CAPT. TOOMAS E. KIXG; 
 
 OR, 
 
 A WORD TO THE ARMY AND 
 THE COUNTRY. 
 
 BY KIT. JOSEPH G. STILES, D. D. 
 
 0HAM.K8T0N, B. C. : 
 
 Tke !^«Htk CarPylina Tna Sieiely, 
 
 J. J. Toon A Co., rrint«r«, Atlastlk, Ga. * 
 
}'■■■ 
 
1 
 
 l. 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 CAPT. 
 
 THOMAS E. KING; ; 
 
 ! 
 ou, 
 
 * 
 
 A 
 
 WOED 
 
 TO THE AKMY AND 
 
 
 THE COUNTRY. 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 BY rSKV. 
 
 JOSEl'II C. STILES, D. D. 
 
 
 rrf.n dt^fi 
 
 ^^TFAIILESTON, f^. C. : 
 
 Tlie South Carolina Trad Society. 
 
 1864. 
 
ATLANTA, GBOKGIA : 
 IFranklin. I*rinLtin.g Hou.se. 
 
 J. f. TOON A 00., PR0PRIKT0B8. 
 

 CAPT. THOS. E. KING. 
 
 On the 19th day of September, 1863, 
 the Confederate Armj, under General 
 Bragg, and the Federal forces, under 
 Gen. Rosecrans, were drawn up in line 
 of battle on Chick amauga creek. Brig. 
 Gen. Preston Smith, whose scars testi- 
 fied to his gallantry in the past, and 
 whose life-blood upon the battle-field 
 closed his heroic service of his country 
 that very day, it was well known was 
 about to enter upon the responsibilities 
 of a momentous conflict with an inade- 
 quate staff. All hearts and eyes are now 
 addressed to the front. A mounted 
 stranger, in military dress, is seen beside 
 the General ; he may be a casual ac- 
 quaintance who will presently retire. — 
 He accompanies the commanding Gen- 
 eral from one point to another ; still he 
 
 .^ ,^ r^ tr^ 
 
I 4 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING, 
 
 may only seek friendly conference until 
 the battle commences. The cannon is 
 booming, the musketry is rattling ; but 
 the stranger has not disappeared. See ! 
 he rides rapidly here and there, bearing 
 the General's orders to his colonels, 
 along the line. The secret is revealed. 
 He has come to share the perils of the 
 day, and to serve the General and his 
 brigade through all the vicissitudes ot 
 the deadly conflict. But how different 
 the moral position of the parties ! On 
 the one hand, the General and his brig- 
 ade are under the most solemn legal ob- 
 ligation j every man of them, to brave 
 all the dangers of the impending battle : 
 an obligation the violation of which 
 would perpetrate a crime of crimson hue, 
 and incur a penalty severe unto blood. 
 On the other, the unknown^ soldier sus- 
 tains' no such obligation, and risks noth- 
 ing by declining to take part in the con- 
 flict. Why then should he peril his very 
 life, and hazard all he holds dear on 
 
CHICKAMAUGA. 
 
 eartii, liv thruwing himself between the 
 eii<'in_y a;id his every shot and shell aim- 
 ed at the brigade? Ah I how impres- 
 sively, if siU^nrly, he e^ehums, ** I love 
 Miy country ! Her cause is just ! Inva- 
 ded by a powerful and maliirnant foe, 
 my fortune, .^nn^ngth and litV, all, all are 
 hers, eheerfully hers!" Amidst the 
 roar of eamion, whistle of shells, fall of 
 men, and all the stunning din of battle, 
 ail day long, with a buoyant heart, 
 l)right eountenanee, animate] tone and 
 martial I'ort, he ])ears commands, leads 
 regiments and encourages troops. Thus, 
 all day long, vvith admirable eloquence 
 heexpounds the loiid calls of patriotism 
 when our country is invarled, and the ra- 
 diant nobility of courage when adverse 
 ]>()vver presses fearfully. Through all 
 tlie varying issues of that memorable 
 day, the ever gallant conduct of the vol- 
 unteer soldier. l>ow it must have inspired 
 the patriotic devotion of the combat- 
 ants! — infixing upon taste m;-iy a vivid 
 
6 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 impression of the exquisite beauty of 
 patriot heroism — inscribing upon many 
 a conscience that only harbinger of na- 
 tional independ(4nce, the moral convic- 
 tion, '•'' Ei^ery man should be a hero when 
 his couniri/s liberty is imperilled.'''' Study 
 all itb influence, present and ultimate, 
 and who can tell what a valuable work, 
 even towards national deliverance, may 
 be wrought by oneday 'sgal lant volunteer 
 fighting by an unknown soldier on the com- 
 mon battle ground of our country's liber- 
 ty, especially if sealed v/ith his blood? 
 
 The responsibilities of the day are over, 
 the enemy have been driven for miles, 
 the soldier has hiid by his musket, the 
 army is at rest. Our nameless oflicer, 
 without a solitary acquaintance in the 
 brigade, sits down to commnne with a 
 friend whose intimate fellowship, es- 
 pecially in anxious hours, he has long 
 since learned to appreciate. In solitude, 
 with a calm, firm hand, he penriih-d in | 
 his note book the fobovringrec'^rd : "Sa-,- j 
 i 
 
CHICKAMAUGA. 
 
 urday, 19th, 5 P. M. Have seen the 
 enemy once more. The roar of the 
 cannon and the rattle of the musketry 
 hrin<'-infr vivldiv to mind the memorable 
 2lst of July, 1801 ; from which time I 
 have been out of service. Brig. Gvu. 
 Preston Smith gave me position on his 
 staff. Through the mercies of a kind 
 Provitlonce, who has sliitlded me with 
 His wings, and covered me, I have been 
 preserved without a wound, amidst the 
 hundreds wounded around me, and the 
 thousands of shot and shell which sung 
 the requiem of our dead boys. Thank 
 God who gave me strength, I feel that 
 so far as I am concerned 1 have d«»ne my 
 duty. All is quiet along the lines. The 
 result I do not yet know. Sharp shoot 
 ers are pegging away, but no brigade is 
 engaged. My loving wife and my little 
 boys, I know, pray for me." 
 
 Ah! how little did he know his most 
 solemn need of their wrestling interces- 
 sions at that very hour. The brigade is 
 
CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 startled, and all is astir. The ci)mmand 
 from Gen. Polk has been dolivored, 
 " Forward ! and drive the enemy from 
 his strong position on the heights across 
 the creek." The troops are in motion, 
 the brave General is in front, our gallant 
 volunteer by his side. They charge the 
 enemy ; a volley is delivered by the re- 
 treating foe. Not an officer escapes; 
 all are shot to the ground. Capt. Don- 
 elson fell dead ; Gen. Smith died in half 
 an hour ; and in one hour more the soul 
 of our unknown hero joined him in the 
 Spirit land. A few days after the bat- 
 tle, the bodies of these brave men were 
 brought from the field under military 
 escort. Our Volunteer Soldier, was 
 buried in his own town — It is hardly 
 proper to say with military honors, for 
 the community, in mass, bond and free, 
 arose to receive the remains of the ma i 
 they loved and honored, and most. de- 
 voutly laid them away in the home, pre- 
 pared for all living. 
 
