reaching Bull Run Bridge and
water-station, the rattle of musketry and boom of cannon told us that fighting had begun. In a few minutes, we moved forward, crossed Bull Run, and took
position on the railroad and in the woods above the
water-station. A New Jersey brigade, under commnand of General Taylor, had been engaging the enemy for about an hour, and by this time were falling
back in large numbers-doggedly refusing to rally to
the support of the Ohio troops. It was hardly any
wonder.   They had been recklessly pushed forward,
without even the precaution of having skirmishers
thrown out in front, and when exposed to a raking
fire from batteries on both  flanks, were  so poorly
handled by their general, that they lost all confidence
in him. Some of the officers, it is said, begged him
to order a charge, but he refused, asserting his belief
that the batteries were not rebel, but Union, and that
their mistake would soon be corrected. To stand almost in solid column, and be plowed by grape and
canister, is more than men can endure, especially if
refused permission to return the fire or take the batteries by storm. General Taylor himself fell mortally
wounded, and the ranking colonel immediately ordered
the command to fall back.  It was just at this juncture
that the Ohio regiments reached the scene of action.
Alajor Jackson had command of the Eleventh until
Colonel Coleman arrived on the field, which he did
about an hour after the regiment went into action.
Not soon will I forget his appearance, nor the words
he spoke when he came to-where I was dressing some
of the wounded. The day was very hot and sultry,
ee 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
HIe had walked some five or six miles, and, as he
paused a moment beside me, the perspiration rolled in
great drops fi-om his face.
"NWhere's the Eleventh, chaplain?" said he.
"Round that curve of the railroad, and just across
the creek. You'll find Company E in the ravine
down there."
"HIave they been engaged long?"
"About an hour and a half.  That's our regiment
that has fired that volley."
"I could have cried," said he, earnestly and bitterly, "when I came to camp and found the regiment
gone. No one knew any thing about it at Cox's
head-quarters."
Away he went,with redoubled speed, and, in a few
minutes, a hearty cheer, that made the welkin ring,
told of his arrival and warm-hearted reception.
But the contest was unequal. The little band of
scarcely three thousand, all told, were contending with
an army of not less than thirty thousand, under Jackson and Fitzhugh Lee-in fact, a powerful column,
moving up by way of Fairfax, with the intention of
cutting, Pope's communications and threatening Washington City.
The heroic stand maintained by the little Union
force, and the peculiar nature of the ground, which
favored bold movements without exposing our weakness, induced the rebels to believe that we were but
the advance-guard of McClellan's army, swinging
round to the support of Pope. At about two o'clock
we had to commence  falling back  toward  Fairfix
Station, taking the most of our wounded with us:
.. *-.
.,. ee e 
112    LIGHTS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Adjutant Alexander, who was wounded severely, had
to be left, as was supposed, in a dying  state-two
men having  volunteered  to remain with him.  In a
day or two these, with others, were released on parole, and returned within our lines.  Before  falling
back, an incident occurred which raised the two Ohio
regiments very much in each other's estimation. The
Twelfth had made a charge on a portion of the enemy's lines, and,while doing so, were taken in flank
and rear by a regiment sent out to cut them off.
The Eleventh, seeing this, instantly rushed to the assistance of their comrades, charged bayonet on the
exultant rebels, and thus enabled the Twelfth to cut
their way out, which they did in splendid style. A
few minutes after this, the Eleventh was in nearly
the same predicament, and required similar assistance, which was as promptly and as gallantly rendered. In several severe battles after this, the
Eleventh and Twelfth fought side by side, and they
vied with each other only in bravery and in mutual
good-will.
Having reached Fairfax  Station, the troops were
formed into a large hollow square, the railroad station being near the center, filled with the wounded.
The word was passed around that no speaking louder
than a vwhisper would be permitted during the night,
and that the utmost vigilance would have to be observed.  In the mean time, the surgeons were busy
attending  to the  necessities  of our wounded,  the
greater part of whom had been brought off the field.
By ten o'clock every thing was quiet, save the low
amman of some sufferer, or the suppressed whisper of 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
some hospital attendant. There were no camp-fires
kindled-not even a candle glimmered in the profound
darkness that enveloped the little band-and each one,
anxious, gloomy, yet hoping for the best, threw himself down, if not to sleep, at least to rest. Following
the example of others, I lay down in a vacant corner,
expecting to rest with tolerable comfort. Very soon
I was passing dreamily and sweetly into a delicious
state of oblivion, when I was suddenly aroused by Dr.
Gabriel, who informed me, in a low whisper, that we
would leave in about twenty minutes. It was now
about half-past ten. On looking around, I found the
column already formed; but, with the exception of
the long dusky outline against the darker shadows
of the woods, there was nothing to indicate that two
brigades were formed in line, ready to march. Moving down the railroad toward Alexandria, in the most
secret and cautious manner, we had not gone far till
our advance-guard was halted by the rebel pickets.
So they had us surrounded, without doubt!  "Aboutface!" was  given in whispers, and our steps were
speedily retraced. Halting for fifteen minutes near the
place where the column had been formed, we struck to
the right, by an unfirequented road, through a strip of
woods, and toward daylight reached the main turnpike,
within two or three miles of our fortifications. It was
afterward discovered that the rebels did have us completely hemmed in-their ignorance of this by-road
alone securing our retreat.
It was a matter of deep and lasting regret to all in
the regiment that our brave and gentlemanly adjutant
had been mortally wounded. He had endeared him         10
113 
114    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
self to every one in the regiment by a uniform kindliness of manner, and by a general deportment which
showed him at once the brave soldier and the generous,
upright gentleman.   The sorrow of the whole regiment-especially of Company B, of which he had been
lieutenant-was as honorable to them, showing, as it
did, their appreciation of a good man, as it was to him
whose early death they mourned.   He was brought
within our lines in the course of a day or two, taken
to one of the hospitals in Alexandria, where he died
on the 25th of September. Peace be to his memory!
A martyred patriot, he fills an honored grave!
A CUP OF COLD WATER.
One little incident I feel inclined to narrate hereone simple enough in itself, perhaps, but not without
some little interest. If circumstances often invest
words and deeds with an importance and interest they
otherwise would never possess, then the circumstances
under which the following incident occurred will, perhaps, be a sufficient plea for its being recorded here.
Dr. Gabriel and Dr. McNutt were dressing the
wounded, at or near a little house to the right of the
railroad, and, seeing me engaged on the left of the
road, Dr. Gabriel had sent me a hospital knapsack,
with what bandages he could spare. During the stampede which followed an attempt on the part of the
rebels to flank us, a man who had assisted in the arduous work of bringing off another, rather severely
scratched in one finger, and who had gladly volunteered to hold my horse, had rather suddenly disap 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
peared. A little colored boy had taken his place, and,
while holding my horse, was observing, with great apparent interest, the work of dressing the wounded.  At
this juncture, orders were given to have all the wounded
sent to thie rear without delay; and, as if to give emphlasis to the hint, a volley was suddenly poured in on
our left, which sent Minie balls whirring and humming
around us. Not having any particular desire, just then,
to see Richmond, and noting the rapid changes going
on in all directions, I prepared to "change the base of
operations" also. The wounded were speedily removed to A place of security, and I was making
preparations to follow, when, feeling somewhat exhausted from the intense heat as well as labor, I had
recourse to my canteen for a draught of water. Finding it empty, I gave it to the little colored boy who
had been so bravely and patiently holding my horse
for nearly two hours, requesting him to have it filled.
WVith evident pleasure, he started in quest of water,
but soon returned, saying that none could be found,
manifesting, at the same time, serious disappointment
at his want of success.
At this juncture, Dr. Gabriel sent me word that a
number of wounded had been removed to a certain
point, but that there was no one to attend to them.
He also suggested the propriety of having them removed still further to the rear, apprehending a flank
movement, of which there was every indication. In
accordance with such suggestions, I started for the
place indicated, and got the wounded there sent further
down the railroad.  An hour, perhaps, had elapsednearly the entire force had fallen back to Fairfax
115 
116   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
when this boy came up to me, with a canteen in his
hand, and, looking up wistfully in my face, said, "Will
you have a drink now, sir?"  Poor child! he had followaed me at least two miles to give me a cup of cold
water!  Perhaps some will say this is a very trifling
matter to write about, but to me it was inexpressibly
affecting. I felt as if the Lord had sent this little one
to give me a cup of cold water, when faint both with
hunger and fatigue, on the battlefield of Manassas!
May that Savior who promised a rich reward to those
who would give a cup of cold water in his name, have
this unknown little one in his holy keeping, and give
him to drink of that "Living water, of the which, if a
man drink, he will never thirst."
Next day-Thursday, the 28th-late in the afternoon,
the great and disastrous conflict known as the second
Bull Run battle may be said to have fairly commenced. Our regiment rested on that day; but on
Friday the entire division again moved to the front,
and took position near Falls Church. Although comparatively quiet along our lines, a terrific battle was
raging elsewhere, and Pope was fighting against fearful odds. On Saturday, the battle was renewed at ten
o'clock A. M., and from that hour till nearly six in
the evening the roar of that terrible conflict continued. Nearer and nearer came the fearful sounds of
that bloody field, showing that our forces were being
pressed back. That Saturday was, indeed, a gloomy
day. The roads leading from Washington to Centerville were thronged with supply-trains going out, and
with ambulance trains, loaded with wounded, coming
in.   And  not only was Government transportation 
LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
crowd(led to the utmost, but all the livery stables in the
city were pressed into service, and every carriage sent
out to the field for the wounded.   It was, indeed, a
mournful sight-those  seemingly endless trains of
crushed, mangled humanity-all the more mournful
when the fact was learned that a contemptible jealousy, if not absolute treachery, had prevented reinforcements  reaching  that  struggling  army  when
pressed back by superior numbers.
On the 4th of September, demonstrations were made
by the enemy in our immediate front. Our pickets were
driven in, and considerable artillery firing was kept up
for a short time. The troops were under arms all
night, artillery in position, and every thing in readiness for battle. But those demonstrations were only
a feint to draw attention from other movements the
rebels were making on the Upper Potomac. Next day
passed quietly, with the occasional exception of picketfiring.
A SHORT SERMON-PREPARATIONS TO MOVE.
As the army was now in the midst of an active
campaign, and opportunities to hold religious meetings
were but few, it was very desirable to improve the
few hours of quietude that were given us on the evening of this day. Accordingly, the bugler sounded the
"church-call," and very soon a large congregation had
assembled within the fort, and we had the prospect of
an interesting meeting. Preliminary services had just
been finished, however, and the text fairly announced,
when Colonel Coleman sent me word that marching
orders had just been received. This, of course, had
117 
118    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the effect of bringing our services to a sudden close,
and the brief sermon was, "Now, comrades, we have
got orders to march, and I must stop. God bless you,
and make you faithful soldiers for God and your
country!
Soon the camp-fires were replenished, and every
man was busy in preparing rations for three days.
At the appointed hour, next morning, the various columns were put in motion, and our faces were turned
toward Washington City. This confirmed our suspicions that the reported crossing of a rebel force into
Maryland was true, and that the National Capital was
seriously threatened.  It had also been reported that
the rebels were in possession of Frederick City and
Hagerstown, and that they were holding high carnival
in the beautiful and fruitful valleys between the latter
city and the Potomac.
The authorities being anxious seemingly to secure
the safety of the Capital, the various columns were
moved out toward Maryland, very slowly.  Indeed,
for two or three days, it seemed a matter of doubt
whether the enemy was within five or ten miles of the
city, so slowly did the army move.  A  day's march
was usually from five to eight or ten miles, and it
seemed as if there were a constant "feeling the way"
through from one point to another.'Marching at this
rate, the column  under  command  of Gen6ral Cox
passed through Ridgeville, on Thursday, the 11th of
Septemnber-the rebel pickets retreating from the vicinity of the town as we approached.  We halted till
next morning, and, at an early hour, were again pushing forward on the Frederick road. 
LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
About one o'clock the rebel pickets in the neighborhlood of Frederick City were driven in, and the
artillery opened on both sides.  Siinmons's and sicAiulilen's Ohio batteries were both brought into position, and opened on the rebels posted at and near
the stone bridge which crosses the Monocacy on the
east of the city.  The column was formed in three
divisions. One division moved across the fields on the
south, another formed in the woods to the east and
north, and advanced on the city from that direction,
while the center column moved on the turnpike and
across the stone bridge. Our artillery and musketry
being mainly directed to clearing the bridge, the
rebels were soon compelled to retreat in no little confusion. They re-formed again still nearer the city,
and in such a position as to command the bridge and
approaches. But the three columns pushed on steadily, nevertheless. The center, with the Eleventh in
advance, took possession of the bridge, and drove all
before them. At this juncture Colonel Moore, of the
Twenty-eighth Ohio, who was commanding the center,
ordered a charge, himself bravely leading. Two pieces
of artillery were at the same moment wheeled into
position, in such a manner as to sweep the road-the
intention being that the party charging should open
ri,Ihit and left, so as to allow the gunners to plow the
ranks of the rebels on the road.   The order seemed
to be misunderstood-a momentary confusion ensued,
and some of our cavalry (among them Colonel Moore
and his aids) were driven back. The artillerists, with
guns loaded and lanyard in hand, were waiting orders
to fire. In the rush, some one drove against one of
119 
120    LIGIITS AND StIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the gunners, jerking the lanyard in his hand and dischlarging the gun.  By this accident several of our
own men were severely wounded, and a momentary
confusion ensued. The rebels, seeing their advantage,
nmadle a charge, and captured both pieces, and, with
themn, Colonel Moore.  General Cox's voice was heard
shouting to Colonel Coleman, " \Will the Eleventh recover those guns?"
1"We will!" was the instantaneous reply of Coleman.  "Now," said he, addressing  his men, at the
same time waving his sword over his head, "now,
Eleventh! we must take those guns! When I say
'Charge!' I want you to charge with a rush, and drive
those devils from our guns. Forward!-doublequick-charge bayonet   march!"
With a deafening cheer, they rushed on the rebels
like an angry wave of gleaming steel, drove them precipitately from the guns, and, the columns right and
left moving simultaneously, kept charging on the
double-quick, cheering as they rushed on and on, up
the road, through the main street of the city, and halted
not till the enemy, routed and scattered, were fleeing
in all directions! As the rebels rushed through the
main street, with the Eleventh thundering at their heels,
and the noble Twelfth, Twenty-eighth, and Thiirty-sixth
coming down like tornadoes on their flanks, it seemed as
if the pent-up loyalty of the citizens burst out everywhere, and in every form of demonstration. As the head
of the column advanced, doors were flung open, windows were raised, and flags unfurled by the score, while
handkerchiefs, in the hands of hundreds of the citizens,
were waved continuously. Young and old-boys that
I 
LIGHTS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   121
could just toot "Yankee-doodle," and  gray-haired
patriarchs, on the verge of the grave-fresh, rosy cheeked mnaid(tens, all the more beautiful from the blush
of joyful excitement that suffused their cheeks and
added luster to their eyes, as well as more matronly
ladies, rushed out impulsively, heedless of gleaming
bayonets and prancing steeds, and warmly welcomed
their deliverers!  iMen and women, more thoughtful
of the physical wants  of the Union  soldier, came
running out of the stores and dwellings with water
and other refreshments; and so overjoyed and grateful
were they, that many of them rushed into the advancing column, and thrust their gifts into the hands of the
soldiers! As if by magic, the whole city was arrayed
in holiday attire.  Flags were  waving from  every
house, and hats and handkerchiefs from every balcony
and window, while cheer upon cheer went up with such
hearty good will, and with such a genuine "ring," that
no one could doubt either the loyalty or lung-power
of Frederick's sons and daughters.   I noticed some
elderly ladies wringing their hands in ecstasy, while
the tears that trickled over their furrowed cheeks told
how deep and fervent were their emotions. One, still
more demonstrative than the others, pressed her hands
together, and exclaimed, in true MIethodist style, "Bless
the Lord!  0! bless the Lord!"
It was one of those eras that come but seldom in a
man's lifetime-one of those strangely grand, sublime
hours, or moments, rather, so fuill of all that is touching and pathetic, yet noble and elevating, when a man
who has any manhood, any soul in him, springs to
the higher and purer atmosphere of the heroic in
11 
122    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
thought and action! The thrill of gladness, the inexpressibly delicious-that's the word-delicious feeling
of satisfaction which fills the heart under such circumstances, is second only to that which the truly good
and great experience when victories are achieved on
the great moral battlefield, and when the Christian
warrior comes off " more than conqueror through Hiim
that loved us." The thrill of deep and intense joy
may be but momentary, but it awakens in the heart
new emotions, opens up new well-springs of thought
and brings into play dormant energies. Any one who
could not feel deeply and nobly under such circumstances, and aspire to fuller and clearer views of duty
in regard to daring and doing in every true and righteous cause, would be unworthy the name of man. Unlike the emotions of the merely professional warrior
who exults over a blood-tarnished victory, simply because it is a victory and no more, the feelings of
the Union soldiers at Frederick were those of men
who peril their own lives to save others, and who strike
for victory because victory brings life and liberty.
There are times when men live a lifetime in a few
momenits. Life is not so much days and years as it is
thought and action.
"Life's more than breath and the quick round of blood    It is a great spirit and a busy heart.
The coward and the small in soul scarce do live.
One generous feeling-one great thought-one deed
Of good, ere night would make life longer seem,
Than if each year might number a thousand days
Spent as is this by nations of mankind.
We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths;
In feelings, not in figures on a dial.
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives
Who thinks most-feels the noblest-acts the best." 
CHAPTER VIII.
TIIE night after the rebel forces were driven out of
Frederick, our army bivouacked in the rich valleys
which stretch away in such beauty and magnificence,
till they are hedged in by the blue, hazy mountains,
or lost in the dim, dreamy outlines of far-distant
cloud and sky. No movements took place, save by
the cavalry, till late in the forenoon of the following
day, when again the various columns were in motion
toward Middletown.  By six o'clock that evening the
advance reached Catoctin Creek, about two miles beyond Middletown. Cox's division lay in line of battle
close by the creek, and commanding the main road
leading from MIiddletown to Ilagerstown.
Cannonading had been heard nearly all day in the
direction of Ilarper's Ferry, intimating that some
demonstrations were being made against that stronghold. Little did we think that, through the treachery
or cowardice of Colonel Miles, in command there,
the post, with the valuable stores collected there,
would pass into rebel hands, and that the arms and
ammunition would be employed on the following day
against Union forces.  As if to mark, however, the
fact that he who basely seeks his own personal safety
at the expense of honor and truth, often lose both
(123) 
124    LIGHIITS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
life and honor by such conduct, Colonel Miles fell,
mortally woundecl, while waving, it is said, with  his
own  hands, the white  flag of an ignominious  sur
render.
On Sabbath morning-14th September-at an early
hour, the forward movement commenced. It was
known that the rebels had taken a strong position on
the hights commanding the Hagerstown road, a part
of the Blue Ridge known as South Mountain. At
seven o'clock the first gun was fired, shelling the
woods on the right and left of the road, so as to find
out the position of the enemy. And thus was ushered
in the day of sacred rest-the weekly memorial of
that day when Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, rose
from the grave, the conqueror of death and hell!  It
was a lovely morning. However much the passions
of mnen might be raging, and however fearful might
be the shock of war that would yet make the very
earth tremble ere the shadows of evening would descend, nature, at least, was calm, peaceful, and joyous.
The dreamy blue haze that covered, as with a gauzy
vail, the mountain ranges; the deeper and brighter
vapory covering that hung like a glory over the farstretching valleys; the grass and the flowers, yet dripping and sparkling with nature's dewy baptism; the
glad songs of the birds, not yet driven from their
woodland homes by War's fierce visage, which filled
the woods with gushing, glorious melody-all told of
Sabbath-sweet, sacred Sabbath-the day of rest and
peace! And we thought of home-Sabbaths, too, and
the sanctuary of God, and the voice of prayer and
the songs of praise. Amid the roar of the opening 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
battle, we thought of brethren dearly beloved and
longed for, perhaps praying at that very moment for
those about to enter the very jaws of death; and one
great comfort in that dread hour was the thought that,
in answer to such prayers, coining generations would
reap the fruits of the day's unwonted and unwelcome
work  in  a fuller and  holier and more  permanent
heritage of civil and religious liberty.  Many a prayer
went up that morning from the embattled hosts of
freedom  for loved ones  at home!    Many a brave,
good heart breathed the wish into God's own ear,
that if no more earthly Sabbaths should see them and
dear ones nestling once more at home, sweet home,
they might at last all meet in the home of God,
where war's fierce tumults shall never be heard, and
where the calm of an eternal' Sabbath shall never be
disturbed.
Before forming in line of battle, there was sufficient time for a few who loved prayer to engage in
devotional exercises.  The 86th Psalm was read-the
following verses being both appropriate and comforting: "Bow down thine ear, 0 Lord, hear me: for I
am poor and needy. Be merciful unto me, 0 Lord:
for I cry unto thee daily. Rejoice the soul of thy
servant: for unto thee, 0 Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and
plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Give ear, 0 Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the
voice of my supplications.  In the day of my trouble
I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me."
At  about  eight o'clock the bugle  sounded  the
advance, and, after crossing the Catoctin Creek, and
125 
126    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
moving a short distance up the turnpike, our division
filed off to the left through some fields and an orchard,
where the artillery was already in position.  Here we
formed in line of battle, partly concealed by a strip of
wvoods at the foot of the hill, on which the enemy had
taken position behind a series of stone walls. By this
movement our division was thrown to the left of the
gorge known as Turner's Gap. The forces of Generals Wilcox, Rodman, and Sturgis followed close up
in our support, while the cavalry connected our left
with General Franklin's right-he being engaged with
the enemy at a mountain pass a few miles further
down.
It was while we were lying in this position, expecting to engage the enemy every moment-the shot and
shell from our own and the rebel batteries passing
over us in all directions-that a little circumstance
occurred that has often been spoken of by all in the
regiment.  Sergeant Wilson, of the Quartermaster's
DI)epartment, arrived on the field with the mail, and,
permission having been granted by Colonel Coleman,
it was distributed-the men, however, keeping in
ranks. What hasty tearing open of envelopes! What
a fluttering of letters all along the line! Then what
absorbed attention!  Little (lid the writers of those
"love-notes"  think, when  writing them, that they
would be opened and read amid the booming of artillery, and the explosions of shell that made the very
earth tremble! Little did they think how opportunely
they would reach some anxious ones, who, perhaps,
would never see home nor friends again. Perhaps as
little did they understand how much true comfort those 
LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
letters would give in the hour of peril, nor how much
they would strengthen both the heart and hand of the
patriot soldier on the field.
Perhaps I ought to apologize for obtruding any
thing of a merely personal character into these Lights
and Shadows, when reference is made to personal
experience, under such circumstances. A sufficient
apology will, it is hoped, be found in the fact that
acknowledgments of benefits received, both from the
Infinite Father and from our brother man, are eminently proper, and have a salutary influence both
upon ourselves and others. Among other letters received that morning, was one from Professor James
llcEldowney, of Adrian College. I read it while the
shot and shell were screaming and bursting in all
directions, and while the earth was trembling under
the fearful roar of musketry and artillery. Nothing
could have been more in keeping with my circumstances than the tone and spirit of that letter, and I
felt a new impulse of humble faith in God's protecting care when I read the following lines: "We continue to pray and hope for your preservation. Under
the protection of Heaven we know you are safe, as
even the hairs of your head are numbered." It was
as if an angel had spoken, or as if the Savior himself had come near to cheer and strengthen in anticipation of the trials and dangers of that fearful day!
I felt greatly refreshed in spirit; and in the two or
three minutes of communion with God, during which
I tried to rise to the full appreciation of those precious words, I felt as much, if not more, of heaven
and of heaven's peace, than I remember ever to
127 
128    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
have enjoyed even when blessed with the hallowed
privileges of the sanctuary. But the tide of battle
rolled toward us, and in a few minutes the regiment
was facing the enemy.
Dr. Holmes, brigade surgeon on General Cox's
staff, having selected a suitable place-not very suitable, as was soon discovered-for a temporary field
hospital, at the request of Dr. Gabriel I went down
through a ravine to our regiment, to give directions
to the hospital corps for bringing off the wounded.
The Eleventh and Twenty-third Regiments having
made a movement threatening some South Carolina
troops, in position behind the stone fences on the
ridge, drew the enemy's fire, which sent the musket-balls hissing and whizzing all around, and which
cut the twigs and leaves like a storm of hail.  I
had just called the attention of the hospital assistants to the directions indicated, and was turning to
leave them, when this unpleasant salute came in our
faces. For a short time it was exceedingly doubtful
whether some of us would not require assistance before getting out of that place. As it was, there were
very sudden exhibitions of profound humility on the
part of all; for we crouched very closely and lovingly
beside some low friendly rocks.  We could hear the
spent musket-balls pattering, like rain-drops, on the
huge bowlders for several minutes, while others hissed
and hummed in most uncomfortable proximity to our
ears. Another tremendous volley was fired, followed
by the cheers of the Twenty-third Ohio, as it dashed
on the Twenty-thiird South Carolina, which was holding a strong position behind a stone wall. Another 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    129
cheer, and no more South Carolina bullets hissed
among those boulders and trees for that day!  " The
psalm-singers  of the  Western  Reserve "-as  the
Twenty-third Ohio was nicknamed-from the hotbed
of Abolitionism in the North, had met the boastful
champions of wrong and robbery, from the hotbed
of oppression and treason in the South; but Freedom's steel, stronger than Slavery's bullets, had signally triumphed!  Meantime, George-do n't know
his surname, if he had one; very likely he had, but
surnames in the South are not always very honorable
to those from whom they are derived-George, our
bright, sharp-eyed contraband, came staggering along,
with a wounded artillerist on his back.  It was Corporal James, of IMcMAullen's Battery, a young friend
of mine from Troy, Ohio. He was very pale, but
cheerful and bright as ever. - His replies to my inquiries were characteristic.
"Why! is that you, Charley?   Where  are  you
wounded?"
"0, it's only a flesh-wound.  Wouldn't have left,
only couldn't stand.  The lieutenant was wounded
too.  We peppered them, though!"
With all his cheerfulness, however, he was quite severely wounded, a musket-ball having passed through
his leg. I learned afterward, from those who noticed
the splendid workings of MAcMullen's Battery, that
Corporal James had distinguished himself by his coolness and bravery. He had stood by his gun till the
last, and when he was shot down, there was not another left to reload the piece.  The two batteries
Simmons's and McMlullen's-were, perhaps, the most 
130    LIGIITS AND ShIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
exposed of any of our batteries on that part of the
field, and they suffered accordingly.
A  short time elapsed, and I returned to the ambulances, to assist the surgeons in caring for the
wounded.  Dr. Gabriel  was  engaged  near  a little
house on the left of the road, and Dr. McNutt and
myself took charge of those brought to the place first
indicated, a few hundred yards further to the left. I
had just finished dressing Charley's wound, and commenced attending to the wants of another, when Andrew Thompson, of Company H, was brought off, severely wounded. By this time, the battle was raging
fearfully. The indescribable noise of the contending
hosts, as they swayed to and fro, like the surging
billows of the ocean; the sharp, continuous roll and
rattle of musketry; the deep, deafening boom of the
artillery, and the crashing, shrieking shell, together
with the short, sharp hiss of grape and canister, told
a fearful and bloody tale. The wounded were being
brought off in large numbers, and every available help
was required.   It was then that Andrew  was carried to us. We had just put our fingers on the spot
where the musket-ball-having pierced his lungs-was
lodged in the muscles of the shoulder, and were about
to extract it, when a shell hissed close by us, exploding in an instant. Another and another succeeded, in
quick succession, until it seemed as if the rebels had
taklen our ambulances as their target. In the trees,
over our heads, on our right and left, shot and shell,
and finally grape, raged and roared around and above
us like some fearful, driving storm. During a momentary lull we tried to get the ambulances moved to 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   131
a. point which seemed to promise greater security, but
the drivers either got confused or frightened, and a
few minutes-which seemed hours-elapsed before we
got them to understand what was wanted.  We had just
got the ambulances fairly in motion, when again the
artillery opened, and the iron hail was plunging and
shrieking once more among us. Some of the wounded
were brought to within a few yards of where surgeons
were at work, only to be torn in pieces by grape-shot
or fragments of shell.   One poor fellow, perfectly
helpless, was laid down, as was supposed, in the safest
place, and scarcely had the assistants turned from him,
when a shell cut him nearly in two! For a few minutes, it seemed as if the very gates of perdition itself
were opened, and as if the unquenchable fires were
hissing and roaring around  and above us.   There
seemed to be no avenue of escape-no shelter from
the incessant, pitiless, fiery storm. We were literally
surrounded with fire.  There was scarcely any hope
that either ambulances or wounded, or, indeed, any one,
would ever get out! George was holding my horse,
under shelter of a rock; but he could stand it no
longer, and he bolted as speedily, if not as gracefully,
as possible. At the same instant, almost, some grape
went plowing under my horse, throwing dust and
gravel all about him, and away he went, snorting and
scampering over the field. Dr. Gabriel was faring no
better. A fragment of shell had come close enough
to tear his coat; another piece struck him lightly on
the leg, while another passed harmlessly under his
hilorse. At last, the ambulances, with the wounded,
were got into the road by which we had entered the 
132   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
field, and a new and safer place was sought for a fieldhospital. While descending the hill, on the left of
which was a strip of heavy timber, the rebels began
shelling the woods with the evident intention of clearing them of troops getting into position, and it was
not till one of our batteries-McAleullen's it was afterward discovered-seeing the danger, opened a conceintrated and continuous fire on the rebel battery, and
finally silenced it, that troops could be moved up. A
large stone house at the foot of the hill, belonging
to a IMr. Vincent Sanner, was selected for a temporary
hospital, and thither the wounded were carried. It
proved to be a most admirable location, for it was near
enough the scene of action to secure attention to the
suffering; yet not so near as to unnecessarily expose
either the wounded or those attending to them.
SINGLE-HANDED, YET BRAVE.
While the incidents just narrated were taking place,
a circumstance occurred which the boys delighted to
tell. During one of the movements made by the
Eleventh, to drive the rebels from their position,
Colonel Coleman, unfortunately, was cut off from the
regiment, and, on emerging from a dense thicket of
pine and laurel bushes, found himself confronting
some ten or a dozen rebels, having in charge several
Union soldiers as prisoners.   In an instant, he flourished his sword over his head, dashed right at them,
and in a stern, commanding voice, ordered them, in no
very complimentary terms, to surrender. Down went
every gun, and up went every hand, and, ordering them 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
to fall in, he marched  them  witlin the lines-the
Union boys and the rebels, meanwhile, having changed
positions considerably.
THE ELEVENTH HOUR.
"Can't you do something  for me?   0, this is
awful!" said a young man, suffeiring greatly from a
wound in the breast.  I tore open the blood-soaked
blouse and examined his wound.  It was truly a fearful gash, and reluctantly I had to tell him it was likely
he would die. Poor fellow! he looked up so piteously
in my face, and said, very sadly, "Then I am lost-I
must go to hell!"
"Why are you lost?" I said to him.
"0!"  said he, in answer, "I have sinned against
God-I have resisted the spirit-I have been a very
wicked boy-I am lost! I am lost!"
"God so loved the world," said I, repeating one of
the most precious texts of Scriptures, "that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him
might not perish, but have everlasting life.  God is
gracious. Look to him for mercy; he will in no wise
cast you out."
"Wvhat is the use of trying now, after sinning as I
have done? God wvon't accept of such a miserable sinner's prayer as mine is for mercy, now, at this late
hour.  0 God! what shall I do?  What shall I do?"
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved."
"Are you a chaplain?"
"Yes."
188 
134    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"Then, will you pray for me?"
"Yes, I will, comrade.  Let me put this wet cloth
on your wound first. There, you'll feel easier now.
And take a little of this wine, too-it will do you good."
Kneeling beside him, for a few moments, I tried to
preach to him Jesus and the resurrection.  I told him
that, sinful and unworthy  as  he might be, he was
precious in the sight of God; that the Savior had suffered and died for him, and that salvation was freely
offered, on condition of trusting in Christ as his allsufficient Savior.
Others requiring attention, I left him for a short
time. In the mean time, he was placed in a more comfortable position.  Returning in the course of perhaps half an hour, I asked him if he had ever prayed,
and whether he could not pray now.
"Yes," said he, "I have tried to pray many times,
when I was a better boy than I am now; and I have
been trying to pray since I have been wounded. 0,
Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me! Here, Lord, I
give myself away;'tis all that I can do."
As his eyes grew dim, and death's dark shadows
were passing over his countenance, it was evident that
this dying, soldier craved but one earthly boon-that
of being at home in this his young life's last hour!
He whispered something about his far-off Michigan
home, and sighed sadly as hlie expressed the wish to
see home and friends before he died. But already the
wheels of life's fountain were moving slowly-were
about to stand still, and the silver cord was just being
loosed! Death's mysteries were being solved no less
solemnly, on this fearful field of carnage and death, 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
than in the peaceful chamber, where the dying are
soothed with love's ministry!
"Won't you stay beside me till the last-won't you,
chaplain?"
"Yes, certainly I will."
"Pray for me, then-pray that God may have mercy
on me."
I engaged in prayer with him. Soon all was hushed
and quiet around us, save the stifled groans of the sufferers and the roar of battle.  Surgeons and assistants
paused, for a moment, and a little sanctuary was found
in that place of indescribable horrors.
" Did you hear the prayer?" I asked.
"Yes," said he, "I did-and I have thrown myself
as a sinner into the arms of Jesus, and he will-save
me.  Lord, I believe, I believe! Bless, bless the Lord! "
In a few minutes the suffering soldier ceased to
breathe. Hie rested from all earth's battles —he slept
his last sleep!
PATRIOTIC TILL THE LAST.
While the battle was raging fiercely, among  the
many wounded which were brought off, was a man
who had received a mortal wound, and was evidently
in a dying condition. As soon as he was laid down
on the grass, I went to him to see what could be done
for him. Life's crimson current was ebbing fast away;
his face. was ghastly pale, and his eyes were already dim.
"Raise me up-raise me up once more!" said the
dying man, earnestly, but feebly.  " Now-there-that
will do.  Give me water-water-water!"
135
a 
136   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
AVater was put to his lips, but he would not drink.
" Stop!" said hlie, seizing the tin-cup with great eagerness.  "Here's to my country!   Here's to the glorious Stars and Stripes!  I die for my country! Boys,
never give up!
His lips quivered, and he fell back exhausted.  S\y
attention was called away by Dr. Gabriel, who wished
me to assist him, and, as I left this noble, dying soldier, I felt to say, "This is a scene of patriotism indeedl! One thing more would make it complete, and
shed upon it unfading luster-and that one thing is,
the dying patriot-soldier looking to the crucified Savior as the Captain of his salvation."  Perhaps, poor,
suffering, noble man, thy brave heart was resting on
Christ, and thou couldst be all the braver in the hour
of battle and in the agony of death because thou didst
trust in him!
That scene will never be forgotten by those who beheld it. There was something about it so thrillingly
pathetic, so truly noble and grand, and yet so natural,
earnest, and honest, that it seemed more a scene of
martyrdom than an event on the battlefield.
He was buried, along with others, in the orchard
near which he fell.  Over his honored grave will the
apple-blooms fall in fragrant showers of beauty, and
the summer birds will warble the notes of a holy re
quiem.
" Hushed be the song and the love-notes of gladness
That broke with the morn from the cottager's door Muffle the tread in the soft stealth of sadness
For one who returneth-whose chamber lamp burneth                              No more. 
LI(GHITS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE. 137
"Silent he lies on the broad path of glory
Where withers, uugarnered, the red crop of war;
Grand is his couch, tho' the pillows are gory,
'Mid forms that shall battle,'mid guns that shall rattle
No more.
"Soldier of Freedom! thy marches are ended   The dreams that were prophets of triumph are o'er;
Death, with the night of thy manhood is blended;
The bugle shall call thee-the fight shall enthrall thee
No more."
Many a time I have felt to contrast the hearty zeal
and devotion of that soldier who had laid his all, even
life itself, upon the altar of his country, with the craven, cowardly croakers who, safely at home, and protected by the patriot braves on the field, were, nevertheless, sympathizing with traitor hordes-not, perhaps,
because they really desired the ruin of the country,
but because they placed their own personal selfish interests above country and liberty and humanity. If
posterity will ever do justice to the memories of the
Union soldiers who bared their bosoms to the battlestorms of an accursed slaveholders' rebellion, and
placed themselves as a living, breathing wall around
freedom's sanctuary, and faltered not when the day
was darkest and the storm of treason howled loudest, then posterity will also do justice to the memories of those who, through a wicked pro-slavery spirit,
sought, with remorseless hate and blind prejudice, to
overturn the holy places of Liberty and Truth, and
rear upon their ruins the polluted altars of Wrong and
Outrage! The former, crowned with undying laurels,
will go down to posterity as the cherished of every
noble heart; the latter, covered with eternal shame
12 
138    LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARHIY LIFE.
and held in deepest abhorrence by all the good and
great of all ages, will be numbered with the Judases
and the Arnoldcls of the world.
On M'lionday morning, at an early hour, the work of
removing the wounded was resumed.  Going over the
field, it was easy to see the sanguinary character of
the stru,ggle of the previous  day.  In many places
the dead lay in great windrows, which seemed as if
some remorseless reaper from Death's dark domain
had come, and, with unerring aim,
"Wielding a sickle keen"
cut down, with one fell sweep, the ranks of living,
breathing humanity, and left them ready to be garnered into the silent, rueful shades of the gravel In
one place-a long, narrow lane, protected by a low
stone wall, from behind which the rebels fought stubbornly, and  where  the Eleventh  and Twenty-third
Ohio Regiments made some of their most desperate
assaults, and finally drove the enemy at the point of
the bayonet-the rebel dead lay two and three deep,
just as they fell! In another place-nearer the corner
of the open field, and close by a small log-house,
where the most desperate fighting, perhaps, ever
known, took place between Ohio and South Carolina
troops, already referred to on a previous page-fifteen
rebel dead lay within a space of three steps! Some
were lying with their hands stretched toward heaven,
as if imploring mercy, or calling down vengeance
upon the heads of those who had led them into rebellion, and brought them to a traitor's fate. Others
were in the act of firing, having been shot dead while 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
pointing their guns at the bosoms of those who were
defending, righteous government.  Others-friends and
foes-hadl rolled over and over, as if trying to escape
firom the fiery blast, and in their untold agony had
gnashed their teeth and bitten the dust reddened with
their own blood! Others had crawled away into the
shelter of some pine and laurel bushes, and, unseen
by mortal eye, unsoothed by words of comrade or
firiend, had breathed their last! O! it was a terrible
sight! iNot in poetry or painting, or mere description
of the historian, who deals only in "brilliant charges,"
"glorious victories," "serried hosts rushing to victory," and "gleaming sabers and nodding plumes,"
but, O! in stern reality was this a battlefield! The
horse and his rider, "in one red burial blent," were
here! and "garments rolled in blood," and corpses,
stark and stiff, heaps upon heaps, were all here! And
as I looked over this bloody field, and gazed upon the
lifeless forms of friend and foe-those who had fallen
under the glorious Stars and Stripes, and those who
had met a traitor's death beneath a traitor's flag-I
asked, "0 God! who slew all these?" and the answer
came back to me, as if in the low wail of a funeral
dirge, " THESE  WERE  ALL SLAIN BY THE INFERNAL
SPIRIT OF SLAVERY! AND THIERE SHALL BE NO PEACE
TILL OPPRESSION IS DESTROYED. THE SWORD SHALL
DEVOUR TILL SLAVERY IS NO MORE!"
189 
CHAPTER IX.
THE IDEAL AND THE ACTUAL-A THIRILLING SCENE-MY BROTHER I
0, MY BROTHER!-ANGELIC WORK.
Mind must love mind: the great and good are friends;
And he is but half great who is not good.
And O! humanity is the fairest flower
Blooming in earthly breasts; so sweet and pure
That it might freshen even the fadeless wreaths
Twined round the golden harps of those in heaven.
FESTUS.
THE POETRY AND REALITY OF WAR.
THE poetry of war! exclaims some one, in surprise.
Hias war any thing poetic about it? Yes, it has; but,
as poetry is essentially ideal, not actual, so the poetry
of war is war only in idea. There is a great difference between the ideal and the actual in every thing;
and that which is simply ideal is one thing, and that
which is actual is entirely another. Ideal war, as
presented to us on the pages of the historian, the
canvas of the painter, or the dashing, brilliant, spirited
letters of "special correspondents," is vastly different
from actual war, as exhibited on the battlefield and
in the hospital. Ideal war has tinsel and plumes,
waving banners and flashing swords, wreaths of flowers and silver medals, the plaudits of brave men and
(140) 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    141
the smiles of beautiful women. Actual war has
hunger and thirst, cold and weariness.  It has the
saber-stroke deep in the quivering flesh, and the
bayonet-thrust in the beating heart. It has the bursting shiell and the hissing shot, crashing and tearing
through solid ranks of living men like the furious
storm-blast in the forest.  It has ghastly wounds and
"garments rolled in blood," the agonizing cry of the
wounded, and the stifled moan of the dying. It has
the crowded hospital, with wearisome days and still
more wearisome nights for the sick and wounded, and
where oftentimes-as after a battle-every look seems
to be agony, and every word a suppressed groan, a
petition for help, or a cry for mercy. It has the tearful eyes of those who look wistfully for absent ones
who will return no more, and it has the sad, sad sigh
of burdened, broken hearts. It has RPachels weeping
for their children, and refusing to be comforted because they are not. It has lonely widows and desolate orphans.  And whosoever may causelessly and
wickedly initiate war, has the execration of all the
truly good, and the curse of a righteous God.
Even when waged for a good cause-when it is for
the defense of truth and righteousness, and is absolutely necessary to roll back the dark tide-wave of
human  oppression, and to destroy the foulest treason-war is still a terrible reality, as the bloody field
of South Mountain showed on this eventful day.
Glad though I was that our arms had been successful-that the wily, unscrupulous foe had been driven
back-it was, nevertheless, with saddened heart that
I gazed upon the fearful scene. Time and again I 
142   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
felt to say, "0! Prince of Peace, come once more to
our bleeding country, and say to the waves of strife,
'Be still!'"
"MIY BROTHER! MY DEAR BROTIHER! "
Would that my pen could paint a picture seen on
the field where our regiment had been engaged. While
passing through a clump of laurel bushes, through
which the skirmishers had been pushed forward on
the afternoon of the previous day, I found a member
of our regiment leaning over the dead body of a
brother soldier, while the tears were trickling over his
cheeks. The countenance of the dead was calm and
placid, as if stilled in sweet repose, or as if lighted up
with the sunshine of happy dreams. At first sight I
could hardly believe that from that body, apparently
just composed to sleep, the spark of life had fled forever. But so it was. A fragment of shell or a grapeshot had crashed through the side and back of his head,
tearing away a large portion of the brain, but leaving
the face untouched.  And there leaned, or rather knelt,
the brother of the fallen soldier, his hands pressed
upon his face, and the hot tears trickling between his
fingers-weeping as only brave men weep-and exclaiming, "My brother! 0, my dear brother!"
That scene was too sacred for intrusion. Words of
common condolence would have jarred like a discord
amid the subdued tones of anguish that burst firom
the lips of the living over the placid face of the dead.
In its sublime pathos-its mingled bravery and affection, manly courage and womanly tendLerness-it was 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   143
one of those scenes that can not be described, and
which the beholder feels to be so sacred he must needs
draw a vail over it, lest it be profaned by the gaze of
some thoughtless intruder.  It reminded me of that
scene once beheld on the gloomy mountains of Gilboa,
the very thought of which wrung from the heart of
the poet warrior and king a requiem for the fallen
brave, so inimitably touching and tender that it will
find an echo in every generous, manly bosom till the
end of time.
During this day our division lay partly on the crest
and partly on the slope of the hill, from which, after
desperate fighting, the rebels had been driven on the
previous day. The Eleventh was posted in the woods,
on the summit close by a somewhat level plateau,
where Simmons's Battery had been driven, with consummate strategy, to within fifty yards of the rebel
artillery, and, being well supported and well manned;
did much toward driving the enemy from that formidable position.
It was while the regiment lay here for a few hours
that Colonel Coleman wrote his last letter to loved ones
at home. I can see him yet, sitting under a small oak
tree, with pen in hand, a book on his knee for a desk,
improving the few minutes' repose in recording for the
comfort of others his hopes and desires. With that
frank, decided manner for which he was distinguished,
he told me, in glowing terms, of the brave conduct of
the regiment on the previous day. He had been somewhat chafed and chagrined at some disparaging  remarks concerning the Ohio troops, reported to him as
made by some thoughtless officer, with more brass than 
144    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
either brains or bravery. After he had ventilated his
opinion about comparative merit, he exclaimed, with
great earnestness, "I guess the old IKanawha division
showed some of them how to fight within the last week,
and we will show them again.  The boys are eager for
an assault-a regular storming of some battery-and
they'11ll have the chance, too, before long. There's a
big fight or a big run before us yet. I am just as
much afraid of death as any one, but I'll lead the old
Eleventh as far as any one dare go, and I'll do it,
too, before long! "
TIE WOoUNDED CARED FOR AT MIDDLETOWN.
As soon as the more severely wounded were attended to on the field, they were sent back to Middletown, to general hospitals established there. It was
about two and a half miles from the battlefield.   All
the churches —Methodist Protestant, Lutheran, and
Presbyterian-and also the Academy building and some
private houses, were occupied as hospitals.  And not
only were those buildings crowded to their fullest extent, but many of the poor fellows had to be laid on
the grass outside. The Methodist Church, in which
Dr. Gabriel and I worked for several days and nights,
was not only crowded, but on  Monday  night-the
night after the battle-the audience-room, and lectureroom below, were filled from end to end, and even the
aisles and pulpit and platform were crowded with the
wounded and the dying, so that it was with the utmost
caution and care that the attendants could move
among them.  What a sad and terrible scene!  And 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
yet, like the silver-lined storm-clouds of the early
spring, this fearfally dark and dreadful scene of suf  fering and death had its bright gleams of sunshine
also- the sunshine of Christian hope and joy. Yes,
and Christian effort, too-genuine, practical, large  hearted  sympathy!  While great numbers  of men
were busy collecting bandages, preparing mattresses,
bringing hot tea and coffee, assisting  to unload  the
ambulances as they drove up in quick sucLecession with
their loads of torn, bleeding humanity, the ladies were
also at work amid those terrible scenes of suffering
and death, ministering to all with that tact and deli cacy of sympathy of which woman alone is suscepti ble. Like pityitng angels from the better world, intent
only on fulfilling some mission of love and gentleness,
they moved amid those dread scenes of mortal anguish,
literally dealing bread to the hungry, giving drink to the
thirsty, soothing the suffering, and speaking peace to
the dying.  The objects of their pity and kind minis trations lay there, in all the stern realities of fiery
battle, helpless and bleeding, their faces begrimed
with powder and their garments rolled in dust and
blood-sometimes giving vent to their anguish in low,
suppressed groans, or in sharp, short, piercing shlrieks,
all of which seemed to render the place and the circumstances unfit for woman's  keenly sensitive anl(
sympathetic nature.  But, although- some of them had
blanched cheeks and quivering lips, they resolutely
went forward ill their blessed work.   There was one
whose great personal beauty and lady-like deportment,
as well as her kind attentions and winning, soothin,
language, seemed to invest with more of heaven than
13
145 
146    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
earth. Dressed in a robe of pure white, her only jewelry the ring on her finger and a small brilliant with
which her collar was fastened, she moved now here,
now there, as an angel of light. Her husband, the
Rev., was there also, aiding in the good work.
Several times I noticed that her lips quivered and
tears dimmed her bright eye, but she strove heroically for the mastery, and only once did she give way
to her feelings-when she knelt beside a dying youth,
whose last words were of mother and Jesus and
heaven.   Seemingly, by tacit consent, she superintended the whole work of that ministry of love and
sympathy. Her clear, mellow voice, soft and musical
as a lute, could be heard now here, now there, during
that day and the greater part of the night, condoling
with one, encouraging another, and even breaking out
into a low, musical laugh as some rough, rollicking
fellow, with a ball through his arm or leg, told her
how he " Had put a spider in the dough of some of
the graybacks before he came so near having his own
chunk knocked out T "
If even a cup of cold water given in the name of
Christ shall in no wise lose its reward, then those
noble women, who ministered to our brave soldiers on
that trying and terrible occasion, will not be forgotten
by the ever-living and ever-loving 1tedeemer. 
