
Rachel Young King Anderson, die leefde van 1818 tot 1898, schreef op 1 januari 1863, toen ze al vele maanden van oorlogsontberingen achter zich had liggen:
A new year dawns on us gloomily, though I have very many thanks recorded on my heart for special mercies and blessings that we as a family have been favored with during the stormy times that have been and still are raging around since the war began in 1861 and that is now raging. (...) Lord, pity our people and may this year be noted for the restoration of peace, the reunion of families, the spread of the Gospel and the supreme and universal reign of piety.
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