Daniel Wooten spoke for the many Quakers who entered the military during the Civil War. Quakers, by nature of their religion are pacifists. During the Civil War, some were driven by their disapproval of slavery and love of country to enlist in the military. For some Quakers, the choice was made for them as they were drafted or taken against their will to fight. How did these soldiers feel about the war and what God would think? What was the reaction of their families and communities? Was there a difference between a Quaker soldier who fought for the North and one that fought for the South?
The Quaker religion began in England under Oliver Cromwell’s rule in 1654. They believe that “Christ is reborn in us”. As a result, “they therefore ask of each other, and of human society,
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The Ketcham brothers were from a New York family who had practiced Quakerism for many generations. [10] They were “well educated and well read” farmers who accepted their religion’s beliefs.[11] Yet, they maintained “the war was from God, for the extermination of slavery.” [12] The two likened the Confederates to Satan and the Union to the angel Michael. Though older brother Edward was the first to join the fight, brother John followed six months later leaving their widowed mother at home alone. Edward wrote to his mother attempting to soothe any anxiety she may have felt about her only children in the war. “Now perhaps, it will somewhat soften thy grief, if I tell thee that the hardships of war are greatly exaggerated.” In another letter he scribed, “Mother this time spent here is not lost time. I mean I personally sacrifice nothing.” The brothers were not the only members of their Quaker family to enlist. Nehemiah Hallock Mann, their cousin, also fought to end slavery. Sadly, all three men lost their lives fighting for the Union. The Ketcham brothers died in 1863 and Mann the year