CHIAPTER X.
ANTIETAM-I-ASSAULT ON THE STONE BRIDGE-DEATH OF COLONEL
COLEMAN-VICTORY AND RESULTS-DISSATISFACTION WITH GEN ERAL M'CLELLAN.
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.
Ox Wednesday, the 17th of September, the great
battle of Antietam was fought. It is not the design
of this unpretending volume to give minute or even
general details of engagements to which reference may
be made. As the title indicates, it is but Lights and
Shadows of army experiences. Little glimpses of
sunshine here, and little darkening clouds yonderlittle incidents now and then-are all the author
aspires to give. Hence, general details will not be
given, being entirely outside the scope of this little
work.
But a word or two relative to the share taken in it
by the Eleventh and other regiments.
On Monday, after the battle of South Mountain, the
army moved forward toward Sharpsburg. General
Richardsoh's division of Sumnner's corps was in the
advance, and moved through Boonesboro' to Keedysville. The splendid Eighth Illinois Cavalry, under
Farnsworth, was attached to Sumner's corps, and, as
usual, pushed on in the advance. During that day
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148    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
little more was done than to reconnoiter the position
which Lee held, and post the troops as they came up.
The forenoon of Tuesday passed without any general
movement, but, between two and three o'clock in the
afternoon, Hooker, who was in command of the right
wVing, crossed the Antietam by the upper bridge and
by a ford near Pray's Mill. Extensive cornfields, in
the fullness and freshness of the early autumn,
stretched away to the north and west.  In these, concealed by the tall, tasseled corn, were the rebel pickets
and sharp-shooters. Hooker drove in the enemy's
pickets, opened briskly with artillery and musketry,
keeping up the skirmishing till dark, and that night
his advance lines occupied a portion of the cornfields
and woods in which the enemy had taken position on
the morning. Meanwhile, Burnside, who was in command of one of the grand divisions of the army, had his
troops posted on the left, the most difficult position in
the whole field, the greater part of it being rough anal
broken, and shaded here and there by dense oak
-woods.  During  the  night  the  Kanawha  division.
under General Crook, was brought into position near
the lower bridge-Simmons's and McMullen's batteries
being so placed as to command the bridge and bluffs
beyond.  That night the troops lay on  their arms,
prepared to move at a moment's notice.
On WTednesday, the 17th, scarcely had the gray dawn
of the early morn revealed the dim outline of the
Sharpsburg hills, when the loud, roaring echoes, roll ing along the mountains  and through  the valleys,
announced that the dread work of death had begun.
Hooker opened on the right, replying to the rebel 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMIY LIFE.
batteries with tremendous and almost uninterrupted
explosions. The green cornfields in his front were
soon ablaze with musketry, while dusky formns were
seen to move hither and thither, or spring into the
air with a deathly shriek, spin round, and fall to rise
no more. For nearly four hours Ilooker alone engaged the enemy.   For some reason or other, the
left and center did little more than maintain their
skirmnish-line, although the rebel  artillery sent the
nissiles of death thundering and crashing over and
among them continually as they lay in line of battle.
Finally, at about ten o'clock, Burnside received orders
from McClellan to advance. The order was:
"You are to carry the bridge, gain the hights beyond, and advance along their crest to Sharpsburg,
and gain the rear of the enemy."
The command was instantly given, and the extreme
left was soon in motion.  MIcMullen's and Simmons's
batteries opened with grape and canister, varied now
and then with solid shot and shell. Rodman's division
was ordered to cross by a ford about a quarter of a mile
below the bridge, and the Kanawha division, under
Crook, supported by Connecticut and Pennsylvania
troops, were ordered to storm the bridge.  The Eleventh Ohio, which had been deployed as skirmishers,
was withldrawn from the skirmnish-line preparatory to
the desperate work, and the entire brigade formed in
line under cover of the woods.
The position held by the rebels at this point was
the strongest on the whole field. It was a steep bluff,
part of it a limestone ledge, along which the rebels
had made extensive rifle-pits, and thrown up fortifica
149 
150    LIGTITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
tions of logs and stones.  The bluffs and the ridge
beyond were bristling with cannon, which commanded
all the approaches, while along the stone walls and in
the cornfields the rebel infantry lay massed in thousands. The bridge was a massive stone structure of
three arches, and about twelve or fourteen feet wide.
A short distance from the bridge, and half-way up
the bluff, was a limestone quarry, in which were sheltered sharp-shooters. The work to be done, therefore,
on the part of the Union forces at this formidable
point, was of no ordinary character.
The fearful moment arrived. Skirmishers were advanced to clear the bridge and ledges of rebel sharpshooters.  "Forward!" rang out along the lines, and
the assaulting column charged on the bridge. The
opposite bluffs and ledges and ridge were instantl
lighted up with one long sheet of flame.  Volley after
volley of musketry was driven into the faces of the
advancing columns, while the artillery swept the
bridge with one incessant, pitiless storm of grape and
canister. The head of the column pushed on bravely,
but was seen to waver and literally melt away before
such a murderous blast. In vain the heroic champions
of freedom struggled against the driving storm of iron
and lead that tore remorselessly through their ranks!
In vain they attempted to gain the bluffs which, from
end to end, were enveloped in one long line of flame
and smoke! In vain they threw themselves forward
with desperate energy to seize the guns from whose
brazen throats were belching forth destruction and
death! After a heroic struggle, they had to withdraw 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
from the unequal contest, and fall back to the shelter
of a wooded ridge.
At this juncture, an aid from General McClellan
rode up to General Burnside, with the short, decisive
order:
"Assault the bridge, and carry it at all hazards!"
To accomplish this was an absolute necessity.
Hooker, who had now been fighting seven or eight
hours on the right, was being pressed by the massed
forces on Lee's left, and the bridge must be stormed
and the hights carried, at whatever cost, in order to
turn Lee's right, and relieve Hooker. Burnside had
but twelve or fourteen thousand men covering his
entire line. The bridge and the bluffs alone were
held by six thousand rebel troops, even before being
reinforced by Hill's command, which, ere this, had
come up to their support. Burnside sent for reinforcements. McClellan replied he could send none.
Burnside, whose eagle eye took in the whole position
at a glance, saw that on that bridge hinged the fortunes of the day, and that the position must be gained
at all hazards.
"That bridge must be taken," said he to Cox; "but
you have n't force enough to do it."
"I can take it, General, if you order it," said Cox,
in his quiet, unassuming manner.
Burnside was cautious-he was dubious.
"If you order me to take that bridge," said Cox,
"I'll do it! I know my men-I know what they
can do!"
The order is given, and again preparations are
151 
152    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
made to storm the bridge.  In the grand assault the
Eleventh Ohio, supported by a Pennsylvania regiment,
is to advance so as to form a strong skirmish line, or
storming party, as circumstances may dictate, while
Connecticut and Maryland troops are also formed for
the same purpose. Colonel Coleman has formed his
lines; the regiment is moving forward-steady, determiined, and hopeful-toward the bridge, from behind the massive stone parapets of which, as well as
from the rocky ledges beyond, the rebel skirmishers
and sharp-shooters are again keeping up a continuous
volley of musketry. Just at this juncture Colonel
Coleman falls mortally wounded, while leading and
cheering on to victory those whose steady tread he
knows so well, and whose tried bravery he can ever
trust. Almnost at the same instant Captain Weller, of
Company H, is wounded, and both officers are removed to the rear. The regiment is, for a moment,
paralyzed; for they have learned to trust the skill and
bravery of their fallen chief, and this is a trying hour.
But there is no time to pause on this dread field of
death, even although the good and brave may fall;
and, vowing to avenge the death of their officers, the
troops rush forward, a noble band of brave men. Onward, still onward, sweeps the roaring tide-wave of
battle.  The bridge is gained, and the rebel skirmishers are driven back. Simmons and McMullen now
rain a perfect storm of grape and canister on the
massed forces, who, with desperate energy, are striving to hold the position. The rebels, on the other
hand, are playing on the bridge, and the stones fly
from the parapets and arches. Splinters of wood and 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   153
stone are flying in all directions, while the shell and
grape-shot  scream  and hiss over  and through the
raink's of the advancing columns.   But at last the center of the bridge is gained; then the western extremity.  Cheers go up from the struggling heroes, which
are answered by others further down the creek. Simmons wheels two guns so as to sweep the ridge.
"Hurrah! forward! forward!" is the cry.  The bluff
is gained.  Up, up the struggling heroes  climb, or
crawl, dligging their hands or bayonets into the steep
sides in their efforts to reach the top.  They are successful! The bridge is secured, after a desperate
struggle. The rebels are driven firom their rifle-pits
and batteries on the ridge, and the glorious Stars and
Stripes now gleam in the slanting rays of the afternoon sun! Lee's right is turned by this costly but
brilliant movement, and the issues of the day are
decided.
The boastful slaveholding rebel- the notorious
Toombs, who proudly prophesied he would see the day
when he would call the roll of his slaves at the foot of
Bunker Hill Monument-was in command of the rebel
forces at this point. But the "Sword of Bunker
Hill" gleamed that day in his traitor face, and lie
shrunk from its keen, conquering edge. So let it
gleam, and never let that sword be sheathed till the
last traitor foe is subdued, and the last slave is free!
That night, after one of the most sanguinary battles
of tihe war, the Union forces rested upon the field, froma
every point of which the enemy had been driven, scattered, and confused. It was truly a great victory, but,
alas. at what a cost of precious lives! 
154    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMIY LIFE.
DEATH OF COLONEL COLEMAN.
Colonel Coleman was wounded in the arm and side,
the ball lodging against the spine.  At first, neither
he nor his attendants apprehended that his wounds
were of a serious nature; but, two hours after his removal from the front, his brave spirit passed away.
]Ie was sensible till the last, and, although suffering
acutely, he uttered no complaint. His death cast a
gloom over the entire regiment, every man of whom
had learned to respect him for his manly, open frankness, and for his well-known military skill and bravery.
Had he lived, no doubt he would have risen to distinction in the service of his country; for, to natural
talents of a high order, he added those derived from a
West Point education.
"He sleeps his last sleep, he has fought his last battle;
He ne'er shall awaken to glory again."
Peace be to his memory! He fills the honored
grave of a patriot soldier, and his noblest monument
is the affectionate remembrances of brave men.
THE FIELD AFTER THE BATTLE.
There was something inexpressibly saddening in the
appearance of the Antietam battlefield. This was especially true of the right and center. On the right
of the Sharpsburg road, where the gallant HIooker was
engaged, the carnage was fearful, and the sight that
met the eye everywhere was of the most ghastly and
terrible character. Among solid shot-fragments of 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
shell, broken caissons, splintered artillery wheels, overturned gun-carriages, empty ammunition-boxes, cartridge-eases, and the mangled carcasses of artillery
horses-lay hundreds upon hundreds of the wounded,
the  dying, and the dead.  On  the night after the
battle, and during the succeeding day, twelve hundred wounded soldiers were brought to one barn and
barn-yard. In another barn, not far from this, were
six hundred, and in another, seven hundred. It is
no exaggeration to say that, on that day of dreadful
conflict, the dead lay in heaps, and the wounded in
thousands. While the battle was raging most fiercely, the rebel artillery could be seen mowing down
Hooker's veteran troops, leaving great gaps, which
were instantly filled up, only to be opened again as
the murderous shell or grape was hurled against
them. And even on the various roads leading from
the field, the sad tale of suffering and death  was
told; for the ambulances were constantly engaged in
carrying off their loads of bleeding, dying men, whose
life-blood was trickling down through the ambulance
floors and mingling with the dust of the hoof-trodden
field, or staining the hard granite bowlders and broken
stones of the turnpike! No one, with common feelings
of humanity, could look upon such terrible scenes
unmoved, nor forget that around each one of the
thousands  of killed  and  wounded  clustered many
warm affections, and that there was no one on this
bloody field so lonely, wretched, or forsaken as that for
him throbbed no loving heart, and for him no tears
would be shed. As I looked upon the hundreds on
hundreds of killed and wounded, I thought of the
155 
156    LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY iIFE.
distant homes of these men, and how the sunlight
of hope and joy would be quenched in grief, and
how mother and wife and sister would clasp their
hands in speechless agony, and fathers would bow
their heads and weep, as only strong men weep, when
the names of loved ones were announced as among
the killed or wounded or missing. Not alone on
the battlefield was there agony that day! Ah! no.
There was untold agony in thousands of hearts, and
deepest gloom in thousands of homes far from that
field of blood.  Who could refrain from breathing a
prayer that the Angel of the Covenant might visit
every weeping household, and comfort every stricken
heart? and that soon, 0 soon! the olive-branch of
peace might wave over our bleeding, distracted country, truth and righteousness flourish in Our midst, and
the people,
"Walking in the light of God,
In holy beauty shine."
A GLORIOUS VICTORY-WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?
"But, then,'t was a glorious victory!"
So said a certain moralist, when debating with himself between the feelings of national pride and exultation over a great victory and the instincts of humanity,
vwhich revolt at the dreadful carnage of the battlefield.
The Army of the Potomac achieved a glorious victory
over the legions of traitors and defenders of human
oppression during that memorable week in September,
when, it might be said, in literal truth, that the very
earth  drank blood.   The  glowing  accounts of the 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWIS OF ARMY LIFE.
valor and unflinching devotion of the patriot soldiers,
which appeared in the papers and magazines, were, by
no means, exaggerated.   Emotions of sadness, however, were mingled with the transports of joy;  for,
"glorious" though the victory was, there were several
things connected with it that subdued the otherwise
joyful feelings. First of all, the victory was purchased at a fearful sacrifice of human life.  When the
last gun was fired, on the evening of that bloody day,
there could not have been less than twenty-five or
thirty thousand torn, bleeding men lying on that battlefield! General McClellan reported, officially, a loss
of seventeen hundred and forty-two killed, and eight
thousand and sixty-six wounded.  The rebels acknowledged a loss of fourteen thousand killed and wounded.
What a fearful record of suffering and death!
Another thing that tended rather to depress than
elevate the hearts of both officers and men, was the inexplicable conduct of military officials in holding back
the victorious Union army, when it was known to
every man, and published to the world, that the rebels
were routed and demoralized.  General McClellan teleg,raphed to the War department to the effect that
the Union troops had been everywhere victorious, and
that the enemy, routed and demoralized, was retreating in great confusion. To all of which it was added,
that he-McClellan-would push forward vigorously,
and follow up his advantages.  But, notwithstanding
such official announcements of a complete victory, and
the promise made to follow it up, the fruits of that
victory were never reaped.   It was the general expectation that the army would have moved forward on
15.7 
158    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Thursday morning —next day.  Thursday passed; still
no movement took place. Then there must be an advance on Friday morning-perhaps some grand strategic combination was being perfected, and a movement
would inevitably take place. There was a moral certainty of that, of course. But Friday calme, and no
advance. Saturday also passed-and then intelligent
men in the army, from corps commanders down, who
saw and felt that then and there were both the time
and place to strike one last tremendous blow on the
routed, demoralized rebel army of the East-freely
yet bitterly denounced the as yet unknown authors
of that unnecessary delay.
"There is something rotten in Denmark," was the
significant remark made by some of the bravest and
most accomplished officers in the Potomac army.
"Why do we not move forward?" said I to a certain staff officer at corps head-quarters, on the afternoon of Saturday.
"love forward!" he exclaimed, bitterly.  " Cowarclice or treachery would, perhaps, be the answer.
ATe have been asking that question for the last two
days. Lee has been retreating since Thursday, and
this is known, or ought to be, at head-quarters."
This was a fact.  Major Jackson, in command of
the Eleventh, had made the report, through the proper
channels, that his pickets reported the enemy crossing
the river, evidently on the retreat. At the mess-tables
of officers, and around the camp-fires, the question was
repeated, time and again, "Why don't we move, and
destroy the rebel army?"   But day succeeded day,
and week succeeded week, and still the army lay in 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
active. What the design was in thus holding in check
as brave an army as ever fought, and that, too, while
there was an enthusiastic eagerness to follow up the
advantages gained, and thus end the rebellion, is already patent to all who have studied the political
events of 1864. The Chicago Platform, with its supporters under it, and its candidate once on it, but now
under it, too, throw considerable light on many things
hitherto shrouded in mystery. Never, since the Pilgrim Fathers landed on Plymouth Rock, has any one
had such a clear, open, easy path to honor and usefulness as General McClellan. Never has any one man
had such influence and power as he. Petted, praised,
courted-his very foibles were imitated, and he could
hardly sneeze, certainly he couldn't wash "his fevered
brow at a roadside spring," to use the words of a correspondent-without its being duly reported all over the
land. But he is politically as well as militarily deaddead by his own acts. Traitor hands buried him, and
over his grave they placed the wreck of his and their
platform of principles-a platform so weighty with treason and oppression, that it will lie heavy on his grave
till both he and it are forgotten in the lapse of years.
UNNECESSARY SUFFERINGS OF THE WOUNDED-IN             EFFICIENCY SOMEWHERE.
Another thing  that tended  to  modify exuberant
emotions was the lack of prompt and efficient attention to the wants of the wounded, thus greatly increasing their suffering.
No army in the world has been so well cared for
159 
160    LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
in every respect as the Union army.   No nation has
ever so freely and bountifully supplied its defenders
withl the necessaries and comforts of military life. No
nation has done so much for its soldiers when in
health, or taken such tender care of them when sick
or wounded.  The Army of the Potomac, however, in
1862, was not, in any respect-except  its heroic
bravery-what it is in 18G5. There was not a little
of the elements of flippancy, arrogance, and official
]iauteur in the various departments of the army.
The medical staff was by no means free from such
unfavorable influences. Young, soulless, incompetent
medical tyros had wormed themselves into the army,
and thus occupied positions in which they mitlght, with
comparative  impunity, play the petty tyrant,  and,
under the specious plea of military or medical rule, oppress those committed to their care. Not soon will
some of those flippant gentry be forgotten by the soldiers who came in contact with them during the campa,ign of 1862.  Incompetent, careless, and haughty,
they were more intent on showing off their brass buttons and shoulder-straps, and maintaining professional
dignity, than in attending to the wants of the suffering soldier. There were then, as there are now, many
true, noble, skillful men in the army, who toiled day
and night for the benefit of the sick and wounded,
and who, uniting a pure patriotism, profound medical
skill, and a tender sympathy, labored industriously
for the good of others, and thus made their presence,
on field or in hospital, fall like sunbeams around the
sad and suffering. But these could not do their own
work and that of others also; there must, therefore,
.1 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
be some who would be necessarily neglected and un cared for.
One or two incidents by way of illustration.
Captain Duncan and myself went to a large log
house in search of some of the wounded of our regiment. We found it filled with the wounded of differ ent regiments, but principally of those belonging to
the regular army. Quite a number were also in a
barn adjoining.  Two days had elapsed since the battle, and yet their wounds had never been dressed, no
surgeon had been to see them, and there was no one
to give them a drink of cold water! I will never, to
my dying day, forget the piteous words which one
poor fellow spoke to us as we turned away:
"Are you going away to leave us here? " said he, in
tones that told of his anguish and hopelessness. " For
God's sake, don't leave us here alone, to die like
dogs!"
"No," I replied, "I will not leave you; but I have
no bandages with me, nor any thing else to afford relief. I'll go and get assistance and supplies, and do
what I can."
I went to our brigade surgeon and reported the
case, and asked for some bandages. Alas! all our
hospital supplies were exhausted; our own surgeons
had been working night and day; and what, therefore,
could be done? Dr. Holmes looked distressed.
"It's too bad-it's too bad! but what can I do?"
said he.  "We are entirely out of bandages, and supplies in general, and it is the same in other divisions,
for they have sent to me for supplies till I have none
left. The surgeons of our own division are worked
14
161 
162   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
down; but I'll see after those wounded; I'll report
the case, at least, to head-quarters."
Not knowing any more necessary or important work
to be done than to take care of the suffering, I started
to Middlletown ihumediately-nearly ten miles offapplied to the Sanitary Commission for supplies, and
returned to the field with what my servant and self
could carry on our horses.
iText day, and in another part of the field, I found
a dozen or more of our wounded in a barn, if possible in a more hopeless  and deplorable condition.
Their wounds were in a horrible state. As I washed
and dressed the worst of the cases, it required the
calling forth of all my powers of endurance.  The
stench from the foul, festering wounds was  sickening
to a degree that is indescribable, and the whole scene
was as disgusting to the beholder as it was terrible to
the sufferer.  I rushed out to breathe a purer atmosphere, only to meet with festering limbs and blackened corpses, from which emanated a deadly exhalation.
Te show that there was no lack on the part of the
Government or of the Sanitary Commission in caring
for the wounded, it may just be stated that on a box
or bench were packages of farina, essence of beef,
different kinds  of cordials, crackers, etc., and yet
those noble sufferers had had no breakfast, and it was
now between two and three o'clock in the afternoon!
There was no nurse, no attendant, and it was a matter
of doubt whether any thing was being prepared for
them. This case was reported to the proper authorities, and the barn was speedily inquired into, and it 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    163
is said that lan,uage, more emphatic, perhaps, than
polite, was used by the powers that be.
In mnaking these statements, I do not wish to be
*    understood  as  making  even  a  general  complaint
against  our  army  surgeons  as  a whole.   By  no
means. I think, from what I have seen, that these
were exceptional cases.   A  very large majority of
those surgeons with whom I was acquainted, and with
some of whom I was in close and constant association,
were men of principle, honor, and humanity. Nobly
did they work to relieve the suffering soldiers, and I
hleartily make this record to their honor.
It may be added, just here, that, on the battlefield
of Antietam-as on all battlefields-there was much
suffering and privation, aside from sickness and
wvounds, that was unavoidable.   And it may also be
addcled that every one who  enters the army, intelli    gently and thoughtfully, makes calculations to meet
with just such privations as are inseparable from mili    tary life, and he goes forth bravely to endure them,
if needs be. But it must be conceded that at Antic    tamn, through the blunders of some, the carelessness
of others, and the incompetency of many who were
invested with the sacred responsibility of seeing that
our brave men were cared for when sick or wounded,
the sufferings of our soldiers were greatly increased.
The great want was a corps of strong, humane nurses
for field and hospital-especially for the  field-to
attend to the wounded and dying.  Another want was
a greater number of skillful surgeons; both of which
necessities have been measurably removed. 
CHAPTER XI.
A GLEA H OF SUNSHINE ON A DARK SCENE-THE ELEVENTH HOUR
THE LOVED ONE REMEMBERED IN DEATH.
IN one of the art galleries of Europe there is a
most remarkable picture. It speaks less to the eye
than to the heart.  It seems to express much, but it
suggests more, and is one of those rare works of a
refined and elevated genius that seldom dazzle the
eye, but leave such impressions upon the heart as render them ever after not so much tangible realities to
be seen by the eye, as living ideas to be recognized
by the mind. They are, so to speak, painted thoughts.
They are abstract truths in outline-ideas on canvas.
The picture referred to is nothing more than a
landscape-earth  and sky.   The  background  is  a
dark, pine forest, with a dense undergrowth of briers
and alders.  In the foreground are moss-covered rocks,
with here and there tufts of fern and wild flowers.  Iu
the center, and nearly hidden by the interlacings of
the wild rose and common bramble, are two solitary
graves,  marked  by broken,  crumbling  tombstones.
The scenery all around is gloomy, weird, and wild.
Dense, black clouds float in a dark and troubled sky,
while away in the far distance the tall pines are seen
bending before the gathering storm.  But, out from
(164)
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LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    165
a rifted storm-cloud there streams down one broad,
brig,ht beam of sunshine, which, falling upon the lonely
graves in the dark wildwood, lights them up with rays
of glory. The dim outlines of a rainbow are seen fitfully glimmering against the dark shadows beyond.
The lesson of the picture is, that there is some sunshine on the darkest pathway, and rays of glory on
the most lonely graves.
This picture was realized in the barn already spoken
of; where HIooker's gallant corps fought so desperately
on the right wing. As already stated, a number of
wounded soldiers had been brought to the barn in
question, and left there without having the attendance
either of surgeon or nurse. Whlether through gross
neglect or necessity this occurred, it is not necessary
to hazard any opinion. But there they were, a helpless, sad, suffering company of noble men. Being supplied with every thing necessary, I went to work to
relieve them as much as possible; and if ever there
are times in men's history when the reflexive influence of making effort to help the needy is most salutary in all respects, then that effort was not in vain.
One poor fellow, whose sufferings were very great, was
the first who attracted my attention. As I washed off
the clotted blood, and cleansed his wounds, and arranged his lowly pallet so as to render him a little
more comfortable, his eyes filled with tears, and, with
thanks which were totally unmerited, he said it was
the first thing that had been done for him since the
surgeon of his own regiment had hastily dressed his
wounds during the heat of battle, and that he had felt
as if forsaken both by God and man. 
166   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"Thank you! 0, thank you for this!" he continued
to say.  " I feel so much easier already."
WI-hen I had finished, hle asked me earnestly what I
thought of his wounds, and whether they were dangerous. When I told him he might possibly live a day
or two, but that, humanly speaking, his recovery was
impossible, he looked disappointed. From a few remarks he made, I perceived that his thoughts were
away far off to his New England home, and that he was
yearning once more to see loved ones, and "that dearest spot on earth-home, sweet home!"  Any one
could see that a struggle was going on in that brave
heart. The great spiritual victory was, at length, attained, and the language of resignation burst firom his
lips. I conversed with him on the fatherly character
of God, and of His deep and abiding sympathy for
man.   I spoke of the peace which believers enjoy
through faith in Christ Jesus, and encouraged him to
place himself fully and freely in the hands of a gracious God. As I turned to leave him, he asked for a
drink of water, and as I raised his head, and placed
the cup to his pale lips, mortality! 0, mortality! revealed itself more painfully and sadly than I care to
tell.  Perhaps, as I write these lines, the redeemed
spirit, freed from that torn and broken tabernacle, is
drinking of the fountain of living water in the City of
God, and the battlefield and the bloody barn floor
have been exchanged for the everlasting rest and joy
and glory of that heavenly home.
"Will you please attend to me?"  said a young
man lying in another part of the barn, and Mvho was,
if possible, in a worse condition than the one previ 
LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMIY LIFE.    167
ously mentioned. I spare my own feelings, and those
of my readers, by refraining to give a minute description of the sad state in which I found this suffering
soldier. Suffice to say, that he was lying-just as he
had hastily been laid down-on a pile of wheat and
straw.  A piece of shell had torn a fearful gash in his
side, and driven a part of his clothing into the wound,
wvhich, not being removed, occasioned him great pain.
His blouse was hard and stiff with the dry, clotted
blood, while his face was besmeared with dust and
powder. Like the others around him, he had received
no attention since being brought there, and had neither
supper the night before, nor breakfast that day. And
yet there was an air of peace and happiness around
him, that measurably relieved the sad picture from its
otherwise truly dark and hopeless appearance.   By
his side lay an open pocket Bible, which, to all appearance, he had been recently reading.
"Is this your Bible?" I asked, while removing the
hardened bandages from his wounds.
"Yes, it is my Bible," he replied. "I've managed
to carry it with me ever since I left home."
"Have you found its promises to be precious to
you in this your time of suffering?"
"0, yes! very precious-very comforting to me."
" Ilave n't you been in great pain?  I would think
you couldn't read much while here in this sad state."
"The worst was at night," said he, " especially last
night —it seemed so long and so dark; but I tried to
think over all the comforting texts I had ever read,
for I could n't sleep.  0, it has been terrible here!"
I spoke a few encouraging words to him, and re 
168   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
peated some of the Savior's own blessed promises,
while bathing and bandaging the deep and, apparently,
mortal wounds, and then passed to others needing attention. During that day, and for several days afterwvard, fearful scenes of human suffering-glorious
scenes of heroic devotion-peaceful scenes of Christian triumph, hope, and joy, were brought before me;
but that one glorious picture-would that I could paint
it!-of the young patriot soldier, wounded and dying,
far from home, and suffering from hunger and thirst,
turning his dim eye to the sacred page of the Divine
Word-the gift of a pious mother-and drawing therefrom consolation and hope-O! it was the most vivid
and glorious of all! and it will ever be to me as a
sunny memory of the battlefield. Think of it! That
poor, torn, dying soldier-no one to give him a drink
of cold water in the hour of his deep distress, or wipe
the dew-drops of agony from his dust-begrimed browno one to soothe his hard pillow, or speak a word of
cheer to him in the lone midnight hour -and yet, in
his deepest anguish and loneliness, he turns to the
Fountain of Life, and drinks of the precious, priceless
waters of salvation! And, through the long, weary
night, surrounded with fellow-sufferers, in pain like
himself, he whiles away the dark and weary hours in
thinking over the precious promises of the loving
Savior! And 0, what a testimony was this to the
priceless value of God's Word! 0, it is not the dry,
severe, didactic book that many suppose it to be; but
it is a book full of warm, generous sympathies, and
cheering promises, and is the unchanging friend of
man in every condition of life! It comes to us as the 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
guide of our youth, our support and counselor amid
the busy scenes and engrossing cares of maturer
years, and our comforter and most welcome compan ion when, with wearied steps and dim eyes, we near
that land "where the wicked cease from troubling, and
the weary are at rest." And what a comfort, too, is
such an incident to praying parents! 0, ye Christian mothers, who have given your sons to the country,
and sent them forth baptized with your tears and
consecrated by your prayers, cease not your supplications in their behalf, and part not with your hopes
concerning them! The Angel of the Covenant will
have them in his holy keeping; and, although your
loving hands may not lave their burning brow, nor
moisten their parched lips in the dark hour of their
anguish, Jesus will give them to drink of that living
water of which, if a man drink, he will never thirst.
When they have fought their last battle, they may
also sleep their last sleep, far from the other graves
of your household, and you may not have the melancholy satisfaction of visiting the spot where the beloved dust reposes; but remember that the pure in
heart will meet again, and the shining shores of the
better land will reecho with the shouts of joy as redeemed friends meet each other there.
A FEW MINUTES' WARNING-IVAS IT HEEDED?
While dressing the wounds of Captain Weller-a
brave and efficient officer, mentioned in a previous
chapter as being wounded at the stone bridge-an incident occurred, which, although by no means uncom        15
169 
170    LIGIITS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
mon, will help to give an idea of the circumstances in
which a minister in the army has often to try and
preach Christ. Two men staggered into the crowded
house with a stretcher, on which was a wounded man.
Laying him on the floor gently, and adjusting a handfull of straw under his head, one of them turned to me,
and asked if I would attend to his wounded comnrade
as quickly as possible.  I immediately went to him,
and found that a musket-ball had penetrated his stomach and bowels. Indeed, he was in a dying condition.
He told me that he had been lying two days and two
nights in a cornfield before he was found; that he
had suffered greatly from hunger  and thirst; that
his wound did not pain him, and if it was dressed,
and he had something to eat, he would be better.
Taking his hand in mine, and speaking to him as
soothingly as possible, I told him he was very near
eternity, and that he had but a short time to prepare
to meet his God. He would not believe it-insisted
that he felt better, and was sure he would not die. I
plead with him to think of his position as a dying
man, and press upon his attention the solemnity of
death and judgment.  But it seems unavailing.   In
twenty minutes he breathes his last! As I look upon
his lifeless body, I think of the long, lonely hours of
suffering he has passed in the cornfield, and whether
he tried to lift up his heart to God, and whether he
had found pardon. And the answer is only a doubt.
Ah! how many souls, unwashed in the fountain of redeeming mercy-unprepared to meet God-are being
ushered into eternity! And I turn away with sad dened feelings. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    171
GOING HOME.
In one of the temporary hospitals there was a
wounded man, with whose last hours were connected
many circumstances of a peculiarly interesting and
pathetic character. My attention was first directed to
him by one of the attendants, who informed me that
he seemed to be dying. Approaching where he lay, I
asked whether he wished any thing done for him. At
first he could not answer me. It was evident he was
near his last. The perspiration stood in large drops
on his pale, massive forehead, his breathing was short
and difficult, and his sufferings were very great. At
last he was able to speak, although but in whispers,
and at intervals.
"Chaplain, I'm in great pain-O, I'm in great
pain!"
"I see you are in great pain," I replied, "and wish
it were in my power to help you. There is ONE, however, who can always help in the hour of trouble, and
who is ready now to help you. How do you feel? Do
you think you will get well?"
"Yes, I think I will."
"Would you be displeased if I should tell you that
you can live but a short time?"
"No," said he, "I would not; for if I die, I feel
that I am ready. Jesus is my Savior. I would rather
have been at home, however," he added; "for I want
to see mother before I die."
In further conversation with him, I learned that he
had, while a youth, sought an interest in the Savior,
was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
172     LIGIITS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
that he was blessed with godly parents. Toward midnlight, his sufferings increased, and he sent for me, as
he said, to speak to him again of Christ.
"I want you," said he, "just to tell me of Jesus.
I can't speak much-I'm so weak.  I can hear-tell
me, tell me of Jesus!"
In the midst of low moanings, and sharp, short
screams, I bent over him, and repeated parts of the
fourteenth chapter of Johni's Gospel, and the Twentythird Psalm. Beside that lowly pallet, in the midst of
suffering and death, the Lord was found to be "as a
little sanctuary." The gloomy scene was irradiated
with the sunlight of Christian hope and joy, and, for the
time being, the horrid scenes of war and tumult were
forgotten amid the peaceful triumphs of Christian faith.
It was noticed that he had a hair bracelet on his left
wrist, and that he was holding something in his hand,
attached to which was a small cord, which passed aroundcl
his neck. As he seemed to be anxious about this,
whatever it might be, I asked him what it was. With
great effort, he raised his hand to his face, and looked
at something, with a long, yearning look; it was a
small gold locket. Closing it tightly in his hand, he
whispered:
"This bracelet is a lock of my lady-love's hair."
"Would you want it and the locket taken off and
sent home?"
"No, I want to be buried with them."
The last request he made was, "I wish you to see
that this bracelet is not taken off my arm."
I watched by him as he neared the shores of eter nity, and it seemed as if his joys were momentarily 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    173
increased.  "I'm  going home  to heaven- yes, to
heaven!" were the last words I could hear distinctly.
In a few minutes, he peacefully fell asleep in Jesus.
0, blessed religion! precious in youth and old age;
precious in health and in sickness; precious amid the
endearments of "home, sweet home,"  and precious
when neither wife nor mother is near to assist or comfort the lone sufferer!  Precious in the "house of the
Lord," among "brethren dearly beloved and longed
for," and precious on the battlefield, amid bloodshed
and death! 0, Savior! bless the reader of this, whoever he may be, and grant that he may enjoy thy
blessed presence here, and enter into thy glory hereafter. 
CHlAPTER XII.
DIVINE SERVICES ON THE FIELD-WIIAT DOES RELIGION DO FOR THE
SOLDIER IN BATTLE?
WHERE SHALL WE WORSHIP?
"OUR fathers worshiped in this mountain, and ye
say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to
worship," were the words which the woman of Samaria
addressed to the blessed Savior, as, wearied with his
journey northward to Galilee, he sat resting at the
well of Jacob. Defective religion has always more to
do with the outward form than the inner feeling, and
the place and surroundings of religious service are
more anxiously attended to than the worship itself.
Such was the case with the Samaritan woman. Perceiving, from the Stranger's heart-searching questions,
that he was a divine teacher, she was more anxious to
be assured that Mount Gerizim was as good a place as
Mount Zion in which to worship God, than to have her
own heart searched, or her sins reproved by Divine
Truth. Genuine religion is more intent on having the
heart right, than in having the body in any prescribed
devotional position.  And it can find an altar or a temple     in every valley and on every hill-side.  "The hour
cometh, and now is,when the true worshipers shall wor       (174) 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father
seeketh such to worship him."
Such was the answer which Christ gave to the woman
of Samaria; and it not only sets forth the spirit and
object of Divine worship, but it also teaches the truly
spiritual and simple character of our holy religion.
No magnificent cathedral, with groined arches and
stained windows, is necessary to constitute a place of
worship; neither are sacerdotal vestments and floating
incense and responsive choirs indispensable aids or
accompaniments to the sublimely simple and spiritual
services which the infinite Father requires of his
children. Jacob found a Bethel, the house of God, in
the lonely wilderness, as he journeyed toward Padan
Aram, and he found it again as he wrestled all night
with the Angel of the Covenant at the fords of Jabbok.
Elijah, the heroic reformer of Israel in troublous
times, found a house of prayer on the top of Carmel,
and a peculiarly glorious sanctuary on the wild and
rocky sides of Horeb, while "the still small voice"
soothed his chafed and wearied spirit, and revived his
failing courage.  And on the Christian Sabbath, in
later times, "that disciple whom Jesus loved" worshiped with angels and the spirits of just meni made
perfect, even though banished from "brethren dearly
beloved and longed for;" and, while the waves of old
ocean were dashing around his rocky prison, he w,is
permitted to look down the long vista of futurity and
see the consummation of all things. Paul and Silas
had a more glorious meeting in the dark Ephesian
dungeon, than was ever held amid the gaudy tinselry
and pretentious devotions of the grandest cathedral
175 
176    LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMAIY LIFE.
ever built; and in the gloomy days of persecution,
many of those who
"Lived unknown
'Till persecution dragged them into fame,
And chased them up to Heaven-"
found a sanctuary in many a lonely glen and gloomy
cave, while their hearts were filled with rejoicing and
praise because of the presence of the Lord.
And so has it been in the army. The question has
been oftentimes, not Where shall we worship, but When
shall we worship? It is one great blessing connected
with our army, that, during the war, wherever there has
been a genuine desire to engage in religious services,
the opportunity to do so has usually been afforded;
and not only so, but services in camp are often of a
peculiarly impressive and interesting character-not
only from the fact that they are associated with many
things of an exciting and novel nature, but, divested
of all stiff, starched formality, they are frequently
seasons of spontaneous outbursts of genuine religious
emotions. The Sabbath after the battle of Antietam
was a day of rest for both the body and the soul. The
circumstances in which the army had been placed during the past week, as well as the events which had
transpired, were all conducive to make this day sacred
and impressive. The troops had been in several heavy
skirmishes, and in at least two, if not three, pitched
battles during the previous week or ten days. Many a
soldier had been called to his final account during that
time, and very hard must that heart have been that felt
no emotion of gratitude for deliverance in the hour of
peril. 
LIIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    177
Early in the day, Colonel Andrews, of the Thirtysixth Ohio, came to the camp of the Eleventh, and
suggested that the two regiments unite in religious
services, seeing there was but one chaplain in the entire brigade. His proposition was gladly accepted, so
that the two regiments, and, indeed, portions of the
whole brigade, united in the sacred services. The
"Church-call"  was  made  at ten  o'clock, repeated
again in fifteen minutes, and we met on the two slopes
overlooking a small ravine close by the Antietam
Creek. But four days ago the fierce storm of battle
had raged furiously on this very portion of the field,
and death and destruction had held high carnival here;
but now the song of praise was heard instead of the
rush and roar of battle, and a Sabbath's calm and
peace followed the fierce tempest of war. And, judging from the interest manifested, and the order and
decorum everywhere visible, the services were appreciated by all. Indeed, throughout the entire camp the
quietude and good order were very marked. It might
be added here, that, while encamped on the Antietam,
and latterly on the Potomac, there seemed to be a very
general religious interest in the army. On every Sabbath, and two or three times during the week, there
were religious services held in the Kanawha division,
and the attendance at every meeting was quite large.
TIE PHILOSOPHIIY OF CALMNESS IN THE HOUR OF
BATTLE.
One evening, shortly after the Antietam battle, a
little informal meeting was held in the chaplain's tent, 
178    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE
when the question of calmnness and presence of mind
during battle was incidentally introduced. Nearly all
present made reference to their experiences during the
battles of the previous week. One spoke as follows:
"Immediately before going into action, I felt excited
and fearful. I could not get away to any secret place
to pray or meditate, but, as I stood in ranks, I lifted
up my heart in prayer to God, and it seemed as if I
never enjoyed such a clear and refreshing sense of my
Savior's presence. I committed my all to him, and
asked that, whether I lived or died, I might be his
true follower. I felt to consecrate myself again to his
service, and, in so doing, I felt an indescribable peace
and satisfaction fill my heart. During the few minutes thus engaged," he continued, "I enjoyed more
happiness, and a clearer conviction of my acceptance
with God, than I ever did before. MIy fear and trembling disappeared, and I felt calm throughout the entire
day."
It might just be added here, that this Christian
brother was not only calm and peaceful, but was truly
brave in the hour of peril. At one time, when there
was not a commissioned officer to take command of
the company, and that, too, at a time when the battle
was hottest and the carnage most fearful, hlie took command of his comrades, rallied them for another charge,
and led them onward, till relieved by a superior officer.
It is said-with how much truth there is not the
means of knowing-that, during the Crimean war,
strong suggestions, amounting almost to positive orders, were made by general officers in the English
army, that the chaplains, when conducting religious 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    179
services, should, as much as possible, refrain from introducing the subject of Death, as such a subject
might have the teindency to induce a fearful, despondent, and even cowardly spirit!  Blind leaders!  Their
suggestions were as irreligious as they were unphilosophical. No man can be as brave without the consciousness of God's favor as he would be with it. Who
can afford to be so brave as he who hath placed his all
in the hands of God, and feels prepared either to live
or die?  He who has made his peace with God can
afford to dare and do noble deeds of heroism, for "he
endures as seeing Him who is invisible." And the
bravest unconverted man that ever lived could have
been braver still if he had possessed the blessed consciousness that, "whether he lived or died, he was the
Lord's."  Nothing strengthens a man in the hour of
deadly peril, and nerves both heart and hand, like a
firm faith in God. In every walk of life is this true.
The wife and mother, in the privacy of the domestic
circle, engaged in her holy ministry of love, is all the
more happy in her own soul, and all the more successful in her blessed work, if she have the consciousness
of the favor and presence of her God. The man of
business, who, necessarily, has to come in contact with
the sharp angles and the unpleasant phases of human
nature, can have a clearer intellect and a stronger
heart, if he has consecrated himself and his business
to the glory of God. The general who commands the
armies of a nation, and the private in the ranks, can
be all the braver in the hour of peril if they have experienced the love of God shed abroad in their hearts
by the Holy Ghost. The most cowardly man I ever 
180   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
saw, while connected with the army, was a great, robust, two-fisted fellow, who, from his physical proportions, ought to have been a Hercules for strength and
a Hannibal for bravery. On a certain battlefield,
where his pluck was tested, I had serious doubts
whether he had nerve enough to pull trigger even
once. He certainly had not enough life left in his
one hundred and eighty pounds of physical substance
to gasp out an incoherent assertion that he was too
sick to stop and help me lift a comrade whose leg had
been shattered by a cannon-ball! If he did n't go at
a two-forty pace to the rear, it wasn't because he
didn't try!  He neither feared God  nor regarded
man-except just at that time, perhaps! 
CHAPTER XIII.
MOVING WEST-A TERRIBLE MARCH-SUFFERING OF THE'TROOPS           USE OF ARDENT SPIRITS IN THE ARMY.
AFTER the withdrawal of the larger portion of the
troops from the Kanawha Valley to reinforce McClellan's army, the rebels sent large forces into the valley,
which drove the small body of Union troops there to
near the Ohio River, and destroyed large quantities
of Government property at Gauley Bridge. They had,
also, been running the salt-works, near Charleston, for
some time, and otherwise securing needed supplies for
their larger armies, which they transported by way of
Fayetteville to the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.
General Cox had been ordered back to the Kanawha,
or rather to the Ohio, to take command of a new department, which embraced Western Virginia. At his
own urgent request, he was to have his old and welltried Ohio veterans with him.
The division under command of General Crook
broke camp, on the Potomac, near Sharpsburg, about
nine o'clock, and, passing through Sharpsburg, took up
the line of march toward Hagerstown. The day was
excessively hot-unusually so, considering the lateness
of the season. The little air that stirred seemed to
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1 82    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
come from the mouth of a furnace, while the hard
limestone turnpike was covered with hot dust, which,
being kept in constant motion by thousands of feet,
and by the artillery and wagon-trains, induced a burning thirst, which water, seemingly, could not quench.
There had been considerable sickness in the army
wvhile camped on the Antietam and Potomac, consequently the men were not in the best condition for a
fatiguing march.   They were all suffering, more or
less, from the noxious exhalations of the contiguous
battlefield, not to speak of scarcely less deleterious
agencies caused by insufficiently policed camps. Taking the whole circumstances into consideration, it was
the most fearful march that any of the regiments composing the division ever made-and they all knew,
from experience, what  forced marches were.   The
burning sun, the hot, stifling dust, the scarcity of
-water, the defective arrangements for the relief of the
sick, the wretched order of march for the ambulances,
the debilitated condition of many of the men, to all of
wvhich was added an unnecessarily rapid rate of march,
with only brief halts, and those at long intervals,
made this march from the mouth of the Antietam to
Hiagerstown one of intense suffering.
If it had been the design to save Ilagerstown
from imminent peril at the hands of rebels, it would
have been scarcely possible to have made much more
of a forced march. By noon, there were hundreds
out of ranks.  In fence-corners, under trees, on logs
or stones, all along the roadside, soldiers were lying
utterly exhausted, and so completely broken down that
many of them seemed careless either about life or 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
death!  And these were no stragglers or shirks-as
almost every regiment has, more or less-but they
were men who would scorn to fall out of ranks-men
wvho never before sank down on the march, and never
asked to be excused from duty or to be assisted in
any way.   Company officers, who had neither gun,
cartridge-box, nor knapsack to carry, only as they
might manfully help some  exhausted private, even
they, many of them, had to succumb to the terrible
ordeal, and sink down, weak and fainting, by the wayside. Scarcely one-half of the distance had been traversed, when two men fell down, never to rise again.
One died instantly; the other in a few hours. Yet,
on and on pressed the dispirited, exhausted column,
through the blinding, stifling dust, that burned and
blistered the feet and filled the eyes and throat, producing a painful, burning thirst.
It has been said that, on entering the army, chaplains have generally lost what little religion they ever
had.   The author frankly acknowledges  that if all
anger is sin, then he sinned woefully that day, for he
was both sorrowful and angry-yes, may as well confess it-right down angry!  Good, efficient, energetic
Dr. Gabriel had gone home, on account of his own
failing health. Dr. Gill-a soldier, every inch of him,
and good as he was brave-had been trnsferred to another regiment, and their places had been supplied
with- with-the boys said, "Checking Powders "which means, being interpreted, inefficiency and heartless indifference!   Noble mnen, who, in all that pertais to true manhood, as well as in talents and accomiplishments, were infinitely superior to some of
183 
184      LIGHITS AND  SHIADOWS OF ARMY  LIFE.
those who were paid to care for them, were rudely
and shamelessly insulted and neglected on that terrible day, because they sank down utterly exhausted.
They asked for help, and received, instead, a bitter
taunt, that burned into their very soul. There are
times when a man may have patience under wrong
and insult; but, assuredly, it is not always when his
back is to the wall, and when his very helplessness
should secure to him better treatment at the hands'of
his fellows. It is not, therefore, a very marked indication of exalted piety to stand quietly by and see the
good and brave wronged because they are incapable
of helping themselves. The man would not only be
less a man, but less a Christian, could he have seen
some of the scenes of that march, and had no throbbing' heart and no flashing eye.
There was one genuine outburst of good, healthy
indignation. With the exception of some decidedly
bad grammar, it was both refreshing and edifying. A
soldier was lying in a fence-corner exhausted-thought
to be dying.
"Shorty "-beg  pardon, Mr. Shaw-" Shorty," a
bristling, bustling, humane-hearted but rough old seadog, was there, too, blazing with wrath, and he was
putting in all the exclamation points  and  all the
three-cornered adjectives he could think of, in spite
of staff-buttons and shoulder-straps, that speedily
knocked an M. D. beside him into a cocked hat!
But, finally, that march came to an end. About
five o'clock in the afternoon the column filed off to
the right into some gently-sloping fields, near HIagerstown, where arms were stacked and camp-fires were 
LIGHTS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
soon blazing. It is said-whether as a veritable fact,
or as a bit of biting sarcasm, can not now be decidedthat, on reaching camp, General Scammon, who had
been in the advance, inquired of the cavalry, with
evident solicitude, how  their horses  had stood  the
rnarh!
