Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1184

1108 surrender of the army. After this event he went to Halifax county, Va., and engaged in teaching school one year. But having determined to pursue the sacred calling, he then entered the theological seminary near Alexandria, Va., where he was graduated in June, 1869, and ordained in the Protestant Episcopal church. Subsequently he officiated as rector of the church at Bristol, Tenn., until August, 1870. Thence he was called to Maryland, and officiated at Mt. Savage until March, 1873, and at the church of the Messiah, Baltimore, as rector, until 1877. Profoundly impressed with the duty of the church toward the negro race, and realizing deeply the situation of the colored people, suddenly endowed with the potency of citizenship without training, and placed in competition with the magnificently endowed industry of the North without a knowledge of its methods of work, he determined to enter this field of labor. First, he accepted the appointment of bishop of "Cape Palmas and parts adjacent," and went to West Africa and served in that region until October, 1883, when he resigned on account of ill health in the tropics. On his return he officiated as rector of St. Andrew's church, at Louisville, Ky., until June 1, 1893, when he was appointed general agent for the church commission for work among the colored people of the United States. In November, i8g6, he went as rector to St. Mark's church, Richmond, Va. Amid his other occupations he still cherishes the memories of the associations of 1861-65. As he well said in a memorable address at the decoration of the Confederate graves at Louisville in 1888, "We strip off the armor from those heroic bosoms, and way back of the battle-heated steel, we find hearts—hearts that we knew and loved, for they were tender and lovable." But he endeavors to teach that "War is an incident in the history of man; love is his eternal nature and destiny." The father of Mr. Penick, Edwin A. Penick, was born in Prince Edward county, Va., in 1821, and was a farmer by occupation. He entered the Confederate army in April, 1862, as a private in Company D of the Thirty-eighth Virginia infantry, and laid down his life for the cause, dying two days after the battle of Sharpsburg from wounds received in that action. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Penick, Clifton Hamner, also a native of Virginia, served in the war of 1812 as a lieutenant of cavalry.

Lieutenant James G. Penn, a prominent leaf tobacco dealer and exporter, and a business man of Danville, Va., was born in Patrick county, November 14, 1845, the son of Thomas J. and Lucinda C. Penn, of that county. After preparatory studies at the Greenville academy, which was named in honor of his maternal grandfather, he entered the Virginia military institute in September, 1861. He was connected with that institute as a cadet until the fall of 1864, participating in all the military operations of the cadet corps, including their famous fight at New Market, and was with General Early at Lynchburg, afterward serving in the trenches at Petersburg. A regiment being formed of Federal prisoners who had taken the oath of allegiance, it was officered mainly by the cadets, and young Penn received a commission as first lieutenant in this command. Ordered into South Carolina the regiment joined the army under Gen. J. E. Johnston, fought at Bentonville and was surrendered at Greensboro. Lieutenant Penn was paroled at