The Chaplain of the Ringgold Regiment.—The Rev-

erend William Richards Gries, Chaplain of the 104th

Regiment, P. V., in a letter published in the Doylestown

Democrat of last week; in alluding to a criticism of one

of his sermons preached to the regiment since its arrival

at Washington, inserted in the Intelligencer tow or three

weeks ago, says:

“ I pity the man who wrote that letter containing such a base

falsehood, and I am sorry for Prizer & Darlington that they dis-

graced themselves by publishing that letter.  They either must

have a very low opinion of our regiment to suppose the charge I

was represented as making against it true, or they must have

thought me a perfect fool to make a charge, if false, against it in

the face of the regiment.  Mr. Prizer travelled with us to Wash-

ington, he was admitted into the officers’ car and shared our

haversacks, he enjoyed the hospitalities of the regiment, and is

this the return he makes to admit into his paper a letter which

reflects either upon the regiment or one of its officers ?  He

ought to have had a better opinion both of the regiment and its

chaplain, than to suppose it possible that the Chaplain could or

would make such a charge against it.  The facts are these :—Af-

ter we arrived at Camp Davis, a few very few however, of our

men seemed reckless, and were very profane and vulgar in their

language.  I alluded to this in my sermon the following Sunday,

saying in substance that as far as I could help it, a regiment

made up as ours was in a great measure of decent, respectable

and intelligent men, should not be disgraced before men and con-

demned of heaven by the few, very few blackguards, that hap-

pened to be in it.  I suppose the correspondent of the Intelli-

gencer, was one of the few black sheep we have among us, and

hence his false account of the sermon.”

Since writing the letter from which the above extract

is taken, we think it would require no labored effort on

our part to convince the people of Bucks County that the

Chaplain of the Ringgold Regiment is not only a “perfect

fool,” but totally unworthy to fill the sacred office in which

he has been placed.  This must be the inevitable conclu-

sion of all.

Mr. Prizer accompanied the Ringgold Regiment to

Washington at the special request of Col. Davis, as a re-

porter for the Intelligencer and Democrat, in order that

the incidents of the journey might be fully noted, and

the thousands of relations and friends in Bucks county

of the brave and patriotic men of his regiment made ac-

quainted with everything of interest that occurred on

the way.  How well he performed that duty the readers

of the Intelligencer have had an opportunity of judging. 

Most of the way he rode in the “ officers’ car,” having been

kindly invited to take a seat therein by the commanding

officer of the regiment, as it was placed at the head of the

train and afforded an opportunity to learn all the events

that transpired.  The car contained no extra accommo-

dations.  It was precisely the same kind of coach as those

assigned to the rank and file.  He is certain that Col.

Davis was not conscious of having conferred any particu-

lar honor upon him in assigning him that position for

the Colonel was well aware that there were scores of

men stowed away in the different cars of that long train,

who had volunteered as privates in the ranks, who were

the equals at home, in social standing and moral worth,

of any man in the “ officers’ car.”  He also shared the

contents of one or two haversacks, but he thinks he can

safely say that there was no officer in that car, save Mr.

Gries, who, in extending to him that hospitality, did it

grudgingly, or intended to make a public parade of it. 

He was not aware that the Rev. Mr. Gries, had any ex-

clusive right in the car.  He did not ask him for permis-

sion to travel with the regiment.  He made his arrange-

ments with the commanding officer.

It may be proper to state that the correspondent for the

Intelligencer, who wrote the criticism complained of, is

not one of the “few, very few blackguards “ of the reg-

iment, as the Chaplain insinuates.  He is a gentlemen of

intelligence, of unblemished character and high standing

for truth and veracity, and in every respect is the equal

of the Reverend Mr. Gries.  In spite of the Chaplain’s

bitter anathema, he steadfastly adheres to the truthful-

ness of the statements contained in his communication.

The paragraph in our correspondent’s letter, which has

caused Chaplain Gries to give the public such an exhibi-

tion of bad temper, was as follows:

“ The morals of our regiment are decidedly better than any of

the neighboring regiments, and I doubt whether there are any

in the service in which there is so little profanity as in the

Ringgold—not withstanding our Chaplain informed us, in his re-

marks on last Sabbath, that we were the most profane and vul-

gar regiment in the service ; that he had visited almshouses

and prisons for the past seven years, and in depravity the 104th

Regiment, P. V., surpassed them all.  There were a number of

spectators present to hear the discourse, and I regret that he

showed us in so unfavorable a light, for since that occasion

we are known by our neighbors as ‘ That ornary regiment from

Pennsylvania.’”