Today, 35-year old William E. Wiatt, formerly a Baptist pastor in Gloucester County, Virginia and currently a private in the 26th Virginia Infantry, is appointed as chaplain of his regiment. Little does Wiatt know that he will one day achieve the distinction of being one of few Confederate chaplains to serve for the duration…
Today is a national day of fasting and prayer in the United States. Requested by Congress and with the assent of President Lincoln, the declaration results in numerous war-focused sermons from northern pulpits, evidencing broad-based religious support of the Union cause. Some Baptist preachers and congregations observe the day of fasting and prayer. Pastor James…
Under an oak tree in the southeastern Virginia town of Phoebus, a quiet revolution begins: Mary Smith Peak teaches the first classes to African American children on the grounds of present-day Hampton University. Born in Norfolk in 1823 to an Englishman and a free black woman, Mary Kelsey received a formal education then returned home…