Religious Aspects of the American Civil War

Very brief biographical information is included in these entries to set historical context of the authors and subjects of the works listed in this guide.

Most of the information on ministers comes from the "General Catalogues" (list of graduates and students) of the theological schools they attended. We have copies in our collection of the catalogues of Harvard, Andover, Princeton, Union, Meadville, Newton, New Brunswick, and Colgate-Rochester, and many of these and others can be found in Google Books. In addition, copies in Google Books of biographical sketches of the graduates of Harvard, Yale, Williams, and other colleges were found to be useful for compiling this data. The print Who Was Who. the Dictionary of American Biography, and other biographical reference sources were also used. For subjects and authors of those in official military service during the War, links have been created to the descriptions of regiments and battles from the National Park Service's Civil War site.

As with any undertaking of a project and presentation of this size, there are likely to be omissions and mistakes. Please email Research Services with comments and corrections.

Daniel Reed Cady (Oct. 8, 1813-May 17, 1879) graduated from Williams College in 1838 and Andover Theological Seminary in 1845. He was minister of the Orthodox Congregational Church of West Cambridge (now Arlington) from 1856 to 1877.

Hugh Smith Carpenter (June 5, 1824-Mar. 22, 1899) graduated from New York University in 1842 and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1845. He was the minister of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., from 1857 to 1870.

Joseph Halsted Carroll (May 21. 1833-Jan. 7, 1887) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1851 and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1855. He was the minister of the South Congregational Church in New Haven, Connecticut, from 1862 to 1867.

Albert St. John Chambré (1840?-1911) was the minister of the First Parish (Universalist) in Stoughton, Massachusetts, from 1864 to 1872. He was a chaplain in the 8th Regiment, New Jersey Infantry from September 14, 1861, to May 16, 1863.

George Leonard Chaney (Dec. 24, 1836-Apr. 10, 1922) graduated from Harvard College in 1859 and Meadville Theological School in 1862. He was the minister of the Hollis Street Church in Boston from 1862 to 1877. After the Battle of Fredericksburg, he served for a while in the army hospitals there.

Edwin Hubbell Chapin (Dec. 29, 1814-Dec. 26, 1880) was the minister of the Fourth Universalist Society (Church of the Divine Paternity) from 1848 to 1880.

George Barrell Cheever (Apr. 17, 1807-Oct. 1, 1890) graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1830. He was the minister of the Congregational Church of the Puritans in New York City from 1846 to 1867.

Benjamin William Chidlaw (July 14, 1811-July 14, 1892) graduated from Miami University (Ohio) in 1833. In 1846 he was commissioned as a missionary of the American Sunday School Union. In 1861 he undertook missionary work in the Southern Ohio military camps of instruction established for Union volunteers. He was a chaplain in the 39th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (August? 1861-May 14, 1862).

Alexander Huntington Clapp (Sept. 1, 1818-Apr. 27, 1899) graduated from Yale College in 1842, attended Yale Divinity School from 1842 to 1844, and graduated from Andover Theological Seminary in 1845. He was the minister of the Beneficent Congregational Church in Providence, R.I., from 1855 to 1865. He was a chaplain in the 10th Regiment, Rhode Island Infantry, May 26-Aug. 26, 1862.

Frederick Gorham Clark (Dec. 13, 1819-Nov. 18, 1886) graduated from New York University in 1842 and from Union Theological Seminary in 1845. He was the minister of the Twenty-Third Street Presbyterian Church in New York City from 1852 to 1867.

James Freeman Clarke (Apr. 4, 1810-June 8, 1888) graduated from Harvard College in 1829 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1833. He was minister of the Church of the Disciples in Boston from 1841 to 1888.

Robert Bethell Claxton (Nov. 6, 1814-May 24, 1882) graduated from Yale College in 1838 and studied at the Virginia Theological Seminary for two years.  He was rector of St. Luke’s Church in Rochester from 1859 to 1865.