CHIC'KAMAUGA, 
 
 9 
 
 D()u])tless when the brigade had obey- 
 cd the Lu'Uteuaut Genenil's command i 
 
 and driven the enemy from his fortified 
 heights, and wreaked their vengeance on 
 his shiughtered multitudes, and were 
 now at rest once more, deeply, deejyJy 
 did the soldiers mourn the death of teir 
 brave, beloved commander, who had led 
 them to victory in almost half the States 
 of the Confederacy. And surely their 
 thoughts mast have rushed to the un- 
 known departed. How brief, how bril- 
 liant his career ! lie was seen for the 
 first time in the morning; he^fights by 
 their side throughout the day ; he is seen 
 no nx'ic iit night. How seasonable, how^ 
 generous his visit! He came to fill an 
 inportant vacancy ; he discharged its 
 perilous duties to universal admiration. 
 Sword in hand from first to last, with 
 heroic gallantry he presses through every 
 successive obligation of the day, and 
 mingles his heart's blood with their Gen- 
 ciaFs al niuht. We need no witness to 
 
10 
 
 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 testify that when the fighting was over, 
 the victory won, and all was quiet, the 
 strange and striking history of the un- 
 known must have started in the bosom 
 of many a private in that brigade some 
 such hearty enquiries as these : " Who 
 was this volunteer Captain who seemed, 
 in the morning to be dropped upon us 
 like an angel to fight the battle of the 
 day, and who went home to heaven at 
 even-tide when his work was done? — 
 What was his name, and what his mili- 
 tary connection? Where did he abide, 
 and what was his calling in life? What 
 style of man was he, and what impelled 
 him to seek his glorious end in our ranks ? 
 Whatever incipient interest in the stran- 
 ger may have been awakened by the in- 
 timate and eventful interweaving of his 
 personal history with theirs for the space 
 of a day, all that interest will be pro- 
 foundly augmented by an honest answer 
 to the personal enquiries so naturally 
 suggested. 
 
CHAKACTER. 
 
 11 
 
 The volunteer aid who fougiit and fell 
 by the. siJe of Gen. Preston Sniith, at 
 the battle of ChickHinaii^'a, nejir the close 
 of the day and battle of the 19th of Sep- 
 tember, wusCapt. Thomab E. King, son 
 of Barkingtom Kikg, Esq., both of lios- 
 weil, Ci>bb County, Geoigia. 
 
 Capt. King possessed a well balanced 
 character, a good education, quick and 
 excellent judgment, great energy and re- 
 markable business capacity ; a rare com- 
 bination of gentleness and firmness. — 
 Few men were so pure, sijiipleand mod- 
 est; and fewer still, endued with such 
 universal, captivating benevolence. He 
 seemed to go through life with a radiant 
 smile upon his face, and rarely met a 
 human l>eing without a gush of kindness. 
 Pre-eminently genial, he fell into anima 
 ted sympathy with his coni^»anion upon 
 sight; yet never lacked dignity or de- 
 cision when circumstances called .for 
 either. To the day of his death pro- 
 found veneration fur his failier, and ten- 
 
12 
 
 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 derness for his mother, were not exIiiK 
 ited by word and act only, but itwaria- 
 bly found touching expression in the very 
 tones of his voice. 'Twas a simple, beau- 
 tiful testimony to the winning loveliness 
 of his fraternal affection that the five 
 younger children should have uniformly 
 addressed him by the tender appellation 
 of 'Brother,' while they always distin- 
 guished their three eldei> and excellent 
 brethren by prefixing this generic ad- 
 dress to th(Mr respective names. Of his 
 c>>njugal and parental tenderness we will 
 not speak. To say that he ardently 
 loved his family, kindred and friends, 
 and shared the reciprocal ati'eotion of all, 
 heaves a larger truth untold. The fact 
 is, he loved every child of Adam, rich 
 and poor, and was always the most pop- 
 ular mtm in the community, both with 
 the bond and the free. Naturally unob- 
 trnsive, he died Mayor of the town and 
 Commander of the Post. No man M^as 
 so familiarly approached for a favor by 
 
CflARACTBR. 13 
 
 the aflluent or the indigent ; yet no man 
 ooiild so readily subdue an insurgent 
 popidation by suasion or by force. — 
 While every manly and valuable virtue 
 composed the basis of his character, 
 prompt and cheerful sympathy with the 
 dependent classes of society probably 
 constituted his most distinguishing trait. 
 Many a time has his hand distributed 
 enlarged benefactions tcv the indigent, of 
 which the world never heard. The poor 
 as well as the ri(^h, the bond as well as 
 the fiee, broke their hearts around 
 his grave, and now fiil the public car 
 with the celebration of his virtues, the 
 memory of his kindnesses, their appre- 
 ciation of his value, and the expressions 
 of their grief The servant of one neigh- 
 bor, near at hand, dressed her own fet 
 chicken and sent it to the CHptain's 
 breakfast table on the morning of his de- 
 parture for the army; another, at a 
 distance, sent " Many howdyes to Mass 
 Tom " on the day of his death. It is a 
 
14 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 triumphant endorsement of the beautiful 
 symmetry of his character, the unsullied 
 rectitude of his life, that, though so uni- 
 formly successful in all his social, busi- 
 ness and military relations, he should 
 have excited so little envy, and that the 
 few unprincipled and selfish men who 
 did harbor unkindness towards him rare- 
 ly expressed it, well knowing in their 
 shrewdness that universal admiration of 
 his rirtues would very soon have crushed 
 both them and their opposition. 
 
 In sketching the character of our de- 
 parted soldier in this critical hour of 
 oui country's history, it is seasonable to 
 remark, if by nature his generic charac- 
 teristic was benevolence, by providence 
 and grace its specific developments were 
 patriotism and piety. 
 
 I. Patriotism. — The spirit he breath- 
 ed and the principles of his conduct are 
 clearly indicated by the following ex- 
 tracts from his private correspondence 
 and his army journal, recorded without 
 
PATRIOTISM. 15 
 
 comment in the order in which he penn- 
 ed them : 
 
 "yilledgeville, Jan. 18th, 1861.— 
 Iliirrah ! hurrah ! hurrah ! hurrah ! hur- 
 rah ! One for each sovereign State and 
 independent Sovereignty. It was to-day 
 ' Resolved that Georgia has a right and 
 should secede from the Union ; ' passed 
 at 4 o'clock P. M. by 35 majority. Our 
 cannon are proclaiming it t© the world." 
 "Atlanta, May 31st, 1861.— To-day we 
 were mustered into the volunteer service 
 of the Confederate States." "June 1st. — 
 Rose at 4 o'clock this morning ; the hour 
 I have fixed for regular rising during the 
 war." "June 11th. — Though naturally 
 you feel ' desolate and lonely,^ I thank my 
 God that you have been enabled to ^ give 
 me up in so noble a cause." " Winchester, 
 Va., June 28.— I find myself on ground hal- 
 lowed by associations with the noble Vir- 
 ginian, George Washington. Our camp 
 is a quarter of a mile from the house. 
 Perhaps we are on the very spot where 
 
