USA > Ohio > Concise history of the One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry : from the date of organization to the end of the rebellion ; with a complete roster of each company, from date of muster ; battles and skirmishes participated in, lists of the killed, wounded and missing, and other incidents of the camp and field > Part 15
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In the spring of 1850 he came to Franklin College and en-
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tered the junior class. Here, with the exception of one session, the summer of 1851, which he spent at home, he continued to pursue his studies until he was graduated in the fall of 1852. He was a diligent and accurate student, and graduated honorably in a class consisting of thirteen young men, a majority of whom are at present ministers of the gospel, usefully and honorably employed in their respective fields of labor. He studied Theol- ogy in the Associate Seminary at Canonsborough, finished his course in the summer of 1855, and was licensed by the Associate Presbytery of Ohio, in October the same year. During the fol-
lowing winter he preached as a probationer in Chartiers and Muskingum Presbyteries. On the twentieth of May, 1856, he was married to Miss Margaret McFarland, daughter of Judge McFarland, of New Athens, Ohio, and sister of Rev. James and William McFarland, who are highly esteemed ministers of the United Presbyterian Church. Capt. McCready obtained a wife, who, like woman when she at first came from the hand of her Creator, was truly a help-meet for him, drinking in deeply of the same spirit with himself. She cordially sympathized and co- operated with him in all his self-denying labors. But on the same week after his marriage, at a meeting of the Associate Synod in Pittsburg, he accepted a call from the Associate Con- gregation of Cadiz, and after making a short visit to his father's, he returned and commenced his labors in the congregation. He was ordained and installed over his charge by the Presbytery of Muskingum, August seventh, 1856.
And now commenced our brother's short but active end event- ful career, as a pastor and minister. As a pastor, he was kind, attentive, and social, but at the same time firm and consistent, and the consequence was that he soon gained a firm hold both of the affections and confidence of his people. As a preacher, in our judgment, he had few superiors. He was endowed by nature with a clear and penetrating intellect, which was highly culti- vated by study and richly stored with theological knowledge. His sermons were generally written, and were the result of dili-
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gent and careful preparation. His language was well selected and comprehensive; his style logical and energetic ; and his dis- courses as a whole well arranged. His delivery was not of that boisterous and declamatory kind which will excite the admira- tion of the crowd at first, but soon become wearisome or perhaps even disgusting. He was calm and deliberate, speaking generally in a familiar, conversational manner, but sometimes warming into deep or intense feeling, which however, in most cases was modestly restrained from breaking forth into noisy demonstra- tion. His voice was flexible and quite pleasant to the ear; his utterance very distinct and sufficiently rapid; and his appearance graceful and becoming.
His great aim in preaching the gospel evidently was to exhibit his subject and not himself to his hearers, and the art of doing this he possessed in an eminent degree. His manner was so nat- ural, his language so transparent, and his subject usually ex- hibited in such a clear and interesting light that the attention of his hearers was at once withdrawn from every thing else and wholly occupied with his subject. Such preaching, of course, would not, like that noisy declamation which so often hides its subject behind itself, draw to his own person the admiration of the multitude, nor acquire for him the reputation of a great or- ator; but it most effectually accomplished the design of all true oratory ; it enlightened the mind and carried conviction to the heart.
