For white Baptists, Christmas Day is mostly just another day. Privately, relatively few families exchange gifts in their homes. Some mark the day with a special meal. Churches, opposed to holidays with pagan origins, do not celebrate or otherwise recognize the day. On the other hand, African Americans, including Baptists, have a different view. During…
Dual Baptist narratives continue in South Carolina this month, intertwined yet divergent. Many white citizens (including Baptists) of Charleston, South Carolina, a city besieged by nearby Union naval forces since July, have fled inland and northward to Orangeburg. The roster of refugees, mainly women and children, continues to grow as winter looms. An area with…
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, solidly under the control of the United States military, is the Union’s southern headquarters for the war and a major military supply depot. Fort Howell, a hospital, barracks, and other structures support a force that at times exceeds 30,000 men. Strategically, the island is staging grounds and supply headquarters for…