Lesson 268: FATHER
Army of Tennessee Chaplain David Chaltas
‘FATHER’ The Bible affirms that the
wages of sin is death. One of the greatest sins that humans continue to
embrace is that of war. The most terrible cost of war is the loss of life.
Nothing would be more devastating than the realization that you were not only
fighting an enemy, but that the enemy was really Fellow Americans fighting for
what they believed was right. Both prayed to the same God. Both said God was
on his side. Both worshipped while at war. What must He think of us? His name was Sergeant
Driscoll. He enlisted into the Union army based on his beliefs and was
considered to be one of the best shots in the Brigade. His son had chosen to
join the Confederate army and, due to his tenacity of spirit and audaciousness,
was promoted to an officer. Both served their hearts’ calling. Both
loved their country. Both loved their family yet each heard a different drum. On July 1, 1862, a fierce
battle raged at Malvern Hill, in Henrico County, Virginia. The Federal forces
found themselves being hammered by a company of Confederates within the tree
line. Every time the boys in blue tried to advance, they were greeted by a
hail of bullets which were singing and stinging like hornets. They were in
dire straits. Captain Conyngham, of the
famed Irish Brigade, noted that the well trained soldiers within the clump of
trees were commanded by a bold and daring officer. The junior officer was seen
dashing around fortifying his position and directing the volley with
precision. He knew if he was to advance, he would have to take out the
leadership. He called upon his sergeant to do just that. Sergeant Driscoll
took careful aim and waited until the Confederate officer stepped out from
behind the tree line. He did not have long to wait. The officer carelessly
showed himself and Sergeant Driscoll’s bullet immediately found its
mark. The Confederate officer was cut down in his tracks and his company began
to dissolve. The company under Captain
David Power Conyngham rallied and moved towards their objective. Upon reaching
the body of the brave Confederate officer, the captain told Sergeant Driscoll
to insure that the officer was dead. The words of Captain Conyngham capture
the moment. "I stood looking on,
Driscoll turned him over on his back. He opened his eyes for a moment and
faintly murmured 'Father' and closed them forever. "I will forever
recollect the frantic grief of Driscoll; it was harrowing to witness. The
dead soldier was his son who had gone South before the war." Sergeant Driscoll stood
there in shock and the look upon his face cannot be expressed by words. The
company was ordered to charge but the Sergeant remained glued to the scene.
The men in blue pressed on and soon were in the heat of the battle. Suddenly
the men noticed Sergeant Driscoll charge past them. He had taken off his coat
and probably laid it over his son as tribute to him. He charged them without
thought of himself, calling out to all to follow him. A bullet hit its mark and
he fell but immediately was up charging those men who had followed his son in
battle. Suddenly another volley hit him and he fell to the ground to move no
more. He answered the call of his son and went home to once again become the
boy’s father. I cannot fathom the father’s anguish, as he gazed down upon
his son knowing that he had killed him. It reminds me of yet another story.
This is a story of hope. This is a story of altruistic love, as described in
John 3: 16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
son, that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting
life.” Can you imagine the anguish in God’s heart as He offered
His only begotten son to die for all of humanity? Can you grasp the
significance of that moment when God looked away so that His son could die in
order for us to live? God’s innocent lamb was tortured for six hours and
died upon a cross in the most agonizing manner, yet He suffered with dignity
for humanity. No wonder the centurion cried out that ‘surely this was
the son of God’. How could God watch His only begotten son beaten,
battered, and bruised for the sins of others, since God is separated from sin
like the east is from the west? The answer is that God could not watch. Upon
Jesus’ death, the veil was torn and the earth trembled. The door to
heaven was opened for mankind. Grateful for my heavenly father, I remain
humbled to be the old general (Special thanks to my cousin, Anthony Leon Blair,
for sharing this story with me). Sources A Civil War Treasury of
Tales, Legends, & Folklore, Edited by B.A. Botkin,
Random House Inc, 1960, ISBN 0-88394-049-3, Page 83 The Irish Brigade and Its
Campaigns, With Some Accounts of the Corcoran Legion, and Sketches of the
Principal Officers, Conyngham, D.P., 1867, reprinted in Botkin, B.A., With
Sacred Principles to Maintain, I remain humbled to serve as The
Old General ""Help
me to be, to think, to act what is right, make me truthful, honest and
honorable in all things; make me intellectually honest for the sake of right
and honor and without thought of reward to me." Prayer carried by R. E.
Lee “Fear not the toils of gaining knowledge, but embrace them
instead-for with knowledge comes the key to success, and the number of doors it
opens is limited only by yourself.” R.E. Lee