formed. Identified with the staff from its earliest organization, he has shared its fortunes in the many scenes of danger and trial through which it has passed, and when the occasion required, has been always ready, in addition to the manifold duties of his department, to perform those of an aide in the field, until impaired health has compelled the tender of his resignation."

In February, 1864, Dr. Church visited New Orleans, and in October, 1865, he went to Europe, with the hope that a change of climate would restore his health; but the hope was vain. He died from hemorrhage from the lungs at Pau, in the south of France, September 27th, 1866, leaving a large circle of friends to mourn his untimely decease. The singular fidelity with which he performed every duty, the manliness of his character, and his engaging and amiable disposition attracted towards him all who came within the range of his influence. The members of the original staff were bound to him by peculiarly strong ties. Not only had he been their comrade in duty and danger, but he had also sustained towards them the tender and close relation of a family physician.

Dr. John E. McDonald succeeded to the position vacated by Dr. Church, and diligently performed its duties during the time of his connection with the corps. Dr. McDonald was of Irish parentage, and exhibited through life those traits of generosity, enthusiasm and adventurous daring, which have at all times distinguished the character of his countrymen. In boyhood, he attracted the attention of Dr. Elliott of New York, who manifested great interest in him, took him into his office, and was instrumental in giving him a medical education. He accordingly graduated in 1854 at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. After his graduation, he devoted himself to the treatment of the eye, became favorably known, secured a very lucrative practice, and excited warm hopes of future distinction in the profession.

Dr. McDonald entered the service as Surgeon of the 79th New York, and went through the campaigns in South Carolina

and with the Ninth Corps, in which that regiment bore a distinguished part. He was appointed Surgeon of Volunteers April 13th, 1863, and still continued on duty with the Corps, manifesting a decided skill and effectiveness in the posts of brigade and division Surgeon and Medical Inspector. He came east with the Corps in the spring of 1864, and passed through the campaign of the following summer, making for himself an honorable record. The exposures of the service, and the unwonted labors that fell upon the medical department of the army, wore upon and weakened his health, and in the autumn he felt compelled to seek a less exhausting duty. He was accordingly relieved from active service in the field, and was assigned to the superintendence of a general hospital at Philadelphia. At the close of the war, he returned to the practice of his profession. But having acquired a taste for army life, he decided once more to enter the service. He was examined for the position of Surgeon in the regular army, secured the appointment, and immediately began his work. signed to duty at the West, he was stationed at Jefferson barracks, St. Louis. The advent of the cholera in the summer of 1866 put upon him severe burdens, which he took up with his accustomed energy. But his toil overcame him, and he fell a victim himself to the pestilence from which he was endeavoring to save others. He died, leaving behind him the memory of a true, brave and devoted man.

As

No narrative of military operations during the rebellion would be complete, without notice of the labors of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions. To the former, particularly, not only our own country, but also the entire civilized world is indebted for help in the elucidation of the great problem of alleviating, if not preventing disease among large bodies of men. It is well known that armies are depleted by other causes than casualties in battle. The Sanitary Commission undertook the task at the very outset, of ascertaining and providing for the needs of the soldiers in camp and on the field. The object was to preserve the health and the strength of the armies which

were raising, to check the progress of disease, to furnish articles for the hospitals and for the individual sick and wounded, which were not contemplated in the army regulations, to care for soldiers who were in transitu from camp to home, or from home to camp, to collect statistics on all the various subjects which pertained to the sanitary condition of the army, and, in short, to do all the work which was requisite for the aid and comfort of the sick, the wounded, the disabled and the bereaved.