16 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING/ . 
 
 his troops encamped 101 years ago. 
 At-any rate we ai'e on a similar mission; 
 for as he was sent to drive back t]^ in- 
 vader, so are. we ; and our prayer is that 
 his God may be our God, and crown us 
 too with victory. I never was in better 
 health, and I might say spirits, but for 
 the yearning of my heart for home and 
 friends. I will only have to light the 
 harder for a forced peace, when 1 have 
 the opportunity. J^^or one, I did not 
 come here for the sake of glory and re- 
 nown. I came to secure the blessings of 
 peace and prosperity to ourselves and 
 our children. Tliis was, and is what I 
 desire, and my voice would go forth in 
 songs of grateful, heartfelt thanksgivings 
 if the knife could be buried, and all 
 sounds of war quieted within our bor- 
 ders. But if, like fiends incarnate, noth- 
 ing but war, war shall be their cry, why 
 then we say, let it come, and we will show 
 the fanatics what it is to be men and to 
 stand up in fearless defence of our rights 
 
PATKIOTIbM. 17 
 
 aud liberties ; and agaiu we say, let it 
 CQme . ■ d be witli the right." 
 
 , J Lily 2Gth, (after the bat- 
 tle o). — My De^r Father and 
 darliijg,x>xui her ; IJiuow that your hearts 
 have before J Ids bounded with pride, that 
 your thauksgiviDgs have been most fer- 
 vently puaicd out, and lliat your cup of 
 blessing is iy>\\' rich and overflowing. — 
 Tlie 2isX Ui' 'luly, a day pregnant with 
 glorious uchievenieiits, has not its paral- 
 lel in the aiii:;^-, uf Aiu-ricun history, if 
 in til ll youran- 
 cest' ,iic KaLs ot iheirsons 
 in i' .uies,. and justly too, 
 so may you,, my dear pai-ents, tell .what 
 your s'.iiis '-. - .lie in these days. The 
 battle oi 'i/f/e iutroduecs a new 
 era in Amen. ly; for with it 
 comes th.' ■''■' . ,.^cd birth of a new 
 i^^ition. m our march gloomy, 
 dishearttiiovi, and lipe for rebellion, un- 
 til the gail.uiG^BARiow assured each reg- 
 ilnenl,|).•l^..^;iig by, that this was no retreat 
 
18 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 but a direct advance against the enemy. 
 Our hearts now grew light, our steps 
 buoyant. We lay under a galling fire 
 fnr an hour, waiting orders. About 1 1 
 o'clock Gen. Bartow ordered up our reg- 
 iment to support Gen. Bee ; but by the 
 time we reached him Bartow's (8th) 
 regiment was cut to pieces, and Bee's 
 brigade routed. • So they formed and 
 fell in behind us. From this time until 
 3 o'clock the battle raged desperately, 
 and victory wavered. About 3 Beaure- 
 gard told Bartow to take our flag and 
 lead on the two regiments, the 7th Geor- 
 gia and 17th Virginia, and capture the 
 detachment of Sherman's battery which 
 M'^as injuring our troops so much. Brave, 
 noble hearted man ! he did it, but a bul- 
 let was sent to his heart and he fell dead. 
 We pressed on, however, nobly standing 
 our ground against fearful odds, and 
 drove back the gunners from a battery 
 of ten pieces. Strong r-einforcements 
 just then coming up enabled us to keep 
 
PATRIOTISM. 19 
 
 the advantage. Here was the tiirnin:^ 
 point of the day ; for just aftor, the rout 
 began. We were under the fire of near 
 ten thousand men — reguhirs, Zouaves, 
 and picked troops ; the air actual ly 
 seemed dense with flying huHh'ts. They 
 grazed us on every side, and it is a mir- 
 acle of miracles that every man of \\-: 
 was not mowed down. 1 was in tho 
 front lank, cheering on my men, when 
 I was shot in the ancle, about 4 oVloefc. 
 I did not fall, but caught on my sword, "i*^ 
 and after a while, with help, hobbled to 
 the rear. Our regiment miirht have 
 been led on with more regularity and 
 order. In fact it was nothing but a firm, 
 dogged determination not to knuckle to 
 a pesky Yankee, that made our boys 
 hold their own. Shake hands with all 
 the mourning ones around you for me. 
 They must cease their mourning ; for 
 what offering can be more noble than 
 theirs, sending their dear on^s to be 
 martyrs to our country's cause?" 
 
20 CAPT. THOMAS 
 
 Richmond, Aug. 20th. — " M)ft*i*ig« is 
 perfectly helpless, av<d sometiiii^y«T|5(i^\y 
 painful. OrdiuHrily it coiximences to 
 distress me about 12 o'clu^k^. wight; 
 from this time I begin to watch .for .the 
 dawn. A splendid band, just now pass- 
 ing along the street at the head of a 
 company, puts my leg decidouly iu the 
 notion of stepping off to the tinie of tlie 
 martial music. I try, to keep olT melan- 
 choly wliile prospecting my tedious con- 
 valescence, and only hope that tlie pro- 
 phecies of the doctors may no,t« be rea^l- 
 ized, but that at any ra|.e by tlija,.ni.id41e 
 of October I shall be able agaiivto join 
 my company. I am as anxious to be 
 with them as they ean poss^ibly be to 
 have me." Aug. 21st. — "Weil, Father, 
 it is just one month to-day since I had 
 my bout with the Yankee-- ' ' \ o no 
 occasion to regret" it in a:; , . ._ , but 
 would willingly go through all i have 
 endured, and more, to have been with 
 our troops in so glorious a fight as 
 
PATKIOTlSM. 21 
 
 Manassas. My heart beats with joy 
 and yet is filled with sadness. II ore are 
 five of lis, hroUiLM's, all asstnibJed in 
 this room, in iKichmoiid, under the hos- 
 pitable roof of my kind fri'M. ' Mr. 
 Pleasants. We hxive banish'-n ht)me*«^ 
 comforts that we may stand no for onr 
 country's rights, for our own :\\\<] oui' 
 children's liberties. P-ovi<lciiti;iiiv we 
 all met here this morniii'jr, an*!. ;/,i!i'ered 
 around my lame leg, rone we J mu' v(»vis 
 to dedicate ourselves to our cfminoi; 
 cause, the cause of freedom for on j- pre- 
 
 ler 
 
 cious Southern h<»mes. Y*>i 
 have the honor of sending .,s to 
 
 battle for your country, and yotir heart 
 must well np with feelings of piide.'' — 
 Sept. 2d — "' 1 am thinking that my l)oys 
 have gone forward with the advamce 
 irvade on the Maryland shores. 1 feel 
 impressed with the belief that Uioment- 
 ous events overhang us; that viv,{..)ry or 
 annihilation await our torces on liie Fo 
 tomac. 1 can only wield the aimJA br>t 
 
22 
 
 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 powerful engine of prayer for our brave 
 sol'diers and beloved land ; and thank 
 God no Hessian fiend can deprive me of 
 this. It chafes me no little to see the 
 result of their initiatory move against 
 our ^ea-coast defences, and my only hope 
 is that v/e may profit decidedly by it. — 
 We must expect reverses in the present 
 campaign ; and should they overwhelm 
 our present forces I, for one, will not 
 be broken^ hearted, but will expect to 
 see our country rise, Phf^nix like, from 
 her seeming ashes and show her malig- 
 nant enemies an unbroken front, and hurl 
 them back from our polluted soil. I can- 
 not look for annihilation to our forces; 
 1 have too much coniidence in the just- 
 ness of our cause, and in the justice of 
 our God. However protracted our 
 struggle, we must be victori(»us in the 
 end." 
 
