Religion in the Civil War

Separation among denominations served as a precursor to the secession of eleven Southern states. Fracture in the Methodist Church occurred first with that body dividing over the issue of slavery in 1845. Baptists formalized a separate Sothern Baptist Convention. The Presbyterian Church formally split along the North-South lines in 1861. Despite the splintering of churches before the American Civil War, religion had a profound impact on leaders, officers and soldiers. During this course, we will explore a war where both sides prayed to the same God.