What role did thanksgiving play during the civil war era?

During the early stages of the Civil War, the Thanksgiving holiday still maintained regional associations primarily observed in New England states such as Massachusetts. With battles erupting across different regions, soldiers away from home longed for familiar comforts, often including holiday traditions observed in their home states. Thanksgiving, along with Christmas, emerged as important occasions to express a connection to home, boost morale, and provide moments of unity during periods of conflict. As President Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of Thanksgiving towards the end of the Civil War, the holiday began its journey towards becoming a universally celebrated holiday in the United States.

One particularly notable observance of Thanksgiving during the Civil War occurred amid the chaos of war-torn Maryland in 1863. President Lincoln declared that the last Thursday in November, shortly after many Union victories throughout the summer, would be set aside as a date for national Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving took on significance due to the Union's victories in Gettysburg and Vicksburg while it marked the beginning of what was to become a tradition carried in generations to come. The following year, in October 1864, Union officer Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain wrote about observing Thanksgiving by holding services with an altar and a cross at Petersburg, just east of Richmond, during one of the more grueling battles and campaigns of the war.