James Sherman Kimball. A sketch

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A SKETCH

BY J. W. K.

PRINTED FOR THE ARMY COMMITTEE

OF THE

Boston Voung Men's Christian Association,

BY THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY

JAMES SHERMAN KIMBALL.

A S K E T C I-I .

By J. W. Kaa^'^-^^-

BOSTON:

THE AMEBIC AN TRACT SOCIETY;

ISSTITDTED 1814.

DEPOSITORIES, 28 COENHILL, BOSTON, AND 13 BIBLE HOUSE,

ASTOK PLACE, NEW YORK.

IT

CONTENTS

Childhood -..•---

PAGE

n.

0

A Tl Qi^i:Ti^/~WT — — .

12

m.

1^

In College ..---.-

- 27

IV.

Faem Life

- 38

V.

Delegate of the Christian Commission

- 43

JAMES S. KIMBALL.

I.

CHILDHOOD.

AN a father, his heart yearnmg
with unspeakable tenderness
I over a child worthy of all the
love he inspired, tell the story
of that child wisely, fairly, profitably?
Let me try : for to me it seems full
of the sweetest lessons our Lord could
bestow on parents and on children.
Perhaps a ray of heavenly light from
his life may fall pleasantly upon some

6 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

path, — a somber and rugged path,
perchance, — bringing assurance that
in God's time " the rough ways shall
be made smooth," and "light arise
in the darkness."

James was received at his birth as
a loan from the Lord, and was then,
and thenceforward, consecrated un-
conditionally to him, to serve in
whatever capacity he should be best
pleased to employ him. God gave
him a most affectionate, and home-
loving disposition. He was the sturdy
friend and helper of the little ones,
and in his earliest letter written to
his parents, before he was eight, he
said, •' I wish to live, with God's con-
sent, to see you in a good old age ;

CHILDHOOD. 7

and I wish to live to support yon in
your old age."

He began life as other boys begin
it, with great delight in hardy sports,
and a fair interest in study. He was
unselfish, frank, and fearless. Hav-
ing no inclination to be unkind to
others, it seemed never to occur to
him that others could be unkind to
him. Secure in this unconscious pan-
oply, he was welcome everywhere,
and made friends before he thought
of doing so.

At fourteen he began to realize
the want of the new life, — the life
from above, which our Lord pointed
out to Nicodemus. For a time he
was much perplexed to discern the

8 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

signs and tokens of this life. It is
not given to every one at once to
find an open road straight before him.
It was not given to James. He found
it true that " the natural man re-
ceiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God." He had at first little or
no spiritual discernment. The light
came, as morning light comes, in like
circumstances, gradually, and strug-
gling through clouds. It was indeed
a long morning, and the omens for
the coming day were equivocal.
Faith waited for the evening and the
morning to become the first day. In
the best time the sky became clear,
the sun warm, and it marched grand-
ly on towards its meridian. A light

CHILDHOOD. 9

breeze of favoring influence did much
to dispel the clouds. It was thus:
he went down one evening to the
prayer-meeting of the young men of
the Christian Association. One of
them whispered the inquiry, " Are
you a Christian ? " " That is what I
don't know, but would like to know,"
was the answer. " Why not ask
prayers that you may ? " It had not
occurred to him. He rose and asked
at once. The cloiids melted.

On the followin g Sabbath evening he
went down to the seamen's meeting
— a very favorite meeting with our
young converts — and told the hardy
and sympathizing sailors what God
had done for him. From that hour

10 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

he stood committed to a hearty coop-
eration in every Christian endeavor
to diffuse light, love, and kindness.
Knowing well that no man can
" freely give " who does not freely
and constantly receive from the foun-
tain of spiritual truth, he gave him-
self assiduously to the study of the
Bible, to much meditation and prayer.
He did not divest himself of a healthy
interest in all good readings but loved
a superior book, in almost any de-
partment of thought, and loved that
bopk best which led him most direct-
ly to the reason of things. " I have
been reading," he said, '• ' Locke on
the Understanding ; ' just the book,
I believe, I wanted. You know I

CHILDHOOD. 11

was in some perplexity when at home,
and tried to make Dr. — understand
what it was, but did not succeed very
well. This essay of Locke's seems to
meet my case exactly. I seemed to
be in search of first principles ; some-
thing to base my reflections upon.
Locke supplies that want ; shows me
what is self-evident ; what is capable
of demonstration, and what must be
settled by a balance of probabilities."

II.

AT SCHOOL.

