Mercy, grace can bring salvation in difficult times

From a retired Episcopal Priest in Colorado. (Nice story)

The sesquicentennial observance of the American Civil War has begun. Because I have a family connection to it, I rise to a point of personal privilege.

More than 600,000 souls perished in this war — more than any other American war. Property damage, unimaginable cruelty and countless acts of destruction are unequaled in American military history.

In the midst of these horrors, an example of mercy, grace and redemption shines forth.
In May 1864, General Sherman started his “march to the sea.” From the Tennessee-Georgia border, he methodically swept everything in his path aside, burning entire towns to the ground. The burning of Atlanta, graphically illustrated in “Gone With The Wind,” characterized Sherman’s response to resistance.

Property confiscation, execution of the locals and conflagrations were the norm.
Sherman’s Federal troops sometimes pursued Southern troops, and sometimes were pursued by them. Some battlefields swapped hands daily.

This was the case in Sandersville, Ga., in November 1864. A small group of Confederate cavalry rode into Sandersville having just captured 13 Federal troops, among them a severely injured cavalry lieutenant.

More here-

http://www.chieftain.com/life/local/mercy-grace-can-bring-salvation-in-difficult-times/article_92d214c8-6d55-11e0-bbe1-001cc4c002e0.html