The post-war exodus of former slaves from the South to the North is already in progress. They follow paths trod by hundreds of thousands who fled to freedom during the war. In Indiana, Evansville, just across the Ohio River from Kentucky, is a top destination for freedmen from the South. Today former slaves who have…
Today in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. General William T. Sherman and his wife attend a Sanitary Commission fair, demonstrating their support for the organization that has done so much in support of soldiers. Many American (Northern) Baptists also support the Commission. Southward in Virginia a new black Baptist church is founded, the Bethlehem Baptist Church of…
Today Robert Smalls, a hero of the war, is discharged from military service. Smalls is a former slave who during the war daringly escaped from slavery in Charleston by capturing a Confederate steamer, the Planter. His heroics were celebrated throughout the North, where he conducted speaking tours. In addition, he was made captain of the…