^EAK eyes compelled him to
leave the Latin School for a
^f0^ farm in Michigan. Not gain-
ing all the relief desired, he
then went for a year into a store, and
thence proceeded to finish his prep-
aration for college at a military
school ; from which he wrote, " You
can't do me a greater favor than
to write me on religious topics. I
have no religious society here, and,
strange as it may seem, my interest
in religion has increased daily since

AT SCHOOL. 13

I came. My confidence in Christ is
becoming stronger and stronger. I
was firmly convinced, before I came
here, that he would deliver me from
evil, and I am more and more per-
suaded of it. I can't tell you how
much religious happiness I have got
from the very worldliness of the
school influences. Place a plant in a
hot-house till it has had the opportu-
nity to become delicate ; then expose
it to the chilling winds of heaven :
and if it can straighten up and resist
them, you know that there is a real
healthy, independent life in it. That
is the feeling I have had here. I
am getting on nicely, and like the
school better every day, and have

14 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

come to the conclusion that they are
a very nice set of fellows, after all.
It takes a great while to get ac-
quainted though ; I find that I have
been on trial all this time. They
have now about concluded to trust
me ; so I find them much more
agreeable. You would be surprised
to hear several of the hardest fellows
in school, who scarcely ever stop
swearing, tell me that they would be
glad to change places with me. Sev-
eral have said so, and that entirely of
their own accord, introducing the sub-
ject themselves. My chum told me
that ' I had a great many advanta-
ges ; ' — in having taken a decided
stand as a Christian, he meant. He

AT SCHOOL, 15

told me that he had sat up in our
room, with his legs out of the window,
looking down to tlie ground, and
thinking, to use his own language,
' how soon he would be in hell if he
dropped out.' He added, that once,
in a skirmish in Western Virginia, the
bullets were flying pretty thick, and
he thought that he was going to die,
and that he would recognize his Ma-
ker in death, if he had not in life ;
and he ran over ' Now I lay me,'
in his mind. I have heard him con-
fess that he did not know the Lord's
Prayer. Think what a life he must
have led since he was twelve years old,
when he ran away from home, and
went down the Mississippi as far as

16 JAMES S. KIMBALL. ^

New Orleans in the position of assist-
ant bar-keeper. ' But then,' said ho,
' you know I hate to be called pious.'
I wonder how many souls have boon
lost through that fear !

" ' You think I'm a pretty hard
case — don't you, fellows ? ' said an-
other, to a little collection of boys'
yesterday morning. ' I might be
reformed, now, I tell you.' They
asked me whether I thought it was
necessary for a man to be religious ?
I said I thought we were made for
religion, and felt unsatisfied all the
time without it.

" ' Now that's so,' said one ; ' I feel
that way all the time myself And
another said, ' Not all the time ; '

AT SCHOOL. 17

which imjDlied some assent. And yet
they were all of them, perhaps, swear-
ing away as much as ever in three
minutes.

" All this only proves that a good
many arc walking into the net with
their eyes open.

" I have felt since I have been here
that I should be proud to give my
life to the spreading of Christ's king-
dom, even as a missionary, or in
whatever way he might see fit. I
never read my Bible with half the
interest I now feel in it. Nor did I
know liow it was adapted to every
possible situation. I don't know at
all what is before me in life, but I
have no doubt that if God intends

18 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

me to grow up to man's estate, he
will give me some situation in which
I may honor him, and love and ben-
efit my fellow-men. I have conned
your letter over carefully, and feel
it in my bones. I am convinced,
as grandfather wrote me, that the
Christian gentleman * is the highest
style of man, notwithstanding the
sneers of the profane and the un-
godly.' I hope that I could never
be happy living without some worthy
object ; and I can conceive of nothing,
as an object in life, more glorious
and desirable than ' conducting timid
pilgrims through the perils of the
wilderness to the promised land.'

. /

AT SCHOOL. 19

You quote a couplet which is often
in my mind :

' The love of Jesus — what it is
None but his loved ones know' "

A classmate writes of him as fol-
lows:

" My heart is too full for utterance,
and yet I feel I must let you know
what he was to me, and how he was
everywhere a blessing. I first knew
him at the militar}^ school. I had
been there a year longer than he,
and the first day he came I met him.
Cheerful, frank, and sincere, the
hearts of all went out to him at once,
and there in school, the only Chris-
tian, the only unprofane man, he was
^. universally esteemed and respected.

\

20 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

And yet among scoffers he was never
afraid of the offense of the cross.
Boldly and manfully he upheld it all
alone. Speaking to others on the
subject of religion was a thing which,
as he often told me, came hard to
him, and yet for that reason "'he was
all the more active in doing it. He
set out to speak with every individual
member of the school on the subject
of his soul's salvation ; and I believe
he accomplished it. I know that he
set many to thinking as they had
never thought before, and, I have no
doubt, sowed much seed which will
hereafter spring up and bear fruit to
the honor and glory of that Master
he was so diligent in serving. Among

