African American Women During the Civil War (Studies in African American History and Culture) [Library Binding]

Ella Forbes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0815331150 | ISBN-13: 978-0815331155

This study uses an abundance of primary sources to restore African American female participants in the Civil War to history by documenting their presence, contributions and experience. Free and enslaved African American women took part in this process in a variety of ways, including black female charity and benevolence. These women were spies, soldiers, scouts, nurses, cooks, seamstresses, laundresses, recruiters, relief workers, organizers, teachers, activists and survivors. They carried the honor of the race on their shoulders, insisting on their right to be treated as "ladies" and knowing that their conduct was a direct reflection on the African American community as a whole.
For too long, black women have been rendered invisible in traditional Civil War history and marginal in African American chronicles. This book addresses this lack by reclaiming and resurrecting the role of African American females, individually and collectively, during the Civil War. It brings their contributions, in the words of a Civil War participant, Susie King Taylor, "in history before the people."

Product Details

• Library Binding: 304 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815331150
• ISBN-13: 978-0815331155
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,478,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Imagine My Suprise, July 12, 2001

By 

shirley hayden (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: African American Women During the Civil War (Studies in African American History and Culture) (Library Binding)

At the time I purchased this book I really was excited thinking that for once someone actually published a book that specifically talked about the lives and conditions of African based American women and children during the Civil War. As Holly Near would say, "imagine my surprise" and I am not talking about pirated women on a ship. I am a researcher desperately looking for specifics and I thought this book would be crucial to my research so I purchased it.

This book has a lot of history that you should have learned in high school about the civil war in general camouflaged with information from the US Sanitary Commission you may not have been able to come across in high school.

Based upon the preface, this book was supposed to focus on a text of history about black women's experiences during the civil war. In my honest opinion it is written for general history wanna-be buffs, and unconscious civil war almost scholars who do not know about the US Colored Troops or just haven't thought much about them, or only want limited information or knowledge.

I can not stress the importance of feminist, womanist and historical researchers not being able to call African, African-based American, and Women of Color and Culture's by their actual names out in historical text and not redundantly keep printing the same old history that a lot of us already know. If this does not seem to be an issue, then ask the author why she in fact is not able to give much credence to their real names. Can someone supply a muster roll of the women and children "contrabands and refugee's" who supposingly caused a lot of undocumented racket in the camps? Forbes writes in the preface, if women are the focus, the perspective belongs to white women," of which entire book mirrors.

Recommendation: before you purchase this book, request it through the Interlibrary loan system through your public or university library and save yourself some serious money. With the money you save, give to a charitable cause.