America’s mourning continues as Lincoln‘s funeral train pauses in Cleveland this day.
At the same time, many rejoice as local newspapers publish accounts of the death of John Wilkes Booth. The assassin’s death cannot right his evil deed, but at least a small amount of justice has been served. The wrath of the U.S. government now falls upon Booth’s co-conspirators as politicians and military leaders debate on whether or not to invoke a military tribunal.
While the nation’s attention is focused on Lincoln and Booth, some Baptist churches shuttered during the war reopen. One such congregation is the Sardis Baptist Church of Clarksburg, West Virginia. Founded in 1848, the church reconstitutes this month during a season of revival that nets fourteen conversions and four restorations. In the weeks and months to come many more Baptist churches, both in the North and the South, experience seasons of revival.
Sources: “Funeral Train in Public Square,” Remembering Lincoln (link); Doug Linder,”The Trial of the Lincoln Assassination Conspirators” (link); “Church History,” Sardis Baptist Church (link)
