Elijah J. Marrs of Company L, 12th U.S. Colored Artillery, is keeping a written record of his time in the service. Born a slave in January 1840 in Shelby County, Kentucky, in his youth Marrs converted to the Baptist faith, the denominational choice of most Christianized slaves in the South. Learning to read and write…
As the year draws toward a close with Nashville, Atlanta and Savannah all securely in Union hands, some things nonetheless seem much the same in the South. As has been typical for years, the Richmond Daily Dispatch newspaper contains numerous announcements of rewards for the return of runaway slaves. Another announcement concerns “the sale of…
With Savannah safely in Union hands, a victorious General William T. Sherman telegrams U.S. President Abraham Lincoln with a simple message: “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah with 150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition and also about 25,000 bales of cotton.” The capture of the port city…