Men of the cloth fighting in the army

[johan_steele]

Another good book is Armstrong, Waren <u>For Courageous Fighting and Confident Dying, Union Chaplains of the Civil War</u>

Jones, Wiliam <u>Christ in the Camp</u> If you can find it it is a priceles work... I believe it's long out of print... I recall it from my CSSP school, IIRC I read it from the USAF War College library

[jenna]

Wow Bill, you hit that one right on the head. I forwared everything you guys gave me to go on and here is what my friend had to say:

Wow, Jenna! You've given me lots to go on. My sister (who is also very
interested) will be so excited and since she doesn't have kids, has
more
time to find these books.
I have tons of biographical data on S.V.Hoyle since he was my great
grandfather. My family tends to marry and procreate later in life, so
there
aren't many generations. My father married at 30 and had me at 31, his
father (my grandfather) married at 40 and had my father at 46 and was
the
next to the last child of S.V. Hoyle. We actually have a Hoyle family
history written in the 30's or so and it tells about my great
grandfather in
the 12th VA and his brother's service as a spy for the Confederacy. My
great
great grandparent's farm was in DC (on some of the land the National
Zoo is
now on) and they were neutral throughout the war, but one of their sons
was
allowed to pass through the lines to visit his family and came back and
reported his findings to the Army of No VA. It is really interesting -
I'll
dig up my copy and share it with you and you can pass it along to them!

If she gets me anything else on the subject I shall pass it along. Thanks again to all!
Jenna

[unionblue]

Jenna,

Know it's been a while since any one has posted here, but this month's issue of the Camp Chase Gazette (Volume XXXI - NUMBER 10, September 2004) has a wonderful article on chaplains during the Civil War entitled Understanding the Chaplain's Role in a Federal Regiment by the Rev. Michael Peterson. If you would like to know more, I would be glad to post parts of the article for you if you cannot get a copy of the magazine.

YMOS,
Unionblue

A.P. Hill was most assured not a religious man. I would say he fell in the take it or leave it category of religion. Here is a fairly well known encounter. Well...well known if you have studied Hill.


"The Rev. J. William Jones recalled an incident when Lee, Gordon, and Hill approached him when he was handing out tracts before Petersburg that shows Hill's practical views on religion. Gordon inquired about his work, and Lee commented on it as well. Hill remarked pleasantly,
"John, don't you think the boys would prefer hard-tack to tracts just now?"

"I have no doubt many of them would, but they crowd around and take the tracts as eagerly as they surround the commissary when he has anything to issue, and besides other advantages, the tracts certainly help them to bear the lack of hard-tack."

"I have no doubt of it, and I am glad you are able to supply the tracts more abundantly than we can the rations."


Neil,
I would like to read parts of the article UNLESS you have to manually transcibe it. I'm not sure my curiosity is worth the effort. I have noticed since my PC has become a foul fiend from the Abyss I have become more selective of my efforts.
And respecting the effort of others.

[unionblue]

Tommy,

My duties here on the mid-shift at the Post Office offer me much free time and I really don't mind at transcribing the article. And I must say, my computer here at work is not in any way impaired or such, so no problem there.

Now, if we were talking about using my home computer, I would have never offered as it is as slow as molasses in winter time. You have my complete sympathy on your PC problems as nothing would tick me off more than to be kicked off or cut off in the middle of a search or posting.

I'll start the article tomorrow night, if that's OK?

Unionblue

Neil,
In your own time. If ever. No worries. I am kind of curious how the Chaplain's role in the Union went. You could just put it in your own words you know. I have absolute confidence in your ability to give us the geist of it. Hey, I never even ask you for sources unless I want to read it myself.

YMOS
tommy

[unionblue]

Tommy,

A condensed version of an article in the September issue of the Camp Chase Gazette entitled, Understanding the Chaplain's Role in a Federal Regiment, by the Rev. Michael Peterson.

The article tries to give background to Union reenactors on the role and functions of a Union Army Chaplain and since the impersonation is rare in the reenacting field, how they should react to him in camp and such. The writer begins with some background on the subject.

Typically a chaplain was assigned to each regiment, although attrition and a scarcity of military chaplains often meant that one or two clergy might serve an entire brigade. Chaplains were also assigned to military hospitals. A regimental chaplain was carried on the rolls of the regiment's field and staff, would typically mess with the officers and, while he held rand equivalent to that of a captain, he was in reality neither officer nor enlisted man, being free to circulate among all ranks. Chaplain H. Clay Trumbull of the 10th Connecticut recalled that this freedom gave the chaplain a position utterly unlike any other person in the army; and it was his own fault if he did not avail himself of it, and improve its advantages.

For Trumbull, a wise chaplain earned this position by offering his pastoral services at all times to the entire regiment, visiting the tents of private soldiers and officers, enquiring as to their home lives and offering counsel and encouragement, accompanying them into battle, visiting the sick and offering soldiers prayer and hope over the graves of their comrades. Trumbull made the important point that a good chaplain, who had the qualities and experience to fit him for such fellowship, could be the one man who united an entire regiment; officers and enlisted men could, with complete freedom, take their cares and troubles to a chaplain, without worrying about the lines of class and rank that ruled army life.

A good chaplain would have his finger on the pulse of regimental life and morale. In fact, Congress required that the chaplain submit a report to the colonel at the end of each quarter describing the moral and religious condition of the regiment, and such suggestions as may conduce to the social happiness and moral improvement of the troops. A wise colonel did well to consider these reports.

Since the beginning of the Republic there had been provision for chaplains in the Regular Army, but the rapid expansion of the US Army in 1861-1862 created a need for many clergy to offer their services to the troops. Initially Congress required that the chaplains be ordained clergy of some Christian denomination and did not specify any age or educational requirements, allowing the officers and men of each regiment to select their chaplain.

Chaplains were selected from the civilian clergy and represented the spectrum of religious life. In mid-Nineteenth Century America, roughly two thirds of the population attended Protestant churches and of these, 60 percent, roughly four million people, identified with the evangelical churches (including Methodist, Baptist, Christian or Disciples of Christ, low-Church Episcopal). These churches emphasized the penitent sinner's experience of individual conversion, and today we would charaterize this type of faith as "born again" Christianity. About 10 percent of Americans were non-evangelical or formalist Protestants (Presbyterian, High-Church Episcopal, Lutheran) and 15 percent were Roman Catholic. One percent of Americans were Jewish, and the remaining 15 percent had no religious affiliation.

Union chaplains echoed the religious face of the North. Benedict Maryniak, the first scholar to compile a complete roster of Union Army chaplains, found that the average Union chaplain was a Methodist, thirty-eight years and eight months of age, who served thirteen and a half months.

Regiments that were raised along ethnic lines, such as Pennsylvania German Lutherans or New York City Irish Catholics, typically had one of their own as chaplain. Roman Catholic priests only served in regiments where Catholics were in the majority, and they were spread thin, with only forty priests serving 200,000 Catholic soldiers (of whom 145,000 were Irish).

To be continued...

Unionblue

[jenna]

Thanks Neil for going and posting that. Very interesting stuff. I shall have to get my hands on an issue of that one. But very interesting.

Jenna

[gary]

By the way, Fox's Fighting Regiments (or whatnot) has a listing of Union Chaplains who fought alongside his boys.