Born a slave in Virginia in 1802, Wilkes B. Flagg learned the blacksmith trade in Georgia. His owners also allowed him to learn to read and write. With extra money earned from blacksmithing, Flagg purchased his freedom and that of his family. By 1850, Flagg had become a Baptist minister while he continued his blacksmithing.…
Not all Confederate forces have yet surrendered. In the mountains of North Carolina near Franklin, a small contingent of Confederates remain armed and active. Patrolling the area are the forces of Union Colonel George W. Kirk. “(D)ue to the possibility of Yankee Soldiers in the county,” Franklin’s First Baptist Church cancels services this day. Meanwhile,…
In Virginia, the faculty of the University of Virginia convene and appoint one of their own to meet Union General Philip Sheridan, whose nearby forces are bearing down on the city of Charlottesville. Their hope is that the Federals will have mercy and spare the university. Yet not all are ready to give up the…