(~Cnnjr Jt m * #3V<3 Conf Pam 12mo #340 ZSjELttTOJS: 03T DAMEY CAM .HARRISON, Minster of the Gospel AND CAPTAIN IN THE ARMY OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES QP AMERICA, BY WILLIAM J. HOCE, D. D, AUTHOR OF " BLIND BARTIMBUS." TWENTY-FIFTH THOUSAND, RICHMOND, Va. PRE6BYTEHIAN COMMITTEE OP PUBLICATION OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES. 1863. K3R. George Washington Flowers Memorial Collection DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ESTABLISHED BY THE FAMILY OF COLONEL FLOWERS 7V. DABNEY CAKE HAREISOff. CHAPTER I. Ancestry— Birth— Childhood— Education— The Young Lawyer. This faithful minister of Christ, this noble gentleman and valiant officer, fell at Fort Donelson, while cheering on bis men, and striking for the honor and independence of our young Confederacy. At the request of judicious friends, I have prepared this brief narrative for circulation in the army. "My heart's desire and prayer to God " for all my readers is, that thoy may have " like precious faith " with him. I can not wish them a more beautiful and blessed life, nor a death more peaceful and full of glory. Captain Harrison was descended, on either side, from sturdy and distinguished patriots. For more than two cen- turies his ancestors and their collateral kindred have been identified with whatever is most illustrious in our annals. They served the colony, the commonwealth and the nation with all that the statesman or the soldier can offer, and were rewarded by the highest honors which a great and free people can confer. It would be easy to verify these assertions by historical reference to their noble names and deeds. But I must confine myself to a few which connect themselves most strikingly with this memoir. Two of his kinsmen were signers of the Declaration of American Independence. One of these was ite woill- 3R5323 4 DABNEt GAiiil IlAKui. renowned author. The other, Benjamin Harrison, was of the ablest and purest statesmen of his time, and was the father of the late General William Henry Harrison, Presi- dent of the United States. I shall be pardoned for devoting a few lines to tho memory of his great grandfather, Dabney Carr, especial- ly as this association of names draws into closer rela- tions our first and our second great struggle for the res* cue and preservation 'of constitutional liberty. He had the honor of bringing forward in the House of Burgesses, A. D. 1773, a measure for the creation of what Mr. Wirt calls "that powerful engine of resistance,— corresponding committees between the legislatures of the different colo- nies." Though but twenty-nine years of age. he '•' was con- sidered," says the same high authority, " by far the most formidable rival in forensic eloquence that Patrick Henry had ever yet had to encounter." He describes " his devo- tion to the cause of liberty " as " verging on enthusiasm," while " his spirit " was " firm and undaunted, beyond the possibility of being shaken." His career, too, was brief as it was brilliant. He died in Charlottesville, Sunday, May 16th, only two months after this auspicious entrance into his country's public service. It would be pleasant to linger also over the memory of his son, Dabney Carr, the grandfather of Dabney Harrison. He was an incorruptible Judge, an elegant scholar, and his character in domestic and social life was one of such beauty and dignity, that those who knew him can scarcely find words to express their love and veneration. * Dabney Carr Harrison was born in the county of Albe- * Kennedy's Life of Wirt, jmaaim. DABSTBY CARE HARRISON, g marie, Virginia, on the 12th of September, 1830. His father, the Rev. Peyton Harrison, still lives to devote his remaining sons to the cause of freedom, with that daunt- less patriotism and unhesitating trust in God which accu- mulated griefs have been unable to shake. His mother, Jane Gary Carr, was mercifully " taken away from the evil to come." Her soul, so rich in genius and culture, so quick and large in its sympathies, and so capacious of suffering, rested from its labors and slept in Jesus, before the temp- est burst upon her country, her state, and her own happy- household. From early childhood he was remarkable for thoughtful- ness, integrity, self-denial, perseverance in difficult under- takings, and unfailing obedience to his parents. He cher- ished to his dying day a little silver coin, with these words, ' ; To an obedient son," inscribed on it with a pen-knife by his father. It was given on an occasion when he had, with- out hesitation, obeyed a request involving no little sacrifioe of boyish pride and prejudice. His studiousness very early gave promise ef the rich acquisitions of his after life. When but nine years old he read, in his play hours, the whole of Hume's History of England. During his childhood his parents adopted the plan of paying their children for ab- staining from some of the delicacies of the table, for the sake of the heathen. The goodly sum which little Dabney brought forth, year by year, as the agent for Foreign Mis- sions made his round, and the honest pleasure with which he gave it, bore witness how heartily and patiently he could deny himself for others' need. His favorite books, his compositions, and his .conscientious walk and conversa- tion show that the whole tendency of his mind was } even at this ueriod, deeply religious. 