USA > Virginia > Under the stars and bars ; a history of the Surry Light Artillery > Part 8
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From these sad topics, I gladly turn to a subject more agreeable-to the revivals of religion that are taking place in the city and throughout the army. There seems to be a great outpouring of the Spirit upon our people everywhere, at home, among the women, children
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and aged men, and in all divisions of the army. At Clay Street M. E. church, in Richmond, where our men attend most regularly, because the church is so near to our Camp, a great revival has been sometime in pro- gress, and several of my comrades have gone forward and accepted Christ as their Saviour. The congrega- tion at that church welcome the soldiers to their meet- ings most heartily, and work among them, and urge them with earnestness and zeal to accept the overtures of grace now, while they may. In consequence of these things, a great religious fervor pervades our Company, . and the pious members talk freely to their unconverted comrades on the subject of religion, and urge them to attend the meetings and read the religious tracts and papers that are offered them.
The newspapers of the day contain glowing accounts of the revival spirit, and spread of religion in the Army of Northern Virginia, and in the armies in Tennessee and at other points. There is a great awakening. God is visiting our land with the offers of His grace; and the future historian, when he comes to write up the record of this war, will leave the story but partly told if he fails to relate how the spirit of religion, and con- secration to Christ, swept through the Southern armies and churches in 1863. The narrative, if given in truth- fulness and completeness, will forin one of the most interesting chapters in the history of these times.
As the place where the several denominational de- positories of religious reading have their location, and
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where tracts, books, Testaments and religious papers are printed and kept for gratuitous circulation, the city of Richmond may be regarded as the head and centre of this glorious revival. May the good cause continue to increase and spread until every man in all the armies, both officers and privates, shall accept Christ as his Saviour and King.
The various commands around this city are being allowed furloughs at the rate of four to a Company at the same time, and some of the men have already secured theirs, and have visited their homes and have returned. Four are now absent at home.
This concession is a great boon to our men, who have been away from their homes so long, and the privilege of visiting friends and kindred once more is eagerly sought by the men. But as the names are taken in alphabetical order, those whose names are low down on the list are rather glum, fearing that the order will be revoked before their time comes.
The health of the Company is very good, and has been all the year. There are only three or four men in the hospital now, and, I believe, not a single case in camp. We have had but one death since the spring and early summer of last year, when our losses by death were heavy. One man-Isaac G. Jones-has lately been discharged from service on account of dis- ability, and has returned home. His disease was
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phthisis pulmonalis, and he had been in hospital half the time since he joined the Company in 1861. He was an original member.
Another man-William Crocker, of Isle of Wight- has also been returned home, for inefficiency. Our Ith Corporal, Samuel A. Moody, has recently died, while at home on furlough. He was a young and promising soldier, and his death is much lamented.
Our location so near the city, and the privilege of procuring permits almost daily, offer the boys oppor- tunity of buying plenty of books to read, and there are now in camp books enough to form a considerable library. But books, of course, are a prohibited article fur a soldier on the march. Nothing but articles of absolute necessity are allowed him then, and these darling books will have to remain behind when we move again.
Good-by, and pray for the soldiers.
Your friend, B.
[ The two men named in this letter as having been discharged from service, and the one that died, cover, I believe, the entire loss of the Company for the year 1503. But the gain, by new recruits, during the year was considerable, and was, as far as I have been able to determine, as follows :
George W. Armistead, from Richmond, mathema- tician, transferred to the navy in 1864; Joseph W.
