William Calmes Buck: The Civil War

(Continuing posts about William Calmes Buck)

Although in his 70s during the Civil War, Wm. C. Buck served as a travelling chaplain, at his own expense,  to various Confederate Army sites and hospitals.  At first, his son, Silas, traveled with him but Silas soon joined the 12^th Mississippi Cavalry. 

During the Civil War, Wm. C. Buck wrote, published and distributed two pamphlets:

• “Are You a Backslider?”
• “Confession, A Fundamental Doctrine of the Gospel Economy”.

“Are You a Backslider” was a tract published for the army.  It begins with a question:  “Did you once profess allegiance to Christ, assume to be a Christian and unite yourself to the people of God in church relation?”  and closes with “… let me entreat you to read it prayerfully and carefully.”

“Confession, A Fundamental Doctrine of the Gospel Economy” was printed about the same time as “Backslider” and begins with a statement:  “All agree that faith is an essential doctrine of the gospel; but few seem to regard confession as holding so prominent a position in the great economy of grace.”  In his typical approach, Wm. C. Buck defines terms, refers to original Greek words and invokes various scriptures.  In closing, he asks “Have you honored the law of God by an ingenuous and prayerful confession of your sins to him who only can forgive?”

After the war ended, the Mississippi Baptist State Convention established the Confederate Orphans’ Home of Mississippi to care for the orphans of Confederate soldiers.  On November 10, 1864, Wm. C. Buck wrote to his sons from Lauderdale Springs:

I shall likely be stationed here for some time as the missionary to the Hospital or a Chaplain to Genl Superintendent of the Mis. Orphans Home.  The Bap. State Convention, which met at Crawfordsville lately resolved to raise $6000000 for the establishment of an Orphans Home for the children of the soldiers of this State.  They are about to purchase the Lauderdale Springs property for that purpose, and they have elected me to be Chaplain and Gen. Superintendent.  If they succeed in making the purchase, I shall immediately bring your sister over and settle there.  All however is as yet uncertain as to the purchase.

The Rev. T. C. Teasdale was appointed to raise funds for the Orphans Home.  He was able to secure enough money to purchase Lauderdale Springs which had been a hotel prior to the war.  Wm. C. Buck was temporarily placed in charge of the Home and children began to arrive.  Later, Professor Simeon Sebastian Cranberry of Mississippi College became permanent superintendent.