Tag Archives: black-history-2019

Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce: America’s First Black Senators

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Todd Arrington

On February 25, 1870, visitors in the U.S. Senate gallery burst into applause when the new Republican senator from Mississippi entered the chamber. This man was no ordinary senator. He was Hiram R. Revels, and he was the first African … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Reconstruction, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Powerful and Determined”: Susie King Taylor and Her Image as Seen by Stephen Restelli

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Meg Groeling

I could not tell she was African-American in looking at the negative.  When I  scanned it as viewed her as a positive print, chills went through me.  This was the most stunning portrait photograph I have ever seen.  And I … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilian, Photography, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Susie King Taylor: The First African American Army Nurse

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Meg Groeling

“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 →

Posted in Civilian, Medical, Slavery, USCT | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

African American Soldiers at Fort Gilmer

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Doug Crenshaw

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 , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The First Contraband Combatants

Posted on February 24, 2019 by Dwight Hughes

“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 , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Their Faces: Those Who Fought To Be Free – A Photographic Essay

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Sarah Kay Bierle

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 , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Newby Family Fights for Freedom

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Jon-Erik Gilot

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 →

Posted in Slavery, USCT | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Remember Poison Spring!

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Kristen Pawlak

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 →

Posted in Trans-Mississippi, USCT | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

ECW Weekender: Emancipation Memorial

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Emerging Civil War

Thinking about heading to Washington D.C. this month or in the near future to study African American history? While the National Museum of African American History and Culture is a highlight and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is another … Continue reading →

Posted in ECW Weekender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

At Sea: Fighting For Freedom

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Emerging Civil War

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 →

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