The Washington herald., 1915-01-31

for the four years in cash value at
$s,291, ,207.
Had 5000 workers.
Everything given the commission
was distributed to the soldiers. There
were 5000 delegates of the commission
in the field. first and last, and these
5000. mostly clergymen, averaged
thirty-eight days of service each. They
provided for the soldiers 29,OOO'OOO
copies OF religious weeklies, or month
lies, 10000 900 copies-of tracts, S.0OO,-
900 knapsack books. and various other
publications. both religious and secu-
lar. besides 100000 pages OF writing
paper with envelopes.
The cash expenditure for magazines
and papers amounted to $1.O0O.0O0.
The value OF the stores and supplies
delivered aggregated SS,642.6sS. The
diet kitchen work, original with the
commission. and the special care of
Annie Wittenmyer. cost $4,000; army
teams and incidentals were figured at
$4,000; salaries and expenses at half
a million; expense Of chapels, chapel
furniture and canvas for the chapel
rooms. S144.5s3.
Providing ChapeIs.
One striking feature of the commits
sion's work was the provision OF
places of worship for the soldiers.
From the earliest days in the war,
through the efforts of chaplains in the
field. the churches at home and the
eNertions of interested individuals,
chapel tents were a familiar feature in
all the winter camps in the army.
On the approach OF the winter of
1864 the commission began to pro-
vide these chapels. In November, 1863,
there were four army tents at the
Brandy Station camp of the Army OF
hn tvh ha IA nf he
United States Christian Commission.
John A Cole, one of the agents of the
commission. suggested the furnishing
by the commission of sufficient
amount of canvas to cover the roof-of
a chapel II the army people would
rear the sides.
BY December 90 the commission had
furnished six chapel tents and forty
canvas roofs for chapels to be erected
by the soldiers. The walls were made
of pine logs, split lengthwise, the in
ner side of each piece being smoothly
hewn with an ak. These timbers were
stuck upright in the ground, with the
smooth side inward. For the roof the
canvas fly was quickly adjusted. Rude
benches without backs formed the
seats. The pulpit. furniture, lamps, etc,
were provided by the commission.
The cost of a chapel tent was 1925,
and of a cnvas roof 5000. For some
permanent stations there were erected
chapels OF timber throughout, and a
few portable structures were sent
from Cincinnati to points in the West
ern field.
OF the Christian Commission chapels
in the armies (East and west) there
was computed to be at the beginning
of the Wilderness campaign in May,
1864, at least 140.
4 Model Army Chapel.
In the siege of Petersburg. during
the winter OF 1S64-5, the army chapel
reached its highest development. A
model chapel was that at Meade's Sta
tion on Grants military railroad from
City Point to the front. This was
dedicated in January. The building
was erected by soldiers, under the su-
pervision of Lieut.. Thomas Charters,
of Brooklyn. n. Y. agent of the COM
mission for the Ninth Corps.
Thousands OF men from all parts OF
the army visited this station to see
this chapel Visitors from the North
rarely departed without entering IL.
The chapel was 23x43 feet, having on
the front a porch SKI. which was
mounted by belfry and spire fifteen
| feet high. The spire was made OF
small pine poles, which were arranged
in squares and triangles. an attractive
piece of rustic work. The front door
| was Win Ine Same slyle OF
work and the flag of the commission
hoated above.
! Walks lined with young trees di-
vided the chapel lot into squares.
Inside the ceiling and walls were as
fresh looking and neat as the white
canvas above and and the split pine
around could make them. The rafters
were trimmed with cedar. evergreen
and holly. having a wreath suspended
from the center. Three poles wound
with evergreens hung from the ridge
pole. from which were suspended kero-
sene lamps.
The front gable end was covered
with evergreens. having in the center
the corps badge-a shield bearing a
cannon and anchor, surrounded with a
wreath. The rear end had a back
ground OF white muslin. Three wreaths
adorned 1t. The pulpit was five feet
wide. ornamented with pine rods artis-
tically arranged. This was the work
OF Lewis Cole, a private in the Nine
teenth New York Battery.
Services at the Front.
The services at the front were much
alike.
Chaplain H. A. Reid. Of the Fifth
Wisconsin Volunteers. thus described
those for his regiment:
we hold divine service at 1880
at p. m. and prayer meeting at p.
m; social religious meeting Tuesday
evening, and prayer meeting Thurs
day evening.
These meetings are all well at
tended. and heartily engaged in by the
men. We have an excellent choir,
consisting OF twelve or thirteen MEM
bers. and among them seven commits
stoned officers. with our colonel him
self as chorister. The other evenings
OF the week are occupied for lyceum,
spelling school and choir practice.
"Once or twice a week 1 go through
the regiment. and also out along the
picket line, with my haversack full of
the books. tracts. pamphlets and pa
pers, so literally supplied by the COM
mission. and give every soldier some
thing. which they always gladly and
thankfully receive"
The body as well as the soul was re-
membered by the agents OF the COM
mission. Its missionaries not only
brought chapels. but reading rooms
and material comforts. The comfort
bag" of the Christian Commission will
never be forgotten by the war veter-
ans. Then they had coffee distribut-
ers, and loan libraries and precious
pens and paper and even letter writers. ,
For these reasons even the nonrell- !
gious welcomed the man wearing a ]
Christian Commission badge.