AT SCHOOL. 21

the many, I was as openly a scoffer
as any. One day, however, I can
never forget ; for from it I date the
beginning of a new and higher life.
It was the last Wednesday in May,
1862. He asked me to walk with
him, as we had often done on hol-
idays before. We had gone some
little distance and turned a corner
on the road ; he turned to me ab-
ruptly, and asked, ' B., why are you
not a Christian ? ' My mouth was
stopped. I tried to make excuses ;
but no, nothing could I say. I had
pious parents, who had brought me
up to fear God, wlio had prayed for
me night and morning, and who had
often pointed out to me the way of

22 JAAIES S. KIMBALL.

salvation and my duty. Yet how far
was I from God ! What excuses could
I make ? James gave me no rest
until I would promise him to repent
and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and follow him for life. After a long
struggle, I did promise him ; and he
prayed with me then, and often af-
terward ; fixing it upon my mind that
the Bible and prayer were the only
helps I should use. During the va-
cation that followed, before we went
to college, he wrote, encouraging
me to hold on in the course which I
had begun. We roomed together,
you know, at college. It was a dif-
ferent atmosphere from that at the
school; but James was always the

AT SCHOOL. 23

same, — the most active in prayer-
meetings, and ever ready to talk with
and advise the hesitating. During
the winter there was a revival in our
class, and I could mention the names
of several whom he was instrumental
in turning from darkness to light.
Ever on the watch for opportunities
of doing good, of speaking a word in
season, he never lost one. As a room-
mate, he was the best of friends, — al-
ways willing to do, in the kindest
way, that hardest of Christian duties :
he would point out faults in me, and
tell me where I came short of doing
right ; and this in no spirit of fault-
finding, but from pure Christian love.
Had he lived a long life, I could

24 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

never half repay him for the good he
has done me in this way. He made
friends everywhere. He loved every
one, and how could they help loving
him ? I assisted him in maintaining
some prayer-meetings among the poor
of the place ; and he won their hearts
completely. Every Sabbath noon he
went to read and pray with them, and
after he left they were never tired of
hearing about him. The Bible was
almost his only book at some periods,
when his eyes were very weak : I nev-
er saw a more diligent student of the
Holy Book. It was in truth a lamp
to his feet and a light to his path.
Amid the bustle and turmoil of school,
he alone found time and opportunity

AT SCHOOL. 25

to read it. No one who has not been
at the military school can under-
stand the difficulties in the way of
private devotion there. And yet he
overcame them all ; and many, many
a time has he spoken in our class
prayer-meetings of the necessity of
strict devotion to our Bibles and
closets, — duties which students are
apt to neglect. Last September I
spent a few days with him at Hadley ;
and a little card he gave me then
has been my constant companion
since. Many a time have I taken
comfort from it, and hope to many
times yet. On it was printed, ' If
you want to be miserable, look with-
in. If you want to be distracted, look

26 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

around. If you want to be happy,
look to Christ.' How faithfully did
he look to Christ ! And Christ has
now taken him to live with Him."

III.

IN COLLEGE.

HE transition from school to col-
lege was very pleasant to him.
"I am having a grand time,"
he wrote ; " heaps of pleasant
occupation ; just enough work in get-
ting my lessons to make it interesting,
and manly fellows to associate with,
who have some experience of life, in
place of those narrow-minded little

scatter-wits of School memory.

Up here you hear the question. How
can he write ? or. Is he a deep man ?
Is he a solid scholar, or a mere dig ?

28 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

Is he a fellow of principle ? etc., etc.,
instead of, Is he handsome ? Does he
dress well ? How much money has
he ? or, Will he stand treat ? My
mind has a chance to get well waked
Tip."

By nature he was full of energy ;
and full occupation was essential to
his happiness.

In his Bible he had pasted the fol-
lowing extract from Sir Fowell Bux-
ton : " The longer I live, the more
I am certain that the great difference
between men, between the feeble and
the powerful, the great and the in-
significant, is energy.) — invincible de-
termination ; a purpose once fixed,
and then ' death or victory.' That

IN COLLEGE. 29

quality will do anything that can be
done in this world ; and no talents,
no circumstances, no opportunities,
will make a two-legged creature a
man without it."

Into his endeavors to get the full
benefit of out- door exercise he car-
ried this energy, while on the Hudson
River, and also at Williamstown.
He delighted in the scenery among
our mountains, and often went on
rambles of five, ten, and sometimes
twenty miles or more. He was a
close observer of nature, and often in-
dulged in lively descriptions of what
he saw.

Never was a son or brother more
aifectionately eager to return to his

30 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

beloved ones at home ; but after a
week or ten days' solace in their so-
ciety, such was the inexorable de-
mand of hig nature for some useful
employment, that he could not bring
himself to remain without it. In
December, 1862, his first college va-
cation, he offered his services to the
Christian Commission, and was sent
to the Army of the Potomac, in which
he labored, at Camp Convalescent,
and at Falmouth, acceptably and
heartily, for nearly six weeks.