Capt. McCready volunteered in the service of his country August fourteenth, 1862. This important step, we have reason to believe, was taken by him under a deep conviction of duty, after mature and prayerful reflection. He had ever regarded slavery as a crying wrong, a crime of unparalleled enormity, as "the sum of all villainies." He knew that the struggle in which our Government was engaged was a struggle with the slave power of the Nation, which causelessly, yea, shamelessly rebelled against the Government, in order to secure the extension and perpetuation of this horrible and cruel system of wrong. The
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Government, in its extreme need, had called for six hundred thousand men. Recruiting had been going on for some time, and had become quite difficult, and yet it was necessary to raise, at least, one company more in order to furnish to the Gov- ernment the quota of the county. In these circumstances he thought he was called, in the providence of God, to devote himself and his influence to the service of the country, and to give a practical demonstration of the sincerity of his faith and profession, by sharing with others, and especially with the young men of his own charge, in the labors and perils of this bloody strife between liberty and slavery. But the reader will best judge of the views and feelings which prompted him to this course from the following extract, taken from a letter written by him to his congregation a little more than two months after he entered the service: "Your pulpit was not silent in regard to those sins which have convulsed the land. Nor did it give an uncertain non-committal sound, taking its cue from the dictations of party politics. It was ' known and read of all men.' Seven years ago, when thousands of statesmen and divines, who are now with it, were against it, it preached what it preaches to-day, and what all the pulpits are coming rapidly to preach. It had not to be impelled by divine judgments. To these truths, which I have preached to you, dear brethren, if I fall in this struggle, I am a martyr. But for their influence, I had not been here. My home was as dear, my life as sweet, my congregation as near to me as others' are to them. As for official promotion, I was stepping down. As for money, I am probably losing. Besides, what is money compared with life and home comforts?
But you and I had raised up a standard for God's truth. We stood up for its divinity. We talked-the time came to act. God demanded sacrifices in its behalf. The clergy of the South had shown how much they were willing to dare for this error- this great self-evident lie-this blot upon civilization-this out- rage upon all religion and all virtue. God put the question to us: Were we willing to do and dare as much for truth, for lib-
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erty, for country ? What could I reply? I may fall! your be- loved sons and brothers may fall! Be it so. Our testimony in behalf of God's truth is not lost. You will reap the benefit of it in future years."
Our brother's influence was, at that time, the great means of raising the required quota of volunteers. Many young men from various parts of the county, and from other counties, en- listed under him who otherwise would not have entered the ser- vice. And many parents, in view of their sons going with him, consented for them to enlist.
The time that Capt. McCready spent in the army, before he received the fatal wound which terminated his life, was about one year and eight months. This period seems to have been the most busy portion of his active and busy life; and we trust it was spent profitably-not merely with reference to the temporal salvation of the country, but also with reference to the eternal salvation of sinners. For though he was required, as the captain of a company, to devote time and attention to military affairs, yet he was never forgetful of the fact that he sustained a more exalted and spiritual office, whose obligations were paramount; and though he deemed it necessary, for the time, to bear the carnal sword, yet he was always mindful of the fact that it was his chief business to wield the sword of the Spirit. Hence, during this period, he prepared sermons, preached on all appro- priate occasions, visited and conversed with the sick, and per- formed every other ministerial duty, as occasion offered. It was indeed to him a painful necessity that kept him so long away from his congregation, but still his heart was not the less in his appropriate work; he endeavored to improve his time and his official influence for the promotion of the cause of God and the interests of religion in the army. During this period he kept a diary, in which we find not only an interesting account of various incidents that attracted his attention, but also many of his daily thoughts, meditations, and prayers. It reveals to us much of the hidden man of the heart. It informs us of secret
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communion enjoyed, and of spiritual blessings sought and con- ferred, to which the world is a stranger. It shows us that our brother, in the midst of the surrounding wickedness of the camp, and in prospect of the dangers of battle, often sought and found a Peniel where he wrestled with God, and no doubt "had power with him." Much indeed might be extracted from this diary which would be highly interesting and instructive to the reader, but it would require more space than we wish to occupy. We camot, however, pass without presenting at least one meditation and prayer which was intensely interesting to us, and we think will be so to others. We present it not only as a consoling evi- dence of the true piety of the dead, but also as an important ex- ample for the imitation of the living:
CAMP MARTINSBURG, VIRGINIA, JANUARY 1, 1863.
