Privately determined to free the South’s African slaves, U.S President Abraham Lincoln today ratchets up Northern military might while maintaining a cautious public profile regarding slavery. The Union Army receives a boost from the president’s order to draft 300,000 militia for a period of nine months. It is doubtful that Lincoln believes he will need…
Today is the Sabbath, and James W. Stovall, an Alabama slave born in 1837–the son of a white slaveowner and his house mistress–secures permission to attend a Baptist church that is now located behind federal lines in Union-occupied Decatur (at the time known as Cater), Alabama. Stovall, years later and living in Winona, Illinois, describes…
Samuel Boykin, editor of Georgia Baptists’ Christian Index newspaper, this week offers commentary on how the Confederacy, a Christian nation, should treat their enemies–Northerners. The religion of Jesus announced a rule of conduct which amazed the philosophy of the world.–Love your enemies and pray for them. Human teachers had dreamed of no such charity. Paganism…