From Camp Convalescent he wrote :
" I have now made fair trial of camp-
life, and find it, in some respects,
inferior to home-life. Nevertheless,
we make ourselves pretty comforta-

/iV COLLEGE. 31

ble. We go round camp in the day-
time, distributing and talking with
the men : also in the hospitals we
read and pray with the soldiers. We
have a prayer-meeting in our tent
every morning at half-past nine. It
is a very pleasant meeting ; our tent
is quite filled — twenty men or more.
The men here are well off for food,
clothing, and fuel, but they want some
one to look after their souls."

From Falmouth he wrote : " I am
leading a queer life. Last night I
slept in a car on some hay. I am
well, but not accomplishing all I
should like to ; in fact, it would take
a month or a year to learn this busi-
ness. It requires business faculty,

32 • JAMES S. KIMBALL.

knowledge of men, a warm heart, or
rather warm love for Christ, and for
telling others about him. Mere ma-
chine labor don't tell on souls. I
feel as if I needed more of Christ in
my own heart to be useful in a high
degree to others. We have been do-
ing what we could for the poor fel-
lows leaving in the cars ; that is, the
wounded, who are sent off by hun-
dreds every day for Washington."

Returning to Camp Convalescent,
he wrote again : " Shall I come home ?
I don't know ; I am feeling my way
along. I am interested, I hope much
profited, by the work here. There are
nine thousand men, with no one to
care for their souls. The officers are

IN COLLEGE. 33

not unfriendly. We are getting a
churcll tent ; we have good meetings,
and seem blessed. Perhaps I am
taking it too easily and too comforta-
bly.

" ' Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers.' A gentleman came out
to see us day before yesterday, with
his wife and child. It was too dark to
return to Alexandria. As Mr. E.
was away, I put the gentleman and
his child into Mr. E.'s cot, and his
wife into my own, and left them to
enjoy them. I slept in our church
tent, with a board floor ; some boughs
and three army blankets for a bed,
and a log of wood for a pillow.
Practice makes perfect. I gave them

34 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

some breakfast, and sent them on
tlieir way rejoicing."

Soon after tliis he returned to col-
lege ; and through manifold trials,
arising from- the weakness of his eyes,
endeavored to hold on in the prosecu-
tion of his studies. In September he
wrote : " Tlie freshman class is great
and populous, like the cities of the
Anabasis. They are no striplings,
but bearded men, who have gone to
church in black coats, and gone afield
in overalls for ten years of tlieir lives.
Their class president is a venerable
chap with huge black beard and am-
ple proportions — one whose face
seems to say, ' I have beheld the
generations of men, lo, these many

IJSr COLLEGE. 35

years.' Nevertheless, '66 put them
through on Saturday night, causing
them to sing songs and make speeches
on tables which ever and anon dis-
appeared from under them. I don't
believe in hazing; and I think our
men will be unable to do more of it,
because the freshmen are finding out
that they are stronger than we are."
November 11, 1863, he wrote as
follows : " I have been thinking over
my past life since my eyes have trou-
bled me. As well as I can reckon, it
was in the spring of 1858 they first
gave out — the result of reading while
recovering from a fever. I left school
and went to Michigan. In the au-
tumn I went back to school, and found

36 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

my eyes improved as cold weather
came on, and I went on for two years.
I next broke down in the spring of
1860, and went into a store. In the
fall of 1861 I went to the military
school, and found my eyes but little
better. I have gone through '62 and
'63 in the same way ; and now I find
myself looking forward to the sixth
spring since the first annoyance, and
what are my prospects ? They are as
weak as ever, and I have not aver-
aged over two hours and a half of
studying this term. Can I hope that
they will be any better next spring
and summer ? Can I hope that they
will permanently improve in college
and literary life ? May I not hope to

I^r COLLEGE. 37

save my eyes by abandoning literary
pursuits ? I am not discouraged : I
feel sufficiently buoyant ; but I wish
to exercise a manly judgment ; above
all, to please my Maker. If a sea
voyage of five years would cure me,
I think it would be, perhaps, advis-
able."

The army, the sea, and the woods
of Maine offered their several induce-
ments. After counseling with tbe
experienced, he decided to begin with
lumbering ; and, failing of advan-
tage there, to make a second trial of
farm life. He did both, employing
ten months, with only partial im-
provement.

IV.

FARM LIFE.

