Battle of Antietam 1862 (https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Antietam)
In my last two blog posts, I talked about how the Civil War was a war between Christians over the issue of slavery. The anti-slavery Christians were opposed by the pro-slavery Christians. Both sides had Bible verses to support their claims.
Lincoln wrote of the war:
"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. "
As the war progressed, the Confederates had stunning victories in the earlier years of the war. The top Confederate generals were led by devout Bible believing Christians such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
The Civil War was going so poorly for the the Union, that Abraham Lincoln sometimes wondered if it was God's will for the Union to win. The situation was getting very dire for the Union cause, where one more Confederate victory in battle would mean the end of the Civil War with the Confederates winning. The stakes were very high because Britain and France said they would support the Confederates if they won one more significant victory. If the Confederates won, then slavery would still continue as a practice in America.
Lincoln made a promise to God, that if God gave him victory then Lincoln will release the decree to free the slaves. What happened next was a divine moment of providence. Union officers accidentally found the Confederate battle plans rolled up in cigars. The battle plans were accidentally dropped by the Confederates.
The Union general George B. McClellan had detailed plans of the Confederates troop positions and how and when they were going to attack,. The Union was able to set up a trap and defeat the Confederates at the Battle of Antietam. The Confederates had more brilliant generals, but the Union won because of the miraculous discovery of the battle plans. Historians say that discovery is a one in a million chance of happening.
The miraculous victory at Antietam was the confirmation that Abraham Lincoln was praying for, that it was God's will to free the slaves. Lincoln said after the battle, "I made a solemn vow before God, that if General Lee was driven back from Pennsylvania, I would crown the results by the declaration of freedom to the slaves."
After the Battle of Antietam, even some Confederate officers were beginning to realize that it was not God's will for them to win. Major Walter Taylor, said "it looks as if the good Lord had ordained that we should not succeed." Many Confederate soldiers lost morale and abandoned the army and as the war progressed after Antietam.
I wrote in past blog posts, that God is the ultimate decider of victory. The side that God wills to win, will win. In the American Civil War, God clearly willed the Union cause to win.
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