 The patriotic spirit of the preceding 
 extracts was more gloriously developed 
 to the close of his life. It was an entire 
 
PATRIOTISM. 23 
 
 year before Capt. King laid aside his 
 crutches ; he walked with a staf}' until he 
 died, and colild not walk without it. He 
 took every step in pain, v.-as thrown in- 
 to pangs if his lame foot struck a pehhle, 
 and alvvays to the ground if his staff did 
 not sustain him ; he knew that he was a 
 cripple for life, and did not know that he 
 would outlive either the weakness or the 
 painfulness of his lijvih. It is a singular 
 fact, under all this physical discourage- 
 ment, that he should hare gradually and 
 deliberately arrived at the conclusion to 
 consecrate his entire strength and service 
 to his country so long as the war should 
 last. I'o accomplish this purpose he cm- 
 ployed himself for a Jong time in ar- 
 ranging his business, modifying his con- 
 nections w th society, making all proper 
 disposition of his domestic afTiiirs, and 
 ult-imately executed his will, and com- 
 mitted his children to the care of his 
 father. We are not surprised, therefore, 
 to find the following record \n his v,ar- 
 
24 OAPT, THOMAS -E. KING. 
 
 inaiuiui : "September 14th, 1SG3. — Left 
 
 the (l\dv one§ a,t home aguiii, having 
 
 biiekltid on the sword to joiu, the Army 
 
 oi' 'l\'imessee, under General Bragg, to 
 
 iother biowvfor independence^ 
 
 : >"dom of Georgia Irom the 
 
 lid of the xibolitionists. Isfy 
 
 joii), as volunteer aid, the 
 
 , Lwiigstreet or Gen. Polk ; 
 
 : y service in the held 
 
 i]j will avail anything." 
 
 • [ucstioned whether the an- 
 
 ; :.' v'oiiicderiiey fui-iil^h mauy 
 
 ;-. ui' tiic love uj coiuitry more 
 
 ;\'.], <»!• lofty, than tliat coni- 
 
 s of Captain 
 
 .,.,,, .iieli^ht of tlie 
 
 We j:u asure the force 
 
 \y^ the resistance it over- 
 
 oiir soldier's putiiutism by j 
 
 U«x.; ■ tilry had no right lu eai i hirn 
 
 oui rvice; but he disdains all 
 
 n and m inches out to 
 
PATRIOTISM. 25 
 
 meet her enemies. He ha<l a lovel\ 
 family, a large circle of appr.'('ifitiii<: 
 friciuls and relatives, and a liuoyant, 
 cheerful heart to enjoy thiin ; l>ut ne 
 surrenders all secular ind ulg! nee for 
 his country's service. He had a largiB^^ 
 and lucrative occupation which need id 
 his constant, personal attention; hut ho 
 turns his back upon the attractive claims 
 of business and sallies forth to 11 ^ht for 
 his country. He commanded tli.- infant- 
 ry, cavalry and artillery recruiti d for 
 the home-defence of Koswell and its vi- 
 cinity ; but, not anticipating an iwimedi- 
 ate raid, he obtains a furlough and seeks 
 the field where a desperate battle is 
 hourly expected. It is positively true 
 that he had no independent physteal 
 ability, either to mfiuch on foot or to 
 mount a horse; but he conld ride when 
 mounted, and therefore, refusing to avail 
 'himself of his physical weeklies r rossts 
 on to meet the enemy. The inliuence 
 of a father's advice ur)<m that son -fnay 
 
26 CAPT, THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 be inferred from the father's testimony 
 that he could not recall a wish through 
 life which that son had not anticipated ; 
 and yet he breaks through his fiither's 
 incipient counsel, to go out and defend 
 his country. His father said to him : 
 " My son, you are not able to go." He 
 responded, •' Father, our State is inva- 
 ded — our family is not represented on 
 that battle field ; I mw.?^ go." It was a 
 noble response : " Go, my son, and the 
 Lord go with you." We must draw a 
 veil over pleadings that w^erc yet harder 
 to resist — those of his wife and children ; 
 yet even these he gently presses aside 
 to serve his country. His clothes were 
 not ready ; but he felt that the battle 
 was at hand, and could not wait fen- theni. 
 His servant's hoYse was stolen on the 
 way ; but he forbears to pursue the 
 thief that he may not be too late at hfs 
 post. He found Gen. Polk's staff wdl 
 filled ; but, undiscouraged, he seeks and 
 finds his place on the staff of Brig. Gen. 
 
PATKIUTISM. 27 
 
 Preston Smith, on tlie morning of the 
 verj (lay that he fought and bled. 
 
 Oh ! the power of [>atrioLic devotion 
 in that young man's breast; what could 
 withstand it? lie felt that by a deter- 
 mined foe his country was sorely pre-ss- 
 ed just now, and must be as f<irmidahly 
 overborne for a long time to come. He 
 felt that every man shoul i do all in his 
 power for her defense. As for himself, 
 he threw aside all legal exemption, all 
 worldly induJfrenee, all business attrac- 
 tions, all honor of primary command at 
 home, all !)odily infirmity, all tamiiy so- 
 licitudes, and pressed rapidly to the 
 very thickest of the fight. And was his 
 patriotism tried, wearied, exhausted by 
 all tliis ? Far from it. He urged his 
 way through ail with a cheerful will 
 which gat hered strength from every sac- 
 rifice; a devout consecration which fur- 
 nished courage for every emergency. — 
 Exhausted indeed! when he was mount- 
 ed tV»r the last time, and iroing forth in 
 
28 CAPT. THOMAS- E. KING. 
 
 a fesv irioineril.s to his death, on a bv- 
 staucKu' remarking that his saddle did not 
 seem socisre, with a bright counteiianc*' 
 and uui milted Unie he exciainied "That's ^ 
 ri*:(iit,-v Doctor, see it well fastened ; for 
 '•' I once get do\vn I can't get 
 Til rough all the duties and 
 peri;., of the (lay he went forth to his 
 death vvith so much of this same calm, 
 intremd, hennc spirit; that, in perfect ac- 
 coj-uiiiice vvith the public sentiment of 
 the bi-; 4ai3.e, one of the most distinguish- 
 ed oviicei-s of Gen. Polk's staif, on the 
 batUe [ield, recorded with his own liand, 
 in (:■ • i\ io'i's war-manual, the fbllowiiig 
 trii, i/i^- {/allanirt/ '.(oon the huUle 
 
 ■field ioa.i^ conspicuous' ; and since ihis war 
 be(j<ui, no .nobler , braver, or truer heart 
 has 'jceii offered a Kacrijice to the great 
 came.'' To this high encomium every 
 soldier -of Gen. Smith's brigade whose 
 ^^ ey^^.^resrtied upon him d'lriM!:^ his last 
 ev< r ■ ' ' ■ , and every, soldier who \^ as 
 ev< ; ills command in the Potomac 
 
WORD TO 01TIZEN8. 29 
 
 ariiiy, and every mau who knew him 
 well at hoiii-', wiJl delight to aiVix his 
 most heart \^ and soieitin amen. 
 