"I am in good health. Have been in the service since August fourteenth, four months and sixteen days. These months have been months of mercy to me. During that time I have been fit for duty, except about two weeks. My wife, in the providence of God, was permitted to visit me and remain almost a month. Our fare has been good and our marches easy. My sick brother has gone home. In a religious point of view, my lot has not been quite so pleasant. Still I have been preserved from bring- ing disgrace upon the cause of God by any irregularity in my walk, and I hope I enjoy the favor of my God. Imperfect as I am, I greatly desire to say : 'Above all things thy face, Lord, seek, will I.' And now I would desire, above all things, God's blessing upon myself, and wife, and friends. I deem it proper, therefore, this day, in view of my circumstances, to mark this day, by a brief prayer to God, and a dedication of myself, soul and body, to him anew, until I shall see how it it will go with me.
"I, therefore, J. S. McCready, on this first of January, 1863, in the presence of God and his holy angels, in this my tent, alone, so far as this world is concerned, do again, as I have often done before, give myself, my wife, and all I have to God, and do this
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day avouch the Lord to be my God in Christ. And I solemnly swear with uplifted hand to be on the Lord's side, his Spirit as- sisting me, to be faithful to his cause, to live in his fear, and to make him my reliance in those dangers and trials of which I have reason to expect this year to be fruitful. So help me God, Father, Son, and Spirit, to keep this bond for Christ's sake, whereunto I do this day affix my hand and seal.
J. S. MCCREADY, [SEAL.]
His diary indeed abounds much in ejaculatory prayers and thanksgivings, indicating a high degree of spiritual-mindedness. He seems to have been eminently conformed to the Apostle's direction: "Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
In the providence of God, Capt. McCready, in that terrible battle, when Lieutenant-General Grant commenced those battles before Richmond, was mortally wounded. This battle com- menced on the fifth of May, 1864, though the regiment to which he belonged was not properly engaged in it till the day following. We have been told that when soldiers enter into those battles in which they are wounded or slain, they not unfrequently have strange or unaccountable impressions upon their minds, which seem almost like premonitions of what is to take place. I will not affirm anything of this kind in the case of our brother; he seems, however, to have entered into this battle with more than ordinary apprehensions of danger. This will appear from the following extract taken from his diary: "May sixth, 1864 .- I write this in line of battle. 'There is no evasion for us.' We are in for this battle, and a desperate one it is to be. Had prayers at daylight, are in plain hearing of the enemy's axes, which have been going on a great part of the night, fortifying. May God protect myself and company, bless my own dear wife and friends, and give us the victory. It is my desire, if I should be killed and this should fall into the hands of friend or foe, that
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it be sent to my wife. Her address is, Mrs. Rev. J. S. McCready, Cadiz, Ohio."
Our brother was not mistaken in his anticipations with respect to the impending conflict. The battle that day raged with ter- rific fury; the maddened hosts on both sides charged against one another with fearful impetuosity, and their blood was poured out like water. The regiment to which he belonged, as we learn from his diary, made a charge about eight o'clock in the morn- ing, but was slowly repulsed a short distance. In this charge a few of his men were wounded and captured. Some time after this, while the battle was raging not far off, he offered up the following prayer, which he has left on record in his diary, prefaced thus: "A prayer suggested by hearing our poor boys struggling with the rebel hosts on our left. Lord God of hosts, pity our poor boys, and shield them in mercy. Make their arms strong, and their hearts strong, with confidence in thee at this fearful moment. O Lord, our cause is just. Thou art with the right. We need and deserve chastening; but, O Lord, in thy great compassion, blot out our sin. May 'the terror of God be upon our enemies,' as in the days of old. I thank thec that I am spared after the fearful ordeal through which we have passed to-day, and that the wounded in my company are so few, com- pared with those of others. I humbly take this as thy work. showing that 'it is no vain thing to serve thee.' And thou knowest that, by leaving my pulpit, and coming out from a sense of duty, I am trying to serve thec by a public and constant avowal of my regard for thy name. O Lord, let me live in thy sight. Bless me, my wife, my country, my congregation, my friends, thy church, through Christ our Son, forever. Amen !'
Capt. McCready was soon to pass through a more severe or- deal. About six o'clock in the evening he was wounded in his left arm, between the elbow and wrist, and afterwards carried off the field, by some of his own company, weak and exhausted from the loss of blood; he was carried from four to six miles,
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part of the way on gum blankets and part of the way on stretch- ers, only reaching his resting-place about half an hour before day-light the next morning.
