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Category Archives: USCT
Significant USCT Sites in the Eastern Theater: Virginia and Washington, DC
I have had a few inquiries about significant sites for the United States Colored Troops. Over the past several years, I have spoken about each of the five sites that I am writing about in this blog. I participated in … Continue reading
Emerging Scholar Ashley Towle
As part of our partnership with the American Civil War Museum in Richmond and Civil War Monitor, we’re pleased to introduce the next of our “Emerging Scholars,” Ashley Towle. Ashley will be presenting her work at the museum’s Grand Opening May 4. A Tale … Continue reading
Susie King Taylor: The First African American Army Nurse
“I was born under the slave law in Georgia, in 1848, and was brought up by my grandmother in Savannah.” So begin the memoirs of Civil War nurse Susie King Taylor, a most unusual woman in many ways. She was … Continue reading
African American Soldiers at Fort Gilmer
It was September 29, 1864. General Benjamin Butler’s Army of the James finally arose from its slumber, crossing the James and launching attacks against the outer Confederate fortifications around Richmond. The plan was to pierce the works and then to … Continue reading
Posted in Battles, USCT
Tagged 8th USCT, Army of the James, black history, black history month, black-history-2019, Fort Gilmer, Julius Weiss, New Market Heights, USCT, William Birney
2 Comments
The First Contraband Combatants
“The scene on board the flag-ship was novel and thrilling. The thunder of the conflict drowned all other noises,” wrote historian John S. C. Abbott.[1] In one of the first Civil War histories, written while it happened, Abbott employed elegant … Continue reading
Posted in Navies, USCT
Tagged African American sailors, black history, black history month, black-history-2019, Civil War Navy, USCT, USS Minnesota
2 Comments
Their Faces: Those Who Fought To Be Free – A Photographic Essay
When I have a lazy evening, I like to wander through the files of photographs on the Library of Congress website. The rain drummed outside, its even cadence echoing the drums of war from long past years. I decided to … Continue reading
Posted in Photography, USCT
Tagged African American History, black history, black history month, black-history-2019, civil war photography, USCT
3 Comments
The Newby Family Fights for Freedom
For more than two decades I’ve been fascinated with John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. There’s so much intrigue to the story…it almost reads like a Hollywood script. More than the voluminous books, the artifacts and the sites associated … Continue reading
Remember Poison Spring!
If you have seen the 2012 film Lincoln, you may remember the first two scenes: a gruesome hand-to-hand fight between white Confederate troops and African-American Federal soldiers, and two USCTs speaking with their commander-in-chief. Besides the overarching themes of race, … Continue reading
At Sea: Fighting For Freedom
African Americans hazarded their lives and freedom against the nation’s enemies in the colonial and United States navies while achieving a level of respect, relatively fair treatment, and economic opportunities generally not available ashore. (Dwight Hughes, 2018, ECW Blog) In … Continue reading
Posted in Navies, Slavery, USCT
Tagged African American sailors, black history month, black-history-2019, from the archives, U.S. Navy
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