 *Such a niitid 1 What a lucid demon- 
 stration of the justice of our country's 
 cauae, an<l ot the- duty of her ev(^ry cit- 
 izen ! What ho fiaw was surely the 
 light of trutJi. ; what he, felt was surely 
 the dictitlc of fcclUnde. What, then, 
 shrtii wo think of tli^se men in the Con- 
 federacy who act upon such opposite 
 prinaiplcs ? w ha I shall we say to them ? 
 Yo speculators ! ye sordid money -ma 
 king harpiefi of the nation, who coolly 
 seek the v.^ry life-blood of the land to 
 ieed- yonr-unhHllo\vr-d hist of filihy lucre ! 
 Look Tic sacrificed CO vet<">usness 
 
 to [>.": md sou<j;ht rather to serve 
 
 his country than to enrich himself. Go 
 ye and do likewise — ere dread retribu- 
 tion overtake you at the hand of patriot 
 men wId by privation, toil and blood, 
 shall have won a national liberty in 
 which they are deeply purposed that your 
 
30 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 cold and cruel selfishness shall never, 
 never have an honorable share. Ye 
 heartless, worthless exeinjyts in every cor- 
 ner of the land, who bribe the pliailt 
 surgeon to endorse your pretended dis- 
 abilities ! Look at him ! You have 
 twice the physical power to scrre jour 
 country that he possessed ; but in her 
 extremity give her none of it. He first 
 studied how he could best advance her 
 interests, and then laid out in her service 
 all the little strength he had. G(^ ye and 
 follow his example ; lest deep disgrace 
 from an injured country settle upon you 
 and your posterity for all time to come ! 
 Ye base and infamous ^ulkers, who hide 
 a coward heart behind some fraction of 
 a Nitre contract, or in some work or of- 
 fice that pays you well for the shelter it 
 provides against the face of the enemy ! 
 Ye thousands off urlougked sick, wound- 
 ed and well, scattered through the gen- 
 erous households of the people and your 
 own homes, who by time and kind atten- 
 
WORD TO SOLDIERS. 31 
 
 tion have refrained your healtJi and home 
 refreshment, and are now every way fit 
 for service, but, ignobly self-indulgent, 
 still cling to the luxuries of the family 
 when your struggling country calls you 
 back to the hardships of the camp; 
 whose entertainers grieve that their hos- 
 pitalities have beeu spent upon such un- 
 deserving men, and, day and night, do 
 now begrudge you that bed and board 
 they would so gladly spread for the suf- 
 fering faithful, returning from the battle 
 field ! And ye, miserable stragglers, who 
 are sure to lose your regiment when 
 an engagement is imminent ! And ye, 
 pitiful cowards, who are the scorn of the 
 brave, because you are sure to become 
 desperately ill when the line of battle is 
 formed ! And yQ, faint-hearted ivarriors, 
 who enter the battle but are sure to 
 sneak out exhausted before you have fired 
 a gun ! Yes, all ye miserable skulkers 
 of the country ! look at him ! look at 
 him! When the noblest cause for which 
 
32 CAPT. TIIOM-AS F.. KmG. 
 
 man ever shed his blood was put in peril ; 
 when ' the brightest flag the ami ever 
 shone upon was unfurled to the breeze ; 
 w^hen our country's liberties were actu- 
 ally placed upon trial by battle ; did he 
 turn his back and abscond 'I Did he 
 seek an excuse to be absent u'oni the 
 fray "? Did he pretend to some physical 
 incapacity to stand at his post '? Did he 
 content himself with luxurious indul- 
 gences at a distance when his country's 
 life was perilled on the battle field?— 
 No! never, never! Creation could trot 
 keep him from his place in the racks of 
 the faithful and the brave. Many and 
 strong were the powers that tried their 
 hand upon his patriotism ; but they tried 
 in vain. Nor false pleas, nor sensual .com- 
 forts, nor the cares of business, nor the 
 counsels of friends, nor the cries of kin- 
 dred, nor a feeble body, nor the dread of 
 death, could arrest his gallant rush into 
 the fiercest of the battle. Oh! ye poor 
 patriots ! ye .shrinking, dishonored men ! 
 
WORD TO SOLDIERS. 33 
 
 ye forget! We are Jighting for our 
 country^ s liberty! Look at him ! and re- 
 deem yourselves and your families from 
 the inglorious past by a bold imitation 
 of him in future, and we will gladly hail 
 you as our noble brothers, our gallant 
 compatriots in the purest, grandest cause 
 on earth. 
 
 Ye multiplied thousands of deserters, 
 hiding in the strongholds and dens of 
 the mountains, or skulking about in the 
 dark corners of the Confederacy ; how 
 mean ye feel ! They who turn their 
 backs upon such a cause, must, by all its 
 exalted nobility, be crushed into the 
 deepest degradation. From the very 
 bottom of our hearts we pity you, our 
 unhappy countrymen. What a stigma 
 you have infixed upon your, name ! what 
 a poison you have poured into your very 
 hearts ! On the day that you were mus- 
 tered into the service, say, did you not 
 swear, that you would fight our country's 
 . battles to the end of the war 1 What 
 
34 CAPT. THOMAS E. RING. 
 
 are you doing in the mountains'? What 
 victories will you win there ? What na- 
 tional independence will you establitjh 
 there 1 What respect and honqi' from 
 your fellow-men will you earn there? 
 What noble deeds to tell your children 
 will you achieve there ? What brighten- 
 ing prospects for yourselves or your fam- 
 ilies, m time or eternity, do you expect 
 to light up by this shameless abandon- 
 ment of the sacred cause of your coun- 
 try and your race ; the cause of all truth 
 and honor, of all justice and peace? Tell 
 me not of the inequalities of the Govern- 
 ment — of the oppression of your officers. 
 Be done with such trifling ! Do you not 
 know that man is ftillible; that, especial- 
 ly at such a time as this, there will be, 
 there must .be some inequalities, some 
 improprieties? And have you no more 
 regard for your character, love for your 
 countr-y,' appreciation of the right, and 
 command of your intelligence than to 
 give up every great thing under heaven. 
 
