| The Life of Dr. J.R. Miller |
Chapter 4 |
Page 8 |
Two weeks after the assassination of President Lincoln there was a delightful communion service at Pleasant Valley, near Harper’s Ferry, when the saddened hearts of soldiers and delegates were gladdened as they drew close to the Lord. Remount Camp was to be broken up within a few days, and the men who had been companions through so many campaigns were to separate, so the service was arranged. Mr. Miller wrote of this primitive observance:
“The appointments of the table were of a humble description. The plates were of tin, the cups pewter, the bread came from the commissary, the table cover was two religious newspapers, and over the bread were two small napkins, clean but not whole. Though the circumstances were so novel, and there was so much of discomfort, and the appointments of the table were so informal, yet the service was both interesting and profitable.”
Professor Stoever of Gettysburg College – whose house had been opened as a Christian Commission hospital after the battle of Gettysburg – was present, most unexpectedly, at the communion in camp. Deeply impressed, he told of the day in these words:
“The services were held in one of the chapels erected by the Christian Commission, and conducted by two delegates, clergymen of evangelical churches. The scene reminded one very much of primitive apostolic times. Everyone present seemed pervaded with the solemnity of the occasion. The chapel was filled with our veteran soldiers. As the men consecrated the elements contained in the humble vessels, it seemed as if all felt that Jesus was present.”
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