Faith During the Civil War (Civilians)

At the risk of creating a controversial series, I feel the Lenten season is a good time to take a brief look at the status of faith/religion in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century.  This post will be longer than usual.  This post will be followed by one as faith was experienced by the soldiers in the armies.


Grace Episcopal Church, Petersburg Virginia

The United States on the eve of war was a much less multicultural society than today. While many religions did exist within the then boundaries of the country, the primary faith was Christianity.  To be more specific Protestant Christianity. Other faiths such as Judaism, Buddhism (among Chinese in California) and "Paganism" (primarily Native American Faiths), were represented in the country, the bulk of the nation were Christians.  As such, we will be dealing with the national baseline.

The first thing to keep in mind is that Protestantism in all it's denominations was the primary faith structure.  Catholicism was a minor factor and indeed was discriminated against.  In the 1850s a political party known as the "Know Nothings" and later the "American" party campaigned largely on an anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic platform.

Catholicism did have a presence in America during this time. Many orders and institutions sent priests and nuns to the front to serve as chaplains  and nurses respectively. One of the most famous institutions to do so being the University of Notre Dame. Their roles will be covered in a later post. One of the most prominent Catholic generals was William S. Rosecrans, commander of the Union Army of the Cumberland from late 1862 to the fall of 1863.

General Rosecrans

While Catholicism was and is one specific faith or denomination, Protestantism was and is a highly diverse group of faiths.  This was made worse by the cultural changes that were rising in the country prior to the war.  Beginning early in the century, Northern and Southern churches began to divide on how they saw their callings. At the risk of making a generality, Northern congregations were more active in reform movements.  These included the controversial topics of public education, women's rights, and, of course, abolition. Southern congregations tended to be much less interested in social reform and more interested in personal salvation.  Prior to the 1850s, many Protestant denominations had national organizations that were overarching to the local churches.  During the decade, many split into Northern and Southern branches over the differences in views on how one should conduct their ministries. At least one split still remains, perhaps others, as this is where the term "Southern Baptist" originates from.

A side effect of the reform movement in the North was the formation of various soldier's aid societies.  These groups, such as the Sanitary Commission and the Christian Commission, were formed out of local groups to bring aid and comfort to the soldiers in the field. The South never created any overarching organization.

Having split apart years prior to the election of 1860, the churches were in no position to attempt to keep the country together. As the fateful election approached, ministers often would rail against the sins of the other section of the country, be it black slavery in the South or rampant and wanton capitalism in the North.

Abolitionist and minister Henry Ward Beecher

 Once the war began, ministers on both sides would paint their respective national causes as a crusade against the evils of the enemy.  It is this that led Abraham Lincoln to say "In a great war both sides claim to have God on their side.  Both MAY be and one MUST be, wrong."

One aspect of faith that permeated the culture was the concept of "the good death." In part this involved a person dying at home, surrounded by friends and loved ones. Their last words would be recorded as a final and critical act of grieving for the family.  What was a key part of this belief was the intactness of the body.  While not a universal belief, many believed that to get to Heaven one had to be whole and complete with no parts missing.  This belief, termed Ressurectionism, was based on the concept that since Jesus ascended to Heaven bodily this was what was required to get to Heaven.  As we will see in the second part of this series, the massive number of casualties during the Civil War led to a decline in this belief.


Please note: this post is meant to give a very brief description of faith as it existed. I insert this caveat as I do not wish to offend our readers as I know and understand that faith is a very personal subject.  All this information and more can be found in books on the subject.


-Corporal



Petersburg, Virginia. Grace Episcopal church. United States, 1865. Apr. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/cwp2003005038/PP/. (Accessed February 12, 2018.)


Brady National Photographic Art Gallery, photographer. Portrait of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, officer of the Federal Army. United States, None. [Between 1860 and 1865] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/cwp2003000376/PP/. (Accessed February 12, 2018.)


Charles D. Fredricks & Co, photographer. Clergyman and abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher with hat / C.D. Fredricks & Co., 587 Broadway, New York ; 108 Calle de la Habana, Habana ; 31 Passage du Havre, Paris. United States, ca. 1860. [New York: C.D. Fredricks & Co., 587 Broadway] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2016652258/. (Accessed February 12, 2018.)