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Bailey, from Southampton, a brother of James T. Bailey; Decatur Barlow and Junius H. Barlow, brothers, from Isle of Wight; Jacob E. Bell, from Surry, brother of Corporal John H. Bell; William Joe Bell, from Surry; Franklin N. Carrington and Wil- liam H. Elliott, from Charlotte county; Edward T. Edwards, from Surry; R. Fuller Farrar, from Henrico county ; J. Thomas Harris, from Surry, brother of Wil- liam E. Harris, who came to us in 1862; Beverly W. Irving, from Alexandria, Va .; Edward W. Jones, from Richmond; Julian H. Judkins, from Isle of Wight; James T. Latimer, from Isle of Wight; J. Thomas Lit- tle, also from Isle of Wight, brother of Luther J. Little and William H. Little, both from the same county ; James J. Lewis, from Nansemond; James M. Lewis, from Isle of Wight; Everett H. McGuriman, from Surry; Marion Messersmith, from Baltimore, trans- ferred to Surry Cavalry in 1864; William H. Olliver, from Surry; Henry Peters, from Surry; Charles C. Richardson, from Sussex; C. Travis Savedge and Franklin R. Seward, from Surry; John F. Scott, from Isle of Wight; Malory Shields, from Hampton, Va .; W. Henry Turner, from Isle of Wight; Thomas II. Tynes, from Surry, who was transferred to us from the Jamestown Heavy Artillery, Captain Harrison's Company; and Thomas Williams, of Surry. A total of 30, making the net gain of the S. L. A. for the year 1863, 27 men.
The story of the rise and spread of religion in the armies of the South forms a highly interesting, en-
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couraging and instructive part of the history of those times. For a general and pretty full account of it, as relating more especially to the Army of Northern Vir- ginia, see Dr. J. William Jones's splendid volume, "Christ in the Camp."
But I cannot but feel that a fuller record should, long ago, have appeared concerning the outpouring of the same blessing in the other large armies of the South. Even as relates alone to the S. L. A., I am conscious that a book of no small size would be needed to tell of all that was done to promote religion and gain converts to Christ, by the pious among our own men, and of all the conversions that took place from our ranks, in the religious meetings around us. Only the final day will reveal all the good that was accomplished in these revivals. As one consequence, many of the vices that went into the armies at first, such as cursing, obscene talking and card-playing, were laid aside.]
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LETTER TWENTY-SEVENTH.
Guardian angels-September days in camp-Hard times in Surry-But worse in other parts-Courage, and better times-Note.
CAMP LETCHER, VA., Sept. 15, 1863.
My Dear Friend :- Do you believe in the doctrine of guardian angels? I do, most implicitly. And I tell you, that, for a poor soldier, exposed to so many dan- gers, and liable to be called upon to face death at any time, it is a most comforting and strengthening belief. I think the Bible reveals the truth of this faith very clearly. I cannot now go into particulars, but if you will turn to Hebrews i: 14, and by the reference notes there found, trace out the kindred passages, you will have my Bible authority for this encouraging doctrine.
And I tell you it is highly encouraging. It is com- forting to think, when dangers gather about us, that there are wiser and stronger beings near, though in- visible to mortal cye, whose gentle and silent ministra- tions are constantly between us and danger. No spar- row falleth without our heavenly Father's notice. And while I know that sparrows (men) do fall, yet I know they cannot unless He permits it. And I tell you that, in battle, I commit myself into God's hand, and ask
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that my guardian angels defend me. Is this puerile ? Is it weak ? In number 34 of the Psalter we read :
"His angels camp around to guard, And rescue them that fear the Lord."
I love to think that heaven has given me an angel, to guard my pathway.
To-day is one of the brightest and sunniest of this bright and sweet autumnal month. The woods have put on their "sear and yellow robe," but the days are warm and splendid, the sky, intensely blue, smiles through a dry and riant atmosphere, and all around me is loveliness-all, but these reminders that a cruel and bloody war is now in progress.
These scenes must change soon. Stern winter, with snow and sleet, will come shortly; and want and, in many cases, suffering, is already abroad in our land and in our homes. It gives me pain to hear that times are getting hard in Surry, that our friends at home inust soon experience the pinchings of want. It makes it doubly hard for the soldier in camp to be content, when he knows that friends at home are in need of the necessaries, to say nothing of the comforts, of life.
And, from various acounts that reach me, the con- dition of things is worse in other parts than it is in Surry. What the result is to be, no one can foresee. But there is need of great courage, invincible resolu- tion, unfaltering faith. So far, I believe, the private
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soldier is yet resolute, and determined to stand it out to the end, while hoping that the end may be near, and a brighter day close at hand.
