I have the Comforter by Annie Wittenmyer
After the battle at Corinth, a visitor meets a severely wounded young soldier who has survived capture and a night among the dead. Though longing to return to his mother, sister, and brothers in Benton County, Iowa, he is prepared for death because he has “the Comforter.” He speaks peacefully of Christ, heaven, and a faith that sustained him through camp-life. The next morning he has died, yet his face retains the same joy and peace. The visitor writes his mother, who answers that, though her son will not return, she will go to him; the same Comforter who sustained him now comforts her in sorrow.
By Annie Wittenmyer · First published 1895 · Genre: Christian devotional literature, Religious inspirational nonfiction, Civil War memoir · 900 words
First lines
In 1862, just after the terrible battle at Corinth, Miss., I visited the hospitals in that place. The havoc had been fearful on both sides, and the wounded of the two armies crowded every ward.
Going into a hospital known as the College Building one day, and passing from cot to cot, I came to a young man who looked very pale and weak. I asked, --
What this Textopian page supports
I have the Comforter is listed on Textopian as a short story by Annie Wittenmyer, dated 1895 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Annie Wittenmyer
- Date: 1895 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Christian devotional literature, Religious inspirational nonfiction, Civil War memoir, Civil War hospital narrative, Christian testimony
- Length: 900 words
- Structure: 1 section, 22 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for I have the Comforter by Annie Wittenmyer
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Similar titles
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Genres
- Christian devotional literature — The narrative explicitly celebrates faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, salvation, heaven, and spiritual consolation in death.
- Religious inspirational nonfiction — It presents a purportedly true account intended to inspire readers through an example of Christian courage, peace, and bereavement overcome by faith.
- Civil War memoir — The account is narrated in the first person by a hospital visitor at Corinth, Mississippi, shortly after the 1862 Civil War battle.
- Civil War hospital narrative — Its central action occurs among wounded and dying soldiers in a wartime hospital, emphasizing battlefield casualties and care for the injured.
Tags
American Civil War · Battle of Corinth · 1862 · Corinth, Mississippi · military hospital · wounded soldier · Union soldiers · war casualties · death and dying · Christian faith · Holy Spirit · religious consolation