355323 6 DABJTEr CARR HABRIflGir. When just fifteen, he entered the Sophomore class in Princeton College, though his preparation was in advance of what was required. After an unusually blameless and honorable course at this institution, he began the study of the Law with a relative in Martinsburg, and pursued it at the University of Virginia for two years. He then re- turned to Martinsburg, and entered on the practice of iiis profession. He was well fitted for it both by nature and education. His memory was quick, tenacious and prompt ; so that his acquisitions were rapidly made, firmly held, and always at command. His understanding was comprehensive and solid ; while his imagination, without being vivid, was graceful and chaste. His perception was keen, his judgment cool, his language clear. Ho had singular facility in explanation. No one could impart information more pleasantly. He charmed you on toward knowing what he knew, without once making you blush because you did not know it before. His historical and political knowledge was copious and ac- curate. Having an intrepid intellect, he was fond «f dis- cussion. Incapable of artifice himself, he was yet not easily entrapped by an opponent. At this period of his life, his speech was, I fear, too often sarcastic ; but after grace be- gan its reign, his wit grew constantly softer, and survived, at length, in the form of good-humored pleasantry only, played off upon friends who could understand and enjoy it. His emotions were ardent, but under strong control. He had ready sympathies for the weak, generous indignation for the injured, while for purity and honor, for liberty and right, he was full of noble enthusiasm. He had, moreover, the advantages of a pleasing address, classic features, a serene and contemplative countenance, the ©ABWEY CARS, aJLR&£ftO*T J frankness of a fearless and cordial nature, and the manner* of a thorough gentleman. With such qualifications, and with a glowing ambition, he entered on his professional career. % CHAPTER IL Tftf Way of tfie Spirit — Early Impression* — Huological Semi- nary — Ministry Begun* u Man's goings are of the Lord ; how can a man, then, un- derstand his own way ?" He can not. He may, indeed, u devise his way ; but the Lord directeth his step*." So it was here. Other and higher work had been marked out in heaven for this young lawyer, though as }^et he knew it not. He was to be " an ambassador for Christ," having In trust " the glorious gospel of the blessed God." An event which came to pass in his early ehildhood was, no doubt, an important knk In the providential ohain by which he was now drawn. While yet a little boy, he had «een his father give up the legal practice he had been ac- quiring for years, and remove, with all his family, to the Theological Seminary, that he might learn to preach Christ, and be henceforth a servant of the saints for Jesus 1 sake. How constantly was that household ever after taught that, for a man redeemed from sin, and called of God, the minis- try of the gospel is the noblest of all employments, the eweetest of ail privileges, and the richest of all means of usefulness! With what importunity did his parents pray . that God would choose, some at lenst, of their sons, and "count them faithful, putting them into the ministry!" At length, in the case of this son, God's time drew near. The Holy Spirit began to trouble his heart an*w, as He S * EtABNET CARR KARRI902t> iad don» saverat years before. The death, about thi* tim&, >n her yoi>Mtf»? blo*m, of a favorite cousm, who had been? the intimate companion of ^is social and literary pleasures^ greatly increased the gracious movement which God had revived in his soul. The vanity and uncertainty of life,' the solid glories of the .things which though unseen ar^ eternal, the claims of God", and the needs of his own soul and of hrs dying fellow-raen, were continually before him,. 3n his long, lonely walks and rides, lie "pondered these things in his heart," and at length,, by the grace of God, he gave himself, at once and unreservedly to God and His blessed service. He abandoned the Law, and entered im^ mediately upon the study of Theology ; first under the guid- ance of his father, and then at Union Seminary. Here ho enjoyed the inestimable instruction of Dr. Francis S. Samp- son, I>. D. Their minds and hearts wero most congenial, and his affection for his accomplished and heavenly-minded professor was reverential and enthusiastic. It is sweet to think of them now, re-united in the study ©f that glorious and inexhaustible Word, into whose hiddfcn- treasures they searched so ardently on earth. While ho had still a year of bis Seminary course before- him, Dr. Sampson's deat!i occurred';, but the "profiting^ of his loving pupil had so "appeared to all," that he was immediately appointed to conduct the studies of' a consider- able portion of the difficult department now made vacant, He spent two years in these labors, delighting the students and* giving satisfaction to all. But notwithstanding his " aptness to teach," his devo- tion to oriental learning, and his rare skill in the Hebrew^ kis heart still yearned for the peculiar work of the Gospel •jainistry* I?or nine months he acted sfe pastoral supply ^> DABNEY CARR HARRISON. 