The General had better make special arrangements,
in his last will and testament, for masses to be said
for his soul perpetually, for assuredly he will never
get out of purgatory, if soldiers' prayers avail any
thing.
Next morning reveille' beat at an early hour, and,
shortly after dawn, the column was again on the march.
Lessons had been gained by the experience of the
previous day. General Crook was in the advance,
and the march was conducted with great care and
regularity.  Early in the evening, the division  encamped in or near a strip of woods on the National
Road, and about three miles west of Clear Springs.
The sick-and there were many of them-were well
cared for by the loyal citizens of that town and vicinity, a number of whom came to where the ambulances
with the sick were parked, bringing with them many
comforts and delicacies.
Next morning, the 10th of October, the column was
in motion by three o'clock. At about half-past ten,
shortly after passing the picket-post of a Pennsylvania regiment guarding one of the fords of the
Potomac, the column was suddenly halted, and word
passed from one to another that the rebels were in
our rear, had cut our wagon-train in two, capturing
the greater part of it, and were working mischief
16
185 
186    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
generally. The cavalry went thundering back, followed  by  one  or  two  pieces  of artillery.   The
Twenty-eighth followed on the double-quick.  Half
an hour had scarcely elapsed till the entire supplytrain was safely within reach, and sent to the front,
instead of being kept in the rear. The rebels had no
intention of making any special demonstration just
then or there, designing to go further, and meet with
as little resistance as possible. The rebel column was
commanded by Stuart, who made his somewhat noted
raid clear round the Army of the Potomac. The
division encamped that night on the south side of the
Potomac River, opposite Hancock, the intention being
to transport the troops from that point to Clarksburg
by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Here the troops
remained until the evening of Monday, the 13th, when
the entire division left for Clarksburg, which point was
reached on the morning of the 16th.
The destination of part of the division was the
Kanawha Valley, the design being to strike a point at
or near Gauley Bridge, so as to cooperate with another
force moving up from the Ohio, and intercept the
rebels in their retreat either up the Gauley toward
Greenbrier, or by New River toward Raleigh and
Princeton. Whether some grand strategic combination was going on elsewhere, or whether the military authorities, McClellan to-wit, thought the rebel
force in the Kanawha too insignificant for any special
effort to be made for its capture or destruction, it
would not be easy to say. One thing, however, is certain, that the intercepting column was detained so long
at Hancock and elsewhere, that the rebels were duly 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
notified of the trap laid, and, of course, leisurely withdrew from the valley, taking their plunder with them.
While lying at Clarksburg, two new companiesE and I-arrived, under the command of Captains
Brown and Staley, respectively. It was at this point,
also, that Colonel P. P. Lane, promoted from Captain
of Company K, assumed command of the regiment,
which, since the death of the lamented Coleman, had
been under the command of Major Jackson. At this
time, also, Major Jackson resigned, and bade farewell
to the regiment and to the army. By a kindly disposition and gentlemanly deportment, as well as his
tried bravery, he had gained for himself very general
respect and good-will.
WANT OF SUPPLIES-BLAME SOMEWHERE.
It is by no means traveling out of the way, nor is it
with the design of finding fault with any one in particular, when reference is made, just at this point, to
the condition of the troops sent back into Western
Virginia, and, indeed, in the Eastern armny generally,
after the campaign on the Potomac in the summer
and autumn of 1862.  Who was to blame it would be
assuming too much to say. That some one was at
fault somewhere could hardly be denied. Never since
that time has there been such wretched management in
the Commissary and Quarter-master's departments as
then existed. Had there been a well-planned and
settled purpose on the part of some high military officials to produce discontent and discouragement in
the army, and cause revulsion of feeling toward the
187 
188   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Government, scarcely more could have been done to
accomplish such results. As if purely intentionalfor it was not necessary in any sense-the troops had
not been supplied with clothing. Many of the men were
without blouses; large numbers without shoes, socks,
or caps, while shirts and drawers were almost an exception. This lack of clothing was rendered all the
more disheartening and exasperating from the want of
woolen and rubber blankets, and the entire absence of
tents, save those which individual ingenuity or good
fortune supplied. To all of this, it may be added that
we were now amid the bleak, dreary mountains of
Western Virginia, with the cold winds and rains of
November beating upon us. Efforts were made to
attach blame upon officials at Washington, while some
army correspondents, seizing the clue given by others,
wrote flaming philippics against the Government. For,
neglecting to care for the heroes of the nation, to defend himself from the severe criticisms of every loyal
journal in the land, General McClellan had officially
to complain of the want of supplies. But General
MIeigs set this at rest when he telegraphed to McClellan, "The railroads are now embarrassed to supply you, and supplies here wait for the return of
cars detained while loaded near your position."
Post quarter-masters, who had under their control
immense quantities of supplies, could not issue to
brigade or regimental quarter-masters, because they
had no orders so to do. And thus, while stacks of
clothing and thousands of tents were within easy reach,
the men, who had endured the perils and privations of a
heavy campaign, were shivering around the camp-fires
I 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
by night, and during the day felt that their manhood
was insulted and humiliated by insufficient clothing.
If curses were not loud, they were deep enough and
bitter enough, truly.
It was under such circumstances that, in November,
the Kanawha division took up its line of march for
points on the Gauley and Kanawha Rivers, in Western Virginia. Already the bleak hills of that wild
country were swept by the cold autumn winds and
rains. The various regiments had traversed but half
the distance, when a fierce storm of sleet swept down
upon them, already wet and shivering with the cold
rains that had prevailed for several days. One night,
while the sleet and rain was driving in fitful gusts, the
men shivering in the cold, the wood too wet to make
warm  camp-fires, no shelter to be found but under
trees, and scarcely any prospect for getting hot coffee,
as the fires would not burn, fears were entertained
that some of the men would perish. Orders were accordingly issued, at the instance of the medical director, for a small quantity of whisky to be given to
each man.
I make this statement here and now, because friends
at home have frequently asked whether ardent spirits
were not issued to the troops, especially when going
into battle-a thing I never knew or heard of being
donze.
189 
CHAPTER XIV.
EXPEDITION TO COLD KNOBC-REBELS CAUGHT NAPPING-HEROIC EN            DURANCE OF THE UNION SOLDIERS.
SIAIPLY as a record of heroic endurance and bravery,
as well as to show what sacrifices the soldier makes for
his country, the following narrative is-here given.
Scarcely had the Kanawha troops been stationed at
the various points thought necessary, when orders
came to the Eleventh, at Summerville, for an expedition into Greenbrier County.
A rebel cavalry force was reported as stationed
near Cold Knob, on the turnpike north of Lewisburg,
and the design of the expedition was to capture or
break up that force.   The Eleventh was to support
the Second Virginia Cavalry, which was to move from
Camp Piatt by a different road-a junction of the
forces being to take place at a designated point. The
cavalry force was five hundred strong, and under the
command of Colonel Paxton.
The Eleventh left Summerville on the 24th of November, moving south toward Lewisburg. On reaching the Gauley River, it seemed as if an effectual barrier was placed right in the teeth of the expedition;
for the clear, cold waters of that mountain-fed river
were dashing over their rocky channel, swollen by
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LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    191
the late rains.  Colonel Lane asked no mnan to do what
he thought dangerous to attempt himself, and he was
the first to test both the depth of the river and the
strength of the current, and find the safest fording
place.  In thus plunging into the cold, swollen stream,
however, in his effort to secure, by his own personal
exa-mination, the best and safest crossing place, he
came very near losing his life. The incident was significant, and had a good effect upon all; for it exemplified, by an apparently trifling circumstance, the interest taken in their welfare by their lately-appointed
commander.   After some little delay, the regiment
crossed the river safely, and, leaving the road to the
ri,ghlt, took a mountain path known only to the hunters
of that wild and desolate region.  Captain Ramsey,
an old hunter, and familiar with every road and path,
acted as guide.
Before noon, a cold rain began to fall, which, toward
evening, turned into a driving storm of sleet and snow,
which continued, without cessation, for thirty-six hours.
The regiment marched seventeen miles the first day,
notwithstanding the rough, hilly, broken paths and the
inclement weather.  The men were in light marching
order-very few were supplied.with overcoats, each
man had but one blanket, and there were no tents.  It
was under such circumstances that, after a toilsome
march, the men, wet and shivering with cold, prepared
to bivouac on the mountains.  The second day's march
was through snow from six to twelve inches deep;
and the snow still continuing to fall and partially melt,
rendered the mountain path-at the best, rough and
rugged-one of the worst imaginable. At times over 
192   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
rough bowlders, then plunging through slush, anon
winding round fallen timber and through brush, with
the blinding snow-storm  beating in their faces, onward the column pressed. Several miles had to be
traversed in this manner after darkness had set in. It
was also necessary to march in single file, and what
with the dense forest and the blinding, driving snow, it
was so dark that it was impossible to see further than
a few feet. Under these circumstances, orders were
given for each man to place his hand on his fileleader, so as to keep the column from being broken.
Thus, in pitchy darkness, through a dense forest on
a wild mountain pass, and the sleet and snow driving
and eddying above and around them, the men wearily,
but uncomplainingly, pressed forward.  With all the
care and precaution used to keep the file from being
broken, and to prevent accidents during the pitchy
darkness that settled down, an accident did occur.
One of the men happened to make a misstep, and fell
over a precipice. His comrades stopped to assist him
out of his perilous position. This being unknown at
the head of the column, the chain-so to speak-was
broken, the regiment cut in two, and the rear left
without a guide. Colonel Lane, who was at the head
of the column, knew nothing of what had occurred
until his attention was arrested by a loud halloo from
the rear, repeated at short intervals, indicating some
one in distress. He immediately halted the column,
sent the guide to the rear to learn the difficulty, as he
was the only one who could find the way back. He
found the lost party, made the connection of the line
again, and the column moved forward. The regiment 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
was ordered to make a certain point by the second
day, so as to connect with the cavalrv force, which
w-as moving by another and more circuitous route the line pursued by the infantry not being practicable
for cavalry.  The point indicated  was reached  at
about nine o'clock on the evening of the second day.
By this time the cold had increased greatly, and the
driving sleet and snow had given place to a severe
frost. The men were wet to the skin, and, weary
with the day's fatiguing march, they stood shivering
in the piercing blast that swept down the mountain
gorges. It was desirable to keep the movements concealed from the enemy; hence large fires must be
avoided, as they would necessarily attract the notice
of pickets, and, no doubt, reveal the whole plan.
And, even had it been desirable to make fires, there
was nothing to be had but green wood, and there were
no axes, even, to cut with, except the hatchets which
the men carried in their belts. It was so dark, also,
that the men had to go by the sense of feeling rather
than by sight.  Small fires were finally kindled, however, and the men, scooping away the snow, wrapped
their blankets around them-wet as they were-and
laid down to sleep. Not all! Ah, no>! All can not
sleep.  The  guards-those  never-failing attendants
of an army-must be posted, whatever may be the
circumstances, and faithful watch be kept while comrades are sunk in repose. No matter how long and
weary the march may have been, nor how keenly the
sleet-laden blast may have driven into his face, nor
how cold and hungry he may be, the sentinel must
remain at his post, and peer watchfully and anxiously
17
193 
194    LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
into the dim and dark distance, while with a firm
grasp of his musket, loaded and capped, he faithfully
keeps watch while his wearied comrades are sleeping.
That was a long, cold, dreary night; tut morning
came at last. Shaking off the snow, as they arose
from their Arctic-like beds, the men came forth like
half-buried ghosts. A cup of coffee, and some of the
inevitable hard-tack and pork, got up without loss of
time and with precious little ceremony, had an enlivening and cheering effect, and neither few nor pointless were the waggish remarks bandied about, relative
to sleeping comfortably-whether  the sheets  were
clean, and whether thorough ventilation was not very
necessary to health-and whether any one did n't want
to be helped to a slice of turkey, or to a dish of delicious ice-cream. The larger majority, however, could
not see where either the joke or the laugh came in.
Like the minister who, on being told by one of his
deacons that he ought to live more on faith, and not
be so anxious about his salary, replied that he did live
on faith, but that he wanted it pretty well mixed with
beef and bread-so these men, shivering in the cold
while munching their hard-tack and salt pork, felt that
it was all very well, perhaps, to those who had a relish
for such a primitive, romantic style of living, but, as
for them-well, they "couldn't see it!"
As early as possible, the line was advanced a short
distance nearer the road on which the cavalry were to
come; but hour after hour wore away, and still they
came not. So intensely cold had it become, that the
men's clothing was freezing on them, and their inac tivity, under such circumstances, was having the usual 
LIGHITS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    195
effect.  Many of them were rapidly falling into a dozy,
stupefied state. In fact, they were freezing. Colonel
Lane gave orders for them to be formed into squads,
and marched round a circle on the double-quick.   So
benumbed and stupefied were some of them with cold,
that it required force to get them into motion; and
two or three had so far yielded to the drowsiness
and indifference-the sure precursors of freezing to
death-that their comrades had to lay hold on them,
and shake and drag and dance them round and round.
Had such a plan not been adopted and rigidly enforced by all the officers, some would, doubtless, have
frozen to death. As it was, several were severely
frost-bitten, and suffered for some months in consequence. Colonel Lane personally examined the arms,
to see what condition they were in, and found nearly
all of them more or less unserviceable. The riflebarrels were found full of ice and snow-the rammers
frozen tight in their sockets,  and the ammunition
nearly all damp. This was rather a critical condition
to be in. Orders were instantly given for all who
could draw their loads to do so, and every preparation was made, which experience and the exigency of
the circumstances could suggest, to meet the enemy,
should they appear.
About noon the cavalry arrived; but nearly onethird of their horses had given out, and the remainder
were nearly useless for any very active, dashing
service. Colonel Paxton, in command of the cavalry,
declared that the expedition, as such, was a failure,
and that he would withdraw his command from that
point, as it was useless to go further with his horses 
't196    LIGHTS AND SIHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
in their present broken-down condition.  Ile, being
the ranking officer, ordered Colonel Lane to return
wilth his command to Summerville,  stating, at the
same time, that he would return by the same road he
came. Thus, after all the toil, exposure, and privations endured, the expedition was about to be abandoned when within a few miles of where the enemy's
camp was supposed to be, and even before finding out
whether the enemy  were  there or not.  But for
Colonel Lane and Major Powell-now a brigadiergeneral in Sheridan's  army-the  expedition would
thus have been given up. These officers urged that
a reconnoissance at least be made, if nothing more.
Miajor Powell asked permission to take the cavalry to
the enemy's camp, some five miles distant, to see
whether the enemy were there, and in what force.
Leave was granted, and preparations were made
accordingly. Major Powell asked the cooperation of
Colonel Lane, with his infantry force, which was gladly
acceded to. The plan adopted was for the infantry
to precede the cavalry and drive in the enemy's pickets, and then, opening right and left, the cavalry were
to dash in and take the camp by surprise.  This plan
was put into operation, and worked to a charm. The
infantry had proceeded about three miles, when a
party of rebel cavalry was met coming up the mountain road to go on picket. The storm had been so
severe for several days, that they had concluded the
Yankees, instead of causing any trouble, would very
gladly stay at home. Consequently they had allowed
their outer pickets on the mountain to be withdrawn,
and the movements of the Union troops were scarcely 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    197
known till they were thundering and clattering right
among them. The infantry advance-guard had a brisk
skirmish with the inner line of pickets, but the latter,
getting sight of the head of the advancing column of
infantry, and, concluding there was too much for
them, retreated slowly, and rode back toward their
camp.  As  soon as the firing had commenced, the
cavalry, with Major Powell at their head, advanced to
the front, overtook the retreating pickets, who scattered into the brush, and, without opposition, dashed
into the rebel camp, and captured two hundred prisoners, with their horses and equipments, and about
five hundred stand of small arms. They also burned
their camp, with a large quantity of supplies.
The plan of attack was as novel as it was successful. The idea of infantry preceding cavalry is by
no means according to military tactics, as laid down
in the books, and yet here was a practical and successful illustration of the fact that, in military as well
as in other departments of science, the books do not
contain the finality either of theory or practice. The
infantry preceding the cavalry-the cavalry being
concealed-the rebel scouts or pickets, themselves
mounted, were, consequently, in no haste to give the
alarm, never dreaming of a cavalry force being so
near them. They thought, of course, as they slowly
fell back to their camp, that they could arrive in
sufficient time to give the alarm, and have every thing
in readiness before the infantry could reach them.
As it was, the pickets, upon whom the safety of the
camp depended, were scattered everywhere, long before they could give any sufficient alarm, and the ad 
198    LIGHIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
lancing column dashed in right among them, with the
results already stated.
Colonel Lane and others declared it to be one of
the neatest little affairs of the kind ever seen, and
they voted Major Powell one of the most dashing
and adroit of cavalry officers, and attributed the success of the expedition almost entirely to him.   His
promotion to a star, and to an important command
under the brave, dashing Sheridan, shows how he has
fought his way up, and how his services have been
appreciated.
It may just be added that the Eleventh returned to
Summerville by the same route by which it came,
arriving there on the evening of the fifth day. 
CHAPTER XV.
REGIMENTAL LIBRARY-RELIGIOUITS MEETINGS-HOW SOLDIERS PRAY        THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN-A THRILLING SCENE.
"Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air;
His watchword at the gates of death,
He enters heaven by prayer.
Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
Returning from his ways;
While angels in their songs rejoice,
And say,' Behold, he prays!' "
WHILE  in winter-quarters  at Summerville,  time
passed, on the whole, quite pleasantly; and perhaps it
might be said that, considering all the circumstances,
it passed not altogether unprofitably. Through the
instrumentality of the Christian Commission-that
blessed institution which has done, and is still doing,
so much for the soldiers in the field, as well as by the
kindness of friends generally, among whom may be
named Rev. E. Babb, editor of the Christian Heralcd,
Cincinnati-our little regimental library, the nucleus
of which had been formed by Rev. Mr. Dubois, while
chaplain of the regiment for a few months, in 1861,
was greatly enlarged. During a trip to Ohio, on official business, opportunities were given me to secure
large quantities of reading matter, so that, in addition
(199) 
200    LIGHTS AND SIADOWVS OF APRMIY LIFE.
to a full supply of Testanents, hymin-boolks, and tracts,
we had not less than four hundred volumes in our regimental library. An old but quite comfortable little
hlouse was set apart for the chaplain's quarters-one
end ibeig used as a library-room, the other for quarters proper and for prayer-meetings.  After the quarters for the men had been fitted up, a dismantled
church was repaired and made quite comfortable for
meetings.  For several weeks, religious services were
held nearly every night.  A  writing-school was organized, a Bible-class formed, and, twice a week, lectures on temperance, philosophy, history, etc., were
delivered.  Some  of the  most interesting  and encouraging meetings, perhaps, ever held, under such
circumstances, were held here, and impressions were
made which will never be effaced.
True, as a regiment, we were in a very exposed
situation, and the utmost vigilance had to be maintainedl at all times.  We  were some thirty-five miles
firom the nearest reinforcements, and did not know
the moment when an attack might be made; yet
Providence favored us, and, both in regard to moral
and material privileges, we were abundantly blessed.
And, while these lines are penned, the little, dilapidated house, which was so frequently the scene of
richest spiritual enjoyment and social comfort, seems
to rise before me. A few of those who came to the
services there, and  whose voices were often heard
in prayer, or in the song of praise, and whose
Christian fellowship was so highly prized, now sleep
their last sleep. Men who had fought bravely onr
bloody fields, and faced death at the cannon's mouth, 
LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    201
often met together there, and shed tears of holy joy
while pouriig out their heart's desires at a throne of
grace, or singing those hymns which, for ages, have been
as the songs of holy joy and the shouts of triumnph
in the Church of God. How tender and pathetic were
the prayers which often went up in behalf of dear
wife andl children, who, at home, might be feeling
lonely and sad!   iow earnest were the petitions that
the everlasting arms might be around them, and that
the sheltering wvings of Divine love might be over them,
and that, if a reunion of the loved and loving at the
domestic hearth should never take place on earth,
they might all meet in the Father's house on high!
How frequently, too, were the dear names of mother
and father breathed! and how often-forgetful of all
but himself and his own heart's longings-did the individual, engaging in prayer, beseech God to bless
" ny wife" or "my children;" and, in some instances,
a full-hearted son would, in affectionate simplicity,
speak of "ny father" or " my mother! "  What an absence of all formality, and what a full, free, outgushing
of the heart's holiest sympathies and tenderest emotions were at those meetings! And how fervent, too,
were the petitions for an outpouring of God's Spirit
on the regiment, that a great and glorious work of
saving grace might be experienced-souls saved and
God glorified! 0, those were precious seasons of
social and religious enjoyment-seasons of rich coumfort, to be renmembered as long as life shall last! 
202    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN.
On a dark, stormy evening, a scene transpired in my
quarters which, for deep interest and touching pathos,
I have seldom seen surpassed. As a fitting introduction to this picture of mingled "lights and shadows,"
the following note is here introduced:
DEAR CHAPLAII:  While listening to you, last evening, delivering your sermon on the subject "Remember Lot's wife," I
was, as I have often been of late, thrown into serious meditation. I viewed myself thoroughly, and was surprised that,
having held the position I once did, and enjoyed what I once
enjoyed, and then being what I now am, I was allowed to live.
I am lost, forever lost! I know that God is ever ready to forgive even the greatest sinner, but for me there is no redemption.
When but twelve years of age, I gave my heart to God. For
more than twelve years I lived a Christian life. I served God,
because I loved his service, and was happy. I received license
to preach, and, for over a year, engaged in the work of the ministry, and was blessed. To-day, where am I, and what am I?
My very frame shakes at the thought!
I know that I have fallen, and that I am responsible; for
every man must answer for the sins he commits. I should like,
some time, during a private interview, to reveal all to you.  My
history is without a precedent, and is an example for others to
take warning by..
I am, with respect, yours, &c.,.
On reading the above, I immediately penned the following note:
MvY DEAR BROTHER: Do n't give up to despair, nor limit the
mercy and grace of God. The very fact that you feel as you
do, is a proof that there is salvation for you.   The Divine
Spirit alone can or does bring a sinner to consider his ways,
and to remember from whence he has fallen; and the Spirit 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
does this to bring the sinner to Christ. If there were no salvation for you, or if, as you say, you were lost, those feelings
of sorrow would not be in your heart. The Lord is dealing
with you in mercy. Think over those precious texts of Scripture which have comforted and sustained you in other and
brighter days. Get leave of absence for an hour to-night, after
roll-call. I will be alone, and will gladly see you. I sympathize deeply with you, and am interested in you; but, better
than all, the blessed Savior sympathizes with you, and is infinitely interested in your eternal welfare. May you be enabled
to rest your troubled soul upon the all-sufficient Savior I
A few minutes after the drums beat "tattoo," the
young man came to my quarters. He was the very
picture of sorrow.   I spoke kindly and soothingly
to him, and tried to get his attention fixed upon one
or two points; namely, the infinite value of Christ's
atoning sacrifice, and the fatherly character of God.
He told me how he had fallen.  His mother, long since
gone to glory, had led his infant mind to the Savior,
and, by her holy example and prayerful teaching, had
impressed on his heart lessons of love and faith. In
early youth, he had made a public profession of faith
in Christ, and for twelve years had enjoyed that peace
and happiness which can only be found by walking
with God. One deeply cherished desire had taken full
possession of his heart, and had only been intensified
as time passed on.   That desire was to preach the
Gospel of Christ to his fellow-men. He prepared for
the ministry, was licensed to preach, and became a
candidate for ordination. While pursuing his Christian and ministerial course, he imprudently, as some
of the fathers in Israel thought, made proposals of
marriage to a gay young lady, who, it was thought,
203 
204    LIGHTS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
loved music and dancing too much to make a good
mrinister's wife.  Thinking that he had the first right
of deciding the somewhlat delicate but very interesting
question as to who  should be his wife, he rather
plainly intimated to those who took a deep interest
in the matter, that a minister was just s capable of
choosing a wife as any other man, and that, consequently, he would do as he pleased. The brethren,
who thought it their duty to show him the error of his
ways, in taking unto himself a dancing, music-loving
young creature as wife, unfortunately undertook the
hazardous work of proving that the young lady ill
question was totally unfit for any Christian's wife, and
finished by calling his attention to her defects. Ministers, especially young ministers, have generally as
much human nature as other men, and are as apt to
be headstrong and foolish in love affairs as the rest of
sinful mankind, and the result was that he cut the whole
business short by making the young lady in question his wife. The censure of brethren was dealt out
to him, as he thought, unsparingly and unmercifully,
to which was added the significant hint that the gates
of ordination were now closed against him.  In an unguarded moment, when chagrin, disappointment, and
blind resentment had driven out or smothered holier
feelings, he rashly declared his determination to renounce the Christian ministry! From that moment lie
fell!  In renouncing the sacred work of a life's training and a life's desires, he renounced his Savior! This
he felt. He could not pray, he could not read God's
Word.  Wherever he went, and whatever he did, he
was miserable, and only miserable. Hle plunged head 
LIGIITS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
long into ungodliness, and the deeper he sank, the
more deeply and desperately did he drink of  sin's
poisoned cup, to drown serious thought or quench the
awful consuming fire that raged within and scorched
his very soul.- One day he passed the church in which
he had preached, and such were his feelings of horror
and despair, that tears trickled down his cheek, and he
trembled so that he had to lean for support against a
wall.  Wretched, miserable, and desperate, he wandered up and down, seeking rest and finding none.
The thought that he was abandoned of God-cast off
forever-that he was guilty of the "sin which hath
never forgiveness "-took possession of his mind, and
he settled down into a kind of cold, calm despair! In
the mean time, his young wife had been led to the Savior, and made to rejoice in the forgiving mercy of God;
and, singular to relate, she became a member of the
very church in which he had preached many a Gospel
sermon!
One day, while in deep dejection, he enlisted, and,
after coming into camp, tried hard to forget the past,
and live regardless of the future. Hle succeeded so
far in casting off the last vestige of piety as to indulge
a few times in profane swearing, and was, to all intents
and purposes, a fearful illustration of a homeless,
peaceless, godless wanderer-a prodigal in a far
country, sunk in misery and degradation. At times
the fearfulness of his state, the terrible nature of the
gulf into which he had so madly plunged, would
overwhelm him with alarm, and anion he would plunge
all the deeper and the more madly into sin. A special
letter from his wife-a letter full of love and Christian
205 
206     LIGHITS AND SIIADOWVS OF ARMY LIFE.
endearment, and earnest, faithful pleading-reached
him, one day, and his heart was touched. The memories of other days-days of peace  and hope and
joy-days of Christian honor and ministerial usefulness-came rushing like a mighty tide-wave over his
heart, and in agony he exclaimed, "I am lost! I am
lost!" In this state of mind, he came to one of the
meetings which were held nearly every night in camp.
The subject of the discourse was, "Lot's wife a warning to backsliders." The following points were made:
She was connected with a pious husband.
She was divinely warned to flee from destruction.
She made a fair start toward the appointed place
of safety.
She was almost saved-almost.
She perished within sight of the refuge.
Such is a very brief sketch of the sad narrative
this fallen minister gave me, as, in deep distress, he
paced up and down my little room.
"Now," said he, as he finished, "do you think
there can be mercy for such a sinner as I am? O!
can the blood of Christ wash away such dreadful guilt
as is lying on my poor soul?"
iHe burst into tears, and sobbed as if his heart
would break, while his whole frame shook convulsively.
The storm-blast was howling around the frail cabin in
which I had my quarters, and the sleet was driving
heavily against the shingles and the window-pane,
while the numerous crevices caused the wind to moan
sullenly within; but, gloomy and fearful as the tempest
was without, it was nothing to the storm of guilt and
terror with which an awakened conscience was lash 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    207
ing this poor wanderer.  "0 God!" I mentally exclaimned, "if these are the sufferings of the unforgiven
on this side of the grave, where Mercy still invites,
and Hope yet waves her shining wings and points her
radiant finger to a Savior's cross and a believer's
heaven, what, 0 what, must they be in the regions
of the lost, where remorse and despair shall beat down
upon the naked soul in one eternal storm!"
I tried to comfort him with the assurance that God
had not cast him off, and that his fearful state of mind
was not only caused by felt guilt, but was also the
result of a conflict between him and God. "Your
Heavenly Father," I said, "whom you have so fearfully forsaken, is striving to bring you into his fold
again. He is infinitely interested in you; he loves
you dearly, and now waits to be gracious. Struggle
no longer in the horrible pit and in the miry clay, but
cast yourself, as a helpless, miserable sinner, into the
arms of the Savior
"'Five bleeding wounds he bears,
Received on Calvary:
They pour effectual prayers,
They strongly speak for thee;
Forgive him, 0 forgive! they cry Nor let that ransomed sinner die."'
"Pray for me," said he, "and I will try, through
God's help, to give my heart to him-if-if there can
be mercy for me."
Lieutenant Conklin having come in, we knelt down
and had two seasons of prayer. Both of us labored
with this poor, crushed, penitent soul, and tried every 
.08    LIGIITS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
effort to lead him  to realize the infinite fullness of
Christ's atoning work.
Next day I had an interview with him, and found
him more calm and collected. At the prayer-meeting
two nights afterward, he stated that hlie was a brand
plucked from the burning.  Hie confessed how fearfully he had fallen, and that his comrades knew how
wicked he had been.
"But now," said he, "I have resolved to return, as
a poor, wretched prodigal, to my IHeavenly Father,
and I humbly trust that, through the merits of
Christ's death, I may yet say he has forgiven my sins,
and given to me that hope and that love without which
I have been miserable so long."
His statements were simple and humble, and told
with thrilling effect upon all present. 
CHAPTER XVI.
A GOOD MAN'S LAST RESTING-PLACE-REVERIES IN A GRAVEYARD HOW WE SHOULD THINK OF DEATH-CHRISTIAN TRIIUMPHS IN TIHS
LAST HOUR.
"Then while, with visage blank and sear,
The poor in soul we see,
Let us not think what he is here,
But what he soon will be;
And look beyond this earthly night,
To crowns of gold and bowers of light."
"THIs is where J, poor fellow, is buried-right
here, chaplain."
This was said by a member of the regiment, one
day, as I walked through the neglected graveyard, in
the vicinity of camp.
"A kind of strange genius, you know; but, a good
fellow, a splendid soldier; we all felt sorry when he
died," repeated my informant.
True, he was gone! that quiet, unassuming, good
man. Like many others in this world of ours, he was
not known till he died.   He was one of the Savior's
humble and childlike followers.   Few  of us appreciated his character till he was laid in his grave. In
appearance he was awkward and ungainly, paid little
attention to neatness of person or clothing, which, togethler with his retiring disposition, served to separate
18                             (20o) 
210   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
him somewhat from his companions in arms. ITe frequently came to my tent to talk on religious matters
yet, on such occasions, he said but little. The only
time that he ever, with any degree of freeness, spoke
of himself or of experimental religion, was a few days
after the battle of Antietam. His conversation then
was but one blessed, glorious outpouring of a loving,
Christian heart, anxious to perform every duty, andcl
yearning for more of the Savior's presence! He told
me of his experiences on the several battlefields on
which we had been engaged, and how he felt while in
the midst of destruction and death. Artless and simple was his little unvarnished tale of Christian experience; but how suggestive, how meek and childlike!
Never will I forget the humble, thrilling manner in
which he said:
"I wanted to tell you how happy I've been in the
love of Jesus!"
Good, patient, brave Christian soldier! thy worth
was not known till the angels came near to thy lowly
cot, and waited to waft thy patient, Christlike spirit
to the bosom of God!
"At midnight came the cry'To meet thy God prepare!'
Ile woke, and caught his Captain's eye,
The strong in faith and prayer.
"His spirit, with a bound,
Left its incumbering clay;
His tent, at sunrise, on the ground
A darkened ruin lay." 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   211
PREVERIES IN A GRAVEYARD.
The graveyard referred to as containing the sleeping dust of some of the brave soldiers of the Eleventh,
was used also by the Thirty-sixth Ohio as a buryingplace during the stay of that regiment at Summerville the previous winter. But, notwithstanding the
fact that my attention had been called to the grave
of poor J, and I noticed here and there the plain,
homely headboard-the invariable token of a soldier's
grave-it was several moments before I could realize
the fact that the spot on which I stood was really a
graveyard. And yet, that it was such a place, it was
soon easy to discover; for, amid the tangled briers and
alders and rank yellow grass, there glimmered, here
and there, a dilapidated tombstone, the lettering of
w-hich was covered with moss or green mold. And,
even had no marble or freestone marked the lowly
bed of many a peaceful slumberer, the grassy moundssome but slightly elevated, others nearly level, and
some so rounded as to show that the occupants had
been but lately laid to rest-would have told the tale
of buried, sleeping humanity.
A grave is always to me an object of solemn interest, but I seldom read a tombstone. I can give no
reason for this, save that the grave itself-whether
covered with the green sod, adorned with summer
flowers, or but recently made-is suggestive of interesting and important reflections. Imperceptibly my
thoughts revert to the past, or glide onward to the
future; and scenes pertaining to life, death, immortality, the resurrection, and Day of Judgment loom up 
212    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
before me, and I think less on the age or name of the
silent tenant of the tomb than I do of his relationship
to these dread scenes. The lonely character of the
place referred to, the neglect everywhere visible, the
tangled, withered grass, and rank weeds, and matted
briers, and wild shrubs, which seemed to shelter the
lowly graves and tottering tombstones from the profane foot of the thoughtless man, or the iron hoof of
th      e war-h orse,  were all conducive to gloomy reflections. ]Perhaps, too, the dark clouds overhead, and
the wet yellow grass, and the dripping alder and brier
bushes, which seemed to drip tears over neglected
graves and the desecrated resting-place of a past generation, deepened the gloomy feeling, and it seemed
as if some hollow, sepulchral voice reechoed the words
of Gray's dirge-like poem
"The Grave-dread thing!
Men shiver when thou'rt named. Nature, appalled,
Shakes off her wonted firmness. Ah! how dark
Thy long-extended realms and rueful wastes 
Where naught but silence reigns, and night, dark night I"
On returning to my quarters, I sat down by the
rough board which served for table and writing-desk,
and was soon absorbed in deep and saddened thought.
The lonely, neglected graveyard seemed to be still
before me. I could think of nothing else but that desolate place, and all the associations, both of peace
and war, with which it was connected. I remembered the soldiers' humble graves there, and thought
how appropriate would be the inscription over each
sleeper: 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
" A  STRANGER HERE.  LITTLE KNOWN OF THE SLUMBERER BE  NEATHI, BUT THIS: HE LOVED HIS COUNTRY, AND IN HER
SERVICE AND FOR HER DEFENSE HE DIED! TREAD
LIGHTLY O'ER THE SOLDIER'S GRAVE, FOR SA            CRED TO THE NATION'S HEART ARE
THE RESTING-PLACES OF HER FALLEN HEROES."
I thought, too, of the manner in which many graveyards are kept; how the dead are forgotten, and their
last resting-places neglected; and that, instead of
flowers or evergreens being planted over them as
tokens of affection and sweet emblems of the resurrection, the long rank grass, and tangled weeds and
briers, are permitted to grow in melancholy luxuriance. All this, thought I, shows that the dead are
friendless and forgotten, and that the living are
thoughtless and neglectful. The atheist who writes
the fearfully wicked words, "There is no God," and
the infidel who inscribes the terribly dark and revolting sentence over the gateway to the tomb, "Death is
an eternal sleep," may, consistently with their unhal
lowed creed, forget the dead as they insult the living,
and they may tread profanely upon the silent chambers of mortality; but it ill becomes the Christian so
to act. Rather let believers in the pure, lovely, hopeinspiring doctrines of the Gospel not only keep the
memory of departed friends ever green, but, in token
of hope and love, let them beautify, with Nature's
own gems and jewels, the lowly resting-places of the
sainted dead. Let them make the graveyard itself a
scene of quiet and subdued loveliness. Yea, let them
make it-like the place where the blessed Savior himself was laid-"A garden, and in the garden a new
sepulcher."
213 
214    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
WAVhy should not the living desire that the restingplaces of the dead should wear, as much as possible, a
calm, peaceful look-a look of hope, a look of beauty?
lWas it not from a childlike faith, and from childlike instincts of repose and beauty, as well as from a
shrinking back from the dark, dreary repulsiveness of
the neglected and festering graveyard, that the little
dying girl exclaimed, " Bury me in the garden, mother!
bury me in the garden?" Was it not from the desire
that in the early spring the apple-blossoms might fall
upon her little grave, and that the flowers might bloom,
and the birds sing, and the sunshine fall all around
where she peacefully slept? And was it not the same
instinct that prompted the dying boy to ask whether
his little sister would n't  come  and plant favorite
flowers on his grave, and whether she and mother
would n't come, in the long summer evenings, and sit
and sing by his resting-place? And did not the same
feelings animate the bosom of Wilson, the great ornithologist, when he breathed the wish to be buried where
the birds might sing over his grave?-a wish that has
been literally fulfilled. We can not make graveyards
cheerful; neither can we dissociate from them solemn
feelings and sad, painful reflections.  It is not desirable we should do so; but we can make them beau
tiful, lovely, ay, sweet and inviting, to the stricken,
bereaved mourner, and fitting places for calm meditation and serious thought.
The above reflections, suggested as already noted,
brought up others related to the same subject, but invested with more importance and interest. I thought
about death, as well as the grave; and wondered 
LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    215
whether our feelings as Christians, concerning both,
were not entirely too gloomy.  In sermons and books
and obituaries, do we not speak of Death as that grim
and ghastly tyrant that has waved his black scepter
over all the generations of men, and made the march
from lisping infancy to hoary age but a dark and dismal procession, under funeral banners and gloomy
badges? Do we not represent Death as an angel of
darkness, whose visage is terrible, and whose touch is
cold and remorseless as the grave? Or as a skeleton
specter, whose teeth rattle in the fleshless skull, and
whose bony fingers grasp a keen-bladed scythe and
ominous sand-glass? Or as a dull-eyed, unfeeling
potentate, arrayed in garments of gloom, and whose
symbol of power is his dark and shadowy foot, placed
remorselessly on the bosom of helpless humanity?
That a busy, thoughtless world, sunk in sin, and feverishly grasping the gilded bauble of sensual pleasure,
should, when it does think of death, have such a grim,
gloomy specter rise up before it, and point threateningly to the dreary shades of the silent land from
whose dark shores no voyager ever returns, is but in
keeping with the fearful forebodings of a guilty conscience.
But why may not the Christian, happy in a Savior's
love, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, think
of Death rather as a white-robed angel, radiant with
the splendors of the City of God, and having at his
azure girdle the golden keys of life, ready to open the
mysterious gates of the glorious future, and admit the
weary pilgrim of earth to all the unimagined splendors of the home of the redeemed? Even the ancient 
216    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
heathen represented Death as a celestial messenger,
who, with smiling face and folded wings quietly extinguished the light of life. O! let us take the Bible,
with its holy teachings, its sure promises, its blessed
comforts, and its beautiful pictures of the believer's
life a     nd death and immortality, and we shall be enabled to feel that, however varied the figures adopted
to represent the last scene, we shall be able to say
"0,'t is a peaceful rest;
Who should deplore it?
Trance of the pure and blest,
Angels watch o'er it I
Sleep of a mortal night,
Sorrow can't break it;
Hieaven's own morning light
Alone shall wake it.'"
While in quietude and meditation I sat there, after
our usual evening services-all quiet around save the
heavy, measured tread of the sentinel-other scenes
were brought vividly before me.   The  thought that
death, to the believer, is not terrific, but welcome; not
a hideous monster, but an angel of brightness; not
the grim, ghastly specter of fate, but a white-robed
messenger from the skies, sent to gather, here and
there, in the Lord's garden of grace, sweet flowers
and buds and blossoms, that they may be planted in
the garden of glory, led me to think of glorious deathbed scenes I had been privileged to see in the quiet
walks of pastoral life, in the military hospitals, and on
the field of battle. I thought of the death of one who,
through weary months of suffering, patiently waited
for his summons to the shining shore.  How calmly
I 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    217
he could talk of death!  How strong his faith in
Christ! How sweet his enjoyments were, when, a
night or two before he died, he partook of the Lord's
Supper! And how sweetly, at the last, he fell asleep
in Jesus!
And I thought, too, of another room, into which
Death came, but cast no shadows. We had watched
the dying one during the night, and when the summer's sun poured his morning beams through the
branches of the trees, and in at the open window, we
gathered more closely around the bed to witness the
calm triumphs of a redeemed spirit. Save that the
loving young wife held the cold hands of the sufferer,
while the holy tears of woman's love and sympathy
trickled over her cheek, and a sigh of anguish involuntarily burst from her lips, no one could have imagined that any thing like grief or gloom was there.
That room was not on the brink of the dark stream
where mortals shiver, and from which they shrink
aghast; but it was quite on the verge of heaven, and
we felt like as if we might almost hear the rustling
of angels' wings.
"It is sweet to die in Jesus!" whispered the dying
one, while a smile of joy irradiated his pale countenance. "i Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed
my sins away!" were faintly murmured, as, like a
wearied infant, he gently fell asleep.
Months rolled away, and, while loving hearts yet
mourned in the solitude of bereavement, strength was
gained so as to have the mastery over feelings of
undue grief.  Again sweet music was heard in that
dwelling, and songs such as angels may sing-songs
19 
218    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
of hope for stricken hearts-songs of rest to the
weary, tempest-tossed soul-songs of joy in anticipation of the triumphal odes of heaven were sung,
and-Death came to that household again.  This time
he came to one over whose pathway a dark cloud had
hovered, and whose young heart, years ago, had been
crushed "nigh unto death" by bitter and cruel grief.
Plighted vows had been broken by himn who stood up
before Godcl's minister and promised to love and cherish her.  The fair flowers and priceless jewels of
woman's pure and noble love he had ruthlessly torn
in pieces and flung from him as if worthless-a crime,
0, reader, which is, perhaps, seldom if ever forgiven;
and he had-But enough! Years of silent, secret
grief had written premature lines on that fair brow,
and dimmed the luster of that bright eye. But now
Death had come to take her away to her heavenly
home, and surely to her the messenger was one of
light, for her countenance was radiant with joy, and
so calm that
"We thought her dying when she slept,
And sleeping when she died!"
tiow  sweet that death-bed was, only those could
know who were privileged to behold it.  So near
heaven did it seem, that our hearts felt unutterably
full of sacred joy, and some of us, at least, felt a mysterious heart-longing-a kind of home-sickness for the
heavenly home. Death, in this instance again, was assuredly an angel of light; and the wearied one whom
he came to release, saw only the messenger of her Savior, sent to take her to the shores of glory. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
A cloud lay cradled near the setting sun;
A gleam of crimson tinged its braided snow;
Long hal I watched the glory moving on
O'er the still radiance of the lake below;
Tranquil its spirit seemed, and floated slow,
E'en in its very motion there was rest;
While every breath of eve that chanced to blow,
Wafted the traveler to the beauteous west.
Emblem, methought, of the departed soul,
To whose white robe the gleam of bliss is giv'n,
And(, by the breath of mercy, made to roll
Right onward to the golden gates of heaven;Where, to the eye of faith, it peaceful lies,
And tells the man his glorious destinies.
WtLSON
219 
CHAPTER XVII.
LITTLE SHADY-THE BEAUTIES OF SLAVERY.
ONE morning, toward the close of 1862, a little fellow, not quite as black as coal, but a genuine specimen
of what official orders distinguished as persons of
"African descent," made his appearance within our
lines, and within the special limits of our camp. Ile
had been everywhere among the men, knew almost
every command, could dance " Juba" with such earnest
good will, and introduce such comical variations and
facial contortions, that his "culled bredren" seemed to
be in imminent danger of getting "clar done gone"
into convulsions or something else equally serious;
could whistle any bugle-call, and drum any tune ever
heard in camp-and some that nobody in camp or out
of it ever heard-could kick the cap off his head with
his heels, and roll his eyes in his round, black face with
such a serio-comic expression, that one scarcely knew
whether he was the impersonation of drollery or an
imp of mischief. My first special acquaintance with
this little fellow, who was, by the way, a perfect facsimile of Topsy or Tom-tit, was in this wise:
One cold morning, just after reveille, I had tucked
my blanket snugly around me for another half hour's
"little more sleep and little more slumber," which
(220) 
LIGHTS AND SHI ADOWS OF APRMY LIFE.    221
good old Dr. Watts reprehends so much. I was just
getting into that calm, dreamy, pleasant kind of repose which lazy second sleepers are apt to fall into,
when a tremendous racket at my cabin-door brought
me up in a hurry. It seemed as if the battering and
kicking were sufficient to waken the Seven Sleepers, and
as if intended to give warning that the gray-backs
were right upon us.
Rat, tap, tap! rub-a-dub, dub!
"What's wanted?" I shouted. 
"Please, Massa Chap'in, I'se come to make yer fire."
Of course I opened the door and admitted the author of the noisy demonstrations, and there stood
before me the very impersonation of mischief, native
shrewdness, and demure humility. The little fellow
had his feet encased in army shoes of about number
seven, and dressed in a cast-off uniform which was
large enough for him to be buried in. The wool on the
top of his head was kinky and matted enough to be
impervious to any thing in the shape of a comb, and
would have driven good bMiss Ophelia, with her New
England ideas of thrift and neatness, into a fit of hysterics. He was seemingly about twelve years of age,
had a peculiar confidential air about him, and a merry,
roguish twinkle of the eye that told of fire and fun
and mischief. After he had got the fire roaring and
blazing, and tumbled every thing upside down in his
frantic efforts to put things in order, and kicked up
such a dust in flourishing a hickory broom over the
floor, that I was nearly strangled, he subsided into a
corner and surveyed his labors with the air of a hero.
"Would you like to stay with me?" I asked. 
222    LIGHTS ANND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"Yes, sah," he replied, quickly, while his eye
twinkled with a pleased, roguish expression, and his
ivories gleamed in striking contrast with his jolly
black face. Forthwith little Shady was regularly installed into office, and went to work accordingly.
One evening I got into conversation with him as
follows:
"How old are you, Shady?"
"Dunno,dassa; neber knowed how old I is."
"Have     any brothers or sisters?"
"Yes, sah."
"How many have you got?" I asked.
"Dunno how many I'se got-got some."
"You don't know how many you've got!  Why,
what do you mean?"
"White folks count one, two, three-dis nigga can't
count more'n one, two, three. I'se got one, two, three
brudders; den dar's de gals, more'n one, two, three."
"Do you remember their names?" I asked.
"Yes-dar's Jim, was sold to Massa Green, and
dar's Sal in de big house, and dar's Luce that massa
sold to gen'lman in Baltimore, and dar's Sam and
Pete and Sue-and den dar's de baby and t'other baby
and me-how many dat ar, chap'in?"
"Nine," I replied.  He then named them all over
again, pronouncing each name as he touched his
fingers.
"Why did you run away?"  I asked.  "Did your
mother know that you were going off with the
soldiers?"
"Yes, sah," he replied, in a low, confidential tone.
"Mother told me I oughter go wid dem Yankee sol 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWIS OF ARMAIY LIFE.    223
diers, for massa had sold me to anoder gen'lman, an'
she wouldtl neber see me again, jest like poor Luce
in Baltimore. How far to Baltimore, chap'in? I'se
gwine  dar  sometime-I want ter see Luce —she's
good gal."
"Do you know who made you, Shady?"
The little fellow lookcd up into my face with such
a comical, quizzical expression on his round, black
face, that I did not know what to m p of it.  He
seemed to wonder at such an abstruse, p:haps to him
absurd, question. I asked again, "Do you know who
made you?"
"Dunno who made me; neber hearn tell'bout sich
things."
"Did no one ever tell you about God, who made
all things?"
"Old Uncle Pete sometimes spoke'bout de Lordbut dunno nothin''bout sich things."
"Did you ever hear about a good man called Jesus
Christ, that wicked men nailed on a tree called a
cross?"
"N eber hearn tell'bout um. Who was Jesus,
chap'in?  Did you eber see um? "
I then told him, in simple language, the Story of
the Cross, and, when I spoke of Jesus by the name
of Savior, the little fellow interrupted me, saying:
"Now I'member mother talkin' to Sal'bout de
Savior.  Ts Jesus de Savior?"
