Experience of a Confederate Chaplain

By Alexander Davis Betts (1832-1918)

The discriminating minds among our intelligent young people of the South will readily perceive that there is a manifest and important, because truthful, distinction to be maintained touching the style and title of the conflict waged on this American continent during 1861 - 1865, between The United States and the newly born nationality known as The Confederate States. The following from Dr. S. A. Steel, of Richmond, Va., will be appreciated:

"The term 'Civil War' ought to be abandoned because it embodies an error. A civil war is a war between factions contending for the control of the same government, like Caesar and Pompey, like Lancaster and York. If the Southern people had fought in the Union, it would have been a civil war, and the defeated party would have been rebels. The movement was a revolution. The object of it was to maintain a separate government. The war was between the government of the United States and the government of the Confederate States. We went out of the Union; went so completely that we had to be re-admitted. We were not 'rebels,' but patriots, wisely or unwisely, exercising the the inalienable right of self-government in an honest effort to rectify political diffiiculties. This is the verdict history will ultimately pronounce upon that struggle."

While our friends, the enemy, persist in calling as "Rebels," and refer to that struggle for Southern independence as "The Rebellion," we are content to bear the obloquy, knowing the injustice of it; yea, we glory in it, as did the now largest of protestant religious denominations accept and wear the term of reproach designating them "Methodists." But let us not forget that "We be brethren!"

***

One day in April, 1861, I heard that President Lincoln had called on the State troops to force the seceding States back into the Union. That was one of the saddest days of my life. I had prayed and hoped that war might be averted. I had loved the Union, and clung to it. That day I saw war was inevitable. The inevitable must be met. That day I walked up and down my porch in Smithville (now Southport, N. C.) and wept and suffered and prayed for the South.

The drum and fife were soon heard there, and all through the Old North State companies of our best men, young and middle aged, offered themselves to the Governor of the State.

***

August 28, 29 and 30 (1962). Horrid scenes! Many dead Federals still on the field, though a squad of their men, under flag of truce, has been some days caring for wounded and burying dead.

I found a wounded Federal sitting on the field - a broken thigh, a rifle ball through his arm and a bruised shoulder made him right helpless. His undressed wounds were sore. He asked me if I thought our surgeons would care for him. I assurred him they would. He said he had a wife and two little children in his northern home. His parents were pious and had raised him piously, but he had neglected his own soul. I said: "Brother, Jesus loves you. You came down here to kill my brothers, but I love you." He broke down and sobbed aloud: "You don't talk like one man that came here. He upbraided me." He told me our men had been very good to him during the three or four days he had been there. As one hurried by he would give him water and food, and raise him up to rest certain tired muscles. Another would stop to give him more food and water and lay him down.

They had just taken the last Confederate wounded from that part of the field. He was on the surgeon's table a few yards away. I trust this Federal was soon taken to that table. As I was about to hurry away to overtake my regiment he asked me to lay him down! How could I? Where could I take hold? I did the best I could. As I took him by the hand and commended him to God, I think my heart was as tender as it ever was. His bones may be in that field now. I hope to meet his soul in Heaven in a few years. Hurry on ten miles and overtake our regiment. Sleep cold and take cold. Frost next morning.

***

October 15 - Ten years ago God converted my soul. C. H. Ruffin, of Nash Co., wounded yesterday. Dies in my arms - in perfect peace. Charlie enlisted at 17, and perhaps, was the wildest boy in his Regiment.

He was very respectful to me, but showed no signs of any care for his soul till April last. About the time I was disappointed in my hopes to go home, he began to seek my company and give good attention to preaching. He became deeply convicted and was happily converted and I took him into the Missionary Baptist Church, and sent his name to the home church the day I started home If I had gone home at the time I first proposed, he might not have been converted. Just before he breathed his last I asked him about his case. He sweetly smiled and said: "Bro. Betts as soon as I die I shall go straight to my blessed Jesus!" That was a happy moment to me. As I write about it in October 1896 the joy I feel pays me a thousand times for all the nights I ever slept on frozen ground, snow or mud.

***

July 14 - Cross Potomac. As I came near the river a straggling soldier shouted to me and asked me to let him ride the horse I was leading. I told him the horse's back was so sore I could not myself ride him. In a sharp angry tone he replied, "Yes, you think more of a horse than you do of a man." I stopped. As he came near, I said, "Young man, you ought not to speak to me that way. I have waded the James and the Potomac for a sick man to ride my horse. I will now wade this river and let you ride over." He did not wait for me to dismount. He hurried into the warm, shallow water. I trust he and each reader will be slower to judge others than he was that day.

