Thanksgiving: A Civil War Perspective

Thanksgiving during the Civil War wasn’t turkey and football. In 1863, Lincoln made it

a national holiday — right after Gettysburg. He called for “thanksgiving and praise” even as the war raged

on. For soldiers, the holiday looked very different. Hardtack and salt

pork replaced turkey and stuffing. Some carved pumpkins into makeshift pies. Others boiled coffee

over campfires, sharing it like a feast. Letters home carried gratitude for survival

— and sorrow for fallen comrades. Families on the home front gathered in churches,

praying for sons at the front. In Richmond, Confederate papers mocked Lincoln’s

proclamation, calling it “Yankee hypocrisy.” But even in the South, soldiers paused