Talk about the heathen in Africa and India and the
South Sea Islands! Talk about the divine, patri
archal institution of slavery, and the eminently Christianiizing spirit which it has manifested! No won 
224    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
der that slaveholders and their miserable, servile apoloists in the North have sought for years to cover
up  the  iniquitous  system!  But  how  terrible  the
thought that ministers of the Gospel have stood forth
before heaven and earth, and baptized the vile thing
in the name of the God of truth and love, and thrown
around it the sacred protection of the Divine Word,
and received it into the Church of Jesus Christ! But
slavery is dead! Thank God, it is dead! What an
emasculatecospel, in the hands of corrupt ministers,
failed to do fr the South, the bayonet, in the strong
hands of brave soldiers, has, in the providence of God,
most signally and gloriously accomplished. 
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND-EFFORTS OF NORTHERN TRAITORS               FEELINGS OF THE SOLDIERS.
ON the morning of the 24th of January, 1863, the
Eleventh, Thirty-sixth, Eighty-ninth, and Ninety-second Ohio Regiments, under General Crook, left the
Kanawha Valley to join the Army of the Cumberland,
under Major-General Rosecrans. The division, on arriving at Nashville, was further reinforced by Stokes's
regiment of East Tennessee Cavalry and the Nineteenth Indiana Battery. On the 22d of February, the
division left Nashville for Carthage, on the Cumberland River, and reached that point on the 26th instant.
We encamped on the south side of the river; but,
being some forty-five miles from the nearest support,
and as Bragg had made this point a favorite crossing
place, General Crook was induced to seek a more defensible position on the north side of the river. The
division, accordingly, fell back to a more commanding
position on the north and east of the village. The
position, strong by nature, was further strengthened
by extensive lines of earth-works and rifle-pits, commanding the river and turnpike, and which were so
('25) 
226    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMAIY LIFE.
constructed that, in case of necessity, guns could be
mounted en barbette.
REBELS IN FRONT-iIEANER REBELS IN THIE REAR.
It does a great amount of good, sometimes, to look
to the past.  In the light of experience, as wel] as
with the logic of events, individuals and nations may
not only recognize their own failings, but they may,
also, see how an overruling and All-wise Providence
has directed, sustained, and protected in the most difficult, depressing, and dangerous circumstances. Were
it within the scope of this work, which it is not, it
might be both interesting and profitable to trace some
of the darker and more concealed lines of history connected with the opening of the year 1863. But, as it
is, it seems as if at least a pas,mng reference should be
made, just at this point, to some of the desperate
schemes of rebel sympathizers in the North  at the
time referred to.  Well-laid p         -s had been formed
by Northern traitors to demoralize the army in the
field, as well as to neutralize efforts at home to crush
the rebellion.  They put forth every effort, cirectly and
indirectly, in public and in private, by newspapers and
letters, to induce discontent and despendency anid even
insubordination, both among, officers a.nd(l men. Private
letters, artfully worded, but too plain to be misunderstood, were sent to the soldiers by those shameless
traitors every  day.  The  writers affected to admiire
the devotion and bravery of the army, expressed pity
for each individual soldier who was suffering so much
in the camp and in the field, but-but-yes, it was P. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    227
great pity-a great pity, indeed, that he was deceived
by desigoing Abolitionists; for it was quite evident, to
far-seeing people of the Democratic persuasion, that this
war was not for the Union, but for "negro equality."
Then the letters were usually closed with a piece of
information to the effect that, so numerous were the
friends of the poor deceived soldier, every facility
would be given him to leave the army, and that, if
necessary, citizen's clothing, and money, also, would
be furnished in abundance to aid him in getting away
from  the "Abolitionist hordes."  Newspapers,  also,
like the Cincinnati Enquirer,.Daiyton Emiipire, New
'York Hfferald, and World, were circulated as much as
possible, and no one needs to be informed of the
atrociously false and traitorous character of those
papers at the time referred to, nor of the unscrupulous and persistent efforts they made to seduce the
people into a wicked  and  dishonorable  peace with
traitors. By means of mail facilities, some of the
more vile of the papers named were circulated in the
army, which, had they been published within the army
lines, would have caused the arrest of the editors as
traitors.  Like all pro-slavery sheets that have ever
been published in the interest of human oppression,
the papers referred to were full of unblushing falsehloods, filthy inuendoes regarding the motives of the
friends of freedom, forged correspondence from the
army, asserting that the President's Proclamation of
Emancipation was fiercely denounced by the soldiers;
that the national finances were in a ruinous condition;
that, instead of gold and silver being at a premium,
as many people supposed, government "greenbacks"  
228     LIGHIITS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
were, in reality, at a discount, and so on.  The same
papers, also, asserted that the army everywhere was
becoming demoralized, that the soldiers would not
fight in such an Abolition war, and that, instead of
the Emancipation policy being received with favor, it
was unsparingly denounced both by officers and men.
It was added, also, that the families of soldiers were
neglected by those who had pledged to see their wants
supplied, while it was distinctly affirmed that domestic
ruin had already overtaken many of those whose purity and integrity of character had ever been above
suspicion, and that the ruin which had thus been
wrought was hardly so much a crime as a misfortune;
and almost a necessity.
A private letter was sent to the regiment, at this
time, by one who had formerly been an officer in the
army, which expressed great regret, on the part of
the writer, for being instrumental in recruiting for the
army, and stating that he would be exceedingly glad
could he only get out of the clutches of Abolitionistmilitary despotism those whom he had induced to enlist. He further declared that the people at home
were so tired of the war, that Indiana, Illinois, and
New York were about to recall their troops then in
the field; that the National treasury was so depleted,
that if the troops were paid off for the few months
due them, it would be the last they would ever get,
and that the war was neither for the Constitution nor
the Union, but for the freeing of the " niggers." The
letter closed with an exhortation to all who possibly
could to desert from the regiment and come home, assuring them that ample protection would be afforded 
LIGIITS AND  SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
them in the event of any attempt being made for their
arrest.
So much for efforts in the rear of the army.
There were matters intimately connected with the
army itself, also, at this time, that had a tendency to
deepen any feeling of discouragement that might resuit from such treasonable efforts.  Officers decorated
with stars, and officers of lesser note, whose ideas of
war were merely professional, instead of being patriotic, and who looked to no result  but such only as
tended to individual and selfish gratification, played
into the hands of home traitors, by insinuating that
the rebellion would never be subdued. Officers of
various grades-from the staff down to company commanders-could be heard, not unfrequently, repeating
the vile epithets of the Copperhead press against the
Administration, and even insinuating that if they had
known that the war would have been conducted to
anti-slavery issues and results, they would have drawn
their sword in defense of the South. Having so little
sympathy with the work of subduing the rebellion, it
is not a matter of wonder that many of these professionally military gentlemen should be found acting in
such a manner as to discourage or irritate those placed
under their command. Not a few of them, mere fops
in blue and gold, acted as all such are apt to do, played
the petty tyrant toward their subordinates, and the
cringing, cowardly sycophant toward their superiors.
Some of them vexed and annoyed the rank and file
by unnecessary and unreasonable exactions, while, at
the same time, they involved company and regimental
commanders in serious misunderstanding with their
229 
230   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
commands. The policy of guarding rebel property,
inaugurated by MIcClellan ill the East, and rigidly
enforced by Buell in the West, had by no means
ceased to exist, especially in isolated commands.  Instances were too well known of sick soldiers being
compelled to lie on the ground, without even straw
under themn, while the boards, fences, out-houses, and
barns of well-known rebels were sacredly guarded by
Federal bayonets. In some instances, surgeons were
the undesigning causes of severe complaints against
the order and discipline of their respective regiments,
because they appropriated rebel property for hospital
purposes.  There were several instances of regiments
being gravely censured, and even of degrading punishment being inflicted, because rails had been taken from
the fences to keep the loose corn-husks under the sick
and dying soldier! Regimental and company  commanders had to enforce orders that could not possibly
fail to irritate and exasperate their men; for military
orders are never to be explained, defended or excused,
much less criticised, by subordinate officers, but simply
enforced by them. It was frequently the case, therefore, that they had to bear that odium which ought to
have fallen upon others.
Take these facts, with the Copperhead influences
which existed at home, and one can see, at a glance,
that the aspect of affairs was none of the brightest
at the time referred to. And yet any discontent
or discouragement which might thus have been in
the army was but partial and momentary. Like the
finely-tempered, keen-edg,ed Damascus blade, that
yields to the test-pressure only to spring back again 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    231
with a ringing twang that tells its strength, and which,
perhaps, pierces the hand of him who tampers with
it, so did the noble army of the Union when tampered with by Copperhead traitors. If it did bend for
an instant, under such untoward circumstances, it was
but to rebound again, with such a startling energy and
with such fierce determination as rung out a deathknell for  rlmed traitors in the front, derision and contempt for meaner, because more sneking and cowardly, traitors in the rear. Generals Grant, Burnside,
and Rosecrans, in the West, and Generals Ihooker and
Mleade, in the East, soon put a quietus on Copperhead
intrigues with the army; and, by a wholesome application of purifying measures in the army, backed by
the resolute and unbending integrity and lofty patriotism of officers and men, the blade, which for a moment had been severely tried and tested, sprung again
ready for action, and flashed defiance upon all, whether
rebels in the front or rebels in the rear. What the
feelings and determinations of the soldiers in the field
were, the following extracts from a series of resolutions, adopted while at Carthage, by the Ohio troops,
will abundantly show:
"W'e, the officers  and soldiers of General Crook's
Division, comprising the Eleventh, Thirty-sixth, Eightyninth, and Ninety-second PRegiments of the Ohio Yolunteer Infantry, being all the Ohio troops in his
command, having, in common with our comrades in
arms, cheerfully periled our lives, and every earthly
interest, to secure to ourselves and to our posterity a
country and a government-the same which in historic
times were bought with blood, and established by that
o;o 
232    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
quality of wisdom which, though human, seems divine; and, whereas, a number of intriguing demagogues
at home have recently, by word and act, sought to
create dissatisfaction among us, block the wheels of
wise legislation, excite discontent in the public mind,
and in every way to baffle all effort to conquer the
rebels; therefore,
" Resolved, That, in the name of our God, we will still
defend our flag, and, with an abiding faith in the justness of our cause, we will still go forth to meet the
foe, with unshaken confidence that He who led our
patriot fathers to victory, will crown our arms with
success, and preserve to us our glorious heritage of
'civil and religious liberty,' and preserve it for our
children after us, until Timne's latest hour.
"Resolved, That we hold in utter detestation that
clique of miscreants known as the'Vallandigham Democracy,' or'Anti-war and Pro-peace Party,' thereby disgracing the time-honored name of Democratthey being, in our opinion, but a band of traitors
and national assassins, who have no censure save for
the officers of our government- no complaint save
that energetic measures are employed to crush out the
rebellion-no aspiration save to embarrass our executive and legislative departments, and engender mutinies in our armies-that we spurn, with unfeigned contempt, the shameful lie, circulated by them, that we
are tired of fighting, and willing to compromise with
the Southern hordes now in armns against the Union.
"Resolved, That we look with satisfaction and pride
upon the unalloyed patriotism, wisdom, earnestness,
and moderation of our Chief Executive, feeling that
eS0 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
we have in him a man of unswerving integrity; and
we also approve and fully indorse all the acts of our
late Congress, being satisfied the grand majority of its
nmembers are men of devotion to the Union and purity
of purpose.
"Resolved, That, despite the frenzied efforts of our
foe before us, and the despicable intrigues of our other
foe behind us, we will abate not one jot of faith or
hope; but, believing that the maintenance of our government is worth all the cost expended in its establishment, we emphatically assure all traitors at home,
that not until we have undergone a seven years' struggle, if need be, will we cease this contest, and not until
we have experienced such suffering as was endured at
Valley Forge, will we begin to murmur.".
It was then as now, in this year of grace 1865.
The friends of the country, the friends of righteousness and truth, required to be strengthened, and to-day
the struggle is by no means doubtful. It will be seen
in this, as in other great events in the world's history,
that God will defeat all the plans and purposes of the
wicked, and show that the potsherds of earth may
strive with the potsherds of earth; but "woe be to
him who striveth with his Malker! "   Slavery, the sum
of all villainies, the cause of this wicked rebellion, the
corner-stone of the so-called Confederate Government,
and the cause of all the misery and wretchedness and
bloodshed arising out of war, is doomed to die.  It
must, it  shall perish! And in its final and complete
overthrow, God's government among the nations shall
be vindicated, his benevolent purposes concerning
the         children of men  more fully understood, the doe         20
233 
trine of Divine Providence more devoutly believed in,
the day of Christ's kingly reign upon earth hastened
on apace, and man's temporal and spiritual happiness
increased. This is a transition period in the world's
history Amid political convulsions, civil wars, and
general upheavings among the nations, let us hold with
a firm grasp the promises of God!
As a fitting conclusion to this chapter, the following
patriotic lines, written by an eminent statesman, are
here inserted. They were written in reply to a question which was asked by a lady, Whether he was for
peace?
234   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
AM I FOR PEACE? YES!
For the peace which rings out from the cannon's throat,
And the suasion of shot and shell,
Till rebellion's spirit is trampled down
To the depths of its kindred hell.
For the peace which shall follow the squadrons' tramp,
Where the brazen trumpets bray,
And, drunk with the fury of storm and strife,
The blood-red chargers neigh.
For the peace which shall wash out the leprous stain
Of our slavery, foul and grim,
And shall sunder the fetters which creak and clank
On the down-trodden dark man's limb.
I will curse him as traitor, and false of heart,
Who would shrink from the conflict now,
And will stamp it, with blistering, burning brand,
On his hideous, Cain-like brow.
Out! out of the way! with your spurious peace,
Which would make us rebellion's slaves!
We will rescue our land from the traitorous grasp,
Or cover it over with graves. 
LIGHTS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Out! out of the way! with your knavish schemes,
You trembling and trading pack!
Crouch away in the dark, like a sneaking hound
That its master has beaten back.
You would barter the fruit of our father's blood,
And sell out the Stripes and Stars,
To purchase a place with rebellion's votes,
Or escape from rebellion's scars.
By the widow's wail, by the mother's tears,
By the orphans who cry for bread,
By our sons who fell, we will never yield
Till rebellion's soul is dead.
235 
CHAPTER XIX.
A KIDNAPPER FRUSTRATED-A SURGEON'S ANTI-SLAVERY TALK-A
SHARP TRICK; REBELS SOLD-SICKNESS AND MORTALITY-DEATH
OF A CHRISTIAN SOLDIER-REV. T. SHAIN.
IT is said that "murder will out." So will nature.
Former habits, still loved and longed for, will manifest
themselves, in spite of all assumed traits, which are
assumed merely because they are popular, remunerative, or conducive to personal safety. An unconverted,
impenitent slaveholder or slave-trader can no more
help showing his mean, treacherous, man-stealing propensities than the feline tribes, however tamed and
domesticated, can help pouncing on their prey. He
may invest himself in the robes of loyalty; he may
amass wealth from the profits of rich government
contracts; he may even have stars on his shoulders,
and he may be placed in confidential and important
positions; but the unchanged character and disposition
will be manifested, and the insatiable lust for power
and riches will devour as remorselessly as ever. There
were polished desperadoes  and smooth-tongued villains hanging around the army, or, in one  way or
another, connected with it, not a few of whom had
figured in the slave-markets of the South, and their
palms still itched for the gains of the vile system.
(236) 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   237
WIhen about to leave the regiment for a few days,
on one occasion, I charged little "Shady" not to
straggle away, lest he might be picked up, at the
same time requesting my friend Dr. Hartman to see
that he was kept out of trouble. When the troops
debarked on the Cumberland River, it was found that
Shady had been sold to the captain of the temporary
transport-or, to speak more correctly, that the said
captain paid a heartless fellow twenty dollars to keep
the friendless boy on board, so he might get him.
When the hospital corps left the boat, Shady accompanied them, and was immediately ordered by the
captain, who was on the hurricane-deck, to come on
board.
"What do you want him on board for?" asked one
of the hospital nurses, whose suspicions had been
awakened by what he had seen.
"He is mine," replied the captain, with a fearful
oath.  "Send him on board here, instantly.  Come on
board, darkey, or I'11 kill you!"
"You stop your nonsense," replied Jacob, getting
thoroughly aroused, "or I'11ll come up there and
squeeze your windpipe for you."
"You mind your own business and put off-that
darkey's mine. Come on board, you little black cuss
you, or I'll whale you to death."
The whole affair beginning to assume a serious
aspect, Jacob sent for the surgeon, Dr. McCurdy, to
come down. In a very short time he made his appearance, and was informed at once of what had taken
place. The doctor-a little, wiry, energetic man,
sharp as a steel-trap and quick as a hair-trigger, and 
238   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
as generous as he was impulsive-ordered Shady up
to the regiment, which was the signal for the captain
to storm and swear again. But he had met his match.
The boys who stood by say the doctor opened on him
such a torrent of invective, and heaped upon his head
such maledictions, half religious and half rather otherwise, that if the air didn't get blue and sulphurous it
ought to. The captain seemed as if in a tight place;
for, if the doctor was a small man, he had a big soul
in him, and tongue enough for a preacher and lawyer
combined. However, he put a bold face on the whole
matter, and demanded again:
"Send that cussed little darkey aboard, or I'll know
the reason why!"
"You contemptible, child-stealing old villain you,"
said the doctor, getting the steam up considerably
above common high-pressure, "if you don't shut up,
I'11ll have the regiment marched down, and blow you
and your confounded old boat to blue blazes, before
you have time to! Come, boys, what's the use
talking to such a miserable excuse for a man-confound the kidnapping whelp!"
Perhaps there never was such a withering, sarcastic
anti-slavery lecture delivered as that short one on the
bank of the Cumberland River-certainly there never
had been suchl another heard in Tennessee.
The stay of the division at Carthage was but for a
short time, and nothing of any special import took
place while there. An occasional reconnoissance on
the south side of the river, toward Alexandria or McMinnville, varied the routine of camp life somewhat,
and an occasional rumor that a large force was on its 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
way to attack the post, would give some little variety
and zest to camp conversation.
One afternoon, Colonel Lane took the Eleventh out
toward Rome, on a scouting expedition. The intention was to reach a certain point after dark, and early
in the morning to make a dash on a rebel force reported to be in that vicinity. The regiment reached
the point indicated about ten o'clock. The colonel
was not satisfied by merely fulfilling the letter of his
instructions, however; but, in order to find out what
was going on in the neighborhood, he shortly after detailed several scouting parties, who were to move cautiously and secretly in various directions.   One of
these, under command of Captain Jordan, made a descent on a happy company of the chivalry, in a manner which was both adroit and amusing. The captain,
seeing a bright light in a house, marched his party to
within a short distance of it, and, leaving them in a
concealed place, with instructions to be on the alert,
he proceeded by himself to reconnoiter the position.
On approaching the house, he discovered that the light
was friom a blazing fire, showing that there must be
some people there who were trying to make themselves comfortable at that late hour. Walking boldly
up to the house, but keeping away from the glare of
light, so as to conceal his uniform, he accosted a Confederate soldier, who at that moment opened the door
and looked out.
"Any of our men there?" asked the captain.
"Wall, yes."
"Haven't you room for more in thar?" said the
captain, imitating the pronunciation of the chivalry.
239
I 
240    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"Not much-tho' I reckon we'll make room for another. Come in an' get warmed-you must be a'most
froze."
" How many of ye's in thar?" asked Jordan.
" Dunno-house chuck-full-reckon you'11ll find a
corner, tho'. Come in."
" Wait till I go to the fence and hitch my horse,"
said the captain. " I'll be back in a moment."
The captain went, and did hitch his horse; at the
same time he brought up his men, who were concealed
within a few rods of the spot.  With hardly the cracking of a twig, it was not three minutes till trusty
bayonets were closed around the house, and Captain
Jordan, with revolver in hand, sprang into the midst
of the rebel soldiers, ordering them, in a voice of
thunder, and with no very complimentary terms as to
themselves or antecedents, to surrender instantly. A
rifle or two were raised toward him, but, as if for pure
mischief, he sneered at them  "Git eout! Why, Ive men enough to chaw ye up,
ye.  Surrender  "
A file of blue-coated boys, with rifles in hand,
crowding in at the door, and the decidedly dangerous
proximity of the Union bayonets, had a very persuasive influence, and down went rebel rifles and up went
rebel hands in token of surrender.
"Purtvy well done, cap'n," said the officer in charge
of the picket-post, as this turned out to be.
"Yes," said Jordan, "we always do things pretty
well. Fall in here! and keep pretty quiet, if you
know what's good for you."
If Captain Jordan's squad could have "thawed up" 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    241
the rebel gang, their numbers assuredly would hardly
have guaranteed such work.  So thought the rebels
w-hile they were being marched off, for some of them
could not help muttering, "Sold again!"
SICKNESS AND MORTALITY.
The sickness and mortality among the troops at
Carthage were very great. The Ninety-second Ohio
suffered terribly; and it seemed as if nothing but
change of location could save it from serious depletion. Before that regiment had evenbeen in a skirmish, it had lost more men, by disease alone, than the
Eleventh had during the time that had elapsed since its
organization. At one time, the Eleventh had fully onesixth of its entire strength reported on the sick-list!
The Thirty-sixth and Eighty-ninth suffered also very
severely. The entire division was suffering for want
of proper diet, and it seemed, at one time, that unless
those in authority, especially in the medical departments, did not take more interest in the welfare of the
men, as splendid and as brave an army as ever went
forth would melt away through sickness and death.
Diarrhea, of a most obstinate character, and very fatal
withal, together with scurvy, was thinning our ranks,
while abundance of fruits and vegetables could be
brought by railroad to within thirty miles of the post!
What made the whole matter so distressing, was the
fact that deaths were invariably sudden and unexpected.  And, 0, it was a very mournful sight to see
one funeral escort enter the graveyard while another
was performing the last sad rites at the grave of some
21 
242    LIGHTS AND SHADOWVS OF ARMY LIFE.
other comrade!  I was sometimes so overwhelmed
with sorrow at the daily scenes of weary wasting
away, and the kind of calm, despairing resignation to
surrounding circumstances, on the part of the sick,
that many a time, when I returned from the hospital
or graveyard, I could not refrain from tears.  Forgive me, dear reader, for this acknowledgment of
what might be deemed a weakness; perhaps it was
weakness, but I could not help it. A chaplain in the
army hears many a sad and weary sigh from brave
and stricken hearts, and listens to many a little tale
of silent, weary, wasting grief, and he has to comfort
many a mourner, and place himself in the position
and speak the words which wife or mother would say
if near the sufferer.*
Among those who died at Carthage, Tennessee, and
whose dust quietly reposes in the burial-ground on
the beautiful banks of the Cumberland, was Sergeant
While at Carthage, the following-named members of the Eleventh
Regiment died, and were buried in the graveyard there, namely
James Melaney, of Company D, March 12.
Perry Carter, of Company D, April 19.
Sergeant J. B. Dixon, Company G, April 12.  His remains were
sent home.
Jesse Bartholomew, Company H, April 22.
Frederick Lucke, Company B, May 22.
Charles Segur, Company D, May 18.
George Anderson, Company D, )lay 29.
Thomas H. Fall, Company I, May 17.
Henssellaer Carson, Company K, May 25.
J. F. Colther, Company E, June 3.
E. A. Mlorrow, Company F, June 2.
J. T. Kemper, Company I, June 5.
Sergeant T. Shain, Company I, June 22. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   243
Shain, or, as he was known at home, Rev. Thomas
Shain, minister of the United Brethren Church, and
pastor of a congregation in Dayton at the time he
entered the army. I desire to place on record here
a tribute of more than common respect to the memory
of this most excellent man.
He was one of the most humble, funassuming, godly
men with whom I was ever acquainted.  IHis piety
was genial, loving, and Christlike.   Many  an hour
he spent in my tent, conversing on personal piety
and the work of God in the army. The Thirtysixth Ohio Regiment had no chaplain, and many a
sermon he preached and many a prayer-meeting he
held in behalf of that regiment. Not a few were converted through his instrumentality, and claimed him
as their spiritual father. Good brother Shain! How
closely he walked with his God! With what childlike confidence and thrilling earnestness he could unite
in the services at our prayer and fellowship meetings!
And how refreshing, consequently, were his Christian
conversations!  With Thomas  Fall,  his friend and
comrade, at whose grave he spoke of Christ and immortality, and with others of the dear, noble men of
the Eleventh, Thirty-sixth, Eighty-ninth, and Ninetysecond, he sleeps his last sleep, far from kindred dust.
But he and they fill honored graves, and their memory
will ever be green.
And speaking of the graves of our honored deadthe graves of our patriot soldiers-reminds me here
of the fields of graves at Nashville and Murfreesbor,
and Chattanooga, and elsewhere-on the Potomac
and the Mississippi, amid the swamps of the Chicka 
244    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
hominy and the bayous and the swamps of the far
South. I used to look with sad emotions upon many
of the places set apart for burying the dead, and I
used to wonder whether those sad-looking, desolate
spots would ever be beautified, and their mournful yet
sacred associations be held with  hallowed remembrances by coming generations? Let us talk a little
of these things, dear reader, in the next paragraph:
"GOTTESACKER"-GOD'S FIELD.
That is a happy and, withal, a poetic idea, expressed by the Germans in their own "Faderland,"
who, when speaking of the graveyard, call it "God's
Acre," or God's Field.  However thoughtlessly it
may be uttered, like many other precious words in
this busy, thoughtless world of ours, and however
familiar and common-place it may have become, it
surely must have originated from a beautiful and
happy view of death and the grave, based upon a
loving and living trust in Christ, as the Resurrection
and the Life. GOD'S AcRE-furrowed all over with
green graves- receptacles of precious seed-some
smaller, some larger, some more recently formed, and
others covered with green sod and cypress and flowers, and over which the white tombstones stand like
the labels which careful florists set up over the spot
where they have sown the seeds of favorite flowers!
GOD'S ACRE-the Lord's garden, where precious seeds
of humanity have been sown amid the blinding tears
of sorrow and the fitful sunshine of hope, and where,
perhaps, angel watchers keep holy guard over that 
LIGHiTS AND SHADOWS OF ARM,IY LIFE.   245
which is precious in the sight of the LordI   GOD'S
AcRE-l-where restless, worldly nian sees nl( beauty,
and from which he turns hastily and shudderingly
away, but in which, perhaps, for aught we know, are
going on silent, mysterious forces, which for long ages
have been working, and for long ages will continue to
work, until the dawning of the bright and glorious
day of the world's eternal Summer, when the longburied, forgotten seed, sown in corruption and dishonor and weakness, shall bloom forth in incorruption and glory and power! Yes, let us call the
graveyard a garden! Let us beautify it with flowers
and evergreens, which will be frail but beautiful emblems of hope concerning those over whose grave
they bloom, and fade, and die, and bloom again! Let
us listen more with the ear of the soul than of the
body to the plaintive music of the evening breeze, as it
sweeps gently amid tombstones and trees and flowers,
and green, grassy mounds, and if our spirits are sad
and weary, we shall hear, as if it were the melody of
some far-distant harp, breathing out sweetly
"There is no death! What seems so is transition.
This life of mortal breath
Is but the suburb of the life elysian,
Whose portal we call death."
There is but one drawback to this hopeful, encouraging view of man's last resting-place, and, alas! it is a
sad one. Not all who die, die in Christ. Not all who
sleep in God's Acre will awake and come forth to everlasting life.  Living, God was not in all their thoughts;
they desired none of his ways.  Dying, they flung 
246    LIG(IITS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
fromn them, il despair or impenitence, the last offers
of pardon, and rejected the last but loving invitations
of an all-sufficient Savior.  There are graveyards, too,
the sight of which awakens in our hearts only the
saddest and gloomiest emotions.  Enter, dear reader,
the quiet, peaceful graveyard near your own village,
and which, perhaps, to-day seems so beautiful with its
green covering of grass, and tufts of flowers, and
sniowy tombstones, and where, perhaps, you have laid
your own heart's treasures, and where, too, it may
be, you often go to meditate and to water some little grave with your tears.  Enter that quiet restingplace of the dead, and call it GOD'S ACRE, and speak
of it, too, as beautiful, hopeful, peaceful, and bear
away with you soothing reflections and hopeful memories! But come, now, with me, and walk amid the
thousands of fresh graves, in those portions of our
land, to-day, where the fierce storm of war has been
roaring and raging; and if your soul is not stirred to
its deepest depths, it is because you can not see, or,
seeing, you can not feel.  Imagine yourself at any
one of the military burying-places. Just look upon
this field, for example, several acres in extent, without flower or shrub, or one green blade to relieve the
eye, but bare and brown, and all cast up into thousands
of little ridges, each one marked off with mathematical
precision, and all so close together you can scarcely
put your foot down between them; and remember
tat this bare, brown field has been furrowed by the
grave-digger's  mattock  and spade, that each little
ridge is itself a grave, where some loved one sleeps
his last sleep, far from home and kindred dust! Re 
LIGHTS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
member, too, that, in this doleful inclosure, so saddening to look upon, the dead are crowded so closely, but
so regularly together, that it seems like a field just
planted, and that the headboards are only so many
labels, to tell the names of the seed sown!  ALAS' TiE
FIELD IS SOWN WITIH IUMANITY!  Tell me now, dear
reader, whether it does not cause your heart to thrill
with strangely solemn and saddened emotions? How
many hearts are wrung with anguish to-day, because
of these fields of graves! How many once happy
homes are desolate to-day, because these, at present,
dreary, repulsive fields are crowded with stranger
dead! How long, 0, how long, do you ask, is this
carnival of death to continue? And do you pray,
in agony, "Come, blessed Jesus! come and speak into
calmness and rest the dark and heaving waves of human
passion, which surge to and fro in our land, and which
threaten to swallow up all that is dear to man and
precious to thyself?"
Fear not, dear reader, although your own heart may
be stricken, because your noble son or brother or husband is sleeping his last sleep far from you, and
because his life's blood crimsoned the dark land of
slavery. The sacrifice has not, will not be in vain!
the country will be sanctified by the fearful baptism of
blood now upon us; the hideous institutions of wrong be
forever swept away, and the glories of the millennial
day hastened on apace. Our God is a wonder-working
God. He has his own gracious plans and purposes,
and however mysterious they may seem to frail man,
they will all be unfolded for the wonder and admiration of all created intelligences in time and in eternity.
247 
248   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
-Iow WILL POSTERITY LOOK UPON THOSE MILITARY
BURIAL-PLACES?
There is another and brighter view to be taken of
this otherwise dark and terrible scene. Those gravesthe sight of which, so numerous, and looking so forsaken and desolate, have often awakened in my heart
painfully sad emotions-are, nevertheless, TIHE GRAVES
OF HEROES-THE RESTING-PLACES OF FREEDOM'S NOBLE DEFENDERS! And, in the brighter and better
days yet to come for come they will-every one of
these fields of graves, so sad and solemn  and forsaken now, so brown and bare, like some deserted
"Potter's Field," will be a Necropolis-a city of buried
heroes. They will be adorned with the richest treasures of art, and the more beautiful but less imposing
ornaments of nature. Coming generations will hold
as sacred trusts these halls of death, where a nation's
heroes are sleeping; and they will tell to their children,
and children's children, the story of Freedom's struggle
with Oppression, and how that, in the final victory, not
only America, but the shores of every continent and
island of earth, were blessed with the advancing tidewave of love and liberty.
"We never can be deathless till we die.
It is the dead win battles. And the breath
Of those who through the world drive like a wedge,
Tearing earth's empires up, nears Death so close
It dims his well-worn scythe.  But no! the brave
Die never. Being deathless, they but change
Their country's arms for more-their country's heart.
Give, then, the dead their due; it is they who saved us." 
CHAPTER XX.
IF God hath made this world so fair
Where sin and death abound,
How beautiful beyond compare
Will Paradise be found I
MONTGOMERY.
"WILL yOU give us that sermon which you said was
preached to you and your regiment, by some falling
waters, once, when on a march?" asked a friend, who
knew that these "Lights and Shadows of Army Life"
were being put into book form.
I came pretty near saying "No!"  People don't
like sermons in army books. It wasn't a sermon, at
all, dear reader; it was only a beautiful picture of Natu.re's own drawing, and I just spoke a little about itthat was all. But would you like to hear about the
picture? Very well. I will give it to you, roughly
drawn, it may be.
Let me tell you how the picture was seen. It was
on this wise. The column had been marching from
early morn, along dusty roads and literally in a dry
and thirsty land, where there was no water. It was
now a little past the hour of noon, and the blazing
sun shone out fiercely in a cloudless sky. Many a
strong-hearted soldier had fainted by the wayside                                      (249) 
250    LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
for his canteen was empty, his lips were dry and
parched, and he was foot-sore and weary.  "Water!
water!" was the great cry. "Water! any thing for
water, and some shady place in which to rest!" More
and more intensely did the sun shine out from the
brazen sky, while the earth seemed to glow like a furnace. The dry, hot dust, flung up by thousands of
feet, irritated the throat and lungs, at the same time
increasing the intolerable thirst under which all were
suffering.  Onward and still onward pressed the men,
wearily and in pain, while the dust, increasing in heat
and quantity, threatened to suffocate them at every
step. Not a breath of air seemed to be stirring. The
very leaves on the low shrubs, and the grass by the
w-ayside seemed to partake of the general depression
and suffering, and looked drooping and dying. Thus,
mile after mile of the weary way was traversed, and
hour succeeded hour, as if each one was an age, and
impressions of suffering and utter exhaustion were
made so deeply on the minds of all, that time will
never efface them. Suddenly we entered a narrow
defile, through which the road wound, and, as if by
magic, or like the creations of some fairy tale, a cool
and fragrant breeze began to fan our cheeks.
Presently the bugle, at the head of the column,
sounded the welcome "Halt!" followed immediately
by the still more welcome "Rest!" On riding forward a few paces, to where there was a general and
frantic rush, I beheld a scene of such beauty and interest that I will never forget it till my dying day.
We had entered a somewhat rocky pass, or gap, shaded
on one side by hemlocks and cedars, "arrayed," litel 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    251
ally, "in living green."  On the left was a cool, 3ilady
glen, or grotto, scooped out deep in the mountainside-semicircular in form, or shaped somewhat like
a horseshoe. The face of this grotto, cor posed of
solid rock, rose like a massive wall sixty or eighty feet
high, and terminated in an evergreen crown of cedars
and hemlocks.  The wall itself was literally covered
from base to summit with moss and flowers and evergreens, among which bloomed, in rich profusion, the
beautiful wild honeysuckle, which hung in gay festoons
from every crag and crevice. This was a grotto which
the hand of man had never made, and these were flow
ers and shrubs which he had never planted.   Ages
ago, God himself had scooped it out of the solid rock,
and clothed its granite walls with fragrant flowers,
which bloomed and faded, and bloomed again, as successive seasons rolled on, long before the foot of man
had disturbed its quiet solitudes.   But there were
other charms, and, if possible, richer beauties still.
At the further end of this lovely scene, and from an
elevation of perhaps thirty or forty feet, there issued
a stream of cool, pure water, clear as crystal. As it
descended from "the cleft of the rock," which was
nearly concealed by  tie overhanging  flowers  and
shrubs, it divided into a number of little rivulets,
which, in contrast with the green foliage around,
looked like so many rills of liquid silver. At each
one of these silvery "shady rills" stood, or kneeled,
or lay groups of weary, thirsty soldiers, eagerly
quaffing the precious beverage, as if determined never
to be thirsty again.
A murmur of intense satisfaction and delight was 
252    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFT
heard on every side.  It seemed as if all felt that
that sublimely beautiful scene had in it more of
heaven than earth; and so strong, s, emingly, were
the feelings awakened in each bosom that a kind of
holy awe, a subdued, sacred admira,ion, filled each
heart.  0, how  welcome to those e nausted, thirsty
men was that "shadow of a great rock in a weary
land! "   How  refreshing those cool and sparkling
waters, which gushed forth so full, free, and abundant
from that flower-festooned rock! And how impressive
the scene, too, when those exhausted, thirsty soldiers
reached forth with such feverish eagerness to drink,
and drink, and drink again!  How they bathed their
hot, fevered brows, or stooped under the shelving
rocks, and allowed the cooling waters to fall upon
them! How it seemed as if every leaf and spray
and flower were in sympathy with the gladsome scene,
while the dancing sunbeams looked like rays of glory
streaming down through the leafy openings above, and
the songs of the birds, far away in the cool greenwood, seemed to be the sweet melodies of the better
land!
And as I looked ur,n that scene of thrilling interest, I thought of tha, loving ONE who, a weary and
thirsty traveler, once sat, at the noontide hour, by the
well of Jacob, and a Aked drink of a woman of Samaria.  And it seeme   as if he might almost be seen
again, standing ir the midst of those groups of
thirsty men, with pity in every look and love in
every word, sayi7 g, with compassionate tenderness
and entreaty, "W ]osoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again; but Who(soever drinketh of the water that 
LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   253
I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that
I shall give him shall be in him  a well of water
springing up into everlasting life."   And it seemed,
also, as if that scene of intense interest could be more
fully understood, where it is said that, to the multitudes who hovered near him on the last great day of
the feast, Jesus cried, so earnestly and so lovingly,
"If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."
I thought, too, of the fullness and freeness of the
living streams of salvation which flow from the great
fountain of life and love, to which weary man may go
and drink, and live forever. And I felt that man,
though a stricken, sin-burdened sinner, groaning in
the bitterness of helpless misery, estranged from
God and heaven, traveling, a weary pilgrim, on life's
high-way, and suffering from that soul-thirst which
no earthly streams can ever quench, had not been
abandoned by God, nor given over to hopeless despair.  No! no!  That very scene before me-that
fiower-festooned rock, from which gushed forth so
plentifully those cool, refreshing waters-those groups
of exhausted men, reaching forth so eagerly to drink
and quench their burning thirst-all seemed to speak
of the glorious plan of God, whereby the healing
streams of salvation had been opened up in the
moral desert, and of which all were invited to drink,
without money and without price. Thank God! the
Savior has come into the world and suffered and died,
that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but
have everlasting life! He is the hiding-place from the
storm, a covert from the heat, and as the shadow of
a great rock in a weary land!  He is the sinner's 
254    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Friend, the soul's Physician, the sin-atoning Lamb
of God, from whose wounded side flow those healing
streams that have washed and purified and saved a
countless multitude in earth and heaven! And just
as those refreshing waters which flowed forth so freely
in that beautiful flowery recess, and of which the
thirsty soldiers drank so eagerly and gladly, were free
for all-just as every flower and leaf and spray, and
dancing sunbeam and crystal stream, which made up
the beauty and gladness of this precious scene, seemed
to say, "Drink, ye weary, thirsty ones! Drink freely!
Drink abundantly!  Drink, one and all!  Drink without limit and without fear! Drink, for all are welcome!"-so, in like manner, the waters of salvation
are free for all; and the great work of the Spirit and
the Bride is to say to every sinner, "Whosoever will,
let him take the water of life freely!"  But, alas!
alas! just as any of those soldiers might have framed
excuses, found fault, procrastinated, or refused to
drink of the cool and abundant streams before them,
and thereby suffered pain, and perhaps death, in like
manner do many sinners, in their madness and folly,
refuse to drink of the waters of salvation-die in
their sins, and perish forever, while the gurglings of
the healing streams are sounding in their ears!
I thought, again, that this was no temporary fountain to which these men had come-that those were
no transient waters of which they drank, and which
gushed forth in such strength and fullness. Their
source was deep in the heart of the mountain-so
deep that it would never be dried by summer's hottest
sun, nor frozen by winter's coldest blast. Flowing on, 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   255
flowing ever, by night and by day, through summer
and winter, in sunshine and storm-O, what a type
of God's unchanging love!  Earthly friends change,
and the happiest homes change, and the scenes of our
mortal life change, till our eyes are dim with tears,
and our hearts are crushed with sorrow; but, 0, the
wvarm sympathies and the outgushing love of the Infinite Father are ever full, ever free, and ever constant! "I, the Lord, change not."   "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my
kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that
hath mercy on thee."
Such, in brief, were some of the reflections suggested by the beautiful and impressive scene described.
I thought, too, of the happy time, when, in the radiant
home on high, God would wipe away the tears from all
faces, and crown his redeemed ones with crowns of
dazzling splendor, and array them in garments of unfading beauty. I thought, also, how that the blessed
Savior, once "A poor, wayfaring man of grief," asking a cup of water at the well of Jacob, would lead
forth his white-robed followers, amid the immortal
splendors of that heavenly country to where the fountains of glory play perpetually, and the streams of joy
flow on forever.   And as I stooped and bathed my
own fevered brow, I could not refrain from praying
that every one there might be refreshed with living
waters, and that when the great work and conflict of
life were ended, we might at last all drink of the
streams of joy in the home of God.
After a brief rest-very brief it seemed-the bugle 
256   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
sounded-" Forward!" and again the column was in
motion. While we halted, the booming of cannon and
the sharp rattle of musketry were heard on our right,
which told us, in unmistakable language, that the battle
had been renewed. It was not till evening had set in
that we reached the scene of action-merely a skirmish-and in the mean time the enemy had been driven
back. We lay down and slept soundly on that ground
on which, a few hours before, the tide of battle had
surged to and fro.
Such is life in the army. Such, indeed, is the life
of man upon earth. Happy he who has the hope that
when he sleeps his last sleep, having fought his last
battle, it will be to awaken in that land where the
sword of the spiritual conflict will be exchanged for
the palm of victory, and the helmet of salvation will
be exchanged for the crown of glory. 
CHIIAPTER XXI.
HOOVER'S GAP-TULLAHO3A -WATER-CURE-WILL IT DO IN TH]
ARIMY -A GREAT CHAPLAIN.
FORWARD-H0OOVEIR'S GAP.
SIIORTLY after three o'clock, on the morninig oi the
24th of June, hundreds of bugles sounded out far and
near, through woods and valleys, and over hill and
dale, on the east and west and north and south of
'Iurfreesboro, the sweet but not always welcome notes
of reveille.  It was a dull, cloudy morning-the sky,
seemingly, all the more dusky and somber from the
reflected glare of a thousand camp-fires. Toward five
o'clock, the scenes that everywhere met the eye, and
the sounds that everywhere fell upon the ear, were of
the most intensely interesting and thrilling character.
Dense, moving columns on every road, bristling bayonets gleaming everywhere, gay battle-flags streaming
out on the morning breeze, or glancing amid the green
foliage, as regiment after regiment deployed on the
various roads-staff officers and orderlies galloping
here and there-the sharp rattle of drums and the
shrill sounds of the fife, the confused clangor of countless bugles, and the softer, sweeter, but no less confused notes of brigade bands beating off at the heads
22                             (257) 
258    LIGHTS  AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
of the various columns-made both scenes and sounds
not soon to be forgotten.  This was the first move in
the great campaign that drove Bragg out of Tennessee, in 1863, and, for the time being, was the poetry
of war, soon to be followed by war's stern realities.
By five o'clock, Thomas's corps, occupying the center, was in motion, moving on the Manchester road.
General Wilder's brigade of Reynolds's division, consisting of mounted infantry, armed with Spencer rifles,
was in the advance, followed closely by Crook's brigade and the rest of the division. General McCook
moved on the right by the Shelbyville road, his part
of the work being a feint on Bragg's left, while the
great work was really to be done by the forces moving, against his left and center. By nine o'clock, the
rain began to fall, and a regular storm set in, notwithstanding which the troops pushed on with great rapidity.  General Wilder drove in the rebel pickets near
Hoover's Gap, and pushed on, with daring energy and
skill, so as to take the gap-a position very strong in
itself, and rendered still more so by works commanding the approaches. In thus pushing on with such
rapidity and dash, and securing the works before the
enemy, seemingly, was aware of any movement, not
only did Wilder gain an important point, but, as was
acknowledged by all, thousands of lives were saved.
IIe pushed forward so as to gain the southern extremnity of the gap; but the enemy fought desperately,
and, but for the deadly Spencer in the hands of his
well-tried troops, he might have been seriously worsted
before the infantry got up. The fighting for the possession of the gap was very stubborn, but gradually 
LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    259
the rebels were driven back, with considerable loss.
In the mean time communication had been opened
vith AIcCookl, on the right, who was reported as in
possession of Shelbyville.
Rain was falling heavily and darkness had set in,
but still desultory firing, both of musketry and artillery, was kept up till eight or nine o'clock.  Between
sixty and seventy of the division were killed and
wvounded-nearly all belonging to Wilder's command.
A log-house on the right of the road was selected as
field hospital, and, shortly after dark, several tents were
put up, and the wounded cared for as well as possible
The arrangements for so doing were most admirable.
Several hospital wagons were driven up, and the good
things furnished both by the Government and the Sanitary Commission were quickly in use for the comfort
and relief of the wounded. The rebels had suffered
considerably, and, as they were steadily pushed back,
the greater part of their wounded fell into our hands.
During that afternoon and night, and the following day,
the field hospital, established at the point indicated,
was soon full. Those, however, who were able to be
removed, were sent back to Murfreesboro, thus giving
greater facilities for the care of those still on the field,
and insuring more comfort to those removed. And
just at this point, let it be stated, that not very often
are matters more forbidding, disagreeable, and in every
way discouraging for the wounded, than they were at
Hoover's Gap for the two or three days it was held by
our advance.   The rain fell incessantly, night and
day. Every one was soaked through, and covered with
mud, and all around the various field hospitals every 
260    LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
thing was, to a mere beholder, of the most dreary and
forbidding aspect.   But-and  to their praise be it
spoken-the surgeons of the division worked like men
in earnest.  It would be invidious to mention names
where all did so well, and those who might be most
deserving would much rather let their deeds praise
them, than any mere record, either official or otherwvise. But let this much be said, that this first step
of the great campaign of 1863, in Tennessee and
Georgia, augured well for the comfort and care of the
patriot soldier.
At the request of the medical director I attended to
getting food for the wounded, and hence had opportunities of seeing how matters were conducted, and
can, therefore, here and now give my cheerful testimony to the kindness, promptness, and efficiency of
the medical staff.
The skirmishing was kept up briskly next day, the
design being, apparently, not to drive the enemy too
fast, nor to show a very heavy force just at this point.
McCook on the right, however, was driving heavily,
and the booming of his guns told that he was fighting
in earnest. The struggle was for the possession of
Liberty Gap, which was finally gained, and this, with
the possession of Hoover's Gap in the center, gave
Rosecrans the command of the position, and Bragg
was compelled to fall back. It was reported that the
mass of the rebel army was in and about Tullahoma,
which had been strongly fortified.  Rebel papers asserted that Rosecrans would come to grief the moment
he moved from his intrenchments at Murfreesboro,
and attempted to touch the intrenched position of 
LIGIITS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    261
Bra-gg.  But, as Rosecrans moved rapidly down by
the gaps named, upon Manchester and Winchester, lihe
flanked Bragg  at Tullahoma.  This was  effectually
done on the 27th by Reynolds's division taking possession of Manchester, Crook's brigade entering that
place about ten o'clock, and bivouacking on the southwvest of the town.  A general halt was made here, the
troops resting during Saturday and Sabbath.
Early on Monday morning, the army was again in
motion, moving forward as rapidly as the incessant
rain and the miry roads would permit. And it did
rain, too, as if another deluge were about to come on
this part of the earth. Night and day it was either
a drizzling, misty shower for an hour or two, or a
genuine thunder-storm; and it was hard to tell,
sometimes, whether the rumbling noises which accompaniedl the heavier rains were the artillery of
earth or heaven, for sometimes both were at work
simultaneously. Soaked with the continual rain, and
covered with mud from head to heels, there was decidedly more of the practical than the poetical seen
among the columns as they pushed wearily but cheerfully along -some of the more light-hearted and
waggish of the men cracking jokes at the general
appearance of each other. One day, and nearly the
whole of one night, however, there were precious
few jokes. Waggish remarks were voted a nuisance.
Jokers themselves were silent-completely collapsed.