MTqrd to aoJLDiERa. 35 
 
 simply because every little thing about 
 you has not been doue to your liking.? 
 You are in the wrong, my countrymen, 
 grievously in the wrong. Come back to 
 the ranks, and come at once. Say ! be- 
 fore high Heaven, did you not swear to 
 your comrades in arms thai if they would 
 stand by you, you would stand by them? 
 that if they stood ready, in every fight, 
 to shoot down the man that aimed his 
 rifle at your breast, in every fight, by 
 their side you, too, would stand ready 
 to shoot down the men who aimed their 
 muskets at them ? Alas ! how many of 
 your faithful, noble comrades have been 
 slain in battle and sent to man's long 
 home, simply because you violated your 
 solemn oath and w^ere not. at your post 
 to defend them! Instead of destroying 
 our enemies, you have been strengthen- 
 ing them by the shiughter of.your coun- 
 trymen. Come back to the ranks, un- 
 faithful men! Look at our glorious 
 warrior ! He might have saved his life 
 
36 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 in the mountains and broken no pledge 
 and violated no oath. Thank God ! he 
 needed none to make him faithful. He 
 loved his country. He saw her peril. He 
 fled to the rescue. He took your place. 
 He shed his blood where, possibly, that 
 very blood might have been spared had 
 you but been half as faithful as he. — 
 Come back to your conntry's standard; 
 we need your plighted help ; we will for- 
 get and forgive the past. We are going 
 to triumph in this struggle; we will ac- 
 cord to you all the valor you exhibit, and 
 share with you all the glory we shall 
 win. 
 
 And oh ! ye valiant soldiers who have 
 stood your ground in every battle, and 
 covered yourselves with glory in every 
 conflict; who feel with us, that, God 
 helping, you are going to struggle on to 
 liberty or to death. We, who stand be- 
 hind you, and are not permitted to fight 
 by your side, for whom your breasts and 
 hearts have been a shield in every ad- 
 
WORD TO SOLDIERS. 37 
 
 vance of the ftiiemy ; Oh ! you know not 
 how we love, and honor, and prize you. 
 Believe us, whenever the tidings ot your 
 gallant fighting reach our anxious ears, 
 we never fail to weep out our heartiest 
 love and giatitude to you, in the midst 
 of our solemn thanksgivings and praises 
 to God. Noble men ! look ye, too, at 
 our sainted hero ! See how the spirit of 
 your own breasts swelled in him ! Like 
 yo\i, he gave up everything for his coun- 
 try ; like you, he faced every foe for his 
 country. Like him, gallant men, go 
 forth to the death for your country. Oh ! 
 like him, let the love of God ever feed 
 your love of country; and, like him, 
 from your last battle field you will go 
 up to glory as in Elijah's chariot ; and 
 while heaven opens wide her arms to 
 welcome you to your high home, earth 
 shall cheerfully enroll a Christian soldier 
 on the catalogue of her most splendid 
 noblemen. 
 
38 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 JI. Piety, — Yes, Capt. King loved his 
 country. But if our soldier had not been 
 apiousmany while we should have re- 
 gretted this cardinal defect in his char- 
 acter as B.2)otriot, we must have mourn- 
 ed without hope over the deadly lack 
 in his character as a man. But thank 
 God ! though constitutionally bright and 
 happy, he was a consistent Christian, and 
 though uniformly modest and unosten- 
 tatious, he was a zealous Christian. — 
 From his youth he had been a professor 
 of religion, in the Presbyterian church, 
 and the war decidedly brightened " the 
 piety of his latter days. At the first 
 prayer meeting he had the privilege of 
 attending in his own sanctuary, after five 
 months absence from it in the army, he 
 stated to his brethren that the last words 
 from his pastor, on leaving home, brought 
 him this admonition: "Now, Tom, take 
 cSre of your heart." With emotion he 
 expressed to the congregation his trust 
 in God, that he had not forgotten the 
 
— 
 seasonable exhortation — and surely the 
 tenor of bis life proved the truth of his 
 protestation. 
 
 Tlie best practical test of a ju.ui n piety 
 is i)is habitual treatment of the Bible, the 
 Mercy-seat, and the Sabhath. In these 
 three respects the rectitude of our sol- 
 dier was conspicuous. From the day 
 that he was mustered into the service 
 until the day when he was compelled to 
 k^ave it, in accordance with his original 
 purpose, he regularly rose at fouro*clock 
 in the morniiio-. The early and the clos- 
 ing hours of every day (Providence per- 
 mitting) he eonsciejitiously employed in 
 fScripture-readingand pfayer. Surely he 
 must have learned to pray, whose con- 
 sci<Hisness of this duty led him, a month 
 at a time, to conduct family prayer reg- 
 ularly, both reading and praying, when 
 disease hud destroyed all power either to 
 rl-t troni hia bed or to hold the Bible. in 
 iiis hand. And surely he must have 
 learned to pray to edification, when an- 
 
40 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 other's servant confesses, on the Cap- 
 tain's death, that he had been accustom- 
 ed to steal into his piazza by night, and 
 kneel where he could hear most of the 
 service through the closed door. Nor 
 did he confine his Bible reading or his 
 prayers to his tent ; he was accustomed 
 to read his Testament, solemnly and 
 aloud, while marching — his Orderly re- 
 ports — sometimes for consecutive miles. 
 As for prayer, it was the admiring ex- 
 clamation of his Lieutenant, " I never 
 knew such a man ; he was always pray- 
 ing ! " We have equal evidence of his 
 sensibility to the sacredness of the Sab- 
 bath. In his war-journal he makes the 
 following records: <*June 9th. — How 
 war breaks in on the sanctity of this day! 
 One has to keep a record of some kind 
 or we lose all account of it. I hope when 
 once we get into camp its sanctity will be 
 observed." '■' June 15th.-— We are prom- 
 ised a quiet Sabbath, and that our 
 march shall not be renewed." He writes 
 
PIETY. 41 
 
 to his wife — " Oh ! how my fteart was 
 ghicldened by your letter to-day ! How 
 different your quiet Sabbath from mine! 
 Mine was spent amidst the noise and 
 confusion of eighty men in miserable 
 box cars — the Sabbath of our arrival in 
 Knoxville — in unpacking the boys, and in 
 packing them up again for the night." — 
 In a subsequent letter he says, " Yester- 
 day, (Sabbath) much to my annoyance, 
 we had a muster- for the pay-roll. I do 
 not see the necessity for this violation of 
 God's holy law, nor for the dress parade, 
 which is not omitted. Custom sanctions 
 it, but it makes the law of God of none 
 effect, and has a tendency to demoralize 
 the men, more or less ; I wish it could 
 be done away with." Still later, he 
 writes to his brother that his brigade was 
 now on their march to the battle of Ma-* 
 nassas. He felt deeply the responsibil- 
 ities that awaited them. He longed in 
 spirit to be alone with God. In viola- 
 tion of his regular habit, at the break of 
 
4S CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 fl-'y, he leU his teitt nnd sought the quiot 
 solitude of a neighboring grove. His 
 soul waxed warm in prayer. The sun 
 Itad shed no beams on earth when the 
 soiene, solemn Sabbath of universal na- 
 ture was profanely broken by the roar of 
 cannon at a distance.. Then it was that 
 his soul deeply rejoiced within him that 
 this -impious prolanation of the sanctity 
 of God's holy day was not perpetrated 
 by Confederate troops ; that though ne- 
 cessity was now laid upon them, and 
 they, too, on God's holy Sabbath must 
 handle these infernal destroyers of^a^l 
 quiet, peace and life, yet that the sin of 
 all lay at the door of the enemy who 
 had nnade the assault. 
 
