sisters, the Misses Sophia, Isabel and Ellen Clary, were enthusiastic, active members.
General James Barnes enlisted while living in Springfield, at the age of 55. He was in active service throughout the War, receiving a serious wound at the battle of Gettysburg. He died in 1869 as a result of this wound, of exposure, and of disease contracted in southern camps. His funeral services were held in Christ Church a few months after the happy marriage of his daughter in the same building.
Major Homer G. Gilmore was one of the Christ Church boys who fought in the Civil War. As a private in the old Springfield City guard, he was the first to answer "I" when in 1861 the call came for volunteers for the National Army. His war record is a most honorable and active one. He fought in many battles, among them St. Mary's Heights, Battle of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania Court House. At the latter engagement, he received a severe wound that necessitated a stay of some length in a hospital. He was mustered out, July, 1864. His promotion from private to Major was inevitable. Following the war, he was a member of the Peabody Guard, in which he was gradually promoted from Lieutenant to Colonel. It was characteristic of this good soldier, that he preferred the title "Major" because he had been so breveted "for meritorious service," in the battles of the war.
During the Civil War, Springfield, having the United States Armory within its borders, attracted many workmen and, "the city limits had scarcely room to contain all the newcomers,—had not food and shelter sufficient for the proper accommodations for all the workmen who had so suddenly gathered . . . . Every house in the city was stored full of humanity from basement to attic, and prosperity reigned on all hands."
We are indebted for the most part to the files of "The Springfield Republican" for a reflection of Springfield church and secular life throughout those trying years. We find an occasional item referring to Christ Church that accents her feeling of responsibility under the new conditions. We read for instance,
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