Soldiering for Freedom
How the Union Army Recruited, Trained, and Deployed the U.S. Colored Troops
Published on 25. August 2014
144 pages
978-1-4214-1374-7 (ISBN)
Description
The story of an enormous step forward in both the struggle for black freedom and the defeat of the Confederacy: turning former enslaved men into Union soldiers.
After President Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, Confederate slaves who could reach Union lines often made that perilous journey. A great many of the young and middle-aged among them, along with other black men in the free and border slave states, joined the Union army. These U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), as the War Department designated most black units, materially helped to win the Civil War-performing a variety of duties, fighting in some significant engagements, and proving to the Confederates that Northern manpower had practically no limits.
Soldiering for Freedom explains how Lincoln's administration came to recognize the advantages of arming free blacks and former slaves and how doing so changed the purpose of the war. Bob Luke and John David Smith narrate and analyze how former slaves and free blacks found their way to recruiting centers and made the decision to muster in. As Union military forces recruited, trained, and equipped ex-slave and free black soldiers in the last two years of the Civil War, white civilian and military authorities often regarded the African American soldiers with contempt. They relegated the men of the USCT to second-class treatment compared to white volunteers. The authors show how the white commanders deployed the black troops, and how the courage of the African American soldiers gave hope for their full citizenship after the war.
Including twelve evocative historical engravings and photographs, this engaging and meticulously researched book provides a fresh perspective on a fascinating topic. Appropriate for history students, scholars of African American history, or military history buffs, this compelling and informative account will provide answers to many intriguing questions about the U.S. Colored Troops, Union military strategy, and race relations during and after the tumultuous Civil War.
After President Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, Confederate slaves who could reach Union lines often made that perilous journey. A great many of the young and middle-aged among them, along with other black men in the free and border slave states, joined the Union army. These U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), as the War Department designated most black units, materially helped to win the Civil War-performing a variety of duties, fighting in some significant engagements, and proving to the Confederates that Northern manpower had practically no limits.
Soldiering for Freedom explains how Lincoln's administration came to recognize the advantages of arming free blacks and former slaves and how doing so changed the purpose of the war. Bob Luke and John David Smith narrate and analyze how former slaves and free blacks found their way to recruiting centers and made the decision to muster in. As Union military forces recruited, trained, and equipped ex-slave and free black soldiers in the last two years of the Civil War, white civilian and military authorities often regarded the African American soldiers with contempt. They relegated the men of the USCT to second-class treatment compared to white volunteers. The authors show how the white commanders deployed the black troops, and how the courage of the African American soldiers gave hope for their full citizenship after the war.
Including twelve evocative historical engravings and photographs, this engaging and meticulously researched book provides a fresh perspective on a fascinating topic. Appropriate for history students, scholars of African American history, or military history buffs, this compelling and informative account will provide answers to many intriguing questions about the U.S. Colored Troops, Union military strategy, and race relations during and after the tumultuous Civil War.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
12 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder
12 Halftones, black and white
File size
4,39 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4214-1374-7 (9781421413747)
DOI
10.1353/book.47651
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Bob Luke | John David Smith
Soldiering for Freedom
How the Union Army Recruited, Trained, and Deployed the U.S. Colored Troops
Book
08/2014
Johns Hopkins University Press
€43.50
Article not available at the moment
Bob Luke | John David Smith
Soldiering for Freedom
How the Union Army Recruited, Trained, and Deployed the U.S. Colored Troops
Book
08/2014
Johns Hopkins University Press
€22.50
Article not available at the moment
Persons
Bob Luke is the author of The Baltimore Elite Giants: Sport and Society in the Age of Negro League Baseball, also published by Johns Hopkins. John David Smith is the Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and author of Black Judas: William Hannibal Thomas and "The American Negro."
Content
Preface
Prologue
1. How Racism Impeded the Recruitment of Black Soldiers
2. How Slaves and Freedmen Earned Their Brass Buttons
3. How White Officers Learned to Command Black Troops
4. How Blacks Became Soldiers
5. How Black Troops Gained the Glory and Paid the Price
Epilogue
Notes
Selected Further Reading
Index
Prologue
1. How Racism Impeded the Recruitment of Black Soldiers
2. How Slaves and Freedmen Earned Their Brass Buttons
3. How White Officers Learned to Command Black Troops
4. How Blacks Became Soldiers
5. How Black Troops Gained the Glory and Paid the Price
Epilogue
Notes
Selected Further Reading
Index
