This month the Southern Carolina Baptist Confederate newspaper applauds the fact that Greenville Baptist Female College is filled to capacity. Traditionally a finishing school for young ladies–reinforcing the Southern view of women as homemakers whose role is that of faithful wife and mother–the prolonged, bloody war adds a second dimension to women’s place in the…
Battles in Virginia this day yield mixed results. On this third day of the Battle of Petersburg, Union forces inch closer to capturing the strategic city of Petersburg. Yet their efforts fall short, and on the morrow Confederate General Robert E. Lee and reinforcements arrive in time to prevent the Federals–at this juncture–from taking the…
As Union and Confederate forces fight fiercely in Virginia and Georgia, Thomas E. Seerley (1826-1914) is en route to Oregon, one of thousands who are traveling West to seek their fortunes and/or escape the ravages of war. It is a long, dangerous journey by wagon train that Seerley has embarked upon. Many making the trek…