We Are in His Hands Whether We Live or Die

Many soldiers who served in the American Civil War found solace in their faith during the mosttrying times of the war. But few soldiers took such a providential view of life and the CivilWar as Charles Henry Howard. Born in a small town in Maine, Howard came from a familywith a distinguished history of soldiering: his grandfather was a Revolutionary War veteranand his brother, the older and more well-known Oliver Otis Howard, attended West Point androse to command an army in the Civil...
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Many soldiers who served in the American Civil War found solace in their faith during the mosttrying times of the war. But few soldiers took such a providential view of life and the CivilWar as Charles Henry Howard. Born in a small town in Maine, Howard came from a familywith a distinguished history of soldiering: his grandfather was a Revolutionary War veteranand his brother, the older and more well-known Oliver Otis Howard, attended West Point androse to command an army in the Civil War. Following in his brother s footsteps, Charles HenryHoward graduated from Bowdoin College in 1859. Following graduation, Charles visited hisolder brother at West Point during the tumultuous election of 1860. While at West Point, Howardsaw the tensions between Northern and Southern cadets escalate as he weighed his options for amilitary or theological career. The choice was made for him on April 12, 1861, with the firing onFort Sumter.
Responding to his brother s plea for the sons of Maine to join the Union cause, Charlesfound himself a noncommissioned officer fighting in the disastrous Battle of First Bull Run. Alltold, Howard fought in several major battles of the Eastern Theater, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, and went on to participate in various militaryactions in the Western Theater including Sherman s bloody Atlanta Campaign. He was woundedtwice, first at the Battle of Fair Oaks and again at Fredericksburg. Yet, despite facing the worsthorrors of war, Howard rarely wavered in his faith and rose steadily in rank throughout theconflict. By war s end, he was a brevet brigadier general in command of the 128th U.S. ColoredTroop Regiment.
Howard s letters cover a wide-ranging period, from 1852 to 1908. His concern for hisfamily is typical of a Civil War soldier, but his exceptionally firm reliance on divine providenceis what makes these letters an extraordinary window into the mind of a Civil War officer.Howard s grounded faith was often tested by the viciousness of war, and as a result his letters arerife with stirring confessions and his emotional grappling with the harsh realities he faced.Howard s letters expose the greater theological and metaphysical dilemmas of the war faced byso many on both sides.
David K. Thomson is completing his PhD at the University of Georgia. His research focuseson the role of religion in the Civil War, in particular providential discourse and its impact onwartime efforts in finance, diplomacy, emancipation, politics, the home front, and the battlefield."