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Tag 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
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
Preservation News: USCT’s Headstone Discovered in Delaware
With tens of thousands of books written on the American Civil War and countless artifacts preserved in museums, it is hard to imagine that any more discoveries can be made about this time period. However, we continue to find hidden … Continue reading
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
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
“Freedom!” Their Battle-Cry: 1863 Poetry For African American Soldiers
Poetry has many form and uses, and this writing form has legendarily been used to celebrate heroes. Some of the earliest epics in World History – Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey – were crafted in poetry form. Through meter, rhythm, and … Continue reading
Facebook Cover Photo: African American Soldiers for the Union
“Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder, and bullets in his pocket, and there is no power on the earth … Continue reading
Posted in USCT
Tagged 107th USCT, African American History, black history, black history month, black-history-2019, ECW Facebook, facebook photos, USCT
4 Comments
Book Review: “The Last Siege: The Mobile Campaign, Alabama 1865”
When Ulysses S. Grant looked back at the 1865 Mobile Campaign, he had an uncharitable view of the victory, writing that it was “eminently successful, but without any good result. Indeed much valuable property was destroyed and many lives lost … Continue reading
