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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2001 "Soldiers of the Cross": Confederate Soldier-Christians and the Impact of War on Their Faith Kent Toby Dollar University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Dollar, Kent Toby, ""Soldiers of the Cross": Confederate Soldier-Christians and the Impact of War on Their Faith. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2001. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/3237 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Kent Toby Dollar entitled ""Soldiers of the Cross": Confederate Soldier-Christians and the Impact of War on Their Faith." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in History. Stephen V. Ash, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) c.t To the Graduate Council: I am subinitting herewith a dissertation written by Kent TobyDollar entitled '"Soldiers of the Cross': Confederate Soldier-Christians and the Impact of War on Their Faith." I have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ofDoctor ofPhilosophy,f with a major in History. I Stephen V. Ash, Major Professor We have read this dissertation & Accepted for the Council: �'� Interim ViceProvost n Dean of the Graduate "SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS": CONFEDERATE SOLDIER-CHRISTIANS AND THE IMPACT OF WAR ON THEIR FAITH ADissertation Presented for the Doctor ofPhilosophy Degree The University ofTennessee, Knoxville KentToby Dollar August 2001 Copyright © KentToby Dollar, 2001 All rights reserved 11 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Lisa, and my children, Rachel and Hannah, for the immeasurable emotional support they provided me during this academic journey. Ill ABSTRACT Thousands of Southern Christians enlisted in the rebel armies when the Civil War began, and tens of thousands of battle-hardened fighting men made wartime professions of faith. On the whole, these soldiers became more religious as the war progressed, but what was the long-term effect of four years of war and defeat on the faith of Christian soldiers? The stories of the nine Confederate Christian soldiers studied in this dissertation vividly illustrate the impact of the Civil War on faith. This study includes an examination of the antebellum, wartime, and in most cases, postwar lives of these men who represent a cross­ section of Southern society, Southern religion, and the Confederate military. The tribulations of war drove them to new spiritual heights and greater maturity. Early on as well as throughout the war, these steadfast Christians read their Bibles, associated with other Christian soldiers, attended religious services, and communed privately with God. During times of increased military activity, the threat of death and concern for loved ones crowded the soldiers' minds. The realization that they had little control over these matters moved these men to rely on God to protect them and their families; and God proved faithful, thus strengthening their trust in Him. Furthermore, these men grew in their emulation of the virtues of Christ. Not only did they become more single-minded in their outlook on life, but also their worship took on new significance, they exhibited more humility, and they sought to serve God more actively. It was during the postwar era, however, that these Christian veterans fulfilled formal roles as the Lord's servants. The men in this study who survived the war returned home and took up leadership positions in their local churches, where they served faithfully until their deaths. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................. ............... ....... ......................... ..... 1 I. Life and Faith in the Antebellum South ........ ... ............ ......................... 16 II. Justification of War and Steadfastness in Faith ............. ............................. 63 III. Soundness of Faith .................................................. ........................ 116 IV. Single-mindedness and Nearness to God ............................................. .... 165 V. Confederate Defeat and Postwar Service ................................. ..............206 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 257 Bibliography ...................................................................................... 262 Vita ................................................................................................ 276 v LIST OF FIGURES 1. AlfredT. Fielder ................................................................................. 18 2. William L. Nugent ..... .......... ............................ .................................... 24 3. William N. Pendleton ................................................................ ..... ...... 27 4. Edward 0. Guerrant ............................................................................ 36 5. Felix P. Poche ......... .................................................................... ....... 44 6. Giles B. Cooke ................................................................ .................. 52 7. Alexander T. Barclay .................................................. ..........................54 8. Robert A. Moore ............................................................................... 58 VI Introduction On March 3, 1865, Captain Alfred T. Fielder of the Twelfth Tennessee Infantry wrote in his diary, "I have Come up through many difficulties and dangers but Gods unseen hand has protected and shielded me thus far for which I am thankful and feel in my heart willing to trust him in the future believing his grace will be sufficient for me." Fielder's reflection, written on his fifty-first birthday, evinces war's maturing effect on one's religious faith. Since his enlistment in the Friendship Volunteers in the summer of 1861 , the Tennessean had endured nearly four years of adversity unlike any he had known before. On many occasions he traversed "the valley of the shadow of death" in fierce battles in which thousands were killed or maimed, including many of his comrades. Fielder himself survived close calls and suffered two wounds. Moreover, while serving, he left his family behind in Tennessee. They continually crowded his mind, and as the war moved further South he grew more concerned for their safety. More importantly, it seemed to Fielder that he exercised very little control, if any, over his or his family's fate. So Fielder, a long-time Methodist and devout Christian, laid his petitions for his and his family's protection at his "fathers throne." The captain placed his trust in an "Almighty God" and learned to rely more on Him; and as his own words tell us, God was faithful.1 The tribulations engendered by the American Civil War prompted many Confederate soldiers to contemplate spiritual matters. Soldiers commented frequently in their letters, diaries, and journals, about religion. They noted, for example, the 1Ann York Franklin, ed., The Civil War Diaries of Capt. Alfred Ty ler Fielder, 12111 Te nnessee Regiment Infantry, Company B, 1861-1865 (n.p.: Privately printed, 1996), 1, 82, 161, 219; Psalms 23:4. irreligiousness of many fellow soldiers, the inunorality in the camps, the church services they attended, and, in particular, their belief in Providence. Indeed, soldiers appear to have become more religious as the war progressed. In the fall of 1862, revivals broke out in the Army ofNorthern Virginia, followed by others in the Army of Tennessee, initiating a wave of Confederate revivalism that peaked during the winter of 1863-64. Chaplains, missionaries, and local ministers preached to eager audiences and thousands of battle- hardened fighting men professed faith in Christ, thus becoming "soldiers of the cross." But did these soldiers seek inunediate solace in the Lord only to revert to their old, sinful ways when the prospect of death abated, as asserted by historian James I. Robertson in Soldiers Blue and Gray? Or, did their war-inspired faith endure? And what about those Rebel soldiers, like Fielder, who at the time of their enlistment were already Christians? How did the war affect their faithi The widespread religious sentiments, massive revivals, and thousands of professions of faith in Christ in the Confederate armies have garnered the attention of Civil War historians. One of the pioneers in examining Rebel religion was Bell I. Wiley. In his classic Life of Johnny Reb, Wiley devotes considerable attention to religion in the camps. He concludes that soldiers grew more interested in religion as the war progressed. According to Wiley, Southerners' religious

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