This church at
Petersburg stood near the tobacco warehouses shown in the lower picture, and here the
Federal prisoners confined in the old brick building were praying for victory as they listened to the boom of cannon and the rattle of musketry through the terrible winter of 1864 and 1865.
But every Sunday, in this church, prayers to the God of Battles for relief from the invader were raised in fervent zeal of spirit.
In all the camps, and in all the cities of the North and South, throughout the war, each side, believing firmly in the justice of its cause, had regularly and earnestly thus appealed to the Almighty for the triumph of its arms.
In the
Southern army in particular, religious fervor was high.
During the previous winter, while
Lee's troops were encamped on the
Rapidan, revivals had swept nearly every soldier into the church.
General Gordon says that “not only on the Sabbath day, but during the week, night after night, for long periods these services continued, increasing in attendance and interest until they brought under religious influence these great body of the army.
Along the mountainsides and in the forest, where the
Southern camps were pitched, the rocks and woods rang with appeals for holiness and consecration, with praises for past mercies and earnest prayers for future protection and deliverance.
Thousands of these brave followers of Southern banners became consistent and devoted soldiers of the Cross.”
And the same officer recalls that during the siege of
Petersburg, especially after the attack on
Fort Stedman, religious devotion was uncooled.
“From the
commander-in-chief to the privates in the ranks, there was a deep and sincere religious feeling in
Lee's army.
Whenever it was convenient or practicable, these hungry but unyielding men were holding prayer-meetings.
Their supplications were fervent and often inspiring.”
On the memorable 2d of April, in the
Richmond church in which he had been baptized and confirmed scarcely three years before,
President Jefferson Davis received the ominous tidings sent by
Lee to the capital of the
Confederacy that both
Petersburg and
Richmond would have to be evacuated before the morning of April 4th.
There followed a night of terror.
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Where prayer rose for the waning cause: prayers for relief and prayers for victory |
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Where prisoners prayed for liberty |
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