The African American Second Baptist Church of Hampton, Virginia was established in the months following the end of the Civil War. This week the congregation makes preparations for a celebration of January 1, 1866, the third anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the first since the effecting of freedom for all blacks with the Union…
United States forces occupy Fort Monroe in Virginia, with plans to transform the nearby town of Hampton into a base for quartering troops and former slaves who have escaped behind Union lines and to freedom under President Lincoln’s contraband policy. Upon reading this morning’s newspaper, Confederate Gen. John B. Magruder learns of Union intentions. Unwilling…
Prior to today, deaths have been few in the nearly two month Civil War yet void of significant battles. Among soldiery and the general public of both sides, the war is broadly viewed as a chivalrous endeavor that will soon be over. Prospects of massive death and destruction are not anticipated by many Americans. A…