Contextualizing Thomas' Diary
July 9, 1859: The First Entry – Charles F. Thomas was a student at Dickinson College and a member of the class of 1860. However, when he leaves that summer, he does not return in the fall to earn his degree and graduate with his class.
September 9 – November 19th, 1860: Thomas’ Time at Garrett Biblical Institute – Thomas travels to Evanston, Illinois to further his education and learn to become a preacher at Garrett Biblical Institute. The institute was founded in 1853, just seven years before Thomas attended. Largely founded by the same group that founded Northwestern University, also in Evanston, their goal was to “shape mind and spirit toward an educated ministry.”
November 21, 1859: Seeing John Brown – On his way home to Ilchester, Maryland, Thomas sees John Brown, an abolitionist, in Harpers Ferry, a little less than two weeks before he is executed for leading the Harpers Ferry Raid in October of the same year. During the raid, Brown and his 21 followers seized the armory and captured prisoners. The attack on Harpers Ferry was designed to be the first step of a more elaborate plan to free slaves, but Brown’s group was thwarted by a group of marines, led by Robert E Lee, after two days of fighting. It is largely considered to be one of the more immediate causes of the Civil War, along with Abraham Lincoln's election, which occurred two years later.
December 30, 1859 – February 13, 1860: First Circuit – On December 30th, Thomas leaves to complete his first circuit riding experience, which lasts about a month and a half. In the 19th century, Methodist preachers preached “circuits” which meant that they would travel around to various places for a set amount of time and preach at them. Often preaching “nearly every day and twice on Sundays,” circuit riding was a very difficult lifestyle.
Wednesday March 29, 1860: Meeting Abraham Lincoln – After completing his first circuit, Thomas returned to Garrett Bible Institute in the spring, and he wrote on March 29th that Lincoln visited a gymnasium that Thomas was at. Thomas describes Lincoln as a “plain, honest, unassuming man.” After doing some research, it is unclear whether he was there at this exact day or if perhaps Thomas wrote the wrong date and day of the week or if he wrote it at a later date and forgot which day they met. Many of the sources are recollections and have somewhat conflicting information on what day Lincoln visited. What seems to be clear is that Lincoln travelled to Evanston in late March or early April, around the time of the conclusion of the “Sandbar Case,” and while there, he gave a speech and stayed at a man named Julius White’s house. According to Leonard Volk, a sculptor’s, recollection, they met on Wednesday, Lincoln attended the event at White’s house in Evanston on Thursday, and then came back to begin the process for sculpting his face. Thomas does not write of the speech at White’s house, and instead says that he visited the gymnasium on Wednesday. Though they seem to be somewhat contradictory, it is possible that Lincoln informally visited the college that Wednesday before the official event on Thursday. However, it is worth noting that Volk’s story comes from a newspaper article in 1881, so it is also very possible that he forgot the exact days, such is the problem with recollection. Thomas defintely did meet Lincoln, but it is unclear whether it was on Wednesday, March 29th, as he says, or on Thursday, March 30th, which is what would make sense if Volk remembered correctly.
August 29 - September 5, 1860: Camp Meeting – Thomas attended a traditional Methodist camp meeting. Common in the 19th century, camp meetings were events of religious celebration and mass conversion held outside for several days. Thomas’ camp meeting, as with many others, featured people shouting, dancing, and singing. Thomas remarks that there were 1000 people at his meeting, and 150 converts.
January 5, 1861: Secession – South Carolina is the first state to secede from the Union, doing so on December 20th, 1860. Thomas does not record this until January 5th, signifying that he either received news very late or simply forgot to include it in his diary.
April 16, 1861: Fort Sumter – Off the coast of South Carolina, Fort Sumter is bombarded by Confederate troops on April 12th after the Union forces stationed there refused to leave. As Thomas writes, “The war hath actually begun!”
April 22, 1861: Baltimore Riots – Regiments from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, whose soldiers were unarmed, were travelling by train through Baltimore when a secessionist mob blocked the path of some of the train cars, meaning that they would have to get out and march through the city. During the march, secessionists threw bricks and other objects at the troops. In response to this, policemen got in between the Union soldiers and secessionist mobs in order to protect the troops, and they eventually got out of Baltimore safely. However, multiple soldiers were killed, injured, or missing. Later on, secessionists burnt multiple bridges and telegraph lines to the North, isolating the city in hopes of forcing it to join the Confederate States of America, but they ultimately failed in accomplishing their goal.