***

Engage the enemy fiercely near Winchester and drive them, and they drive us. Gen. Rodes killed. Went into private house to see his body after he was brought into Winchester. His wife had spent some time in camp during preceding winter. We fall back to Strasburg, marching all night. Riding alone and very sad, at midnight, I overtake one or two thousand Federal prisoners. They began to sing, "We are going home to die no more." My heart was touched. I shed tears as I thought many of them would die in Southern prisons.

***

The night following the tidings of our contemplated surrender was a still, sad night in our camp. Rev. W. C. Willson, the Chapel Hill pastor, was with us. We had preached a few times in that camp; but that night we made no effort to get the men together. In little, sad groups they softly talked of the past, the present and the future. Old men were there, who would have cheerfully gone on, enduring the hardship of war, and protracted absence from their families, for the freedom of their country. Middle aged men were there, who had been away from wives and children for years, had gone through many battles, had lost much on their farms or stores or factories or professional business; but would that night have been glad to shoulder the gun and march forward for the defense of their "native land". Young men and boys were there, who loved their country and were unspeakably sad at the thought of the failure to secure Southern Independence.

Rev. W. C. Willson and I walked out of the camp and talked and wept together. As I started back to my tent - to my mule and saddle, I should say, for I had no tent - I passed three lads sitting close together, talking softly and sadly. I paused and listened. One said, "It makes me very sad, to think of our surrendering." Another said, "It hurts me worse than the thought of battle ever did." The third raised his arm, clenched his fist and seemed to grate his teeth as he said, "I would rather know we had to go into battle tomorrow morning." There was patriotism! There may have been in that camp that night generals, colonels and other officers who had been moved by a desire for worldly honor. Owners of slaves and of lands may have hoped for financial benefit from Confederate success. But these boys felt they had a country that ought to be free! I wish I had taken their names. And I wonder if they still live. They are good citizens, I am sure.

Rev. A. D. Betts, D.D. was an ordained minister with the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.  During  the War for Southern Independence he served as Chaplain for the 30th N. C. Troops.  The excerpts above are from his book, "Experience of a Confederate Caplain," published after the War. 

Union Army Code of Conduct for Civil War

By Lewis Regenstein

UNION ARMY CODE OF CONDUCT

WAR OF THE REBELLION

1861-1865

TREATMENT OF CIVILIANS

1. Be Humane to civilians. After shelling cities, but before burning them, try to give the surviving women & children time to escape if this does not interfere with your schedule of advance. Allow them to take their most treasured possessions; this will facilitate subsequent requisitioning of valuables.

2. Do not be overly hasty in burning the homes of enemy civilians. Try to take time to first remove the silver, gold, jewelry and other transportable booty of war.

3. Any officer who permits or commits atrocities against civilians can expect to have his promotion to general held up until after his court martial is completed.

4. Show compassion when occupying enemy cities. When raping women, separate them from their children first; never rape a woman and her daughter in the same room.

5. If you have to shoot a father or husband trying to protect a woman with whom you are forcibly having sexual relations, try to refrain from openly laughing about it in her presence, as this might cause additional and unnecessary stress. However, afterwards, as a morale booster, you may want to prop up the dead body in a comical position for the amusement of your comrades.

6. Be kind to animals. Shooting enemy livestock, horses, & pets between the eyes provides the quickest & most humane death, unless you are short on ammunition. If you nail a pet dog to a family's front door, first make sure the beast is dead, or at least dying. This display of a beloved pet could be considered gruesome by sensitive individuals, and may result in temporarily upsetting enemy civilians. But remember the importance of boosting the morale of your troops through whatever spontaneous recreational opportunities may arise.

7. Restrictions on the shooting of civilians and on firing indiscriminately into crowds of rowdy people do not apply to draft riots and other civil disturbances in cities in the United States of America, especially if they involve newly-arrived immigrants.

8. Reassure your religiously and morally observant soldiers not to be dismayed by the utter destruction we are inflicting on the South and its civilian population. After the War, we will institute a major "Reconstruction" program.

POLICY ON INDIANS

9. If you have men under your command who are especially skilled at and delight in openly and wantonly killing women & children, immediately have them transferred to the West, where they are needed in our war against the Indians.

10. There are extra opportunities available for troops who have excelled at warfare against civilians and who are desirous of engaging in post-War genocide in the cause of Freedom and Union. They may be eligible to apply to generals Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, or Custer for extensions of their tours of duty and eventual transfer to the Western Theater’s Indian Wars, which these officers will be leading. Experience in killing helpless women and children preferred.