9 the College Church, at Hampdon Sidney, and for six months more he sustained this relation to the Firs't Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg. ^ Brief as his connection with Uiese congregations was, it was long enough to bind the hearts of the people to him with peculiar power, and many and bitter were the tears they shed when they heard of his fall. How could it bo otherwise ? In all his social intercourse with his people there was such, a charming blending of courtliness with simplicity, of self-p«ssession with cordiality, of transparent candor with modest deference, that he could scarcely enter their families without winning every heart. And when lie gathered the household around the altar of God, how rev- erentially did he read His holy Word, how fervently did he pour out their united worship 1 I am sure that they who enjoyed his pastoral miaistra- tion3 in their darker hours of sickness and bereavement, will ever cherish the recollection with thanksgiving to God. As light is self-evidencing, so were his graces. Wherever he was seen, it was manifest that he was "light inthoLord." lie was so full of the cheerfulness of the Gospel that ho seemed like an embodiment of its promises. How many there are who think and speak of him as " the disciple whom Jesus loved!" Yet all this> we remember; with mingled grief and thankfulness, was but the beginning of tis ministry ; CHAPTER III. Chaplaincy in the Univwsity — Dr. McGuffey y s Esiimnts of hit Preaching and Prayers. A still wider field now opened before him. While yet in 1# DABNITT CARR HARRISON. h'\3 twenty-seventh year he was chosen, for the regular term of two years, to be chaplain to the University of Vir- ginia. In this office he endeared himself to the whole com- munity, gained the confidence and good- will of the vast body of students, and " won golden opinions " from men whose commendation is praise indeed. One of those emi- nent Professors has been heard to say. " I never knew a more successful copy of the life of our Saviour than his." — Another said, "I knew him intimately. Our conversation was as unguarded as that of brothers ; and every sentiment I ever heard him utter was worthy of a gentleman and a Christian. I never knew him to neglect a duty, or even to postpone one. He was always faithful to his country, and faithful to his God." It adds weight to these encomiums to reflect how deli- cate and difficult are both pulpit and pastoral labors amon^ more than six hundred University students. During this time, too, for some months, the typhoid fever raged among them with fearful power. Early and late he was found at his post, by the bedside of the sick and dying, ministering with unwearied tenderness, both to body and soul. He had his reward in their gratitude aud love, and often in evi- dences of their conversion or spiritual edification. The following careful estimate o( Mr. Harrison's pulpit ministrations, is from the pen of the eminent Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Virginia, the Rev. Dr. McGuli'ey: "It was my privilege to hear the Rev. D. C. Harrison preach almost every Sabbath during two sessions of the University of Virginia, of nine months each, and I can tru- ly say that I never heard him deliver an indifferent, nor svea an ordinary sermon in all that time. He was not BAMfTKY OARR HARRISOJf. H what is esteemed a great preacher by unappreeiative audi- ences, and yet there wai nothing common-place about him. Ilig thoughts were always made his own, however suggested; and whatever Che subject, they were always so elaborated into light by prayerful meditation, as to have lost all traces of effort in their conception. Hence he was often original, without either the reputation or consciousness of originality. His style was so transparent, his train of thought so natural, the flow of his speech so equable, and his whole manner so facile and uniform, that it might well seem to the undiscern- ing rather graceful than strong, and thus abate somewhat from his reputation as an impressive and powerful speaker. Yet few preachers brought the truth of the Gospel into more vital contact with the hearts of his hearers. None were attracted from the truth to the teacher. ' Light is more potent flian lightning? He was content to influence souls in conjunction with the gentle influence of the Spirit, rather than ambitious to gain reputation tor talents and eloquence. " His pr«aching was eminently evangelical. He preached Christ craeified. Yet he did not, as is sometimes done, confine his presentation of the Gospel to one class of topics. His views of truth embraced the whole counsel of God, and this he always and fearlessly declared, whether men would hear or forbear. " His sermons, generally, were in the highest sense exposi- tory, though never obtrusively so. Still, those best ac- quainted with the sublime and powerful simplicity of the ori- ginal Scriptures, (especially the Hebrew,) would most readily discern how deeply the preacher had drank from that well of living waters, and how thoroughly his every thought and emotion were pervaded by the spirit of the sacred page. 12 BABNEY CARR HARRISON. " His discourses were doctrinal, rather than theological. They breathed more of Scripture than of system. His piety vivified his creed, and his creed pave form to his piety. Doctrine and devotion were beautifully blended in all he uttered from the pulpit. His prayers were as didactic as his preaching, and his preaching as devout and fervent as his prayers. All he knew of God and Christ had formed itself into worship, and hence his extraordinary gift in prayer, a gift so remarkable as to elicit the admiration of all who knew him, whether of the pious or impenitent. — Who that heard his last prayer amongst us, can ever forget the man or his manner, as he stood in the pastor's pew, in front of the pulpit, at the close of the sermon (by another), and pleaded with God for his country, and the enemies of that country 1 "In short I have heard few men whose preaching approach- ed so near to Scripture models, and never have known any man of higher qualifications for the successful and accept- able discharge of the specific duties of a pastor." CHAPTER IV. Clifton — Death of his Mother' — Song in the Night — Pastorate in Hanover — Preaching to Negroes. Just as his term of service at the University expired, ho was summoned to " Clifton," that beautiful old homestead, the abode of refinement and piety and elegant hospitality, and for many years the scene of such domestic happiness as God rarely grants on earth ; too rich, indeed, to be any long- ' er safe for those who would " live by the faith of the Son of God," and have evidence of their heavenly adoption; "for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not ?" DAKNKT GARR fiarrison. 