Black Baptists have been well-established in Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia since the early nineteenth century. Their vibrant presence is testimony to the acceptance of blacks in Baptist churches, a preponderance of free blacks in the area, and three decades (the 1820s-1850s) as a disembarkation point for African American missionaries traveling to Liberia through the efforts…
Meeting in Richmond, the Confederate Congress today unveils a new chapter in American history: the first Confederate Conscription Act, requiring all males between the ages of 18 and 35 to serve in the military, becomes the first draft enacted since the formation of the American nation. The Act follows the Rockingham Rebellion and is considered necessary…
The Fourteenth Indiana Infantry, formed in May, remusters for three years. Among the soldiers is Harrison Woodsmall, future Baptist minister and educator, who leaves Indiana State University to join the army. Woodsmall serves with distinction, fighting at Antietam (Virginia) and attaining the rank of major in the 115th Indiana Regiment. While in the war, he…