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William Richard Patton
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Teaching Certificate from Lewisburg College
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This page is Dedicated to William H. Roberts
1935 - 2001
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SOLDIER AND MINISTER
These words were an entry in the diary of a 33-year-old Civil War veteran whose dream was being fulfilled. The childhood desire of the Rev. William R. Patton, Class of 1871, was to attend the Baptist university in Lewisburg, Pa., to earn a degree in the classical course and then to become a minister.
Patton was born in Old Frame, Fayette County, Pa., on Sept. 8, 1835. He and his twin sister were the youngest of six children of David W. and Jane Patton. His grandfather, the Rev. John Patton, served the Mt. Moriah Church in Smithfield, Pa., from 1805 until 1835 and had previously been pastor of the Baptist church in Shamokin, Pa.
Will, as he was known, spent his early years on the farm, where he developed his love for the land. When he was 10, his father opened a drug store in Smithfield, the town located near Old Frame. Working in the store during his early years gave Patton a sound education in business dealings.
His desire for a classical education probably began as noted in this diary entry:
Saturday, January 5th, 1850 — Cool in the morning but better in the day. Pappa went to Uniontown, got some cigars and cheese for the drug store. Got a Latin Grammer for me, he went in the sleigh.
At the age of 18, Patton moved to Morgantown, Pa., and began serving an apprenticeship in the printing business. He assisted in publishing two local newspapers, The Messenger and The Mirror. This training would be the foundation for the innumerable articles he would write and publish in later years.
On Aug. 19, 1858, he received his first Teachers Provisional Certificate for Fayette County and, nearly nine years later, received his Teachers Permanent Certificate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A Union Soldier The War Between the States lasted much longer than most folks had expected, and Patton volunteered and was mustered in on Sept. 16, 1864. He became a drum major in the 9th Army Corps, 3rd Division, 2nd Brigade, 211th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers and served until June 5, 1865.
On March 25,1865, he fought in the Battle of Fort Stendman, which was the last major effort by General Lee to break through Union lines and capture General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Va.
Saturday, March 25th, 1865 — Today I witnessed scenes of blood. Before day we could hear heavy firing down opposite Petersburg. We marched from here about 7 o'clock a.m. Our Regt. charged the Johnies and drove them out of our fort, which they had taken. I found our color guard killed. Assisted to dress the wounded of our men and the Johnies. In afternoon the officers met under a flag of truce and arranged to bury the dead. We carried nearly a hundred of their dead beyond the picket line. We took a great many prisoners. A shell came very near striking me and bullets whistled very unpleasantly.
All through his service, while stationed in Virginia at the fall of Petersburg and Richmond and until the surrender at Appomatox, Patton's diaries often mention the devastation left in the wake of battles. The effect of those experiences is quite evident throughout the many articles he wrote in later years.
April 26th, 1868 — I started for Lewisburg to attend college and commenced with the spring term. Recited Latin and Greek grammers and also read Anabasis and Virgil with Mr. Emerick H. Painter of the Academy. Also recited Rhetoric to Prof. L. E. Smith with the freshman class in college
The academy, which later was named Taylor Hall, played a great part in Patton's college life. In 1847, the third floor was established as the Lewisburg High School, but in 1848, it was changed to the Academic Department of the University at Lewisburg. With his experience and certifications, he was able to accept a teaching position. He noted in 1868 that he had 32 scholars and that his assistant was Normal Ball. He also noted that there were 17 living in the academy and that they had a large study room and a pleasant sleeping room. He continued rooming at the academy until he graduated.
Becoming a Minister Patton's desire to become a Baptist minister was no doubt fueled by the fact that he grew up during what many refer to as the Second Great Awakening of Christianity. Even though he had just begun his college studies, he was ordained in his home church in Smithfield, Pa., on Oct. 18, 1868, and he preached his first sermon in the Baptist church in Shamokin, Pa.
In May 1870, he was selected, along with John Humpstone, George Whitman and B.F. Robb, to publish The College Herald, which was the first publication produced by students and could be considered a forerunner of The Bucknellian. As Patton was ending his stay at Bucknell, he made this entry:
June 6th, 1871 — Completed studies in the college course. Examinations in Tacitus at nine o'clock a.m. by Prof. Bliss and at two o'clock p.m. in Butler's Analogy by Dr. Loomis. The two senior classes spent the evening at Dr. Loomis's.
On June 27, 1871, Patton graduated from the University at Lewisburg in the classical course. He and five others received the honor of first class oration. Up to this time, he had preached 99 sermons in and around Smithfield and Lewisburg.
His final dream came true when he began his studies at Crozer Theological Seminary on Nov. 4, 1871. While at Crozer, he became the minister of the Village Green church and also served as assistant librarian of the seminary. On Wednesday, May 13, 1874, according to the "Order of Exercises," Patton spoke on "The Element of Time in the Accomplishments of God's Purposes." The Certificate of the Full Course was then conferred upon him, along with six other graduates. After graduation, he served regularly in churches in and around his hometown of Smithfield.
While at Crozer, he had occasionally preached at the Baptist church in Media, Pa., where he became acquainted with Mattie J. Carey, whom he married on Sept. 20, 1876. In 1881, he accepted a call to serve the Media Baptist Church, where he remained until his death.
During his later years, he visited the old battlefields and was received in both the General Robert E. Lee Camp and the Pickett Camp of Confederate Veterans. They honored him with a badge of united color, blue and gray, as well as a cane cut from a tree on the battlefield where he had stood as their enemy. In this period of his life, he also was a prolific writer known as "The Rambler" and had many articles published in Philadelphia area newspapers, Patton's untimely death came on June 5, 1899, as a result of a fall while boarding a trolley for a trip to Philadelphia. He left his impact on all walks of life. He was a dedicated man of strong convictions, one who fought for his country and, through his writing, travels and ministry, did his best to heal the wounds of his beloved country.
Bill Roberts '39 is a retired businessman and the author of Guns and Drums Around Petersburg, which includes the Rev. William Patton's wartime diary and articles. Bill's wife, Martha Jane Patton Roberts '41, followed in her grandfather's footsteps as a student at Bucknell 69 years later
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