St. Augustine, Florida, like many other Southern coastal communities, is under the control of the United States Army. Into these Union-controlled coastal areas flow increasing numbers of freed or escaped slaves. The U.S. military, in response, struggles to establish structures to house and educate freedmen under their protection. This month the Rev. Issac. W. Brinckerhoff,…
While not a national holiday nor widely celebrated as a religious holiday, Christmas eve has nonetheless arrived, signaling an occasion for many soldiers North and South to relax and, hopefully, look forward to better food on the morrow than on most days. Many, but not all: Christmas celebrations will vary from camp to camp and…
Many Baptist churches throughout the Confederacy hold monthly business meetings this weekend, the first of the month. One of these congregations is the Van Wert Baptist Church in Paulding County, Georgia. Van Wert is the county seat of recently-created Paulding County. The county and town share a common story in terms of their names, the…