at this point what I know of the moral and
religious efforts put forth in the South in behalf of the soldiers,
and the effect of the Rebellion on the educational and religious
interests of the people generally. As a general truth, when the
recruits first came to the army, those with religious inclinations
or who had pious friends, brought along a Bible or Testament, but
these were in most cases soon lost or left behind, and the camps
were almost destitute of any good books. Religious publications were
not distributed to the soldiers except in the hospitals, and to a
very limited extent there. The regiments composed of Irish or French
Catholics, usually had a priest as chaplain; but I saw very few of
the Protestant chaplains who gave themselves up to the spiritual
care of their men. We had a good many ministers in the army of the
Mississippi valley, but they almost all held a commission of a
military, rather than a religious kind, and so far as I could judge,
were fonder of warlike than of heavenly ministrations. In the
hospital at Nashville, on the other hand, good men and women
endeavored faithfully to present the truths of the Bible and the
consolations of religion to the attention of the inmates. But, as I
have hinted, the army was not much benefited by the clerical
members attached to it, though their loss may have been felt by the
churches they had forsaken. There were but few of what are called
Gospel sermons, preached in the army anywhere within my reach during
my soldier life. As a consequence of the inherently demoralizing
effect of war, and this great destitution of conserving influences,
vice reigned almost unrestrained in the army. The few good and
devout men, and the infrequent prayer-meetings which were held,
seemed powerless to restrain the downward tendency of morals.
Profanity, the most revolting and dreadful, abounded, though
contrary to the Articles of War, and many of the officers were
proficient in this vice. Gambling, in all the forms possible among
soldiers, was the main amusement on the Sabbath-day. These were the
prominent vices, and, if possible, they were growing more and more
monstrous continually.

As for the effect of the war upon the country generally, I can not
give many facts, though I had some opportunity of observation, as
will be seen. Preaching was maintained in most of the churches in
the large cities; but in many of the smaller places, and in country
churches, service was suspen