We shall present to the reader his own account of the circum- stances in which he received his wound: "The rebels made a charge on our right, a little before sun-down on the 6th. I was confident we would repulse them, and could have done so, but some of our men acted shamefully, and broke, thus giving them the chance to enter our works. I greatly desired them to charge in front of our works, confident that we could repulse them. Soon, however, they were in our works on the right, and company after company breaking. Reluctant of the idea of leaving our works, which seemed the way to ruin, I compelled or rather told, for they did not need compulsion-my men to remain. At length it became evident that we must leave. Seeing some rebels coming near, I bade our boys to fire, and as I did, I was shot in the left arm between the wrist and elbow. I had not expected it, though I was not surprised at it ; and in my heart I thanked God that I could acquiesce in his will, and that it was no worse a wound than it was, and that it was in my left arm. At this point I had to shift for myself. Bearing off to the left for some reason, I ran angling across the enemy's fire, until I had gone, say fifty yards. My hat caught a limb, which it drew with it some distance, when the limb tore it off, and flung it a rod or two back toward the enemy. I concluded I could not afford to pay the price of go- ing back among the rebels to recover it. I recollect perfectly the decision of the moment, which must have been made in going a step or two. It was not fear that deterred me, I feel sure. I re- gretted to lose my hat, and something almost led me to go back. But I remember deciding that it was wrong to put my life in so much peril for a hat. Having gone thus far, for the first time, I felt weak, and the thought that I was loosing blood occurred to me, and looking down I saw it was pouring down my side and leg. I felt as though I could not go much further. And seeing a small tree, I went to it with the intention of throwing myself
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on the ground behind it, but could not brook the idea of falling into the hands of the rebels, and then I knew it would subject-
The above seems to have been written by our brother after he reached Fredericksburg, Va., on his way to Washington, D. C., and from some cause it breaks off' thus abruptly in the middle of a sentence. Probably the pain and exhaustion arising from his wound prevented his writing further at that time, and afterwards he was never able to finish it. After his wife met him at Wash- ington, however, he related to her some further incidents which may be of some interest to the reader. By information from her, then, we learn that the weakness from loss of blood, of which he speaks above, resulted in a swoon; he fainted and lay some time on the ground in a state of insensibility. After com- ing to, he found himself in great danger from the bullets, which were whistling round him, and looking about he saw a small ravine or ditch, in which he laid himself down for protection. This place was to him literally "a covert from the storm." While he was lying here a perfect storm of bullets from either side, at times, swept along the ground, passing so close to him, that if he had stretched up his hand, it would have been literally riddled by them. In the meantime the Rebels drove our men back, and held the ground for some distance beyond where he was lying. In these circumstances a rebel officer and four or five rebel soldiers came along and took refuge in the same place where he was lying. After awhile, Capt. McCready pulled out his diary to look at some things in it. The'rebel officer asked him for it; it was handed to him, and after looking over it a little, he re- turned it again. But at length our men began to drive the rebels back, so that it became necessary for the officer and his men to leave in order to avoid being captured. As they were leaving, however, one of the rebel soldiers cocked his gun and turned it towards Capt. McCready to shoot him, but the officer instantly catching him by the shoulder, turned him round, and ordered him to go forward, and thus Capt. McCready was left without injury.
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But truly it was a critical moment; there was but a step be- tween him and death. His appointed time, however, had not yet come. But our men having then recovered the ground, Capt. McCready was afterwards found by one of his own com- pany, and carried off the field. He had his wound dressed the next day, and he was afterwards sent, along with some others, in an ambulance to Fredericksburg, which was reached after forty- eight tedious hours of travel. From Fredericksburg he was sent to Emory Hospital, near Washington, at which place he arrived, May 17, 1864. Here, in the course of a few days, his wife came to him, and continued to attend him, with the deepest solicitude and the most untiring vigilance.