Haversacks were half filled with odd mixtures of hardtack, fat bacon, coffee, sugar, salt, and pepper-perhaps an iron spoon or a case-knife, and other simple
odds and ends which make up a soldier's commissary 
262   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
all in one mixed up, undistinguishable, water-soaked
mnass! Not a very savory breakfast had been eaten
before starting. Lunch consisted of a piece of the
mixture indicated, washed down by a mouthful of
muddy water, and supper was about the same, with
the exception that the contents of the haversack were
considerably softer. It was just in such remarkably
romantic and eminently hygienic circumstances that
we pushed on-men, horses, artillery, ammunition
and supply-wagons plunging and floundering through
the mud. Onward, through the deep mire and bridgeless streams, swollen by the incessant rains, over the
hills, through the dense woods, out on the open,
swampy plain, we pushed, if in no very poetic mood,
yet having a very realizing sense of the intensely actual of military life. One gets the sentimental starch
pretty well soaked out of him by a week or ten days'
experience, as we had then.  Don't talk empty sentimentalism to an old soldier. He knows better. If
you doubt it, my non-military readers, just ask any
of the heroes of the Cumberland if they have any
recollections of the march from MIurfreesboro to Tullahoma, in June, 1863.
A person is very apt to remember getting up in the
morning, feeling as if he had been sleeping on the
furrows of a potato-patch, or on the ridges and angles
of a "corduroy" bridge, and having a very strong
impression that his garments were decidedly damp,
and had a strong odor of decayed leaves, wet grass,
and fresh earth. To make one's toilet out of doors,
under such circumstances, and eat breakfast by the 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    263
glare of the camp-fire, are both sufficiently rustic and
simple to satisfy the most enthusiastic poet that ever
sighedcl for the return of the good old days of sylvan
shiades, moonlight musings, love in a cottage, or a roniantic retreat in some vast wilderness,  and other
nice, pretty, innocent nonsense. My word for it, if
the most enthusiastic poet that ever wrote heart-rending sonnets to dear Augusta Matilda, and devoutly
envied the wanton breeze that toyed with her auburn
ringlets, and raved to the moon about something he
called his heart-just as if the moon knew any thing
about anatomy-and who felt so superior to the commnon experiences of this practical world of ours, that
he could only live in dream-land, and subsist on sentimental moonshine-if such a simpleton had marched
by day and slept by night alongside some of us during those days and nights-got up long before day,
floundered about in the mud, and eaten his breakfast
while the rain threatened to weaken his coffee and
soften his bread, the starch of sentimentalism would
have been completely taken out of him, and he would
have been as limp as a rag. And, for myself, I
frankly confess that there was precious little starch
of any kind left in me, after a few nights of such
experience. The army is a fine place to get different kinds and qualities of starch taken out of people; and if they have nothing to keep them perpendicular, either in a moral or physical sense, but what
is external and circumstantial, the soft spots in their
general stamina will soon be discovered, and they will
learn at least one lesson of life-to know themselves 
264    LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
a lesson, by the way, which seldom injures any one to
learn correctly. But to return.
Mloving on the left of Tullahoma, and on a line
nearly parallel with the railroad, Thomas proceeded
so as to strike Bragg, said to be retreating east. On
the first of July, part of the column entered Tullahoma, from the east-fairly flanking that place-Bragg
having taken the alarm, barely getting clear, before our
cavalry,,had dashed upon his rear-guard. According
to all reports which had been made by scouts and
prisoners, it was generally expected that a long and
bloody battle would be fought for the possession of
Tullahoma, where, it was asserted, the rebels had
strong fortifications, mounted with heavy artillery,
and where, it was also said, they had abundance of resources.  The scene which presented itself on entering Tullahoma, told how precipitate Bragg's flight had
been. Whole fields of wall-tents, of the best quality,.
were left standing just as they had been in use; and
around them, as well as in them, were trunks, messchests, clothing, etc. We captured some thirty thousand pounds of corn-meal, five sixty-four-pounder
siege-guns, and  other military equipments.   Every
thing indicated that the flight was sudden, unexpected,
and precipitate. All along the by-paths, in the woods
as well as on the highways, over which the fleeing
army had gone, were strewed clothing, wagons, blacksmith's tools, and corn-meal. Even in the soft places
of the roads, where their artillery and wagons had
mired, they had thrown whole sacks of corn-meal and
beans, in order to fill up the ruts, and thus make a
bridge, not of trees or rails, but of bread! Under all 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
these circumstances, judge of our surprise when, on
picking up a copy of the C/a,I.tctanoogca Rebel, of June
30-the day previous-we read that "General Rosecrans's army was in full retreat toward Nashville,
closely pursued by the victorious army of Bragg,!"
Still onward, although it continued to rain almost
without intermission, and although new roads had frequently to be cut for the artillery and trains-the old
ones, in many places, being impassable-still onward
pressed the columns, so as to intercept Bragg, rapidly
retreating eastward, and endeavoring to reach Chattanooga on the south of the Tennessee River.  Before
Bragg could reach the mountain ranges, he had to
cross Elk River, a rapid stream, now swollen by the
rains. The intention was to strike his army at or
near this river while in the act of crossing.  Thomas's
advance reached a point not far from Estelle Springs,
just as the rear of the army had got across and taken
up a position on the opposite side-a high bluff, on
vwhich were constructed two or three stockades, and
some rifle-pits, commanding the bridge. They had attempted to burn the bridge, but it was so little injured
that a few hours' work rendered it passable by the infintry, while the cavalry and artillery crossed at several points above and below. In the mean time, Crittendclen, on the left, had moved up toward Tracy City,
thus taking possession of the best and most direct
route to Chattanooga.  This turned Bragg's right, and
compelled him to move almost due south, and through
a rough, mountainous country.
On the 8thl of July, the forces generally halted,
forming a front from Tracy City almost to Hluntsville,
23
265 
2G6    LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY ]LIFE.
the center resting in front of the mountain ranges
onp,-)osite Winchliester.  The command of General iteynolds lay near Big Springs-General  Crook's  conandl being encamped close by the Springs anid within
two and a half miles of Dechard Station, on the N,ashville and Chattanooga RIailroad.
TiHOUGHTS AND INCIDENTS.
No doubt the reader has already discovered that the
pen which jots these army itemns, or, if you will, traces
these Lights and Shadows of Army Life, is a very erratic and uncertain pen.  IHere is another evidence of
that fact.
Imiaginie yourself just resting under a tree, or, if
you like it better,  come  into  one of our "shelter
tenlts;" that, clear reader, is the polite and official name
of ia-llat the boys call "'dorg tents;" but, no matter,
let us have a little talk. And, first of all, let me ask
a plain question.  Were you ever hungry?   I don't
meani to ask, Did you ever have a good appetite? for,
of course, you have.   Neither do I mean to inquire
whvether you ever felt a certain keen, healthful cormmlotion in the gastric region when by your watch it lacked
precisely fifteen minutes and ten seconds of the dinner
hour, and wIlich-not your w-atch, but your stomachind,uced vou to believe you could eat like a New Zealautder.  Neither do I ask whether you ever felt some-whlat dissatisfied and considered yourself as entitled to
the honor of martyrdom, because your better half (perh.ps your better half all to nothing) set before you a
cold lunch on some day of general domestic tribulation 
LIGfITS AND SHADOWVS OF ARMY LIFE.    267
and soapsuds, and which caused you to pray that the
millennii-um migh,t speedily coie, when the miserably
abused lords of creation, yourself includedl, would be
savedl from  the weekly  crucifixion of stomach and
temper.  No, no! I don't mean  any such healthlil,
hopeful hungier as that; but I mean a real, genuine,
hopeless, prostrating hunger, the result, for instance,
of thirty-six hours' pretty general fastingr, followed by
two hours' sleep at the foot of a tree, in rain and mud
andi wretchedness generally.  That is the kind of
hunger to which reference is made.  If you have ever
been in such circumstances, then you deserve to be
pitied; if you never have, then be thankful, and pray
that you never may.
During the time indicated in the previous chapter,
and, indeed, during the whole of my army experience,
I have, in commoii wyith others, known what is included
in that comprehensive term "a, campaign;" and one
of the lessons learned was this —namrely, that the history of this war will never be written.  The history of
0o war has ever been written, and for this reason, that
it is an utter impossibility.  A  sketch may be given;
brilliant generalities may be recorded by the pen of
thle historian after the dust and smroke of battle have
cleared away; rhletQrical flourishles, and rotiund(ed periods, musical expressions strung together and soundilg like sliver bells, and pet rilitary phrases placed
at proper distances on the page, like general officers
on a review, may all be brou,ght into play in the production of some grandly pretentious history of any
given campaign; but the history, as such, will be a
failure.  W1,ar, as written on the page of history, is 
268    LIGHIITS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
vastly different from war as written on the long, weary
march, the bivouac, and the battlefield.  It is vastly
different as seen from the cozy parlor fireside, through
the page of a book or the columns of the daily paper,
and seen from amid the smoke and din of the conflict
itself, the groans of the wounded and the dying, and
scenes of' horror that the beholder never can forget.
And, then, there are elements of individual privation
and suffering that never enter into the sum total of
the historian's grand estimate of war, and which
"special correspondents," enjoying special privileges,
sometimes never know, or, if known, are seldom referred to in their communications. And those very
sufferings and privations, endured by the patriot soldiers during this wicked rebellion, only show how
devoted they have been to the good cause in which
they have been engaged, and what a debt of gratitude
the country will owe them when the rebellion is
crushed. Owing to circumstances, which it is needless to relate, on more occasions than one did the
brave men composing the Army of the Cumberland
suffer from absolute hunger. During the advance
into Southern Tennessee and Northern Alabama and
Georgia, amid the cheerful feelings caused by a victorious entrance into Bragg's strongholds, and the
driving of his army before us continually, there were
times when it needed both patience and patriotism
to bear up in the midst of severe privations. I remember, and ever will remember, one particular time,
during that campaign, when the Eleventh, Thirtysixth, and other Ohio regiments, neither rested, slept,
nor ate any thing, save crackers, for forty-eight hours, 
LIGHIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
standing up or lying down, their muskets never out
of their hands, skirmishling with the enemy the whole
time, while shell and shot were passing over and
around them-all this, too, in rain and mud, and after
long and fatiguing marches.  The utter wretchedness
of that weary time will never be forgotten. There
was no place to rest, unless one chose either to lie
down in the mud, or take two or three rails and place
them so as to form an inclined plane, or search for
some root-prongs above water and mud, and lie down
in the easiest position possible.
'I am a great admirer of the water-cure system, if
you will allow me to regulate the water part of the
cure, and not mix it too much with mud;  but I acknowledge that forty-eight hours in rain above and
mire beneath, two hours' sleep at the foot of a tree,
with one of the root-prongs for a pillow, a cracker or
two for the inner man, and a "wet pack" for the outer,
is taking the starch out a little too rapidly for comfort, and seems sufficiently convincing of the powerful
effects of cold water and plain diet to suit the most
rabid Grahamite.  Do you suppose, dear reader, that
it would savor much of the carnal mind if one were
frankly to confess that he felt hungry and faint and
miserable after such rough experiences? Or do you
think that one's conscience would be much troubled
about transmogrifying a stray sheep into mutton-especially if its bleating was constructively disloyaland partaking of a savory slice, asking no questions,
for the stomach's sake and often infirmities? I do n't
want you to understand, for a moment, dear reader,
that any sheep ever came to an untimely end, or was
269
I 
270    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS 0F ARAIY LIFE.
accidentally changed ilnLto mutton-chops tIhrough my
instrumentality; but I will just acknowledge that one
of the sweetest morsels I have ever eaten was given
me, one miserable, wet evening, by " Shorty " —mayT
his shadow never growv less!T Where he got it I did u't
ask, but assuredclly lhe hadn't tlme to go to market
for it!
Aiproios to speaking, of long fasts, rain, mud, fencerail ieds, and pirne-root couches, let mre state a fact,
wh'iich I most lhumbly commende( to the notice of the
more metaphysical of my readers.  It is this: I have
noticed thlat, after a long fast, or a three or four weeks'
ciet of berd crackers and mnuddy coffee, a good, substantial rtileal has a most wonderful effect on one's religious enjoyments.  Why, I have felt pious all over,
after a good dinner or supper  undLcer such  circumstances, an-d my heart, or stomach, perhaps, was so full
of good feeling that I loved everybody, and thought
every thig loo-ked brighiter and more beautiful generally.  Even the rebel chivalry, in dirt and rags and
generalt  sqnalldness, seemed to be somewihat improved,
anl  to 1Iok less lean, lank, cadaverous, and loosejointed.  Tihe very leaves seemed to quiver in sympat,hy wv-ith my good feeling, and the few birds that had
not been driven off by the incessant noise and confusion, seemed to chirp more musically and cheerfully;
while at night, even  the  doleful "Wh ip-poor-will"
seemed to singo cheerily, "fiautton's good! Muitton's
good!" O, you neednl't contract your pious brows
into a sanctimonious frown, my good Brother Skinflint!
It's all true, and if you don't believe it, just make
the experiment.   If you do, perhaps your own expe 
LIGHTS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
rience with the lights and sihadows-especially the
shaldows-of life in general will lead you to ask, as I
have often done, Hlow much religion is there in good
living?  How much do our a frames of minid," especially
of the exuberant, comfortable kind, depend upon juicy
roast beef, savory potatoes, and good things generally!
Whlat connection is there, after all, between the state
of our digestive organs and the nature of our religioQs emotions?  To what an extent do our fervency
of devotion, or strength of zeal, or power of faith, or
brilliancy of hope depend on whether we have made
our dinner or supper from an abundance of good
things, and with keen relish, or whether we have had
to snatch an unpalatable morsel from under the dark
shadow of Want?  Do the luxurious apartments and
soft couches and well-loaded tables of wealthy Christians have any thing to do with their self-satisfaction
and easy spiritual victories-freedom from harassing
cares and general hopefulness? Or do the continual
struggles with poverty, and the anxious cares and the
want of many things that are craved both by bodily
and mental appetites, firom whichl the pious poor have
to suffer, have any connection with their inward conflicts, their seasons of darkness, and their deep, earnest
longings after other and brighter days?  And should
there not be more Christ-like tenderness and sympathy
felt in dealing with the sad and suffering of earth?
Should there not be more attention paid to the physical wants of the poor, while their spiritual necessities are by no means neglected?  Might not a loaf of
bread, or any little delicacy from the hand of some
Christian lady, do more good to the soul as well as
271 
272    LIGHTS AND StIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the body of poor Widow Brown, over the way-bring
her nearer to Christ and heaven-than an eighlt-page
tract, containing a thin, meager, metaphysical homily
on the "Duty of Contentment," handed to her, with
all due formality, by the Piev. Jonathan Creamcheese?
Speaking  of the Rev. Jonathan Creamcheese, reminds me of one of his eminent brethren, who flourished somewhat during the campaign of 1863. Let
me introduce the reader to
A BRAVE MILITARY CHAPLAIN.
During the continual skirmishing with Bragg's retreating army, there were several occasions when severe and serious fighting took place.  On one of the
occasions referred to, when the casualties were unusually numerous, and when there was ample work for all
to do in ministering to the wants of the wounded, my
attention was frequently attracted by a portly-looking, fresh-faced gentleman, who carried a very nice
walking-cane, and was invariably seen with a cigar in
his mouth, from which he blew a continuous and quite
fashionable cloud of smoke. He seemed to be in very
good humor with every one in general, and with himself in particular.  He had a jovial, hail-fellow-wellmet kind of air about him, and seemed to be so full
of general good humor and camp abandon, that he
was perfectly indifferent to the very sad scenes by
which we were then and there surrounded. Who
could he be? He could not be a surgeon, for there
was too much work to be done, just then, for any of
the medical staff to be idle. Perhaps a special cor 
LIGHTS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
respondent of some daily paper, thought I, and, therefore, he is looking on with that air of nonchlalanee
peculiar to professional coolness and long intimacy
with sad scenes. But he had no note-book nor pencil
in hand, and he was too robust and well-dressed for a
genuine quill-driver for the newspaper press. And
then, too, I had noticed that correspondents were invariably busy, in one way or another, where there
were any wounded.  No, no; he could not be a correspondent.  Perhaps a visitor, then-one following
the army to satisfy his curiosity.  But even that did
not seem to suit, and so I gave up my guessing. One
thing was certain-he had not, as I noticed, spoken a
word to one of the wounded-he had rendered no
assistance where help was so much needed, but only
flourished his cane and smoked his cigar.  However,
the mystery was solved at last, and my curiosity satisfied. He finally spoke to me. This of itself was a
favor for which one ought to have been profoundly
thankful-that is, considering the circumstances.   I
had torn my coat the day before, in a frantic attempt
to overload the pockets with hard-tack and two or
three numbers of the "Atlantic." From the crown
of a dilapidated felt hat, knocked into all conceivable
shapes, to the toes of a pair of coarse cavalry boots,
I was well covered with mud.   Add to this, I had
spent the previous night in the driest corner of a
leaky wtagon-shed, with my saddle for a mattress, and
a cracker-box for a pillow; had been liberally supplied
with water from above, and thin mire from below, and,
therefore, felt decidedly cheap.
"Hospital nurse or steward, eh?" said he, conde
273 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
scendingly, as I strailghtenedcl myself up, after having
finis hed supplying the wounded with hot coffee and
dry rlusk.
"Here, chaplain-my pardner, here, says he wants
some more coffee.  I'll take some, too-blamed if I'mn
going to miss my rations for this scratch.  The bail
camle purty near knocking out my chunk, though-it's
a fact "
The "pardner" and his friend were duly suppliedand again the gentleman of the cane and cigar addressed me:
"You're a chaplain, eh?  WIhat regiment do you
belong to? " he inquired, most n-majestically, as he blew
the tobacco-smoke into curling wreaths.
I informed him, with becoming deference, at the
same time scraping some mud off my coat, and trying
to straighten out my hat, which had been jammed and
softened out of all shape.
"I am chaplain, too," said he, with becoming gravity, andl with that self-iimportance becoming so great a
persoinage.  "I am chaplain of the       regirnent," he
continued, between the puP,s-"' have been at home sick
for some time, but, in all the engagements which we
have been in, I have always occupied my official position, namely, six paces in the rear of my regiment."
Bah! thoughlt I-your true position would be a few
score of miles in the rear of the army.  Sick!   Was
there ever such a jolly, rulddy, plump, ponderous burlesqtue on sickness!  And that shining cane, too, and
those everlasting ci,gars!  Six paces in the rear of the
regiment during battle!  thow bratve'  No wonder he
could not condescend to such small matters as to speak
274 
LIGHIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    275
a w-ordcl of comfort to the sufferers, nor give one of
themi a cup ol cold vater
in striin  contrast with the conduct of the abovementioned fenOtleiman, was that of Chaplain Grimes,
of the pineTy-second Ohio. Although in feeble health
himseif, he vwoikied everywhere, and at all times, for the
good of his o wn men as well as for those of other comniandIs.  Hie persever-ed for months in his arduous lahors, seceiu,g the wvelfare of all with -whoin he came into
contact, till, at last, he had to yield to stern necessity
and ask to be relieved from duty.  Wvhen he left the
army it was with the respect and esteem of all who
knew his labors and his self-sacrificing, spirit.  Of him,
however, it might be said, that his very anxiety to labor,
and his nervous energy in all he undertook, especially
in visiting the hospitals, so exhausted his already weak
frame, that he was all the sooner and all the more completely incapacitated for army labor.  I thus record
myi appreciation of a good man and an efficient chapbin. 
CHIIAPTER XXII.
ROSECRANXS'S ADVANCE-CROSSING LOOKOUT-PERILOUS POSITION O?
THE ARMY.
TOWARD the middle of August, the railroad from
Murfreesboro to Chattanooga had been repaired as far
as Cowan, and materials had been collected at different points, from Tullahoma to Dechard, to continue
repairs as the army advanced.   Supplies had been
collected, the troops were rested and refreshed, and
every thing was promising and cheerful. On the 16th
and 17th a general advance of the whole line took
place. General Reynolds's division had already advanced to University, a point of some  note on the
Cumberland range, so that while part of the corps was
moving from I)echard, our division was already well
advanced. The line pursued by Thomas's corps was
nearly parallel with the Nashville and Chattanooga
Railroad-the third division (Reynolds's) being considerably east of that road.   General MIcCook, still
on the right, moved on a line a little west of south, so
as to strike the Tennessee River west of Stevenson.
On the 23d of August our troops occupied Jasper, at
which point our division lay till the 1st of September. On that and the succeeding days, the entire
force in the Sequatchie Valley crossed the river, at
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LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    277
Shellmound, while other portions of the corps crossed
at different points below, while AIcCook, at about the
same time, crossed at points at and below Bridgeport.
Meanwhile, Crittenden was moving more to the east,
threatening Chattanooga, whither, it was stated, Bragg
had retreated and was fortifying for the final struggle
in the "last ditch." Thus, it will be seen that the line
of battle formed by the various columns of the Army
of the Cumberland, at the time referred to-say from
the 28th of August till the 4th of September-was
not less than forty-five miles, and facing nearly south,
or a little east of south. The intention of Rosecrans
was to get Bragg out of Chattanooga-not by fighting,
but by strategy. To accomplish this, part of Crittenden's corps, as already stated, moved up on the north
side of the Tennessee toward that place. Proceeding
a short distance above the city, they made demonstrations as if about to cross the river.  The troops
flapped and pounded boards, cut down trees, sawed
off the ends of planks and logs, designedly made chips
and coarse shavings, and threw them into the current,
which, floating past Bragg's camps below, intimated
that the Yankee invaders were making pontoon bridges,
in order to cross above the city. Wilder suddenly
showed himself on the bluffs north of the town, unlimbered his artillery almost under Bragg's nose, and
sent a few shells and round shot into the city and the
rebel camps.   While Bragg's attention was thus diverlted near Chattanooga, and Crittenden was seemin,gly working with the utmost energy to effect a crossing above the city and turn his right, the pontoon
bridg,es at Caperton's Ferry, three miles from Steven 
278     LIGITS AND SIIADOWVS OF ARNY LIFE.
son, and the one at Britgeport, twelve miles above,
were stuccessflly finished, and the troops under Thomas
and MIeCook safely across.   As  soon  as the army
was fairly across the river, the right was pushed rapidly forward, which changed the line of battle firom
nearly due south to south-east.  The cavalry onl the
extreme right swu-ng round, so as to avoid the iimnense mountain ranges, and threatened the extensive
net-work of railroads in Bragg's rear, and upon which
he had to depend for supplies. Thus, by the peculiar
nature of the country, the long sweep which the railroads have to make in order to avoid the northern
extremity of Mlission Ridge, Crittenden threatened
Bragg's lines of communication on the north and east,
while Thomas and MIcCook, sweeping around or over
Lookout anId the mountain ranges below, threatened
them on the south and west. Any one, who will take
a map and trace these movements, will admire the military strategy displayed by General Rosecrans on this
occasion, and which was so successful.
On the afternoon of the 3d, we crossed over the
high range of hills known as Raccoon Mountain, our
division taking a commanding position in the Trenton
Valley, shortly after dark. A rebel cavalry force evacuated the north-east point of the mountain as our advance swept round. The rebel signal-lights could be
distinctly seen working on Lookout Mountain. Our
camp-fires, however, were kindled on the west side of
some low hills at the foot of the mountain, so that the
movements were partially concealed.  Two pieces of
artillery were wheeled into position so as to command
the Trentoni and Chattanooga roads, while several 
LIGIITS AND SiIADOWVS OF ARMY LIFE.
pieces were placed in position and masked in the
woo(ds overlooking  the  valley.  General Crittenden,
with the remainder of his corps, was cautiously moving up on our left toward the great pivot on which
both armies were at this time swinging-namely, Chattanoo,a.
CR,OSSING LOOKOUT.
The crossing of Lookout Mountain by the Army of
the Cumlberlancd equaled, and, in some respects, excelled, the celebrated crossing of the Alps by Napoleon-aside, entirely, from the fact that it had to be
crossed in the face of the enemy, and that there were
but two passes or gaps by which an army, with its
artillery and wagon-trains, could possibly proceed with
any reference to safety.  On AWednesday, the 9th of
September, Thomas's corps commen cced the difficult
work of crossing the mountain by the central pass,
about eight mniles south of Trenton, known as Cooper's and Stevens's Gaps.  McCook's corps crossed by
the pass known as Winston's Gap, about twenty miles
south of Trenton. Crittenden swept around the northern extremity of Lookout Mountain, where it terminates close by the Tennessee River, and within five
mniles of Chiattanooga.   Before the crossing of the
central column had commenced, inltelligence was received that Bravgg had evacuated Chattanooga, and
Crittenden had taken possession of the town.  So well
planned and so well executed, so far, were the moveiments of losecrans, that Bragg was compelled to fall
bawck from Chattanooga, or permit himself to be shut
up in that nook on the Tennessee between two mount
279 
280    LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF APRMY LIFE.
ain ranges. By moving across Lookout by Stevens's
Gap, Thomas's corps threatened Bragg's rear at Lafayette, and McCook's cavalry were threatening Rome
still further south, a detachment of which, under Colonel Brownlow, having advanced to within five miles of
that place.
On the evening of the 10th, after a toilsome march
through the steep, rough, rocky, mountain pass, the
advance, under General Turchin, of Reynolds's division, reached the southern base of Lookout, a little
after dark. The Thirty-sixth Ohio was in the advance
of the brigade, and their skirmishers drove in the
enemy's pickets. A force sufficiently heavy was advanced in order to drive back the enemy sufficiently
to permit us to get room enough to camp, and reach a
supply of water. No sooner were the enemy's pickets
driven in, than hundreds of camp-fires were speedily
blazing all along the foot of the mountain and through
the gap, just as if there had been twenty thousand of
us, when, in reality, there were not then three thousand fairly over the mountain and facing the enemy!
During the darkness we had to grope our way in
search for ground sufficiently level upon which to
spread our blankets, while the immense trains had to
be huddled into the closest possible position. A heavy
picket line was thrown out, and we held ourselves in
readiness for battle any moment. As troops with their
artillery and wagon-trains were pushing close behind,
and in the darkness objects wrapped in rubber blankets could not be distinctly seen among the pine and
laurel bushes, there was not much hope of a comfortable night's rest-even granting that the rebels should 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
not make an attack during the night.  Colonel Lane
and the chaplain entered into a joint-stock partnership
in the matter of blankets and saddles, and, with the
assistance of the ever-faithful Mike, prepared to spend
the night with a due regard to comfort. By dint of
groping with hands and feet, and aided somewhat by
the glare of the camp-fires, we discovered two immense logs, lying nearly parallel, and about five feet
apart. Here were double breastworks-or side-works,
rather-which would prevent us from being unduly
disturbed either by stray mules or their drivers, floundering about in the darkness.  After a sweet-not
literally, but ideally sweet-cup of robust coffee, and
an equally sweet allowance of hard-tack, we lay down
in our rural retreat. 0, ye love-sick noodles, who sigh
for sylvan shades, wouldn't ye have been in transports
there!  Mike, who was always exact in military etiquette to the colonel, and exhibited all due respect
for his "riverence," treated both of us, in the matter
of going to bed, much as if he thought us a couple of
spalpeens that were under his special care.  The colonel might be equal to Alexander the Great, and the
chaplain- "barring he was a heretic, bad scran to him
for that! "-n-mighit be next-door neighbor to the "howly
praist of Ballyshannon," but neither of them knew
enough to make an orthodox bed!
"Sure, an isn't it meself knows how to fix yees
right'?" he would say, as hlie tucked the blankets round
us, and gave our saddle-pillows a finishing touch.
It is a matter of doubt whether he did not give the
colonel the worst side of the rough, rocky bed that
night. I have an indistinct impression that he was
24
281 
282    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
inclined to roll down hill, and, but for the log, there is
no saying where he might have gone. We were just
beginning to doze sweetly and dreamily, when a teamster, thinking it would be a good place to feed his
mules at, pitched an armful of green cornstalks over
us, and began leading up his mules-using the colonel and the chaplain as the bottom of his feedingtrou(gh! This was a little too much of the romantic
all at once, and the teamster was informed that we
were not anxious to cultivate such a close acquaintance with his mules, just at that time. Again we were
trying to sleep amid the hum and bustle of the troops,
when a weary soldier, putting his gun close by our
heads, stretched himself on the log above us. I began
to calculate his possible weight in pounds, and the laws
of gravitation which would operate, should he begin to
roll in his sleep, and formed a rough estimate of the
number of ribs which I might require set in the event
of his rolling on my side of the log.  He finally moved
away.   Now for sleep.  JIidnight.-There is more
quiet. But no!
"Colonel! Colonel Lane!" Aroused again. It is
Captain Price, of General Turchin's staff.
"The general desires me to say that you will send
out two companies, under Major Higgins, at three
o'clock, to strengthen the picket line.  The enemy's
pickets are to be driven in, and our own pickets advanced half a mile beyond where theirs now are."
The necessary orders are given, and again Colonel
Lane lies down. But we may as well give it up. One
o'cloclOk.-No sleep.  Two o'clock.-The men, wearied
with the toilsome march of the previous day, are sleep 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    283
ing soundly on their rocky beds and under the starry
canopy of heaven, and must be aroused.  We expect
the roar of battle any moment, and listen for the boom
of the first gun.   Three o'clock.-The companies detailed for the picket line have had a cup of coffee, and
have started with the major.
And so the morning wears away.  At seven o'clock
the lines are advanced cautiously.  Negley has been
fighting already, and the enemy is showing strength.
The column moved forward cautiously till the 14th,
when the battle lines were formed in the valley lying
between Pigeon and Lookout Mountains, known as
MIcLemuore's Cove. General Reynolds's division was
opposite Catlet's Gap, a deep gorge in Pigeon Mountain.  Turchin's brigade was pushed close to the gap,
and engaged Iood's division more or less during the
whole day. The Eleventh Ohio, at this time, was on
duty for forty-eight hours, and constantly under fire.
Thle regiment was relieved on the evening of the 16th,
a few hours after having repelled a determined assault
of the enemy.
CHICKAMAUGA.
The strategic movements of Rosecrans, sketched so
briefly in the foregoing pages, not only bewildered
Bra,gg, but alarmed the whole Southern Confederacy,
as was evidenced by the strenuous efforts put forth to
arrest the further progress of the Union army. It
was but a few days after Rosecrans had fairly crossed
Lookout Mountain, when accumulating evidence was
given that Bragg was being reinforced, and that now a
stand would be made, and, perhaps, a battle fought for 
284    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the final possession of Chattanooga.  While Thomas's
corps was feeling the strength of the enemy holding
the gaps of Pigeon Mountain, Crittenden had advanced
on the left as far as Ringgold, on the railroad leading
to Atlanta.  Hle soon ascertained that Bragg was at
Lafayette, and was in position. Seeing this, he fell
back toward Lookout, crossed the Chickamauga at
Gordlon's Mills, and so disposed of his forces as to be
within reach of Thomas, and yet not uncover Chattanooga.  All the gaps in Pigeon Mountain were held
bv Bragg, and it was nowv ascertained beyond a doubt
that he had been largely reinforced, and was marching
back so as to fight Rosecrans's scattered army, and
regain the point from which he had been driven by
strategic movements.  Then came the hours of anxiety
for generals, and the days and nights of forced marches
for brave but weary soldiers, over the mountains and
through the valleys.  McCook, who  was  seventeen
miles further down the valley, was ordered to close up
on Thomas with all possible haste, which he did after
a toilsome march of forty-six miles-he having made
a detour around and across Lookout, instead of marching by a road on its crest. He reached Catlett's Gap
on the evening of the 17th-having, by a mistake he
made in believing the reports of refugees that there
was no road on the mountain, occupied four days in
nmarlching a distance which should have been accomplisled in a day and a half.
On the evening of the 18th, the great movements,
designed to concentrate the Union army at a point
nearer Chattanooga, were commenced. McCook's
corps relieved Thomas at Catlett's Gap, who immedi 
LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    285
ately began to close up on Crittenden, who was seriously threatened by Bragg's right.  Already three
days of precious time had been lost waiting for the
troops under McCook to reach the valley-days employed to great advantage by Bragg, for whose reinforcement troops had been hurried from every part of
the Confederacy. In one week's time he had received
Long,street's veteran troops from Lee's army, several
brigades from Mobile and Charleston, ten thousand,
under Buckner, from East Tennessee, a portion of
Johnston's army, from the Mississippi, together with
thousands of those whom Grant had paroled at Vicksburg. Bragg's army was thus swelled to eighty thousand-some statements make it as high as one hundred
thousand-effective troops. 
CHAPTER XXIII.
BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA-PREPARATIONS-RELIGIOUS SERVICES ON
THE  FIELD-REYNOLDS S DIVISION-HEROIC CONDUCT OF  THE
UNION ARMIY.
AT five o'clock on the evening of the 18th, Thomas's
corps was fairly in motion. Although in the month
of September, and in a warm climate, it was very cold,
and was more like a night in November in more
northern regions than a September evening in the
sunny South. The point aimed at was the junction
of the roads in the Chickamauga Valley leading into
Chattanooga, toward which the enemy was moving in
great force, in order to crush Crittenden and get between the river and the Union army.  Our way, the
entire distance of about twelve miles, was lighted by
burning fences, all of which, on each side of the road,
were in a blaze. Not a single fence the entire distance but was blazing, and no human power could
possibly have extinguished the immense conflagration.
The mountains on either side could occasionally be
seen illuminated as the cold, eddying wind, now and
again, lifted up the heavy, dark cloud of smoke which
hung above us, and the stars seemed to shine with a
pale, ghastly hue from out the reddish sky, lighted up
with the lurid glare from below. This was in keeping
(286) 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
with War's stern, gloomy visage, a fitting accompani ment to the fearful scenes of the morrow.  The remorseless fire by night was in stern keeping with the
devouring sword by day.
About four o'clock in the morning, we halted for a
short rest. Our division had been engaging the enemy (during several days and nights preceding, and
not one of us had enjoyed the comfort of a night's
rest for nearly a week. Men more weary or exhausted, perhaps, never lay down to rest upon the
cold ground, than did those composing the Eleventh
Ohio on that eventful morning.  Our eyes and nostrils were smarting with pain, caused by the dense
clouds of smoke from the burning woods and fences,
and we shivered in the cold night-wind that swept
down the valley as if from some icy region.   Soon
after, sitting down under a tree, near which a fire was
burning, exhausted nature yielded to sleep's gentle
wooings, and I became oblivious to the weary tramp,
tramp, the blinding smoke, and the choking dust. My
sleep was sweet, although a fence-rail was my only
pillow, and the bleak ni,ght-wind chilled my weary
frame, and the dreams of that hour's repose were of
other and brighter scenes than those of a long and
weary night-march.  We had rested thus for about an
hour, when " Fall in!-Forward!" fell gruffly on the
ear of many a dreamer who would, ere another night,
be sleeping his last sleep on the field of battle. Day
was just dawning as we resumed our rapid march,
and at seven o'clock we halted near Gordon's Mills.
A short time was allowed the troops to make coffee,
and, in the straits of military exigencies, the colonel
287 
288   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
and chaplain were glad to share with each other the
contents of their haversacks.
Scarcely had we finished our frugal breakfast, when
the heavy booming of cannon told that the conflict
had begun. Preparations were needed for the dark
and terrible hours which were impending. Not only
does the body require nourishment, but the soul requires strength.  If this be so in the hours of peace
and conscious security, how much more in the dread
hour of battle, and in the consciousness of danger and
death!   And then how necessary to have grace to
speak words of encouragement, words of sympathy,
words of warning to dear comrades who may fall
bleeding and dying on the field of strife! And where
can needed strength for soul and body be secured but
at a throne of grace? There are "stones of memorial" which faith and gratitude have reared at Bull
Run and South Mountain-at Antietam and Hoover's
Gap; and there is one, too, under a tree on the southern slopes of Mission Ridge, overlooking bloody Chickamauga, where heavenly voices seemed to whisper, in
the ear of a weak, trembling servant of God, those
precious words: "For in the time of trouble He shall
hide me in his pavilion; in the secret of his tabernacle he shall hide me."
PREPARATIONS FOR BATTLE-AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE.
At eight o'clock our regiment formed in line of
battle, and took position on the brow of a hill, about
two miles north of Gordon's Mills, and near the Chattanooga road.  By this tine the engagement had be 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
come general, and troops were rushing forward rap idly. Feeling anxious to have one more opportunity
of speaking a word of encouragement to the patriot
soldiers who were about to enter into the very jaws
of death, and many of whom, perhaps, would never
hear words of prayer upon earth again, I rode up to
Colonel Lane, and asked just five minutes' time to
pray with them before going into action.  "Certainly,"
was his instant reply.  "I wish you would have services; I think there will be time."
Another pen must describe the scene as witnessed
by others on the morning of that eventful day. Says
a correspondent:
"General Turchin's brigade of Reynolds's division,
Thomas's corps, consisting of the Eleventh Ohio,
Colonel Lane; the Thirty-sixth Ohio, Colonel Jones;
the Ninety-second Ohio, Colonel Fearing, and the
Eighteenth Kentucky, Colonel, took position
on a low spur of the ridge near the Chattanooga road,
and in the rear of the tannery already spoken of. Before the skirmishers were deployed, a scene occurred
with the Eleventh, which, for sublimity and moving
power, has been seldom surpassed. The chaplain rode
up in front of the line, and the colonel gave an order
which, on being executed, formed the regiment in two
divisions, with the chaplain in the center. Without
dismounting, he addressed the troops in a clear, loud
voice, that sounded strangely amid the loud explosions
of the artillery and the rattle of musketry. He spoke
about the holy cause for which they were to fight that
day; that it was not for territory or revenge or mili         25
289
I 
290     LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
tary glory; but for home and country, for liberty and
truth, for GOD AND HIUMANITY!
"'It is but little I can do for you,' said he,'in the
hour of battle; but there is one thing I will do-I will
pray for you.  And there are thousands all over the
land praying for you this morning, and God will hear
them.  You must now pray, too; for God is a hearer
of prayer. And if this is the last time I shall ever
speak to you, or if these are the last words of Christian comfort you will ever hear, I want to tell you,
dear comrades, that GOD LOVES YOU. I pray God to
cover your heads to-day in the battle-storm. I pray
that he may give you brave hearts and strong hands
to-day. Be brave-be manly! Remember the dear
old flag, and what it covers. And if any of you feel
uncertain as to your future, 0 look to the Savior who
died for you; and, if any of you fall this day in battle,
may you not only die as brave soldiers for your country, but die as soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ! Let
us pray.'
"Instantly every head was uncovered and bowed in
reverence, while hands were clasped on the rifles, the
bayonets on which were gleaming in the morning sun.
The flag, pierced and rent on a dozen battlefields, was
drooped, and, strange but glorious sound on a battlefield, the voice of prayer was heard. The blessings
of the Almighty were invoked upon the army, upon
the generals, upon regimental officers, on our bleeding
country, and upon the issues of that day. Loved
ones at home were remembered, and God's blessing
invoked upon all who might fall in battle. When the 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    291
chaplain closed, hlie raised himself in his saddle, waved
his hat two or three times around his head, exclaiming,'God bless you to-day, dear comrades, and make
you strong and brave!  Strike for Liberty and Union!
strike for God and Hilumaniity! and may our battletorn flag lead to victory this day! God's presence be
with you, comrades!'
"A low, murmuring Amen was heard from the ranks
as the chaplain closed.  MAajor-General Reynolds and
staff passed along the lines during the services, but
halted when they came to the Eleventh.  With uncovered head, the General rode up close to the regiment, and remained till the conclusion of the brief
services. At the moment they were concluded, he uttered a hearty Amen, which had a thrilling effect.
Grasping the chaplain's hand and shaking it warmly,
iwhile a tear glistened on his manaly cheek, he was heard
to exclaim,'Sir, I am glad I was here to join with you!' 
and instantly rode off, followed by his staff. This acknowled,ment of religious principle, on the part of
General Reynolds, had a very happy effect."
Scarcely five minutes elapsed till the entire brigade
moved forward and engaged the enemy.
When the battle opened on the morning of the 19th,
the lines extended nearly three miles, and the fierce,
fiery conflict raged through valleys and ravines, along
hill-sides and amid dense forests, over plowed fields
and dead clearings.
In many places the battle-lines could be distinguished
only by dense clouds of dust that rose up in long, reddish lines, and by white, vapory smoke that rolled in
great clouds through the woods, or rose above the for 
292   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
est trees, and rolled along the sharp ridges and sweeping hill-sides. Sometimes, the long lines of dust and
the wreathing, rolling smoke from artillery would recede or advance, be thrown suddenly into sharp angles,
or formed gradually into swelling curves, indicating
the ebb and flow of the fearful, mighty tide-wave of
battle. I had heard the roar of battle at Bull Run,
had felt the earth quiver under the fierce conflicts of
South Mountain and Antietam, but the incessant roar
of artillery and musketry on this terrible day seemed
to exceed all three battlefields combined. The musketry was neither in distinct shots nor in repeated
volleys, but for hours it was one mighty, fearful, continuous roll, which, added to the shouts of the combatants, as they charged to and fro like the surging
tide-waves on the shore, together with the loud, deep
booming and crashing of the artillery, seemed more
like the mighty roar of a dozen Niagaras than any
thing merely human.
From all the indications during the forenoon of this
day, and even till late in the afternoon, it was evident
that the great struggle was for the roads leading into
Chattanooga On the preceding evening, the 18th,
Crittenden was on the left, menaced by the right of
the rebel army. Bragg was massing his forces at that
point, so as to crush Crittenden and get possession of
the roads, and with them Chattanooga. But, during
the previous night, Thomas had swept his corps past
Crittenden's rear, and formed on the extreme left, thus
throwing Crittenden in the center. By this memorable night march, and swift secret movements, he
covered all the roads and gaps, so that when Bragg
I 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
began to move his massed columns, on the morning of
the 19th, he was confronted by the veteran troops of
Thomas, already in position. Hence the opening of
the battle so fiercely on the left, and hence the continual edging away of the line of battle in that direction. Bragg brought up column after column, and
hurled them in rapid succession, and with reckless
desperation, against the extreme left. It was Chattanooga or nothing. About twelve o'clock, he hurled a
massed column on Thomas's right, where Reynolds's
division was in position, and followed this up by successive attacks at various points till the battle raged
along the entire line. And thus the conflict was waged
during the whole day, every evidence being given not
only of a hotly contested field, but of greatly superior
numbers being in front of the Union army.
A CLOSE PLACE —A TWO-FORTY GALLOP.
While following the regiment, in company with the
surgeons, a rebel sharp-shooter, concealed in the trees,
sent a ball whizzing among us-whether aimed at Dr.
McCurdy or myself, I do not know; but it passed uncomfortably close to my head. An inch or two, more
or less, and these "Lights and Shadows" would not
have troubled any one.  It is said that "a miss is as
good as a mile." It may be so-but if a Minie6 ball
misses one's head just by about an inch, the sensation
produced is not quite as comfortable as if it was a
mile further off. At this juncture an entire change
took place in the relative position of the several regiments. The Eleventh made a sudden movement to
293 
294    LIGHITS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the left, and took position in the woods. It moved
again to the right, to relieve a regiment whose anmmunition was exhausted, and we got so bewildered with
the rapid changes going on, that we found it impossible to find it, or even to follow. Taking another
direction, toward where the firing was heaviest, we
were soon made aware of the fact that the rear is not
always the place of safety. To say that the bullets
whistled around us like hail, might seem extravagant,
but I oan compare it to nothing else. The incessant
roll and rattle and crash were fearful. The peculiar
hum, whiz, and shriek of rifle-balls, which give one
the idea of fiery arrows cutting the air, grew louder
and louder, while the chipping of leaves and twigs
told better than words can do of the thickly flying missiles of death. My horse gave a plunge and a snortpoetic enough in a painting, perhaps, but very startling and practical just then. Whether a spent ball or
a piece of gravel thrown up by the shot struck him or
not, I do not know; but he gave a jump as if he would
fly from under me, and, but for a military bit, would
doubtless have become unmanageable.  hitherto he
had stood fire well-did not seem to pay much attention to the artillery or musketry-but at this moment
he became almost wild. It was little wonder. There
was a strange surging to and fro of the combatants,
while the rattle of musketry and the explosions of artillery made the very earth tremble. What with the
noise of battle in front, and the noise of rushing troops
coming up behind, it was enough to bewilder and try
the nerves of either man or horse.  In a few minutes
there was that advancing, wavy sound that tells of 
LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    295
movements the wrong way!   Our troops were being
driven[ The surgeons became somewhat bewildered,
and rode almost at right angles to the line of fire, and
toward the point of greatest danger.  Giving one
glance at what seemed the only outlet, I gave my
horse an unusually vigorous touch with the spur, by
way of bringing him to his senses, and, holding a tight
rein, dashed out on the open field. There was a deep
ditch and a rail fence right ahead. Could my noble
gray leap both?  Leap he must, or break his own
neck, and mine, too, perhaps. He nerved himself for
the leap, cleared the ditch handsomely-a few more
steps, and he bounded over the fence like a deer.
Then came the trying moment. The enemy had partially broken our lines, and came tearing down like
demons, sweeping the open field with grape and canister, and, as I rode through it, it was plowed up by
the shot, which, as it fell, threw up clouds of dust.
By the protecting care of a merciful God we passed
through the fiery ordeal unscathed; but nothing else
than his Almighty arm saved us.  Some of our men,
who saw the whole affair, expressed their wonder at
the escape, and made free to insinuate, by way of
friendly advice, that the chaplain had better "keep
out of the muss."
The whole thing seemed to occupy but a moment,
so rapid were the changes. But it was a critical momnent.  TbI  balance seemed poised.  Our  lines had
been partially broken by the massing of the enemy's
troops, and they were following up their advantage by
a deadly and destructive fire.  But regiment  after
regiment of our brave boys rushed forward, with loud 
296    LIGIITS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
cheers and streaming banners, toward the breach, and,
in a short time, sent the foe reeling back. As I write
these lines, I can hardly imagine the fact mentioned to
have been any thing like a living reality-an actual
occurrence-but rather some wild dream, the remembrance of which still haunts me.
TURCHIN'S BRIGADE.
Meanwhile our entire brigade, under the gallant
Turchin, was hotly engaged. The Thirty-sixth and
Ninety-second Ohio were on the left, as well as the
Eighteenth Kentucky. The Eleventh was on the
right. The rebel force was so sheltered by dense
woods that they could make attacks almost with impunity; as they had their sharp-shooters, armed with
long-range rifles, posted in the trees, they picked off
both officers and men with great rapidity. The Eleventh lay for some time exposed to the galling fire
of rebel skirmishers and sharp-shooters, till at last
they could stand it no longer, and begged permission
to clear the woods with the bayonet. Colonel Lane
finally gave the order, when the men sprang forward
with a cheer, and charged upon the rebels as they lay
under cover of the woods, driving them half a mile,
and capturing, at the same time, a number of prisoners.   In  this charge the  color-bearer, Sergeant
Peck, was wounded. His brother, Lieutenant Peck,
instantly seized the colors, and led the line in the
most gallant manner. In a short time the rebels attempted to drive in the right of the division, but, by
a brilliant movement, they were again driven back at 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the point of the bayonet.  In this charge, Colonel
Jones, of the Thirty-sixth Ohio, was killed, and Colonel
Fearing, of the Ninety-second, and Major Adney, of
the Thirty-sixth Ohio, severely wounded. Another
attempt was made to break our lines just about
dark, but the enemy failed to gain any advantage, although the attacks were made by greatly superior
numbers.
And so the day of battle wore on, till the shadows
of evening began to fall upon the wooded slopes and
deep ravines of Chickamauga and Mission Ridge, revealing, in more startling vividness, the sharp flash
of the musket, and the dull, red glare of the cannon.
Thousands of the good and brave and noble had fallen,
and were bleeding, fainting, dying, on that field of fierce,
fiery strife.  I-uman bosoms had been bared to the
incessant storm of shot and shell that had been howling and crashing from early morn till the shadows of
night hid the combatants from each other! Many a
noble-hearted boy, upon whose head a mother's hand
had been placed in blessing, as she gave him up, tremblingly and tearfully, for her country and humanity,
had fallen that day, whose last thoughts of earth were
of mother and home, and whose last whisper, let us
hope, was a whisper of Christ and heaven. Many a
loving husband and father, as he lay there, mangled
and dying, thought of dear wife and children, and
home, sweet home, and mingled their names with that
of the Savior as he closed his eyes in death! But,
alas! alas! painful thoughts crowd upon the mind
when contemplating the sad scenes of the battlefield,
and the question arises-How many  went into that
297 
298    LIGHTS AND SIIADO0WS OF ARMY LIFE.
conflict thoughtless and godless —without the peace
and joy of salvation or the hopes of heaven?  Alas!
the answer  to such a question is one which is painful
in the extreme to him who looks upon human destiny
in the light of revealed truth, and in reference to the
eternity of moral character.
