For white Baptists, Christmas Day is mostly just another day. Privately, relatively few families exchange gifts in their homes. Some mark the day with a special meal. Churches, opposed to holidays with pagan origins, do not celebrate or otherwise recognize the day. On the other hand, African Americans, including Baptists, have a different view. During…
Today Robert Smalls, a hero of the war, is discharged from military service. Smalls is a former slave who during the war daringly escaped from slavery in Charleston by capturing a Confederate steamer, the Planter. His heroics were celebrated throughout the North, where he conducted speaking tours. In addition, he was made captain of the…
Today is Good Friday. On the site of where the war between the states erupted, the former United States flag, the very one that had been removed by the Confederacy on April 12, 1861, is again raised over Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in a special ceremony attended by many dignitaries. General Abner Doubleday, raised…