Tag Archives: religion

28 March 1863: “I drop you a few lines to give you the sad news that brother Calvin is dead.”

Item Description: Letter, dated 28 March 1863, from Corporal William H. Proffit during his service in the Wilkes Valley Guards (Company B, 1st North Carolina Regiment).  In this letter Cpl. Proffit informs his family of the death of his brother, … Continue reading

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27 March 1863: “It has been charged by both the ignorant and the evil-disposed against the people of our faith, that the Israelite does not fight in the battles of his country!”

Item description: This pamphlet contains a sermon delivered by Reverend M. J. Michelbacher of the Beth Ahabah Synagogue in Richmond, Virginia. In it he refutes claims that the Jewish people of the South are not actively supporting the Confederate cause … Continue reading

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2 March 1863: “A few days since I wrote to you suggesting that our church should send one of her most prominent ministers to labor in this army…”

Item description: Letter, dated 2 March 1861, believed to have been written by Thomas Jackson “Stonewall” Jackson. [Item transcription available below images.] Item citation: From folder 1 of the Margaret Junkin Preston Papers #1543, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, … Continue reading

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7 April 1862: “How beautifully appropriate is this meaning of the word ‘Shiloh’ to us. It is the Desired, the Longed for. This victory we have been praying!”

Item description: Undated religious tract, “Shiloh: A Sermon,” written by J. Lansing Burrows, a Baptist minister from Richmond, Virginia. Burrows reflects on the meaning of the Battle of Shiloh, a pivotal battle fought on 6-7 April 1862 in southwestern Tennessee. … Continue reading

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3 April 1862: “And as for the dear fellow in the cradle_ I can send him no message_ he knows nothing of “Father”_ but when he is old enough tell him of me.”

Item description: Letter, dated 3 April 1862, from Julian C. Ruffin to his wife Charlotte Ruffin. The letter describes Methodist prayer meetings; conflicts over the refusal of Quaker draftees to fight; and common amusements at Entrenched Camp. Ruffin also gives … Continue reading

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29 March 1862: “we are now on the sea of a decisive contest, and all hearts are anxious about the result…”

Item description: Diary entry written by Jane Evans Elliot. More about Jane Evans Elliot: Jane Evans Elliot (1820-1882) was a diarist in Fayetteville, N.C. Her husband was Alexander Elliot, a lumberman who served in the North Carolina House of Commons, … Continue reading

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2 March 1862: “Pleasant had a prayer meeting in our quarters.”

Item description: Short entry, 2 March 1862, from the diary of Henry K. White, soldier in the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Item citation: From folder 1 of the Henry K. White Diaries #5013-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North … Continue reading

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28 February 1862: “I am often glad I am not married, but methinks there is some thing very fine in having a brave husband to fight in the glorious battles, and come home and tell about them by the fireside.”

Item description: Letter to Ellen Richardson in Ololona, Miss., from her cousin Laura Norwood in Lenoir, N.C. [Transcription available below images.] Item citation: In the Chiliab Smith Howe Papers #3092, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina … Continue reading

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24 February 1862: Articles from the Wilmington Daily Journal of 24 February 1862

Item description: The Wilmington Daily Journal of 24 February 1862 included these: a recruitment announcement for a battalion of light horse, news from the enemy concerning the return of female and child detainees, and another proposed week of prayer for … Continue reading

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4 December 1861: “What is the chief end of man?”

Item description: Small printed catechism “ratified by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in The United States at August, Ga.” published by the Presbyterian Committee of Publication in Richmond, Virginia. Much of the content is arranged as a set … Continue reading

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