13 iiut now a shadow was on the dwelling. This happy household was tasting what has proved, indeed, " the be- ginning of sorrows." He was summoned to the dying bed of that precious mother, from whom so many of his gifts were inherited ; by whose graceful and tender hand they had been so faith- fully trained 5 and by whose pre-eminent holiness and prayerfulness they were unceasingly consecrated to God. A fortnight after she had " fallen asleep," in a letter to an absent sister, Le thus pours out. his chastened sorrow: or shall I not rather call it his "song in the night 1" " In truth, though it may seem strange, I have had very little to say to anybody smce the death of our precious mother. The great thoughts and emotions that fill mind and heart at such times, have not yet begun to frame them- selves in words, This does not arise from overwhelming grief. I am seldom otherwise than cheerful. Sometimes, the thought of ne\er.seeing her a^iin in all her various and delightful relations to us, falls like black night upon my soul. But I do not follow it up ; and usually I think of her spirit in. its present blessedness and glory, and her body as I saw it the night of her death, — the face without a trace of pain, and lighted by a smile that seemed, a ray caught from ' the excellent glory.' I rejoice and thank God for that last view of my mother ; and I trust I shall bear that faGe in mind until I see it again, before the Father's throne, in the majesty, grace and beauty of immortality. Indeed this seems to be the prevailing state of mind among us. I had not thought it possible that such a loss could be borno so cheerfully. Sometimes I feel as if we were too cheer- ful, when our Teacher, Counsellor, Mother lies in the cold grave; is it not due to her to mourn? Then I remember 14 DABNEY CARR HARRISON, what she was, bow she died, what she is now, and what sho is doing, and I think it would be grovelling for the children of such a saint to be sad." Very rich was the baptism of grace and peace, zeal and tenderness, which came down upon his soul, as be lingered for a few weeks by this hallowed grave ; and then, having accepted a call for his pastoral services from the Bethlehem Church, in Hanover, he removed thither and entered on his labors. He was drawn to this position chiefly because of the ac* cess it gave him to a multitude of negroes, in this immedi- ate neighborhood, and at Tappahannock, in Essex, where ho preached one Sabbath in the month. He had long felt a profound interest in their spiritual welfare; (an interest, let me say, drawn in great part from the soul of his mother) ; it had engaged his pen and his prayers ; and he now rejoic- ed to " condescend to men of low estate," and, like his Master, {: preach the gojpel to the poor." From long con- versations with him on this subject, I am convinced that ho would rather have been honored of God to do a great work among them, than occupy the most conspicuous position in the gift of the Church. Who that has ever preached to them, especially when gathered in large crowds, has not found his work full of gladness ! Their beaming delight In listening to the gospel warmly presented ; their devotion to the person and name of Jevsus ; their perpetual pleasure in the recital of His miracles, love, sufferings and gracious offices ; the almost electric response from the whole congregation when their fancy is pleased, or some deeper chord in their experience is struck ; the fervor, simplicity and originality of their prayers, often charming the ear by their touching cadences; and melt- fcABSEY CARR HARRISON. 1$ ing the heart by their affectionate pathos ; the wild modu- lations and glorious choral swell of their songs ; their hearty greetings of him who has warmed them afresh with the lore of Christ, as he comes down from the pulpit and ofl'ers his hand: — it would be a cold nature indeed, which, amidst such, scenes, would not glow with new life, and love, and joy in the gospel of our Lord ! It is almost needless, then, to say that these influences, falling constantly on a soul already inflamed with love to God and man, were most beneficial. His preaching gained boldness and breadth. His manner was more unconstrain- ed. He dealt more directly and fearlessly with the con- science, and learned to abandon himself to the tide of his emotions. His ministrations were not confined, however, to the ser- vants. One whole Sabbath, every month, and the half of the others, were exclusively theirs ; while they could free- ly participate in the morning services also, more especially designed for their masters. CHAPTER V. The Dark Cloud — The Bright Faith — Northern Fanaticism — Virginia's Alternative — Peyton Randolph Harrison. These peaceful labors were disturbed by our national troubles. The calamities of his country weighed heavily on his heart. On the day of fasting and prayer in January, 186J, appointed by