While he remained here his sufferings were at times very se- vere ; "he was chastened with pain upon his bed, and the mul- titude of his bones with strong pain." He had a hemorrhage from his arm, and nearly bled to death, on May 19th, two days after he arrived at the hospital. His arm was then more care- fully dressed, and it was thought would get better; but on the 17th of June, when he had recovered a little from his extreme debility, it broke out and bled again. And after this these hemorrhages followed one after another more frequently, until at length his physician concluded that it was indispensably neces- sary to amputate his arm. This was done July 6th, when, on ex- amination, some pieces of the bullet were found still remaining in the arm.
Capt. McCready now seemed to recover a little, and about the first of August, Hon. John A. Bingham, who showed him no little attention and kindness during his affliction, had him brought from the hospital to his own room in Washington, which was a much more comfortable place. Here he still seemed to get a little better till the 20th of August, when he left Washington, in the hope that by resting a few days in Baltimore and some other places by the way, he might get home. He stop- ped in Baltimore at the house of Mr. W. K. Carson, a ruling elder in the United Presbyterian congregation of that city. But
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he had not long been there till he took a severe chill, and then he continued to go down gradually until Sept. 7, 1864, when about eight o'clock in the evening, he calmly fell asleep. Peace- ful was his departure, for that faith that actuated him in life was his stay and support in death, and hope, that "anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, which entereth into that within the veil," kept him firm and immovable, when deep called unto deep, and when the waves of affliction and billows of death passed over him. Rev. J. P. Little, who visited Capt. McCready during his last illness, and had the opportunity of inquiring into his views and feelings with reference to death, in a letter to the writer, speaks of him as follows : "This long period of his suffering, I have reason to believe, was with him a season neither clear nor dark ; but at the evening time it was light. The clouds cleared away, the sun of righteousness shone forth, and he departed in peace."
We had not the sad but much desired privilege of seeing and conversing with our dear brother during his last affliction; but from the friends who were with him we learn that in his severe and long-protracted suffering, he manifested a patience and resignation that gave clear evidence of the presence and power of that faith, which, by contemplating and realizing the glories of the future world, overcomes the trials as well as the allurements of the pres- ent. At times, indeed, he suffered not only from outward but also from inward trouble; he knew what it was to have spiritual conflicts with the doubts and fears of remaining unbelief; and generally his religious experience seems to have not been so much that of triumphant assurance, as that of humble and prayerful reliance. But as he drew near to the end of life, his faith grew stronger, the darkness of doubt and fear vanished away, and the light of divine consolation shined brighter and brighter. And when his physician told him, some time before his death, that he could not live long. he expressed the emotions of his heart in the following language :-
"My thirsty sont longs veh'mently, Yea, faints, thy courts to sco ; My very heart and flesh ery ont, O living God, for thee !"
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Thus, confident and " willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord," he departed, as we trust, to those blessed abodes where sorrow and sighing, sickness and death, can never come. He has left behind a noble example not only of Christian piety, but also of firm and self-denying patriotism. His age at the period of death was thirty-six years, four months, and twenty-three days. He had labored in the ministry between eight and nine years. These labors, we trust, have "not been in vain in the Lord." Had he lived in the days of religious persecution, he would, no doubt, have been a martyr. As it was, he came to his end by the exercise of that Christian fortitude which will follow what is believed to be the path of duty at all hazards, and which will resist even unto blood, striv- ing against sin.
CAPT. RICHARD M. LYONS.
The following are biographical sketches sent by Mrs. Martha McFarland, of St. Clairsville, Ohio, (formerly Mrs.Capt. Lyons.)
These sketches were published in Harrison County papers at the time of the Captain's death.
SKETCH NO. 1.
Richard Miles Lyons, son of Mr. John and Mrs. Mary Lyons, was born in Harrison Co., Ohio, on the 11th day of July, 1831. Being blessed with a pious parentage, he enjoyed the advantages of an early religious education-based upon the Word of God and the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church, of which his fath- er is a Ruling Elder-the blessed results of which were seen in his after life.
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