Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1877-07-03
HIS SeELLA N E GUS.
THE MORAL OF GEN. LEES ARMY.
LBy Rev J. William Jones, D. D. in the Phila-
deiphIa Weekly Timcs.I

TBy Rev j. William Jones, D. D in the Phila-
dephIa Weekly Timcs.I .'
In his testimony before the "Committee
on the Conduct of the War;" Major. eneral
Joseph Hooker says: ''OGr artillery had al
ways been superior to that of the rebels, as
also our Infantry crccpt IN discipline
and that, for reasons not necessary to mention.
never did equal Lees army. With n rank
aud file r"sf!Y Infcri0r 10 0Wr olcn, inic1iCc-
t"aHy and phymcaNy, that army had, Iy dis
cipfine atone, acquired character for steadi.
ness and efficiency unsurpassed, in my judg-
mcnt, in ancient or modern times We have
not been abe to rival it. nor has there hecn
any near approx ima'ion to it in tho other
rebel armies" Italics mine
| do not propose to enter upon "odious"
com mparison between tho Army of the Poto-
mac aad the Army of Northern Virginia as
to the character of the men who composed
them; but think I shall be able to show
that General Hooker is entirely mistaken in
attrihuting the confessed superiority Of the
Army Of Northern Virginia to "discipline
niomc," but that this army was composed of
body of men who, in all the qualities which
go to make up hat We call moral were rare
ly if ever equaled. and never surpassed by
any army that ever marched or fought ain
which produced the or.anizltion Of that army
called into it the flower of the South.
e
But the religious element which entered
that army. or developed in it, has abso-
uteIy no parallel in all history. Our noble
old chief General Leg was Christian not
merely in profession but in reality, and did
every thing iu his power to promote the moral
and spiritual welfare of his army. The piety
of "Stonewal" jackson is as historic as his
splendid military achievements, and the in
fuence which he exertcd for the religious
good of his officers and men can never be
fully known in this world. These noble
leaders had at the first tho cooperation of
such Christian soldiers as Generals D. II.
Hill, T. Il. Cobb, y. II. Colquitt. j. Z. B.
Stuart, W. a. Pendleton, John. b. Gordon,
c. A. Evans, j ohm Pcgram, and large num-
Der of other general, field, staff and subor
diDate officers and during the war Generals
EwelI, Lopgstreet, Hood, Pender, r. Fl. An
derson, Rodes, Paxton, Baylor, aud a num-
Der of others made professions of religion.
Of the first four companies from Georgia
which arrived in Virginia, three of the cap
tains were earnest Christians and fifty of one
Of the companies belonged to one church. l
remem ber one single regiment which reported
over four hundred church members when it
first came into service, and another regiment
which contained Eve ministers of the gospel
"a chaplain, one captain, and three pTivates.
could Eli volume with incidents of in
dividual herosm on the part Of private SOL
diers in that army. l have space for only
few. At first Fredericksburg, just after
Lawton's Georgia Brigade Cunder the COM
mand of Colonel Atkiuson) had driven the
enemy out of the woods on EarIy's front and
made tker gallant dash across the plain CHE
men growing loudly at being ordered back,
saying, "if it had been those Virginia fel-
lows that made the charge, 'old Jubap would
have let them drive the Yankees into the
rivers. Georgia boy, who. seemed to be not
over sixteen, rushed up to nc with his two
middle fugers shattered, and exclaimed,
(mistaking me for surgenn), ttDoctor, 1
want you, please, to cut off these fingers and
tie them up as soon as you can. The boys
are going into another charge directly, and I
want to ue with them" l procured him
surgeon, the wound was dressed, and the
brave boy hurried to the front again At
Cedar Greek. on the 10Th of October, 1864,
Sergeant Trsinum, the color bearer of the
Thirteenth Virginia Infantry, ives surrounded
by a number of Sheridsu's troopers, but
ezclaiuiuc, You may kill me, but will