As dawn arrives, twenty-seven members of a Union cavalry unit, the U.S. Loudoun (Virginia) Rangers, are holed up inside the Waterford Baptist Church. The county of Loudoun is under Federal control, and local Union supporter Captain Samuel Means is in charge of the cavalrymen. The remainder of Means’ men are guarding the roads into town…
August is revival season among Baptists of the South. Each year from August through September, most Baptist congregations set aside a week or more for revival meetings. During this time, many churches acquire the bulk of their new members for the entire year, with many new converts joining by confession of faith and baptism. The…
Midwesterners’ loyalties are divided, the region having for years been a lightning rod as the nation fought over whether or not slavery should be allowed in the region. Anti-slavery sentiment ultimately won the political battle, but the tension in the region ultimately had contributed to the coming of war. While the state of Missouri remains…