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.As harmless as the card games seemed, theyusually devolved into gambling, warned the USSC agents, which prevents the men from maintaining both mind and body in healthby active amusement in the open air. 32While camped near towns and cities, soldiers took advantage of the active amusements available in the form of dancing and mingling Richard.qxd 8/29/2003 1:28 PM Page 5858 BUSY HANDSwith the local women.These amusements were not, to be sure, thekind of open-air activities the USSC agents had in mind.MorrisFitch admitted to his family that there were a good many gather-ings near his camp, but he could not tolerate the swearing, chew-ing tobacco & spitting it upon the girls dresses. What made thecrude behavior even less appealing was hearing about his family s intertainments [sic] of the day. Fitch contrasted the rude soldiersbehavior with social gatherings at home, lamenting, I should likevery much to attend a good party. While camped near Minnville,Tennessee, Judson L.Austin assured his wife that even though Ihave plenty of chances to go to partys & dances, I dont [sic] feellike doing so. He could not say the same of his companions. Someof the boys can write to 2 or 3 girls at home & then flirt with everything that looks like a girl here & some who have a wife & family canbe off somewhare [sic] to some party every night they are not onother duty. 33While stationed at Camp Yates near Shawneetown, Ben Griersonfilled several nights attending parties with his brother Officers. After telling Alice he had just been invited to another such gathering,he casually stated, I will go if I feel well it will pass the time awayand as the saying is kill time. Concerned about his new interest inparties, Alice scolded him in her next letter, noting that it was a larg-er number of parties than you have attended in the same length oftime since we were married. A month later, Alice continued to rep-rimand his behavior.This time she expressed her disappointmentwith his frivolous expenditures on extravagant dinners and her con-cern with the ill effects of his oyster dinners and late-night meals,which she feared were not good for his stomach.Plus, she added, themoney he spent on the liquor, cigars, and billiards was intolerable. Itseems to me, she advised, that the Camp is the place where youought to be most of the time, & unless you are positively uncomfort-able at night I would rather you slept in your tent usually. It is uncer-tain whether it was her counseling, the expense, or his duties thatpersuaded Ben to lessen his visits to Shawneetown.A month afterher missive about the parties and money, Ben wrote to allay her con-cerns, but also to assert his own will by stating that other factors kepthim from town.He found that he could not go to Town withoutspending more or less money and as I think it my duty also to remain Richard.qxd 8/29/2003 1:28 PM Page 59CORRUPTION ABOUNDS 59here as much as possible, I will not I think in future go to the Townas much as I have here to fore. 34Ben did not always heed his wife s words, though.Aware of this,Alice wrote a more suggestive and less forceful letter that summer onthe topic of his religious duties in hopes of gently nudging him toacquiesce. I don t know that it will be any use to say it to you butI wish you would sometimes go to hear Chaplain Jacques preach, iffor no other reason than for the sake of your influence on the men. She conceded that the chaplain was not the most entertaining speak-er, but I think even poor preaching for a regiment is better thannone at all. After all, from what I saw of him I would not considerhim a bad man. 35Ben s spiritual laxness was not reflective of all soldiers.In fact, reli-gion was very important for many volunteers.After three months inthe service, David Stetham lamented the unceremonious way inwhich he passed the Sabbath. I dont [sic] like this way of spendingSunday[;] there is no difference between it and any other day outhere. In March 1862, he continued to complain about the irreligiousnature of the army. How sweet is the Sabbath to me[.] The day whenthe Savior arose.That s what we used to sing about this time of daywhen I was home a year ago, but as far as the sweetness of theSabbath is concerned in the army you can put it in your eye (to use acommon expression). Patrick Guiney, of the Irish NinthMassachusetts, reported his spiritual behavior to his wife. I went toCommunion last Saturday morning.This will be pleasant news foryou a good precaution for me. Other soldiers grumbled about thecomplacent and even immoral army chaplains.Rufus Stanick com-plained that he rarely even saw his chaplain. We do not often havereligion services as it most always happens that something or otherprevent it[;] our chaplain makes no great exertion I think. AlthoughRufus admitted that he like[d] to hear him talk because his remarkswhen he makes any are generally very good & very brief, he consid-ered him a very mild soft- spoken man who was harmless for evil. Milton Bailey had deeper concerns about his chaplain.He informedhis cousin Ann that the army is the most outlandish place on earth[;]no man ever live [sic] religious that comes in the army. He believedthat over half the preachers that our Government employs at suchy[sic] high price turns out to be the most depraved sinners in the Richard.qxd 8/29/2003 1:28 PM Page 6060 BUSY HANDSworld. In fact, he revealed that his company s first chaplain maid[sic] no scruples to take things out of houses where people had leftthem and was always in company with abandoned women. 36With such evidence of irreligion, it is no wonder that ThomasWentworth Higginson recorded in his diary that after being with theFirst South Carolina Volunteers, all white camps seem very rough &secular. Every night while in camp, his soldiers would have whatHigginson described as a shout. It was a ceremony of sorts thatincluded singing and dancing around the camp fire with the inten-tion to raise something sperritual [sic]
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