President Buchanan in view of the storm whose portentous shadows were darkening the land, he said in a letter to one of his family, " I can think of nothing but our beloved country. All day I have wrestled before God in its behalf, and have found peace in being able to commit all its interests to Him." l*j ftABNKY CAtlR ItAilRlSOtf. A few months later he writes: "What would we know of the value or strength of our faith, if we were always under summer skies? For the development of godlike character, of faith, humility, courage and self denial, there are few better scenes and times than those through winch. we are now passing. " The South has, though unworthy, been invested with the great privilege of defending the principles of 1776. " The same phenomena arc re-appearing, which astonish- ed the world a century ago. No one around me seems un- willing to come down to real privation, if the State should need the sacrifice. And we are far more united than during the first Revolution. I trust that we shall be purified, ele- vated and set forward for a grand career. " My best hope for the North is, that she will emerge from this fire, stripped of mobocracy, and under a limited monarchy, or a government so strong as to be' republican in name alone. I believe that, with the social condition of the North, a representative republican government, under the constitution of 1788, and on the basis of universal suf- frage, is impossible." With an anxious heart he had watched the encroach- ments of Northern fanaticism. He saw it agitating in Church and State*, trampling on the Bible and the Consti- tution, cursing men and blaspheming God. He saw it rending the great religious denominations, one by one, paus- ing only to riot a moment in their discord, and then hast- ening on, with its eye of greed, its brow of brass, its lips dripping with venom, and its hands only not yet dripping with blood ! And that he was soon to see. The darkest shadows be- came darker realities. The war was forced" upon us. This DABNET CARR HARRISON. 17 soTeroign Commonwealth was required to aid in beating down into degradation, and whipping back into servility, her free sisters of the further South, or join with them in their just independence, and throw her generous breast be- fore them, to receive the first blow of the tyrant's rod, and bear the brunt of his wrath. She obeyed her heart, exer- cised her right, and stood in' the breach. On the 18th of July, in the battle of Bnll Run, he saw the heart's blood of his gentle cousin, Major Carter H. Har- rison, drawn by Northern bullets on Virginia soil, and heard the cry of a broken-hearted widow and her orphaned babes go up to God. In three days more, at Manassas, he saw his native soil wet again by the blood of the only nephews of his mother, the only sons of their mother, Holmes and Tucker Conrad, and by the blood of his own pure and beau- tiful brother, Lieut. Peyton Randolph Harrison. These four young men were all faithful servants of God. Their lives were lovely and useful. In His fear they fought. — They were sustained by His grace when they fell. The Conrads were shot at the same moment, and falling side by side, lay, as in the sleep of childhood, almost in each other's arms. The younger of them was a student ot theology, and was nearly ready with glowing heart to enter on the higher service of his Lord, in the ministry of the gospel. From the bright and precious memory of Lieut. Peyton Randolph Harrison I cannot turn without an additional word; yet I feel painfully the impossibility of doing it any justice in the brief space allotted to it here. If the war, which terminated his life, had not also cut off communica- tion with those who could have furnished adequate mate- rials, a similar' sketch of him would have preceded this.— Lamenting the failure, hitherto, of this cherished design, I B j| 9ABZCBY OARS IlARRI3G2f. will not here attempt the delineation of Lis life and charac- ter. A few lines would not serve to portray so br?.ve and sweet a gentleman ; so influential and eloquent a lawyer; such unsurpassed devotion as a husband and father ; and a soul so rarely compounded of sensibility and heroism, of en- thusiasm, purity and truth. And many pages might not suffice for the story of his religious life, carried on, as it was, through such mysterious and fearful conflicts witk darkness, while shining with such undimmed constancy, and yielding such precious fruits in the church which he represented and served as an Elder, in the Sunday-school of which he was the Superintendent, in the prayer-meeting of which he was so often the welcome leader, and in the court-room where, through its peculiar trials and provoca- tions, he ever appeared the model of a Christian lawyer and gentleman. Woe worth the day when the foe came so causelessly, so cruelly, to his very door, blasted these bless- ed hopes and loves by one fell blow, and laid them in a bloody grave 1 CHAPTER VI. The Brother's Plaee — The Peace of God-rThe Camp of In- struction — Letter of Dr. M. D. Hoge. Tho noble death of these young men stirred the soul of Dabney Harrison to its depth. From the beginning of the* war he had longed to share the hardships and dangers of his compatriots. Nothing but his sacred office held him back for a moment. But now he hesitated no longer. His mind was made up. " I must take my brother's place," he calmly said, and nothing could turn him from that resolve. He left " the quiet and still air of delightful "studies," left BABBIT CAR* HARRISON, 19 his loving people and sweet little h»me in Hanover, and, having "raised a company by great personal exertions, enter- ed the service. It could hardly be expected that all his friends would approve this step. His motives, indeed, were never doubted, though some questioned the wisdom of his decision. They think it wrong for a minister of Jesus ever to take the sword. I shall not undertake to decide between their judgment and his. 1 know he would have abhorred him- self, and repented in dust and ashes, if he had detected any passion for military glory turning him aside from his soul's great aim and end, the service and glory of Christ Jesus his Lord. I know that he would have fought in no war but one in which his country was repelling invasion, and doing battle for its hearth-stones, and the altars of God. I know that, even then, he would never have taken up the sword, if he must have laid down the Bible; that he would never have become a captain, if he could not also remain a minis- ter. I know tb^at he entered the army devoutly believing that, by this step, his usefulness, even as a preacher of God's word, would be increased. If ever there was a bosom in which the heart of peace beat with even pulse, it was his. If ever there was a house where an apestlo and his benediction might tarry, because " the son of peace was there," that, too, was his. lie was a child of ■ the God of peace," an ambafrador of " the Prince of peace," a -minister of "the gospel of peace." — Peace reigned in his heart ; it beamed from his face ; it dwelt on his lips. Nothing could disturb it; for it was " the peace of God, which passeth all understanding," and, according to the promise, it "kept" (that is guarded*) * T» J original werd meaoa etymologioftlly, " to be en the look-euV» / 29 BABXEY SARR HARRJfiO* , " his heart and mind through Christ Jesus." Whatever the care or cross, however dark the night or rough the storm, this heavenly sunshine in his breast was clear. Un- der all the provocations of this war, who saw him give way, even for a moment, to a bitter spirit, or heard him speak a word unbecoming a minister oi Christ? Several months after he entered the service, he said, with thankfulness and joy, that he had not been conscious of one revengeful feel- ing toward our enemies. No : he would fight for his coun- try ; but he would not hate. He durst die, but not sin. — Conscience, not passion, made him a soldier; but who does not know that conscience is mightier than passion ! His valor was, through the. grace of God, without fierceness ; but like steel, whose heat has been quenched in cold waters, it was, therefore, all the firmer and keener, of higher polish and more fatal stroke. He spent three months with his company in the Camp of Instruction, near Richmond. Besides giving himself with ardor to his military duties, he abounded in labors for the souls of the thousands around him. Of his character and usefulness as a soldier and a Chris- tian, in his new relations, I am enabled to present the fol- lowing decisive testimony from the pen of an eye-witness. It was prepared, at my request, by my brother, the Rev. Moses D. Hoge, D. D., of Richmond, who, in addition to his pastoral duties in the city, has been serving as Chaplain to that camp, and was in daily intercourse with Captain Harrison during his stay there. " Since my connection with the Camp of Instruction, I • to act as a vidette, or signal watchman," or what is now so familiar to us, 1 a pieket-guard." How suggestive as to the position of " God's peace" ia Its guardianship of the Ohri*iUan'B e*Wl I PABNEY OARR HARRISON. 21 have frequently enjoyed the assistance of pastors of differ- ent denominations residing in Richmond, and of ministers attached to regiments temporarily stationed in the camp. " Of the latter, Captain Harrison was with us longer than any other clergyman in the service, and he delighted to avail himself of every opportunity of aiding me in my important work. " In addition to daily visits to the sick in the hospitals, I had three appointments each week for preaching in the camp ; and whenever I was prevented by any cause from meeting these engagements, he was always ready to take my place ; and I had the most abundant evidence of the efficiency of his labors, and of the gratitude of the men for his efforts to promote their temporal and spiritual welfare. " His gentleness and sympathy ; his facility in adapting his" instructions to the characters and capacities of the sick, and the unction that gave such a charm to his prayers, al- ways rendered him a welcome visitor to the Hospital, and made him the instrument both of profit and consolation. " During the summer, several thousand troops were some- times stationed at once in our camp, and Captain Harrison wasj of course, brought into contact with a large number of officers. Over these he exercised the most happy influ- ence. " While no man was more inflexible in his adherence to his convictions of duty, or more prompt to rebuke whatever he believed to be wrong in principle or in conduct, yet his manner was so conciliating ; such was the candor and kind- ness of his disposition ; such his scrupulous respect for the rights, and regard for the feelings of others, that he rarely gave offence, even when he attempted to repress what he deemed culpable. The very % pres ence of one so frank and 22 DAB>'3T CARR HARRISON. fearless in his bearing, so. delicate and refined in bis tastes, so pure and elevated in bis principles, was ordinarily suffi- cient to ebsck any exhibitions of profanity or vulgarity. — And, withal, be was so genial in bis nature, so entertaining in bis conversation, and