Elisha Lund Cleaveland (Apr. 25, 1806-Feb. 16, 1866) graduated from Brown in 1829 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1832. He was the minister of the Third Church in New Haven, Conn., from 1833 to 1866.

Robert Collyer (Dec. 8, 1823-Nov. 30, 1912) was the minister of Unity Church in Chicago (initially as a Unitarian minister-at-large) from 1859 to 1879.

Pennel Coombe (Aug. 5, 1811-Jan. 31, 1884) was a member of the Philadelphia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was the minister of the Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia from 1841 to 1843 and from 1861 to 1863.

Paul Couch (June 21, 1803-Mar. 7, 1891) graduated from Dartmouth College in 1823 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1826. He was the minister of the First Congregational Church in Stonington, Connecticut, from 1863 to 1887.

Arthur Cleveland Coxe (May 10, 1818-July 20, 1896) graduated from the University of the City of New York in 1838 and from General Theological Seminary in 1841. He was the rector of Calvary Church in New York City from 1863 to 1865.

Frederic Swartwout Cozzens (Mar. 11, 1818-Dec. 23, 1869) became an important wine merchant in New York City; in 1854, he began the publication of Wine Press, a trade monthly promoting domestic wines. One of the founding members of the Century Club, he was also, by avocation, an author and humorist.

Warren Handel Cudworth (May 23, 1825-Nov. 29, 1883) graduated from Harvard College in 1850 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1851. He was minister of the Unitarian Church in East Boston from 1852 to 1883. He was a chaplain in the 1^st Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, May 22, 1861-May 28, 1864.

Alexander Griswold Cummins (Nov. 12, 1833-May 10, 1904) graduated from Trinity College in 1851 and studied at Berkeley Divinity School. He was the rector of Christ Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, from 1861 to 1867.

George David Cummins (Dec. 11, 1822-June 26, 1876) graduated from Dickinson College in 1841. He was the rector of St. Peter’s Church in Baltimore from 1858 to 1863.

Theodore Ledyard Cuyler (Jan. 10, 1822 – Feb. 26, 1909) graduated from Princeton in 1841 and from Princeton Theological School in 1846. He served the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York from 1860 to 1890.

John Jay Dana (Nov. 5, 1811-June 18, 1899) studied at Williams College (1827-29) and graduated from Union College in 1831. He studied at Andover Theological Seminary (1831-33) and Princeton Theological Seminary (1833-34). He was the minister of the Congregational Church in Cummington, Massachusetts, from 1861 to 1865.

James De Normandie (June 9, 1836-Oct. 6, 1924) graduated from Antioch College in 1858 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1862. He was minister of the South Church in Portsmouth, N.H. from 1862 to 1883.

Orville Dewey (Mar. 28, 1795-Mar. 21, 1882) graduated from Williams College in 1814 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1819. He was the minister of the New South Church (Unitarian) in Boston from 1857 to 1861.

Henry Martyn Dexter (Aug. 13, 1821-Nov. 13, 1890) studied at Brown (1836-39) and graduated from Yale College in 1840 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1844. He was the minister of the Berkeley Temple (formerly Pine Street) Congregational Church in Boston from 1849 to 1867.

Noadiah Smith Dickinson (Mar. 22, 1815-Mar. 28, 1876) graduated from Amherst College in 1841 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1845. He was the minister of the Congregational Church in Foxborough, Massachusetts, from 1858 to 1869.

Morgan Dix (Nov. 1, 1827-Apr. 29, 1908) graduated from Columbia in 1848 and from General Theological Seminary in 1852. He was the assistant rector (beginning in 1855) and rector (beginning in 1862) of Trinity Church in New York City.

Thomas Doggett (Nov. 25, 1827-Nov. 2? 1901) graduated from Western Reserve College in 1848 and from Western Reserve Theological Seminary in 1852. He was the colleague minister of the Congregational Church in Groveland, Massachusetts, from 1857 to 1864.