IS months upon tlie farm were
not permitted to be barren of
"^^^ spiritual results. The pastor
whose ministrations he then en-
joyed writes : " I yield, not unwil-
lingly, to the impulse which prompts
me, an entire stranger, to tell you
that the announcement of the death
of your noble son has brought sadness
to many hearts in this community.
It was with great pleasure that I
made his acquaintance, on taking
charge of this society ; and I very

FARM LIFE. 39

soon found that he was exerting, in
a quiet way, a most useful influence
among those near his own age. He
was recognized among them for what
he was, — for what I at once saw
him, — an open-hearted, intelligent,
affectionate Christian youth ; a rec-
ognized leader in the weekly prayer-
meeting for young people ; and I was
exceedingly pleased with the frank
and fearless character of his piety,
which was no doubtful possession
with him, but an integral part of his
nature. The brightness of his intel-
lect, too, and the easy play of his
fancy, expressing itself often with
singular fluency, rendered him all
the more interesting and useful. We

40 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

were all truly sorry when he left us,
and I regretted him not only for his
own sake, but as a helper in every-
thing good among us, though none
of us thought he was going from us
to finish his course so soon."

The future life was never far from
his thoughts. Nearly a year before,
he wrote thus : " I find myself, in my
most blessed hours, looking forward
with pleasure to meeting father's
parents hereafter. And, as in child-
hood each new friend bound us to
earth, so it seems to be the order of
Providence, in advancing years, to
draw us by one tie and anotlier
towards heaven. I can but think
that we shall find peculiar bliss in

FARM LIFE, 41

meeting and associating with those
loved most and best on earth. Vari-
ous hints in the Bible show us that
there is no loss of individuality ; and
if Christ's love, as shown to us in
our earthly pilgrimage, is to be our
song in heaven, why may we not
suppose that the love which he has
shown us through the agency of our
friends, will draw us closer to those
friends in the world to come ? I like
to think that the Christian is living
for eternity in his friendships, in his
self-cultivation, and in his efforts for
others ; and that he is beginmng a
work, and cultivating a taste, for
pleasures which shall continue to ad-
vance and to please for ever. There

42 JAMES 8. KIMBALL.

may be music in heaven ; there will be
society : above all, there will be love.
" About my eyes : If I find it advis-
able to go into some business, shall
I not do more for mankind, with
God's blessing, than I could do in
the ministry with weak eyes ? Still
a business man can not be a student.
Well, Rufiis Landholm, Brother &
Co. had poverty to struggle agahist
in toiling for an education. I have
weak eyes, and a chance of poverty
too, perhaps, if I am many more years
preparing; still, perhaps, something
like their pluck will give me an
education. I am resolved to try."
Nevertheless the weak eyes would
not become strong.

V.

DELEGATE OF CHEISTIAX COMMISSION.

ffiONYINCED that the usual
course of study for a profession
"^^ was thus indefiuitely postponed,
'^ and foehng a deep sympathy
for his country and our brave sol-
diers, he determined to renew the
offer of his services to tlie Christian
Commission ; and early in October.
1S64, was sent to Louisville, Ken-
tucky, where for four weeks he was
unremitting in his labors. From
Louisville he wrote : *• I am having
too oood a time now. I find the

44 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

delegates splendid fellows ; rough in
manners, but earnest, whole-souled
Christians. I hope that I may profit
much by being here. My mind is in
a constant flutter from seeing so
many new faces and strange sights.
To tell you all were impossible ; but
I will speak of a few things. I went
first across the river to Jeffersonville,
and thence a mile Or two to Joe Holt's
Hospital. This is more than a thou-
sand feet square, and is a collection of
wooden barracks, on each side of a well-
graded street, with board sidewalks
some five feet higher than the street,
all in the pink of neatness. The
convalescents bask in the sunshine
before the ward doors, and within

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 45

each ward are neat beds lining each
wall: everything clean, airy, and com-
fortable. We found not over three
hundred patients in all. We passed
from man to man, giving each an In-
dependent, or soldier's paper, with a
kind word of advice or sympathy,
and found them very grateful to get
them. I came home, and in the eve-
ning, went to the prison barracks,
where one hundred and fifty pris-
oners are strewn over two rooms, so
thickly that as they squat on the
floor they touch each other. We
had a little meeting here, in the midst
of filth and ' gray-backs,' and found
them very eager listeners. They
begged us to come again. They

46 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

have their own prayer-meeting every
evening, with their Httle hymn-books.
Singing is a great thing. Frank,
Alice, everybody, learn to sing. The
first thing I heard was, ' You can
sing religion into them twice as fast
as you can talk it into them. Can
you start your own tunes? — it's
half.' Singing is the rallying cry.
They flock together when a tune is
started. Poor creatures ! it is the
only pure pleasure tliey know, to
sing tlie old home tunes. I think I
could write twelve hours and not tell
you half. I could scare you, too, by
telling you how many rebels are
here, and how wild work war makes.
But I think we are perfectly safe
here.

CHRISTIAN COMMAS DELEGATE. 47

" I wish you could see the colored
soldiers : such listeners ! They seem
magnetized, and hardly breathe while
you address them."

