Another chapter closes on the Civil War this day with the capture of former Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Fleeing southward, Davis is overtaken by Union cavalrymen in south Georgia near the community of Irwinville. His capture takes place without incident. While significant, the event is somewhat anticlimactic. A traitor to his true country while having…
The reconstruction of Charleston, South Carolina is well under way nearly three months following the February 18 surrender of the city to Union forces. Prior to the fall of Charleston to the Federals, a number of black Baptist congregations were organized in Union-controlled areas of the South Carolina coast. Today, a “Negro Baptist” church is…
Founded on May 29, 1842, the First Baptist Church of Selma, Alabama is more fortunate than many Baptist congregations of the South. Having remained open during the war, the church now moves into the post-war era, one month following the Battle of Selma in which Union forces invaded and destroyed the town’s army arsenal and…