A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. HavilandHaviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Religion
A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland
Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Freed persons; Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith), 1808-1898; Underground Railroad
The packet _Bank_ came in at five o'clock, P. M., April 21st, when we
took leave of kind friends who accompanied us to the boat. After a
pleasant trip, we were received with joy on our safe arrival at Baton
Rouge. The next day we visited the Forty-eighth Illinois Regiment, and
distributed a quantity of reading matter. We also attended the funeral
of a deceased soldier, where the privilege was granted me of making
some remarks. I endeavored to enforce the solemn truth, "It is
appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment." I
exhorted those present to prepare to live in friendship with God, as
that alone would enable them to gain the victory over death.
On April 23d we visited the jail, in company with brother Merrifield,
and distributed Testaments and tracts, which were gladly received. Here
we met a rebel captain, who said he was a rebel of the strongest kind;
had been fighting to establish his government, and should do it again
if he lived to get to his regiment. I told him I had no hope in his
case, unless he would accept the truth contained in the Testament,
which I presented to him, and said that if he would read carefully and
prayerfully, and drink in its spirit and practice its teachings, he
would find a religion pure and undefiled.
"Madam," he answered, "if I thought reading that book carefully and
prayerfully, and accepting pure and undefiled religion, would lead me
to lay down arms in defense of the Confederate Government, I would
never read a word in it or take one thought of religion; no, not to
save my soul."
This he uttered with a change from a flushed to a blanched countenance.
We afterwards learned he was a captain of a guerrilla band, and had
been sentenced to be shot, but the sentence had been commuted. A Union
man who was a citizen here knew him, and said he ordered a Union man
out of his buggy, and shot him dead; then he bayoneted him through and
through, in the presence of his wife and child; then ordered them out,
took the horse and buggy, and left the distracted wife and child to
wait by the mangled body, until a passer by hastened to the city and
sent a hearse for the body. On the way to town for burial, the same
band of guerrillas captured the team and hearse, and left again the
distressed mother and child to get the mutilated body of the husband
and father taken to burial as best they could. "Such horrible deeds,"
said a Union man of this city, "will continue until government takes a
more decided policy."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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