The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-01
SOLDIERS OF CHRIST.
OUR ARMY cHAPLAINs ON THE
BATTLEFIELD.
They Have Bern In the Thick of the
riEht and Proved Coed And Br.ys
Soldiers -chldwisk ssd ireland SAD
Bishop Faiisws.

chaplains in our army and navy al
ways have had the incorrigible habit
OF keeping anywhere but In the rear.
They have been among the frst on the
field Of battle and the last to leave.
Chaplain Chidwick's devotion and self.
sacrifice In remaining day and night.
now, for more than a month. beside the
wreck Of the Maine in an unceaslng
EFFORT 10 Identify the bodies Of the blue
jackets and marines. has been applaud
ed all over the nation. On the days on
which no bodies could be found. the
chaplain was at the hospitals. cheering
the battered sailors. When the pulpy
mass which once was part Of the life
and soul Of the battleship was brought
to the surface. the chaplain accom-
panied Il TO the graveyard. and saw
that the grave was marked In such a
way as to facilitate removal In the fu-
ture 10 American soil.
John Chadwick il not an old hand In
the navy. lie was commissioned by
President Cleveland only three years
ago He Is one Of the three Catholic
chaplains In that arm o. the service,
which contains among It's enlisted men
over ~ per cent OF Catholics. But de-
nominations have made no difference
20 him. lie wrote the most touching
letter regarding one OF the lost sailors
who was a member OF the Society OF
Christian Endeayor. Father Chldwick
Is New York boy by birth. and he
came honestly enough by his lighting
blood. for his father served in the civil
war In both the army and the navy.
Archbishop Ireland IL perhaps the
most celebrated chaplain Of the civil
war He went out with the Fifth
Minnesota. and the first thing he did
after the regiment took the field. and
before the FIRST battle. was TO substitute
chess for chuek-a-luck among the SOL
diers. This was In 1862. In October
Of that year the young chaplain had a
chance 20 show the stuff that was In
him. Al a critical point In a battle
the Fifth Minnesota was called upon TO
oil gap through which the enemy had
pressed. capturing. as they surged into
our lines. one Of our batteries. The
Fifth went In with a yell. and poured
volley after yolley almost point blank
into the faces OF the Confederates. This
was not the first appearance Of the
Fifth In the days fight. and II was not
long before the cry went down the line:
Were out OF ammunition"
lie Had Cartridges.
The men stopped over and took the
cartridges from the boxes OF their dead
comrades. and tried TO hold their
ground. II was not many minutes be-
fore a stout. smooth-faoed young man
appeared with a box on his shoulders,
and called out:
Here's cartridges for you. boys!" He
passed quickly In along the rear OF
the ranks. throwing the cartridges into
the soldiers haversacks-a more con-
venient receptacle than the cartridge
box. with It's separate compartments.
Bully for you, Father!" You're
the stun" and similar expressions were
heard. and the men turned TO their
work with redoubled yigor.
That night when the battle was over.
and the fragments OF the regiment had
been gathered together. Chaplain Ire
land was missing. After long and
anxious search he was found on the
very front. In an improyised hospital
close 10 the enemy's pickeis
In a speech recently TO the students
OF the Notre Dame university. Arch
bishop Ireland said: Should there be
a war. will take Il upon myself TO
say that the response Of Notre Dame
would be so quick 10 save America that
she would send out all her priests as
chaplains and all her students. as far
as age will permit, az soldiers"
some Holy Regiments.
This Is the university in which Is
organized a Grand Army post which IS
composed exclusively Of priests. The
Rev. Father Corby. who was chaplain
Of the Foriy-eighth New York Volun.
teers, Is post commander Father Cor
by Is the author Of Memoirs OF an Ar
my Chaplain's Life" The Forty-elghth
New York was called "Perry's Saints. "
much as another New York regiment
was called the "Die-no- Mores." because
they sang so often the gospel hymn.
Were Going Home TO Die No More A"
The sevcnty-thlrd Illinois was the
Preacher Regiment" and the Fortieth
Wisconsin the God and Morality Regi-
ment.r
AZ least one chaplain In the army