A stunning collection of stoic portraits and intimate ephemera from the lives of Black Civil War soldiers
Though both the Union and Confederate armies excluded African American men from their initial calls to arms, many of the men who eventually served were black. Simultaneously, photography culture blossomed—marking the Civil War as the first conflict to be extensively documented through photographs. In The Black Civil War Soldier,

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Sergeant William H. Carney, an officer of the newly formed Massachusettes Fifty-fourth Regiment comprised entirely of African Americans, led his soldiers in a significant battle in the Civil War at Fort Wagner, South Carolina. As the soldiers fought, Carney vowed to never let Old Glory touch the ground, and despite several gunshot wounds, he was able to rescue the flag from its fallen bearer. Carney held the flag high showing that they would never...

Ana & Andrew think they have seen every fun place in their hometown of Washington, DC. They are surprised when Papa takes the family to a spot they haven't visited! There, they honor an ancestor who fought for freedom

"In addition to tracking the evolution of the black Confederate myth, Levin explores the roles that African Americans performed in the army with a particular focus on the relationship between officers and their personal body servants or camp slaves. In contrast to claims that these men served as soldiers in racially integrated regiments, Levin demonstrates that regardless of the dangers faced in camp, on the march and on the battlefield their legal...

"This book tells the story of the African American cavalrymen of the 5th Massachusetts during the Civil War-a story of resilience in the face of adversity, one that will resonate not just during the present moment of reckoning with race in the United States but in the annals of American history for all time"--