Slavery, all along recognized by both North and South as the cause of the war, continues to steer the direction of the great conflict, a trajectory that day by day is favoring the enslaved over against slaveholders and their allies within the Southern Confederacy. Today Massachusetts U.S. Senator Charles Sumner (Republican) submits a constitutional amendment…
In tandem with the growing length of the war is the expanding presence of ministers among the soldiers. Ministry within the armies takes place in a number of ways, with chaplaincy as the most traditional of military ministry roles. Whether occupied by active soldiers, former soldiers, or men who have not borne arms in the…
Amidst the ugliness of war, beautiful things yet happen. Baptist musician William Batchelder Bradbury (1816-1868) inspires Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) to write sacred music. Crosby writes her first hymn today, giving it to Bradbury as a gift. Bradbury has long been a Baptist, having joined the Charles Street Baptist Church in Boston, Massachusetts at age fifteen.…