Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-01-15

Civil War Revival.

lures Of the Civil War; says an old eX-
Confederate, "was the great revival of
religion in the Confederate armies dur
ing the last eighteen months of the
struggle.
while most of the Confederate sol
diers were loath to admit it, after the
fall of Vicksburg, which opened the
Mississippi and cut the Confederacy in
two, and the awful defeat at Gettys-
burg which proved the impossibility of
a successful invasion of the North, 1t
became clear to every thinking man in
the South that the cause was lost. And
yet, self-convinced that they were in
the right, the soldiers could not per-
suade themselves but that in some mys-
ferrous way they would win. They
hoped that complications between the
United States government and Great
Britain would take place, and when
this hope was disappointed they looked
confidently for trouble with France over
the Mexican affair. Nothing came Of
it, however, and still the poor fellows
chung to their hope of help from some
unexpected quarter until some of them
actually came to believe that supernat-
ural aid would be extended at the last
moment.
''The chaplains in the Southern army
were as rule very earnest, devout
men, and encouraged the hopes Of the
soldiers, until finally both chaplains
and men came to believe that earnest
prayer and supplication would bring
about divine intervention in their be-
half.
But the chaplains told the men they
must first, as they expressed 1t, get
right with God themselves So the men
proceeded at once 'to seek their own
salvation The movement first began
in the Tennessee army and among the
regiments from the mountain districts
Of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennes-
see Most extraordinary scenes were
witnessed in the camps. AT night, af-
ter long days march, perhaps Skin
mishing OF fighting from dawn till dark,
the men would gather round the fires,
eat what little rations they had-and
the rations were often very unequal to
their needs-then pray and sing, often
until long after midnight.
1.-THE preachers were everywhere.
They went from one camp fire to an
other, encouraging those who were 'un-
der conviction praying with those who
were grooming and crying, shouting
with those who thought they had re-
1igion, clapping their hands, roaring
'Hallelujah,' and in every way seeking
to promote the excitement which had
already passed beyond their control.
Many men seemed actually crazed with
religious enthusiasm. 1t seems para
doxical to say it, but whole groups
could be seen in a sort of hysteria cry
ing and laughing at the same time, en-
| bracing one another and performing
antics that would have justified look
eron in the belief that they were all
| insane Many cases of the jerks oc-
| Cured, many of the soldiers went into
| frances, some had visions, and one
| member of a Tennessee regiment
claimed to have a revelation which
| foretold the coming of Jesus Christ,
with twelve legions of angels to assist
| the Confederate cause OF course the
poor man was insane; he afterwards
many like him, and many, too, who
| believed in him and his prophecies. But
no wonder can be felt at the numerous
cases Of insanity, both religious and
otherwise, which occurred in the Con-
federate armies during the last year
of the war The commissary depart
| ment went to pieces, during half the
time the men were almost starving,
their clothing was in rags, few had
overcoats, and after cold rain, such
as often occurs during a Southern win
ter. their condition was Ditfful, and the
more so because, in many divisions,
there were no hospital tents and the
doctors had neither medicines nor ade-
quate facilities for caring for the sick
| or dressing the wounds of those
brought in from the field. The relig-
ions excitement was a sort Of last re-
sort. Every earthly hope had failed
and the poor men seemed to convince
themselves that as they had no chance
in this world, help might come to them
from a supernatural source"
The Slain in Battle.
| Let us see how men killed each other
in the past when firearms were not
modern or did not exist, and when the
opportunity to kill in battle was much
greater than it is at the present time.
Edward III. and Philip VI. tilted with
each other at Crecy Aug. 26, 1916, and
the killed and wounded and prisoners
amounted in all to $4,000 men. The
English, although victorious, lost r.
CO., This was right royal fighting and
would have given war correspondents
remarkable material for bloody dis
patches. At Hohenlinden Dec. 8, 1900,
| the French loss was approximately
1900. while the Austrians in killed and
| q