Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This day, March 27, 1863, Confederate President Jefferson Davis proclaimed a day of fasting and prayer.

Newspapers throughout the South ran notices that read in part, I, Jefferson Davis,

president of the Confederate States of America, do issue this my proclamation setting apart Friday

the 27th of March as a day of fasting humiliation and prayer. I do also invite the people of the said

states to repair on that day to the usual places of public worship there to join in prayer

to Almighty God that he will continue his merciful protection over our cause.

So there were a number of proclamations like this in the Civil War era calling for fasting

and prayer in the South and in the North and they do offer a really

interesting glimpse into the way that religion mixed in with the cause of the Civil War.

Not to mention the fact that a day of fasting might also help with the many food shortages of the time.

So here to discuss it all are, as always, Nicolhammer of Vanderbilt and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley.

Hello there.

Hello, Jody.

Hey there.

Before we get into the day of fasting and prayer,

Kelly, do you want to give us a little context

for this moment that we're looking at here which seems to me the most prominent of these proclamations March

1863

Where are we in the course of the Civil War? Oh man, this 1863 is considered like the most important year of the war.

So at the start of the year, January 1st, 1863 is when Lincoln issues his

...