on the chief sin which they sought to eradicate,—one whose enormity it was most difficult to bring to the comprehension of those most frequently guilty. This was called by the chaplains, profanity,—but some of the officers, when appealed to, said that it was not profanity, but the simple use of "cuss words," absolutely essential to produce results, especially when drilling raw recruits and driving newly geared mules.

Although the proceedings have not been found in the official records, and are therefore not to be wholly relied upon, it was reported that great success had attended the visits of certain chaplains to the colonels who were most addicted to this habit; and complete success was expected to follow a visit to the one most proficient in the use of the two languages, one English and the other profane,-the second, called by some, a military auxiliary to the former. This duty, by common consent, was imposed upon our worthy Chaplain Millar; his dignity, his piety, exemplified by words and deeds, his persuasive speech, all supported by Scotch persistency, would, it was expected, work the change sought for. Our chaplain was welcomed most heartily by Colonel

-, and was attentively listened to, while he was showing the necessity of expunging from the vocabulary the harsh expletives which poisoned the air and chilled the hearts of thoughtful men. Mr. Millar supported his arguments by relating the benefits which had followed the abandonment of this habit by Colonel, since which time his regiment had made a marked advance in spiritual affairs, and clinched the statement, by saying, "Last Sunday, ten men confessed their sins, entered upon a new life, received baptism and entered into communion with the elect." "Do you tell me, Chaplain, that all this good has followed the abandonment of this-habit, which I, in common with many other men, have regarded as absolutely necessary to move stupid men

and vicious mules ?" "Yes, I do, and I feel certain that your regiment will advance and be blessed, as it never can be while under the baleful influences against which good men contend." "Chaplain, I hope you are right, and I promise you that I will at once wholly abandon this d- habit, which you so justly condemn; not another d- word, calculated to annoy the most sensitive ear, shall be heard from me. Το show you how much I appreciate your counsel and labors, and my desire to facilitate your good work, I will detail from the regiment fifteen men for baptism; they shall be ready any day you name. How will next Sunday, at 2 P.M. suit you? No regiment made up from the stupid miners from the State of shall ever outdo, in moral ethics and church attendance, the one I command, composed as it is of the dutiful descendants of those old Puritans, who sweetened the air of New England and buttressed our orthodox creed by hanging Quakers and burning witches."

As the report goes on, our chaplain expressed regret that nothing could result from this interview, and informed the colonel that his plan was not in accord with the evangelizing methods pursued in free countries. It was, he told him, too much like that of a certain cannibal chief who, being deeply affected by the teachings of a missionary, wished to be baptized and to enter the church. On being told that, before he could take that important step, he must forgive his enemies, he replied, "I have no enemies. I have eaten all within reach, and I will eat the others as soon as they are captured." "Colonel, his application for membership into a Christian church was denied, and your plan for Christianizing your command will not be approved. I cannot countenance compulsory baptism."

The above is one of the several versions of what took place in the interview between Chaplain Millar and Colonel

but the former would never give satisfactory answers to

laymen who sought the facts; he contented himself by saying, "interviews are seldom correctly reported, and it is enough for you to know that I shall have all the missionary labor I care to perform, in seeking to promote the welfare of the men of the regiment to which I am attached." Colonel

-'s skill, valor and devotion were recognized by his promotion; and later, in civil life, where I sometimes met him, his friends held him in high esteem. When the end came, his memory was cherished as that of a good soldier, a patriotic citizen and a faithful worker in the church in which he had long been an active member.

From the time when Laurence Sterne wrote, "the army swore terribly in Flanders," it has been believed by many, unfamiliar with army men, that profanity in its worst form is practised to a greater extent in military, than in civil, life; such belief is not well founded, and, should a comparison be made, I have no doubt that the members of that profession, which by common consent stands next to the priesthood, are more exempt from this offensive habit than are those untaught and unpractised in the profession of arms. We hear much of the spotless Christian character of a few men who have attained great distinction in the profession of arms, and because of the high encomiums paid to them, the impression is made that commendation on this question is merited by no others.

Major General Oliver Otis Howard, for more than fifty years an officer in the United States Army, unquestionably stands in the front rank, as one possessing the cardinal virtues and Christian graces; yet it will not do to say that other officers in the army are destitute of the virtues so well exemplified in his life. He has been called "The American Havelock"; to some this designation raises General Havelock to a dignity which he would not reach by standing alone.

The advent of 1862 was welcomed by the Army of the Potomac with salvos of artillery, volleys of musketry, bugles, bands and drum corps. This enthusiastic demonstration was the spontaneous expression of the feelings of irrepressible youth; the more sober-minded said that the arch genius of Pandemonium would have been puzzled to produce a greater discord. The people of Washington and Alexandria were suddenly aroused, their minds filled with dire forbodings and their ears with the most unearthly sounds. The active participants in this boisterous frolic were at last surfeited, and sought their tents to draw about them army blankets and the home-made comfortables of Thanksgiving Day, and soon felt, as no doubt did those whom they had so rudely awakened, the kindly sentiments of the soldier of an earlier war, who called down blessings on the man "who first invented sleep."

CHAPTER VIII

MARCHES PRELIMINARY TO THE CAMPAIGN OF 1862

AIRFAX SEMINARY was used as a hospital during

FA

the war, and is remembered most pleasantly by the members of the Sixteenth who were taken there for medical treatment; more for the nursing and care given them by Miss Sarah S. Bradley, later, wife of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles A. L. Sampson, Third Maine Volunteers, than as "the place where young men were taught to observe the venerable forms of the Episcopal Church." I quote from two of Lieutenant Walling's letters:

"CAMP FRANKLIN, VIRGINIA, February 19, 1862.

"I have been in the brigade hospital six days, came back to camp to-day.... I had a nice time there; enjoyed my stay very much. I was a patient at large, allowed to go where fancy or inclination desired. This I was glad of for various reasons, and the principal one is, I could see the attention and treatment the sick received. They are better cared for than I supposed they could be. All seemed satisfied with their attendants. Not a murmur or complaint did I hear. Miss Bradley, the matron, is extremely kind and attentive to all who are so unfortunate as to find it necessary to be placed under her protecting care. She is a lady of marked abilities and enters into the spirit of her mission. She says her whole heart is in this war. She left a salary of a thousand dollars a year for the war, and now gets twelve dollars per month."

"CAMP FRANKLIN, VIRGINIA, February 26, 1862. "Colonel Davies' promotion, for 'gallant conduct at the battle of Bull Run,' has been a matter of great interest to us. The