American Civil War In 1861, when he was twenty years old, Christian enlisted into the
Confederate army as a private in the Second Company of the Richmond Howitzers, with which he served until May 12, 1864, when he was severely wounded near the Bloody Angle at the
Battle of Spottsylvania Court House. At that time he was a sergeant of the company. He lost one leg and a part of the other foot, and as the result of these wounds was incapacitated and rendered unfit for further service on the battlefield.
Judiciary Christian entered the
University of Virginia in 1864, where he remained for one session. Upon leaving the university, having lost everything in the war, he entered the clerk's office of the circuit court of the city of
Richmond, Virginia, and in 1870 began the practice of his profession. From 1872 until 1878 he was clerk of the court of appeals. From 1878 to 1883 he was judge of the Hustings Court of the city of Richmond.
Other positions He was president of the Richmond City Chamber of Commerce, of the city council of Richmond, of the City Bar Association, of the National Bank of Virginia, and of the Virginia State Insurance Company. He was also vice-president of the Union Theological Seminary, and chairman of the History Committee of the Grand Camp of Confederate Veterans of Virginia.
Writings Christian was a member of the Grand Camp of Confederate Veterans of Virginia, and wrote extensively about the American Civil War. His wrote the
Report on the Conduct of the War, was released on October 11, 1900, and was a tribute to the cause of the Confederacy during the war. He wrote about former
U.S. presidents
John Tyler and
Abraham Lincoln in
Capitol Disaster and
Confederate Experiences. ==Later life and death==