The Sanitary Commission was the organized benevolence of the nation, as applied to the army. An appeal was made to the people at the beginning of the war. The people, particularly the women of the nation, responded nobly, generously, ceaselessly. A stream of contributions in supplies and money flowed into the storehouses and treasury of the Commission. For five years it continued. This good will and liberality 'never gave the slightest indication of exhaustion. When the war ended, the Commission was supplied for a long campaign. The people were not deceived. They did not give in vain. The agents of the Commission were prompt, vigilant and active on every battle field and in every hospital. Sometimes they were the first on the ground with their needed supplies. Often they were among the last to leave. The Ninth Corps, in common with the rest of the army, was the recipient of the bounty which the two Commissions dispensed. Many Many a poor fellow, far away from home and friends, had them brought to him by the kindness of these benevolent associations and their agents. His loneliness was cheered, his mind soothed, and his dying moments blest, as he was taught to feel that Christian sympathy was freely given him, and Christian love had chosen him for its special object.

There is another class of men, filling a comparatively obscure position, but performing a vast amount of useful labor in the promotion of the effectiveness of an army. The Chaplains, who have served in the hospital or in the field, have rendered an inestimable, though not always recognized service in the

cause of the Union. Their names very seldom appeared in official reports, but the duties which they performed, when faithfully discharged, were of the utmost benefit. They have been subject to all the casualties of a soldier's career. Some have suffered imprisonment, others have received wounds, others have contracted disease and died, and others still have lost their lives on the field of battle, while performing the duties of their sacred profession. A Chaplain's status in the army has never been defined. He was an officer, yet he had no rank, and could exercise no authority except that which his personal influence commanded. Most frequently, if he were a man of faithful spirit and of active temperament, he was a servant of all work. It has sometimes been the case, that the Chaplain of a regiment has been called upon to fill the position of postmaster, teacher, amanuensis, private secretary, aide de camp, and even commissary and quarter master, while the Surgeons in the regimental hospitals have at all times felt justified in calling upon him for aid. Left in charge of the wounded after a battle, when the army has been compelled to retreat, Chaplains have not unfrequently fallen into the hands of the enemy. It is true that, in some cases, they have not been retained as prisoners for any long period. "We don't want Yankee Chaplains in the South," said General Stuart to Chaplain Ball of the 21st Massachusetts, after the battle of Chantilly, when he learned the name and position of his prisoner; “I think we will let you go." But all rebel officers were not so lenient as the good-natured cavalry general. Some of the Chaplains who were captured were treated with great severity, and still bear the marks of their confinement.

The labors of these officers and the influence which they have exerted, belong rather to the unseen and unwritten part of life, than to that which is apparent and well understood. Certainly there was no place where religious teaching was more needed than in the army, and there was no better or more encouraging field to an industrious and faithful man. The influence which a good Chaplain exerted was not alto

gether temporary. It remains and does its silent work, long after the official connection between him and the soldier has ceased. Men like James of the 25th Massachusetts, who, at the battle of Roanoke Island, personally served the gun of a battery, the men of which had been disabled; Benton of the 51st New York, who was killed at the battle of Newbern, while in attendance upon the wounded and dying men of his regiment; Ball of the 21st Massachusetts, who, at the battle of Camden, and in the movements of the regiment, performed at different times the duties of every office of the regimental staff; Hunting of the 27th Michigan, who was always active, zealous and efficient in the camp and field; and others, less known, but not less faithful, have, in the course of the war, done a work the results of which are permanent in their duration. Upon men placed in the circumstances of a soldier's life, if there is any receptivity of good influences, religious services, conducted by a sincere and devoted man, have a wonderful effect. They are a restraint, an encouragement, a help, and an inspiration. The uncertainty of the life in which these men are engaged, the necessity of obeying the commands of a superior at any moment, without any question and in utter ignorance of what may be the issue, and the consequent loss, to a certain extent, of self-confidence, naturally induce a feeling of dependence on a higher Power. It is a time when trust in Divine Providence can be awakened and obedience to Divine laws enforced. The most thoughtless must be affected in some degree, even though no apparent result is produced. In subsequent hours, the words and personal influence of the religious teacher will be remembered, recognized and felt. Or, if death has come upon the field or in the hospital, it is certainly a satisfaction to know that the last hours of many a dying soldier have been solaced, and his pains assuaged by the kindly and gentle ministrations of the devoted Chaplain, who has pointed the struggling spirit to a world of unfading brightness and eternal peace.

There is still another class of men, whom not to mention