|
|
Article: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure": Northern civilian perspectives on death and eternity during the Civil War.(SADNESS AND SOCIETY)(Essay)
- Article from:
- Journal of Social History
- Article date:
- June 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Journal of Social History. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Although the death angel severely afflicted the Alfords of Daviess County in southwestern Indiana during the Civil War, it could not have chosen a family as well-grounded in their religious beliefs or as confident in their future reunion beyond the grave. In the mid-1840s, Franklin Alford had helped found the Christian Church in the town of Alfordsville, and he and his wife Mary devotedly reared their seven children in the faith. They also instilled an intense patriotism in their sons, and the oldest, twenty-two year-old Warren, enlisted with the 14th Indiana in the spring of 1861. In his letters, Franklin frequently emphasized God's protective care for his son, and Warren ...