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regiments two miles off. I do not think I could consent to leave here now, but I leave those behind who have promised to carry on the meeting indefinitely.
I have been engaged in this meeting for nearly four weeks. I do not believe such extensive revivals as we are now having through our beloved country have ever been heard of since the days of Pentecost.
Camp letter, no. 15.
Dear Brethren; At our chaplains' meeting, the other day, I was enabled very nearly to complete my list of chaplains in the Infantry and Artillery of the army. The statistics you publish from the Central Presbyterian, are incomplete, and I give you the following as about the correct statement: Total number of chaplains in Ewell's and Hill's Corps, 86; Methodists, 36; Baptists, 20; Presbyterians, 20; Episcopalians, 6; Roman Catholics, 3; Lutherans, I. There are still fifty regiments and battalions without chaplains, but it will be remembered that when our Chaplains' Association sent out, just a year ago, an appeal to the Churches for more laborers in the army, over half the regiments were without chaplains. The large increase will be gratifying not only to the Christian public, but to all who rightly estimate the military power of religion in the army. A year ago there were whole brigades without chaplains, and regiments which had had scarcely a sermon, but this has ceased to be. There is not a brigade which has not one or more chaplains, and the supply of missionary labor has been far greater than during any previous year. Indeed, but for the fact that a large number of chaplains have resigned, the supply would nearly equal the demand. The labors of these messengers of salvation have been wonderfully blessed during the past year, and in contemplating what has been done, we may well “thank God and take courage.” But there is one thought which strikes me painfully in looking over these statistics—the proportion of Baptist chaplains to those of our Methodist and Presbyterian brethren is so small, when we consider the relative membership of each Church. I suppose that there are about as many Baptists as Methodists, and over twice as many as Presbyterians in the army—and yet our Presbyterian brethren have as many chaplains as we, and our Methodist brethren almost twice as many. I rejoice that the ministry of these denominations have awakened to some appreciation of what they owe to the army. I mourn that our
