Today from prison at Fort Monroe, Virginia, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis writes General Nelson A. Miles, the prison commandant. He requests permission to write his wife, obtain fresh clothes and reading materials, and receive a visit from the prison chaplain. He also inquires if his guard detail might be downsized. Davis’ treatment is a…
The American Baptist Home Mission Society appoints Rev. H. M. Tupper as a missionary in the South, “leaving the particular field to be determined.” That field turns out to be Raleigh, North Carolina. Tupper and the mission society had earlier discussed the prospects in Raleigh. In so discussing, Tupper made clear his “desire to labor…
John Henry Yates (1828-1897) was born into slavery in Virginia. Although Virginia law forbade the teaching of slaves to read or write, the children of Yates’ master taught a young Yates how to read. The Bible was his favorite book. As a young man he “married” (marriage being informal for slaves, due to state laws)…