The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-01
WAR MEMORIES
OF A CHAPLAIN
(Continued from first pagr.l

fContinued from first paee.)
soldier dead on almost every great battle
field in the South, from Bull Run to APP
pomattox e ,urt House.
1t was frequently the case that oul
army, in fighting or moving over the sit'
of former battle. came upon evidences OF
neglect of the dead in the earlier contest
And one of the fearful Accomplishments o.
such a war as this was the offensive pol
soning of the air in many instances. durln.
the Summer months, by the unburied deat
on the field between the opposing lines
Often an arrangement was made by fla:
of truce for the hurried burial of these
dead where they lay; tut again, the hourly
expectation OF hostile movement stood IL
the way of such an arrangement.
Even during the last year of the war
In Virginia, where the dead We're number
ef by thousands in n s.ESie great battle
and the soldier graves Wee great trenchc:
in which the dead We're hurriedly lait
and quickly covered, the memories whici
stand out in a Chaplain recol.ections arr
Of a single soldier grave here and there
where fallen Zero was laid to rest by III;
loving comrades. and a tender prayer was
spoken above him. To cay that 2.UUO OF
10000 men are killed i'll a great battle
or that 1000 of the dead are buried III one
great trench, produces thlI a vague I'M
preston ON the mind at the fullest. The
is too much in this to be truly personal t.
you. But to know one man who is sho
down by your side, and to aid in burylni
him, while his conn GdeS stand with vol
above his open grave, is more real mat
ter to you than the larger piece OF as
founding information.
During Il fierce attack on our lines al
Bermuda Hundreds. in the Spring of 1854
a spherical case shot crashed through the
head of a soldier of our regiment not siS
feet from ne, as we stood back of oul
line of low rifle pits. His pleasant face
actually disappeared as l was looking a
it. When few minutes later, as we
having repealed the attack, had a brief lu.
there at the front, knowing, as we id
that we might be orde. ed elsewhere within
an hour. we dug Il grave near where thai
soldier fell. wrapped him in an army blan
ket, and laid him there at lest. The
words of prayer which l then spoke were
hearty words, and the soldier hearts
which thrObbed in sympathetic response
were warm and loving hearts. That en-
tire incident occupied scarcely more than
30 minutes. 1t made no show in the Off
cial report, but it filled more hearts than
one at the time, and it has permanent
place in niy memory.
BERMUDA HUNDREDS FRONT.
Not far from that time, while the enc
my was still pressing our Bermuda Hun
dreds front, and firing was going Oh al
along the line, as | was passing from one
point to another, through the open woods
came upon group of soldiers burying q
young patriot who had just fallen at his
post l stopped to offer my services
The dead soldier was hardly more
than boy i'll Years, but he was already
a re-enlisted veteran. His arms were
still in the position of holding his rifle tc
cock it for firing. The thumb and fore.
finger of his right hand was still holding
the percussion cap, which he was putting
on the nipple of his rifle when a builei
passed through his lips and out through
the base of his brain. killing him instant
~. An Ole soldier standing by the grave
who had just lost his own son in battle
pointing to the percussion cap in the
death-grip of the young soldier, said il
loving, patriotic pride:
''You see, Chaplain, John died doing his
duty"
As l spoke tender words of appreciation
and sympathy to those dear soldiers, re-
minded them that as John died doing his
duty, it was for us to live OF to die doing
our duty All barred their heads reverend,
as l prayed for che mourning loved one.
of the dead. for us and for ours, and fol
our struggling country. | heard sobs OF
sympathetic sorrow from the brave mei
as they stood for a moment in this duty
before turning again to the sterner real
tiles of our soldier life, of which remind
ers we're coming to us in the passing bull
lets and the distant ringing rifles. and
felt how good it was to have the priv
lege of doing anything for such men il
such cause.
There were little soldier graveyard
or burial places, all along the front
or just back from the 'front.' on the sieg;
line before Petersburg aud Richm nj. dur
ing that last year of the war. i I'd the
were solitary soldier graves ice ant
there, marked by a rudely painted head
board, made from the cover of a cracker
box, or Of an ammunition-box. giving tn,
name and battalion and date of death o,
the dead soldier. In the nature of things
there could be no permanency to tines,
graves as resting places fol- the dead, bu
they bore witness TO the natural desire o.
men to bury their dead, and to mark th,
hailowed spot, If by any means they nigh
do SO.
BEFORE PETERSBURG.
Before Petersburg there seemed to b.
army graves, as there were death dealin;
batteries, everywhere. Away al the front
a single grave ON a barren sand-hill. Tw,
or three graves under a solitary tree wcr,
not far from these. Half a dozen graves
In row were on the plain below. Othe
graves apart or collected were on this SD,
and that. Yet there was no rest there
even In death. The roar OF artillery anc
the rattle of musketry shook continual,
the narrow beds of those worn out sol
diers. Often the thin covering of tn
grave was torn off By a cannon-shot.
saw shell strike and explode in the yer,
center of Pennsylvania soldiers grave
but few yards from me as il TO arous
him again to action, and remind him tina
he might not sleep while the war went on
There before Pete sburg it seemed a
times hard either to keep cut of the grave
or to keep III ones grave. or to get one L
his grave. Ii was toilsome living or dyip;
IN that terrible siege. At points the ad
vanced yidet-pits of the two sides wer
within stones throw of each other an,
within short rifle range of the main works
When hostilities were most active. Ii wa
not an easy matter to get to, or TO ge
from videt-pit, and one must kee
under close cover while there. Me-
on duty there could be relieved onI
by night, and then as quietly a
possible. If soldier raised head O
hand above the low earth bank BY day
chew came bullet past him. or .chug'
came bullet into him IN some case
the soft crown of the low bank of thos
pits was actually cut down from six to l
inches-chipped away by repeated bulIe,
hits-in one busy day, and must be re