Photo By Steven Stover | Chaplain (Capt.) Joseph Feaster educates Chaplains from the United States Army...... read more read more
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Fighting the Good Fight of Faith
250 Years of Sacred Service of the United States Army Chaplain Corps
By Chaplain (Capt.) Joseph Feaster | Photographs by Jeff Bross
“Washington saw in him the embodiment of all those qualities he wished in a chaplain. Intrepid and fearless in battle, unwearied in his attentions to the sick and wounded—not only nursing them with care, but a faithful to their souls as though they were members of his own parish—with a love for his country so strong that it became a passion—cheerful under privations, and ready for any hardship—never losing in the turmoil of the camp that warm and glowing piety which characterizes the devoted minister of God.”1
This was said of Chaplain David Avery, who was active in the American Revolutionary War, participating in many battles such as the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Trenton campaign, and the Battle of Bennington.
Chaplain Avery was among the 218 known chaplains that served in Continental Army and militia units during the War of American Independence. These chaplains laid the groundwork for the next 250 years of sacred service; serving those who serve as the moral, ethical, and spiritual guide of the United States Army.
Chaplains have always been present in the military. The Roman Empire utilized their priests to offer sacrifices before a battle began. Medieval knights, such as the Hospitaller, would have chaplains to conduct divine services and protect holy sites during the Crusades. By the 18th century, chaplains were a common sight in European armies, but unlike other military corps, there was nothing specified for ordained clergy. Chaplains were not identified by a corps but only by the units they were attached to.
On July 29, 1775, the Chaplain Corps was established by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Chaplains were to have the same rank and pay as a captain of infantry, $20 a month.2 With this, the United States Army Chaplain Corps is not only one of the oldest branches in the United States Army, but it is also the oldest military chaplaincy organization in the world (the second oldest is the Royal Army Chaplains' Department of the British Army which was established in 17963).
What makes the United States Army Chaplain Corps so unique at its establishment is two-fold: 1) it was strongly advocated by General George Washington and 2) it established and promoted what was called “liberty of conscience”. Because of these factors, the experiment of the Chaplain Corps was as radical as the birth of America.
On June 19, 1775, George Washington was commissioned by the Continental Congress as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. When Washington arrived in Cambridge to assume command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775, he was confronted with a disorganized, undisciplined, and unruly army.
Tim Platek, a minister and historian who reenacts as a chaplain of the 18th century, credited Washington on the realization of the need for and importance of Chaplains early on in the war.
“George Washington was definitely a man of order, discipline, proper etiquette. And so, he understood, he firmly understood, that to have a good Army, you need a trained Army,” Minister Platek said. “But you need a morally good and proper Army, as well. So, besides the training that would come, he realized that we needed chaplains. The chaplains really do oversee the moral discipline of the men and to be a presence in camp.”
The “presence in camp” is the heart of the Chaplain Corps. Today it is called “ministry of presence”, the notion that the chaplain is always available and always ready to drop whatever task to care for the Soldier. This is what separates chaplains from other branches in the Army. The chaplain's life is primarily governed by the spiritual, moral, and ethical needs of the Soldiers they look after.
“When you're in camp as a presence, there is a different feeling of the people in camp,” Minister Platek said speaking about his own experience as a chaplain for reenactors. “Even if people are not necessarily coming to your service, there's a presence that's felt.”
Because of the presence of chaplains within the camp, many of the Soldiers of the Continental Army and militia units were given a greater purpose of what they were fighting for during the War of Independence. The war was not just about taxes, representation, or some tyrannical king. According to the chaplains, it was fighting for the liberty to think and believe for oneself.
During the First Great Awakening, which swept the colonies from about the 1730s to the 1750s, many clergymen (who would go on to serve as chaplains in the American Revolutionary War) preached that all people were “equal in the eyes of God.” This idea predated the words of the Declaration of Independence which stated, “all men are created equal.”
With this rhetoric, many chaplains during the war advocated that because rights did not come from law or government but instead came from God, man should not be under the constraints of the state sponsored church, the Church of England. Before the Revolution there was no freedom of religion. Every colony (save for Pennsylvania and Rhode Island) was dominated by the Anglican Church. The people were pressed into worshiping and believing according to the dictates of the King's Church. There was no liberty of conscience.
Dissenting denominations, such as Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, and Methodist were persecuted; many were jailed, beaten, and even killed all for not bowing the knee to the Anglican Church.
One chaplain, the Reverend John Murray was even seen by other chaplains with disdain. Murray, the founder of Universalism in America, was invited by the commanders of the three Rhode Island regiments to be their chaplain. Other chaplains objected due to his radical religious views.
Washington issues a General Order on September 17, 1775, dictating that “The Revd Mr John Murray is appointed chaplain to the Rhode-Island Regiments and is to be respected as such.”4 Washington believed that if one were willing to serve as a chaplain, no matter the denomination or religious tradition it was their right to serve others who served.
“Throughout the war, a lot of the denominations, Baptists, Presbyterians, and such, were fighting for more equal rights, equal treatment of religion, which they were granted,” said Minister Platek.
Because of the sacrifice and dedication of the chaplains during the War of Independence, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. On January 16, 1786, the Statue passed and affirmed the right of individuals to choose their own religious beliefs without government interference. This Statue would be the precursor to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The first chaplains of the Chaplain Corps slogged so the future Chaplain Corps could run. They faced starvation, disease, wounds, and nakedness. Some died in battle while others died from the elements. But these Revolutionary chaplains endured it all so that they could be with and care for the Soldiers under their charge. They provided religious resiliency, spiritual support, and ethical encouragement to the heart and soul of the Army.
As we celebrate 250 years of sacred service, let us always remember the faithful servants of the cloth who not only answered the call to serve but answered a higher calling.
“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”
-1 Corinthians 9:19
Pro Deo et Patria!
References:
1. Headley, J. T. The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution. New York: Scribner, 1864.
2. Journals of the Continental Congress. Vol. 2. US: Government Printing Office, n.d.
3. Snape, M. F. The Royal Army Chaplains’ Department, 1796-1953: Clergy Under Fire. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press, 2008.
4. “Founders Online: General Orders, 17 September 1775.” National Archives and Records Administration. https://founders.archives.gov/?q=john+murray&s=1111311113&r=104.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2025 10:28 |
| Story ID: | 498315 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
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