As the year draws toward a close with Nashville, Atlanta and Savannah all securely in Union hands, some things nonetheless seem much the same in the South. As has been typical for years, the Richmond Daily Dispatch newspaper contains numerous announcements of rewards for the return of runaway slaves. Another announcement concerns “the sale of…
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…