In South Carolina Union troops of the 12th Indiana Infantry are defeated by Confederate forces in the skirmish of Gamble’s Hotel in Florence, South Carolina. Albeit meaningless in the course of the war, the moment is a rare triumph for the Confederacy at this late date in the great conflict. Meanwhile Private Elijah J. Marrs…
Elijah P. Marrs, Company L, 12th U.S. Colored Artillery, experiences an adventure-filled day in Kentucky. A slave until running away mere months ago, the Union soldier and Baptist layman, his company tasked with recruiting new black soldiers, unexpectedly confronts the prospect of death at the hands of Confederate soldiers. Fortunately, the encounter takes place in…
Elijah J. Marrs of Company L, 12th U.S. Colored Artillery, is keeping a written record of his time in the service. Born a slave in January 1840 in Shelby County, Kentucky, in his youth Marrs converted to the Baptist faith, the denominational choice of most Christianized slaves in the South. Learning to read and write…