( 16 ) Such was the spirit of the man whose death we mourn. So lofty were the principles, so calm and considered, so pure and inflexible were the purposes that governed him on that great theater of action in which he moved. We see here the secret of his cool self-possession in battle, and of his uniform cheerfulness and serenity amid th^ exciting events of war. His analysis of courage reveals the nature of his own. He was certainly no blusterer—he was the very opposite of that. Nor was his that courage which springs from natural insensibility to danger—it was something higher and better. It was a courage born of conscience and of Christian faith. Fully realizing the presence of danger—solemnly conscious of the momentous import of death, he nevertheless suppressed all unmanly fear by a sublime conviction of duty, and a humble trust in God. When asked by a friend, on his recent visit home, if he was never afraid in the hour of battle, he replied, “ Of course I am. Every sensible man is afraid when he knows that in two or three minutes he may be in eternity.” Such fears are manly—they are more, they are Christian—they spring from a belief in the Scriptures and in the righteous government of God; and he who derides them, shows, not bravery, but senseless and sinful folly. He does not know that such fears as Col. Peck had the manliness to acknowledge, are the real basis of the highest style of courage. A proper fear of death is but reverence for God: and he who truly reveres his Maker, dreads sin more than even death, and loves duty better than life. And such was the pure and sublime character of Col. Peck’s courage. “I have no longings,” he said, “not even for personal safety, so strong is my desire to do my whole duty.” Noble words! worthy to be chiseled on his tombstone, and to be held up for the admiration of every soldier and every citizen of the Republic. The limits of this hour admonish me that I may detain you but a moment longer. Were there time, I should love to speak of the many amiable traits in the character of Col. Peck—of his gentle refinement — of his manly dignity—of his
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=