Combat Chaplain: The Life and Civil War Experiences of Rev. James H. Mcneilly, Army of Tennessee

by M. Todd Cathey

Born 9 June 1838, James H. McNeilly grew up near Charlotte in Dickson County, Tennessee. At age thirteen, McNeilly was sworn in as deputy circuit court clerk of Dickson County. Raised in a devout Presbyterian home, he received his undergraduate degree from Jackson College in Columbia, Tennessee. Just as the Civil War broke out, he had earned his Doctor of Divinity from Danville Theological Seminary at Danville, Kentucky. As McNeilly returned home to Dickson County, in the summer of 1861, he preached on Sunday and recruited troops for the Confederacy during the week. In October 1861, McNeilly traveled to nearby Fort Donelson, where he offered his services to the South. In September 1862, he was detailed as chaplain for the 49th Tennessee Infantry and went into battle with "the boys." From Port Hudson to the campaign for Vicksburg, to Jackson, to the slopes of Kennesaw Mountain, to Ezra Church, to Franklin where the regiment lost more than 73% casualties including his brother Thomas, to Nashville and beyond McNeilly was with the men every step of the way, enduring what they endured. This book shows the connections between personal faith, the everyday life of the chaplain, and his deep relationship with the men to whom he ministered on a daily basis as he shared privation, hardship, humor, and combat as one of them.

197 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2018

Reviews

[Grant Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book from cover to cover in three sittings. It is an incredibly engaging, accessible, and rewarding read. Author Todd Cathey excels at bringing alive the wartime remembrances of the characters about whom he writes. In this most recent contribution, Cathey paints an intimate portrait of the Rev. James McNeilly, a combat chaplain in the 49th Tennessee Infantry Regiment who marched alongside, cared for, and ministered to his Confederate compatriots and enemies alike through the rigors of the Western theater of the American Civil War.

The book devotes three full chapters to McNeilly’s ancestry, early childhood and college years before chronicling his wartime experiences, and these early chapters serve to acquaint the reader with McNeilly in such an intimate way that it makes the body of the book even more compelling. The major part of the book focuses on McNeilly’s journey through the war detailing activity and engagements at Fort Donelson, Port Hudson, Vicksburg, Kennesaw, Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville and beyond. In this section, the emphasis is not on the battles or the various campaigns of the Western Theater; indeed the military engagements themselves become almost incidental to the day-to-day living and experiences of both McNeilly and his fellow soldiers. Throughout this section the reader is struck by McNeilly’s devotion first and foremost to the calling of God on his life as a minister of the Word, and second to the genuine care and empathy he demonstrated for the plights of his comrades. Following the conclusion of the war, the final chapter briefly summarized McNeilly’s marriage, his career as a Presbyterian pastor, and the end of his life.

Cathey’s research for this book is apparent and his documentation meticulous throughout. His writing is fluid, and his expert choice of anecdotes will have you laughing one moment and crying the next. This read is a must for anyone who cares to understand more about the everyday life and thoughts of the average Southern soldier, as well as those who appreciate the sacrifices of those many men who labored in the battle fields and camps to bring the gospel of Christ to those in the camp.