The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-05-30

form, apparently robust was seen upon
cur streets, the object of our pride,-ior
he was our ewn son-brought up IN our
midst, and NO nobler form was to be seen
any where, Majestic in his height, bland
and dignitied in his carriage, he seemed
as born 10 command-born to aid IN thIs
giant contest, in which the nation IS
struggling for its existencei But. alas!
Death, even at that very hour had al
resdy a.--...+
"winged abe shaft that qaiTered in his heart"
Col. ShankIin was possessed of a mind
and heart OF nc ordinary cast. HIS llfe
had been spent among books and travel
He was good scholar, of fine literary
tastes and versatile requirements. His
memory good, his imagination vivid and
unusually af1uent, his utterance easy and
choice, his address decidedly winning,
making his society much sought after
and fastening his associates to him with
unusually strong attachments. His So
cial qualities were so numerous and gem
erous, that few young men could be tax
en- from any community, whose death
would be more sincerely mourned.
see him no more, there are two respects
especially in which we desire ever to
remember him.
One was his patriotism, and never
had this shown forth with purer ray
serene" than since his return from his
imprisonment. His love of country had
never been doubted any more than his
bravery. But his season of captivity
had intensified his patriotism, and en-
abled him, as never before, to under
stand the nature of that base rebellion
which now has its hand upon the throat
of the nation. Of the rebellion he had
but this one cor viction-it mast be put
do,cm-and he could say, "the Union of
the States is not only worthy to live for,
but also to die for His feelings were
too deep to be merely vindictive because
of what he had personally suffered He
declared that only with the triumph of
the Federal arms could the cause of true
freedom be saved from perishing utterly
The cause Of our country was the cause
Of world, struggling up into higher,
truer, nobler life, and when affections
lips, with uncommon tenderness appeal
ed to him, not again to peril his life
upon the field of blood and death, the
noble reply burst forth-and the nobler,
because it was uttered in the deep UNI
dertone of suffering heart" And in
what better cause can l peril my life q?
Somebody must die, and why not 1?
Gladly would | submit to die if l felt
sure my death would aid the cause of
my suffering country - And these
words were not uttered amid the tumult
of popular or excited assemblage, but
in the midst of his home, and to the
ears of those whom he loved even as he
loved his own soul His heart seemed
to say-First, my country next my
friends, !" the loved ones at home ;" last
of all, myself
The other respect, was his feelings
! towards his God, and this in view of his
certain and almost instant passage into
the presence of the ALL MERCIFTL and
ALL JUsr
To his bosom friends-to his wife and
mother, his letters came constantly
freighted with assurances of his endeay-
ers to live near his God and to secure
vital communion with the unseen Father
of Spirits.
He knew his life had been alien from
God, that be had been a prodigal, but
he expressed himself, constantly for
months past, as yearning for deliverance
from that baser life, to one that was
pure, spiritual and sinless. The nature
of these experiences and the intensity
of these struggles were known only to
himself. He alluded to them only to bis
nearer friends, and to his now widowed
wife, and before any danger of death
could influence the suggestion, he ex-
pressed an almost fully matured purpose
to make a public profession of religion,
before his return to the army This, he.
at times, strongly felt to be his duty.
When death entered his chamber and
he saw the last enemy approaching,
it was with no symptoms of alarm. To
his mother-that mother, whose piety
had trained his infancy and urged him
in ripper years to make Jesus his con-
slant iriend-he said he had no fear of
dying-that his hope was in the Savior
of sinners-that he felt sure his sins
were pardoned and that he was going to
| better world.
These assurances give exceeding COM
fort to his sorrowing friends Besides
father, mother, two brothers and sister
Mrs. Col Harlan, of Frankfort, Ky
he leaves young widow and a dear
boy of only two summers who is too
young either to feel his loss, or to un-
derstahd the Inheritance left him as the
son of so noble and brave father. MAY
God be with his now desolate compan-
ion, and prove indeed that He is the
widows husband and the orphan father.
NJ