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.
General
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