Marching Forward: Atlanta Salvation Army Battle Origins
The red, yellow, and blue flag was unfurled, the bass drum was harnessed, and the first steps were taken into the newest community claimed for the Kingdom of God by The Salvation Army. The year was 1890, and those chosen to spearhead the attack were Major and Mrs. John Dale. A hallmark of Salvationists of that era was the desire for local citizens to know that the officers and soldiers who were wearing those strange uniforms intended to work boldly and loudly to redeem the worst of the worst, the least of the least, and the most destitute of the lost from the sins and poverty which enslaved them.
Captain Davis was selected two years later to take up the ministry mantle, leading the small but determined fledgling soldiery unit. Building upon the work begun by Major and Mrs. Dale, she, along with Sergeant “Mother” Brown, worked diligently to confront the sin and poverty they found. Unfortunately, their enemies also went to work. The opponents of the Army were the local purveyors of vice, such as saloon and brothel owners, who profited from prolific debauchery and degradation. They enacted a plan to shut down the Salvationists, hiring street toughs to run a campaign of intimidation.
As the small band of Salvation soldiers attempted to share the message of deliverance, they were physically attacked by these hired bullies, pelted with rotten eggs and garbage, their sermons drowned out with shouts and curses thrown at them or at any passers-by who dared to stop and listen. Evangelistic street meetings became battle zones. The meeting hall rented for the first Army stronghold was not immune to this hostility, the building’s windows broken out time and time again. The threat of personal violence and persecution was ever-present, yet these heroes of the faith would not relent.
When personal attacks would not dissuade the Salvationists from doing their outstanding work, the local vice business owners utilized law enforcement agents to intervene. Captain Davis and Mother Brown, along with some additional Salvationists, were arrested and sent to jail for the crime of selling the “War Cry.” However, the enemies of the Army work underestimated the resilience and commitment of the Salvationists. Once they were released from jail, these uniform-clad evangelists immediately returned to their efforts in redeeming lives.
The next commanding officer assigned to the community was Captain Anna Glosser. Instead of backing down in the face of this opposition, she increased the number of marches and open airs and stood as the principal preacher of the Gospel in every meeting. In this city's church culture, being an aggressive woman preacher went squarely against the religious tenets of the day, inviting even more persecution. Yet, neither she nor the soldiers carrying the flags, playing the instruments, or marching with the timbrels would be dissuaded from taking the Gospel message to the whosoever.
Today, 135 years later, The Salvation Army of Atlanta, Georgia, continues the work begun by Major and Mrs. Dale, Captain Davis, Sargeant Brown, and Captain Glosser. Lives are still being redeemed, and the Gospel is preached daily. The community has since embraced the Army's work and wonderfully supports it. Though Atlanta has changed dramatically in the years since the Army first stood on its downtown street corners, the Gospel message remains the same.
Whenever I travel down Piedmont Avenue or Peachtree or Courtland Street, I wonder if this is where Captain Davis and Mother Brown stood their ground while garbage was hurled at them or where Captain Glosser marched behind the unfurled flag. Every redeemed life, rescued soul, and destitute person given hope during the past many generations in the Atlanta area and the other communities seeded by Atlanta soldiers and officers owe an outstanding debt to these first Salvationists who suffered and sacrificed to blaze the redemptive path we walk today.
And now, let the great work continue — let us march on!