NIGHIT ON THE FIELD.
Night, chilly and disagreeable, drew on apace, and
the dark shadows came down alike on friend and foe.
The wounded were taken to the rear as rapidly as
possible, and during the entire night lanterns glimmered over the field, showing where the work of relieving sufferers was going on, while, at the same time,
the train of ambulances was kept going to and fro,
continually.  As I walked among the wounded  and
dying, trying to relieve where relief was available,
and comfort the dying where death was inevitable, I
felt unutterably sad.  The confusion, dust, and noise,
the trampling of horses, the rumbling of heavy artillery, the groaning of the wounded  and dying, the
camp-fires burning dimly, all made a scene never to
be forgotten. It was a bleak, cold night. The poor
sufferers, as they lay covered with dust and blood,
shivered in the cold night-wind which swept over the
field, and my very heart ached for many of the poor
fellows, who shook as if in an ague fit, while having
their wounds dressed.  Many of them were so chilled
with the cold wind, and from loss of blood, that their
teeth rattled against the tin cups from which they
drank the warm coffee with which they were supplied. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   299
The hospital arrangements were somewhat imperfect,
so far as supplies were concerned; and blankets or
coverings of any kind (aside from what some of the
men had themselves), could not be found to cover the
cold and bleeding soldiers. As the night advanced,
large fires were kindled at every field hospital, warm
tea and coffee prepared, and every one made as comfortable as.possible under the circumstances. When
I had worked as long as it was possible to do, and exhausted nature could stand it no longer, I lay down
myself to rest, surrounded by the groaning wounded
and by the silent dead! I passed a night of misery.
Cold and weary, as I had never been before, crushed
in spirit by the terrible scenes of wounding and death
among which I had moved that day, and by which I
was yet surrounded, no covering with which to keep
warm, nor a quiet place in which to rest, I could only
think of the thousands and tens of thousands who were
in agony all around me, and I thanked God fervently
for the blessings and mercies of the day; and, taking
some precious texts as the best of pillows for a weary
head and aching heart, fell asleep.
SABBATH AT CHICKAMAUGA.
An anxious council of war was held at "Widow
Glen's" house on Saturday night. "Each corps commander reported that every brigade had been in that
day's fight, that the troops had acted finely; but all
agreed that, in every severe attack made upon us, we
had been invariably outnumbered. It was plain that
the next day's contest must be for the preservation of 
300    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the army, and the holding of Chattanooga." * The
general plan adopted for the second day's battle was
read to the assembled corps commanders, and the
orders connected therewith were issued to the army
at one o'clock on Sabbath morning. At early dawn,
General Rosecrans rode along the front, inspecting the
lines and so disposing of the troops as to resist the
combined efforts that would be made to destroy the
Union army.  Second only to this, Bragg's great aim
was to gain Chattanooga.
The Sabbath's sun finally shone out clear and beautiful above the smoke that lay like a pall over the valley.
It was expected the enemy would attack as soon as
day dawned, but, with the exception of occasional
picket firing, it was eight o'clock before the battle
was renewed. The conflict of the day opened, as was
expected, on the extreme left, and the determination
of the rebels to overwhelm Thomas, who was holding
the approaches to Chattanooga, was soon apparent, for
they hurled their massed columns against him with the
greatest fury and desperation. During the night, our
troops had thrown up temporary breastworks of logs
and stones, and, as they kept behind these, or lay on
the ground, rising up only to pour their volleys into
the attacking columns, the rebel loss was very great.
By ten o'clock, the fierce roar of battle was at its
hight, and the conflict raged with terrible fury along
the whole lines, but on the left and left center the
contest was the fiercest and most determined. Longstreet's men, as they came up in solid columns, flushed
:Rosecrains's Report.
I 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
with the hope of crushing the Western troops, would
exultingly shout, "We are not conscripts!" to which
the reply was given:
"You are not fighting Eastern store-clerks."
'"We are Longstreet's troops!" shouted some of
them, in front of the Eleventh and Thirty-sixth-to
which our men replied, with a derisive yell:
"Who drove you at South Mountain?  We are the
boys that drove you there, and we'll do it again!"
At about midday, matters were so serious on the
left and center, that division after division had to be
sent to succor Thomas, who was contending against
fearful odds. Indeed, the army at large, in order to
meet the massed columns of the enemy, which were
being rapidly concentrated against Thomas, had to be
continually closed up on the left. It was during one
of those movements that a mistake occurred which
came nigh resulting in the ruin of the Union army.
"Orders were dispatched," says Rosecrans, in his clear
report, "to General Wood to close up on Reynolds, and
word was sent to General Thomas that he should be
supported, even if it took away the whole corps of
Crittenden and McCook." General Wood, overlooking the orders to close up on General Reynolds, passed
to the rear of General Brannan, who was somewhat in
the rear of Reynolds, which left a gap in the battle
line between Thomas and McCook. The right flank
of Reynolds's division was thus exposed, as was, also,
McCook's left. Through this open gap the rebels
poured with deafening cheers, carrying all before them.
The writer was close by at the time this scene occurred, and, assuredly, it looked forbidding enough.
301 
302   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
The first intimation that Reynolds had of the state of
affairs, was a destructive cross-fire from the right, and,
finally, solid shot and shell from the rear. All seemed
to be lost; for the enemy, taking advantage of the gap
made in the battle-front, had not only crushed Crittendlen, and swept back the few brigades that were sent
in to stay the torrent of disaster, but they were massing in the rear of Reynolds.   The entire corps held its
own bravely, but it could hardly be expected to continue to do so for any length of time, for the whole
rebel army was now hurled fiercely and exultantly
against it. Prompt, fearless, decided action was now
necessary, or disaster would be inevitable. The ammlunition and supply-trains were exposed, two of the
gaps in the ridge were open to the Chattanooga road,
on which our trains were now moving, and the rebel
torrent must be stayed, at whatever cost. Reynolds
was ordered to disperse the force massing in the rear.
Their artillery was already in position, and was rapidly
thinning our ranks.   The sharp-shooters in the trees
w-ere picking off our men with impunity, insomuch
that nearly one half of Company D, of the Eleventh,
were killed or wounded in the space of half an hour.
General Turchin's brigade, consisting of the Eleventh,
Thirty-sixth, and Ninty-second Ohio, and Eighteenth
Kentucky, was formed for a charge on the massed
forces in the rear, the infantry and cavalry of which
could be distinctly seen advancing. The order was
given to march by the rear rank-" about face "-and
the brigade, starting on the double-quick, was hurled
in a bayonet-charge against the enemy with almost as
much precision and order as if it had been on dress 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
parade, and all this, too, while the very air seemed darkened with the missiles of death, the ground shaking as
if ill the throes of an earthquake from the incessant
roar and crash of artillery and the rolling rattle of
musketry.  As Colonel Lane remarked, it seemed as if
the explosions "raised the hats off our heads."  The
concussion of the air was painful, the noise so deafening
that orders could not be heard, and the smoke and dust
in such dense clouds that objects at a distance could
hardly be seen. General Reynolds, waving his sword,
led the charge in person. Calm, reverent, and happy
as a Christian, he joined us in our devotions on the
morning the battle opened. A tear of religious emotion trickled down his weather-beaten cheek, while a
fervent Amen! that thrilled every heart, burst from
his lips, and now, bravely as a Christian soldier, he led
his troops in that desperate charge-the most desperate made on that bloody field. On the left and front
and rear the enemy was in massed line of battle; but
away went the Ohio boys, charging bayonet back on
the massed columns of the enemy, which had closed
around them. Onward they rushed, like a resistless
wave of gleamning steel, cheering and yelling as they
charged on the dense masses of traitors who hoped
to  stay them.   Their charge  was  irresistible-so
thought the rebels- as onward and onward they
rushed through one line of battle, a second, a third,
and a part of a fourth, till they pierced the entire battle-line of seven deep, brought off a number of prisoners, charged on two batteries on their way out, brought
off one gun, and gained a position on Mission Ridge.
But the work was not yet accomplished. In the
303 
304    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
terrible noise, and amid the smoke and dust, orders
could not be heard, and, before reaching one of the
spurs of Mission Ridge, the brigade got divided-one
part following Turchin on the left, and the other Reynolds on the right, neither party being aware of the
fate of the other.  On coming to a halt, the party
under Reynolds, comprising portions of the Eleventh,
Thirth-sixth, and Ninety-second Ohio Regiments, was
re-formed, and measures taken to reach the main body
of the army. On marching forward-it was now nearly
dusk-the junction of Ringgold and Rossville roads
was reached. There was, at this point, a dense forest
of heavy timber, rendered still more dense by a heavy
undergrowth, which rendered any further movement
very critical. General Reynolds, accompanied by two
orderlies, went forward himself and reconnoitered the
ground. He discovered a heavy force of the enemy
in position there, and any further progress in that direction had to be abandoned.   This portion of the
brigade was marched back a little distance, to a loghouse, which had been used as a hospital, and General
Reynolds and Colonel Lane held a consultation, the
result of which was, that it was thought better to
halt a short time there and wait further developments.
While performing the movements indicated, artillery
had been frequently firing upon our brigade from the
left, and it was thought that these being rebel guns, we
were still surrounded.
The smoke was hanging heavily over the valley,
and now the shades of evening were drawing on, and
distant objects were getting more and more obscured.
Presently, amid the rifted smoke, and away on a higher 
LIGIITS AND SIJADOWS OF ARMY  LIFE.
ri(lge, a flag is seen streaming in the wind, but its
color can hardly be made out.  A man is seen cautioulsly approaching, gunl in hand.  He is one of our
men; for his uniform, although dusty and soiled, is
Union blue."
"Whose lines are those?"
"Ours'" is the welcome answer, which makes a
hundred hearts leap with joy and pride.
In a few minutes the weary but dauntless band reach
the outer picket-line, and there, clear, beautiful, glorious in the evening breeze, and amid the smoke and
dust, floats the dear old flag!  Here is the rest of the
division, thought to have been captured!  Cheer after
cheer goes up, in welcome to the smaller band just
come in, and who were also thought to have been either
killed or captured. What a hearty shaking of hands!
W1hat a trickling of joyous tears over weather-beaten,
powder-stained cheeks!  What expressions of joy and
gladness burst from manly bosoms! 0, that was a
moment and those were scenes that will never be forgotten!
Here were Granger's troops, that had come up to
stay the rebel torrent, and prevent the enemy from
overwhelming Tilomas's right.  The lines were again
formed, Thomas presented an unbroken and defiant
fi'ont, MeCook and Crittenden had swept around between Mission Ridge and Lookout-MeCook's troops,
or part of them, had been thrown across the narrow
va.ley to protect our trains sweeping  around into
Chlattanooga-signal rockets were going up through
and above the heavy clouds of smoke and dust, the
last gun from Granger's batteries growled a fiercely
26
305 
306   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
defiant salute, and night-silent, solemn night-came
down upon that battle-swept field, on which were lying twenty thousand bleeding men!
And so ended the battle of Chickamauga.
The rebel army had possession of the field, they
largely outnumbered the Union forces, they fought
upon ground of their own choosing, they had the advantage of a serious mistake on the part of a division
commander, but, to all intents and purposes, they lost
the objects for which they fought so desperately-the
destruction of the Army of the Cumberland, and the
possession of Chattanooga. Neither of these they
gained; for Thomas, with his veteran troops, held the
rebels in check, and, like a lion at bay, fought them,
without giving an inch, till, on the Tuesday following,
he fell back to the rest of the army, to an intrenched
position around Chattanooga. 
CHAPTER XXIV.
WILDER'S BRIGADE AND LONGSTREET'S VETERANS-WAR IS TERRI         BLE-HAPPY MEETINGS AFTER THE BATTLE.
WILDER'S BRIGADE-A TERRIBLE SCENE.
VWILDER'S mounted brigade was stationed in a strip
of woods near to the open field spoken of in a former
chapter, and which will be ever fresh in the writer's
memory as a scene of personal exposure and deliverance on that fearful battlefield. At the time when
the line was temporarily broken, Longstreet's men
were seen tearing along through this open field, yelping and yelling-it was always easy to distinguish the
loud, prolonged cheer of the Union boys from the
short, sharp yelp of the rebels-as they came up in
solid column.  Wilder threw volley after volley into
their very faces, which was continued without interruption-his men being armed with the Spencer rifle, or
seven-shooter.  Hie also opened  his battery  upon
them, every gun being double-shotted with deadly
canister and grape.   The effect was terrific.  The
head of the massed column wavered and fell like the
grass before the mower's scythe, and seemed to melt
away or sink into the ground. The reader may form
an idea of the fearful slaughter, when it is stated that,
(307) 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF AR{IY LIFE.
although the columns kept moving on across the open
field, those in front being pushed on by those behind,
yet the head of the constantly advancing column came
no nearer.  It seemed to dwindle, as if the breath of
the destroying angel continually swept it away
Across thie field ran a deep ditch or gully about five
feet wi(le, and toward this the rebels rushed as a ready
means for protection from the incessant storm of bullets and canister that drove remorselessly into their
very faces, and which would form, also, a rifle-pit, from
wihich they might, with more safety, return the fire.
In a few minutes this deep ditch was crowded full,
and from it began to come sheets of flame and
showers of lead. Quicker than it can be described
in writing, Wiider wheeled two pieces of artillery,
double-shotted with the deadly canister, to the mouth
or entrance of the ditch, and poured volley after volley
along its entire length.  The missiles of death swept
through the struggling mass from end to end.   The
effect of this was terrible!  Comparatively few-it has
been said not more than a dozen-escaped from that
slaughter-pen alive.
A rebel sergeant, who, with his entire relief-squad
of a dozen men, came into our lines, stated, as a wellknow-n fact, that Longstreet took into battle on Saturday twenty-five thousand  men, and came  out on
Sunday with eleven thousand.  This shows how greatly
the rebels suffered.
Nothing but the majesty of law, the necessity of
defending ri,ghteous government from the assaults of
traitors, and the securing of God-honored and Godhonoring peace to ourselves and posterity, as well as
808 
LIGIITS AND SI-IADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    309
freeing our land from the foul misrule of slaverynothing but these could ever reconcile any humane
heart to such fearful scenes of wholesale destruction
anid death.
HIAPPY MEETINGS.
None but those in the army know how thrillingly
tender, yet manly and noble, are the meetings of comradles after a battle.  Some  have fallen, to rise no
more till the judgment of the Great Day.   Some are
wounded; others are missing.  I will never forget the
impressive meeting of the survivors of the Eleventh,
after those two days of terrible fighting.  It had been
reported that the chaplain was captured.  This came
twice being pretty near the truth.  It was also stated
that he had been seen on the field wounded-his face
bleeding,.  This last was true, but not serious enough
for even this hint. It may just be added that the
colonel and chaplain had quite a happy reunion; for
each had been informed of the other's being killed or
captured on Sabbath evening, and, of course, they were
rejoiced to meet each other again, through God's blessing, safe and sound. And the brave men-dearer to
mne, seemingly, than ever-for whose safety I could only
pray while they fought for home and liberty on that
dread field(, grasped my hand, as they clustered round
me, with a fervor that could not be mistaken.  And
with what quiet, enthusiastic  earnestness  the men
spoke of the noble manner in which they had been led
by their brave and skillful commander, and how that
he had earned a soldier's name and a patriot's honor
during those two terrible days   And I make this rec 
310    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ord here, and now, of the great gratification it afforded
me to hear such eulogies from those who had nothing
to gain or lose by making them. They were spontaneous, earnest expressions of confidence in one whom
they had learned to esteem and honor-the opinions
they had formed of one who  had  not only shown
himself an unswerving patriot, but had done all he
could to promote the moral and religious welfare of
the regiment. And such expressions were mutual.
Members of the different companies spoke of their
company officers with the highest admiration, while
company commanders did the same of their men.
Very frequently did Colonel Lane make reference, in
the warmest terms of commendation, to the heroic conduct of every man in the regiment. Lieutenant-colonel Street, a brave and efficient officer, was too ill
to be on the field; but, although scarcely able to sit
up, he made his way to the front on Wednesday. He
had to return, however, being too feeble for duty. Colonel Lane spoke frequently, also, of the cool bravery of
Major Higgins, and of the daring deeds performed by
several of the commissioned officers. To hear such
expressions of mutual respect and esteem from those
who had stood side by side in the fierce conflict, was
both gratifying and impressive.
FRIGHTENED AND FALSE CORRESPONDENTS.
Nothing so much surprised and chagrined the army
who fought so nobly at Chickamauga, as the glaringly
false statements, made by some army correspondents,
to the effect that Rosecrans was defeated. The sin 
LIGHITS AND  SHADOWS OF ARMY  LIFE.
ner above all sinners, in this particular, was the swiftfooted, evil-omened correspondent of the New York
Herald. At the time when the lines were broken, and
the effort was made to concentrate on Chattanooga,
there was, as might be expected, not only confusion,
but even somewhat of a panic, among those of the
troops belonging to Crittenden and McCook that had
been so badly crushed by the solid rebel columns pouring in on the right of Reynolds, and there was also a
great panic among some of the teamsters. This was
of very short duration, however, for the various trains
were got into good order, and conducted rapidly toward Chattanooga. As the whole aspect of a battlefield may change in a few minutes, causing corresponding changes in the disposition of the immense
and valuable wagon-trains of an army, it will be seen
at once that, where prompt, energetic, and rapid movements are necessary, among some seven or eight hundred wagons and three or four hundred ambulances,
it is the easiest thing in the world to get up a panic.
The fact that the immense trains were in some danger
of being captured, when the lines were broken, and
the no less important fact that rapid movements of
troops might be prevented by their being in the way,
called for quick work on the part of all connected with
them. Of course, at the first it was a rush and crush
and jam-a helter-skelter race, as if each teamster
was a "Tam o' Shanter," with a witch, or the de'il
himself-horns and hoofs and all-hanging on by the
tail of each individual mule. This state of things
lasted about an hour, and might have led to serious
results, but one of General Rosecrans's aids rode up
311 
312    LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
to a teamster, and, drawing his revolver, ordered him
to stop, or he would shoot him as dead as a herring.
This brought the stampede to a close, and in a short
time the entire mass was moving  as orderly, though
not as quietly, as a procession of Quakers.
But, on seeing the first advance of the retreating
teamsters, it seems that the ]ierald's correspondent
hastened away from the rear-not the field proper,
for no one on the field, unless very badly frightened,
could have written such dispatches-composed, as they
were, of mingled truth and error, misrepresentation and
contradiction-as he did for the edification and especial
deli,ht of hungry Copperhleads and lynx-eyed speculators-away he hastened and telegraphed that Rosecrans was virtually defeated, and, in a word, that
every thing had gone to "smash," even the government dispatches, for they "were, in the main, totally
false!"  Such were the doleful tidings that this panicstricken, swift-footed correspondent telegraphed to
New York, taking care, in the mean time, to have his
effusions published simultaneously in the Louisville
and Cincinnati papers! He got his news of disaster
and defeat from a dozen or two frightened teamsters,
perhaps a few negroes, who were probably as demented
as himself, and possibly from those who were cut off
friomr their commands.  But even this was enough for
a willing, messenger of evil tidings.  Elections were
coming off-Vallandighamers in Ohio were somewhat
crestfallen, Copperheadism had evidently gone down
in the political market, the Peace-at-any-price men
were getting out of date, the pro-slavery pliilippics
of the Ilerald and TWorld were getting considerably 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    313
neutralized by the logic of events; and, as dying men
are said to grasp at straws, this correspondent, with
feverish eagerness, grasped at the disaster on the
right-not knowing or caring to know that the heroic
Thomas was holding the rebels at bay-and kindly
offered it as a life-buoy to save the sinking wreck of
Copperhead treason.
I will just state here that, although I was engaged
attending to the wounded on that part of the field
+vhere our lines were broken, and where there was the
greatest apparent panic, I acknowledge that there was
nothing to give any countenance to the terribly gloomy
picture drawn by this army correspondent. True, I
came pretty near paying dearly for my temerity in
remaining so long at that point. I had left but a few
minutes, when that part of the field was swept by the
left wing of the rebel army, and it was only after I
had crossed a ravine that I saw the rapid change that
had taken place, for I was scarcely inside our own
lines. Several surgeons were taken prisoners at this
point, and quite a number of the wounded fell into
the hands of the enemy; but there were no such terrible things as represented by the correspondent in
question.
GOD'S PROVIDENCE IN THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.
If ever there was a time when the Almighty Ruler
of earth and heaven manifested his providential dealings on the field of battle, that time was Sabbath, the
20th of September, when the slaveholding Confederacy hurled nearly its whole military strength on the
27 
314    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS  OF ARMY LIFE,
Army of the Cumberland, and made the most desperate of efforts to crush it at one blow. That the plan
-of the rebel leaders was so to mass their troops in
overwhelming numbers, and strike Rosecrans before
he could either contract his lines or receive reinforcements, and, by mere force of numbers, either annihilate
his army or compel him to surrender, is too obvious
now for any one to doubt. If the Lord had not favored the cause of Truth and Freedom at that time,
humanly speaking, Rosecrans's army would have been
so seriously crippled, if not destroyed, as to have
made that campaign but one grand disaster. The
greater part of Lee's army, under Longstreet apd
Hill, together with the fragments of Pemberton's
Vicksburg army, under Johnston, Buckner's troops,
from East Tennessee, and thousands of the prisoners
paroled by Grant, were all brought together to reinforce Bragg, so as to make the battle of Sabbath de cisive. The intention was to render failure an impos sibility. But, although Rosecrans's slender battle-lines
had to receive the shock of columns of regiments and
brigades, and, in some instances, even of whole divi sions, and so continuous and terrible were the onsets
that defeat seemed inevitable, yet, essentially, the little
army of Freedom's champions was victorious-victori ous to a degree that struck terror still deeper into the
hearts of the rebels. It is not necessary to repeat
here what has already become history; but there is
one item of history not generally known. When it is
considered what an immensely superior force Bragg
had to hurl against the Union army, it is a matter of
wonder why he did not open the battle at an earlier 
LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
hour on Sabbath morning. All expected the attack
to commence by daylight; but hour after hour elapsed
before he moved, and it was nearly nine o'clock before
the battle fairly opened.  Why was this?  Major-General Bishop Polk, who was in command of the extreme
rebel right, was ordered to attack our extreme left at
daylight on Sabbath morning.  Before givi-le orders to move, he discovered that his troops were not
in a proper position, and that, through some mistake,
a whole division overlapped the battle-line, and that, if
the battle opened, that entire division must be inevitably slaughtered.   It took several hours for the rebels
to rectify this mistake, but they were precious hours
for the Union army.
315 
CICHAPTER XXV.
WAR IS DREADFUL-BRIGHTER DAYS FOR OUR NATION AND THE
WORLD-SLAVERY'S CURSE.
Do You say, dear reader, that war is dreadful? It
is dreadful; so much so that no humane heart can lovw
it for its own sake. And it is not a pleasant task to
write about war, especially to those who have seen it
in all its grim, ghastly realities. As I have been
penning these few simple sketches of army scenes
and incidents, it has often been with very sad and
solemn feelings. Especially has this been the case
when writing about the battles themselves, and the
scenes connected with them. It was with no love for
war's dark records that this work was undertaken;
neither was it from a love of describing the sad scenes
of the battlefield. Other, and it is humbly hoped
higher, motives have prevailed in the sketching of
these LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
It is rather a sad task than otherwise to write about
what one has seen of suffering and death. It is enough
for me that I have seen the stern, the fearfully stern
visage of War; that while with steady hand, perhaps,
but with throbbing heart, I have bound up the torn
and mangled limbs of the fallen brave, or spoken of
Christ and salvation to those whose eyes were grow         (316) 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ing dim in death; it is enough that I have been amid
the horrid crash and rush and roar of battle, as the
gleaming columns surged to and fro like the angry
waves of ocean-it is enough for me, without attempting to portray the whole on paper, or enter into minute
details which properly belong to the historian! Rather,
much rather, would I try to paint any stray sunbeam
of hope and comfort, Christ and heaven, which may
have glimmered forth from amid the dark and angry
clouds, and lighted up, here and there, with the light
of Christian hope and joy, some sad and gloomy
scene of bivouac and battle! And yet, I would by
no means have it understood that I have looked upon
the battlefield, with all its tragic accompaniments and
consequences, with the eye of a mere sentimentalist,
or with the feelings of one who only hears the cry of
the patient, instead of seeing the deeply-seated cancer
which the surgeon's knife is removing. We ought to
look upon every American battlefield as the arena on
which-not men, but ideas; not physical forces, but
great moral principles-have been, and still are, contending for supremacy. We ought to realize that, beyond and above the angry clouds, and the lurid lightnings; and the ghastly features of the mere material
scenery, the eye of faith can behold the bow of peace
spanning the heavens of a redeemed and sanctified
country- a country redeemed from the withering
curse of human bondage, and sanctified by the blood
of Freedom's martyrs. But, with all of this to nerve
the hand and strengthen the heart, I envy not the feelings of that man who can behold, with stolid indifference or philosophic calmness, the dread carnage of
31.7
I 
318     LIGJITS AND SHADOW5S OF ARMY LIFE.
the battlefield. The bursting shell scatters death and
destruction just as surely, and the solid shot and
grape and canister sweep the ranks of living men into
one great livid mass of quivering, mangled humanity
just as remorselessly, and thie saber and bayonet cut
and thrust just as keenly and mortally, in a holy as in
an unholy cause. It is war; and war is dreadful,
view it as we may. But, 0, if God himself, as the
great and righteous Ruler of the Universe, is bringing
about a great and glorious revolution in our suffering
country, and in the world at large, by which the tidewave of human progress, human liberty, and human
happiness shall roll onward with majestic sweep, and
carry upon its bosom blessings to every shore, and the
peaceful banner of the Cross shall be unfurled in every
land, and wars and tumults shall forever cease, then
we can feel that our national tribulation has not been
in vain, and that a nation's heroes have not bled and
died for nought!
DARK SCENES-NAMELESS CRIMES.
Man may commit crimes that man dare not describe;
and society may become so corrupt that only an inspired pen may safely expose and reprove its moral
hideousness. There may be such a state of morals
existing in communities, that it may even be "a shame
to speak of those things which are done of them in
secret."   Sometimes  very salutary lessons may be
gained by simply looking at the sad wrecks of humanity which cluster around the purlieus of vice, while
it might be morally dangerous to enter such dens of 
LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    319
iniquity, and explore their dark, mysterious chambers
of vice, which are reeking with moral foulness, and
which pour out on society the virus of physical and
moral leprosy.
A statement of the fearful results of what the fashionable world calls "an intrigue-an affair of. the
heart"-but which the law of God denounces in plain,
unmistakable language, and threatens with fearful
penalties, may have a decidedly good effect, while to
open the secret chambers and expose the sensual imagery of the libertine would be pernicious in the extreme. For these reasons, and for others, the history
of slavery will never be written; its darkest pictures
will never be painted; its more fearful and hideous secrets will never be revealed. Not only is it utterly impossible to describe slavery as it is, but, perhaps, it is
wise not to make the attempt. A better reason could
not be given than that contained in the remark made
by Lieutenant McAbee to a couple of slaveholding ladies. With much hauteur of manner, mock delicacy,
and seeming surprise at the ignorance and audacity
of a Federal officer daring to speak against the pet
institution of rebeldom, one of them said:
"It is only because of your low Yankee breeding
and ignorance of Southern institutions, that you talk
against slavery. You have given a number of reasons
for denouncing what you don't know any thing about.
Ilave you nothing better to say?"
"Madam," said the lieutenant, who had been most
polite but firm in his remarks, "Madam, the one other
great reason'I would urge against slavery is one which
no gentleman will name in the presence of ladies-one 
820    LIGHTS AND SHiADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
which every Southern lady of true womanly feeling
should blush to think of; but which she must know
is part of the institution itself, and which has undermined domestic honor, purity, and peace. My respect
for woman forbids me saying more."
The shaft went home. The ladies blushed, then
grew pale, and blushed again. A hint was enough;
they felt it was too true, and they instantly dropped
the subject.
Wesley's definition of slavery is at once brief, truthful, and expressive; it requires no addition, it can not
be improved: "THiE SUM OF ALL VILLAINIES."  There,
you have it in a nutshell.
As a mere matter of policy, the slaveholding oligarchy of the South could not have done a more foolish act than to rebel against the Federal Government.
It is as if a band of assassins, robbers, counterfeiters,
and swindlers were to throw open the doors of their
secret dens, and, with insolent sneer, invite the world to
walk in, with lighted torch, and scrutinize every nook
and corner, examine every blood-stained weapon of
death and every implement of robbery, and drag forth
into the light of day such evidences of crime as would
excite at once the wonder and loathing of all coming
ages.
The Church of Christ, assuredly, fell fearfully in the
snare of Satan when she took to her bosom, and protected by the broad shield of her good  name, the
slave-owner whose merchandise was slaves and souls of
men!  Away with all cant about Christian slaveholders! Christian slaveholders! As well talk about honest
thieves, benevolent murderers, loyal traitors, and pious 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
devils. The one is no more absurd and self-contradictory than the other; and had it not been for a
time-serving ministry, corrupt political platforms, and
a venal press, the absurdity would never have been
palmed on the Christian world as a Bible truth.
One good result of this war, however, is, that like
a mighty plowshare, it has been driving remorselessly
into and under the very foundations of slavery, and
laying bare its ramifications of unheard-of and indescribable wickedness, its fiendish malignity, its lust and
brutality, that the world might see the vile system as
it is, and execrate it as it deserves.   The work is not
accomplished yet; it is but fairly commenced-scarcely
more. But if the few furrows already turned up have
made such revelations of the substratum, what will be
the sum total when the whole field of Southern society, with its habits, customs, plans, and purposes, shall
be plowed up and laid bare? What fearful revelations will then be made! How dark the records of
crime that will then be exposed to the gaze of an
astonished world! What a ghastly caricature of civilization, refinement, and religion will then be uncovered! And until a complete overturning of Southern
society is accomplished, and a full revelation of the
mysteries of its habits and customs are made, the history of this rebellion, in the full sense of the term,
can not be written. Until then such efforts are comparatively premature. The keenest observers can not
see clearly; the profoundest thinkers are waiting for
more light.  Not only must the smoke of battle be
cleared away, the passions of conflicting interests be
subdued, and the bias of political opinion be corrected;
321 
822   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
but from the dark and secret chambers of rebeldom
itself must be dragged forth the fearful records of
fraud, falsehood, perjury, and treason, which for long
years have been accumulating, and which will form
the blackest page of history the world has ever read.
The plowshare must be driven deeper yet, the entire
social system of the South overturned and exposed;
then, and not till then, may the historian seize his
pen for a full and complete history of the "Great Rebellion."
IMPENITENCE
In my efforts to minister to the physical wants
of the suffering, I came to a rebel soldier mortally
wounded.   His  countenance wore  that ashy pallor
peculiar to those who are wounded in the bowels.
He was shivering with cold and loss of blood. His
garments were soaking wet, but with that humanity
which I am proud to record concerning our army, a
heavy, double United States blanket was thrown over
him.
"Would you like something to eat?" I said to him"a warm drink, such as a little beef soup or hot coffee?"
"I would like something warm to drink," said he,
shivering as he spoke, "for I am cold."
I brought some nice hot coffee to him, but, after
taking a sip or two, he declined it, saying he was very
sick, and in much pain. I asked where his home was.
He replied, "In Pike County, Georgia." After examining his wound, I told him, as kindly as possible, that
there was little or no hope of his recovery, and that 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMllY LIFE.    323
it was his duty to look to God in this the hour of his
extremity.  Notwithstanding I tried to be as kind and
soothing as possible, he seemed to resist my well-meant
endeavors in behlalf of his spiritual state.  To my statement that he could not possibly live but for a short
time-that even now he was dying, and that I spoke to
him not as an enemy to insult him, but as a friend to
warn him —he replied, " He would not die, but if he
did, he reckoned'twould be all right."  Dying as he
was, he seemed to take special pains to show his
hatred. Hie ordered me, in a surly manner, to place
some water near him-it was all he wanted.   I got a
cup of water, drew the blanket closer around him, and
asked if I could do any thing more for him, but he
only answered me with a growl, and treated me much
as he might have done a dog.  Near him lay two other
wounded rebel soldiers, one of whom was too weak to
say much, but the other spoke kindly, but reprovingly,
to his dying comrade.   Every thing I did for them
they accepted kindly, and expressed their thankfulness
in a way not to be misunderstood. One of them-the
weakest-in answer to my inquiry as to whether he
would not wish something to eat, replied "He  was
very cold, and would be glad of some hot coffee." On
presenting it to him, his looks, more than his words,
told his surprise and gratitude.
And here I wish to record a fact against all the ma licious reports and complaints of rebels in arms, as
*well as their sympathizers everywhere, that, during all
my experiences on the battlefield and in the hospital,
both East and South-west-in the Army of the Po tomac, in the Kanawha Valley, and in the Army of the 
324    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Cumberland-I have never seen or known a single
wounded rebel soldier insulted or injured after falling
into the hands of the Union soldiers.  I noticed but
one instance where a rebel prisoner was insulted-at
least he thought so. It was on the Saturday of the
Chickamauga battle, and was on this wise:
Close by a little clump of bushes, and sheltered from
the missiles thrown by their own army; were clustered
a few rebel prisoners. Among them was a short,
dumpy fellow, whose physiognomy was decidedly HIibernian. Even his gray uniform and unkempt hair
could not make him one of the chivalry.
"Whose division do you belong to," asked our surgeon, as we passed the group.
"Faith an' I belong to Gineral Johnston's divasionan' he's a gintleman, too."
"What part of Ireland are you from?'
"Bedad, an' I came from Tipperary, so I did."
"How long since?"
"I left owld Ireland in April-yes "-scratching his
head-" faith, an' I can hardly tell yez."
"What are you fighting against the United States
Government for?" demanded the doctor, getting a little emphatic.
"Why, an' to be sure, aint I fighting for liberty?
Haven't the Yankees been staling the  nagurs, an'
have n't-"
"Confound you, you Irish renegade!   You can't
get potatoes and salt herring enough in your own
country to keep you from starvation, and a lot of you
Catholic hounds-of course you're a Catholic-growl
about your oppressions in Ireland, and come over 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    325
here to fight for slavery! Confound you! the meanest
negro in the South is better than you are!  Shucks!
I can stand a Southern rebel, but an Irish renegadle
and a home traitor would make a preacher swear.
Would n't it, chaplain?"
The doctor's own Irish was up, for he had first
seen the light of day somewhere between Bantry Bay
and Inneshone-was an ardent Presbyterian of the
Scotch school, and, like Luther, had a standing grudge
against the Pope and the Devil.
"IN DE CANE-BRAKE, DAR."
A  day or two after crossing Lookout Mountain,
our division encamped, or rather bivouacked, on a
rebel slaveholder's plantation. It was well stocked,
apparently, with every thing necessary for a Georgia
planter's ease and comfort, including slaves, black and
white. There were immense fields of corn in a beautiful valley, sweet potatoes and yams in abundance,
which tasted most deliciously when varied with hardtack, as wve can testify. The corn was excellent for
succotash-so thought the soldiers,as they luxuriated
in that celebrated dish.  The corn was good for army
mules, too, as, no doubt, they thought-that is to say,
if mules do think.  Shortly after we were fairly encamped, a stalwart negro came within the regimental
lines, and seemed much interested in "Massa Linkum's
sogers."
"Look  ye'ah, boss," said he, bringing the words
seemingly from the bottom of some empty hogshead,
"look ye'ah-want ter know whar massa's mules are 
396    LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
gone? Massa dun' no nuffin'bout'em, when sogers
ober dar-but I know!  Massa says dey is clar done
gone ter our army; but I know whar dey elar done
gone.  Dey is in de cane-brake'way ober dar, an' I'se
sot on gwine dar wid you, ef you want'em.  Mighty
peart mules, boss! Golly, won't ole massa swar when
de mules clar done gone ter Linkum's army! But
say, boss, dar's a sick woman-she's one of dem poor
whites-chil'en sick, too; she'most dyin'.'Pears like
'twould be better she would die; she's a poor critter,
boss-a poor critter-she came from ober Sand-her
ole man'scripted inter seeesh army! Wall, yer see
dat ar patch ob corn ober dar? Dat b'longs ter dat
poor woman-she's worked an' worked!  Whew, how
dat ar critter's worked on dat patch ob corn! Now,
boss,'pears like ef it would be mighty bad ter tech
dat ar corn. Take massa's corn an' de mules, too,
down in de cane-brake, but'member dat ar poor critter. She lives in dat cabin ober dar."
By a somewhat circuitous route "de cane-brake ober
dar" was reached, and a fine lot of sleek mules were
confiscated to Massa Linkum.  Not a single blade of
the poor woman's corn was touched; but if the lordly
slaveholder gleaned a few bushels on his immense
plantation after our army foragers hat passed over
it, it was merely accidental. It may just be added
that Dr. MIcCurdy and myself visited this poor family
whose cause had been so ably pleaded by the noblehearted negro, and we saw a scene of such abject
poverty and misery that no language could do it justice. As a tribute to the humanity and benevolence
of the Union soldiers, let me state here that, during 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the fifteen or twenty minutes we remained there, at
least a dozen came in with coffee, sugar, bread, and
salt-all out of their own rations-and before next
morning enough was sent from our commissary to
keep the family a month. The soldiers, whenever they
killed beef, invariably sent a piece to the poor, pinched,
poverty-stricken children. The Union soldier has no
conscientious scruples in regard to slaveholders and
their property. He has benevolent fcelings, however,
toward the poor, and scorns to touch the little property
of the helpless and needy, and is ever ready to share
the contents of his haversack with the destitute and
afflicted.
Before we moved forward, the surgeon sent some
medicines for the sick woman, and a few delicacies
from our hospital supplies.
327 
CHAPTER XXVI.
INCIDENTS ON THE FIELD-THE OLD FLAG YET-INDIVIDUAL FEEL INGCS AND EXPERIENCES-THE ARMY AT CHATTANOOGA-YANKEE
DASH AND ENERGY-BROWN'S FERRY
AN AFFECTING SIGHT-" THE OLD FLAG YET."
0N Saturday, while our regiment was charging up
a hill, an incident occurred which, for tragic pathos,
has seldom been surpassed.  At the foot of a tree, and
among a large number of the dead and wounded of
both armies, lay, or rather reclined against the tree, a
wounded man in rebel uniform. He was seen to wave
his hat as the regiment advanced, and it so happened
that, as he lay in the direction of the center of the
regiment, he was opposite our colors, which were floating in the breeze.  As our regiment came up to where
he lay, he shouted, feebly:
"Hurrah for the old flag yet!-the old flag yet!"
He was seen to be severely if not mortally wounded;
his garments were soaked with blood, his face covered
with dust, and his lips dry and parched.
"Hurrah for the old flag yet!" he again feebly
shouted, and, as if by an instinctive impulse, Lieutenant Peck, who, at that moment, was carrying the flag,
drooped it over the dying man, and as its battle-worn
(328) 
LIGHTS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    329
stripes  and stars flashed before him, he muttered
again:
"The old flag yet! the old flag yet!"
He grasped its silken folds, for a moment, as it
swept over him; his lips were seen to move, but his
words could not be heard. A sad, melancholy smile
lit up his pale and haggard face, and, exhausted with
the effort, he sank down, perhaps never to rise again.
It was thie work of a moment-one of the rapidlyshifting scenes in the horrid drama of war-but it was
a scene never to be forgotten.
INDIVIDUAL FEELINGS AND EXPERIENCES.
Through the kindness of the Rev. W. M. Cheever,
of Troy, Ohio, the following letter was put into the
author's hands. It was written by a brave, worthy
young man, who was a member of Mr. Cheever's
Church, and an officer in the Eleventh Ohio Regiment.
It is inserted here for the purpose of showing what
religious faith can do in the hour of danger and
death.
" CHATTANOOGA, TENN., October 7, 1863.
"REV. W. M. ClHEEVER:
"Dear Sir-After a long interval that has elapsed since I
last wrote, I again address you a few lines, that you may
know that I have not entirely forgotten you, and to tell you
of God's providence to me during the late battles. Although,
perhaps, by this late date, you have become tired of listening
to the many and varied and conflicting reports that have
reached you, through the press and otherwise, yet there is
much that transpires, through the long and' tedious hours of
the contest, that'history and the world never know,' and
28 
330   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
which is only known and felt by individuals who take part in
the engagement.
"On the evening of Friday, September 18, just as the sun had
sunk behind the hills, our brigade was ordered on the march.
To one accustomed to watch the movements of an army, the
circumstances connected with this movement would have told
what was in prospect; yet every one seemed cheerful, and
appeared, apparently, unconscious and indifferent in regard to
what the morrow might bring forth. A soldier never anticipates danger until near at hand. However, night and darkness soon enveloped our division within its murky folds, and
the dust and smoke from burning fences thickened the atmosphere around us. These, together with a chilling wind, and
the utter want of water, rendered our sufferings very severe.
Yet we toiled on, step after step, until the gray of morn lightened the eastern horizon, when we came to a stand-still. The
men, overcome with fatigue, sat down on the road, and were
soon fast asleep. Stretched at full length in the dust, with a
fence-rail or a stone for a pillow, we slept sweetly. An hour
and a half thus passed, and the road was once more cleared.
The command,' Fall in!' brought the men  again to their
feet, and we moved forward feeling somewhat refreshed from
our sleep. Every one began now to feel that we were nearing
'hallowed ground.'  Many long columns could be seen winding over hills, through woods and meadows, filling every road,
as far as the eye could reach. At nine o'clock we halted in a
field, that the men might shake the dust from their clothes
and enjoy a moment's rest, as that was all that could be done,
under the circumstances. Not a drop of water could be procured either to quench our thirst or bathe our faces, so we resolved to reconcile ourselves to the same fare for breakfast
that we had for supper-that is, wait until the next meal.
While halted here, we were warned by the thunder of a cannon that the'ball' had opened for certain. After sending
a detail, with the canteens, in search of water, we were soon on
the march for the field of action. In a few minutes, we were
formed in the edge of a wood, close by the battle-line, awaiting
orders as to which part of the line we were to occupy. Here we 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    331
could distinctly hear the incessant roar of small arms, and the
deep booming of artillery, that told too well how fiercely the
enemy contested our advance.  Being halted a moment,  oi
brave and worthy chaplain, W. W. Lyle, rode to the front of
our regiment, and spoke a few words of encouragement and
cheer, that sent a thrill of joy and comfort vibrating through
every heart, and which nerved and strengthened many a noble
lad, whose cheek there paled at the thought of the conflict, to
stand the shock in the fiercest of the fight, as the records of
that hard-fought field will show.  Never did I witness a scene
more impressive than the services of that morning before going
into action. Our regiment was drawn up in'double columns,
companies closed in mass;' our old colors, which had been
through several battles, were unfurled to the breeze, and waved
over the heads of a phalanx of tried men. Silence reigned in
our ranks. Every one seemed to commune with his own heartperhaps thinking of home and friends.
"As I looked down the line of faces, I could see firmness
and determination depicted on each countenance. As our eyes
met in silence, we could read each other's thoughts, and gather
courage from their glance. While the chaplain lifted up his
voice in prayer, a thousand heads bowed in reverence, and a
thousand hearts mentally offered up an anxious and earnest
appeal to their God for his guidance through the ordeal that
awaited them. At a time like this, man thinks in earnest, not
in jest. General Reynolds, our brave and gallant commander,
happened to be present, and, after Brother Lyle closed the services, he rode up to him, and, with'a tear in his eye, grasped
his hand and shook it warmly. That hearty grasp of the hand
and that earnest look expressed more there than tongue could
tell.
"That scene, so simple but so sacred, so flill of all that
can move the heart, was often referred to during the battle.
That a major-general, while busy posting his troops, and while
the battle is already raging, should be seen pausing, for a moment, beside a portion of his troops engaged in prayer, joining
with them himself, being so deeply affected as to shed a manly,
Christian tear-shaking hands with the chaplain who led the 
332    LIGHTS AND SHADOWTS OF ARMY LIFE.
devotions, thus acknowledging his own religious principles before the men he was about to lead in battle —had an effect that
may be imagined, but can not be described. We always had
confidence in the cool bravery of General Reynolds, but we had
more at that moment than ever before. We would have followed him anywhere. But now we are off to the front to fight,
and the chaplain, as usual, to care for our wounded. But a
few moments, and we are mixed up, midst the noise and confusion,'the hurrying to and fro,' with the horrid din that is
usually found behind a battle-line. Passing through, we reach
the front, form quickly into position, and advance, under fire of
the enemy, to the assistance of our friends, and are just in time
to save a regiment that has run out of ammunition.  We pass
over them, and can see the long lines of rebels advancing slowly
and steadily, and, by this time, pouring a destructive fire into
our ranks.'FORWARD-DOUBLE-QUICK-HARGE BAYONET! was
shouted, when off darted the old Eleventh, with our battle-worn
colors flung to the breeze. A'iHurrah!' was shouted by hundreds of voices, that made the woods around us ring, and
curdled the blood in the enemy's veins. The glittering steel
was too much-it had its effect. The enemy wavers-they
break, they run like sheep-they try to rally again, but fly as
before! Dismay and terror seize them.  Many fall by the unerring aim of our rifles-a complete rout ensues —the field is
ours, and another star is added to our battle-flag! New lines
are immediately fortned, and the enemy appears again upon our
front and left, more desperate than before.  Again  they are
driven by the bayonet, and a second victory is won. So closed
the day with us of Saturday's fight.  Fresh troops are brought
forward, and we retire, worn completely out. The water that
was sent for in the morning comes ulp at this late hour, and is
seized by famished men, and used with moderation in making
coffee.  This, together with a cracker, roasted or parched on a
stick, formed the basis of our first meal in nearly thirty-six
hours. God has, however, protected and favored us much.
Only a score wounded and one killed from out our regiment!
0, what fortitude God gave me in this hour to bear up under
the fatigues and hardships of that night, with the prospects of 
LIGHIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    333
a renewal of the terrible scenes in the morning! But. thanlkiTig him, with my whole heart, for his favors of to-day, and
knowing in whom to trust on the morrow, I laid down on the
battle-grounad to rest my weary limbs-to sleep and dream-not
of \WAR, but of IHOIE. Saturday night passed as has many
other nights of bivouac, and Sabbath morning came, at last,
bright and glorious.  Yes, the holy Sabbath came-but  not
with its cheering Sabbath bells-not with its happy rest and
sacred privileges-but with scenes of horror, fields of carnage
and blood; with the thunder of war, the groans of the wounded
and dying, and with all that could be heaped in a day of fierce,deadly conflict! Buoyed up by the excitement, we again face
the enemy-hold our position under a shower of Minie6 balls,
grape, and canister.  Many of our brave boys fall, yet we stand
firm through the long and weary hours that pass so slowly.
Our left and right are driven back time after time, until, finally,
our flanks are entirely exposed; but we still hold our ground.
Late in the afternoon, when we are surrounded, cut off, orders
reach us,' Cat through or surrender!'  We re-form, in a new
position, while the enemy close in on all sides. The order is
given by General Reynolds to move by the rear ranlk, and the
startling words ring out, above the noise of battle,'FORWARDDOUBLE-QUICK-M.ARCII! CHARGE BAYONET!' Our men are falling at every step. Grape and canister are rained upon us-the
very air seems black.'Forward,'t is life or death!  Forward!
forward!' is the cry.  The enemy give way before us.  We
are soon up to them.  They cry for mercy, or attempt to escape, but we cut them down before us, and they give way in
utter rout.'Forward! forward!' driving them still, until we
pass line after line, and we see our own men, and the Stars and
Stripes, through the smoke and dust, to our left, and we bear
off toward them.  We are soon under the protection of their
guns; and, with three hundred prisoners we have captured duritig our terrible dash through the rebel battle-lines, night thus
closed our last great effort in the battle of Chickamauga. Our
casualities are heavy; yet, through all this, God has spared our
regiment very remarkably in comparison with others. 0, how
my heart goes out to Him, in humble gratitude, for bringing 
334    LIGHTS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
me safely through the terrors of this dreadful day without the
slightest injury!...
