Religion At Fort Delaware

Robert Gray

Sergeant Major
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Rev. Isaac Handy.jpg


Rev. Isaac W. Handy (1815-1878) served Presbyterian congregations in Delaware, Missouri, Maryland, and Virginia. During the Civil War, the Union Army detained him at Fort Delaware for fifteen months for refusing to deny allegations that he made statements against the American flag. While at Fort Delaware, he preached every day and conducted Bible classes, contributing to the conversion of over seventy Confederate officers. The photograph here shows Rev. Handy (to the far left) preaching to fellow prisoners around 1863. (Presbyterian Historical Society)
 
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Rev. Isaac W. Handy (1815-1878) served Presbyterian congregations in Delaware, Missouri, Maryland, and Virginia. During the Civil War, the Union Army detained him at Fort Delaware for fifteen months for refusing to deny allegations that he made statements against the American flag. While at Fort Delaware, he preached every day and conducted Bible classes, contributing to the conversion of over seventy Confederate officers. The photograph here shows Rev. Handy (to the far left) preaching to fellow prisoners around 1863. (Presbyterian Historical Society)

RevLacyPhoto.jpg


Reverend Beverly Tucker Lacy. Stonewall Jackson's "Chaplain at large".
 
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Rev. Isaac W. Handy (1815-1878) served Presbyterian congregations in Delaware, Missouri, Maryland, and Virginia. During the Civil War, the Union Army detained him at Fort Delaware for fifteen months for refusing to deny allegations that he made statements against the American flag. While at Fort Delaware, he preached every day and conducted Bible classes, contributing to the conversion of over seventy Confederate officers. The photograph here shows Rev. Handy (to the far left) preaching to fellow prisoners around 1863. (Presbyterian Historical Society)

A little off topic, but this looks like a war propaganda photo to me. Look how clean and well fed everybody looks! They even have really nice clothes and decent haircuts!

Could this be a photo sent out by the prison authorities to tamp down rumors of mistreatment of prisoners?
 
Visited Fort Delaware in 2003. Don't know about today, but at that time there were reenactors all around the fort playing different roles as if it were August 1863. The guard who escorted us on a thorough tour of the fort, demonstrations which were conducted, and all questions answered as if it were August 1863. If you wanted to ask a question requiring a modern day answer, you had to ask the reenactor to take off their hat. A most pleasant and informative day. The attached pictures were taken during a demo of firing the cannon. I have seen several demonstrations of loading and firing field artillery, but never a cannon this large. Confederate prisoners were not kept in the fort, but in a large camp outside the walls. We were told this cannon (or one like it) looked down on the camp and the prisoners were told in the event of any trouble, it would be fired. One picture is inside a reconstructed barrack and one picture is the fort from the barrack. The cannon in the pictures is atop the corner obstructed by the tree.
 

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My son married the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. Let's just say it was in the best interest of her family, ooops!!! The ceremony was conducted by her father in HIS church located in the Kentucky coal mining area. No one was invited except me and my ex-wife (arrrghhh). It was the first time I'd met my daughter-in-law, her father and mother just a few hours beforehand. There were so many negative waves floating around. I really liked the church, it is an historic landmark built in the mid 1800's. Had the "old church smell" to it and it was really neat looking inside and out. Very vintage. I kept thinking "I wonder if Morgan's cavalry ever passed through this little town" of Glasgow KY.
 
Found an ID on the prisoners here.

Seated left to right are Lt. J. N. McFarland, Capt. G. L. Roberts, and Capt. W. F. Gordon; (standing) Rev. Isaac W. K. Handy, Capt. J. H. Dye, Lt. Wash C. Shane, Lt. T. S. Armistead, Capt. J. J. Dunkle, and Lt. J. T. Mackey.

I think these may be Gordon, Dunkle and Shane.
 
WHADDYA mean "non-Christian"? They sure as heck weren't Hindus.
As for "non- believer", there weren't too many of them in Dixie in the 1860s.
Braxton Bragg was baptized in camp in 1863. War and privation makes many "nominal" Christians want to get closer to the Lord.
There were major religious revivals in both the ANV and AoT in winter of 1863 to 64. With a lot of guys in their late teens and early 20s, not every Confederate soldier was as religious at the outset of the war as is typically thought. Some later found religion as a way of coping with the war, also something to do while sitting in camp during winter months. Probably the same case for prisoners of war.
 
There were major religious revivals in both the ANV and AoT in winter of 1863 to 64. With a lot of guys in their late teens and early 20s, not every Confederate soldier was as religious at the outset of the war as is typically thought. Some later found religion as a way of coping with the war, also something to do while sitting in camp during winter months. Probably the same case for prisoners of war.
So there was no "conversion." They were nominal Christians who became more religious Christians, at least temporarily.
 
Braxton Bragg was baptized in camp in 1863. War and privation makes many "nominal" Christians want to get closer to the Lord.
I heard that Julia Dent Grant ensured her husband Ulysses S. Grant was baptized on his death bed. Does anyone know if this is true? As per Protestant tradition, I'm guessing the choice was left to him.
 
I would not say there were no conversions. Some found God for the first time. My father told stories of these conversions during World War II. In war many feel the need for God and find that religion helps them cope with what is going on. They go on to be very devout in what religion they convert to. It is not a one time thing.
 
There were major religious revivals in both the ANV and AoT in winter of 1863 to 64. With a lot of guys in their late teens and early 20s, not every Confederate soldier was as religious at the outset of the war as is typically thought. Some later found religion as a way of coping with the war, also something to do while sitting in camp during winter months. Probably the same case for prisoners of war.
It seems like bibles saved a few of them, too...sitting in their shirt/jacket pockets right over their heart :angel:
 
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everyone in prison finds God , but most leave him behind once they are released ! the picture was probably taken after Rat call at the prison and everyone was fat and full !!!!
 
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