The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1908-05-28
THE PRINCETON UNION: IA

TIL
the Grand Army of the Republic?
One chaplain tells of his regiment:
Mayor Granger was an Episcopalian,
Captain Comyn, who succeeded Col.
Ball, was Catholic. There were
Methodists, Episcopalians, Catholics,
Baptists, Congregationalists, Pres
byterians and others, all of whom
held the religious services in high
respect. There we're 1862 men who
could lead in prayer. Oliver Crom-
we'll would have been glad to have
that regiment among his Ironsides.
Did any of you here present belong
to that regiment? And how many of
you are qualified to lead off in a
prayer meeting? Or would you be
like a life insurance agent who
"worked" me in my younger days on
my first charge. He played the
"pious act" and got the preacher to
introduce him among the farmers.
All went we'll until at the supper
table pious farmer asked him to
"say grace" You should have
heard that prayer. It was evidently
the first he had ever made and needed
an apology. So he explained that he
had only recently been converted. he
did not turn up at the prayer meeting
in the little country church that night.
However will wager every one of
you soldiers prayed sometime in those
awful days. There was something
you were thankful for. Like the boy
who wrote home to his father
"Father I am thankful I was born
bow-legged for today cannon ball
passed through the natural crook. -
Or there was something you earnestly
desired, like the soldier of a Mime
sofa company who tipped the scales
at some 250 pounds. They were fight
ing the Indians and, surprised one
morning., had no defense. Every
soldier was hugging as close to
mother earth as he could. In the
midst of the battle when the bullets
were flying thick and planning off
whatever parts of the big mans
anatomy CHANGED to be uppermost, he
turned to little lean fellow next to
him who was lying as fat as founder
and said, "Gosh, but I wish I was as
little as you be-" That was an
earnest if not pious prayer.
The high and lofty spirit of sacrifice
and service typical of the American
soldier was described by Gen. Gar
field. He said that "the men of his
army were inspired with all the
heroism of antiquity and marched
with the spirit of Miltiades and
Themistocles and all the ancient
heroes in the air above them. See
that glorious soldier, Gen. Dan Nc
Cook, storming the heights of Ken
nesaw mountain at the head of his
troops. The summit was crowded
with rebel troops. The ascent was
precipitous. The men had to lift them
seves up by grasping the bushes and
branches. 1t was known to be almost
certain death to storm that height.
In a momentary pause Gen. McCook
was heard to mutter to himself. He was
reciting those we'll known lines from
McCauley's Lays of Ancient Rome:'
Then outspal1e brave Roratius,
The. captain of the gate:
To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples OF his gods:'''
A moment more and McCook rushed
up those heights leading his troops
and in two minutes he was dead
"F'or the ashes of his fathers and the
Temples of his Gods" "And,"
added Garfield, chow could man die
better?"
In the war how much depended
upon the fidelity of the private soldier
and the courage of the lone picket, or
many of whose names will not 20
down to history. How often was
character the decisive element in the
conflict.
When General Lee was raiding
he met his generals
upon the street in Chambersberg and
had a consultation in which it was
agreed to march on to Gettysburg. A
plain farmers boy up in the second
story heard the plans, followed the
troops until he saw them take the road
to Gettysburg, then he fastened to a
Office and sent a message to
Governor Curtin. The governor sent
for him and he was brought on a
special engine at the rate of 81 miles