And when that better day comes indeed, and the soldiers are all back at their dear old homes once more, how thankful all will be, and how interesting it will be to hear them tell of these times that are now passing-hear them recount the trials and tribulations of the war, of their marches and counter-marches, of battle and blood and wounds, all freely endured for the sake of those same dear homes and firesides. Then the faith in the guardian angels will be stronger than ever. And cach return of the bright September days will be welcomed with tenderer heart, because of the memory of the days of like beauty that they whiled away be- neath war's rude banner, under the STARS and BARS of their loved Southland.
In all dangers and trials, ever
Your friend, B.
[This short letter, though containing too much of a personal nature, will serve to show how affairs at home, as well as in the camp, were gradually growing harder- how poverty was slowly, but surely, strengthening its coils and testing the courage and endurance of all. As the months sped by, and war continued to ply its horrid trade, labor deserted the fields, and there was less and less produced, till scarcely enough was left to feed the women and children at home. Added to this, but little
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money was circulating, and that little-Confederate script only-was well-nigh worthless. It possessed no purchasing value, or scarcely none. And though it had been as good as gold, no one had much of anything to sell. Stores were closed. Flour, sugar, coffee, bacon and, in many cases, even salt, were not to be had. It was a time of need, of trial, of suffering.
But the courage and resolution of the soldier were unabated. The invader's heel was on his native soil. His fleets were blockading every Southern port, and preventing the import of foreign goods, of the very necessaries of life. The slaves had been lured or stolen from their masters, and the plow was idle on the farms. But the Southern soldier knew he could whip the North- ern hirelings, two to one, any day that he could meet them in a fair contest-knew that he had done so on a hundred battle-fields. He did not fear to meet the Northern foe. He only asked of his Government food to fight upon, and sustenance and protection for the wife and bairns at home while he was away.
Could the civil government have provided for the home people, as it was in duty bound to do, and as it did faithfully try to do-and could the soldiers in the field have been properly fed and clothed, there would have been no complaint or repining, and the war would have been carried to a successful issue. The disasters that had attended our arms in 1863 only intensified and increased the poverty and distress that were becoming manifest everywhere. But these losses could have been overcome.]
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LETTER TWENTY-EIGHTH.
Winter quarters again-Rations-Small-pox-A fire-The city by moonlight-"All quiet along the James"-Confederate Congress-Note.
CAMP SCHERMERHORN, VA., Dec. 10, 1863.
My Dear Friend :- Camp Letcher is deserted now. Lightfoot's Battalion has gone from it. The place where the S. L. A. had passed a quiet and comparatively pleas- ant summer, is now silent. No drill, no reveille, no assembly, no tattoo, no military parade or bustle, dis- turb now the nearby dwellers of that fair grove. The soldier has left it, and the owner thereof may take com- fort that the most of the goodly trees-but not all of them-are again in his keeping.
We are in winter quarters again, a brand-new place, all in the woods, never before disturbed by a military band. The three Companies of the Battalion are a little apart, each from the others, and we have plenty of room. And there is plenty of wood here, too, so we will not freeze. The Colonel's headquarters, the hos- pital, etc., are near our camp. The land is owned by a Mr. Schermerhorn, and the Camp has been named for him. The men have built log cabins for themselves, and stalls for the horses, of which there are 64 belonging
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to the Battery and officers, besides 12 mules, for the commissary and feed-wagons. It requires a deal of forage for all these head of teams.
The whole Camp is surrounded by woodland, which will break off the winds of winter, and, altogether we are quite comportably situated, and may pass the sea- son pleasantly enough, if permitted to stay here. But this, of course, is as uncertain as next year's crop of beans. We may not stay here a week longer. But the men are not borrowing any trouble, on account of any contingencies that may arise. We are in "for better or for worse," and
Let the war wax and wane as it will, We'll be gay and happy, happy still.
The men are singing their songs, and having their fun, just as if everything were as lovely as a garden of roses all the land over. Joe Kea, incorrigible tease, is fretting Tom the fiddler nearly to his death; "Com- modore" keeps his crow, has his buttermilk, and sim- mers his pea-porridge ; and Sergeant Pond and his tent- mates-or rather, cabin-mates-have their nightly songs of prayer and praise, just as they did a year ago over at Camp Roper, when "Scotland was a-burning." But we hear nothing of Scotland this time. That little fellow with the bucket of water put the fire out.
