Outside of courage, Dabney felt the Christian maintained an eternal peace that assisted him on the battlefield and even upon facing death. Any student studying Jackson knew this was clear in the general’s life. If you surrendered your worries to God’s Sovereign will, could this promote a better soldier? Dabney remained adamant that this was the case, “The Christian accepts this result as a revelation of the fact that this was the hour and this the place appointed by God for his end, and that, therefore, no other hour and place can be so suitable.” 

Chaplains from a variety of denominations served within the Confederate Army. Historians have long established that Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were devout Christians. Jackson held to the concept of Providence: that no event in history occurred without the will and ordination of God. Whether one lost or won a battle, or suffered a traumatic or deadly injury, according to the Biblical worldview of Jackson, this was the Lord’s will and doing. Within his inner circle of close confidants remained Robert L. Dabney, a Presbyterian minister, theologian, Confederate chaplain, and at one point, General Jackson’s chief of staff. On December 14, 1862, Dabney preached a sermon titled The Christian Soldier. This brief article will analyze the concept of a “Christian Soldier.”

It would be naïve to assert that Christians did not serve on both sides of the conflict. Dabney felt the North remained “theologically liberal” in large numbers. He cited many in the North as firm adherents to Christian Universalism, or, more easily understood, believers who embraced the idea of salvation for all, even for those not placing genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Contrary to this worldview, Dabney and Jackson placed an emphasis on the regeneration of the soul or the “born-again” experience a believer needed to have in order to be in Christ (John 3:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17). Jackson consistently asked for chaplains, disregarding their denomination, and only stipulating that they preached and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Outside of the criticism of Northern Christianity, Dabney argued that the South was genuinely being invaded and had the Biblical right of defense. Sects of Christianity have long divided on military service in combat. After converting to the Reformed faith, Jackson explained he would never serve in another war unless defending his nation. Dabney agreed with this reasoning: “It is perfectly clear that sacred Scripture legalizes such defensive war. Abram, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Josiah, the Maccabees, were such warriors; and they were God’s chosen saints.”[1] While all Christians, including Dabney, disliked war and knew it resulted from living in a sinful world, protecting one’s family and land justified military involvement. He preached, “Our homes and the shelter of our families, the rights and all our fellow-citizens, everything which is included as valuable in the words, my country, is committed to his protection.”[2]

According to Dabney, the Christian soldier was justified in combat because he defended his family and land. Theologians, including Martin Luther and John Knox, have long supported such a defense, especially concerning Biblical matters. On the Reformation, W.W. Bennett wrote, “Among the Reformers of Germany, in France, and in England, there were devout soldiers, who wielded the sword of the Spirit as valiantly against the enemies of the Lord as they did the sword of war against the enemies of their country.”[3] He concluded, “In every age of the Church since, soldiers have been found among the most zealous and devoted followers of the Redeemer.”[4]

Therefore, the Christian soldier was justified in military combat because he defended his land. However, the Christians further separated from other soldiers in unique attributes. Dabney declared:

But the true glory of the Christian soldier is in this: that he is called to the noblest exertions of the emotions and the will. And even if his occupation were contrasted with those of the civilian and the philosopher, as being non-intellectual, which we have denied, the moral sentiments which actuate his exertions justify the exalted admiration of his fellow-men. For the heart is nobler, wiser, greater than the head.[5]

The Christian soldier possessed a unique courage that set him apart from his counterparts. Dabney compared the previous martyrs who burned at the stake for refusing to deny their Lord. This courage was not man-made but a gift from Heaven, placing upon the soldier the ability to excel in challenging and deadly situations. He added, “It does but postpone self to duty, and to the good of others. Its Spirit is precisely that of the martyrs, who yields up his life rather than be recreant to duty, to his church and God.”[6] Clearly, the Scriptures supported such teachings on Heavenly courage, as many accounts in the Old Testament demonstrated smaller armies of Israel defeating their adversaries (Joshua, Judges). Likewise, the bravery and faith in God of one man, David, changed the fate of history and provided victory for the Israelites versus the Philistines. Bennett expanded on this Godly gift: “The bravery of Christian soldiers in battle has been well attested. Some rigid, irreligious disciplinarians are often annoyed by the zeal of godly men in an army, but great commanders like Cromwell and Washington know how to turn this zeal to good account.”[7]

Jackson, too, felt the Christian soldier was unique. “He said it [Christianity] made them more careful in promising their work, more faithful in performing it, and more punctual in delivering it.”[8] In examining Jackson’s views on the matter, Rev. John R. Richardson wrote:

The better Christian a man is the more truthful he is in his statements. The better Christian a man is the more thorough he is in all of his transactions. The better the Christian a man is the braver he is in danger. The better Christian a man is the more disciplined he is in mastering his desires.[9]

Outside of courage, Dabney felt the Christian maintained an eternal peace that assisted him on the battlefield and even upon facing death. Any student studying Jackson knew this was clear in the general’s life. If you surrendered your worries to God’s Sovereign will, could this promote a better soldier? Dabney remained adamant that this was the case, “The Christian accepts this result as a revelation of the fact that this was the hour and this the place appointed by God for his end, and that, therefore, no other hour and place can be so suitable.”[10]

