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Life Preserver
George
E. Dixon, a native of
Kentucky
, joined Company E of the 21st Alabama Volunteers in
1861 and eventually reached the rank of Lieutenant.
For
over a century, a folklore story of romance and
fortune was passed down involving Lt. Dixon.
According
to the legend,
Dixon
fell in love with a beautiful young woman from
Mobile
,
Alabama
, named Queenie Bennett.
To
keep her sweetheart safe from harm, Queenie gave Lt.
Dixon a gold coin, as a good luck charm.
According to the legend, he kept the coin with
him always, in his pocket, rubbing it while he dreamed
of the day when he and Queenie would be reunited.
In
Tennessee
, during the Battle of Shiloh, Lt. Dixon was
supposedly shot at point blank range. . . According
to this legend, the impact left the gold piece
bell-shaped, with the bullet embedded in it.
Queenie's gift had saved his life.
Many
such legends were created during the war. Was this one
true? For 100 years, no one knew whether the story
was true or merely a romantic tale from long ago.
On
a key assignment, Lt. Dixon was given command of the
H.L. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat
submarine, on its final assignment, which turned out
to be one of the most important missions in naval
history. However, this mission resulted in the sinking
of the Hunley and its crew off the coast of
South Carolina
. During
the recovery of the H.L. Hunley by the best selling
author and explorer Clive Cussler, the gold coin was
discovered next to the remains of Lt. George Dixon. It
was deeply indented from the impact of a bullet and
traces of lead were discovered on the coin.
The coin, a $20 dollar gold piece, was minted in 1860.
One side bears an image of Lady Liberty. The other
side, which has a federal shield-and-eagle symbol, had
been sanded and inscribed by hand. It clearly bears
four lines of cursive script with the following words:
Shiloh
April 6, 1862
My life Preserver
G. E. D.
True
to the romantic tale, a precious gift from hands of
love had indeed saved George Dixon from the enemy!
Because
of His great love for mankind, God has revealed His
will for us through the Scriptures (2 Timothy
3:16-17). The
Bible reveals our grave condition due to our sin
(Romans 3:23; 6:23) and God’s solution to this
problem through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, Who
died for our sins (Ephesians 1:7).
The Scriptures teach us that if we will believe
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), repent
of our sins (Acts 17:30-31), confess
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), be baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins
(Acts 2:38), and follow Him faithfully, then we will
be “preserved” – live for an
eternity with God in a blissful
Paradise
.
We
should hold this message close to our hearts and
lives!
James says that the implanted Word is able to
save us (James 1:21).
It is truly THE Life Preserver!
Will
YOU “hide”
the Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11) and “heed”
its instructions (Matthew 7:21), so that you can be
saved?
God bless you!
--
Terry Livingston / David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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