Were it not for the lamentable thinness and shortness of the ration crop this winter, we would not have very much to annoy us, or cause us anxiety. It must have
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been a bad season last summer, for both the meal and the beef are number three, short. The late recruits, of whom there are a few, look on with apprehension, and turn away from the poor fare in disgust. But the Veterans tell them it is no use to sulk, they will have to come to it. But for an occasional box from home, some of the men would fare badly indeed. There is yet a little to spare at the homes of some of the men.
I hear that small-pox has broken out in the city and may become general. Some of Lightfoot's command have it. In consequence thereof, orders have been made rigid about visiting town. The men are not al- lowed to go anywhere, except on a detail, to perform a duty. There are a few men, however, of the S. L. A. Camp who often disregard orders. These go into town several times a week.
The men of the Battalion were called upon, a few days since, to assist in removing the household goods from a burning dwelling. The residence of a Mr. Snell had taken fire, and before it was discovered, it had gained such headway that the building could not be saved. The men succeeded in getting out nearly every- thing of any value. The family took refuge in a small office upon the grounds, that, fortunately, escaped the flames. The weather was cold, with several inches of snow on the ground, and the family has been put to a good deal of inconvenience. But for the presence of the men, they would have lost nearly everything.
.
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Despite the desolating war, and the general stagna- tion of business, and neglect of improvements, our Capi- tal is really, even yet, a queenly city. Especially is it beautiful when viewed under the moonlight. While on guard at the stilly hour of midnight, I often turn and look upon the town, as it lies in panoramic splendor before me, till I am lost in admiration, and almost for- get that I am on post. Spread out over its numerous hills, it sits a very queen among cities. The dim out- line of the taller buildings traced across the horizon, the numerous lights that glimmer in the distance, the dull noise of the water falling over the rocks in the James, the thud of arriving and departing trains, and the sound of the bells, as they tell the hours as they pass-all these combine to fill my mind with admira- tion for the Capital of the Confederacy.
"As yet, 'tis midnight deep. The weary clouds, Slow meeting, mingle into solid gloom" ---
and, as now and anon, they cast their shadows over the town and hide it from view, I think of the changing fortunes, the successes and reverses of our arms, and of the tide of war that has ebbed and flowed, and beat its angry waters at the granite feet of our Metropolis.
For well-nigh three years, the swash of this surging tide has echoed at the gates of this devoted town, but it stands yet, a gibraltar in a surging sea. Its dangers and its sacrifices have endeared it to the heart of every Virginian. When this war ends, it will be, I doubt
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not, the Mecca of the Confederacy. Here around, in Hollywood, in Oakwood, and elsewhere, sleep thousands ' of the bravest heroes of the South, who have fallen in its defense. Here tens of thousands more have bravely fought, bled and suffered. These things give an air of mournful interest, and of tender sacredness, to the city, that time can never obliterate. To this spot, the heart of the Veteran, like the pilgrim of Islam to the shrine of the Prophet, in future years, will turn to ad- mire and worship.
The Congress of the Confederacy is now in session at the Capitol in the city, called together to consider and deliberate on the exigencies of war, and the press- ing need of devising ways and means of repleting the armies, and providing food and clothing for the men. They have a grave duty, a great and imperative task before them. May they be found equal to it. The army is looking to them for help. May they not have to look in vain.
Read Numbers vi: 24-26, and pray for the final glorious success of our cause.
Your friend, B.
[The countless Confederate dead that repose in the cemeteries, and in numerous unknown graves, about the city of Richmond, though unmarked and neglected many of their graves may be, can never be forgotten. The historian, the bard, the painter, the sculptor, will
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embalm their deeds, and the willow and ivy that bend over them, will keep green their memories to the latest ages. It fell to the lot of but a few of the S. L. A. to fill honored graves in the sacred soil that environs the once beleagured city. J. Thomas Brown, Josiah Gwaltney, Zacheriah Holland, James Pond, and Ed- ward W. Wright, are all that I can now recall to mind. Somewhere there, it is supposed in Oakwood, these, our former comrades, sleep their last sleep. But the sur- vivors who yet remain will not forget them. And it is the purpose of this humble narrative, to tell, in the course of it, as each one fell, the part he bore in the contest for home, and honor, and State.
