Civil War Religion during the war was important to most soldiers on both sides.
There didn’t tend to be a whole lot of atheists during a battle marching toward a group of people trying to kill you.
Many soldiers went to church services on a regular basis. Some even went to so far as to carry the bible with them at all times.
Both armies had chaplains that would comfort the men either by just talking to them when they were feeling weak or more often than not in a field hospital after getting wounded. They often had to administer last rights for the soldiers that were not going to recover from the wounds they received on the battlefield.
Chaplains would also take some of their personal time and devote it to writing letters back home for soldiers that had either been killed or simply could not write their own letters for one reason or another.
Church service for the 69th New York militia, 1861
Not every soldier could read and write so for a Chaplin to write a letter for them was an invaluable service.
Chaplains also saw their fair share of battle. They would often join their unit and march into combat with them.
These were some pretty upstanding men.
