STB-1995-10
Music by Brother J. L. F. Mendelssohn.
FREEMASONRY DURING WARTIME
By: Bro. Richard E. Shields, Jr.
Bro. Shields is a member of Waxhaw Lodge
#562, Waxhaw, NC. His interest in the subject
of Freemasonry during wartime was sparked by
Allen Roherts and his writings, particularly
"House Undivided."
The book Befriend and Relieve Every Brother,
Freemasonry During Wartime was just recently
reviewed by both The Northern Light and The
Scottish Rite Journal. This Short Talk Bulletin
was extracted from that book.
FRlEND TO FRIEND
General Lew Armistead vaulted the stone
wall, yelled "give them cold steel" and headed
for the cannons that had until recently been firing on his men. As he laid his hand on one of
the guns of the 4th US Artillery, the 69th
Pennsylvania Infantry fired upon the gray
coated General and the men who had followed
him. Many went down including Armistead. He
was heard to cry for help "as the son of a
widow." Colonel Rawley W. Martin of the 53rd
Virginia lay near by and witnessed as some of
the men of the 69th Pa. rose up and came to
Armistead's aid. Captain Henry H. Bingham, a
physician and Mason, was brought to assist
Armistead. Armistead inquired about his friend
and Masonic Brother General Winfield
Hancock. Learning that Hancock had also been
wounded, he entrusted to Bingham his Masonic
watch and personal papers to give to his friend
and Brother General Hancock. Hancock and
Armistead had attended West Point and had
fought in the same regiment in Mexico, and
were the closest of friends prior to the war. Two
days later Armistead died of his wounds in a
Union hospital on the Spangler farm.
Bingham survived the war and in fact won a
Congressional Medal of Honor in 1867. He
retired in 1867 and went on to become a member of the United States Congress where he
served for 33 years. He died in 1912 at the age
of 70.
General Hancock survived his wounds though
it was a long time until he returned to the army.
He later commanded the Department of the East
of the United States Army and died in 1886 still
in command. In 1880, he lost an attempt for the
United States Presidency to James Garfield.
This incident of the famous charge at
Gettysburg known as Pickett's Charge is only
one of many incidents in history where one
Mason has come to the aid of another or another's family and has inspired the Masonic
"Friend to Friend" Monument at Gettysburg.
MASONIC BURIAL BY THE ENEMY
On June 11, 1863, the Federal gunboat
Albatross, with Lt. Commander J.E. Hart of St.
George's Lodge #6 in New York in command,
was anchored on the Mississippi River opposite
the town of Bayou Sara (some accounts say St.
Francisville) which was 15 miles above the
Rebel fortification Port Hudson. The gunboat
was part of the ships laying siege to Port
Hudson, Louisiana. Commander Hart had been
in a delirium for many days and was confined to
quarters. A shot rang out and the ship's executive officer Theodore E. Dubois and the doctor
found the commander dead. The officers of the
ship, not wanting to bury their commander in
the river, sent a flag of truce ashore to discover
if there was a local Masonic Lodge. William W.
Leake, the acting Master of the lodge in Bayou
Sara was approached by Captain Samuel White,
who lived near the river, to hold a Masonic
funeral for Commander Hart. Brother Leake
replied, "As a soldier of the Confederate Army,
I think it is my duty. As a Mason, I know it is
my duty." On June 13th, a few members of the
local lodge in Masonic regalia gathered and met
the procession of 50 men from the Albatross
under a flag of truce at the top of a hill. Brothers
Benjamin F. and Samuel F. White of Bayou
Sara, the surgeon and the two officers of the
gunboat who were Masons were in the procession along with a squad of marines at "trail
arms." Leake and the local Brothers marched in
front of the corpse to Grace Episcopal Church
Cemetery and buried Brother Hart in the
Masonic Section with military and Masonic
honors with the service of the Episcopal Church
read over him. Brother Leake led the Masonic
part of the services. The US Surgeon and officers asked the Brothers to join them on the
Albatross for dinner but they declined. The surgeon then offered to supply Brother Leake with
medicines for his family. Brother Leake
declined but later the surgeon sent a few medicines to Leake through Brother Samuel White.
Hart's grave was marked with a wooden head
plate for many years, and eventually a permanent marker covering the whole grave was dedicated. The marker states: "This monument is
dedicated in loving tribute to the universality of
Freemasonry."
HIS PLEASURE TO GIVE THEM RELIEF
Toward the end of the Civil War a number of
Confederate prisoners of war were being held in
the vicinity of Winchester, Virginia, where they
were guarded by a regiment of Ohio troops.