And, finally, the Christian soldier lived a life of prayer and thanksgiving. While the unbeliever remained baffled at the devotion and constant desire to seek the Lord’s blessing and Providence, the Christian lived in prayer. Richardson recalled Jackson’s legacy, “It is said Jackson pleaded so fervently that God would baptize his army with His Holy Spirit that hardened hearts were melted into penitence, gratitude and praise. He prayed on the field of battle during the conflict that the souls passing out of this world would not go out unprepared to meet their God.”[11] For believers, a praying army was a powerful force that could defeat any enemy. History proves such; from a praying George Washington at Valley Forge to General Joseph Warren at Bunker Hill, never underestimate the power of prayer. Bennett recalled such devotion from Andrew Jackson:

An officer once complained to General Andrew Jackson that some soldiers were making a noise in their tent. “What are they doing?” asked the general. “They are praying now, but they have been singing,” was the reply. “And is that a crime?” the general demanded. “The articles of war order punishment for any unusual noise,” was the reply. “God forbid that prayer should be an unusual noise in my camp,” said Jackson, and he advised the officer to join the praying band.[12]

Jackson, Dabney, Bennett, and other Christians lived in continuous prayer, seeking God’s blessings and will. How would you achieve victory and deliverance if you did not ask and seek the Lord? Jackson’s brigade praised the Lord both in victory and defeat. May such a mindset be an example to everyone.

Dabney and Jackson agreed that a genuine Christian, regardless of their denomination, was the preferred soldier. If the soldier placed the Lord before anything else in his life, the traits of the Spirit would prevail (Galatians 5:22–23). And within such a temperament would be the Godly example and encouragement provided to others, possibly including an entire brigade or army. This sermon clearly resembled the very traits Jackson possessed. The Confederate Soldiers pocket manual defined the Christian:

That man leads a sincere Christian life:

1^st. Who endeavors to serve and obey God to the best of his understanding and power.

2^nd. Who strives to please his neighbor to edification.

3^rd. Who endeavors to do his duty in that state of life unto which it has pleased God to call him.

Whoever would continue in the practice of these things unto his life’s end, it is necessary that he should call himself often to an account whether he does so or not; constantly pray for grace to know, and to do his duty; and preserve himself in such a teachable temper as to be always ready to receive the truth when it is fairly proposed to him.[13]

Jackson himself had a dream of a Christian army. Of course, his brigade had the reputation of being one of prayer and submission to God’s will. Accounts emerged during and after the war of Jackson’s impact on soldiers and their conversion to Christianity. While his dream of an entire Christian army was not feasible, we marvel at his idea and share his sentiments. Rev. John R. Richardson reported:

Stonewall Jackson believed that the best soldier is the one who has made his peace with God and strives to do his duty day by day. The Christian soldier keeps morally clean. He is not found in the hospital with a venereal disease or in the stockade because of drunkenness. Instead of being a liability to his nation, he is an asset. Instead of weakening his outfit he strengthens it. Men need a strong Christian faith to properly motivate their conduct, and they find such motivation in Christianity. Jackson said he would like to command an army composed only of converted men. He felt this way because he had experienced the power of Christ in his own life. Let Stonewall Jackson ever be to us an example of the power of pure Christianity to make real men![14]

Today, in a nation that openly denies the Word of God, one can only speculate on the differences the country might resemble if it walked more openly with the Lord. While Christianity may have influenced the Founding Fathers, the nation has never been solely Christian, and seemingly appears to have departed from any resemblance to the days of our forefathers. While Jackson did not get to live out his dream of an entirely Christian nation or army, the day is coming when the Lord will return to claim His own and judge the darkness.

We end in a Confederate soldier prayer:

Almighty God, whom without faith it is not possible to please, enable me, I beseech Thee, so perfectly to believe in Thy son Jesus Christ that my faith in Thy sight may never be reproved; and grant that, as I am called to a knowledge of Thy grace and faith in Thee, I may avoid all those things that are contrary to my professions and follow all such as are agreeable to the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.[15]

David Crum holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology. He serves as an Assistant Professor of History and Dissertation Chair. His research interests include the history of warfare and Christianity. He and his family attend Trinity Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Bedell, New Brunswick. 

[1] R.L. Dabney, “The Christian Soldier” (sermon, College Church, VA, December 14, 1862).

[2] Ibid.

[3] W.W. Bennett, The Great Revival in the Southern Armies, (Harrisonburg: Sprinkle Publications, 1989), 11.

[4] Ibid.

[5] R.L. Dabney, “The Christian Soldier” (sermon, College Church, VA, December 14, 1862).

[6] Ibid.

[7]  Bennett, The Great Revival in the Southern Armies, 15.

[8] John R. Richardson, The Christian Character of General Stonewall Jackson, (Weaverville: The Southern Presbyterian Journal Company, 1943), 20.

[9] Ibid.

[10] [10] R.L. Dabney, “The Christian Soldier” (sermon, College Church, VA, December 14, 1862).

[11] Richardson, The Christian Character of General Stonewall Jackson, 19.

[12] Quintard, The Confederate Soldier’s Pocket Manual of Devotions, (Charleston: Evans & Cogswell, 1863), 15.

[13] Ibid., 4.

[14] Richardson, The Christian Character of General Stonewall Jackson, 20.

[15] Quintard, The Confederate Soldier’s Pocket Manual of Devotions, 13