"The Will of God Prevails"

Abraham Lincoln could have stopped the Civil War at any moment. He could have pulled back Federal forces, allowing the Confederacy to go its separate way. But he didn't. Lincoln believed that there were forces at work in the nation during those four years which went far beyond his own powers to act. In short, as the war dragged on, and as more wives became widows and children became orphans, Lincoln began to turn to God for answers.

The paragraph below was written by Lincoln in September of 1862. Historians have not yet specified exactly when it was written in the month, but it is generally believed to be from those pivotal late summer days in 1862 when the fate of the nation, and the freedom of millions, hung in the balance. The words below were written privately by the president. In the words of Lincoln's secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay, these words were "not written to be seen of men." It was found by Hay in Lincoln's desk, and thus preserved for posterity. It shows the thought processes of the 16th President at a crucial time in American history. During September, 1862, the fate of the nation rested on the events in Maryland. Sitting in the president's desk was a proclamation declaring emancipation for all those enslaved in the states then in rebellion. He simply needed a victory to issue the document. Lincoln was hoping that victory would come in Maryland. As Lincoln later told Salmon Chase, “I made a solemn vow before God, that if General Lee was driven back… I would crown the result by the declaration of freedom to the slaves.”

The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is quite possible that God’s purpose is something different from the purpose of either party; and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect (sic) his purpose. I am almost ready to say that this is probably true; that God wills this contest, and wills that it shall not end yet. By his mere great power on the minds of the now contestants, he could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. Yet the contest began. And, having begun, he could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds.

In 1865, standing in front of the U.S. Capitol after winning his reelection, and just weeks before he would be shot down by the cowardly John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln proclaimed in his Second Inaugural Address that the Civil War was God's way of affecting change upon the nation and ridding it of the scourge of slavery. The seeds for that address, one of the most famous and brilliant in American history, were being sown in the tumultuous month of September, 1862.

"But while it is necessary, let us be soldiers"

I think it is fitting to provide an explanation as to why I chose the title I did for this blog. As I have posted above (just below the photograph), the title comes from a quote that I found in the diary of Albert Champlin, a private with the 105th Ohio Volunter Infantry. Champlin's diary is among the Alfred Mewett Papers at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio. I came across it while doing research for my master's thesis, which, after 7 months and countless hours of research and writing, was accepted just last week.

The focus of my master's thesis was the experiences and motivations of Ohio soldiers during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign in 1864. Why this topic with this group in this campaign? Well, I chose this as my topic because first and foremost, it was something I had a desire to learn more about. Despite growing up and living in Northeast Ohio, I had previously known very little about my home state's contribution to the Union cause. When searching for topics on which I could write, I came across several Ohio regiments with companies hailing from Lake County, where I have lived my entire life. I hadn't previously known anything about these men or their stories, so I decided to do a little investigating work. It turns out that a great many regiments from this region of Ohio were a part of Sherman's forces during his Atlanta, Savannah, and Carolinas campaigns. I am quite fascinated with Sherman, making this an excellent subject for me to research and write about. Because Sherman's March to the Sea is the much more popular older brother to the Atlanta Campaign in Civil War lore, I decided to pick the road less travelled and study the four month struggle that took place in Northern Georgia during the summer of 1864. In the course of the research into soldiers' letters and diaries, I discovered many fascinating quotes and anecdotes, and several of them were in the diary of Albert Champlin.

Champlin's diary provided a detailed and daily account of many interesting facets of the Atlanta Campaign. While he did not see much combat, his observations on army morale, current events, and even the daily weather provided a wealth of information that enabled me to understand daily life for Union soldiers during this time. The complete quote, of which the quote above is just one sentence, is quite remarkable. Champlin's Christian faith is on full display, as he looks to God to end the current conflict and allow him to return to the comforts of civilian life. Yet, Champlin's resolve to see the conflict through to its rightful ending is readily apparent as well:

“Oh, that our work may still be blessed of God, that the time of its completion may not be far distant, the time when rebellion shall have been put down to be known no more in our land and when quiet, civil pursuits shall have taken the place of the stern duties of the soldiers in the field, and Sabbath and sanctionary privileges the place of military necessities. But while it is necessary, let us be soldiers. And may an Overruling Providence continue to cause good to come out of evil, justice to be done to all men where injustice to many has long prevailed, and finally, peace quiet and harmony out of this terrible confrontation and our country’s fiery ordeal.”-- Albert Champlin, June 19, 1864

I think Champlin's words speak for themselves in their sincerity. They weren't written with thoughts of future publication in mind; rather, they were Albert's testament to God and to himself concerning his faith and his determination to see his cause succeed. I don't know about you, but I find his words quite remarkable in the depth and conviction they display. They provide fitting context concerning what it is that Champlin and others like him felt about their efforts during the summer of 1864. I couldn't think of a better title for this blog that spoke to its purpose than these words of Albert Champlin. They represent how the fighting man of the Union army saw the struggle in which he was engaged.