The National tribune., 1901-12-26
GEN. STEUART'S BIBLE
Is Returned to Him SO Years
After the Civil War.
WAS ON A CAPTURED WAGON.
Sent From England to Confederate Army, 1t
Ran the Blockade and Lay Long in an OBJ
scure Corner.
Baltimore Sum

I Scnb W NJ my IL
Ran the Blockade and Lay Long in an OBJ
scure Corner
Baltimore Sum
Arter nearly 40 years of travel aud ad
venture Il little Bible, with torn back and
| thumh-Stained pages, 4 mute reminder OF
the great civil strife of 1876. has been
returned to its owner, Gen. George III.
Steuart, Brigadcr General in the army of
the Confederate States. The Bible was
returned to Gen. Steuart by ''his friend,
the enemy" Mr.. Abram Smith, of Long
Beach, Cal, gallant Union soldier, who
secured the volume from Confederate
wagon, one of train captured at Sailors
| Greek. Va. few days before the surren-
der of Lees army.
| The National Tribune. the official organ
| The National Tribune, the official organ
| of the Grand Army Of the Republic, re-
Gently published an interesting account Of
| the operations of the United States army
on the plains before the war. In The Ma
| tional Tribune Of Oct. . appeared let
| ter from Mr.. Smith, in which he said he
had seen and knew of many of the officers
mentioned in the article. lie stated that
he remembered Gen. Steuart, and also
made mention of the Bible. On the fly
| leaf of the Bible, the letter said, was the
| inscription: ITO Gen. Geo. II. Steuart,
| from his friend, +. T. Perkins, Jan. II,
| 1860" Mr. Smith added that he would
be pleased 10 return the Bible to any of
Gen. Steuart's family.
| The article in The National Tribune was
shown to Gen. Steuart at the CarrOlltOn
Hotel, Baltimore, by reporter of the Sun,
with the result that Mr.. Smith was com
municated with and the sacred book re-
turned to the General.
HISTORY OF THE BOOK.
| Gen. Steuart said the Bible was pre-
sented to him by Rev. Edmund Il. Per-
kins of the Episcopal Church, whose la
| bOrs among the soldiers on the march and
in the trench We're living bencdiction.
| The General had small pocket Bible
! which he used. and, being dcSirOuS of pre-
! serving the gift of Rev Mr.. Perkins, ne
placed it IL his vaise with his dress uni
! form and few other valued possessions.
| When. on April =, the Confederate lines
/ about Richmond and Petersburg We're bro
| ken and the final retreat of Lees army be
/ gan, friend suggested to the General that
as his brigade would probably be hard
| pressed by the enemy. he had better put
! his valSe IN Il wagon of the reserve train,
where it would be safer from capture, in
stead of carrying it III one of the brigade
/ wagons. This he did, and, with the usual
perversity of fate, the reserve train was
captured by the Federal cavalry which
swarmed about the rctreating army, while
| the brigade wagons escaped capture The
| wearer. had seen much hard service and
was not fit for dress parade, so that at the
time, the loss of his only other clothes
caused him more annoyance than that of
the Bible.
HOW THE TRAIN WAS CAPTURED.
Following is Mr. Smiths story of how
the Bible came into his possession:
'On April 6, 1865, the division to which
| belonged Second, of the Second Corps,
had been marching on the flank of Lees
army, sometimes in sight on nearly the
same course and sometimes in collision.
When we arrived at Sailors Creek the
cavalry had run part of, think, Ewell's
train down in the bottom next the creek,
and there was general miX-up of wag-
OnS, ambulances, caissOnS and, as far as
remember, some artillery. When we ar
rived there the wagons had been emptied
and the contents scattered about. The
bridge across the creek being narrow, some
delay ensued, and my attention was drawn
to a wagon near which were a pile of bro
ken trunks, vaIiSes. clothing and papers,
which had evidently been gone through by
some one. Amid the debris l saw book,
picked it up, perceived it was 4 Bible, and
was about to throw it down when the in
scription caught my eyes Thinking that
perhaps my father might like TO have it as
Il relic, l placed it in my haversack and,
at the first opportunity, sent it home"
When Mr.. Smiths father died, in 1887,
the Bible was returned to. him, and since
that time it has lain, with other relics of
the late unpleasantness," in an unused
corner. \ short while ago, on reading The
National Tribune and seeing the name of
Gen. Steurat, it occurred to Mr.. Smith
that the name was the same as that in the
Bible. An investigation proved this to be
correct and. thinking that the Bible might
be valued by the General or some of his
family, he was prompted to write to The
| National Tribune.
In the back of the Bible is written;
Captured in rebel wagon. April 6, 1860,
by Abram Smith. Co. D, 10th n. Y. Regi-
ment, Third Brigade, Second Division,
Second Carps, and presented by him to his
father, Charles ii. Smith