"Yours, for God and our country,         A. L. C."
THE ARMY AT CHATTANOOGA-AN ADROIT MOVE                       MENT.
Although occupying what might be called an impregnable position, the Army of the Cumberland, as it
lay at Chattanooga immediately after the battle of
Chickamauga, was by no means in an enviable condition. Chattanooga is situated in a bend of the Tennessee River, and the army lay in intrenched positions
across this bend, both flanks resting on the river-the
left above, and the right below the town. The right
flank rested on the Chattanooga Creek, near the base
of Lookout Mountain, and where it empties into the
Tennessee.  The left rested on the Citico, above the
city. The rebels held Lookout Mountain and Mission
Ridge-their left resting on the Tennessee River, and
their right on the ridge. They held all on the south
side of the river, from Lookout to Bridgeport, and not
only had possession of all the roads on that side of the
river, but their sharp-shooters commanded the road on
the north side also.
We had the gratification of watching the rebel engineers at work, day after day, busy constructing their
works on both mountains, but especially on the northeastern face of Lookout. When they endeavored to
push their works a little too close to Chattanooga
Creek, our rifled thirty-two-pounders usually gave
them a hint that we did not wish to cultivate any closer 
LrGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
acquaintance.  We had several strong works erected
on our front, all of which were connected by a heavy
line of rifle-pits, in addition to which were continuous
lines of earth-works still further in front. The bulk
of the army lay within these intrenchments, while
strong picket-lines were maintained outside. The position was the strongest possible, while the facilities
for still further adding to its strength were unlimited.
There were not the slightest fears, therefore, so far as
the mere holding of the place was concerned, if the
army could only be supplied. This was the most
serious feature of the whole, and caused the greatest
anxiety in the army. If supplies could be thrown into
Chattanooga, the Army of the Cumberland could defy
the whole Confederacy.  Toward the close of October, however, matters began to assume a very serious
aspect so far as supplies were concerned. It was evident that a crisis was at hand, and something must be
done to avert impending difficulties of the most serious
nature.
The base of supplies was at Bridgeport and Stevenson, but the rebels had possession of the roads on the
south side of the river, while their sharp-shooters commanded the road on the north side leading to Bridgeport, so that no supplies could be brought from below
on either road. The supply-trains, therefore, had to
be brought from Bridgeport round by way of Jasper
and Dunlap, in the Sequatchie Valley, and over a steep,
rugged pass of the Cumberland Mountains, a distance
of sixty miles. By this time, heavy rains had set in,
and the mountain streams, especially the Sequatchie,
were swollen to such an extent as to impede the prog
335 
336    LIGIITS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ress of the immense trains necessary to supply the
army.  Mules and artillery horses had been taken to
the north side of the river, and sent into the different
valleys, for sixty or seventy miles, in search of forage,
while others had to die of starvation. The roads were
getting impassable, trains were delayed, and the rations
were becoming so reduced that the men were beginning
to suffer from hunger. A single instance may be given
by way of illustration. The Eleventh, as well as other
regiments, went out one day on picket duty with empty
haversacks. They had had no supper the previous
evening; had no breakfast before going on duty; were
on picket outside the intrenchments twenty-four hours,
and came in again, and still nothing for breakfast.
Under such circumstances, it was absolutely necessary
to open the river as far down as possible, by driving
the rebels from the north and west of Lookout.
There were two pontoon bridges thrown across the
river, one at Chattanooga, the other a short distance
below.   The rebels attempted frequently to destroy
these bridges by cutting logs and heavy timber, lashing, them together, and setting them adrift from above,
which, coming down on the swift current, would break
the pontoons from their anchorage, and injure the
bridges. Of course considerable timber, and even
pontoons, would occasionally float down past the rebels
at Lookout Point, the sight of which always gave them
satisfaction. Frequently the rebels sent down in this
manner very fine saw-logs, not many of which ever
got further than Chattanooga. A short distance above
the pontoons, a heavy boom was thrown across the
river, and a detail from the pioneer corps was made to 
LIGHTS AND  SHADOWS OF ARMY  LIFE.
secure all the timber floated down, and which, of course,
lodged against the boom. There were several sawmills on the river bank, and they were kept busy at
work sawing those very logs into planks suitable for
boat-building purposes.
Under cover of the steep banks and bluffs, so as to
be concealed from the rebel signal-corps, were soldier-mechanics, industriously at work  building  pontoons, making oars and boat-hooks, and fitting planks
and string-pieces for bridges. Some houses were dismantled, the boards, rafters, and joists taken to the
river bank, and, in a short time, a large number of
pontoon-boats and barges, built from timber so conveniently furnished by the rebels themselves, were
launched into the Tennessee River. One moonlight
night, just hazy enough on the river to render objects
at a distance somewhat indistinct, troops from Baird's
and Reynolds's divisions were embarked in the pontoons, and, at a given signal, the whole were silently
floated down the river. The oars, which were used
just enough to make steerage-way, were muffled with
pieces of tents and blankets. The men crouched as
closely together as possible in the bottom of the pontoons, and carefully covered their muskets, lest they
might be seen gleaming in the moonbeams.  Orders
were given that the utmost quietness must be maintained; no speaking above a whisper was to be allowed,
and every man was to be ready for any emergency.
As it was necessary to run the fleet of pontoons, as
much as possible, in the shadow of the woods and bluffs,
they had to be floated close by the south bank, and,
Qf course, under the very noses of Bragg's pickets.
29
837 
338   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
As they floated past Lookout Point, our men could
hear the rebel pickets talking to each other, and taking
considerable comfort from the evidences they saw, indistinctly, on the river, of another break in the Yankee
pontoon bridges.
"Why, Tom, look ye thar!  Blamed ef that aint a
pontoon! "
"Whar, Bill?  Whar?"
"Why, don't yer see?  Thar, in that streak o' dark
under the bluff thar."
"Wall, now, so it is, by thunder!  Come har, you
'uns back thar, and see another break. Har goes another Yankee pontoon bridge."
"Wall, now, ef it aint so, Bill! Reckon it'll take
the Yanks a right smart chance o' work ter keep thar
bridges goin' at that ar rate."
"Look ye!  Look ye thar, Bill-ef it aint so arter
all. Thar goes another-an' another!"
"Reckon we have'em now, Jim; the Yanks can't
git out of that ar pen up thar.  Whew! look ye thar,
boys-thar goes another.   Golly!  What's up with
our'uns above?  They've smashed Rosecrans's bridges
this time, sartain." And so on.
On reaching Brown's Ferry, which is about eight
miles below Chattanooga, the pontoons glided close
to the southern bank-out sprang our soldiers and
made for the pickets, when a scene occurred at once
ludicrous and exciting. As the boats landed, and
our soldiers leaped out, amid the dark shadows of
the hills and woods, the rebel pickets, who had been
jesting about the broken bridge, were heard, if not
seen, laughing from the other side of their faces. 
LIGHIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    339
" Golly! Jim, theme's Yanks!  Look ye thar-right
thar!"
"Whar, Tom?  Whar?"
"Why, don't yer see?  Thar's another lot of'em
landed down thar. The Yanks have played us a trick,
by thunder!"
"Don't get skeered, Jim, them aint Yanks."
"Them is Yanks.   Can't I see?"
"WVho goes thar?  Halt!"
Bang, whiz.
"Sergeant of the guard!"
Bang, bang, whiz.
"The Yanks are on us, Bill, sartin!"
"Surrender!" yelled our men, as they closed in on
them, and abruptly stopped their dispute.
The rebel pickets were captured or killed. A strong
skirmish-line was instantly thrown out; a detail made to
throw up temporary breastworks; the pontoons were
taken to the north side of the river to bring over another force that had marched down from Chattanooga
across the peninsula oil that side; and, in a short time,
the rebels were driven back into the valley and up
the spurs of Lookout.  MAeanvwhiile, a strong pioneer
force was at work constructing a pontoon bri(ldge some
nine hundred feet long-a feat which was accomplished
in six hours. Next day, Hooker, with a large force,
crossed to the south side of the river, at Bridgeport,
marched up as speedily as possible, and, on the afternoon of the second day, united with the force at Brown's
Ferry,;
Bv this adroit movement, the details of which had
been executed so brilliantly and successfully, the roads 
340    LIGHTS AND SHADOW-S OF ARMY LIFE.
were opened on both sides of the river. The rebels
still held the point of Lookout, but could accomplish
nothing after our forces had gained a foothold on the
south side of the river. Not only were the roads secured, but the river, also, was cleared from Bridgeport
to Brown's Ferry, and communications with the base
of supplies fully established. A steamboat had been
loaded with supplies at Bridgeport, in anticipation of
this movement, and, in the course of a day or two, her
whistle awoke the echoes of Lookout, as she steamed
up to Brown's Ferry, with two hundred thousand rations for the hungry heroes of Chattanooga.
This movement was not only one of great importance, so far as establishing communications with Bridgeport were concerned, but it took the rebels so much
by surprise that they had neither time nor opportunity
to destroy any portion of the railroad before being
driven back. In order to make the position as secure
as possible, earthworks were thrown up by our forces,
and the woods cleared off in front of the lines for a
considerable distance. The rebel army was in such
a peculiar position that Bragg could not extend or
strengthen this part of his line without exposing his
center, and he had to yield to the necessity of the case,
and let our forces have undisturbed possession. It was
the first step, however, in that brilliant strategy that
resulted ill hurling Bragg from his intrenched positions on Lookout and Mission Ridge, and sent him
reeling and demoralized to the fastnesses beyond Taylor's Ridge, and, finally, to-it is hard now to tell
where. 
CHAPTER XXVII.
SECRETS OF THE DOMESTIC INSTITUTION-WHITE SLAVES-AN INCI DENT ON LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN-NEW APPLICATION OF SCRIPTURE.
IF, in the providence of God, war is absolutely
necessary for the purification and redemption of a
people, how fearfully foul and degraded must that people be! And if only the stern rebukes of the sword
can reach the hearts and consciences of those whose
civilization and religion have been set forth as being
of the highest order and purest character, and whose
claims to be considered as the truest and fullest exponents and examples of intelligence, refinement, and
piety, have been openly and continually insisted upon
in Church and State, how false must have been their
professions, and how arrogant and absurd their claims!
And yet, every day in which this war has been harried
on has only been making new and additional discoveries of the fearfully low state of morals and religious
in the slaveholding Confederacy, and has been proving how hollow and pretentious have been the claims
of lordly men-stealers to be considered as the only
true embodiments of intelligence and refinement in the
country. A few years ago, and but a few, the masses
of Northern people were led to believe that Southern
society was of the highest possible type; that, as was
(341) 
342    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
to be expected among a hig,h-sprung, chivalrous people, whose keen sense of honor had become proverbial, there might be, occasionally, an unhappy quarrel,
resulting, perhaps, in the use of the knife or revolver;
that there might be even a Legree found, once in a
great while, whose rough, angular exterior neither godlv bishops, nor learned divinity doctors, nor the whole
brotherhood of saintly pro-slavery preachers  could
smooth down sufficiently to retain the gilding of Gospel sanctity with which they labored hard to adorn
him; but that these were mere exceptions to a general rule-only rough specimens of common clay accidentally found among the precious ingots of pure gold.
But who, to-day, has temerity enough to stand forth
and boldly reiterate such falsehoods?  Who, among
all the apologists of slavery in former days, would
dare risk any little reputation for honesty or truth
they may ever have possessed, by trying to shield the
vile institution? Were they to escape the charge of
falsehood and corruption, it would only be because
they were looked upon as candidates for a lunatic
asylum. Even now, one of the greatest curiosities in
theological and ethical literature is Bishop Hopkins's
voluminous and shamelessly wicked argument in defense of slavery and slaveholding rebels.   In future
years, his bitterest enemies will not find a surer
method of sending down his character to posterity,
blasted and blackened sufficiently to satisfy the deepest
hate, than by simply engraving on his tombstone his
own defense of human bondage.  
Perhaps the reader will hardly accuse me of departing from an anti-slavery faith, when I say that the 
LIGIITS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.  -343
whites have suffered more, proportionately, at the hands
of slavery than the blacks. They have suffered more,
inasmuch as they had greater privileges and powers,
and if they did fall, their fall was all the deeper, and
their degradation all the greater.
The poor whites of the South-" the white trash,"
as they are generally called-a poor, degraded, ignorant, thriftless people, who are at once the objects of
the slaveholder's hate, and the ready tools with which
to work his schemes of villainy-bear unmistakable
evidence of the crushing, grinding effects of slavery
on the poor non-slaveholding whites, while the everyday evidences of the bleaching process on the colored
race testify to the fearful immoralities of slaveholders
themselves.   The unbridled lust; the open, unblushing profligacy; the utter " confusion" wrought in all
domestic sanctities, duties, and relationships, and all
the nameless crimes incident to the rearing of human
cattle for the slave shambles-all of which are the inevitable and necessary outgrowths of the horrid system-have covered Southern society with the foulest
of moral ulcers-ulcers so foul and festering that, if
allowed to vitiate and corrupt another generation, Nature herself would have taken revenge and spewed the
adulterous brood out of the land. To converse with
a Southerner on the subject of slavery —not by way
of discussion, but to gain information-is to have one's
self-respect violated, and feelings of manly modesty
shocked and outraged. No wonder that every effort
has been made by slaveholders in the South, and their
abject apologists at the North, to cover up the loathsome secrets of the vile system, and conceal from the 
844    LIGHITS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
world its dark and diabolical history. It is well known
that interested merchants drugged their consciences
with moral opiates, while blood-stained gold found its
way to their coffers.  Corrupt politicians shamelessly
sold themselves to slaveholding interests-and to the
devil, too, for that matter-while gifts and bribes and
political honors were showered upon them in return.
Timie-serving ministers threw away the keen-edged
sword of Divine Truth, and, lest they might disturb the
ease and comfort of their pro-slavery supporters, they
wielded instead only contemptible pewter weapons, or
they so garlanded God's sword with the flowers of
rhetoric and poetry, or turned its keen edge with the
rough ethics of organic wrong, that it would not cut.
They covered up or explained away the handwritings
of God himself, and brought into their pulpits smooth,
dreary essays, through which they driveled and plodded, while those whose gains of oppression were increasing day by day, listened with easy self-complacency and comfort. Faithful ministers of the Gospel,
who dared rebuke the evil spirit that had entered the
high places of the Sanctuary, and spread desolation
and woe, were mobbed, imprisoned, scourged, banished,
tarred and feathered, hanged or shot, while reproaches
and curses were heaped upon their names and characters. All this, and much more, to prevent agitation,
and conceal from the gaze of the world the loathsome,
secret workings of the SUM OF ALL VILLAINIES. But
what hath God wrought since slaveholders raised their
bloody hands to strike down Liberty, and make her
dwvelling-place a desolation!  Hlow wondrously He has
thwarted their wisest plans, and defeated their deepest 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
schemes!  He hath truly caused the wrath of man
to praise Hiim, while the remainder-the excess-of
wrath he hath restrained.   The very plans of the
rebels have resulted in the ruin of their pet institution; for while the plowshare of war has been crashing through and tearing up the very foundations of
Southern society, it has also been exposing to the gaze
of an astonished world the dark chambers in which
have rioted the foulest passions and the most atrocious
vices. Those who have been in the army know these
things; and they know, furthermore, that such a baptism of hate against slavery has descended upon the
army, that every soldier is another Phinehas, to strike
to the very heart the vile system-strike it till it dies,
that "the plague may be stayed."
Even the women of the South, who, above all others,
must necessarily have felt the keen, burning disgrace
attaching to the vile institution, and whose womanly delicacy and refinement have been continually and systematically outraged, seem to have sunk under the debasing influences of the system, and to have become
either inured or indifferent to its foulest and most repulsive features. I have known of instances where
they even seemed to glory in the shame of their own
social system.
In lashville, there was a young staff officer, who,
on seeing a beautiful little girl standing on the sidewalk in front of a house occupied by well-known feminine rebels, was so struck with her childish beauty and
gracefulness, that he stooped down and kissed her.
She was very fair, had bright blue eyes, ruby lips, her
hair was in pretty wavy ringlets, and she was neatly
345 
346    LIGHTS AND SHADOWVS OF ARMY LIFE.
dressed. A young lady, who noticed him kissing the
child, sneeringly remarked:
"You seem to be very fond of kissing niggers."
"Good gracious'   You don't call that child a nigger, do you?"
"Yes, I do. She is only a nigger-nothing else."
The little girl was absolutely prettier than the
proud, shameless beauty that gloried in thus calling
attention to her as only a "nigger, nothing more," and
who, unwittingly perhaps, exposed one of the terribly
foul. and nameless crimes growing out of, and incident
to, the vile system of slavery. Indeed, it is one of
the marked features of this "domestic institution,"
that there are many "white niggers," as they are facetiously called, and who, like the little girl just mentioned, were it not for the practiced eye of the connoisseur of human merchandise, might pass for white
men or white women. Wihy there should be so many
fair girls, with rich, wavy tresses, or brunettes, with
dark, sparkling eyes, or blondes, a little too pale, perhaps, with blue eyes and thin ruby lips, let those
answer whose delicacy and moral sensibilities are so
frequently shocked at the possibility of the negro being placed on a level with the white man. Perhaps
they will inform us whether all these are evidences of
elevation or degradation, and to which race the honor
of being elevated, or the disgrace of being debased,
really belongs.   And, perhaps, too, they will explain
the reason why a Southerner, from whom was gleaned
considerable information, exclaimed, when speaking of
these very matters-" Thunder! a man do n't know now
who he is marrying! " 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
As a further illustration of the purity of morals,
high state of civilization, and general piety of slaveholdling society, the following is inserted, being one of
a number of similar advertisements taken from the
Atlacntal Ihtelligencer:
UN AWAY-$250 REWARD-From my house in Forsyth
P Street, on night before last, a negro girl, about seventeen
years old, about medium hight, stout made, weighs 140 pounds;
color, white; hazel eyes, rather stoop-shouldered; was raised in
Clarke County, Georgia. Any person returning the girl to me, or
giving me such information as I may find her, will obtain the
above reward.                                     J.K. RHEGAN.
A WOMAN'S IDEA OF POOR WHITE CHILI)DREN.
When passing through Trenton Valley, a little incident occurred which shows how the poor whites are
regarded by the lordly slaveholders of rebeldom. By
way of explanation, it may just be remarked that the
valley is one of the best for raising fruit-especially
peaches. The finest specimens I ever saw were gathered in the few orchards to be found in the valley.
Peaches weighing from six to eight ounces, sound and
well-flavored, were quite common.
"You have a very beautiful country, madam," said
one of our party to a fair daughter of the "sunny
South."
"Yes; good enough, I reckon," she replied, somewhat snappishly, as she eyed the Yankee invaders
closely.
"It seems to be a fine fruit country. Why do n't
you have more orchards?" was the next question, put
as politely as possible.
347 
348    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"Orchards!" she exclaimed, disdainfully.  "Who
would plant orchards, when all the fruit is stolen by
the white trash young'uns?"
"Send the children to school, and educate them as
you ought to do," said our quarter-master. "If you
would establish Sunday-schools, and teach the'white
trash young'uns,' as you call them, your fruit would
be safe enough:"
"Do you'uns think we'uns are fools?" she answered
quickly, while the flashing of her eye, and the hightening color of her cheeks showed that the Southern
heart was being fired.
"Educate the white trash!" she continued; "you
can't do it-they're worse than niggers! "-saying
which, she nervously shook, not her feet, but her
drapery, as a testimony against the Northern vandals who had dared to insinuate that children, though
poor, might be educated.
It was not long after this incident occurred, that
we had a very graphic illustration, and a very painful
one, too, of the condition of the poor "white trash
young'uns," as this lady called them.
While crossing Lookout Mountain, the troops were
employed in getting the artillery and supply-trains up
the steep ascent. While waiting for this to be accomplished, our attention was called to a miserable
log-cabin, in which were some half a dozen frowzy,
tow-headed children-half naked, dirty, and hungrylooking. Now, be it remembered, our army was in
this part of Georgia for the first time; that the country had not, as yet, been gleaned by our troops; that
wealthy planters were all around, and yet here were a 
LIGHIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
woman and several children huddled together  in a
ruinous hut, and in a starving condition. There was
neither chair, table, nor bedstead-not a single article
of furniture, nor sign of clothing or bedding, except a
heap of rags-a miserable pallet-in one corner.   Several officers on General Reynolds's staff, as well as the
General himself, looked into this miserable abode, and
wvere appalled at such a scene of wretchedness. Quite
a number of the private soldiers did the same; and, all
honor to their brave and generous hearts, many of
them emptied their haversacks for the benefit of the
hungry mother and children
The eldest of the family was a girl, perhaps eleven
or twelve years of age, and who, had she been tidy
and well-dressed, would have been really good-looking.
One of the officers tried to draw her into conversation,
with the following result:
"I How old are you, sis?"
"Dunno," she replied, without raising her head" ax mother, thar;'spects she knows."
"Have you attended school?" he asked. "I suppose you can read?"
"No! I've never been to school," she replied, her
eyes still bent downward, and her fingers twisting the
fringed rents in the single coarse garment that was
held together by sundry strings and suspender-buttons.
"Can you read?"
"No, I can't read-reckon I might larn-know some
letters."
"Did you ever attend Sunday-school or go to
church?" she was asked.
849
I 
350   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
She looked as if she thought these were very preposterous questions, and answered:
\"Wall, I heern tell something'bout Sunday-schools
over Big Sand, thar'bouts, but dunno nothin''bout
~em.~
"Do you know who made you?"
"Dunno who made me.  Reckon mother, thar, made
me. Ax her; she knows, I'spect."
"What! Do you not know about God, who made
you and me and all things?  Did no one ever tell you
about God?"
" Heern tell something'bout some'un they called the
Lord; but, laws! we never saw him. Old Uncle Bill
sometimes came to whar we lived over Sand, and used
to talk'bout sech things. Did yer ever see the Lord?"
Now, reader, remember, this conversation was held
with a white irl in the State of Georgia-a part of
that land where the "peculiar institution"-so long
and so persistently defended by savage Legrees, polished, business-like Haleys, blustering Tom Lokers,
and sanctimonious, smooth-faced ministers, elders, and
deacons-has exercised its benign and Christianizing
spirit; and where they have boasted of having so
many powerful revivals that they were nearly as regular and plentiful as their "barbacues" and "breakdowns," and, it mnight be added, equally as valuable. Was not this incident a graphic illustration and
proof of the position occupied by the poor in slaveholding society? And was it not a telling comment
on the heartless words of the proud Southern lady"Educate the white trash! you can't do it-they're
worse than niggers?" 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS O0' ARMY LIFE
A NEW APPLICATION OF SCRIPTURE.
For the special benefit of my clerical brethren, I
am tempted to finish this chapter of odds and ends
with a paragraph or two on exegetical theology.
The exegesis being of African descent, and not copyrighted, any pulpit aspirant may use it, if he choose,
except thie practical application.
Reuben-'" Uncle Reub," as hlie was familiarly called
by our camp contrabands-was quite a genius in his
way. According to his own account, he had been a
faithful and laborious preacher among his " culled
bredren," and was a strictly orthodox Baptist of the
Hard-shell persuasion.
His contempt for any thing outside of immersion, in
the religious world, was quite edifying, while his gravity
and earnestness in quoting Scripture, usually wrong
end foremost, would have graced the gravest of theological chairs. In addition to his onerous and selfimposed duties as a spiritual guide to his fellow-contrabands, he had charge of the major's horse.  The
major, it may be remarked, in passing, was a quiet
old wag, and frequently remarked, rather dryly, that
"Harry would thrive better if treated to less theology
and more curry-comb."
It might also be stated that the major was not a
firm believer in total abstinence, although I never saw
him drink any thing except from a canteen, which is
always supposed to contain water.   Moreover,  althlough holding ministers in all due respect, he was
very fond of a joke at their expense.
One day, the major had a friend from a neighboring
351 
352    LIGITS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
regiment pay him a visit, and, having "something,"
invited him to partake. Having something to do in
the tent, Reub was present long enough, during the
visitor's stay, to see that a bottle was not far off.  After
the visitor left, Uncle Reub was noticed looking very
much as a gentleman might be supposed to do who
felt himself somewhat slighted. Suspecting, from the
lengthy appearance of Reub's face, as well as the furtive glances he directed toward the bottle, what was
wrong, the major said:
"You never drink any, I suppose, Reuben?"
"Wall, no, not'xactly-dat is, major-I dun nebber
drink when'mong de gals an' boys. Yer see, major,
)wouldn't nebber do, nohow. I allers like to be'sistent wid my perfession, as de good book says.  But
de fac' is, major, I dun nebber like'fuse any thing
from any gen'lman."'
The major took the hint, and acted accordingly, by
passing the nearly-empty bottle to Reub.
Taking it into his hand, with a pleasant, self-satisfied
smile, he showed his afifection for spiritual comforts by
taking a vigorous pull at its contents. Then he returned the bottle, with an air of conscious dignity, say
ing.
"Dat's good liquor, major.  Yes, sah, dat ar liquor's
de ginuine stuff."
"Why, Reub, I never thought you would drinkyou a preacher! Preachers don't drink, do they?"
"Wall, now, major," said Reuben-elevating his eyebrows, and placing his fore-fingers together, as if about
to discuss a profound problem in theology-" yer see,
as de good book says, we must be'sistent to our sure 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    353
calling and'lection, and as Paul says in de'pistle
Revelations, dat it is not what passes into de mouth
dat defiles a man, but it is what passes out. Now,
does yer see de pint, major-does yer see it?"
"Yes," said the major, dryly, "I see it. Put the
saddle on Harry."
Who will say that, with proper culture and polish,
Uncle Reub might not shine alongside those eminent
divines who have written such learned treatises to
prove that slavery is in strict accordance with the
Golden Rule-" Whatsoever ye would that men should
do to you, do ye even so to them?"
30
I 
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE DYING SOLDIERS DREAM OF HOME AND CHILDHOOD-THE SEN       TINEL-LIFE A BATTLE-THE SPIRITUAL VICTORY.
"Our friends may fill an early grave,
Our every hope in life be lost,
And'midst the storm the rising wave
May see our bark'midst breakers toss'd;
But Faith can gild the dreary tomb,
Where early friends in silence sleep;
And her btight arch can re-illume
That shore beyond the swelling deep.
"Faith speaks of myriads round the throne,
Who once were suff'rers here below;
And shows the path which led them on
To glory from a scene of woe.
She speaks of One whom hosts adore,   Whom angels worship in the sky;
'T is to the Lamb for evermore
Who once for guilty man did dclie."
IF "the undevout astronomer is mad," then the irreverent or unfeeling visitor of a military hospital is
more than mad. No one can pass through the wards
of a hospital, and mingle with the sufferers there, by
engaging in conversation with them, ministering to
their wants, and entering, as it were, into their feelings, without becoming either a better or a worse man.
(354)
4 
LIGHTS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
I do not mean that he will become more easily excited
or overcome by the terrible scenes of human suffering
that he must necessarily witness, neither do I mean
that he will become less resolute in his efforts to do
something toward alleviating distress, even amid all
that is truly revolting to every tender and humane
feeling. To become so used to scenes of suffering as
to be perfectly calm and collected is by no means incompatible with tender feelings; hence, because a man
does not exhibit a certain amount of nervousness, or
give expression to every tender emotion, we are not
to conclude that he has become so inured to scenes
of the tragic and horrible as to have all the finer
feelings blunted, or the more humane sensibilities destroyedcl. But we are not to forget, at the same time,
that constant familiarity with scenes of suffering have
a tendency either to harden or soften the heart.  It
will make a person either more callous and unfeeling, or more susceptible of kindly emotions and more
keenly alive to the necessities, both physical and
moral, of the sick and wounded. Any one who can
look with cold indifference on the carnage of a battlefield, or the sad and terribly revolting scenes of a hospital, with all their accompaniments of the tragic and
pathetic, must be possessed of a very bad heart. On
the other hand, there is no man, of any pretension to
true Christian character, who will not be all the better
for any experiences he may have had in the almost
every-day scenes of military life.  If ever a single
doubt or fear concerning the divine authority and saving power of the religion of Jesus Christ has disturbed
his peace of mind, or threatened to unsettle his faith
355 
356   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
and darken his hope; if ever he has felt to murmur
at the dispensations of Providence, or to complain at
what he has thought to be his hard lot; if ever he has
been tempted to look upon his brother man through
the colored glasses of mere conventionalism, and value
him just in proportion to his wealth, rank, or social
standing; or if ever he is threatened with the foul
spirit of cold, calculating selfishness, or the distrustful, cynical demon of misanthropy, let him go to those
scenes of suffering where every look is agony, and
every word a groan or a prayer, and he will depart a
wiser and a better man.
If it were only for the benefit of my youthful readers-God's rich blessing rest upon each of them!-I
would like to describe one of the many sad but impressive and interesting scenes I have witnessed among
thie wounded on the battlefield and in the hospital.
At one time, I was called to witness the following,
which I will call "THE DYING  SOLDIER'S DREAM OF
CHILDHOOD."
He was brought into the hospital mortally wounded,
by the accidental discharge of a musket, although, by
a false feeling of kindness, one or two of the surgeons
told him his wound was severe but not dangerous. I
thought it my duty to undeceive him; and so, sitting
down beside him, and taking his hand in mine, while I
brushed back the dark curls from his high, open brow,
I tried to lead him easily into such a channel of conversation as I desired. I had not conversed long with
him, till he suddenly inquired what I thought of his
prospects of recovery?  Rather avoiding, for the time
being, giving a direct answer, I inquired how he felt 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
himself in regard to that matter?  He answered, with
considerable hesitation, that the surgeons told him he
would get along very well, but that he himself felt
afraid that he would never recover. I noticed, too,
that his lips quivered, and he drew a long, deep sigh.
Then he turned his youthful, open face full upon me,
and sighed again.   There was a choking, fluttering
sensation, which told the intensity of his feelings, and
he said, "If I was only at home!"
Poor boy!  Many a hill and valley and mountain
gorge and broad river lay between him and his home!
And the loving ones there were all unconscious of his
deep distress; and, even before his name would appear in the columns of some daily paper as having
been severely wounded, he would already be "where
the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at
rest." I spoke to him of the tender sympathy of
the infinite Father, of the all-sufficient Savior, who
w-as wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for
our iniquities, and how that a full and free salvation
was offered to all through the death and sufferings of
the Lord Jesus. I could not get him to say much;
so, after praying with him, I left him for a time. In
a few hours, I called to see him again, and, in the
course of conversation, endeavored to press home the
momentous truths of salvation.   At last, he opened
his mind freely, and told me he thought he was once a
Christian; that he sought an interest in Christ when
a boy, and felt happy in the belief that he loved the
Savior, that his happiest hours were spent in the Sunday-school, and that he used to take delight in prayer
and reading the Scriptures.
357 
358    LIGIITS AND SHADOWVS OF ARMY LIFE.
"I remember, too," said he, "how my father prayed.
0, chaplain, I had a good father-he's in heaven novw.
How lie prayed for me, that I might always be good!
I remember the night that he died-and how happy
he was, and how he sung,'On Jordan's stormy banks
I stand,' and how he put his hand on my head, and
told me to serve God and meet him in heaven!  0, if
I was as good as my father was, it would be better
with me now!  I have forgotten all my promises-I
have turned my back on Christ-what shall I do! what
shall I do!   I'm dying-I know I'm dying, and I
am afraid to die!  0, Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner  
I did not interrupt him till he had given full and
free vent to his feelings, and then tried to point him
to the all-sufficient Savior.
"Do you think God will have mercy on my poor
soul?" he exclaimed, in such a piteous tone of voice,
and with such genuine earnestness, that my own feeling,s overcame me, and I could barely say, "Yes, dear
brother, God is ready now to bless you, to forgive you
all your sins, and make you happy in the enjoyment
of his love."
"But I have neglected prayer,and backslidden from
Godl-I have sinned against light and knowledge. I
knew better, chaplain, I knew better; for my conscience troubled me; it was God's Spirit striving with
me. Yes, I knew better, for I once loved Jesus. 0,
Jesus, have mercy on a poor sinner!"
"Hear God's own answer to your question," said I.
"' If any man sin we have an advocate with the FatherJesus Christ, the righteous; and he is the propitiation 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   859
for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world. God so loved the world that
he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not pelish, but have everlasting life.'
Now, these words are as much addressed to you as if
there were not another shiiner upon earth. Take them,
as God's own words, to yourself, and remember that
that dear Savior, whom you say you once served, loves
you yet, loves you now, and is yearning over you with
the deepest sympathy. He waits to take away the
heavy burden from your heart, and give you joy and
peace in believing. Just come back as a poor wanderer, weary and helpless, and remember you are coming to your own God and Savior, who knows just
what you need, and how you feel, and is more willing
to receive you and forgive you than you are to return
to him."
"0, if I was just as happy as I once was; but now
I'm here, wounded and dying; and I am suffering so I
can not think-I try to think about the Savior and
about salvation-and I try to pray! But, 0, this
awful pain! What will I do! what will I do!  Jesus!
Jesus! what will I do!" he exclaimed, in the deepest
agony of body and mind.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ-cast your poor
troubled soul upon the Savior-just place yourself, as
a poor, helpless sinner, in hil hands, and you will be
saved," said I, trying to lead his mind to the one only
source of comifort.
The agony of this poor sufferer was terrible. His
pitiful groans sunk into my very heart, and made me
feel as if I was entirely powerless to do him good. 
360    LIGIITS AND SHIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Sometimes it was difficult to tell whether his bodily or mental anguish were greatest. Frequently the
deep, agonizing groan of bodily pain would end in a
most pathetic cry for mercy, or a childlike petition to
be received into the favor of his Heavenly Father.
Sometimes he turned upon me such a pitiful, helpless
look-such a look as a drowning child might cast toward its mother-a look of unutterable meaning, but
which plainly said, " I'm dying-won't you help me?"
Seeing that, to all appearance, he was rapidly sinking,
I urged him to accept the free offer of reconciliation
to God through the atonement of Christ, and after
again praying with him, I left him for a little time.
An hour, perhaps, had elapsed, when I was again beside him. The first words he uttered were:
"I'm trying to come back to God, and I think that
he will not cast me off, but I'm afraid."
"I'm going to ask you one question," said I, "but
you must not answer it till you think over it.  It is
this-Do you think that God loves you?"
He seemed to ponder the question a little, and then
answered:
"I think-I think he does love me."
"Yes," I said, "God loves you dearly, and sympathizes with you in your great distress, and is so very
anxious for your soul's salvation, that he is waiting
even now, this moment, to forgive you all your sins,
and make you happy in his love.  You would believe
the word of an earthly friend-why can you not believe the promise of your own Heavenly Father, who
says, That whosoever believeth on the Lord Jesus
Christ shall be saved? Just trust in him, just throw 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
yourself as you are, a poor helpless sinner, into his
hands, and you will be saved."
"Is that all I'm to do?" said he, musingly; "and
yet what else can I do? Yes, yes, I think I see it
all. I have been afraid to trust in the promises of
God; I feel myself to be so unworthy-and I am unworthy, too, a poor, miserable sinner-but now, Jesus,
dear Savior, I come to thee, a poor, helpless sinner
'Here, Lord, I give myself to thee,
'T is all that I can do.'
Yes, Lord, it is all that I can do!"
Then followed a scene I will never forget to my
dying day.   It was night.   The temporary hospital
was an old, dark, dingy house.   The candle burned
dimly, and seemed, by its flickering, uncertain light, to
make the gloomy surroundings all the more gloomy.
The poor, mangled soldier-boy lay rolling uneasily from
side to side. Large drops of cold sweat stood like
beads on his open brow. Quivering sensations seemed
to pass through every nerve and fiber of his body, and
there were long, deep, shivering sighs which told of
the very extremity of mortal anguish.   His large,
bright eye grew dim, and seemed as if looking up from
a great depth, while that mysterious change of color
and feature took place, which tells that the wheels of
life are about to stand still. Suddenly he threw out
his arms, and clasped me tightly round the neck, as I
stooped over him, and exclaimed:
"What shall I do! 0, chaplain, what shall I do?"
"Put your trust in Christ, your own Savior, who
died for you," I replied.
31
361 
362   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
"I do believe in Jesus," he said, "and I think he
-ill save nme-yes, he will save me; but, O! what is
this?-am I dying now?-tell me, am I dying?"
"Yes, you are dying, dear brother," I answered.
"You will soon be in the spirit world. Is Jesus near
you?  Have you peace of mind?"
"It's all over now," he whispered.  "God has, for
Christ's sake, forgiven me, a poor sinner, and he will
take me to himself.   Good-by, chaplain, good-bya little closer"-he drew me down, and put his cold
lips to mine-"good-by;  I hope to meet-you inheaven-good-by."
He fell into a kind of stupor, or what might be
called an uneasy slumber, and I sat by his side, waiting and watching.
He dreamed.
He seemed to be again at home, mingling with loved
ones, for I heard him murmur, slowly and feebly:
"iMother!"
Then he seemed to be praying. He tried to clasp
his hands, as if, a child again, he knelt at a parent's
knee, and was repeating his evening prayer. I stooped
over him, and listened attentively to every whisper.
At last I caught a few disjointed sentences, as follows:
"Our  Father —who  art-this  night-I lay medown-O, Jesus-my  Savior-take me-to  heaven.
Hallowed be-thy name."
There was then a pause, and a deep sigh. The angel of death had come! The golden bowl was broken,
and the wheel stood still at the cistern! Poor, mangled sufferer, he had found Christ, and his dream 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
of childhood's devotions gave place, we trust, to the
brighter visions of glory, and the songs of salvation!*
THIE SENTINEL.
Amid the general routine of camp life, as well as
amid the exciting and perilous scenes of the battlefield, there is much to interest and instruct. There is
no scene, however dark, no duty, however perilous, no
circumstances, however doubtful or ominous, and no
movement, however complicated or mysterious, but to
the reflecting mind is significant and impressive. I
have often thought how appropriate and instructive
are the frequent allusions in Scripture to the habits
While these pages were passing through the press, the author
was invited to address a missionary meeting of the Trinity M. E.
Sunday-school, Cincinnati. Thinking the above narrative would
be interesting, I repeated it, stating that the young soldier had
been a scholar in the Sunday-school, and referred to it when
dying. that I did not know what Sunday-school he had belonged
to, only that it was one in Cincinnati. At the conclusion of the
remarks, Rev. Mr. Chalfant, the pastor, said:
What was that soldier's name?"
"Thomas K. Mitchell," I replied. "He was sergeant-major of
our regiment.
"You don't know what Sunday-school he belonged to?" said
Mir. Chalfant.
"I do not. He was a member of a Methodist Church and Sunday-school in the city-that is all I know."
Mr. Chalfant rose, and, with great emotion, said:
"The soldier we have just heard of, and who died so peacefully,
although in great suffering, was a member of this very Sundayschool.  His sister and mother are, perhaps, not present, but are members of this Church."
His statement had a thrilling effect.
363 
364    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
and customs of the camp, and the duties and responsibilities of the soldier, especially when viewed in connection with those promises which refer to the blessed
results of unswerving fidelity to the cause of Christ.
I had occasion once to be outside our lines, and, before it was possible for me to return, night and darkness had set in. The road was new to me; it led
through dark, heavy woodland and rough, rocky hills,
around deserted plantations and through swamps, covered with dark, jungle-like underbrush, peculiar to
Tennessee and Georgia. The night was intensely
dark and disagreeable, and only added to my feelings
of anxiety and no little fear. In the language of
soldiers, "it was no time to be fooling round among
the pickets." As I came nearer our chain of sentinels, I rode more cautiously, and strained my ear for
every sound; for careless travelers, and nervous or
careless sentinels sometimes make mutual and fatal
blunders. Presently a loud and clear voice sang out,
sharply:
" Halt!"
To move a step further is to hear the click of the
musket coming to a "ready."
"Who goes there?"
"A friend with the countersign," is the answer.
"Advance, friend, and give the countersign," is the
next demand. The countersign is given in a low tone,
with the point of the bayonet within a few inches of
one's breast.
"All right!" and we pass on. This is repeated
three or four times before reaching camp, and once
there, all is safe. Now, at that very time, there was 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
every possibility that some of these sentinels belonged
to my own regiment, and knew my voice perfectly well,
and were even expecting me to pass through that
night; but they were not bound to know me or any
one else but through the countersign.
For the time being the private soldier, on his post
as sentinel, is superior to any one else. All must bow
to his authority. He is not bound to know any one,
whatever may be the rank or position occupied.  The
Commanding General, or the President himself, may
ride up, but he is superior to either of them, and
neither General nor President can pass without the
countersign. The darkness which envelops the lonely
sentinel, and causes him to strain his eyes to see every
object that is suspicious, throws a vail, also, over rank
and position, and obliterates all distinctions. He is
clothed with absolute power, and has life and death in
his hands. With his gun loaded and capped, he walks
his solitary beat, and is as absolute, independent, and
rigid in his exactions as the greatest monarch that
wears a crown. For the time being his authority is
supreme, and from his demands there is no appeal.
Absolute, rigorous, inexorable, he places all persons
of all ranks on the same common level; and he causes
the Major-General, who commands the entire force in
the field, to dismount from his horse, and give the
countersign precisely in the same manner as the humblest private or smallest drummer-boy in the army.
And not only so, but there is a deference and respect
paid to the sentinel, which, without any particular law
or order, seems, by habit and common consent, to be
considered both necessary and becoming. No one can
365 
366   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFEI.
stand by and witness the forms and ceremonies of
"4guard-mounting" without being impressed with the
idea that those who, for the time being, are on "guard
duty" are considered as occupying an honorable and responsible position. It seems as if every part of the
routine tended to impress on the mind of each one of the
guard that he was honored by being detailed for that
important duty; that he was considered as worthy of
all respect; that the lives of his comrades, the safety
of the army, and even the honor and welfare of his
country were in his hands, and that the utmost confidence was placed in his fidelity and courage. I never
visited a picket-post, nor passed a sentinel on duty,
but I felt solemn; and as I returned his salute, I have
felt to say to him, "You have preached to me a better
sermon than ever I preached to others."
He holds conversation with no one; he can neither
whistle nor sing to pass away the time which drags
heavily along; he dare not sit down, nor relinquish
the grasp of his gun. No lights are allowed on the
picket-line, and on the coldest night he has no fire to
warm his chilled and weary limbs. Away from his
comrades, standing at his post alone, perhaps in some
dark and shadowy ravine, or in some thick woods, the
enemy in front, watchful, cunning, and ready to take
any advantage, his position is at once dangerous, harrassing, and honorable. With a firmn grasp on the lock
of his musket, he watches closely every object, peers
anxiously into the dark shadows in the distance, listens
attentively to every sound, and is distrustful of all be.
neath and around him. Only in one direction can he
look without suspicion, and that is upward to the cold, 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
gray sky, where the stars shine forth, in calm and sublime majesty, like holy watchers in the City of God.
The rustling among the leaves close by, or the quivering
of the twigs in the nearest tree, may only be the antics
of some restless squirrel, or the moving of some homeless little bird, as it cowers closer under the lee of a
sheltering branch, or it may be the stealthy tread of
an enemy, who even now has taken deadly aim at the
sentinel's bosom. Always cool, calm, and collected,
yet with every faculty of body and mind strained to
its utmost tension, and keenly alive to the dangers and
responsibilities of his position, thus he watches with
sleepless vigilance, while his comrades, in the camp
behind him, repose in comparative comfort and security.  And thus the weary hours of the sentinel's
watch pass away, his duty being lightened by the welcome "relief" of comrades on duty with himself.  And,
at last, with what a thrill of gladness does he hail the
first faint flush of the eastern sky, which tells him
that "The night is far spent, and the day is at hand!"
How happy and thankful he is when he sees the
"morning star," that bright, beautiful herald of the
coining day, rising from behind the eastern hills, and
shedding forth a mild, peaceful radiance amid the departing shadows of the night! And as the sky gradually brightens, and the streamers dance upward from
the rising sun, tinging the rolling clouds with their
rosy hue, and fringing them with crimson and gold,
he hears the bugle sounding the reveille' in the distant
camps, and he rejoices in the thought that, ere long,
he will be relieved from duty, and rest from his weary
watchings.
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8368   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
And is this not a picture of the Christian's life?  Is he
not a spiritual soldier, engaged in a spiritual conflict,
and contending for a prize in comparison with which
all earth's crowns and kingdoms and glories and honors are but as the vapors of the summer's morn, or as
the airy bubbles which float on the troubled stream?
Yes, the Christian is indeed a soldier-a soldier for
Christ; and though his foes are many and powerful,
yet he can say, "We are more than conquerors through
HIim that loved us."
Some of the most impressive and instructive lessons
of the Bible are conveyed to us in the language of
the camp and field.  Sometimes the language is direct, and has the ring of the actual conflict, as in the
Psalms of David. At other times, there is merely an
allusion to military habits and customs, as in some of
the Epistles of Paul. The great apostle himself concludes what might be called his testimony, with the
words of a war-worn veteran:
"I have fought a good fight; I have finished my
course; I have kept the faith."
But there is no military duty referred to so frequently in the inspired volume as that of the sentinel:
"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like
men, be strong!"
"Let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch
and be sober." "Be ye, therefore, sober, and watch
unto prayer." "Watch and pray that ye enter not
into temptation." "Take ye heed, watch and pray."
"And what I say unto you, I say unto all, WATCH."
Such are a few of the many passages to which the
sentinel or watcher's duty is referred; and when these 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
and kindred passages are studied as they ought to be,
what a flood of light is thrown upon the Christian's
character, his duties and responsibilities! How intensely anxious to be faithful in all things must the
apostle have been when he uttered these thrilling
words: "I, therefore, so run, not as uncertainly; so
fight I, not as one that beateth the air; but I keep
under my body and bring it in subjection; lest that by
any means, when I have preached to others, I myself
should be a castaway!"  And how tender, yet earnest
and emphatic, was his injunction to Timothy: " Fight
the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good
profession before many witnesses!"
When we consider the circumstances which surround
the Christian, the spiritual foes which war against the
soul, the temptations which must be overcome, the evil
inclinations which must be subdued, the sins which so
easily beset us in our onward and upward march to
glory, and the absolute necessity of a constant, vigorous, earnest reaching forth toward the prize of full
Christian attainmients-holy happiness in living, and
happy holiness in dying-how appropriate are the allusions to military customs, and how impressive are
the lessons which those allusions teach.
Dear reader, are you a soldier for Christ?  Have
you gone forth to the great battle of life with him as
your Leader, your Almighty Protector, and ever-loving Friend? If you have, then go forward fearlessly
and faithfully, for the victory is certain and the reward
is sure. Remember that life is a struggle, a daily
conflict, and not a time of repose.  Remember that on
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370    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
your head rests not as yet the crown of glory, but the
helmet of salvation; that as yet you do not wave the
palm of victory in the home of the redeemed, but
you wield the sword of the spirit on the battlefield of
life; that as yet you are not clothed with the radiant
robes of the conquerors in heaven, but with the armor
of God upon earth. This, then, is the battle and the
weary march, and the "watchings oft;" but yonder
are the final victory,and the gladsome rest, and the
joyful entrance into the City of God. 0, there are,
beyond all the fierce conflicts, and the anxious watchings, and the long, dark nights of sorrow, and the weary
hours of anxious care, other and brighter scenes!
Yonder, yet in the distance, but seen by the eye of
faith, is the bright, beautiful morning of joy; and yonder are the immortal crowns, and the garments shining
as the sun, and the harps of gold which roll the melodies of salvation as a mighty, swelling tide-wave of joy
and praise through the bowers of Paradise!  And yonder are the evergreen shores of the better land, where
the pure in heart shall meet again, amid scenes of
ravishing beauty and fadeless splendor! Yonder is the
great Alhite Throne, before which are the innumnerable
company of angels and the spirits of just men made
perfect, who serve God day and night in his temple!
Yonder are the fountains of glory which play perpetlually, and the streams of joy that flow forever, and to
which the blessed Redeemer will lead his white-robed
followers, that they may drink and rejoice for evermore!
And last, but not least-no, no! but better, more glorious, more welcome than all-is JESUS, our dear, blessed
Savior, for whose presence we have had such myste 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    371
rious heart-longings, and without whom heaven would
be deprived of all its beauty and joy! When He places
the crown upon the spiritual warrior's head, then the
warfare is accomplished, the weary pilgrimage is ended,
and the tears are forever wiped away.
