Monday, June 09, 2003
I am not sure how this Beadles might be related to me, but I found this interesting:
There Is a Fountain
Southerners in the mid-19th century were religious people for the most part. Most regularly attended church and held a deep, personal faith. When war broke out and the ties of community and church were severed, the soldier sometimes forgot his upbringing and began to slip into the besetting sins of camp life -- drinking, gambling, and swearing, among others. However, there were chaplains in the army who labored among the men to point them toward Christ. By the Spring of 1863 a great revival swept the Army of Northern Virginia, reaching its peak during the Winter of 1863-64. Literally thousands of men were converted, and the army camps took on a much different character than the one they had possessed early in the war. Hymn singing, of course, became popular in the army at that time and one of the most popular songs was There Is a Fountain. This hymn, written by the English poet William Cowper in the early 1770s, was already old and well established by the time of the Civil War.
Two stories about this hymn and its impact on Civil War soldiers follow. The first is taken from a 1917 issue of Confederate Veteran magazine.
J. M. Beadles, of Madison Run, Va., writes of a most unique incident of his war experience:
In November, 1863, General Lee's army moved into winter quarters on the south side of the Rapidan River. The Union Army moved up to the north side. The pickets on each side of the river were within speaking distance of each other. My command camped on the north side of Clark's Mountain and was composed of the following regiments of infantry: 58th, 52nd, 32nd, and 13th Virginia, Gen. A. P. Hill's old regiment. This was the 4th Virginia Brigade, commanded by General Pegram, who was killed at Hatcher's Run.
While in camp our chaplain, Rev. Willie Ragland, preached very faithfully the gospel of Christ to our command, the 13th Virginia, that loved and honored him as a servant of God. One of the converts, Goodwin, of Company A, of Orange Courthouse, living in the lower part of the county, wished to be baptized in the Rapidan River; but the enemy was just on the other side and our officers feared that we might bring on trouble. But finally they gave their consent. We marched very scatteringly, about fifty strong; and the enemy, seeing that we had no arms, did not fire on us, but seemed greatly puzzled and watched us closely. As soon as we reached the water's edge we began to sing that grand old hymn, 'There is a fountain filled with blood,' and at once the enemy began to leave their works and hasten to the riverside, and many voices in the Northern army joined in the song. Both armies were at peace as they witnessed the death of the old man into the resurrection of the new man through Jesus Christ our Lord."
There Is a Fountain
Southerners in the mid-19th century were religious people for the most part. Most regularly attended church and held a deep, personal faith. When war broke out and the ties of community and church were severed, the soldier sometimes forgot his upbringing and began to slip into the besetting sins of camp life -- drinking, gambling, and swearing, among others. However, there were chaplains in the army who labored among the men to point them toward Christ. By the Spring of 1863 a great revival swept the Army of Northern Virginia, reaching its peak during the Winter of 1863-64. Literally thousands of men were converted, and the army camps took on a much different character than the one they had possessed early in the war. Hymn singing, of course, became popular in the army at that time and one of the most popular songs was There Is a Fountain. This hymn, written by the English poet William Cowper in the early 1770s, was already old and well established by the time of the Civil War.
Two stories about this hymn and its impact on Civil War soldiers follow. The first is taken from a 1917 issue of Confederate Veteran magazine.
J. M. Beadles, of Madison Run, Va., writes of a most unique incident of his war experience:
In November, 1863, General Lee's army moved into winter quarters on the south side of the Rapidan River. The Union Army moved up to the north side. The pickets on each side of the river were within speaking distance of each other. My command camped on the north side of Clark's Mountain and was composed of the following regiments of infantry: 58th, 52nd, 32nd, and 13th Virginia, Gen. A. P. Hill's old regiment. This was the 4th Virginia Brigade, commanded by General Pegram, who was killed at Hatcher's Run.
While in camp our chaplain, Rev. Willie Ragland, preached very faithfully the gospel of Christ to our command, the 13th Virginia, that loved and honored him as a servant of God. One of the converts, Goodwin, of Company A, of Orange Courthouse, living in the lower part of the county, wished to be baptized in the Rapidan River; but the enemy was just on the other side and our officers feared that we might bring on trouble. But finally they gave their consent. We marched very scatteringly, about fifty strong; and the enemy, seeing that we had no arms, did not fire on us, but seemed greatly puzzled and watched us closely. As soon as we reached the water's edge we began to sing that grand old hymn, 'There is a fountain filled with blood,' and at once the enemy began to leave their works and hasten to the riverside, and many voices in the Northern army joined in the song. Both armies were at peace as they witnessed the death of the old man into the resurrection of the new man through Jesus Christ our Lord."
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