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POLK letters: October 2, 1862
1852, Oct. 2
Five clergymen of the Diocese of Louisiana, New Orleans, La., to Brig. Gen. Shepely, Military Governor, re: the special order concerning the omission of the prayer for the President of the U.S.; a substitution for it with a prayer for the President of the Confederate States; consenting to the omission but rejecting the substitution as it conflicts with the canonical obligations. 2 typed pages, copy
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10-2-62
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(Copy)
New Orleans, Oct. 26, 1862
To Brig. Gen. Shepley, Military Governor, etc
Sir,
We, the undersigned ministers of the Prot. Ep. Church in New Orleans, having received your order No. 33 requiring us to use "the prayer for the President of the United States and others in authority" under penalty of being considered hostile to the Government of the United States, we respectfully to say, that the Prof. Ep. Church of that Diocese of Louisiana has ordered the disuse of that prayer in her Liturgy, and the substitution for it of a Prayer for the President of the Confederate States; and that the Bishop of the Diocese has directed the clergy to act accordingly.
There being no connection between church and state, we can recognize no interference on the part of either Civil or Military authority in ecclesiastical matters. The only alternative left us is to use or to omit such services as contain the Prayer which you have held to be offensive. In obedience to a former order we pursued the latter course: thereby showing our disposition to accord, as far as we could with your desires.
Your order No. 33 conflicts with our canonical obligations and therefore we cannot obey it. But we solemnly protest against our disobedience being regarded "as evidence of hostility to the government of the United States." We submit that you have no right to regard as evidence of hostility to any government a failure on our part to use a prayer which is not in our Liturgy. We cannot use the Liturgy of a church to which we do not belong.
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10-2-62
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We are, Sir Respectfully Your obedient servants, W. T. Leacock Rector of Christ Church
Chas. Goodrich, Rector of St. Paul's Church A. D. McCoy, Rector of St. Peter's Church C. S. Hedges, Rector of St. Luke's CHurch Charles Hilton Minister of Mt. Olivet, Algiers John Fulton, Rector of Calvary Ch.
I certify that the foregoing are true copies from the original MSS. of Gen. Shepley's Order No. 33, and the reply made by the clergy of New Orleans. The latter document received the signature of all the clergy except Mr. Jessup on whom the order has not been served.
John Fulton