Christmas dawns on nations engaged in fraternal warfare. The largely non-religious nature of the holiday at this time in American history is evidenced in relatively little discourse of religious nature. In army camps North and South, many soldiers feast on turkey and side dishes and engage in recreational activities. On the home fronts of both…
The Baptist press of the Confederacy is aflutter at the possibility of England declaring war on the United States, a prospect brought about by a blundering U.S. naval action. Known as the Trent Affair, named after the British ship on which the action transpired, the incident centers on the United States’ arrest of Confederate commissioners,…
Tennessee is home to many poor white Baptists, as Tennessee Baptist editor J. R. Graves is well aware. Acknowledging the circumstances of his readers, Graves often during the war years publishes, or re-publishes from other sources, advice on how to cope with hard times. U. S. blockades on southern trade routes portend a coming year…