so obliging in bis disposition, tbat bis presence was never regarded as imposing an irksome re- straint, even in a company of tbe irreligious,. "A striking illustration of bis self-possession and insen- sibility to fear occurred, very unexpectedly, one day during fcis stay in our camp. " An altercation took place between a few members of two regiments, stationed not far from each other, which re- sulted in the serious wounding of one of the men. In a few moments a large nun ber in both regiments took up the quarrel. Several companies rushed, arms in band, to the scene of tbe melee, and stood confronting each other, ready to engage in what threatened to become a bloody 6trife. — „ Colonel, new General, Dimmock, then Commandant of the Post, was providentially passing at the moment, and Cap- tain Harrison also, and they ran between the exasperated lines, and kept them asunder. Captain Harrison at once assumed an authority to which be bad no official right, and yet one whose moral force was quickly felt ; and by inean3 of his expostulations and commands, addressed chiefly to the officers on either side, he gave 6ucb efficient co-opera- to General Dimmock, as to constrain tbe belligerents te separate, and withdraw to their several quarters. Thus, what began as a brawl, but came near ending as a battle, was promptly and finally suppressed. " One of the most interesting incidents connected with Captain Harrison's sojc urn in our camp, was his success in forming a "Ypung Men's Christian Association" in the DA&NBY CAKE HAHRIS02L 23 regiment* to which his company was attached. The or- ganization was as complete- and thorough as that of any similar association in town or city. It had the usual num- ber of officers and committees for conducting prayer-meet- ings, distributing religious publications, and providing teach- ers for the Sabbath-school and Bible-classes. No one, un- familiar with camp-life, can fully appreciate the value of such an association in counteracting the demoralization so common among men exposed to such temptations as soldiers are, and deprived too of those domestic, social and religious influpnces, which, like guardian angels, hovered around them in their own homes. A chaplain, whether at a post or in a regiment, can have no ally comparable to a well organized and efficiently managed Christian Association among the men to whom be ministers. It is not only an instrument of incalculable good to the irreligious, but one of the best means of keeping alive the spirituality, and of developing the Christian- graces of the pious officers and men who be- come enlisted in its work as active members. " If others have shown ' how awful goodness ie 1 it was Dabney Harrison's happy province to snow how ami- able and attractive it may appear, when thus illustrated in the life of a Christian gentleman and soldier. "While he remained in our camp, he moved about as one whose supe- riority was tacitly acknowledged without exciting ill-will ©r envy ; and when he left us, he, was regretted as one whose place was not to be filled again. Since the com- mencement of this war, my position has brought m« in con- * Tn« Jifty-flixth Regiment of Virginia Volunteer*. 24 DABNET CARR HARRISON. tact with many of the officers in our army, but I have known few equal, none superior, to my lamented friend, in the possession of those gifts and graces which impart true mobility to the man, and attractive loreliness to the Chria- tian. " When the startling telegram came, announcing his death, I felt and said, as doubtless so many others did, that when the particulars of the event should reach us, they would be such as to fill the heart of every friend with just pride, and such as would show to the world how gloriously a Christian soldier tould die for the sacred cause to which he had consecrated his all. " So far as the fulfilment of all these expectations is con- cerned, there is nothi^j lelt to wish ; for in all this war and in all past wars, I believe no record can be found of two brothers whose fall was characterized by more that is calculated to awaken sentiments of reverential admiration. Examples like theirs illustrate whatever is noblest and most worthy of perpetual remembrance in the annals of a people battling for liberty and right. How precious must ever be the independence which is won by such sacrifices ! M CHAPTER VII. The Christian Officer — 7he Captain's Problem — Its Solution — The Military Power of Godliness — Do Bad Men make the Best Soldiers ? — Sir Alexander Ball — Hodley Vicars — Have- lock — The Cloud of Witnesses. While Captain Harrison^ heart and work extended to the surrounding multitudes, it is only just to say that his first anxiety was for his own men. He had gathered them and given them to the service. They were to follow him^ it DABNET CARR HARRISON 35. might bo to the death. He was their Captain, and so was in closer relation to them than was possible for any other officer. They, of all others, would see what he actually was, as a servant of his country, as a servant of his God. Should he be self-indulgent, querulous, faint-hearted, indif- ferent to discipline, insubordinate to his superiors, what eould he expect of them ? Therefore he sought to be, every day and in everything, an example to them. He shared their hardships, and all so cheerfully, that the most despondent could hardly fail to catch some quickening ray from his snnny spirit. As far as was possible, too, he made them share any comfort per- taining to his position. While his discipline was firm, his sorrow that they should need it was so