Civil War Revival of 1863: The Unfinished Baptism

In the winter of 1863, soldiers waded into half-frozen creeks to be baptized, too full of new faith to wait for spring, and many of them knew they might not live to see it. This is the story of the Great Revival that swept the Civil War camps on both sides, where Bibles were so scarce a single one served a whole regiment, and around 150,000 men came to Christ in the middle of the bloodiest war in American history. A five-minute reminder that revival rarely waits for comfort, and that God is a very present help right in the middle of the trouble. Scripture echo: Psalm 46:1 Key moment: The Great Revival of 1863, sweeping both Union and Confederate camps during the American Civil War. Approximately 150,000 Confederate soldiers and tens of thousands of Union soldiers came to Christ. Read or listen on the blog: https://rodneycoe.com/civil-war-revival-1863-unfinished-baptism/ Five minutes. Pull up a chair. "And that, friend, is how God lifts up your day."

Transcript

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Picture a winter camp in Virginia in 1863. The ground is frozen hard. The young men who marched off to this war whistling or quiet now. They buried too many friends, they've seen too much. And down by a half frozen creek, a chaplain standing waist deep in water, cold enough to steal your breath, and one by one, soldiers are waiting in to be baptized. They will not wait for warmer weather. Some of them know that they may never live to see the spring. So in the freezing water between the battles, an army is being born again. Hold that thought. You need to hear the rest of the story. Welcome to Lift Up Your Day, short stories with the Biblical Heartbeat. I'm Rodney Coe, and today the revival that swept through the bloodiest war in American history. By 1863, the Civil War had become a slaughter. Tens of thousands of young men were dying far from home, and in the camps, on both sides, blue and gray alike, something began to happen that no general had ordered. Revival broke out. It started quietly. A soldier would open a worn New Testament by the fire, a few men would gather to pray before a battle they might not survive. Then a few became dozens, and dozens became hundreds. Chaplains who had been preaching in nearly empty benches suddenly could not build chapels fast enough. In the winter quarters, the men raised rough logged churches and the meetings ran day and night. The hunger for God's word was almost desperate. Bibles were so scarce that a single one might have to serve an entire regiment. Its pages carefully torn out and passed from hand to hand so more men could read at the same time. Soldiers who had once filled the camp with cursing and gambling were now singing hymns under the stars. And when a man came to faith, they baptized him right where they were, in cold creeks and icy rivers, unwilling to wait because no one knew how many tomorrows he had left. Here is the staggering part. Historians estimate that around a hundred and fifty thousand Confederate soldiers came to Christ before the war ended, and revival swept the Union camps too, with conversions running into the tens of thousands. Men who would aim their rifles at each other in the morning were kneeling before the very same God at night. The bloodiest ground in our nation's history became, of all things, a harvest field. And think about what that meant. Many of these young men were baptized in freezing water one week and lie dying on a battlefield the next. The baptism that began in an icy creek was finished on the far shore of heaven. They had found their refuge just in time. We tend to think revival comes when life is comfortable, good music, padded pews, full stomachs, but the great moves of God almost never wait for comfort. This one came in trenches, in field hospitals, among frightened young men a long way from home. The psalmist knew why God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Not a help that shows up after the trouble is past, a very present help right in the middle of it. So if you're walking through a hard season right now, do not assume God is far off, waiting for things to settle down. The trouble may be the very place he meets you. The cold water may be exactly where your new life begins. And that, friend, is how God lifts up your day.