May 27 & June 19, 1861: Familial Issues – Thomas writes of a correspondence of letters between his father and himself about secession. Thomas, a Republican, is a unionist, but “all [his] family are secessionists.” He feels badly about disagreeing with his family on a matter so important but decides he must “take a stand.” He replies to father to express his views, and in his father’s responds “it is the most fanatical thing he ever read.” Thomas again writes about feeling poorly about their disagreement, and they both feel “regret and surprise” that they do not agree. Showing his true and most emotional feelings, Thomas notes that “secession has already ruined” his father. Though passions seem to have been running high, it is likely that they would have been able to set their differences aside later on, like other divided families. Oftentimes, differing opinions on secession and conflicts arising from it were seen as conflicts of authority between fathers trying to maintain control and sons asserting their independence. He does not write about their disagreement any further, so it is unknown what happened to their relationship and how it may have changed.
July 25, 1861: Bull Run – The first battle of Bull Run occured on July 21st and ended in Confederate victory. By referring to it as loss for “our forces,” Thomas further solidifies his stance on the war.
August 23 – October 7, 1861: Religious Angst – Thomas was deeply unsatisfied with his spiritual life during this period, and he struggled to be happy with his connection to God. Once he began to write about the Civil War, he steadily wrote less about his religious life and preaching experiences and instead focused on national affairs, so it does make sense that eventually he would face a crisis about his religiosity. Even as a deeply devout Methodist preacher, Thomas could not help but to connect his personal life to the secession crisis, even writing that his “spiritual sky has been scarcely less dark than our political.” By mid-October he rekindles his connection with God and is elated with his spiritual life, but it is clear that for a few months he was so involved with the Civil War and the bleakness of the country that it affects his personal life.
Citations
"Camp meeting." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (April 2016). Accessed December 12, 2016.
"Circuit rider." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (April 2016). Accessed December 12, 2016.
Currey, J. Seymour. Chicago: Its History and Its Builders. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1918. [Google Books]
Ecelbarger, Gary. The Great Comeback: How Abraham Lincoln Beat the Odds to Win the 1860 Republican Convention. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008. [Google Books]
Everett, Edward G. “The Baltimore Riots, April, 1861.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. Volume 24, Number 4 (1957): 331-42. [JSTOR]
"Harpers Ferry Raid." Encylopedia Britannica. Accessed December 12, 2016. Link.
“Our History.” Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Accessed December 12, 2016. Link.
Taylor, Amy Murrell. The Divided Family in Civil War America. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2005. [JSTOR].
July 9, 1859: The First Entry – Charles F. Thomas was a student at Dickinson College and a member of the class of 1860. However, when he leaves that summer, he does not return in the fall to earn his degree and graduate with his class.
September 9 – November 19th, 1860: Thomas’ Time at Garrett Biblical Institute – Thomas travels to Evanston, Illinois to further his education and learn to become a preacher at Garrett Biblical Institute. The institute was founded in 1853, just seven years before Thomas attended. Largely founded by the same group that founded Northwestern University, also in Evanston, their goal was to “shape mind and spirit toward an educated ministry.”
November 21, 1859: Seeing John Brown – On his way home to Ilchester, Maryland, Thomas sees John Brown, an abolitionist, in Harpers Ferry, a little less than two weeks before he is executed for leading the Harpers Ferry Raid in October of the same year. During the raid, Brown and his 21 followers seized the armory and captured prisoners. The attack on Harpers Ferry was designed to be the first step of a more elaborate plan to free slaves, but Brown’s group was thwarted by a group of marines, led by Robert E Lee, after two days of fighting. It is largely considered to be one of the more immediate causes of the Civil War, along with Abraham Lincoln's election, which occurred two years later.
December 30, 1859 – February 13, 1860: First Circuit – On December 30th, Thomas leaves to complete his first circuit riding experience, which lasts about a month and a half. In the 19th century, Methodist preachers preached “circuits” which meant that they would travel around to various places for a set amount of time and preach at them. Often preaching “nearly every day and twice on Sundays,” circuit riding was a very difficult lifestyle.
Wednesday March 29, 1860: Meeting Abraham Lincoln – After completing his first circuit, Thomas returned to Garrett Bible Institute in the spring, and he wrote on March 29th that Lincoln visited a gymnasium that Thomas was at. Thomas describes Lincoln as a “plain, honest, unassuming man.” After doing some research, it is unclear whether he was there at this exact day or if perhaps Thomas wrote the wrong date and day of the week or if he wrote it at a later date and forgot which day they met. Many of the sources are recollections and have somewhat conflicting information on what day Lincoln visited. What seems to be clear is that Lincoln travelled to Evanston in late March or early April, around the time of the conclusion of the “Sandbar Case,” and while there, he gave a speech and stayed at a man named Julius White’s house. According to Leonard Volk, a sculptor’s, recollection, they met on Wednesday, Lincoln attended the event at White’s house in Evanston on Thursday, and then came back to begin the process for sculpting his face. Thomas does not write of the speech at White’s house, and instead says that he visited the gymnasium on Wednesday. Though they seem to be somewhat contradictory, it is possible that Lincoln informally visited the college that Wednesday before the official event on Thursday. However, it is worth noting that Volk’s story comes from a newspaper article in 1881, so it is also very possible that he forgot the exact days, such is the problem with recollection. Thomas defintely did meet Lincoln, but it is unclear whether it was on Wednesday, March 29th, as he says, or on Thursday, March 30th, which is what would make sense if Volk remembered correctly.
