Greetings Cosmic Americans!How were things shaping up for the Confederate cause by April 1862...one year into the war? Meh - not so great. Both the battles of Shiloh and Ft. Pulaski ended in Confederate defeat. By the middle of the month, Union forces were in motion against New Orleans and the Virginia Peninsula. Stonewall was kicking up a fuss in the Shenandoah Valley but otherwise, things looked pretty bleak.
Still - I believe there were signs that spirits were high, especially in the press. Here is a little snippet from the Richmond Times-Dispatch from April 17, 1862 concerning Confederate patriotism and sympathy for the cause across the Potomac in Georgetown.
We learn that on a recent occasion in Georgetown when the clergyman of one of the churches read the prayer of thanksgiving for Northern victories, most of the congregation rose from their knees, and some of them left the church. The flame of patriotism is still burning brightly in the very strongholds of despotism.
In a matter of months, Robert E. Lee would take the helm of Rebel forces outside of Richmond and really give the Confederate populace something to cheer about. But for now....a little patriotism would have to go a long way.
Peace,
keith
Well done.
ReplyDeleteThose were the good old days when ministers were thoughtful enough to thank God for the deaths of their enemies.
ReplyDeleteThe Times-Dispatch article is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, why not name the church? You would think that if this really happened the paper would have wanted to embarrass the clergyman. Second, perhaps the congregants, whose act was symbolic, were taking a position of discomfort with prayers celebrating killing rather than one Confederate nationalism. I could imagine a similar reaction in some churches if the priest had offered prayers to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.