Pentecostal Possibilities or "The Story of My Life"
by Milton Lorenzo (M. L.) Haney
CHAPTER 30
The Duties of a Chaplain
It can hardly be realized how great a blessing it was to me as chaplain to have first been an officer in the line. There is a natural antipathy to non-combatants among real soldiers, hence chaplains, doctors, and quartermasters, are judged to be cowardly. A chaplain is a field officer, which makes him a member at "headquarters," and where Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, and Major, are ungodly men and want to do ungodly deeds, a godly chaplain is always in their way. Hence with such men there are strong temptations, by trickery and otherwise, to undermine and get him out of their way. No man wants to use intoxicants, swear profanely, gamble, or indulge in licentious conversation, in the presence of a godly minister. Great wrongs were perpetrated against good men in the chaplaincy. In my five months of experience as a Captain, I had opportunity to see all this, and learned somewhat how to meet it. While in the command of my company they became exceedingly attached to me, and through them I got the confidence of the regiment. During that time I saw the wrongs perpetrated against the men by their officers, and disapproved of them. This gave me a power with all in the line, so an attempt to put me down, was a serious affair to any officer, for he knew in so doing he would bring the wrath of the men. So I fearlessly did many things in the chaplaincy I never could have done had I not gained those advantages. Hence to the end I was free to follow my own conscience, and none dared to meddle with me.
At that time there was but little in the army regulations as to the duties of the chaplain, hence the office could be easily abused. Early in the war there were men who occupied that relation who were not ministers at all, and these, of course, made bad work. There was a class of preachers who were not a success at home, who secured the position, and failed here. As has been mentioned, pastors who depended on pulpit oratory and were never pastoral visitors, were usually a failure in the army. A chaplain who would remain at headquarters and only be seen by the men in connection with a perfunctory "Divine service," amounted to but little. An army in motion, as was Sherman's, rarely gives a chance for a set sermon. Hence the chaplain who depends wholly upon his preaching, seems to be an idler, and easily gets the displeasure of the men. The following points should be found in a Chaplain of volunteers: 1. He needs a high order of common sense. 2. He needs to keep filled with Divine love. Divine love ruling in a human breast always produces a real interest in the weal of others. If that is absent, he had better be at home. 3. He needs a high order of moral courage. It is a place of much trial, and only a courageous man can go through it. 4. He needs a first-class adaptation to personal contact with men. A Chaplain that is all head and no heart is a miserable makeshift. He must be able to put himself alongside of men of a great variety of temperament, and in a variety of circumstances. 5. He needs to be incessantly watchful for opportunities to help where help is needed.
There is a great deal of suffering in an army, especially when in the field. Wonderful provisions are made for the comfort of soldiers of posts, and in permanent camps; but it is impossible that these comforts shall accompany an army in constant motion, as was Sherman's. Men get sick, or are wounded, and the best treatment that can be given, in many cases, would be looked on with horror in the home life. Then men in care of sick, and wounded, become reckless and hardened, and the suffering which results may be fearful. The presence of a wise Chaplain, filled with the sympathies of Jesus, in such cases, is as an oasis in the desert. A dish of soup at the right time will, in some cases, save a soul! Boys who have been reared delicately, in homes of opulence and love, when brought into the rugged iron pathway of war, can be lifted from the clutches of death by a little care, well seasoned with love. By neglect of Quartermaster, or Commissaries, or Commanders, men may suffer unspeakably, and a Chaplain who has a heart in him can speedily secure a redress of these wrongs. Besides all this, the spiritual interests of a thousand men are on his soul, and so many in death, on field and in camp who can be made to see Christ before they go! It will give me ages of comfort, the memories of what God did for me, and through me, in those years of war!