One afternoon a young major accompanied the
regimental surgeon on his hospital rounds
among the prisoners.
The young officer noticed that although the
surgeon stopped at each bed, at some he gave
tobacco, sometimes some money which he
peeled from a large roll in his pocket and to others, advice that had nothing to do with the
patient's medical condition. The major's
curiosity was raised as to why this surgeon
would give aid over and above what was
expected to the dirty, ragged prisoners. The surgeon replied that he was a Mason and that since
the wounded prisoners were Masons, "it was
not only his duty but also his pleasure to relieve
their wants to the limit of his ability, regardless
of their rank or condition."
The major, touched by these actions,
expressed a wish to become a Mason. At that
period of time, many lodges ignored jurisdictional lines or length of residence. Later these
actions would cause many headaches for the
various Grand Lodges but at this point were just
part of the war. Thus, Hiram Lodge #21 of
Winchester elected him to receive the degrees
which he proceeded to do.
The lodge had had a fluctuating membership
for the past 4 years since the town was constantly changing hands as the armies moved up
and down the Shenandoah Valley. At times, the
Federals had a majority in the lodge and at other
times the Confederates did. After the final
defeat of the Confederate Army at Cedar Creek
in October, 1864, things finally settled down,
and the lodge looked again to hold meetings
while under Northern occupation. In order to do
so, Brothers Brent and Legge received a letter
of introduction to General Phil Sheridan from
the Honorable Montgomery Blair of Baltimore
Postmaster General in President Abraham
Lincoln's cabinet. With this letter of introduction, they were able to get an audience with
General Sheridan. When they met with the general, he was surrounded by his staff and orderlies. After showing their credentials, the
Brothers stated their purpose was to ask for permission to reopen the Masonic Lodge. General
Sheridan, in view of his known political and
religious affiliations, turned them down. At that
point, Dr. C.H. Allen, a surgeon on Sheridan's
staff and a member of Aurora Lodge #22
Montpelier, Vermont, supported the Brothers
with the argument that it would be a wise idea
to reopen the Lodge since it would give the
Northern officers and soldiers something to do
while they were encamped around Winchester.
This would allow the army to mingle with the
townsfolk in a fraternal way and promote goodwill. Dr. Allen stated that he was a Mason and
he would personally attend every meeting to see
that nothing malicious towards the United
States Government occurred at the meetings.
Reluctantly, Sheridan gave his permission. The
lodge resumed meeting on November 28, 1864.
From that point to June 24, 1865, 231 men were
raised in the lodge. Almost all of them were
from the North.
At the time the Major's petition was acted on,
a Confederate Chaplain, J.B.T. Reed was
Master, and he conferred the First Degree upon
the candidate on the evening of May 1, 1865.
The next forenoon he was instructed by the
brethren on that degree and that evening he
received the Second Degree. On the morning of
May 3rd, he was instructed on that degree and
raised a Master Mason at 3 o'clock that
afternoon.
Shortly thereafter the war ended, and the Ohio
troops were sent home. The Major took a demit
from Hiram Lodge and upon reaching home
deposited it in Canton Lodge #60, Canton,
Ohio.
For the rest of his life William McKinley took
an interest in Masonic activities and did not lose
his interest even when he became Governor and
later, President. His last Masonic act was to
place a sprig of acacia on the casket of Brother
George Washington upon the occasion of the
100th anniversary of the death of the "Father of
the Country."
THE FINAL ACT BY A MASON IN THE CIVIL WAR
It was an April morning three days after
General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to
General U.S. Grant. The Southern troops, led
by General John B. Gordon, a Mason, were
marching in columns towards the Northern
troops who were standing in formation waiting
for the Southerners to stack arms and fold their
flags. Suddenly a shifting of arms was heard.
Gordon looked up with alarm, but there was
nothing to fear. General Joshua Chamberlain
had ordered his troops to assume the position of
"honor answering honor." Immediately, the
Confederate troops snapped to attention and
returned the honor. It was the first act to heal
the wounds of a nation that had spent four years
and 618,000 lives in a civil war. That command
of "honor answering honor" was ordered by a
Mason.
Major General Joshua Chamberlain was a
member of United Lodge #8, Brunswick,
Maine. After the war, he became Governor of
Maine from 1866-71 and President of
Bowdoin College from 1871-83. (He is also
featured in the movie "Gettysburg" for his role
in holding Little Round Top.)
For more information about the book
Freemasonry During Wartime please
contact:
THE CAROLINA TRADER
BOX 769
1902 PLYLER MILL ROAD
MONROE, NC 28112
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