A month later he writes : *' I leave
this afternoon for Nashville. I hope
God's approval will sanction this
change, and that it is not the result
of impatient restlessness. I feel as
if I had just commenced this work ;
and as I find the best of the delegates
are increasingly fascinated with it, I
hope that I shall cultivate a taste for
it. It is still quite an effort to me ;
yet I am often interested and en-
couraged by tokens of feeling and
gratitude in those I deal with. I
find it agreeable and profitable to

48 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

come in contact with so many men.
The delegates are coming through
here all the time, and, as a rule, are
wide-awake, well-educated men. Mr.

is a perfect genius in the rough ;

smart, pushing, funny, and demo-
cratic in his style of speaking, writ-
ing, thinking, and walking."

From Nashville he wrote : " I have
N.'s offer of a commission in the
army. I have thought and prayed
over it, and concluded that I had
better remain in the Christian Com-
mission. I am already here. I know
I can do good — perhaps all the good
I am capable of doing ; and to take
a commission would be an experi-
ment. I am inclined to think that a

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 49

delegate, a permanent delegate, can
do as much good as a chaplain ; for
the chaplain is compelled to move with
the army. I trust God has guided
me into this decision, and shall en-,
deavor to dismiss the subject from
my mind. We have sweet music in
the evening here. The delegates are
very pleasant."

Dec. 1, he wrote : " Nashville is
stirring to-day ; Hood within fifteen
miles ; cannonading quite audible.
Was up from eleven last night till
half-past four this morning, unload-
ing the wounded. This morning the
whole army is crowding into town."

Dec. 7 : "I think you would be
interested if you went round with me

50 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

one day. This week I have been go-
ing across tlie Cumberland, to our
cavalry on the other side. I take
two hundred religious papers, one
ream of paper, three hundred soldiers'
books, and spend all day distributing
them. I have to walk two or three
miles, so I dine with the boys on hard-
tack and beans, and don't get home
till supper-time. Last evening I spent
in teaching some little colored chil-
dren to read. One of tliem said that
Adam lived in the garden of Egypt.
We hear cannon tliundering day and
night. The fight at Spring Hill was
a terrible affair. The rebels charged
three times with determined hardi-
hood. We came near losing our

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 51

whole army, but finally repulsed
them."

How he performed his duties, both
at Louisville and at Nashville, in bar-
racks, hospitals, prisons, and on the
field, will best be told in the words
of his associates.

Says one : " He was the youngest
delegate we ever had in Louisville ;
and we found our hearts going out to
him as to a younger brother. We
liked his original ways. There was
something so fresh and childlike about
him, — a simplicity both rare and ad-
mirable in a young man. His kind-
ness to all was unbounded ; but when
a soldier came to our rooms, he would
start up quickly, and wait upon him

52 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

as politely as tliougli be were a king.
He made the soldiers feel at home,
assuring them that we all considered
it a privilege to wait upon our brave
defenders. Nov. 6, Sunday, I accom-
panied him to the ' Taylor Barracks.'
He read Isaiah liii. ; dwelling on the
third and fourth verses, and repeat-
ing many times, ' Surely He bath
borne our griefs and carried our sor-
rows.' In imagination I can see him
now, standing before those colored
soldiers, reading each word so dis-
tinctly, so understandingly, and they
listening so attentively, drinking in
every word, and looking so thankful
for assurances of home and lieaven.
He sought to impress upon them the

CHRISTIAN COMWS DELEGATE. 53

necessity of being prepared ; to make
them realize that God, though invis-
ible, was near, and willing to receive
them. He urged them to be zealous
for Christ, because life was uncertain.
He was very earnest ; the color came
and went in his cheeks ; and his ' my
friends ' to those boys and men can
never be forgotten." Says another :
" I shall never forget that sermon.
I was touched with his remark upon
' His visage was so marred.' He did
not think it taught that Christ's ap-
pearance was repulsive ; but simply
that it was wan, and wasted with his
many cares and ceaseless labors.
One night there was a crowd. Mr.
K. despaired of full attention because

54 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

he could not be seen. He looked
about for an elevation. He mounted
a pile of boxes, and called for * Rally
Round the Flag, Boj^s.' This secured
them, and he kept their attention to
the end."

