Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in the Civil War Era [Hardcover]

John David (editor) Smith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 080782741X | ISBN-13: 978-0807827413 | Publication Date: October 31, 2001

Inspired and informed by the latest research in African American, military, and social history, the fourteen original essays in this book tell the stories of the African American soldiers who fought for the Union cause. Collectively, these essays probe the broad military, political, and social significance of black soldiers' armed service, enriching our understanding of the Civil War and African American life during and after the conflict. The contributors are Anne J. Bailey, Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., John Cimprich, Lawrence Lee Hewitt, Richard Lowe, Thomas D. Mays, Michael T. Meier, Edwin S. Redkey, Richard Reid, William Glenn Robertson, John David Smith, Noah Andre Trudeau, Keith Wilson, and Robert J. Zalimas, Jr.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Well written and well edited. Essential [for] every public and academic library.
(Choice)

This superb anthology of interesting essays successfully raises interest in the role of African Americans during the Civil War.Military Heritage)

"This book makes a worthy contribution, addressing the broad scope of emancipation and black military service.
(Gary W. Gallagher, University of Virginia, author of Lee and His Army in Confederate History)"

From the Inside Flap

Fourteen original essays reveal the varied contributions of the African American soldiers who fought for the Union cause during the Civil War. There were around 179,000 black soldiers; close to 70,000 of them died during the war. The book includes analyses of the major battles and engagements in which African American soldiers fought and discusses the U.S. Colored Cavalry, the recruitment of black regiments in the Mississippi Valley, the use of the USCT as occupation troops, and USCT veterans.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (October 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080782741X
• ISBN-13: 978-0807827413
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,964,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Mays is an associate professor of history at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. He came to HSU in 2003 after spending five years teaching history at Quincy University in Illinois. He was raised in the Midwest and his family's traditional home in Virginia. He recently retired from the military after serving 25 years on active duty and reserves. He holds a Ph.D. from TCU in Fort Worth, TX, an M.A. from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA and a B.A. from Roanoke College in Salem, VA. Currently he teaches early American history, colonial era through the Civil War. His interests include the American Revolutionary and Civil War eras. He has three books and several articles in print.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviewers should at least glance at the contents, October 12, 2010

By 

Daniel K Lewis (Pomona, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in the Civil War Era (Hardcover)

The book is a collection of essays. While the title and the cover illustration are a poor match, the essays are mostly of high quality. They address Black soldiers in a range of circumstances, including Confederate units. The range of cases and the bibliographic information are of value for students and general readers interested in exploring this still under-studied part of the era. Those who look beyond the cover, those who actually read one or more of the essays will find their time not wasted.

4.0 out of 5 stars If you want to do some broad background research it works well., November 26, 2011

By 

Larry Swanson (Spring Hill, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in the Civil War Era (Paperback)

With all due respect to K. Floyd the cover does not refer to Confederate troops. If one bothers to actually read the book he or she will discover a recruitment poster on page 26. It is a poster recruiting Federal troops circa 1963-1865 and is located in the Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library at Duke University. I would assume that a North Carolina university would not be wrong on that account despite what our friend from Florida asserts.

The colorization of the uniforms seems to be a choice made as a result of taking a black and white poster and colorizing it. In the original it is easy to see why the choice was made. Rendered in black and white, the color navy and the skin tone of African Americans is essentially the same. Making the uniform contrast with the skin tone made the poster more visually appealing.

Having actually read the book I found the collection of essays mostly well written and can serve as a jumping off point for new researchers or just to read for fun. The annotations are thorough and will give "fact checkers" all the information they need to consult the original sources.

2 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is not based on facts., May 6, 2008

By 

K. Floyd "Grey Trooper" (Lootz, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in the Civil War Era (Hardcover)

The cover of this book should tell the reader every thing he or she needs to know about this book. The Black soldiers on the cover are not Union troops but are instead Confederate troops from New Orleans, this particular unit is called the native guard and defended Louisiana from Yankee troops for 1-2 years, they were also the first black troops to fight in the war.

The author is trying to make the reader think that they are Union troops, when they are clearly Confederate.

Do not bother with this book - lies, lies, lies!