The National tribune., 1902-11-13
WAR MEMORIES
OF A CHAPLAIN.
Continued from first page,

ments on the front, in Virginia, in August,
1864, the men of our brigade were lying
down, or sitting up, in the open woods
back of hastily reconstructed line of
works. Bullets were whisting through
the air, and an occasional shell shrieked
past us over our heads. We had at that
time in the war become strangely fami-
liar with the various sounds of flying bull
lets. We could tell tie difference between
the ''whish' of smoothbore musket-ball
and the spiteful ''tsse" OF n n1inie-riie bui-
! let. We knew when its force was nearly
spent. and when it was flying at deadly
speed. We could measure also quite ac
curately its relative distance from us. If
/ Il struck near by, we knew the ''thud'' of
Il tree cushion from the hub of a ground
stroke. And. more than all, We could de-
tect the oEIinous silence of n bullet inter-
rupted in midhight. as it noiseessly
buried itself in . human body.
A cHAPLAIN's PASTORAL WORK ON THE
BATTLE FIELD.
As I sat that morning with my face to-
ward the earthworks. hurriedly writing
on q home letter, / heard that peculiar
sound. or that cessation of sound, that
told me a man was hit very near me.
Starting up and looking behind me, I saw
a young officer who had received the bull
let, and the blood was squirting up from
the wound in his neck. He was on his
back, his eyes were closed, and the look
Of death seemed already on his face.
Thrusting my thumb and finger into the
gaping wound, as the blood spurted up. my
wrist l seemed to catch his failing life
and to stop the blood-fow. Feeling the
outgoing of his life thus stayed, he looked
up, opened his eyes. and said gratefully:
| ''Oh! that feels good, Chaplain"
Looking around at the gathering crowd,
l cold loft
rear, for Surgeon. Hurry now! hurry!"
had, as it were, his life between my
thumb and finger. A slip or failure on
my part would be fatal to him. How
long / must wait l could not tell. Stretch
ing myself out into as easy position as
possible, to rest my extended. arm, lay
alongside of him, and had n pastoral talk
with a parishioner. He told me of his
home dear ones, and gave me loving mes
sages for them. He spoke of his personal
rest of faith, and | prayed with and for
him tenderly. AS we lay there in this
life-and-deatb embrace, / heard a move
ment above me, and looking up. / saw
gladly the green sash of q Surgeon.
The bullet had struck the sub-cla vian
artery. My thumb and finger in the
wound had proved the needful compress
to prevent the outflow of his life-blood.
The Surgeon skilfully took the matter in
hand. The artery was taken up, and the
officer was soon on his way to the hospi-
tai at the rear. That was n specimen in
cident in Chaplain's pastoral work on
the battlefield.
DELICATE POSITION OF THE ARMY CHAP
| LAIN.
A Chaplain, in his intercourse with his
men, had the advantage of being a COM
missoned officer, while he mingled with
the men as brother man. The men were
-. IL H. L..
| 4 means of securing Information of what
was going on in official circles. At the
same time they enjoyed the privilege of
growing at the Chaplain as one of the Off
GERS when things were not going ON salts
factOrily in the sphere of their command
ers or of the Government. This was a
delicate position for the Chaplain, while
it gave him an advantage if he used it
wisely. He must necessarily allow con-
siderable freedom to the men in speaking
of their personal opinions and their sup
posed causes of complaint, yet he must
never countenance insubordination or con-
tempt for authority. If he would be good
natured and kindly in meeting and check
| ing the growing spirit, the men as whole
would recognize the wisdom of his course,
and aid him against the growler.
1t was my habit in camp to go from
street to street through the regiment at
the leisure hour of the day, after supper
and before tattoo, and talk with them
familiarly as they gathered to meet me at
the head of each company street. In this
way / would draw their fire of complaints,
and try to get them in goOd-humor for an
other "a hours. In the Fall of 1862,
President Lincoln had issued his Emanci-
patton Proclamation. There was a good
deal of feeling about it, in the army as
well as outside. Not all were ready for
| it. As / went to one of the company
Ist of that firpa a SprUpapt 1cpOStad
me. before the others, with the question:
Chaplain, do you think President Lin
coin had any right to issue that proclama-
tion?'
Seeing he was in no mood to discuss the
question, | replied: Il suppose he thought
he had, Sergeant"
The other men laughed at this rejoinder,
and the Sergeant said testify:
"Well, 1 suppose a soldiers got right
to hold his own opinions, Chaplain-hasn't
he?"
"Oh, yes!" said, eff he'll take care and
hold 'em, and not always be singing them
| around carelessly before Others"
Sergeant" said one of the listeners.
hadn't you better go into your tent. and
take little something warm, and lie
| DOWN."
And l moved on to the next street, leav-
| ing those men in better humOr with them
selves in fresh view of their duties and
A STRANGE CHARACTER.
There were strange characters, as well
as strange experiences. encountered in my
army parish work. The army brought all
sorts of persons together, and the Chap
lain had to become acquainted with and
interested in them all. While at st.
Augustine, Fla, in the Winter of 1868 ga
part of our regiment did garrison duty
at the fortress of San Marco, the old
Spanish coquina fort, with its bloody men,
ories and the weird legends of its former
occupants. l was accustomed to hold
Sunday-schoOl services each Sunday after
noon, and also mid-week evening services
in the little chapel opposite the main en-
trance of the fort. Just outside of that
chapel there was a pile of rusty cannon,
on which men would sometimes loll while
we were having services inside. And as
moved about the fort ] had many a talk
with men whom rarely met so familiarly
elsewhere.
One day, as was walking through the