Harvard memorial biographies ...

364

Harvard Memorial Biographies.

"He was an earnest, ardent disciple of the Master, taking an
active part in the meetings of the church, especially among his
young friends. During the four years of his college course he
kept his place in the meetings, faithfully discharging his duties.
In the Sabbath school he bore an active part, and greatly endeared
himself to the superintendent, scholars, and teachers.... He
was decided in his character, manly in the expression of his views,
uncompromising in his religious convictions, unswerving in his
principles of integrity and honor."
The testimony of his college chum so accords with what has
been said that it is well to quote it -
"He was reserved and of few words, so that few knew him thoroughly at College. But he was remarkable for stern moral purity,
unswerving truthfulness, and deep religious faith, and was highly
esteemed by all.... He was almost the type of a wholly developed man, an unusually strong and healthy frame, great mechanical
ingenuity, discreet judgment, a taste cultivated by communion with
the best books,.... warm sympathies for others, high manly
motives in his heart, and a constant sense of the love and presence
of. God; and all these without a spark of the consciousness that he
displayed them."
As his college course drew towards its close, he seems to
have felt some doubts as to his proper vocation. That the war
had lasted for two years was a source of great anxiety to his
mind. At this time the experiment of forming regiments of
colored soldiers had been much talked of, and was under trial.
A few extracts from his letters at this time will best show the
state of his feelings. His friend Crane (afterwards his Captain
in the service, and always his intimate friend) was then in the
nine months' service, having left College to enlist in the Fortyfourth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. To him he
wrote, under date of February, 1863, that he had no idea what
he should do after Class-day; but under date of May i9th he
said, after speaking of his devotion to rowing and gymnastics,
with reference to his great purpose:"My darling project of late has been to get a commission in a
negro regiment. I fear that will prove but a mere dream. Commissions go by favor, or by that which makes the mare go; and, so