Gettysburg Religion

Book excerpt: This Civil War era cultural history examines how religious diversity in the Border North region foretold larger changes in American life. Gettysburg remains among the most legendary Civil War landmarks in the borderland between freedom and slavery. A century and a half after the great battle, Cemetery Hill, the Seminary and its ridge, and the Peach Orchard remain as powerful reminders of the past. They embody the small-town North and touch on themes vital to nineteenth-century religion. In Gettysburg Religion, author Steve Longenecker explores the religious history of antebellum and Civil War–era Gettysburg, shedding light on the remarkable diversity of American religion and its complex relationship with the broader culture. Longenecker argues that Gettysburg religion revealed much about American society, demonstrating that trends in the Border North mirrored national developments. In many ways, Gettysburg and its surrounding Border North religion belonged to the future and signaled the coming of modern America.