 But Captain King's piety w^as not con- 
 fnied to personal fidelity in the use of 
 'the Bible, the Mercy-scat and the Sab- 
 bath ; he ardently sought to sauctlfu and 
 to save men by every means in his pow- 
 er — nor did he suHer any cross, however 
 severe, to drive him from the path of 
 
43 
 
 duty. His men had left their rolio-jop'- 
 privilp^es behind theiji ; he felt that he 
 should supply their destitution to the ex- 
 tent of his ability. Kepilarly, there- 
 fore, while he remained in the service, he 
 summoned his company to family wor- 
 ship at his tent every evenini]r. On these 
 occasions he read the Scriptures, ex- 
 pounded and prayed. In his corres- 
 pondence, he speaks of evening prayers 
 at his marquee as " very pleasant to me, 
 and well attended. God jrr.ant that Ills 
 Spirit may move upon the hearts of our 
 soldiers and much good be the result." 
 He followed his public ministration with 
 private effort. His soldiers testify that, 
 at all convenient seasons, he was found 
 earnestly conversing with his iiien upon 
 the subject of personal religion ; that he 
 frequently accompanied an aged chaplain 
 in his regimental visitations, and, when 
 the missionary's strength decline/i, spir- 
 itedly took up his work. 
 
 The actual reformation of the men is 
 
44 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 another signal proof of the zeal of the 
 officer. True ! the captain s cneerful, 
 abounding benevolence doubtless awak- 
 ened no small part of the idolah y of his 
 company ; for what soldier could fail to 
 love a captain who, not on duty, was as 
 intimate with him as a brother, and 
 watched over him with the affection and 
 sympathy of a parent ; who carried the 
 soldier's musket and knapsack when wea- 
 ry, and fasted himself to feed his hungry 
 private. But when a soldier's love for 
 his captain reforms him, this fact estab- 
 lishes the piety of the officer, as well as 
 his benevolence. It is pleasant to know 
 that, in sympathy with our captain, no 
 man of his company profaned God's 
 holy name in his audience; and that 
 to please him, the profanest waited cheer- 
 fully upon the evening service. " Boys! 
 I never thought you would do this," was 
 the kind but serious address of Captain 
 Kin<r to the first few men of his com pa- 
 ny whom he had ever detected playing 
 
PIETY. 45 
 
 cards. His Orderly sergeant testifies 
 that every card in camp was destroyed 
 that night, and not another handled until 
 the company had changed its captain, 
 adding that a large supply of marbles 
 was ingeniously substituted for the ban- 
 ished implements of gambling. Doubt- 
 less a number of similar moral and 
 religious impressions, convictions, and 
 reformations amongst the soldiers bear 
 testimony to the earnest piety of the 
 captain's" personal example and public 
 and private addresses. 
 
 His uniform, earnest, and hopeful ap- 
 peal to God under every heavy pressure, 
 revealed his filial experience of God's 
 fidelity, and his consequent 'trust in God's 
 promises. When shot in the ankle at 
 Manassas, he stood up for some time on 
 one leg and held by the branch of a tree, 
 coolly giving orders, cheeringon his men, 
 and praying aloud until it was necessary 
 that he should be removed. The moment 
 he found himself released from further 
 
46 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 duty on the field , aware that he was leav- 
 ing the battlenndecided j he broke forth in 
 the loudest strain of prayer that God 
 would give victory to our army, and in- 
 dependence to the country. This sup- 
 plication he continued while they carried 
 him three hundred yiirds to the rear, and 
 his soldiers say, for one hour and a half 
 after he reached his resting place. It is 
 a remarkable fact that, while passing 
 through crowds of soldiers of different 
 regiments, his loud prayer amazed and 
 arrested a company of South Carolinians. 
 At this juncture the wounded captain, 
 espying a body of Zouaves not far dis- 
 tant, cried out to the Caroliniansj " For- 
 ward boys!"' The order they instantly 
 and gallantly executed, capturing a por- 
 tion, and driving the residue. A few 
 days before his death, on the eve of his 
 departure for Gen. Bragg's army, when 
 his mother, wife, and children had re- 
 ceived his solemn, tender adieu, in the 
 parlor, and had followed him to the door. 
 
PIBTT. 
 
 47 
 
 their loar.^ aiid words could scarcely 
 eoTisnil to his setting out upon so fearful 
 an enterprise in spmueh weakrtess. H- 
 gently took them by the hand, led tlien) 
 back to the family mercy-seat, and 'com- 
 posed their disquietfide by committing 
 himself and them to the Ernardianship of 
 God in such tender strains, with such 
 faltering accents as they will never forget. 
 Finally, ddiherate readinesff foj- ihatk 
 at all times, sealed the sterling type of 
 his personal religion. He seemed to 
 keep death before him from the day of 
 his entering the army. He writes in his 
 war journal, "June 14. — We know that 
 many of us must fall martrys in this 
 contest ; but we do not doubt that we 
 have a ftither above who, knowing all 
 things, knows the justness of our cause — 
 and when lie is for us, who can be against 
 us." On his way to Bragg's army, he 
 was met by many of his friends wli 
 earnestly pleaded with him to take no 
 part in the battle^ alleging as a reason, 
 
48 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 his imperfect command of his bodily 
 powers. In substance he calmly replied, 
 " It is my solemn conviction that, in the 
 present emergency of the country, every 
 man in Georgia who can reach the field 
 should be found there. While so many 
 remain at home, the least I can do is to 
 represent the conviction of my soul by 
 personal presence in the face of the ene- 
 my. If death does come, I trust I shall 
 be ready for it." He was vrell aware of 
 his danger. He announced to his body 
 servant on taking leave of him, "You 
 will never see my face again." Truly, 
 he never did see his face again. Truly, 
 when death advanced, he faced the King 
 of terrors firmly. Mortally wounded, 
 sensible that his end was rapidly ap- 
 proaching, his note book, pocket book, 
 and the contents of his pockets, with per- 
 fect composure, he delivered to a by stand- 
 ing oflficer, prescribing the disposition he 
 would have made of them. He then 
 solemnlv avowed his .belief in the Lord 
 
WORD TO THE COtKTRY. 49 
 
 Jesus Christ, and his perfect readiness to 
 ^nieet Him at his call ; and thus, from a 
 victorious battle-field, left us for the bet- 
 ter land. 
 
 Patiotism and Piety ! Ail we need 
 in our countrj^'s emergency; the one 
 brings us all the power of man, the other 
 all the power of God. IIow eminently 
 qualified was our departed soldier to 
 serve his. country, so decided both in 
 his pkty and in his jyati-iotipn. ' 
 
 My countrymen ! God is the great 
 war maker. "I bring the sword upon a 
 land." God,thegreat^:>mc<! ma/cer. "He 
 maketh peace." And war is God's solemn 
 arraignment of a people for national sin. 
 "In righteousness He judgeth and maketh 
 war." This, our wau, therefore, in the 
 main, is — God Almighty, in fatherly 
 
 LOVE, DEALING WITH THE SOUTHERN CON- 
 FEDERACY FOR HER SIN. 
 