The winter of 1863-'64 passed quietly by for the army around Richmond. No military operations were undertaken until near the close of the winter, and no public event of any importance that ought to be men- tioned in these pages. There was an affair of some significance that was threatened, and the S. L. A. was called out, and held in readiness, to aid in suppressing the apprehended movement. But, fortunately, their services were not required; and it is deemed best that the particulars be not given-that the secret should perish with the survivors of the S. L. A.]
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LETTER TWENTY-NINTH.
Forage details-Condition of the country visited-"Greens" and pot-liquor-Why soldiers are given to "raiding"-A lecture ou Palestine-Pay-day in camp-Note.
CAMP SCHERMERHORN, VA.,
Feby. 4, 1864.
My Dear Friend :- The forage wagons of the Bat- talion have been out a good deal this winter, making long trips after feed for the horses. Sometimes they are gone several days. The section visited mostly lies northeast of Richmond, in Hanover and King William counties. I have been out with the wagons on several of these expeditions, and I like it much better than lay- ing idle in camp. When we go into King William, we cross the Pamunkey at the Piping-Tree ferry-for there are no bridges-or at Chester.
Taxes are being paid in kind now, that is, in corn, forage, cotton, wool, etc., and our wagons are sent out to receive these things and convey them to camp. And, though there are frequently some discomforts to be endured on these trips at this season, yet a tour over a section of country that is new to one, has its inter- esting and relieving features, and I get on the .detail as often as I can. One meets with new scenery at every turn, learns something of the topography and general condition of the country ; and sometimes a kind farmer
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treats one to fruit or something nice to eat. We make journeys of thirty or forty miles, stay out four or five days, and almost always contrive to bring back with us into camp something to help out the miserably short rations that "Cousin Sally Ann"-C. S. A .- is giving us now.
The section that we have been visiting, however, has been overrun and pillaged by the armies, and the people really have very little of anything to spare. The slaves have mostly gone off to the Blue Coats, and the few white men that remain-old men and boys-are not capable of producing much surplus. The farms are mostly in a sad state of neglect, and broom-straw and pine bushes are fast invading the once productive acres.
King William, however, is a fine county, even now, with a good soil and fine climate, and there are many good farms. At present, large areas are idle. No wheat or grass crops are growing, and the live-stock has been greatly depleted.
But most of the men contrive, on their return from these details, to bring with them a sack or two of col- lards, or turnip salad, or kale, or something green, to boil with the modieum of meat, and thus have a big kettleful of pot-liquor to drink. I tell you, my friend, there is nothing in the world, that I know of, equal to plenty of good, hot pot-liquor, for restoring life and vivacity to a lean and lank Confederate soldier. Do
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not smile or look incredulous. The average soldier can smell pot-liquor a mile off, and he will go for it every time, unless he is tied.
And "greens!" Did you ever see the negroes eat greens, at an old-time corn-shucking ? It was nothing to the way the soldiers devour them. To the hungry soldier-and all of them are hungry now-to the half- famished soldier it is equal to a wedding feast. There is not a man of the S. L. A. who cannot tell, by a sort of prescience or instinct, when a pot-boiling is going on in camp. And as soon as they can locate "the game," it is amusing to see them coming round, cup in hand, beg- ging for "just a little bit of that liquor !"
A cup of hot pot-liquor is a boon to the soldier. It has a wonderfully invigorating and reviving effect. It warms, exhilarates, cheers. It thaws the frozen heart, moves the silent tongue, sends a prayer to the lip of the recipient, and starts a tear of happiness in the eye of the giver. I will never cease to sing the praises of pot-liquor as long as I live.
Do you wonder how some soldier boys that you know ever could "fall from grace" so far as to forget their varly training, and be given to "raiding?" I tell you it is nature calling for what the system really needs. And when "the springtime has come, gentle Annie," and a soldier can secure a little piece of bacon, a hock joint, or a bone, forthwith he is off to hunt for some- thing to boil with it. And if a turnip patch, or a garden
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