"From myfirst acquaintance," says
an Episcopal clergyman, " I was un-
usually well pleased with him. His
frankness, cordiality, intelligence,
above all, his devotion to the Chris-
tian work lie had come so far to do,
won the esteem of all, and even ex-
cited remark from many. His heart
was full of that best of Christian
graces, cliarity. On Friday evening,
Dec. 9, he said to me, ' Let us call on
our friends at Hospital 14 ; but half-

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 65

past seven will be time enough for
that, and meanwhile I'll have a short
service down in the barracks : I
have not done enough to-day ; ' this,
thougli I knew he had spent the whole
day in ' the front.' The barracks is
a large, unfinished hotel, the property
of the rebel Gen. Zollicoffer, with no
sash in the window frames. This, of
course, makes it at best a very un-
comfortable place for men to live in.
There are generally between one thou-
sand and four thousand soldiers here
in transit between the front and the
North. James, more frequently than
any other delegate, visited this place
in the evening, to have services. He
frequently spoke of the pleasure this

56 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

gave him. We were each in turn
appointed to this dutj; but James
again and again went, whether spe-
cially assigned or not. On Saturday,
the 10th, he went. He found there
a sick soldier without a blanket, com-
pelled to pass the night in a room
which was open to the chilling and
wintry winds. James felt well, and
believed that the short walk liome in
the cold would not harm him as much
as a long night's exposure would the
needy soldier, and at once gave the
poor fellow his shawl. Sunday the
11th came, and feeling still well, he
passed the day among the cavalry,
several miles distant from our home,
returning quite late. It was not until

CHRISTIAN COMWS DELEGATE. 57

Monday the 12th that be seemed in-
disposed. He kept to the sofa most
of tlie day, and had one or two chills.
It was not until Tuesday the 13th
that his symptoms revealed the fear-
ful congestive chill. He would often
spend an hour after the labors of tlie
day in my room talking over what
had been said and done. When lie
met with earnest and anxious, but
not well-established men, his custom
was to insert written pledges, signed
by both, usually, in their Testaments,
' to be unceasing in their endeavors
to live so as to meet in heaven.'
Tha Bible was constantly in his
hand when in-doors, before leaving
in the morning, and after the duties

58 JAMES S. JvIMBALL.

of the day. He loved it ; and his
conscientious discharge of all his du-
ties proved to all that he endeavored
to live up to its precepts. On that
Friday evening after his services in
the barracks, as we walked toward
Hospital 14, he spoke of the interest-
ing meeting he had just had, and
added, ' Though the sermon my con-
gregation got was a poor one, it had
one good quality, — it was full of the
Bible. I always try to introduce
plenty of that good book, that those
who will not read its pages may hear.'
" James was talented above most
others. Had he lived he would have
been a successful laborer in the vine-
yard. His eiTorts were very success-

CHRISTIAN COMMAS DELEGATE. 59

fill, as long as he was spared, in the
work of the Christian Commission.
Let us be mindful of David's consola-
tion : ' I shall go to him.' Pardon
me : I write as I feel ; for I feel that I
too need this comfort. In the death
of this noble young man I have lost
a friend — one whose example has
benefited me, and whose warm spirit
has enlisted my deepest regards."

Says another clergyman : "On the
10th of December, James and one of
the delegates went out of Nashville,
on the left, in the front of our cavalry
force, where he held a service in the
open air. He took off his hat. The
day was cold. The cold, as he after-
wards said, affected his head. On

60 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

Sunday, Dec. lltli, lie attended the
Cumberland Hospital, and preached
a most excellent and edifying dis-
course. His soul seemed to be en-
tirely absorbed in the spiritual and
eternal welfare of tlie sick and wound-
ed soldiers. On Monday he had chills
and fever. On Tuesday I nursed him
most of the day, applying mustard
draughts to his breasts, arms, feet,
ankles, etc., as the doctor ordered ;
bathing his feet in hot water, and
rubbing him all over to excite per-
spiration ; but all in vain. He was
delirious in the afternoon. On
Wednesday he knew and named all
the delegates as they came to his bed,
and saluted them with, ' God bless

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 61

you." During tlie 15th he was de-
Urious all the time, preaching, pray-
ing, and distributing things to the
soldiers. It was very touching to
hear him in his wanderings pray for
the soldiers, and then ask some one
at his bedside to pronounce the bene-
diction. When I gave him medicines,
he would always say, ' Thank you,
thank you, sir.' He did not suffer
much pain ; and as the end drew near
he became more calm, and died quiet-
ly, peacefully, triumphantly ; and we
have no doubt that he will rise in
the first resurrection. Of this you
may rest satisfied : ' Death loves a
shining mark ; ' and such talents, so
early and so fully developed, seldom

62 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

ever bloom long on this earthly soil.
They are matured for the shining
shores of eternal joys."

A chaplain of tlie Illinois cavalry
writes from Nashville : " He seemed
to have but one desire, and that was
to do good to his fellow-men, and be
instrumental in saving souls ; and
the question was in what sphere he
could best accomplish this ? He had
had an oifer of a lieutenancy in one of
the regiments, and sometimes felt Uke
accepting it ; and would, if he could
believe that he would be as useful to
his company as a Christian, but feared
that he might not be as useful to the
soldiers as he could now be in the
Christian Commission."

