The Irish standard., 1906-05-19
Heroic Confederate Chaplain.

green mound. headed by the simple
cross. that marks each grave within
| the enclosure. On the cross is Il name
and Il datr--nothng else to diSlin-
gush il from the other graves lying
beside it in the stiffness that rests over
this quiet quarter of Gods acre. Yet
Il hero sleeps there. and the heart that
| is now beneath the sod once beat to the
| martial music and knew not lhc mean
| ing of fear. albeit. ii held Il tender
| ness like that of IL woman. says the
Catholic sun.
Father Elemill was chaplain of the
Fourth Kentucky regiment nt--thr fa-
NOUS Orphan brigade of the Civil war
| aud will he remembered by his sur
vivms as Il her" and Il martyr. His
| interest. in aud devotion to-, the men
| in his command We're untagging, and
| endcurrd him to Protestant and Catllo-
| lir alike. No creed he know where
| scrvir" could be rrndcred none were
| sick or wounded but his gentle hands
wrr" miniSicrng to- them; to one
( d"W,i-lirartcd or distressed. but he WAS
near with words of rhccrfuncSs and
| sympathy. In every engagement his
| tall figure in it's prirStly garb could he
| seen whore III" fight wnS hottest. lift
| ing the helpless. sl,ccnring the wounded
| ar sending IL prayer to- heaven above
| the roar of TIL" muSkrtry. for some
| spirit departing in the mi,ls, "f battle.
II" was the regiments idol. unl his
| fai,hru!ucSs to his calling and The
! cause which he eSpouScd won the rev
| crrncc and vcnrrati"n of the sturdy
soldiers. until there WAS not one who
would not gladly have laid down his
life for the warrior priest.
! II WAS in the storm of battle that
death came to him. faithful unto the
end II WAS during the bloudy battle
OF JnncSburn. Ga. August 81. 1854.
| The :sS:,rltimg column had found ii
impossible I" move the Federal position
ana the order had been given to re-
treat. Gen Lewis WAS riding back in
the midst of his broken and dis"rd,rcd
cSimcnt. seeking shelter from tho
| storm of mnSkrtry and artillery that
| WAS still! kept up. AS he passed along
he saw Father Hlcmil kl,ccl beside the
pr"stTltc body of Captain Oracle. of IL
| South Carolina regiment. ana lift his
| hands in prayer for the dying officer
Ili!s experienced eye had probably
| seen that the man WAS wounded unto
death. and. friend or stranger. his
| lender heart vent out to him and he
stopped to offer Suprlicai"n to
heaven for the departing soul At the
instant II cannon bail from the cncmy's
ranks struck off the head of the heroic
priest. and his limp body fell beside
TIL" ON" he would have prayed for. In
the very act of asking mercy for II
dying soul his own took flight. He
died Hs he would have wished his con-
sccrntrd spirit seeking its Mn"tcr
straight from Inc field Of hattie and
in the discharge Of his duties as n
soldier of the Cross
They carried him to the rear. and
after tn" storm of shot ana shell i,,d
subsidized they tcndcrly wrapped Il
b:litIc-tnru Confederate Nag around the
! worn lricsily dress. and with stream
i,,.r t,t,
grave II hundred yards or more south
of the little station at Joncsbnro. Many
years afterwards. when Il branch of
the Confederate Memorials association
was formed there. they cxhuncd the
body of The her" priest and rcintcrrrd
it in tho Pat clcb,lrnc cemetery.
Here il rested between Captain
Oracle. for whom he had stopped to
pray, when killed. and a soldier named
Bencdictinc Fathers. to whose order
Father Blcmill belonged. brought his
remains to Nelson county.
Here, under the little white cross in
the silent bury ground at Gcthsemane.
all that is mortal of this heroic soul
has found it's last resting place. Truly,
it can be said of him that he fought
the good fight, that he kept the faith,
and that the love Of him glows in the
hearts of all who are left of the famous
Kentucky Orphan brigade.