The holidays are a time to enjoy the company of family and friends, give to those in need and celebrate the gifts of God. One of those gifts is the freedom to learn about our own history and grow from that knowledge. Today, we Americans are far better off than at any time, but today’s prosperity is far different than those who lived in some eras of our past. In the post-Civil War south, very hard times of those years left some thinking of the prewar days in a much different light than the period is generally seen today.
He was known by those who knew him as Uncle Joe, an itinerate prea...
