Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 12.djvu/192

178 own personal observation or were attested by those whom I personally knew. But I will now give some other illustrations culled from the annals of other armies of the Confederacy. Rev. Dr. W. W. Bennett, of the Southern Methodist church, in his admirable book on "The Great Revival in the Southern Armies," gives the following concerning the battle of Shiloh: "The instances of heroic valor in the battle of Shiloh are abundant. A chaplain, Rev. I. T. Tichenor, of the Seventeenth Alabama regiment, in a letter to Governor Watts, of that State, who at one time commanded the regiment, says: 'During this engagement we were under a cross fire on the left wing from three directions. Under it the boys wavered. I had been wearied, and was sitting down, but seeing them waver, I sprang to my feet, took off my hat, waved it over my head, walked up and down the line, and, as they say, "preached them a sermon." I reminded them that it was Sunday. That at that hour (11:30 o'clock) all their home folks were praying for them; that Tom Watts—excuse the familiar way in which I employed so distinguished a name—had told us he would listen with an eager ear to hear from the Seventeenth; and shouting your name loud over the roar of battle, I called upon them to stand there and die, if need be, for their country. The effect was evident. Every man stood to his post, every eye flashed, and every heart beat high with desperate resolve to conquer or die. The regiment lost one-third of the number carried into the field.' Among the Christian soldiers that fell was Lieutenant-Colonel Holbrook, of a Kentucky regiment. After the battle, several of his officers came to see him in the hospital. He was dying fast, but desired to be propped up in bed, and then he talked with them like a Christian soldier: 'Gentlemen, in the course of my official duties with you, I have had little or no occasion to speak to you upon the subject of religion, but this is a time when, as fellow-men, we may commune frankly together. And I