Compared to the commotion in the North today, Christmas appears to have been a rather quiet day of celebration. From the nation’s capital, the normal sounds of city life are shattered by the firing of ordnance. The morning was “ushered in with a booming of cannon, 300 having been fired in honor of the capture…
This is a Christmas day unlike any other. The image of the modern, portly Santa Claus as drawn by Thomas Nast is less than two years old. Baptists do not yet celebrate Christmas in a religious sense, as the holiday is considered popish and paganish. Nor is the day celebrated publicly en masse. For some…
With Savannah safely in Federal hands, the Union Navy today begins an assault upon Fort Fisher, a Confederate fort guarding the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina. The Battle of Fort Fisher lasts for four days. Today the Union attempts to destroy the fort’s walls by detonating a gunpowder-laden ship. This failed effort is followed…