Daniel Webster Whittle the One Arm Convert

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Daniel Webster Whittle was born at Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts on November 22 in Massachusetts, in 1840, named after the American politician Daniel Webster.

During the Civil War he marched with General Sherman as he blazed his way through the Southern States. At the battle of Vicksburg Whittle lost his right arm and was taken prisoner by the Confederate Army.

But like thousands of others – in both the Northern and Southern troops – Whittle came to a saving knowledge of Christ. It has been estimated that over 100,000 were converted in the Union Army … and approximately 150,000 among the Confederates (Christian History Magazine, Volume 33).

While in the Confederate hospital, recovering from his injury, Whittle looked for something to read and found a New Testament. Its message touched him but he resisted faith in Christ.

One night a hospital orderly woke him with the news that a dying prisoner wanted someone to pray with him. When Whittle declined the orderly said, “But I thought you were a Christian. I have seen you reading the Bible.” Whittle then decided to go to the dying man.

“I dropped on my knees and held the boy’s hand in mine. In a few broken words I confessed my sins and asked Christ to forgive me. I believed right there that He did forgive me. I then prayed earnestly for the boy. He became quiet and pressed my hand as I prayed and pleaded God’s promises. When I arose from my knees, he was dead. A look of peace had come over his troubled face, and I cannot but believe that God who used him to bring me to the Savior, used me to lead him to trust Christ’s precious blood and find pardon. I hope to meet him in heaven.”

Near the close of that awful war, Whittle was promoted to the rank of major, and so he was known as “Major” Whittle from then on. He became well- known in Christian circles as an evangelist. He also wrote about 200 gospel songs, under his own name and also under the pseudonym of “El Nathan” – many still popular today:
“There shall be showers of blessing,” “Have you any room for Jesus?”, “I know not why God’s wondrous grace to me hath been made known”, “There’s a royal banner given for display”.

After the war, Whittle worked as the treasurer for the Elgin Watch Company in Chicago, Illinois. Less than ten years later, however, he dedicated himself to serve in evangelism.

Whittle describes this decision, saying that one day while at work, he “went into the vault and in the dead silence of the quietest of places I gave my life to my Heavenly Father to use as He would.”

In his evangelism ministry Whittle worked with musicians Phillip Bliss and James McGranahan. His daughter, May Moody (married to a son of evangelist D.L. Moody) also wrote music for some of his lyrics.

At the Chicago World Fair in 1893, his friend Henry Varley commented to Major Whittle how he did not like the hymn, “I need Thee every hour..” Varley declared, “I need Him every moment!”

So Major Whittle wrote:
Moment by moment I’m kept in His love,
Moment by moment I’ve life from above…

The melody was composed by his daughter, May.

The works of Major Whittle, El Nathan, Elias Nathan and D.W.W. ended on March 4, 1901, at Northfield, Massachusetts.

This post is based on the work of my late friend Donald Prout whose love for books and Christian history led him to collate a daily Christian calendar. I continue to work with Don’s wife, Barbara, to share his life work with the world. I have updated some of these historical posts and will hopefully draw from Don’s huge files of clippings to continue this series beyond Don’s original work. More of Don’s work can be found at www.donaldprout.com. I am indebted to Don for awakening in me an interest in Church History, which I previously considered to be a little stuffy and of little practical value. I find in the process of updating Don’s Christian Diary that I am being constantly refreshed, illuminated or challenged by the lives of those who have gone before.

Edward McKendree Bounds Promotes Prayer

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This is the day that … Edward McKendree Bounds was born in 1835, in a small log cabin in Missouri, USA.

His father was a leading figure in “the social, economic and religious fibre of the town” … but he died when Edward was in his mid-teens.

After studying law, 21 year-old Edward practised for three years and then entered the Methodist ministry. Then came the Civil War … and Bounds was accused by the Union army of being a Confederate sympathiser. He was arrested and harshly treated … then ‘exiled’ from Missouri as long as the war continued.

On 13 May, 1863, he became a chaplain to the Confederate forces … he was wounded at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee … and again was captured by the Northern forces.

After the war he returned to ministry, married Emmie Barnett, and built a great church in St Louis. After the death of Emmie, 10 years later, he married her cousin.

And he took on the editorship of the Christian Advocate, an influential Christian newspaper. During the nine years that followed many powerful articles came from his pen, especially in connection with prayer. His volume, Power Through Prayer, is still in print, and has long been regarded as a classic on that subject.

In 1894 he parted company with the Methodists – their “political, worldly and merchandising attitudes he would not condone”. He continued an itinerant “revival” ministry, and his pen was ever busy.

At the age of 58, and for the next nineteen years (till he went home to be with the Lord at age 77) he started and continued to write books. The rest of his time was spent in intercessory prayer and in an itinerant revival ministry. It is said that he prayed daily from 4am to 7am before he would begin work on his writings.

His principal legacy is his example and writings on the subject of earnest prayer. “What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better (machinery), not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men — men of prayer.”

On 24 August, 1913, E.M. Bounds entered his rest.

This post is based on the work of my late friend Donald Prout whose love for books and Christian history led him to collate a daily Christian calendar. I continue to work with Don’s wife, Barbara, to share his life work with the world. I have updated some of these historical posts and will hopefully draw from Don’s huge files of clippings to continue this series beyond Don’s original work. More of Don’s work can be found at www.donaldprout.com.