What Was Christmas Like During the Civil War?

Christmas Eve, by Thomas Nast
It hasn't escaped the attention of many that the traditions associated with Christmas celebrations in the United States today began during the Civil War. Without a doubt, it was the loneliness and insecurities of war felt by citizens and soldiers alike that created a need for them to seek solace and security. They found it in part by re-establishing familiar European traditions. This created the illusion of love and peace at a time when very little of that existed in their daily lives.

Christmas had been celebrated in Europe with eating, drinking, and dancing. It was the Puritans who attempted to end this indulgent behavior, and did it successfully when they came to America. With their arrival, Christmas became a serious occasion, the purpose of which was to introspectively ponder sin and religious commitment.

It took almost 200 years for our country to move away from this Puritan view and enjoy the holidays once more. Louisiana was the first state to make Christmas a holiday in 1830, and many states soon followed. Congress did not make Christmas a federal holiday until 1870. The religious revival of the mid 19th century also added to the desire to unite, celebrate, and recognize Christmas.

Christmas cards, carols, special foods, holding winter dances, all date back to the late 1850s. Even before the Civil War, it was common to cut Christmas trees and take them into the home, although they were tabletop size, and usually were arranged with other greenery and mistletoe, all supposed to bring good luck to the household. Union soldiers' letters mention decorating their camp Christmas trees with salt-pork and hard tack.

It was the development of the modern Santa Claus that embedded Christmas into the American way of life. In 1861, Thomas Nast was a German immigrant working as a writer and artist at Harper's Weekly. When he was tasked with providing a drawing to accompany Clement Clark Moore's 1821 poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, he called upon his Bavarian childhood to create our modern image of Santa Claus. His cherubic (but thin by today's standards) Santa was depicted bringing gifts of Harper's to the soldiers, making Nast the first to combine imagery (Santa Claus) and commercialism (selling Harper's) into the American marketplace.

Santa brought children gifts, and gifts were always home made. Children were satisfied to receive just small hand-carved toys, cakes, oranges or apples. Many Southern diaries tell the story of Santa running the blockaded ports in Dixie to fill children's stockings with what little the parents could spare to make the day special for them. Even General Sherman's soldiers played Santa to impoverished Southern children by attaching tree-branch antlers to their horses and bringing food to the starving families in the war-ravaged Georgia countryside.

The most famous Christmas gift of the war was sent by telegram from William Tecumseh Sherman to Abraham Lincoln on December 22, 1864. "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with 100 and 50 guns and plenty of ammunition, also about 25,000 bales of cotton." The gift, of course, wasn't the guns, the ammunition or the cotton, but the beginning of the end of the Civil War.

How to Spend Your Time Here....

Most of our guests have a set idea of what they will be doing while staying with us, however, there are those of us that while drawn back again and again to the area for it's charm and history, there may be a yearning to go off the beaten path.

Here are just a few suggestions besides the obvious-

Geocaching:

If you're like me, I had no idea about this until early last year. You can read more about how it works here. This can be an exciting activity to plan with a family. There are several sites located through out the Gettysburg Area and in Adams County, PA. Click here for a few to get you started. This is a great way to get more familiar with a particular location you visit.

Sach's Bridge:

Sachs Covered Bridge was built in 1852 by David S. Stoner. Part of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia began it's retreat to Virginia by crossing this bridge after the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. Sach's covered bridge extends 100 feet across Marsh Creek. In 1938, the Pennsylvania Highway Department determined that Sachs Bridge was the most historic covered bridge in the state. Sachs Bridge was closed to traffic in 1968 and listed in the National Register of historic places in 1980. Floodwaters swept it from its abutments on June 19, 1996. The County of Adams rehabilitated the Sach's bridge by supporting its trusses with steel beams and by raising its elevation three feet.

Evergreen Cemetary:

The Evergreen Cemetery is a private cemetery that was located on Cemetery Hill before the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. It was established in 1854 when a group of local residents headed by attorney David McConaughy bought land on Raffensperger's Hill south of Gettysburg along the Baltimore Pike for a community cemetery. The large brick gatehouse was constructed in the late 1850's. During the Battle of Gettysburg, the hill was a key position for the Union Army. As a consequence, the cemetery and its gatehouse suffered damage from incoming artillery shells, as well as from the thousands of men and horses who tramped through it during and after the fighting. The Soldiers' National Cemetery was established immediately west of it after the battle. Although today the Soldiers' National Cemetery is closed to new burials, the Evergreen Cemetery is still active and plots may be purchased.

There are many more places to see and things to do, this is just scratching the surface of visiting our beautiful area. Hope to see you soon!

One of the best ways to see the battlefield is by horse. Many of our guests are taking advantage of these incredible experiences at Hickory Hollow Farm. We have been enjoying some beautiful Indian summer weather and you can still reserve a ride through the month of November. You can book a licensed battlefield guide or it is possible to ride with General Lee!

A strikingly realistic photo of a couple who stayed with us recently-they visited The Victorian Photo Studio in Gettysburg to accomplish this incredible feat.

Yes, we can!

In addition to offering the finest food and lodging in the land, we also offer a pretty unique meeting facility for a variety of corporate functions. This was a lovely spread created by one of our talented chefs for a local association conference. Call us today to schedule a consultation.