LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 Feb Grand Format Book & Manuscript #682  / 

56078

U.S. Christian Commission in the Civil War.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:975.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
U.S. Christian Commission in the Civil War.
<B>U.S. Christian Commission in the Civil War.</B></I> An extensive archive of more than 200 pages in length relating the work of the U.S. Christian Commission in the Civil War during the years 1863-1864. The manuscript was likely penned post-war and may be a transcription of journals and notes made during the war. A good portion of the manuscript is penned on 7" x 8.5" lined notebook pages (disbound), with very clean paper and bold ink. The manuscript is organized by battle, and the narrative relates largely to the ministries and comfort given to the wounded and dying. Of particular note is a 17 page narrative titled "<I>The Work of the Christian Commission at Gettysburg Pennsylvania</B></I>", and listing the members of the Commission alongside their title positions. It reads, in very small part: "<I>The battle of Gettysburg</B></I> <I>was fought on three successive days... God was in the thick of the battle. But he was no less in the vast machinery and material of relief speedily called in to... supply the demands created by it. Two armies of a hundred thousand men each with scanty supplies of food & medicine selected without special reference to the wants of wounded men who had met in mortal conflict... While the dead still lay unburied by the highways and the helpless wounded upon the field were numbered by thousands, the call of the bugle summoned the riders to pursuit, the strong soldier from the side of the dying, the </B></I>[illeg.]<I> soldier from receiving the last messages of affection for friends at home, the fruitful surgeon from the pierced skull, the mangled flesh and the broken limb. Could it be possible that only twenty men of all classes and ranks were detailed to minister to the wants of the three thousand.../the Christian Commission in occupying the field then </B></I>[illeg.] <I>by an army ... enlarged the operations which it had already begun. Two of the delegates of the Commission, Bro. B.B. Howard, a brother of Maj. Gen. </B></I>[Oliver O.] <I>Howard, and Bro. Ch. Chamberlain, both from Maine, having accompanied the army in its march from Leesburg were on the ground during the entire progress of the battle, and gave their present attention to the wants of the wounded... Officers and men aided by the delegates and others have respectively spoken of the assistance they received during the battle from the Christian Commission and of the probability of their death had they not been aided... Among those to whom they ministered were Maj. Gen. Hancock and hid aid Gen. Miller. After much difficulty, through the aid of Gen. Buford, a party arrived with the stores at the hospital</B></I> <I>of the Second Corps. Then stores they divided among the wounded of the Second, Third and Fifth Corps. and thus relieved the wants of many a poor soldier... the town of Gettysburg presented a sad and woeful appearance. Guns were scattered in the streets or piled upon the sidewalks. Pavements were stained with blood. Every church and public building and in fact every private home was filled with wounded men. Women had gone out into</B></I> <I>the streets while the battle was in progress and... the wounds of our soldiers had carried them to their own homes where they kindly ministered to them, until they died or were able to be removed to a more suitable place... Connected with the hospital of the Third Corps was a barn full of wounded rebels who were in a most destitute condition. Some of them were half-buried in the dark filthy ... concealed under the hay... some lay in the shadow of the fences which lined the narrow lane on which the barn stood. Hungry, weary, discouraged, necessarily neglected by our own over-occupied surgeons, these rebels were all thrown upon the hands of the Christian Commission..." </B></I>Much more good content.<BR><BR>Also included is a hand-sewn notebook (cover-less) , 77pp., 5" x 8", with the first page bearing the U.S. Christian Commission letterhead, which begins a with a first-person testimonial by a member relating how he came to the ministry: "<I>At the outbreak of the rebellion G___. was a citizen of Va. and a member of a Co. of Volunteer militia which voted with a majority of 5/6 against secession When secession was forced upon his state</B></I> <I>- and his regt. was about to be called on to support the wickedness of the rebellion he left Va. and secretly removed his family and a portion of his household goods to Md. A short time before the Gettysburg battle his new home was visited by a gang of rebels Confederates who recognized him as an old neighbor and arrested him as a deserter from the confed. service. He expected to share the fate of his neighbors under similar circumstances...</B></I>" the narrator goes on to relate how G. was able to escape to the Union side, and into the service of the Commission, during the confusion and retreat by the Confederates during the Battle of Gettysburg. Other passages in this journal relate how hospitals were established, and kitchens kept supplied. A manuscript copy (in another hand) of a letter by a S.H. Pease tells of the services performed by the Commission to aid the well being of sailors in the Navy. Other battles attended to by the Commission, and recorded in these pages, include: Fredericksburg, Chickamauga, and Brandy Station. <BR><BR>Although focused on Christian ministry, the Commission successfully organized a network to raise funds and supplies to aid in the care of the wounded. The many pages included in this lot document their efforts, and tell of fundraising activities, delegates dispatched, and care given to soldiers. <BR><BR>The archive contains two letters addressed to a Rev. E. F. Williams, and a manuscript religious sermon. Also included is partially printed furlough made out to Francis Sanborn, dated July 27, 1864. In total, the archive documents the rich history of a civilian organization that played an important role in the outcome of the war. In very fine condition; should be reviewed for content.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Flat Material, Small (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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