New-York tribune., 1902-01-13
GENERAL STEUARTS BIBLE.
IT Is RETURNED TO HIM rHIRTY-sx YEARS
AFTER THE CIVIL WAR
From The Baltimore Sun.

AFTER THE CIVIL WAR.
From The Baltimore Sun.
e Bbe Jr %b orn back af ae aDd aHa
pages. a mute reminder OF the great civil strife
George n steuart brigadieT-ge@neral neral in the army
10 General Steuart by 'his friend. the enemy !"
Abram Smith. OF Long Beacn. Cal. a gallant Unicn
crate wagon. one Of train captured at sailors
Creek Virginia, a few days before the surrender
The Bible was returned to General Steuart
SaGoaal Tfbun aas oa G Organ Of the Grand
Army OF the Republic. recently published an inter-
States Army the plains before the war In The
smith, IN which he said he had seen and knew OF
many or the officers mentioned in the article He
also made made me mention OF the Bible on The y-eaf Of
Gen Geo H Steuart from his friend 4 r
Perkins, Jan. Il, 1855" Mr.. smith added that he
would be pleased to return the Bible TO any OF
General steuart's family.
Of The Sun, with the result that MI Smith was
communicated with and the sacred book returned
General Steuart said that the Bible was present.
ed TO him BY the Rev. Edmund T Perkins. OF the
Episcopal Church, whose labors among the sol
The general had small pocket Bible. which he
the Rev. Mr.. Perkins, he placed it in his valise
with MS dress uniform ana a few other valued
lines about Richmond and Petersburg were broken
4
suggested to the general that his brigade would
probably be hard pressed by the enemey, he had
better put his valise in a wagon Of the reserve
train. where it would be safer from capture in
This he did and, with the usual perversity OF fate
the reserve train was captured by the Federal cav
while the brigade wagons escaped capture. The
uniform which the general wore, like the wearer
dress parade, so that at the time the loss OF his
6ay Gny ha fansF Of 6e sbe caused MIN more
Following is Mr., Smiths story of how the Bible
1yH2l n ia
,o66a 9n Agp g. lSsS % M the d division to which be;
been marching on the flank OF Lees army. some
times in sight on nearly the same course, and
sometimes in collision. When We arrived at Sail
or's Creek the cavalry had run a part OF. think,
& EweIts & tram down IN the bottom next the creek
lanees, caiSsons, and, so far as 1 remember, some
been emptied and the contents scattered about The
bridge, across the creek being narrow some delay
clothing and pspers. which had evidently been
gone through by some one. Amid the debris I saw
book, picked IL up, perceived II was Bible and
caught my eyes. Thinking that perhaps my father
haversack, and at the first opportunity sent it
H whs M 9R 9 him. fh shd hss d II ha ISL 7n the II Bn haa
lain with other relics Of the late unpleasantness,
R osoued ad SO ssIE M h Smith that Of the
was the same that in the Bible. An investiga-
ton proved this to be correct, and thinking that
OF his family. he was prompted 20 write 10 The
Tribune
In the back of the Bible Is written; Captured
in rebel wagon, April g. 1865 by Abram Smith,
Company D, 10th New-York Regiment, Third Bri-
gade. Second Division Second Corps and presented
by him TO his father, Charles H. Smith"
The Bible is a small leather covered hook about
slaxS5a inches l. Is an oxford edition published
and is one OF those sent to the South through the
blockade. At the outbreak Of the Civil War nearly
all the large publishing houses were in the North
the @ sus aya nn h9 n 1881 81 mo no fSss s D for pnng
Bible Society granted the Confederate Bible So
cety unlimited credit in the purchase OF Bibles
Testaments and tracts Thousands OF these were
shipped TO the South swift blockade runners
The late Rev Moses D. Hoge, the eminent Pres
byterian divine who was sent abroad in the In
terest OF evangelical work in the army secured
fifteen thousand OF these Bibles Many OF them
yet treasured by aged veterans of the Lost
Cause