George Duffield (Sept. 12, 1816-July 6, 1888) graduated from Yale College in 1837 and from Union Theological Seminary in 1840. He was the minister of the First Presbyterian Church in the Northern Liberties (the Coates' Street Presbyterian Church) in Philadelphia from 1852 to 1861.

Israel Edson Dwinell (Oct. 24, 1820-June 7, 1890) graduated from the University of Vermont in 1843 and from Union Theological Seminary in 1848. He was the minister of the South Church (Congregational) in Salem, Massachusetts, from 1849 to 1863.

Manton Eastburn (Feb. 9, 1801-Sept. 11, 1870) graduated from Columbia in 1817 and from General Theological Seminary in 1821. He was consecrated Assistant Bishop of Massachusetts on December 29, 1842, and became Bishop on February 15, 1843.

Richard Eddy (June 21, 1828-August 16, 1906) studied at the Clinton Liberal Institute. He was a chaplain in the 60th Regiment, New York Infantry (1861-63) and was the minister of the First Universalist Society in Philadelphia from 1863 to 1868.

Cornelius Henry Edgar (Apr. 11, 1811-Dec. 23. 1884) graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton) in 1834. He was the minister of the Reformed Dutch Church in Easton, Pennsylvania, from 1853 to 1882.

James Eells (Aug. 27, 1822-Mar. 9, 1886) graduated from Hamilton College in 1844 and from Auburn Theological Seminary in 1851. He served the Reformed Church in Brooklyn Heights from 1859? To 1867?

David Einhorn (Nov. 10, 1809-Nov. 2, 1879) studied in Fürth, Würzburg, and Munich. In 1855 he moved to the United States and became a leader in the Reform movement in American Judaism and an out-spoken critic of slavery. In 1861, he became the rabbi of the Congregation Keneseth Israel in Philadelphia, which he served until 1866.

Azariah Eldridge (Feb. 7, 1820-Oct. 1, 1888) graduated from Yale College in 1841, studied at Andover Theological Seminary (1842-43), and graduated from Yale Divinity School in 1845. He was the minister of the Fort Street Presbyterian Church in Detroit from 1858 to 1865.

William Greenleaf Eliot (Aug. 5, 1811-Jan. 23, 1887) graduated from George Washington University in 1831 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1834. He was the minister of the Unitarian Church in St. Louis from 1834 to 1871.

George Edward Ellis (Aug. 8, 1814-Dec. 20, 1894) graduated from Harvard College in 1833 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1836. He was the minister of the Harvard Church in Charlestown, Massachusetts, from 1940 to 1869 and a non-resident Professor of Systematic Theology at Harvard Divinity School from 1857 to 1863.

Rufus Ellis (Sept. 14, 1819-Sept. 23, 1895) graduated from Harvard College in 1838 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1841. He served the First Church in Boston from 1853 until his death.

Charles Carroll Everett (June 19, 1829-Oct. 16, 1900) graduated from Bowdoin College in 1850 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1859; he was also its Bussey Professor of Theology (1869-1900) and Dean (1878-1900). He served the Independent Congregational Church in Bangor from 1859 to 1869.

Ferdinand Cartwright Ewer (May 22, 1826-Oct. 10, 1883) studied at Harvard College and received an honorary AB in 1848. He was the rector of Christ Church in New York City from 1862 to 1871.

Isaac Ferris (Oct. 9, 1798-June 16, 1873) graduated from Columbia in 1816 and from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in 1820. He was the Chancellor of New York University and Professor of Moral Philosophy and Evidences of Revealed Religion from 1852 to 1870 (afterwards emeritus).

Joseph Fewsmith (Jan. 7, 1816-June 22, 1888) graduated from Yale in 1840. He was the minister of the Second Presbyterian Church in Newark, New Jersey, from 1851 to 1888.

