Hunger plagues Confederate soldiers entrenched at Petersburg. A Confederate scout the previous week spotted some 3,000 head of cattle behind Union lines. Major General Wade Hampton, in turn, set about crafting a plan to steal the cattle to bolster food supplies. Today Hampton sets out with 3,000 men (one for each cow, perhaps?) via a…
The First African Baptist Church of Philadelphia, founded in 1809, has been without a pastor for nearly a year, ever since Reverend James Underdew (or Underdue) stepped down to serve as a chaplain in the Union Army. A local black abolitionist, Underdew had served as pastor from 1859 to 1863. Now, he is serving in…
Baptist newspapers North and South greet the new year in various ways. Northern Baptist newspapers are generally optimistic about the year that lies ahead, while Baptist newspapers of the South run editorials ranging from despair to ambivalence to defiance. Will the United States prove capable of putting down the rebellion this year? What does the…