11. By using Colored Troops ("Buffalo Soldiers"), whenever possible, to wipe out the Indians, you can accomplish your objectives while avoiding the appearance of "racism" and "imperialism."

RESTRICTIONS ON LOOTING

12. Anyone observing a Union soldier engaging secretly in the looting of valuables shall report to his superior officer the name and unit of the perpetrator and the types and number of valuables being taken. This will allow a proper distribution and sharing of the goods that are appropriated.

13. Be ethical when appropriating silver & other valuables from homes. Try to minimize the anguish of the family involved. For example, if silver service is being requisitioned, promise to return it after it is used for that evening’s meal. Remember to treat these valuables with care and respect, and that they must be shared with your commander and other officers.

14. Do not requisition or remove hard-to-transport valuables such as paintings, books, historical documents, family Bibles, furniture, or large antiques. These categories are generally not to be looted, but should be burned instead. In the case of bales of cotton, check with your quartermaster.

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS

15. Treat your Confederate POW’s with respect. After they surrender, shooting just a few prisoners should suffice to intimidate the rest. It may not be necessary, in most circumstances, to shoot them all, even though they are guilty of the capital offense of treason. Such restraint will also aid in the conservation of ammunition.

16. POW’s can be useful in maintaining the morale of your troops under difficult circumstances. Be creative in utilizing such entertainment for your men. Consider the fact that a large number of your Rebel POW’s will be hungry, shoeless, and in tattered uniforms, and many will be young boys and old men. Calling attention to the plight of the Rebels in a scornful and derisive manner can elevate the self-esteem of your men. This may also provide important recreational opportunities for your troops, such as engaging in humiliation and derision of your prisoners and their quaint devotion to "honor" and ‘country."

17. Every prison administrator and guard should familiarize himself with and closely adhere to the rules governing the care and treatment of POW’s, which should meet or exceed "Point Lookout" standards. For example, it is strictly required that one blanket be issued for every sixteen prisoners. No more than forty prisoners may be placed in Sibley tents designed to hold 16 men.

18. It is our duty to ensure that prisoner deaths from starvation, malnutrition, disease, and shootings not exceed 25%, and incidences of diarrhea and malaria be held to under 50%. If the prison is located on a swamp or shoreline, be alert for possibilities to supplement prisoners’ diet with dead seagulls and rotting fish on the beach. And while infestations of lice and rodents may be considered by some to be a nuisance, it can also be an important source of protein when other nourishment is scarce or unavailable. .

19. Proceeds from the sale of food and clothing diverted from POW’s must be properly accounted for and shared with superior officers.

20. Keep in mind that the high incidence of malnutrition and disease among POW’s, while regrettable in some respects, serves to weaken the prisoners, lessen the chances of escape, and ultimately mean fewer mouths to feed.

21. The aforementioned rules on POW’s do not apply to The Indian Wars, as we do not take Indians prisoner. Policy in this regard is governed by General Philip Sheridan’s dictum, "A good Indian is a dead Indian."

MILITARY TACTICS

22. When burning cities, libraries, courthouses, hospitals, churches, and other such institutions and structures in the South, always blame retreating Confederates.

23. Do not worry that burning crops & farms will deny food to Union POW's held by the South; starving Union prisoners will provide us with good propaganda, and after the War, an excuse for war crimes trials. .

24. Do not be too eager to attack the enemy; remember that our manpower reserves are virtually unlimited. Wait for your reinforcements & until you outnumber the enemy 5 to 1, or even better, 10 to 1. Consider having your units of Colored Troops lead the charge and take most of the casualties.

25. When shooting retreating US Colored Troops, try to place the blame on the Confederates for such "massacres."

POLICY ON SLAVES AND SLAVERY

26. If you or some of your men, or your families, own slaves, do not be concerned about The Emancipation Proclamation, it does not apply to you, only to the States in Rebellion.

27. If your unit is being followed and bothered by liberated slaves, the best way to get rid of this nuisance is to cross a river and burn the bridge. Do not delay your advance by trying to save freed slaves who appear to be drowning while trying to cross the river. They may just be exuberantly enjoying a dip in the water. In any event, our mission is to free the Southern slaves, not feed and take care of them.

28. Do not worry about the temporary state of lawlessness and chaos among freed slaves. President Lincoln has promised to send most of them back to Africa ("Colonization": "Send them to Liberia, their own native land"), and has assured that those who remain will never be treated as the equal of Whites.

29. The lynching of uncooperative freed slaves is discouraged when done openly, except when helpful to morale or to set an example for others, or when a slave refuses to leave his home and remains loyal to his or her former owners.

