TAYLORS, S.C. - s4story -- Dennis L. Peterson's upcoming nonfiction book, which is set to be released on July 5, 2021, explores the role of missionaries, ministers, and religious laymen in the trenches of the Civil War.

"Christ in Camp and Combat" features an intense study of a fundamental aspect of a Confederate soldier's life during the Civil War: their religion. Christianity lay at the core of most soldiers' identity, and the missionaries and chaplains who serviced each camp formed a much bigger role than most might realize.

Readers will find Peterson's style easy to follow and understand while his narrative provides concise detail on the ins and outs of Christian life during the Civil War, including how to prepare for eternity and also to accept the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy as God's will.

About the Book
Religion has too often been relegated to the far periphery of the history of the War Between the States, eclipsed by the emphases on the battles, tactics, and personalities of the conflict. In reality, religion was the very marrow of who Americans were. Religion, specifically traditional and evangelical Christianity, was the very foundation of Southern society during the antebellum period, and that spiritual emphasis permeated society during the war.

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When the war came, ministers and Christian laymen alike were burdened for the spiritual welfare of the generation of warriors who answered their country's call to defend their homelands and who were fated to give their lives for its honor and preservation. A plethora of volunteers from every denomination of Protestant Christianity, as well as from among Roman Catholicism and Judaism, became chaplains, missionaries, and colporteurs. Their mission was to help the soldiers avoid the negative temptations of a life away from the positive influences of home, church, and community and to prepare them for the real possibilities of death and gruesome wounds. They not only encouraged them to prepare for eternity but also to accept the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy as God's will.

This book is the story of those Christian heroes, spiritual soldiers in a spiritual conflict amidst the raging winds of earthly warfare.

About the Author
Dennis L. Peterson is an independent author/historian based in Taylors, SC. A former history teacher, he specializes in Southern history, particularly the War Between the States, the Depression, and World War II. He is the author of "Confederate Cabinet Departments and Secretaries" and "Combat! Spiritual Lessons from Military History."