New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-04
A FIGHTING PARSON.
BIOGRAPHY OF GENERAL W. y. PENDLE-
TON, c. :. a.

TON c. s. a.
MEMOIRS OF WILLIAM NELSON PENDLEToN.
ga @G9T or a c. s a. Chief Of Artillery
Army of Northern Virginia by MS da9s N G
Susan p Lee PIP. 40" j. b. hl'H'o'' Oo'''-
pany.
1-rouestionah1v one of the most interesting
features Of the Rebellion will be the share taken
IN Il nv prominent clergymen. large part OF
tho nro-slaverv literature Of times preceding the
war was from the pens of ministers. The BiDle
was made to sustain or at least to countenance'
an abuse which probably all Southern people arc
glad now TO be rid Of. and mucn learning WAS
wasted in proving that thing whch couiu "o'
be right might still not be wrong. In MS heaI'
it is possible that DR.. Pendleton did not rove
elavery At all events. as we are toid IN inns
biography when a servant ran away lrol" HIS
house in Pennsylvania he made no attempt 10
recover her which he had the legal right 10 90
in those DAYS Later he defended the INSTITUTION
Of slavery but never It appears on very "'s"
ground The vital point with him appears ~
have been the doctrine of State rights lie hp'
been educated Al West Point. but neither III '''
r,ost Of his southern contemporaries in that In
stitu,On felt It's national character l"o 'cS' ~
pondloton's case came few years later when ne
was still in the United states Army me move
ments Of the nullifers in South Carolina ana 'he
otio,s ~ President jackson locking To the use OF
,oo n necessary to put down instruction
awakened the liveest interest among the young
ofscars of the Army and Navy. Lieutenant rem
d,eton,s father was n rigid supporter 81 Genera!
rac.eon One may take this for an indlcatloh
that LOYALTY % the Union was strong ualt III
tina eorlier generation OF Nirginians tut 'he
SON though he took no public part II poh".S'
svn,pathized with the anti-Jackson wing oil '"e
Democratic party. Practically TINS was the "''N
led by Calhoun. He denied the right oi c'e''i'",
He was then stationed at Fort Hamilton anu
when II was rumored that all the troops III New
x,r,, Irarhor were to be ordered to Charleston ne
r.-o,e his rosignation His wife and his friends
rosuodod him not 10 present 1t. But the incident
,,,s, have opened the young lieutenants eyes
N the awkwardness Of his position II ne ul'
not wish TO fight the battles OF the government
which had educated him. he certainly han 40
business in its army. This does not seem 90
have been deeply considered in those Gays ""'
Il became very obvious 10 lhe uP"o'"'' " "
Union in later years.
Garrison life was irksome. and IN ~" '"e
,.o,,,, officer resigned 60 become, first professor
then teacher and principal in various schooiS anu
colleges Though he Is said 10 have left west
Point almost an inlde he overcame that tehd-
orcv and his desire throughout his career ms
.oacber was to become the rector Of an Episcopal
narish In this he succeeded. but his plans were
;r.e,runted bv the War of Secession. As n
clarevrnan he appears not to have thought Sc
riors,v at the outset Of putting his military
education 10 use But he could not escape th'
fever Of war It is perhaps. coincidence mat
Dr Andrews the head OF Kenyon College. Wh''h
conferred a degree upon DR.. Pendleton. entered
tho Union Army The cases Of the two mon are
tvnjcal OF the times. The fact that DR. fendie-
TONS preference in youth was the arnll'rY u'-
c;ded the matter for him. Called upon 10 nilI
an artillery company he soon found ms Ola
enthusiasm awakened. BY rapid steps he reached
the position Of General Lees chief ~ artillery
His record throughout the war was that 81 an
efficient officer who made the most Of gradually
waning resources. Those were bitter times ana
General Pendeton. though he still relieved the
or,ro duties Of war by frequent services "a
clergyman. nevertheless wrote some unpleasant
things about the yankees" lie spoke Of the
Southern attitude in the Rebellion as that OF
self-defence. Probably the controversy on this
little point never will be settled. II certainly
did not look like defensive war to those who
were themselves defending the Union. II did not
run counter to General Pendleton's Low Church
preferences that he occasionally Ofiiciated As a
clergyman without the usual robes. The pon.
In his career on which adverse critic Will
touch severely is the fact that though as a gen
eral he surrendered with Lee AZ AppomatioN. as
a clergyman he kept up the war some time
longer by rejecting the prayer for the President
Of the United States. and supplying its place
with selections from other parts Of the Episcopal
Prayer Book There no principle underlying
this action. for DR.. Pendleton ended by asking
to be restored 10 his civil rights az n citizen ~
the United States. and taking the oath re-
qulred.
Mrs Lee has written an attractive though
serious book. II is dsngured by occasional hints
OF that bitter feeling which is needless now
that the struggle Is over The military criticism
In the book is rather popular than professional
notable feature Of the biography IS the respect
Il displays for the memory Of General Grant