30. In order to expedite our War being fought for Human Rights and against the oppression of the Negro, all military units are to be kept strictly segregated, and salaries for U.S. Colored Troops are to be calculated at approximately 50% those of whites.

MAINTAINING MORALE OF THE TROOPS

31. Orders to "Live off the land" when conducting operations in enemy territory shall be liberally interpreted, as a virtually unlimited right to loot, pillage, burn, rape, and destroy.

32. Always remember, we are fighting for freedom and liberty. That is why it is necessary to close any Northern newspaper and jail anyone that opposes our cause; to shoot antiwar demonstrators in New York; to starve and burn the cities of enemy civilians; to expel "Jews as a class" from conquered territories; and to extirpate the Native Americans from their homelands.

33. Troop morale can often be improved by permitting limited and appropriate interaction with Rebel POW’s. This can also benefit the prisoners by providing opportunities for exercise and play. Some recommended activities (which have been successfully employed at Point Lookout) include: having prisoners kneel and pray for President Lincoln, and carry prison guards around on their backs. However, care must be observed in such interactions as many if not most prisoners suffer from diarrhea, typhoid fever, malaria, and other diseases.

34. In some cases, it has been found that shooting prisoners randomly at night while they sleep has effectively raised morale among guards while providing increased discipline among the POW’s.

35. Since our troops have been indoctrinated with the view that the enemy consists of evil racists and traitors fighting for slavery , be prepared for your men to become confused when they encounter among enemy soldiers large numbers of Native Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Asians, poor Irish and Italian immigrants, even black Confederates, and almost no owners of slaves – all of whom think they are fighting against an invasion from the North.

36. Respond to inquiries from your troops who wonder what they are doing in the South by repeatedly emphasizing that "the War is being fought to end slavery and free the slaves." If asked about the slaves owned by General Grant and other Northerners, deny they exist.

37. It is strictly forbidden to call The Commander in Chief, even jokingly, a "tyrant," a "dictator,’ a "warmonger," "mentally ill," or more commonly, "an ape." President Lincoln is rather to be referred to as "The Great Emancipator," "The Great Conciliator," or in other such laudatory terms. He is unaware of and not responsible for any atrocities that have occurred (such as the burning of cities), even if he ordered them.

38. President Lincoln is to be portrayed in all writings as "wise", "kind," "compassionate," "a healer," and pictured whenever possible with his arm around his young son, Tad. Southern leaders, including Robert E. Lee, are to be described as cruel and evil, and fighting to defend not their homeland but slavery, even if they oppose the institution.

IN CONCLUSION

39. To summarize, the honor of the Union soldier and the vindication of our cause, as reflected in this Code of Conduct, are of paramount concern in our waging of this War. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the story of this conflict be properly and accurately recorded.

40. That is why any erroneous accounts – those that contradict our version of events – should be eliminated or discredited, through the burning or other destruction of cities, libraries, homes, courthouses, and any other Confederate repositories of historical documents and records.

History, as we write it, will be our judge.

The Truth – as we tell it – shall prevail.

(These rules of conduct, unwritten until now, were compiled, satirically, based on actual, documented policies, behavior, incidents, and activities undertaken by the United States Army and government during, and for a few years after, The War Between the States. Some were based on the recorded experiences of members of my family (about three dozen of whom fought for the Confederacy), who were subjected to death in battle, execution, imprisonment, and occupation of their home by the Yankees. This document can be reprinted and posted with permission and only in its entirety, as long as the copyright and credit at end are included.)

Lewis Regenstein, a Native of Atlanta, Georgia, is a writer and author.

Copyright © 2009 Lewis Regenstein

South Dakota Monument and America's Manifest Destiny

On a recent western trip I was impressed by this monument in Clark, South Dakota honoring veterans from Clark County who fought for American expansion from the War of the Rebellion (1861-1865) to present. Plaques on all sides of the monument give tribute to Clark County citizens who have fought in America's wars.

I found the plaque to the War of the Rebellion, pictured below, to be particularly revealing. This small county in what was then the Dakota Territory, sent a very large number of soldiers to the "War to prevent Southern Independence." This was a full quarter-century before South Dakota was granted statehood in 1889. It was also during the same time of the Indian Wars in which the United States systematically slaughtered the Plains Indians, breaking treaty after treaty, in order to steal their land and their gold.

Actually, these two wars were both parts of the United States' much larger, campaign of conquest, which also included the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, and others. President Ulysses S. Grant acknowledged as much when he said, "The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war."Spurred by the zealous but misguided notion of Manifest Destiny, and through relentless decades of wars and atrocities, the United States evolved from a confederation of sovereign, independent states into a world-wide empire with an all powerful centralized government.

