Today from prison at Fort Monroe, Virginia, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis writes General Nelson A. Miles, the prison commandant. He requests permission to write his wife, obtain fresh clothes and reading materials, and receive a visit from the prison chaplain. He also inquires if his guard detail might be downsized. Davis’ treatment is a…
In May 1865 the American Civil War came to an official end with the capture of former Confederate president Jefferson Davis. With the rebellious Southern states forced back into the Union, black slaves emancipated (13th Amendment), and the U.S. government committed to providing education, job training, legal protections (14th Amendment), voting rights (15th Amendment) and…
This month Richmond’s First African Baptist Church debates pastoral leadership. White minister Robert Ryland, president of Richmond College, has long been their preacher, as antebellum and Civil War laws mandated that black congregations must be overseen by a white minister. Ryland, although a defender of black slavery, was somewhat controversial in that he advocated for…