During this Church Holiday in 1865, there was a momentous occasion in American history.
Many of you are aware that on Good Friday (April 14, 1865), President Abraham Lincoln was attending a play at the Ford Theater. Then, when his body guard stepped out during the intermission for a drink, John Wilkes Booth seized the opportunity to carry out his assassination plan and shot the President in the back of his head at point blank range. After being in a coma, the President died the following morning, April 15.
What you may not recall is that on Palm Sunday preceding this tragic event, Union commanding general, Ulysses Grant and Confederate commanding general, Robert Lee met at an abandoned farm house in Virginia to negotiate terms of the Confederate's surrender to the Union Army. This date, April 9, 1865, brought the end to a four-year explosion of turmoil that tore the country in two. At the request of President Lincoln (who at this time was still alive), General Grant was gracious towards his opponents, sending them on parole without weaponry opposed to imprisoning the whole lot. It was this wisdom of President Lincoln that allowed for reconciliation and the mending of the country back together.
Unlike those of us today celebrating Palm Sunday for the Passion Week, the Union Army was not in church that Sunday morning, but was celebrating the end of war - the end of a war which reigns as the most destructive war (highest casualties) America has ever endured - with over 600,000 casualties.
I can proudly state as a former Michigander and a current Minnesotan that both Michigan and Minnesota made notable contributions even though they were physically removed from the conflict. Michigan was recognized for sending one-fourth (1/4) of its male population, and Minnesota was the first to send troops to the Union Army; both aiding significantly in the Battle of Gettysburg.
This pivotal date in the history for our country was brought back to my attention when I was listening to Insight for Living - "A Day of Unusual Celebration" on the local Christian radio. Check it out for yourself (April 12, 2011 broadcast).
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| EXPLOSION! I'm looking forward to coloring eggs with Thomas and my future mother-in-law whom are visiting me over Easter. |
According to the dates you list here, I would have been alive in Lincoln's time. I really do not think I am that OLD, but I do remember April 14th, 1965. Lyndon B. Johnson was president, in the midst of his only term as president. Coincidentally, he became President of the United States, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy 1.5 years earlier. Similar to Lincoln, he also led the country, during a time of war, specifically the Vietnam War. There are many differing viewpoints on this war also, but there were a few indisputable facts. There were 58,148 Americans killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year, thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. After Vietnam the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand managed to stay free of communism. 91 percent of Vietnam veterans say they are glad they served. I am honored by their service and willingness to die for our country. Today, we celebrate Jesus resurrection, after dieing for our sins. On this special Easter holiday, I would like to say that I am proud to be an American, where we are fortunate to have many men and women in our heritage, who fought for our country, so that we are free to celebrate and believe that Christ was born, he died and was risen, so that we may have eternal life. So...let everyone know....HE's Alive! Happy Easter!
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