C.T. Quintard

Charles Todd Quintard (1824–1898) was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and trained as a physician before moving South. In Tennessee, he was influenced by Bishop James Otey and was ordained as an Episcopal priest. This dual background in medicine and theology uniquely prepared him for the Civil War, where he served as chaplain and surgeon for the 1st Tennessee Regiment.[1]

Quintard’s ministry during the war embodied the chaplain’s role as healer and spiritual caregiver. He preached sermons, prayed with soldiers, tended to the wounded, and distributed devotional literature. His Balm for the Weary and Wounded was an extension of this work, intended to be carried into battle and the hospital. By combining medical compassion with pastoral devotion, Quintard showed how chaplains supported soldiers both physically and spiritually.

After the war, Quintard’s influence expanded. In 1865, he was elected the second Episcopal Bishop of Tennessee, where he worked to rebuild parishes devastated by conflict and extend ministry to freed African Americans. He also became the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of the South at Sewanee, helping to revive the institution after Union forces destroyed it.[2]

Quintard’s life connects directly to the thesis of this exhibit: his book exemplifies how cheap publication increased access to faith, how chaplains sustained soldiers spiritually, and how reading culture offered solace in wartime. His later career as bishop and educator shows that these themes were not confined to the battlefield but became the foundation for rebuilding communities in the postwar South.

[1] Rust, Randal. “Quintard, Charles Todd.” Tennessee Encyclopedia, n.d. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/charles-todd-quintard/.

[2] Ibid