 Half angered, do you cry out, "Are 
 not the North greater sinners than the 
 South r' Grant it, what then ? Does 
 
50 CAPT. THOMAS K. KING. 
 
 this disprove the position 1 Did not 
 God frequently employ the heathen, by 
 war, to chastise Israel, and does not the 
 Bible say so 1 Was not Israel a better 
 people than the heathen, and does not 
 the Bible say so ? Did not God take 
 greater interest in Israel than in the 
 heathen, and does not the Bible say sol 
 The very fact that Israel sinned, that 
 God loved Israel, and that he had pur- 
 posed her sanctification in order to His 
 blessing — this it was — that constituted 
 the precise reason why God brought the 
 war of the heathen upon his people, 
 " Whom He loveth, He chasteneth, and 
 scourgeth evfery sonwhom Hereceiveth." 
 When God's word had failed, heathen 
 war was God's parental rod — speaking 
 loud to Israel, that she might be fu'st 
 humbled and then blessed. Look at our 
 country ! not through northern character 
 nor any other false standard; look at 
 her through the Bible. To discern her 
 guilt one needs now no specification of 
 
I WORD TO THE COUNTRY.* 51 
 
 her most aggravated sins. Look at the 
 whole Confederate Cliirch of all names ! 
 i ' How far short she comes o? that world- 
 ! converting worJc required at her hard ! 
 Look at the whole multitude of Confed- 
 i erate sinners of all classes ! How shame- 
 j fully they neglect the great God-fearing^ 
 j soul-saving work demanded of them ! If . 
 j God's heart is set upon the world's con- 
 j version surely here is sin enough to kin- 
 I die God's wrath and avert his blessing. 
 j Bear in mind, if heaven's blessing is 
 I ever to descend upon our country, there 
 1 is no alternative, she must first be sane- 
 i tified. His irorrf, we can all testify, has 
 been plentifully dispensed to us, but to 
 little purpose. Therefore it is that he now 
 resorts to the rod. Believe it my coun- 
 trymen ! Oh, believe it! AH thes$ our 
 sins, our personal, national sins, God in 
 person, by this loar, is charging home 
 upon us. And see ! if war is God's 
 arraignment of a people for their sin — 
 then Southern sin is Federal power. 
 
52 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 For it is written, "Ye cannot stand before 
 your enemies until ye put away the 
 accursed thing." And Southern humil- 
 iation m the utter rout -of the Nortli. 
 For thank God, whenever "Israel cried 
 unto the Lord" — Yes ! thank God ! her 
 enemy was always, instantly, gloriously 
 vanquished, no matter what his power. 
 Oh ! ye soldiers of the Confederate 
 army ! Our dear valued countrymen ! 
 know ye thi» — it is God's word to you — 
 " When the host goeth forth against thine 
 enemies, then keep thee from every wick- 
 ed thing P Tell me! for the victo-y. of 
 our arms, the overthrow of our enemies, 
 our national independence, our personal 
 liberties ; for the cessation amongst us 
 of all the horrors of intestine war; for 
 the dispensation through all our bor- 
 ders of the blessings of a heaven-sent 
 peace; and bettei-, far better than all, 
 for the promotion upon earth of hu- 
 man rectitude and divine salvation — 
 will you not, my countrymen, will you 
 
WORD TO THE ARMY. 53 
 
 not put away all your profanities, all 
 your dishonesties, all vuur intemper- 
 ance, all your Sabbath breaking, all your 
 straggling, all your desertion ? Will you 
 not give heed to the earnerit voi<^e of 
 your chaplains, and study the holy word 
 of God ? Oh ! for heaven and earth's 
 sake will you not rise up at once and 
 break off your sins by repentance, and 
 lot)k to the Lord Jesus Christ for ritjht- 
 eousuess. Thank God for the augmented 
 } religion of the army ! But so many of 
 you' have been left so far, far in the rear. 
 ! Oh ! look before you at the noble exam- 
 I pie of your converted comrades, ind 
 ; . close up, close up on yonr file-leaders in 
 ; this march of national deliverance. We 
 i especially commend unto y>u the char- 
 acter of our sainted captain. Like him, 
 ! forthwith cast in your mite of piety and 
 patriotism, an<l record this solemn reso- 
 lution — ^**As for me, if I fail in every other 
 work and object in life, I will go to the 
 I grave and to the bar of God with thf» 
 
54 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 happy consciousness that I have done 
 my part toward the deliverance of my 
 country in the day of her sore trial." 
 Noble soldiers! the Lord be with you ! 
 
 Y.Q'cold Christians, formal professors, 
 and careless sinners of the country ! 
 You are working mightily to stregthcn 
 Federal arms, to achieve Federal victo- 
 ries, and to crush the liberties of the 
 people. What deadly bloAVs jou daily 
 deal upon the property, honor, peace and 
 hope of the land. Oh, have mercy upon 
 us ! Pity an oppresed nation struggling 
 for her very life. By your unrepented, 
 provoking transgressions, no longer draw 
 down the wrath of God upon our coun- 
 try. At last cast your mighty influence 
 upon the right side, and by an honest 
 return to God, put an end to this vile 
 war and light up the burdens that so 
 sorely oppress us. 
 
 And Oh, ye avaricious, covetous, self- 
 ish men in all parts of the Confederacy, 
 whose whole soul is absorbed in one con- 
 
WORD TO THB PEOPLE. 55 
 
 stant effort to improve this nick of time 
 and suck out of the weaknesses, perplex- 
 ities, and afflictions of disordered soci- 
 ety, your own worldly prosperity ! Alas ! 
 cannot your sordid heart feel one solitary 
 pulsation of sympathy with all the woes 
 and perils of an injured, bleeding people? 
 Cannot your dark eye see that, under 
 the reign of benignant Omnipotence, in 
 your cherished idol you yourself are 
 building up a stupendous, an insufferable 
 curse? Are you* entirely blind to the 
 frowns society knits upon you"? Are 
 you utterly deaf to the scorn of all vir- 
 tuous minds crying out against youl — 
 Have you never marked how your griev- 
 ous selfishness, a stench in the nostrils 
 of Him who has said " Thou shalt love," 
 is opening every vein of the nation, and 
 pouring out her very life-blood upon the 
 ground 1 Unhappy, guilty countrymen ! 
 Awake from your deadly stupor and look 
 aboiy; you ! Your shameful lack of pa- 
 triotism and of piety is stirring up the 
 
56 CAPT. THOMAS E. KING. 
 
 wrath of heaven, bringing on the Federal 
 columns upon our soil, and cleaving down 
 the struggling liberties of the people. — 
 Do you wish to accomplish such a work 
 as this ? Oh, it is noble to love one's 
 country, and nobler far to serve the God 
 that made us. We beseech you, pon- 
 der well the portrait of our sainted sol- 
 dier. Come now, and with all our fellow 
 citizens throughout the length and breadth 
 of our beloved Confederacy, we will go 
 up and m ^.et the enemy armed with love 
 of country and the love of God. Ah, 
 how soon shall the North be whipped 
 into profound contrition for her most 
 unrighteous and inhuman oppressio]i of 
 us! How soon shall the South become 
 the freest, the happiest nation under 
 heaven !