The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-07-11
How The Brave Col. &c. o Rey
mOIds Relieved "a Chaplain whO
was Preaching under DILL
cuIGieS.

The following interesting narrative W,
extract from ''The Religious History o
Davis Mississippi Brigade" by Rev. T.
ID. Witherspoon, ID. d., which is nov
being published in the PontotOc Folio
He says:
With all our care it was not possible al.
ways 10 escape the observation Of the enc
my, and conduct our religious services with
| out attracting their fire.
! And when for any cause their guns were
! opened upon US, there was a very severe
| test of the soldierly qualities Of the chaplain
| who happened to be conducting the service.
! His erect position, of course, exposed him
| far more than his congregation who were
seated around him or living on the ground
1t was comparatively easy for them to lis
ten while bOmb-shells were exploding or
mime balls whistling through the air. But
the case was different with the speaker. It
was no easy matter to carry on 4 train of
connected thoughts, when in the midst Of a
sentence terrific explosion was constant
ly taking place just above you and the
scattered fragments of shell falling all
around you. And it is no very graceful
figure which man presents trying to make
an appropriate gesture and at the same time
dodge a minnie ball from some sharp
shooter who has spotted him.
remember once having a very sore trial
of this kind. The brigade was behind tenn
porary breastwOrks in front of Richmond
1t was a bright, beautiful Sabbath. | had
very large congregation and the men
sang with very great zest: indeed entirely
too much for my good. for just as / had ia
ken my text, battery opened upon us with
mortarshell. As usual The first shell passed
considerably beyond US and exploded at
some distance in the air. but | knew very
well that the gunners would improve their
aim with every fire, and began to brace
myself for what was to come. There was
an Interval of perhaps half a minute and
then another she'll came, and then another,
each tune growing nearer. until at about the
fourth fire the artillerists had COTTON our
range so well that the fragments of the ex
ploding shell plowed the ground all around
US, one of them burying itself i'm a few feet
of where ! stood. The PRESENTATION rolled
of OF my forehead, and congratulated NY
self that it was a warm day and my perspir-
ing would be attributed TO heat and not TO
any undue excitement / saw the quiZZical
look of the men while they watched me- as
much as to say, "Now, boys we will see
how he stands the fire." I had been In |
half dozen severe battles, but never found |
my nerves so tried in any Of them as at this |
time. / braced myself, went forward man
fully with the sermon though / saw the |
white cap above the distant gun which told /
me another missile was coming. On IL sned
and on preached in very desperation, for
1ad no hearers. Every eye and ear was
was Dent IN the direction of the unWelcome
visitor, and when at length it burst right
n our faces and scattered its fragments
around, and began to try TO gather up the
scattered fragments of my argument, to nv
great relief. one Of the bravest OF all the Of
icers in the brigade (I think it was the gal
ant Lieut.. Col. Reynolds OF the 18th Mis-
lssippi. now one ofOur hOnored State SEN
Itors) rose ard begged me to suspend the
ermon as under the circumstances it could
lot be very profitable, aud involved neces-
arily considerable exposure Of the lives
10Th of speaker and hearers. The benedic
ion was, therefore, very speedily announ-
ed, and before the next shell had reached
IS destination we were all safely under Gov.
T OF our breastworks,