Joseph Brown, Governor of Georgia, and a Southern Baptist
Writing from Savannah, an anonymous correspondent to the Baptist press discusses Georgia Governor Joseph Brown.
Having recently “formed the acquaintaince” of the governor, the letter-writer observes:
The very active part he has taken in the present struggle has made him prominent among the public men of the Confederacy; yet I don’t think his appearance is such as would impress one with the idea of greatness. But there seems to be little in appearance; for no one would likely take Vice President Stephens for a great man, judging from his appearance; yet he is one of the very first men in the nation. — Gov. Brown has so acted as to secure the confidence and support of the people of Georgia; and while grave objections have been urged against some of his public acts, it seems impossible to break his hold upon the masses. He is an active, working member of the Baptist Church, takes a deep interest in the enterprises of the denomination, attends their Conventions, and participates in their deliberations.
Less than a year into the war, Brown, a member of the First Baptist Church of Milledgeville, has already emerged as one of the stronger governors in the Confederate states. Brown, championing his state’s rights above the national rights of the Confederacy, is increasingly critical of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, whom the governor comes to view as a tyrant — and not without reason, as Davis gradually revokes civil and property rights in the Confederacy and eventually rules the southern nation by martial law.
Source: Biblical Recorder, February 5, 1862 (link)
