Under Union occupation during the Civil War, Alexandria, Virginia became a safe haven for runaway slaves (also known as contraband). Near an old slave pen area on Duke Street the Shiloh Baptist Church, a congregation of former slaves, began on March 29, 1863. The first worship service was held in a U.S. government mess hall.…
Today Sherman‘s force cross the Edisto River and into Orangeburg, a small contingent of Confederate defenders fleeing the city at the last minute. For Sherman, Orangeburg is but a stop along the way to Columbia, the state capital. The small community of Pelion is situated between the two cities. Tonight Pelion’s citizens are warned that…
The war has displaced many families North, South and in-between. The later includes the Wallace family of Paducah, Kentucky, an Upper South state that opted for neutrality rather than join the Confederacy. Philip Hugh Wallace practiced law prior to the war, earning a good living for his family thanks to the slave-based economy of the…