Abstract
There has been a surge in interest regarding Christianity's role in the American Civil War. James P. Byrd capitalizes on this interest in A Holy Baptism of Fire and Blood: The Bible and the American Civil War. Unlike other historians who attempt to evaluate the morality of the war itself, Byrd delves straight into how the Bible both affected and was used by both sides. He argues that the Bible saturated the Civil War, both combatants and non-combatants alike. It was the Bible that they turned to repeatedly to justify their cause and provide comfort during hardship. Byrd’s book adds to a growing historiography on the religious side of the Civil War.
Recommended Citation
Payne, Michael
(2025)
"A Review of James P. Byrd's A Holy Baptism of Fire and Blood: The Bible and the American Civil War,"
Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History: Vol. 7:
Iss.
3, Article 6.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/ljh/vol7/iss3/6
Included in
Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Military History Commons, United States History Commons