Lessons from an Ohio Monument to the War of the Rebellion

This very impressive monument stands in front of the old Wilson Childrens Home in West Union, Ohio. It was erected by the Honorable John T. Wilson as a tribute to the soldiers of Adams County, Ohio, who were killed or died during their invasion of the Confederate States of America during the War to Prevent Southern Independence.

It is interesting to note that the monument refers to the "War of the Late Rebellion." Apparently Mr. Wilson knew what many Americans today do not know - that our country did not have a "Civil War" in 1861-1865. The United States has never had a civil war - which is when two or more factions within a single country fight for control of the government. Instead, there was a peaceful and legal secession by several southern states over a complex variety of reasons, centering around States Rights and unfair taxation of the under-represented Southern planters.

To the Confederate States, that secession was a bid for independence from an out of control central government which had overstepped its Constitutional authority. "The North, which had become dependent upon heavy and unjust taxation of Southern agricultural production, mislabeled the secession as "Rebellion." When most of President Lincoln's advisers and hundreds of Northern newspapers argued that the South should be allowed to secede in peace, Lincoln replied, "If the South goes, who will pay for the government?"


The Honorable John T. Wilson, a wealthy business and civic leader from Adams County, spent $5,000 to erect the 50-foot monument in 1893 - almost three decades after the war had ended. By putting his name and bust at the base of the monument, it seems to me that Mr. Wilson was as interested in memorializing himself as he was in honoring the Union soldiers, but who am I to judge. Mr. Wilson lost his only son in the war - a fact which is not mentioned on the monument.

I also find it most interesting that this monument - like scores of others from the same era -gives no pretext that The War was about freeing the slaves. That politically correct "spin" did not become widely believed until later. John T. Wilson's son, like the other young men from Adams County, fought for no such just cause. Instead, they were pawns in the heavy hands of a federal government set on conquest and empire. Perhaps the average soldier was motivated by a misguided patriotism, but in reality they fought and died to satisfy the lust for power and greed of Abraham Lincoln and his minions.

Story and Photos by J. Stephen Conn

Naming the War of 1861 - 1865

In front of the Highland County Courthouse in downtown Hillsboro, Ohio, you will see this monument to the Highland County soldiers and sailors who fought for the Union (North) in America's War Between the States. I found it interesting that the monument refers to the conflict as the "War of the Rebellion." That's what the British might have called the American Revolution if the Colonies had lost in their struggle for independence.

America's war of 1861-1865 was not a true civil war, as it is commonly called. A civil war is one in which a segment of the population rises up in an effort to overthrow the government. The South had no such desire. They simply wanted to peacefully leave the Union, in a day when many people held a higher allegiance to their home state than they did to the nation. Some southerners still call the conflict the "War against Northern Aggression," which is an accurate name since it was the South which was in the defensive position.

The War also has many other names. Some of these include:

The War for Constitutional Liberty
The War for Southern Independence
The Second American Revolution
The War for States' Rights
Mr. Lincoln's War
The Southern Rebellion
The War for Southern Rights
The War of the Southern Planters
The Second War for Independence
The War to Suppress Yankee Arrogance
The Brothers' War
The War of Secession
The Great Rebellion
The War for Nationality
The War for Southern Nationality
The War of the Sixties
The Yankee Invasion
The War for Separation
The War for the Union
The Confederate War
The War of the Southrons
The War for Southern Freedom
The War of the North and South
The Lost Cause
The War to Prevent Southern Independence

In doing a Google search for these names I found that the three most widely used are:

1. Civil War
2. War of the Rebellion
3. War Between the States

Of these three I prefer the third: War Between the States. By the very definition of the term it was not a civil war. Also, it was not a war of rebellion because the so called "Rebels" did not start the war and they only fought defensively. The Confederate states simply wanted to remain free and sovereign states as outlined by the United States Constitution. Probably the most accurate of all the names in the first list is "The War to Prevent Southern Independence."

The original historical accounts attest to the fact that America's war of 1861-1865 was definitely "Mr. Lincoln's War." Mr. Lincoln alone is responsible for starting the war. He could easily have let the South go in peace, as most of his advisers and hundreds of northern newspapers recommended. Abraham Lincoln started and executed the illegal and unnecessary war, resulting in more than 620,000 deaths and the almost total destruction of the South, for only one reason - to prevent Southern Independence. He didn't want to lose the southern tariffs which provided more than 87% of the Federal budget - money which was spent primarily in the northern states. Mr. Lincoln's War to Prevent Southern independence was a war motivated by greed and the lust for power.

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Photo and Article by J. Stephen Conn