' CHRISTIAN COMJWS DELEGATE. 63

" His great interest in his work was
revealed in liis delirium : all the pow-
ers of his mind were enlisted in ex-
postulating, warning, inviting, and
urging sinners, to come to Christ.
He told them of Christ's wonderful
compassion, his sufferings for them,
and liis intercessions with the Father.
1 Timothy i. 15, ' This is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners,' was one of the texts
from which, with great clearness and
directness, he addressed his supposed
audience more frequently than from
any other. He would begin with the
fact that all are sinners by nature and
by practice ; then point out the wicked-

G4 JAMES S.- KIMBALL.

iiess of men in rejecting their truest
interest, and in violating God's com-
mandment ; show their lost and ruined
condition ; closing with the encour-
aging truth in the text, that Christ
came to save sinners. Here he would
take up the sufferings of Christ for
sinners, and especially for tliose he
imagined to bo present ; invariably
inquiring, ' Now won't you accept
Christ, who has done so much for
you ? '

" Another text from which he ad-
dressed his supposed audience, was
Mark ii. 9 : ' Arise, take up thy bed
and walk.' On this he would begin :
' My friends, we are taught in the
Bible that our Saviour did good to

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 65

the bodies of men as well as to their
souls ; and it is our duty to labor as
he did.'

" Truly you have reason to bless
God for the grace so largely bestowed
on your dear son, inclining him thus
to labor with all his soul for the salva-
tion of men, and especially for soldiers,
whether in the hospital or in the camp.
The soldiers who formed his acquaint-
ance esteemed him highly, as did all
who knew him ; the delegates of the
Christian Commission, and the chap-
lains of the army."

Says another : " I met yesterday a
rebel soldier who had been sick in our
barracks ; one to whom Mr. K. had
taken tea, bread, etc., etc. (often sav-

66 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

ing his own for them), and told him
Mr. K. had gone home to the better
land of which he had told him. The
tears gushed forth, and he said, * Has
he gone ? Will I never see him more ?
Oh ! you fight us like demons, and
when we are sick and prisoners, you
treat us like angels.' I told him all
about his sickness, and how in his
delirium he was striving to save sol-
diers ; and that we felt that he was
now with God. He replied, * With
God's help, I will meet him there.' "

Christian parents, accept the assur-
ance that we need but a supreme con-
cern to be filled witli the love of Jesus,
and with the knowledge of his will, to
accept peacefully the postponement of

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE, 67

every plan for the education of a son ;
to accept what seems but a temporary
occupation as life's consummate work.
If it please God to compress the use-
fulness of a long life into the brief
span of twenty years, is not this a just
occasion for triumphant ascription of
praise that he has wrought in this
brief life a finished work? Every
day brings fresh testimony that this
is his estimate who calls his disciples,
and assigns to every man his work.

His classmates say : " We deeply
regret his loss, as an operl, decided, ex-
emplary, high-toned; Christian young
man.'' And the dear friend who
transmitted this expression of broth-
erly feeling, added, " I loved James.

68 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

And I think lie made, during our in-
timate connection here, an impression
on my character that will be lasting.
Not long ago he wrote me at some
length ; and one part of that letter
comes back to me with renewed force.
He said, ' I sometimes say to myself,
I shall have done something for Christ,
if I never live to engage in any busi-
ness or profession.' I little thought
his sometJiing' was so nearly done.

" It were useless for me to tell you
that he was highly esteemed here,
and that his walk among us was thor-
oughly Christian. You know him
too well. Yet it may be pleasing to
you to know that his influence was
more than a common influence. I

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 69

give you the testimony of one of the
sober-minded, thoughtful men of the
class, who said to me the other day
that he thought James had exerted
more good influence in the class than
any other person that ever belonged
to it.

"Consolation you have — better
than any I can offer."

Yes, indeed we have — God's con-
solation. And though with a bleed-
ing heart, we can render up our trust
with joy in the Lord, despite the con-
sciousness of ten thousand short-com-
ings in duty, and of measureless
inaptitude for the noble work of
training a soul for God, so there be
but the consciousness : this one thing

70 JAMES S. KIMBALL.

have I sought for my child, and only
this, — holiness in order to usefulness.
Glorious, glorious is the translation
of my precious, darling boy. To thee,
dear Lord, I surrender this precious
one, with ten thousand thanks for
the loan. From Thee I received him,
with the charge and pledge, '^ Take
this child and nourish him for me,
and I will give thee wages." I have
nourished him for Thee, and for Thee
alone ; and here acknowledge receipt
of abundant and blessed wages. My
soul is ravished and leaps for joy, as
I think of my wealth of wages. I
have made return to Thee of my stew-
ardship, and • Thou hast accepted it.
Oh the unutterable joy of having been

CHRISTIAN COMM'S DELEGATE. 71

permitted — certainly in unswerving
aim — to train this precious child for
Thee !

Glory to God in the highest! —
Amen !

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