With God On Our Side: Clerical Support Of Secession And The Confederate War Effort In North Carolina

The evangelical generation that fought the Civil War attached significant meaning to the idea that God involved Himself with the fate of nations and individuals. Despite being relatively neglected by modern scholars, many Americans at the time used their religious beliefs to interpret events in politics and on the battlefield. This thesis looks at the contributions that the religious class of North Carolina made to the Civil War, whether justifying separation or speaking of the South’s cause as divinely ordained. Using religious periodicals in the state, this research tracks North Carolina’s clergy through the secession crisis and shows their transition from Unionists to committed Confederates. Likewise, these newspapers, along with a selection of religious pamphlet literature sent to soldiers, demonstrate the efforts of the state’s religious class to promote the war amongst the populace. Sermons from ministers in various denominations across North Carolina also help to explain the reasons why the clergy supported the South’s cause.