Be faithful, dear reader, in the spiritual conflict, for
victory is certain, and the glorious prize is sure. And
when thou hast fought thy last battle and thou art
gone to be with thy Savior, of thee it shall be said:
" SERVANT of God! well done;
Rest from thy loved employ;
The battle fought, the victory won,
Enter thy Master's joy.
..  *..   *...
The pains of death are past,
Labor and sorrow cease,
And life's long warfare closed at last,
His soul is found in peace.
Soldier of Christ! well done;
Praise be thy new employ;
And, while eternal ages run,
Rest in thy Savior's joy." 
CHAPTER XXIX.
REBEL BARBARITIES.
FROM the first shot which the rebels fired at Fort
Sumter till the present hour, the slaveholders' rebellion, in all its phases, has been but one continuous and
fearful history of cowardly brutality and barbarism.
War, at any time, in any country, and under any
circumstances, is fearful, cruel, and unnatural. But
fearful, cruel, and unnatural as it undoubtedly is, even
when conducted with some little regard to the claims
of common humanity, how terrible must it be when
vindictive cruelty, that should cause the cheeks of savages to blush with shame, is permitted to glut itself
with insults, injuries, and even death, on a fallen and
helpless foe!  When the atrocities perpetrated during the Sepoy rebellion in India were made known,
all Christendom stood aghast at the fearful tale of
wholesale butchery and fiendish cruelty. It was supposed that such scenes had never been enacted in the
history of the world, and, possibly, never would be
again. But, horrible as the cruelties perpetrated by
the frenzied Sepoys were, they have been completely
eclipsed a thousand times by the conduct of the rebels
since they began their causeless and wicked rebellion.
(372) 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
With but few exceptions, they have never evinced the
least feeling of honor or mercy-even of common humanity-toward those of the Union army that have
fallen into their hands.
After our army, under Thomas and Sherman and
Hooker, had driven Bragg from Lookout and Mission
Ridge, and sent him reeling and discomfited beyond
the mountain fastnesses of northern Georgia, the
Chickamauga battlefield was then seen as a terrible
record of worse than savage brutality. No full description of the revolting scenes which our soldiers
then beheld has ever been given, and probably never
will. There are various reasons for this, one of which
is, that there would be needless pain inflicted on the
relatives of those noble heroes who fell in battle. Long
after we had driven the rebels back, and our men had
been burying their dead comrades, who had been denied the common boon of humanity-a grave-the visitor would be startled by sights that would make the
blood chill. Ghastly skeletons, lying exposed to the
winds of heaven, bare and bleached, could be seen as
fearful witnesses of rebel inhumanity. Shallow graves
were found, from which protruded perhaps a bare, bald
skull, or perhaps the bleached bones of hands and
feet. A few handfuls of earth, thrown up carelessly,
and partly washed away by the rains, was all that hid
many of the dead from the light of day. There lay
members of my regiment, the joy and pride of dear
domestic circles, concerning whom I have had to maintain silence when dear parents or loving sisters spoke
of them, because of the manner in which they were
found on that horrid field. They were recognized by
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374   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
their comrades, and what was left of their mutilated
remains decently buried; but they were recognized
only from marks on their clothing, and the locality in
which they fell. In several places we found bodies,
or rather remains, lying between burned logs, part of
which-an arm or leg, for instance-Twas calcined, as if
subjected to intense heat, while other parts of the body
were crisp and dry. It is firmly believed by all who
saw those revolting scenes, that many of our wounded
were burned alive, horrible as it may seem, for bodies
were found partly consumed, where the contraction of
the muscles, and the clenched fingers, seemed to indicate an attempt to grasp something, while the general appearance gave evidence of a violent struggle of
some kind. In one place, the body of a Union soldier was found, with both ears cut off, and in another,
several bodies from which the heads had been removed.
These had been set up on stakes and rails of the fences,
or fastened on limbs of trees. A few, and but a few,
graves of Union soldiers were marked.  One, in which
twelve had been buried-a long trench-had a board inscribed "Twelve Union soldiers," and another, probably an officer's, was honored with a fiat stone, on
which was marked, "A damned Yankee nigger-thief
lies here to rot and pollute our soil."
But I forbear. The details are sickening. But one
thing is certain, the wretches who could descend to
such a depth of brutality, and be guilty of such aimless, wanton treatment of the helpless wounded or the
harmless dead, can never escape a fearful retribution
even in this world; and it is a matter of serious doubt
whether they will ever find a place of repentance. 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
Chickamauga! Chickamauga! the horrid Golgotha of
Tennessee, where an accursed  slaveholders' treason
slew the flower of the country, and refused the harmless dead the poor but common boon of humanity, will
be remembered-yes, with a bitter and terrible remembrance! And when, at any time, wicked compromisers
with wrong will even dare to whisper of the rights of
slaveholders, the veterans of Chickamauga and Mission
Ridge, and all who are worthy their friendship, will
fling in their teeth that terrible word, CHICKAMAUGA,
and point to the mutilated remains and the ghastly
skeletons there, which the burning sun and the drenching rain had bleached-"Unknelled, uncoffined, and
unknown."
Our children's children will reverently walk over the
hallowed field of Chickamauga.  They will note with
interest its historic associations, and listen with thrilling interest to the tales of heroic bravery which, perhaps, some gray-haired sire may tell; they will read,
too, about the Fort Pillow butchery, and the brutalities
at Plymouth; they will listen to the horrid tales of
Andersonville and Libby, where our noble patriot soldiers were systematically and deliberately; tortured and
starved to death; they will read and study the long,
fearful narratives of wanton cruelty, and unpitying,
unrelenting hate, in comparison with which the blind,
frenzied rage of the Indian Sepoys can scarcely be
named. And, as they read or hear such tales, they
will not only learn to love their country, but they will
learn, too, to hate, with deepest hate, the iniquitous
system of slavery, in the interest and spirit of which
those scenes were enacted.
375 
876   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
THE NATIONAL CEMETERY.
Not far from Chattanooga are the beautiful grounds
of the National Military Cemetery. The location and
general outlines are all that could be desired for such
a purpose, while the facilities for improving and adorning what will be truly a necropolis of patriot soldiers
are abundant. Seventy acres have been set apart for
this sacred purpose. The work of improvement has
been in progress since January, 1864, and stumps,
stones, dead timber, and other debris, have been mostly
removed. Drives and walks have been laid out, and
the grounds have been divided off so that soldiers
from the various states are buried in allotted sections. Large numbers of the bodies of those who were
killed in battle, or who died of wounds or disease, and
who were buried in the various temporary graveyards
around Chattanooga and on the field of Chickamauga,
have been taken up and buried carefully, while preparations for erecting a grand National Monument have
already been made.
The surrounding scenery is of the most beautiful
and varied description. On the east and south is
Mission Ridge, while on the west rise the dark and
romantic outlines of Lookout Mountain. A beautiful
undulating valley, stretching from far away in the
north-east, sweeps nearly around the gentle slopes of
the cemetery grounds, and stretches away toward the
south and west, till it is bounded by the blue, hazy
mountains in the far distance, behind which the setting
sun goes down in such splendors as are seen only in
a southern sky. Many a time I have gazed with rap 
LIGHITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY  LIFE.          377
ture on those scenes of surpassing loveliness; and,
-vhile standing in deep meditation on the hallowed
ground where sleep the thousands of our patriot soldiers, I have caught myself soaring away in imagination to that land of fadeless splendor, where war's
fierce tumult shall never be heard, and where death
shall be unknown. And as I looked upon the varied
scenery of towering mountains, refiecting back the
glories of the setting sun-the lesser hills enveloped in
a soft blue haze which gave one an idea of dreaminess,
together with the peaceful valley lying in repose and
beauty, and lighted up with the various tints and mild
splendors of evening-I have felt to pray, with passionate earnestness, "0 God, rebuke the wild waves
of human passion which are surging to and fro in our
land, and make man's heart as loving and peaceful as
thou hast made his earthly home beautiful and pleasant!"  But as I looked at the dread enginery of war
at my feet and all around me-the frowning embrasures
and the deep-throated cannon, the huge piles of grape
and solid shot, the gleaming of the sentinel's bayonet
in the distance, the various picket-posts, and all that
pertained to military life-I felt as if we were far from
that day spoken of by the old prophetic bards, and
longed for by all of God's children.
And yet, faith in the visions of those holy men of
old, faith in the promises of God, faith in the transforming and purifying influences of the Gospel, points
wvith "radiant finger" toward a brighter and happier
day for our beloved country and for the world at large.
Even now the dark clouds are measurably driven away,
and the glad sunshine of happier days yet in store
32 
378    LIGHTS AND SIIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
for us, is already streaming forth from our hitherto
troubled sky. Let us rest assured that sin will not
always triumph; wrong will not always prosper; oppression will not always unfurl its grim and defiant
banner, and flaunt it shamelessly in the face of God
and man. Cold, calculating selfishness will not always
grind the faces of the poor, nor take advantage of the
sufferings and necessities of the afflicted. War's fearful shock will not always be felt, nor its fearful scenes
always be enacted.  Woman, as wife or mother, will not
always weep in sadness and loneliness for loved ones
who will return no more. No; for that God, who rolled
back the surging waters of the Deluge, and spanned
the dark and stormy sky with the rainbow arch, will
roll back the waves of strife, and span our troubled
heavens with a brighter bow than that of old. Christ's
banner of Love and Purity and Peace will yet be unfurled on every shore, and float on every breeze, while
the songs of Zion will be heard in every land, and
shoutings of sacred joy will burst from every lip.  0,
to be found at work with Christ in hastening on the
blessed day of the world's restoration to God! Talk
of honor and position and riches! What honor so
great, what position so honorable, and what riches so
enduring and satisfying as those that can be gained in
wvorking for Christ and humanity!  When the brightest
earthly crown has faded, and the most honorable of
earth's names have been forgotten, the crown of the
poorest and weakest of Christ's followers will be shining with resplendent glory in heaven, and his name
sill be recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. May
the reader of these lines be found among those who 
LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.    379
have labored for Christ and humanity, and who shall
be accounted worthy to receive that crown and dwell
forever in the presence of God!
COURAGE AND GENEROSITY.
In the foregoing pages, a few, and but a few, of the
many interesting scenes I have witnessed in the army
have been depicted. Some of the scenes witnessed, and
of which, perhaps, but imperfect outlines have been
given, were very touching and tender. Others were
more moving and sublimely grand, as exhibitions of
heroic endurance and bravery. Some again were perhaps humorous and amusing; but, prominent among all
the moving, panoramic scenery of army life during my
experiences on the battlefields, East and South, in the
camp or the hospital, there is one scene, one picture of
mingled bravery and generosity, that rises before me
every day. There are some things we never forget;
there are some pictures of life so deeply engraven on
our hearts that they will never be effaced; and there
are some, too, that we never wish to forget; but we
rather cherish them as precious memories of scenes
and thoughts and deeds, the remembrance of which may
have faded from all hearts save our own. What is
about to be related is one of those incidents which seldom occur without impressing our hearts with more
exalted opinions concerning our fellow-men, and it
might form a, fitting close to these Lights and Shadows
of Army Life, because it is a picture that has no
shadows at all-it is all sunshine. The background
may be a little dark, but it will only serve the better 
380    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
to reveal, in all their brilliancy and beauty, the sunlight of generous sympathy which falls upon it.
While proceeding from the center to the left, where
our division was hotly engaged with the enemy, among
the many wounded that were being assisted to the rear
was a little group-three soldiers-all of whom were
severely wounded, and who were slowly wending their
way from the front. They were linked arm in arm, the
center one being supported by the other two.  The
soldier thus supported by his comrades was in a sad
state. His face was covered with blood, and it seemed,
at first sight, as if part of his head had been torn away.
On coming nearer I noticed that he must be blind;
for, if his eyes were not shot out, his forehead seemed
to be so broken and torn that it was lying in a livid
mass over his face, exposing, at the same time, his
brain. One of the two soldiers who were assisting him
had his left arm rudely tied up with a handkerchief,
while with his right he supported his wounded comrade
in the center. The man on the right was wounded in
his right hand, and was evidently suffering very much.
With his left hand under his comrade's right, he was
rendering what assistance he could to get him along.
And thus those two noble men, faint with the loss of
blood-one with a rifle-ball in his arm, and the other
with part of his hand shot away-were assisting a
third, whose head had been partially laid open by a
piece-of shell, and who was thereby rendered helpless.
"I wish you would dress this man's wounds," said
one of them, as I came up; "he can't go much further
unless something is done for him."
We got him into a fence-corner, and laid him down 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
on the grass. I washed the blood and dust from his
face, replaced the fragment of skull that was still attached by a small piece of flesh, and bandaged the
whole.  While having his wound dressed he uttered
not a single comnplaint-hardly a groan. Giving him
a little wine, I told him he must remain where he was,
and I would have an ambulance sent to convey him
from the field.
"Now, John, you get your wound dressed," said
the one whose fingers were shot away.
"No; I can wait," said his comrade.  "You get
your hand seen to- guess you're suffering more than
I am."
"No, I aint. I can wait better than you," said the
other; but he had to clench his teeth as he spoke,
nevertheless.
"Let'me look at your hand," said I; for I noticed
he was suffering like a martyr.
Two fingers were gone, a third was cut nearly in
two, the fourth was barely touched. One rifle-ball had
done the whole work.
"You  need more done for you, my brave fellow,
than I can do for you here. However, we can try
to make you a little more comfortable."
Having put a temporary dressing upon his mutilated
hand, and spoken an encouraging word to him, I turned
to his comrade in bravery and generosity.
"0, it's only a flesh wound, that's all!" said he.
"I'll soon be all right again; but then I'd better take
care of it, I suppose."
It was only a flesh wound, but it had bled profusely,
and, poor fellow, he was quite faint. I noticed he
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382    LIGIITS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
grew deathly pale as he laid his head against a fencerail for support. I got some water for him, and he revived considerably; and, in a short time, I got his arm
dressed temporarily. The truth was, that those men
had nerved themselves with the determination to assist
their helpless and apparently mortally wounded comrade, and had exerted themselves to the utmost verge
of human endurance in their generous work, and they
both sank utterly exhausted with the efforts they had
put forth, and with their own pain and loss of blood.
In a short time I succeeded in getting two of them
into an ambulance, the third walked on without any
assistance.
I never met with those men again, probably never
will; but they preached to me the noblest and most
eloquent sermon on true manliness and Christian effort
and true self-sacrificing generosity I ever heard; and
if all the professing soldiers of Christ engaged on the
great field of spiritual strife would exhibit the same
generous feeling, the same heroic endurance, in behalf
of the unfortunate and suffering, what a worldful of
unselfish, Christ-like love and effort would there be!
Whatever may be our circumstances in life, we can all
do something for Christ and humanity.  If we have
nothing to give for temporal relief, we can at least
speak a kind word, and manifest a sympathizing spirit.
If we can not go forth in the front ranks of the conflict for righteousness and truth, we can at least encourage those who do, and we will find it frequently
the case that words of sympathy and encouragement
do more good than gold or silver.
I 
LIGHTS AND SHIADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
ENCOURAGEMENT.
In the midst of all that is fair and promising in our
country, there are not a few good people who are disposed to look upon the dark side of things, and, even
now, when the rebellion may be said to be crushed, see
only handwritings of wrath against us as a people. In
the midst of rejoicing, they are sad, and they spread
sackcloth over all the bright and unmistakable tokens
of God's favor. They say, and they say truly, that
the entire nation has sinned most woefully; but the inferences drawn from this are as incorrect as they are
gloomy. May not a people repent? Have there not
been practical manifestations on the part of the people,
and of the Government, to establish righteousness and
truth in the land? Has not our starry banner been
washed of the last and the least foul spot of oppression? And is there not in sentiment and action an infinite gulf between the slave oligarchy of the South
and the nation-yes, the nation at large?  If the
great heart of the North has not already been touched
by God's finger, and caused to pulsate, more or less,
in harmony with the great and good principles of Jehovah's own government, then the country is gone beyond hope of redemption. For, grant that the North
has been corrupt, and, in many instances, has connived
with wrong, the South has for long years been festering with the foulest of moral abominations-abominations deliberately and systematically pursued, and
which entered into and influenced all phases of social
life. If the North has not yet reached the broad and
elevated platform of a Christian civilization, then the
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384    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
South has been sunk in the very depths of practical
heathenism, and has been guilty of the crimes of deliberate and persistent barbarism-crimnes rendered all
the more wicked and inexcusable from their being
committed in this enlightened age of the world. If a
requisite number of righteous men can not be found in
the North to save the country from the fate of Sodom
and Gomorrah-a fate that all the crowned despots and
aristocrats of Europe have desired to befall us-the
South assuredly can not produce them, for social life
in the South has been Sodom itself. And, wicked as
the North is-and wicked we have been, and, alas! still
are-vet, in our efforts for truth and freedom, if God
can not in mercy smile upon us, then we may rest assured that the perfections of his character, the principles of his moral government, his providential dealings with the children of men in all past ages, and the
declarations of his own Word, forbid the thought that
he can smile upon the South in her insane and Goddishonoring effort to establish human bondage on this
continent; and therefore, in either case, the fate of
the nation is sealei.
But, far from taking any such dark views of this
matter, we ought to feel the rather encouraged and
hopeful.  The truth is, that the nation, as such, is now
in a more healthful, hopeful state, in all respects-in
political purity, ardent patriotism, Christian beneficence, financial soundness, and in all that pertains to
national greatness-than at any time since the first
stone of Freedom's temple was laid by our Revolu tionary fathers. True, a few years ago, there were no
tumults nor wars in our midst. No armed battalions 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
were seen going forth to engage in deadly strife, with
those born under, and protected by, the same dear old
flag.  All was order and peace; but it was the peace
of moral death. It was like the order, decorum, and
stillness which reigned among the dry bones which lay
bleaching in Ezekiel's Valley of Vision. There was
little to disturb-the harmony and peace which prevailed
while moral and political death was holding high carnival, and feeding on the very heart of the nation.
But as the ancient Seer of Israel was commanded to
prophesy, and say, "0, ye dry bones, hear the word
of the Lord," so likewise has the awakening, quickening voice of God been sounding through the nation,
and a strange, fearful shaking has been the result.
The nation has been aroused as no nation has ever
been aroused before, and the noise we have heard, and
the tumults we have seen, have been the noise and tumult of our country's resurrection. From one end of
the land to the other, from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
we have heard the din and tumult of an exceeding
great army aroused from inglorious and fatal slumber by the reveille' of Jehovah; and that army, under
his protection and leadership, has been rolling back
the proud and defiant hosts of robbery and oppression.
True, the confusion has been great, and the sky overhead has been dark, and the lurid flash of the thunderbolts of war has been seen athwart the gloom, and
men's hearts have often been failing them for fear.
And there are many stricken hearts, too, in the land,
that will never be healed till they drink of the crystal
streams of glory; and there are many eyes dim with
tears, that will never be bright till they look upon the
33
385 
386    LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
face of Jesus, and the fadeless beauties of the better
land; but, notwithstanding all these, God has been
working in a most signal manner for the honor of
his name, and the glory of his power in the redemption of our country, and for freedom throughout the
world.  What we are in special need of just now is
faith in God-faith in his wisdom to guide and govern
the world; faith in his power to overturn every opposing institution that retards the progress of his
kingdom upon earth; faith in his unwavering love for
the children of men, and his benevolent designs in
their behalf; and faith in his declarations concerning
the purposes and plans of the wicked, that they shall
all be defeated, and it shall be seen that verily God
reigneth.
"Deep in unfathomable mines,
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs
And works his sovereign will."
But this is not all. It is refreshing to know that
there are, in our country, thousands and tens of thousands of noble, generous souls who feel, more than ever,
that the greatest wealth is the wealth of good deeds,
kind words, and noble and ennobling effort in behalf
of righteousness and truth; and that, while sordid
selfishness has been looking at every political change
or public calamity with a view to extortion and selfaggrandizement, there has been seen, among the masses
of the people, the development of a purer and nobler
spirit. This is one of the most hopeful signs of the
times-one of the most beautiful tints in the rainbow
of hope and promise which has been, and still is, span 
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.   387
ning the moral and political horizon in our days of
gloom and peril. And may it not be that God has
been working out a great problem that has often baffled
and perplexed the earnest men and women of our
land; namely, how the people were to be educated
for, and brought to stand upon, the broad platform of
Christian generosity and beneficence! How the alldevouring lust of gain, which, for years, had been
threatening our religious and benevolent enterprises,
could be subdued, and a healthy, high-toned spirit of
Christian liberality be infused into the masses of the
people! Our God is a wonder-working God, and it
will be seen, by the present generation, that he does
cause the wrath of man to praise him- not only by
confounding the plans of the wicked, and bringing
their devices to naught, defeating them in their efforts
to protect and perpetuate wrong and outrage-but
also by bringing out the latent principles of Christlike love and Christ-like beneficence on the part of his
own Church and people. Since this war commenced
there has been more genuine liberality, more hearty,
earnest charity exhibited by the people at large, than
ever has been known in the history of the nation. The
truth is, that the world has never furnished such instances of patient, persevering labor-such perfect
outgushings of genuine sympathy-in behalf of a nation's soldiers, as the loyal states of our nation have
exhibited during these years of war and bloodshed.
Hundreds of thousands of the noble women of our
land have been plying the busy needle, rolling bandages, making lint, preparing fruits, wines, and other
delicacies and comforts, for the sick and wounded in 
888   LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ARMY LIFE.
the field and hospital; and, although the cails upon
their labors and charities have been incessant, they
have met every demand with a cheerfulness and zeal
which tell how deeply they have been interested in the
nation's great struggle. All honor to them for their
noble and persevering efforts! Perhaps my position
and experience in the army enable me to speak more
decidedly as to the good the various aid societies have
accomplished, and are accomplishing, through the Sanitary and Christian Commissions; for, in numberless instances, I have been witness to the fact that the sick
and wounded would have been entirely destitute but
for the timely aid of those blessed institutions.
May the fountains of practical benevolence, so fully
and gloriously opened up during the days of tumult
and war, not be like the rain-season wells of the desert,
which furnish refreshment to the weary traveler only
for a short time, but may they be like the perennial
fountains whose sources are deep in the mountain's
bosom, which flow on and flow ever, as well in summer
as in winter, and around which are the green verdure,
the blooming flowers, and the cooling shade of the
stately palm. Let us cherish, then, faith in God, and
work with him and for him earnestly, lovingly, perseveringly.  LET US WORK "UNTIL THE SPIRIT BE POURED
UPON US FROM ON HIGH, AND THE WILDERNESS BE A
FRUITFUL FIELD, AND THE FRUITFUL FIELD BE COUNTED
FOR A FOREST. THEN JUDGMENT WILL DWELL IN THE
WILDERNESS, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAIN IN THE
FRUITFUL FIELD; AND THE WORK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
WILL BE PEACE; AND THE EFFECT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
QUIETNESS AND ASSURANCE FOREVER." 
APPENDIX.  
APPENDIX.
THERE are some matters of a more limited, or, perhaps, local interest, with which it has been considered
not best to burden the main body of this work, but
which might be thrown into an appendix. There are
many points of historic interest connected with the
Eleventh Ohio Regiment which its members, and those
who had friends in any way connected with it, would
be glad to see placed on record. Neither to avoid
these, nor yet unduly obtrude them on the attention
of the general reader, has been the aim of the author. Nevertheless, he has too much respect for his
comrades in arms, with whom he was associated in the
camp and on the battlefield, and he has too many endearing remembrances of their valor and patriotism,
as well as of their respect and kindness, to exclude
from this little work a tribute of praise, or, if nothing
more, an expression of kind remembrance.
When this part of the work was first projected, the
intention was to have a list of all who belonged to the
regiment so arranged that the military history of each
man would be given, but this plan had, finally, to be
abandoned, as it would have swelled the work far beyond any reasonable size. A list of all the commis                                      (391)
I 
APPENDIX.
sioned officers and non-commissioned staff is given, as
also a list of those killed in action or who died of dis
ease.
Field and Staff, Eleventh Regiment 0. V. I.
C. A. DE VILLIERS, Colonel. Commissioned July 6, 1861. Dishonorably dismissed the service, in accordance with the sentence
of a general court-martial, approved by General Fremont in General Order No. 16, April 4, 1862.
AUGUsTUs H. COLEMAN, Colonel.  Promoted from Captain of
Co. D to Major, on original organization of regiment. Promoted
to Lieutenant-Colonel January 9, 1862. Promoted to Colonel April,
1862. Killed in action at Antietam, September 17, 1862.
P. P. LANE, Colonel.  Promoted from Captain of Company K.
Date of commission as Colonel, September 17, 1862. Resigned and
relieved from duty November 3, 1863.
JOsEPH W. FRIZE1LL, Lieutenant-Colonel.  Commissioned July 6,
1861. Resigned and relieved from duty December 21, 186;1.
OGDEN STREET, Lieutenant-Colonel.  Promoted from Captain of
Co. C September 17, 1862. Was in command of regiment from
November 3, 1863, till regiment was mustered out at the expiration of term of service, June 21, 1864.
LYM3AN J. JACKSON, Major. Promoted from Captain of Co.-,
Thirty-first Regiment O. V. I., to Major Eleventh Rg. O... I.,
January 9, 1862. Resigned and relieved from duty November 4,
1862.
ASA HIGGINS, Major.  Promoted from Captain of Co. G October
1, 1862. Was mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
J. F. GABRIEL, Surgeon. Commissioned July 7, 1861. Resigned
and relieved from duty September 21, 1862.
J. IMcCuRDY, Surgeon. Promoted from Assistant Surgeon of
Twenty-third Regiment O. V. I. to Surgeon Eleventh Regiment,
October 15, 1862. Appointed Medical Director, June, 1864.
H. Z. GILL, Assistant Surgeon.  Commissioned July 7,1861.  Resigned and relieved from duty July 29, 1862.
S. HUDSON, Assistant Surgeon.  Commissioned July 9,1862. Resigned September 26, 1862.
A. C. MIcNUTT, Assistant Surgeon.  Commissioned July 11, 1862.
Resigned February 8, 1863.
392 
APPENDIX.
N. H. SIDWELL, Assistant Surgeon. Commissioned December 1,
1862. Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
GEORGE W. DuBOIS, Chaplain. Commissioned July 10, 1861.
Resigned and relieved from duty January 31, 1862.
W. W. LYLE, Chaplain. Commissioned January 31, 1862. Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
J. H. HORTON, Adjutant. Commissioned June 14, 1861. Resigned and relieved from duty June 16, 1862.
J. E. ALEXANDER, Adjutant, vice Horton, resigned.  Promoted
from First Lieutenant, Co. B, June 12, 1862. Mortally wounded at
the battle of Bull Run, Va., August 27, 1862. Subsequently died
in United States Hospital, Alexandria, Va., October 20, 1862.
ROBERT C. MORRIS, Adjutant, vice Alexander, died of wounds.
Promoted from Second Lieutenant of Co. K June 16, 1863. Promoted to Captain September 9, 1863. Assigned to Co. I December 3, 1863. Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
MILTON H. WILSON, Adjutant, vice Morris, promoted.  Promoted
from Sergeant-Major September 9, 1863. Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
J. D. SHANNON, R. Q. M.  Appointed Regimental Quarter-master
July 7, 1861. Resigned August 16, 1861.
E. H. PRICE, R. Q. M., vice Shannon, resigned. Appointed from
First Lieutenant of Co. C August 5, 1861. Relieved from duty as
Regimental Quarter-master December 18, 1861.
J. W. MCABEE, R. Q. M. Commissioned November 29, 1861.
Entered on duty as Regimental Quarter-master December 18, 1861.
Appointed as Topographical Engineer on General Turchin's Staff,
, 1864.  Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
Non-commissioned Staff.
T. K. MITCHELL, Sergeant-Major. Appointed July 20, 1861.
Relieved from duty January 3, 1862. Reappointed May 23, 1862.
Died of wounds, received by accidental discharge of rifle, January
9, 1863.
P. R. WAY, Sergeant-Major.  Appointed January 3, 1862.  Relieved from duty May 23, 1862.
M. H. WILSON, Sergeant-Major, vice Mitchell, died of wounds.
Promoted from Quarter-master Sergeant January 11, 1863. Promoted to Adjutant September 9, 1862.
393 
APPENDIX.
D. C. STUBBS, Sergeant-Major, vice Wilson, promoted.  Appointed from Sergeant Co. I January 1, 1864.
O. CRISSINGER, Quarter-master Sergeant, vice Wilson, promoted.
Appointed from Co. C January 11, 1863.
T. L. WINSLOW, Commissary Sergeant.   Appointed March  1,
1862.  Promoted to Second Lieutenant, 1864.  Mustered
out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
JOsHUA HARDEN, Hospital Steward.  Appointed         -, 1861
Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
HENRY HART, Drum-Major. Appointed July 20, 1861. Discharged, on account of disability, January 25, 1864.
Company Officers.
C. J. CHILDS, Captain Company A. Appointed June 14, 1861.
Resigned May 5, 1862.
T. L. P. DE FREES, Captain Co. B. Appointed June 20, 1861.
Resigned August 26, 1861.
O. STREET, Captain Co. C. Appointed July 1, 1861. Promoted
to Lieutenant-Colonel September 17, 1862.
J. V. CURTIS, Captain Co. D. Appointed June 19, 1861. Resigned April 25, 1862.
W. L. DOUGLASS, Captain Co. E. Appointed December 19,1861.
Resigned September -, 1862.
S. JOHNsON, Captain Co. F.  Appo.ited June 14, 1861.  Resigned September 17, 1861.
R. B. HARLAN, Captain Co. G.  Appointed July 9, 1861.  Resigned July 19, 1861.
ASA HIGGINS, Captain Co. G.  Appointed July 23, 1861.  Promoted to Major October 1, 1862.
JOHN C. DRURY, Captain Co. H. Appointed June 17, 1861.
Resigned December 19, 1861. Subsequently reentered the service
in the Ninety-fourth Regiment O. V. I., and was killed in action
at Perryville, Ky.
J. P. STALEY, Captain Co. I. Appointed August 9, 1862. Resigned June 16, 1863.
P. P. LANE, Captain Co. K. Appointed July 7,1861. Promoted
to Colonel September 17, 1862.
G. W. HATFIELD, Captain Co. A. Appointed January 9, 1862.
Promoted from First Lieutenant.  Resigned         -, 1863.
394 
APPENDIX.
A. DUNcAN, Captain Co. B. Appointed August 26, 1861. Promoted from First Sergeant.   Mustered out with regiment, June
21, 1864.
E. H. PRICE, Captain Co. C. Appointed September 17, 1862.
Promoted from First Lieutenant. Mustered out with regiment,
June 21, 1864.
H. L. SEYMOUR, Captain Co. D.  Appointed April 18,1862.  Resigned     -, 18;2.
L. G. BROwN, Captain Co. E.  Appointed August 2, 1862.  Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
S. TEVERBAUGH, Captain Co. F. Appointed November 12, 1861.
Promoted from First Lieutenant. Mustered out with regiment,
June 21, 1864.
A. H. CHAPMAN, Captain Co. G. Appointed October 1, 1862.
Promoted from First Lieutenant.  Resigned      -, 1864.
J. B. WELLER, Captain Co. H. Appointed May 1, 1862. Promoted from First Lieutenant. Resigned April 18, 1863, on account
of disability from wounds received at Antietam.
R. C. MORRIS, Captain Co. I. Appointed September 9, 1863.
Promoted from First Lieutenant and Adjutant. Mustered out with
regiment, June 21, 1864.
G. JOHNsON, Captain Co. K. Appointed September 16, 1862.
Promoted from First Lieutenant. Resigned, on account of disability from wounds, Dec,- ber 20, 1863.
E. C. JORDAN, Captain Co. A. Appointed October 3, 1863.
Promoted from First L'eutenant.  Mustered out with regiment,
June 21, 1864.
D. L. LAYMAN, CaDtain Co. D.  Appointed November 20, 1862.
Promoted from First Lieutenant. Mustered out with regiment,
June 21, 1864.
D. K. CURTIS, Captain Co. H.  Appointed October 3, 1863. Killed
in battle at Mission Ridge, Ga., November 25, 1863.
C. LONGLEY, First Lieutenant Co. A. Appointed October 3, 1863.
Mustered out with regiment, Ju-ne 21, 1864.
J. D. SHANNON) First Lieutenant Co. B.  Appointed June 20,
1861. Resigned August 23, 1861.
W. K. YouNo, First Lieutenant Co. C. Appointed October 1,
1862. Resigned May 25, 1863.
SILA.s RONEY, First Lieutenant Co. E. Appointed December 19,
1861. Resigned May 11, 1862.
395 
APPENDIX.
N. S. McABEE, First Lieutenant Co. F. Appointed November 12,
1861.  Resigned June 12, 1862.
C. B. LINDSEY, First Lieutenant Co. G. Appointed July 23, 1861.
Resigned April 19, 1862.
C. N. HOAGLAND, First Lieutenant Co. H.  Appointed June 17
1861. Resigned November 12, 1861.
IF. M. ANDERTON, First Lieutenant Co. I. Appointed August 9,
1862. Resigned March 22, 1863.
T. L. STEWARD, First Lieutenant Co. I. Appointed August 8,
1863.  Promoted from Second Lieutenant.   Mustered out with
regiment, June 21, 1864.
G. P. DARROW, First Lieutenant Co. K. Appointed July 7, 1861.
Resigned November 5, 1861.
C. J. COTTINGIIAM, First Lieutenant Co. K. Appointed December 26, 1861.  Resigned      -, 1862.
J. E. ALEXANDER, First Lieutenant Co. B. Appointed August
26, 1861. Appointed Adjutant June 12, 1862. Died of wounds
received in action, October 20, 1862.
J. H. HORTON, First Lieutenant Co. -. Appointed June 14,
1861. Appointed Adjutant July 19, 1861.
C. J. MCCLURE, First Lieutenant Co. K.  Appointed June 5,
1862. Resigned March 15, 1864.
T. Cox, First Lieutenant Co. K. Appointed June 17, 1862.
M. L. EDWARDS, First Lieutenant Co. C. Appointed November
20, 1862. Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
J. C. KIErABER, First Lieutenant Co. D. Appointed October 3,
1863. Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
G. E. PECK, First Lieutenant Co. E. Appointed August 20, 1862.
Killed at Mission Ridge, November 25, 1863.
G. S. SWAIN, First Lieutenant Co. F. Appointed October 3, 1863.
Promoted from Second Lieutenant. Mustered out with regiment,
June 21, 1864.
P. A. ARTHUR, First Lieutenant Co. G.  Appointed September
17, 1862. Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
C. P. ACHurrFF, First Lieutenant Co. H. Appointed September 17,
1862.  Resigned May 2, 1863.
A. L. CONKLIN, Second Lieutenant Co. K.  Appointed June 16,
1862. Promoted from Sergeant. Mustered out with regiment,
June 21, 1864.
396 
APPENDIX.
J. W. LA RUE, Second Lieutenant Co. A. Appointed June 14,
1861. Resigned September 1, 1861.
J. G. BUCKINGHAM, Second Lieutenant Co. B. Appointed November 29, 1862. Resigned June 1, 1863.
G. S. HARDENBaOOK, Second Lieutenant Co. B.  Appointed Juno
23, 1863. Mustered out with regiment, June 21, 1864.
H. MI. WILSON, Second Lieutenant Co. C. Appointed July 1,
1861. Resigned November 10, 1861.
W. CRUBIUGH, Second Lieutenant Co. C.  Appointed December
26, 1861.  Resigned     -, 186-.
S. A. COLLINS, Second Lieutenant Co. E. Appointed June 3,
1862.  Resigned      -, 186-.
W. H. H. GAHAGAN, Second Lieutenant Co. D. Appointed Juno
19, 1861. Resigned October 28, 1861.
S. WILLIAMS, Second Lieutenant Co. D. Appointed December 26,
1861. Resigned April 19, 1862.
L. C. HOLABIRD, Second Lieutenant Co. D. Appointed June 5,
1862. Transferred to another department May 5, 1863.
J. E. ELLIOTT, Second Lieutenant Co. E. Appointed December
19, 1861. Resigned June 12, 1862.
W. M. CnLBERTSON, Second Lieutenant Co. E. Appointed May
1, 1862.
JOHN RONEY, Second Lieutenant Co. G. Appointed November
1, 1862. Mustered out with regiment.
JOsEPH PEARSON, Second Lieutenant Co. II. Appointed October
20, 1862. Mustered out with regiment.
List of Deceased Officers and Soldiers, Eleventh Regi                       ment 0. V. I.
Lieutenant-Colonel A. H. COLEMIAN.  Killed at Antietam, Md.,
September 17, 1862.
Adjutant JOHN E. ALEXANDER. Died of wounds received at
Bull Run, Va., October 20, 1862.
First Lieutenant G. E. PECK. Killed at Mission Ridge, November 25, 1863.
Captain D. K. CURTIS. Killed in action at Mission Ridge, November 25, 1863.
CHARLES ALLEN, Company A. Killed at Mountain Cove, Va.,
August 25, 1861. Buried at Hawk's Nest.
397 
APPENDIX.
JOHN HAM.MOND,  Co. A.  Killed in action at Antietam, Md.,
September 17, 1862.
AUBREY HATFIELD, Co. A.  Died of disease, October 11, 1861.
Remains sent to his home.
ADOLPHus L. SCHWARTZ, Co. A.  Died of disease, October 5,
1861. Buried at Gallipolis, 0.,
JOHN WROE, Co. A. Killed at Cotton Hill, Va., November 10,
1861.
DANIEL BANION, Co. B.  Killed while on picket at Cotton Hill,
Va., November 10, 1861.
ROBERT BATCHELOR, Co. B. Killed at Gauley Bridge, Va., November 10, 1861.
JAMES ROACH, Co. B.  Killed in action at Mountain Cove, Va.,
August 20, 1861.
STEPHEN B. MCDANIEL, Co. C.  Died of disease, October 19,1861.
Buried at Gallipolis, O.
HENRY BROWN, Co. C.  Died of disease, August 9, 1861.  Buried
at Gallipolis, O.
JOHN JOHNSON, Co. C. Died of disease, November 20, 1863.
Buried at Summerville, Va.
JAMES MCCREARY, Co. C.  Killed in action at South Mountain,
Md., September 14, 1862.
JOHN SINSNINGS, Co. C.  Died of disease, November  8, 1861.
Buried at Gallipolis, O.
JOHN C. TRA.VIS, Co. C.  Died of disease, September 11, 1862.
Buried at Washington, D. C.
JOHN V. WOLVERTON, Co. D.  Died of disease, September 20,
1861. Buried at Fayetteville, Va.
ARCHIBALD DARROW, Co. D. Died of disease, September 9, 1861.
Buried at Troy, O.
JOHN L. PALIERSTON, Co. D.  Died of disease, September 15,
1862. Buried at Washington, D. C.
ROSWEL S. WAGNER, Co. E. Died of disease at Raleigh, Va.,
June 7, 1862. Remains sent to his home, Troy, O.
JOHN BAKER, CO. E. Killed at South Mountain, Md., September
14, 1862.
FREDERICK HENTRY, Co. E. Died of disease, February 18, 1862.
Buried at Point Pleasant, Va.
JAMES WESTFALL, Co. E.  Died of disease, February 7, 1863.
Buried at Point Pleasant, Va.
398 
APPENDIX.                         899
OLIVER S. BOLSER, Co. F. Died of disease, January 21, 1862.
Remains sent to his home.
GEORGE W. KIRK, Co. F.  Died of disease, March 3,1862.  Remains sent to his home.
JAIES WOLFE, Co. F.  Died of wounds received at Antietam,
Md., September 18, 1862.  Buried at Frederick, Md.
JAIMES H. CHANNELL, Co. G.  Died of disease, November 7, 1861.
Remains sent to his home.
JOHN R. HENRY, CO. G.  Killed at South Mountain, Md., September 14, 1862.
HENRY G. KEENAN, Co. G.  Killed by falling off railroad cars,
August 26, 1862.
JOHN G. SMITHSON, Co. G.  Died of disease, August 9, 1861.
Buried at Gauley Bridge, Va.
SOLOIMON R. BYRKETT, Co. H.  Died of disease, February 14,
1862. Buried at Troy, O.
LUDWIG HARTSTEIN, Co. H. Killed at Rich Creek, Va., August
25, 1861.
ANDREW F. THOMPSON, Co. IH. Died of wounds received at South
Mountain, Md., October 8, 1862.
THOM.AS VANDYNE, Co. H.  Died of wounds received at Tyler
Mountain, Va., July 25,1861.
JACOB M. WENTZ, Co. H.  Killed at South Mountain, Md., September 14, 1862.
JOHN Boss, Co. K. Killed at South Mountain, Md., September
14, 1862.
WILLIAM A. FOWLER, CO. K. Died of disease at Point Pleasant,
Va., January 24, 1862.
BENJAMNIN STEARNS, CO. K.  Died of disease at Cincinnati, 0.,
July 15, 1861.
JOHN SCHLOSSER, CO. K. Killed at South Mountain, Md., September 14, 1862.
JOHN WERNER, Co. K. Killed at Antietam, Md., September 17,
1862.
Corporal CHARLES W. WRIGHT, Co. K. Killed at Antietam, Md.,
September 17, 1862.
JACOB BECK, CO. I Died of disease at Summerville, Va., December 27, 1862.
Sergeant-MInajor THOMAS K. MITCHELL. Killed, by accidental discharge of a rifle, January 9, 1863. 
400                       APPENDIX.
JAMIES MELAKNEY, CO. D.  Died of disease, March 12, 1863.
Buried at Carthage, Tenn.
PERRY  CARTER,  Co.  D.  Died  of disease,  April  19, 1863.
Buried at Carthage, Tenn.
JOHN  R. DIxoN,  Co. G.  Died  of disease, April 12, 1863.
Remains sent to his home.
JESSE C. BARTHOLOMEW, Co. H. Died of disease, April 22, 1863.
Buried at Carthage, Tenn.
JOSEPH P. WELLER, CO. I. Died of disease, February 23, 1863.
Buried at Nashville, Tenn.
FREDERICK  LUCKE, Co. B.  Died of disease,  May 22, 1863.
Buried at Carthage, Tenn.
CHARLES SEGAR, CO. D. Died of disease, May 18, 1863. Buried
at Carthage, Tenn.
GEORGE ANDERSON, CO. D. Died of disease, May 29, 1863.
Buried at Carthage, Tenn.
HENRY C. D.AY, Co. A. Died of disease, May 6, ] 863. Buried at
Nashville, Tenn.
THOMASI H. FALL, Co. I.  Died of disease, May 17,1863. Buried
at Carthage, Tenn.
JACOB REIF, CO. K. Died of disease, May 19, 1863. Buried at
Columbus, O.
RENSSELAER CARSON, Co. K.  Died of disease, May 25, 1863.
Buried at Carthage, Tenn.
HENRY BAUDENDISTLE, Co. A.  Killed by accidental bursting of
a shell, June 20, 1863.
J. F. COLTHER, Co. E. Died of disease, June 3, 1863. Buried
at Carthage, Tenn.
EPHRAIi  A. MORROW, CO. F.  Died of disease, June 2, 1863.
Buried at Carthage, Tenn.
J. FUNK, Co. H.  Died of disease, May  2, 1863.  Buried at
Louisville, Ky.
J. F. KEMIPER, CO. I. Died of disease, June 5, 1863. Buried at
Carthage, Tenn.
Sergeant THOMAS SHAIN, Co. I. Died of disease, June 25, 1863.
Buried at Carthage, Tenn.
GEORGE WILLIAMS, Co. A.  Died of wounds received by accidental bursting of a shell, July 21, 1863.
WILLIAM ALLEN, Co. K.  Died of disease, July 19, 1863.  Buried
at Murfreesboro, Tenn. 
APPENDIX.                         401
JOSEPH WYRICK, Co. A. Died of wounds received by accidental
explosion, August 14, 1863. Remains sent to his home.
MIAR'TIN SCHEELER, Co. B.  Died of disease, August 15, 1863.
Buried at University Place, Tenn.
Corporal DAVID L. BRosius, Co. C. Died of disease, August 8,
1863. Remains sent to Salem, O.
FREDERICK KUi.MER, Co. B.  Died of disease, September 20,
1863, and left on field at Chickamauga, Ga. Died in an ambulance during battle.
PATRICK MIURPHY, Co. B.  Killed on a reconnoissance, at Chattya
nooga, Tenn., September 24, 1863.
Sergeant GEORGE CART, Co. D.  Killed at Chickamauga, Ga.,
September 20, 1863.
CHARLES GEHRCK, CO. E. Died of disease at Trenton, Ga., September 18, 1863.
Corporal WILLIAM B. CROWELL, CO. I.  Killed in action at
Chickamauga, Ga., September 20, 1863.
PETER KEWEN, CO. I. Killed in action at Church Mound, Ga.,
September 17, 1863.
JOsEPH BRINKE, Co. K.  Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, Ga.,
and died at Andersonville, Ga.,      -, 1864.
MARION POWELL, CO. K. Killed in action at Chickamauga, Ga.,
September 20, 1863.
Sergeant JACOB R. STERRITT, Co. D. Died of wounds received in
action at Chickamauga, Ga., October 22, 1863.
GEORGE S. TAPLEY, Co. B. Killed at South Mountain, Md., September 14, 1862.
MANVILLE HOGLE, CO. B.  Killed at Mission Ridge, November
25, 1863.
JoI.T IT. PECK, Co. I.  Died of disease at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
October 5, 1863.
JACOB H. BOON, Co. H.  Died of wounds received in action at
Mission Ridge, December 9, 1863.
E. DOLD, Co. K. Died of disease, October 18,1863.
CONRAD SCHEELER, Co. B. Killed in action at Mission Ridge,
November 25, 1863.
LOCIS BOON, Co. C.  Died of disease at Louisville, Ky., April
19, 1864.
SEBASTIAN CALLAHAN, Co. C. Died of disease, February 12,
1864. 
APPENDIX.
W. BRANDON, Co. D.  Drowned at Gallipolis, 0., February 25,
1862.
ELIAS BAINEY, Co. D. Killed in action at Mission Ridge, November 25, 1863.
JOHN VANCAMP, Co. D.  Died of wounds received in action, October 22. 1863.
SAMIUEL LIPPINCOTT  Co. F.  Died of disease, November  10,
1863.
JOHN B. ROBERTS, Co. G. Died of disease at Nashville, Tenn.,
January 30, 1864.
HIRAMf PARTLOW, Co. IH.  Died of disease at Nashville, Tenn.,
April 4, 1864.
MIcHAEL HOATH, Co. K.  Killed in action at Mission Ridge, November 25, 1863.
MIARION B. WOLF, Co. I. Died of wounds received in action,
December 6, 1863.
SIMEON SHIDLER, Co. I.  Died of wounds received in action, December 13, 1863.
G. L. MURPHY, Co. I. Died of wounds received in action, November 26, 1863.
NOAH SAMS, Co. I.  Died of disease, February 27, 1863.
GEORGE SMITH, Co. K. Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, and
died at Andersonville, Ga.,     -, 1864.
WILLIAMNt REAMER, Co. H.  Taken prisoner at. Chickamauga, September 20, 1863. Died at Andersonville, Ga.
CHARLES MARTIN, Co. A.  Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, September 20, 1863. Died at Danville, Ga.
ISAA.c AVERY, Co. B. Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, September 20, 1863. Died at Danville, Ga.
WILLIAKM CART, Co. D.  Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, September 20, 1863. Died at Andersonville, Ga.
MARTIN WILLIAMIS, Co. D.  Taken prisoner at Chickamauga,
September 20, 1863. Died at Danville, Ga.
W. H. H. BOYLE, Co. E.  Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, September 20, 1863.  Died at Andersonville, Ga.
JOHN COLLIER, CO. G. Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, September 20,.1863. Died at Andersonville, Ga.
HENRY McKNIGHT, Co. G. Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, September 20, 1863. Died at Andersonville, Ga.
402 
APPENDIX.
JOHN HIICKS, Co. G. Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, September 20, 1863. Died at Andersonville, Ga.
JOHN CARBONDALE, Co. H.  Taken prisoner at Chickamauga,
September 20, 1863. Died at Richmond, Va.
CHARLES MORRIS, CO. H. Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, September 20, 1863. Died at Andersonville, Ga.
THE END.
403  
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