Henry Van Lewvenigh Bird
Prayer helped many soldiers through tough times. For example, Henry Van Lewvenigh Bird, 12th Virginia, whom is part of the confederacy wrote a letter to his loved one on August 5, 1864 after a fight with the union. He describes the people's attitudes in the following quote, "prayers for mercy and the groans of the wounded were alike hushed in death ... With the stem cry of 'Amen'." This shows that soldiers pray when they are in need of relief. When the 'wounded' soldiers 'pray for mercy' it shows they are going through a tough time and pray to keep their faith up and to keep fighting. This is a good quality to have as a soldier because praying is something that may encourage a soldier to keep fighting through the pain and the obstacles. Praying can guide soldiers through tough moments during a battle and encourage them to keep pushing through the pain. Prayer was often used in the Civil War as a way to get through difficult times on the battlefield.
http://www.goordnance.army.mil/history/Staff%20Ride/ADDITIONAL%20READING/BATTLE%20OF%20THE%20CRATER/botc_Alleged_Massacre.pdf