Today in Charleston, South Carolina some 10,000 mostly black persons, of whom Baptists are predominant, gather in the city’s Hampton Park in what becomes America’s first Memorial Day observance, also known as Decoration Day. Among the crowd are church leaders, women’s organizations and freedmen. All gather to honor the fallen Union soldiers whose death brought…
Charleston is a much different city than prior to Union-occupation. From church pulpits where biblical apologies for black slavery rang out for generations, abolitionists and Unionists now proclaim racially progressive messages and celebrate Northern victory over the Southern rebellion, even though the great conflict is not quite over just yet. To bring closure, Confederate General…
Today Union General James H. Wilson, commanding some 13,000 cavalry, launches a weeks-long raid targeting Confederate infrastructure in central Alabama. The few remaining Rebel forces in the state offer no significant resistance as Wilson’s horsemen sweep across the state. The largest cavalry raid of the war, Wilson’s offensive transpires at a time when the Confederacy’s…