George Park Fisher (Aug. 10, 1827-Dec.20, 1909) graduated from Brown in 1847, studied at Yale Divinity School (1849-50), and graduated from Andover Theological Seminary in 1851. He was the College Pastor and Livingston Professor of Divinity in Yale College (1854-61) and Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History in Yale Divinity School (1861-1901).

Richmond Fisk (Feb. 23, 1836-Jan. 29, 1916) studied at Williams College and graduated from Union College in 1858. He was the minister of the Universalist Church in Lockport, New York, from 1862 to 1865.

John Orr Fiske (July 13, 1819-Dec. 18, 1893) graduated from Bowdoin College in 1837 and from Bangor Theological Seminary in 1842. He was the minister of the Winter Street Congregational Church in Bath, Maine, from 1843 to 1883.

Henry Wilder Foote (June 2, 1838-May 29, 1889) graduated from Harvard College in 1858 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1861. He was minister of King’s Chapel in Boston from 1861 until his death.

Jacob Gilbert Forman (Jan. 21, 1820-Feb. 7, 1885) was the minister of the First Congregational Unitarian Society in Alton, Ill., from 1857 to 1861. He was a chaplain in the 3rd Regiment, Missouri Infantry (1862-63) and in the 1st Regiment, Missouri State Militia Infantry (1864-65). In the summer of 1863, he became Secretary of the Western Sanitary Commission.

Photo : Jacob Gilbert Forman UUA Minister file

Stacy Fowler (Feb. 27, 1829-Nov. 3, 1892) graduated from Bangor Theological Seminary in 1861. He was the minister of the Congregational Church in North Yarmouth, Maine, from 1862 to 1863.

Henry J. Fox (May 13, 1821-Nov. 5, 1891) was the minister of the Central Methodist Episcopal Church in New York City from 1863 to 1865.

Thomas Bayley Fox (Aug. 20, 1808-June 11, 1876) graduated from Harvard College in 1828 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1831. After serving several Unitarian congregations, he turned to journalism as a career; in 1864, he was the owner and editor of the Christian Examiner, His son. Thomas Bayley Fox, Jr. (February 1, 1839-July 25, 1863) graduated from Harvard College in 1860 and from Harvard Law School in 1862. He served in the 2^nd Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, rising to the rank of captain. He was wounded in the ankle in the Battle of Gettysburg and died from that wound at age 22 after returning to Dorchester.

Octavius Brooks Frothingham (Nov. 26, 1822-Nov. 27, 1895) graduated from Harvard College in 1843 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1846. He was the minister of the Third Congregational Unitarian Society in New York City from 1859 to 1879.

Arthur Buckminster Fuller (Aug. 10, 1822-Dec. 11, 1862) graduated from Harvard College in 1843 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1847. He was ordained on Mar. 29, 1848, and served Unitarian churches in Manchester, New Hampshire (1848-53), Boston (New North, 1853-59), and Watertown, Massachusetts (1859-61). He was a Chaplain in the 16th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (Aug. 15, 1861-Dec. 11, 1862). He died in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Va.

See under Dec. 11, 1862 in "Deaths & Funerals"

[Carte de visite: Arthur Buckminester Fuller, UUA Minister file]

Richard Fuller (Apr. 22, 1804-Oct. 20, 1876) graduated from Harvard College in 1824. He was the minister of the Seventh Baptist Church in Baltimore from 1847 to 1871. He was a founder of the Southern Baptist Convention and was its president in 1859 and 1861.

Justin Dewey Fulton (Mar. 1, 1828-Apr. 16, 1901) graduated from the University of Rochester in 1852 and studied in the Rochester Theological Seminary in 1853/54. He was minister of the Union Temple Church (Baptist) in Boston from 1864 to 1873.

William Henry Furness (Apr. 20, 1802-Jan. 30, 1896) graduated from Harvard College in 1830 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1823. He was the minister of the Unitarian Church in Philadelphia from 1825 to 1875.