manifest, that their hearts were drawn out in new love to him, and they tried ever after to do right for his sake. The inexperienced found in him a faithful guardian, the perplexed wen* to him free- ly for counsel, and all the company felt that in him they had not only a brave and gallant commander, but a true friend. As they were under him, he remembered that he was an- swerable for th#m. After a battle his country might say to him, "You held a Captain's commission. A company of men was ontrusted to your care. *Your problem was : To produce, in a given time, from a given number of men hav- ing such and such capacities, the greatest aggregate of mili- tary efficiency. How have you solved it ? How much of the responsibility of this day's losses, how much of the glory of this day's successes, belongs to you ?" Therefore he labored steadfastly to make the most of his company, — to make the most of each man, and to set him in the field in his best plight, with the best preparation, and both urged and upheld by the best principles. 26 DABNBT CARR HARRISON And what were those principles ? The profoondest of all writers shall answer. After celebrating the heroic pa- tience and valor of the grandest statesman and commander of antiquity, he lays bare the secret springs of his power in these words: " He endured as seeing Him who is invisi- ble." How can any principle of action be so fruitful in all that is greet and good, as faith in God,— livisg faith in that Being who alone is infinite in greatness and goodness ! To dwell consciously in His immediate presence, and under Hi« all-beholding eye ; to act in view of His judgment throne, and therefore to strive to " do always those things that please Him ;" to enjoy His gracious friendship ; to be as- gured of H:s sympathy in every 6orrow, and His help in every difficulty ; to labor by day, and lie down by night under His smile ; yea, to enter into a new and lofty rela- tionship with Him, and be rilled with a new and nobler life: must not these things tell with^great and salutary power upon the character? Every man, not abandoned to impudence, acts carefully in the presence of others. But an enlightened conscience is as a perpetual witness, before which the soul must needs be virtuous ; og, as an old writer expresses it, "Conscience is as a thousand witnesses;" and then, rising higher in the scale of controlling influences, he declares with an energy which is only just, that "the all- seeing God is as a thousand consciences." But does not the great poet ef human nature tell us that " Consoienae does make cowards of us all!" Yes, it does and ought to hold us back when we would do wrong. But when we would do right ; when the path of danger is also the path of duty ; when we draw the sword in righteous war; then, wiUi Coleridge, we may DABCIBT OARR HAJtRIi^iff. 27 turn the sentiment, and cry out, " but oh ! it is conscience too which makes heroes of us all !" Or with Shakspeare himself we may exclaim, " Wket i>trong«r breast-plate than a heart nntninted t Thrice Is he arm'd, that hath his quarrel just 1" ' Was not Captain Ilarrison wise, then, in trying to bring his men to fear God ? Was it not a patriotic as well as a Christian duty ? When, by preaching the gospel of the J ord Jesus, he strove to prepare his men for the retribu- tions wbich lie beyond the grave, was he not equally pre- paring them for the responsibilities which lie on this side of it? If a whole army were sober, patient, content; if every man were vigilant, courageous and full of zeal ; if "the awful idea of accountability" waited on authority, and rose with the rank; while the humblest private es- teemed it honor and dignity enough to obey without ques- tioning, and stand in his lot without flinching ; would not that army be full of the stuff of which victories are made? And does not the gospel enjoin all these virtues ? Yea, does it not supply them, too, as nothing else ever can ? — Supply them to all who seek them with an honest, earnest, believing heart ? Then, in preaching the gospel to his men was not this army officer doing military service most direct and excellent 7f If these things are true, then another thing is false ; that foul maxim, namely, which has run so long a career of mis- chief, " the worse the man, the better the soldier !" It is false? or all war is wickedness, and every good soldier is a bad *, " The Tirtue and fidelity which Bhould characterize a soidier, can be learned from the holy page* of the Bible alone."— General Robert E. L69. 28 BABNET CARR HARRISON. man, and the best soldier is a villain. It is false, or all those attributes and deeds, by which liberty has been won and right maintained, ought no more to thrill our hearts and moisten our eyes ; they, should be abhorred, and con- signed to infamy. Here I crave room in behalf of virtuous and godly men in great numbers, fallen "or yet fighting in our righteous cause ; in behalf also of ignorant and tempted men ; te plead a little further against this odious slander on all true heroism. False and foolish as it is, it has no small share in the corruptions prevalent in almost every army. Vicious men, besides making it both a cloak and spur for their vices, have used it to frighten the green recruit into premature ripeness in sin, as his only way to soldierly renown. With what result, let Cowpei J s picture of the returned soldier show. "To swear, to game, to drink, to show at home By lewdness, idleness and 8abbath-breaoh, The great proficienoy he made abroad, T* astanfgh and to grieve his gazing friends, To break some maiden's and