Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-04-15

scnatkai and even -meeung America
Missionaries on the borders Of Russian
America
Extraordinary Revival OF Religion.
Special correspondence Of the Cincinnati Gazette
NEAR TIE WEsr BASK OF FIsH RIvER, I
ALABAMA, March 25 (
The firing which was heard quite fre.
quently along our lines twenty-four
hours ago, has ceased. Our camp has
resumed its wonted air Of peaeefulnsss
and quiet The little stream just in
front our quarters pursues its way as
calmly as at any time before a grand
army eneanped along its banks. The
birds are chattering gaily as when the
silence of the forest was unbroken save
by their songs alone At such O time as
this, gentler thoughts than those usually
connected with scenes Of warfare steal
over me, aud / recall, amongst other
| things of a similar character, specta-
/ Gle which / witnessed a night or two
ago.
Beginssing Of the RerfraL
let me preface little. For nearly q
month past religious revival has been
in progress amongst certain regiments
of the 10th corps. 1t commenced soon
after our arrival at New Orleans, and
dnring our stay at Dauphin Island, as
sumed the decided and Interesting char
acter it now bears.
Its General Character.
Ministers of all denominations cor
daily unite in the work, and endeavor
to induce their hearers to make pro-
fession of faith in Christ and hold them
selves aloof from the wickedn sss incident
to life in camp. The repentant soldier
| is asked to subscribe to no form OF doc
trine, nor to unite with any particular
denomination. Thus the revival is en-
| tirely free from sectrianism; and no
ones predictions or prejudices are at
all offended. All honor to the faithful
ministers whose zeal for their masters
service has enabled them to lay aside
| all the trammels which might hinder
| their cordial cooperation in the good
work, and to labor solely for the glory
of Christianity aud the good of men.
Incidents Of its Progress.
| The revival has been confined to no
particular portion of the-eerps, but l
have observed its progress principally in
the Cd division Major Gen, ,Garrard),
aud more closely in the I'd brigade
| lBrevet Brig. Gen. Gilbert), than in any
other. Meetings take place every night,
and from earliest candle-light to 10 p. NJ.
there may be heard al over the camps
the voice of prayer and praise; in fact,
unless military duty fqrbids, meetings
are held frequently in daytime, also,
and groups of soldiers may frequently
be seen, who, instead Of indnlging in
low, unseemly, and vulgar tests, vile
| slang interpreted with profanity, or
coarse, obscene, and indecent anecdotes,
are talking earnestly of the condition Of
their souls, of their obligations to God,
| and of their duties to their fellow-men.
Nay, l have,sin rambling amongst the
woods, more than once chanced to pass
| by young recruits, as well as battle
SCARED veterans, who had sought the
solitude of the forest to be alone with
God, and there upon their knees were
fervently beseeching Him either for
grace and pardon to themselves, or
mercy for their erring comrades Surely
| the Deity who never turns a deaf ear to
prayer delights in listening to such petit
| tions, presented under such Circumstances
and in such a sacred cause.
Meeting on the Might Of March 2Sd.
But / must not forget the particular
spectacle about which l commenced to
write.
1t was the evening OF the 23d of March.
| All day the sun had shous with mild
and subdued radiance; and after his
beams had ceased to illume the world,
/ the sentinel stare came out one by one,
/ aud took their eternal stations in the
/ heavens above. No moon rode through
| the celestial host to shame them into
feebler effulgence; no cloud across the
sky to dim or obscure their lustre. 1t
was a calm, still, starlit, Southern night.
'sRetreat" had Just been sounded from
the different headquarters, when from a
| portion of the forest to the west of our
tents, / heard sung forth by chorus of
manly voices, to simple and delicious
melody, the words of sacred hymn.
Without any well defined purpose in
my mind, I found myself straying toward
the place whence the music proceeded.
A bright broad flame streaming up from
several different points, indicated the
ground where the worship of God was
going on. AS came near the song
ceased; and then an earnest supplica-
ton went up to God, for hiH blessing
upon the soldiers assembled there, and
for his aid and presence that night. The
prayer concluded just as | took my seat
amongst the throng.
Remarkable Spectacle
What scene was that2 Under the
branches of these somber pines through
t-L.ok a. ,-,vds of nArfu-.a. L.l chaot