Prior to the war, the landscape of the South Carolina coast was that of large plantations owned by some of the wealthiest men in America. The vast fields of cotton owned by these planters was worked by hundreds of thousands of black slaves who generated riches for their owners. The population was overwhelmingly black, with…
Today in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. General William T. Sherman and his wife attend a Sanitary Commission fair, demonstrating their support for the organization that has done so much in support of soldiers. Many American (Northern) Baptists also support the Commission. Southward in Virginia a new black Baptist church is founded, the Bethlehem Baptist Church of…
Today Robert Smalls, a hero of the war, is discharged from military service. Smalls is a former slave who during the war daringly escaped from slavery in Charleston by capturing a Confederate steamer, the Planter. His heroics were celebrated throughout the North, where he conducted speaking tours. In addition, he was made captain of the…