August 29 - September 5, 1860: Camp Meeting – Thomas attended a traditional Methodist camp meeting. Common in the 19th century, camp meetings were events of religious celebration and mass conversion held outside for several days. Thomas’ camp meeting, as with many others, featured people shouting, dancing, and singing. Thomas remarks that there were 1000 people at his meeting, and 150 converts.
January 5, 1861: Secession – South Carolina is the first state to secede from the Union, doing so on December 20th, 1860. Thomas does not record this until January 5th, signifying that he either received news very late or simply forgot to include it in his diary.
April 16, 1861: Fort Sumter – Off the coast of South Carolina, Fort Sumter is bombarded by Confederate troops on April 12th after the Union forces stationed there refused to leave. As Thomas writes, “The war hath actually begun!”
April 22, 1861: Baltimore Riots – Regiments from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, whose soldiers were unarmed, were travelling by train through Baltimore when a secessionist mob blocked the path of some of the train cars, meaning that they would have to get out and march through the city. During the march, secessionists threw bricks and other objects at the troops. In response to this, policemen got in between the Union soldiers and secessionist mobs in order to protect the troops, and they eventually got out of Baltimore safely. However, multiple soldiers were killed, injured, or missing. Later on, secessionists burnt multiple bridges and telegraph lines to the North, isolating the city in hopes of forcing it to join the Confederate States of America, but they ultimately failed in accomplishing their goal.
May 27 & June 19, 1861: Familial Issues – Thomas writes of a correspondence of letters between his father and himself about secession. Thomas, a Republican, is a unionist, but “all [his] family are secessionists.” He feels badly about disagreeing with his family on a matter so important but decides he must “take a stand.” He replies to father to express his views, and in his father’s responds “it is the most fanatical thing he ever read.” Thomas again writes about feeling poorly about their disagreement, and they both feel “regret and surprise” that they do not agree. Showing his true and most emotional feelings, Thomas notes that “secession has already ruined” his father. Though passions seem to have been running high, it is likely that they would have been able to set their differences aside later on, like other divided families. Oftentimes, differing opinions on secession and conflicts arising from it were seen as conflicts of authority between fathers trying to maintain control and sons asserting their independence. He does not write about their disagreement any further, so it is unknown what happened to their relationship and how it may have changed.
July 25, 1861: Bull Run – The first battle of Bull Run occured on July 21st and ended in Confederate victory. By referring to it as loss for “our forces,” Thomas further solidifies his stance on the war.
August 23 – October 7, 1861: Religious Angst – Thomas was deeply unsatisfied with his spiritual life during this period, and he struggled to be happy with his connection to God. Once he began to write about the Civil War, he steadily wrote less about his religious life and preaching experiences and instead focused on national affairs, so it does make sense that eventually he would face a crisis about his religiosity. Even as a deeply devout Methodist preacher, Thomas could not help but to connect his personal life to the secession crisis, even writing that his “spiritual sky has been scarcely less dark than our political.” By mid-October he rekindles his connection with God and is elated with his spiritual life, but it is clear that for a few months he was so involved with the Civil War and the bleakness of the country that it affects his personal life.
Citations
"Camp meeting." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (April 2016). Accessed December 12, 2016.
"Circuit rider." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (April 2016). Accessed December 12, 2016.
Currey, J. Seymour. Chicago: Its History and Its Builders. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1918. [Google Books]
Ecelbarger, Gary. The Great Comeback: How Abraham Lincoln Beat the Odds to Win the 1860 Republican Convention. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008. [Google Books]
Everett, Edward G. “The Baltimore Riots, April, 1861.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. Volume 24, Number 4 (1957): 331-42. [JSTOR]
"Harpers Ferry Raid." Encylopedia Britannica. Accessed December 12, 2016. Link.
“Our History.” Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Accessed December 12, 2016. Link.
Taylor, Amy Murrell. The Divided Family in Civil War America. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2005. [JSTOR].