Black Southerners in Confederate Armies [Paperback]

J Segars (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0966245415 | ISBN-13: 978-0966245417 | Edition: 1st

For modern readers, the thought of African Americans serving within Confederate armies seems beyond comprehension and reason--and a paradox that contradicts all we thought we knew about the Civil War. Yet, this fine work presents historical accounts about African Americans who served within Confederate armies and includes photos and illustrations.

This volume includes articles from historical journals as well as first-person narratives and accounts from the Official Records and is a compelling presentation of material that documents the activities of men of color who served the South during the Civil War. The accounts are enlightening--and mind boggling!

A good reference for those interested in Civil War and Southern studies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Readers will encounter selections drawn from a wide variety of reliable sources to include newspaper articles and veterans' narratives. -- Publisher

About the Author

J. H. Segars is the author and editor of several books to inlude The Bell Irvin Wiley Reader (LSU Press) and Life in Dixie During the War (Mercer University Press).

Charles Kelly Barrow is a Georgia educator and coeditor of Forgotten Confederates, An Anthology About Black Southerners.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Southern Lion Books; 1st edition (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966245415
• ISBN-13: 978-0966245417
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,841,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Forgotten Piece of History, November 26, 2003

By 

Lee Freeman "lfreeman_histgen" (Florence, Al United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Southerners in Confederate Armies (Paperback)

Black Southerners in Confederate Armies is the second book on this subject by Charles K. Barrows asnd J. H. Segars and as such is one more of several very good recent scholarly studies on this most intriguing subject. This topic is finally receiving the serious attention of Civil War scholars it deserves.

Though Barrows is historian-in-chief for the Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans, the work is free of any pro-Confederate bias. The essay authors, scholars and professional historians, allow the historical records themselves to speak, which is critical for any historical topic, but particularly one that has become so controversial. The essays themselves are concise and well-written, covering a wide range of material relating to black Southerners who served in Confederate armies. The records surveyed include old period newspaper articles, official Confederate military correspondence, interviews with black Confederate veterans as well as analysis of black Confederate pension application files.

The existence of pro-Confederate blacks and black Confederate veterans is beyond serious historical question as this volume makes abundantly clear. Too much historical documentation exists to seriously question the existence of black Confederates, though their motives in some cases may be open to
interpretation; most, though by no means all, served out of patriotism and loyalty to their homeland.

All-in-all a very good stand-alone book on black Confederates or a good introduction to other works on the subject.

17 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good coverage of a forgotten subject, December 21, 2004

By 

James W. Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black Southerners in Confederate Armies (Paperback)

Nothing is so upsetting to a liberal as the idea that Blacks willingly supported the Confederacy. It assails their preconceived notions about slavery and their assumptions about how Blacks should think and act. They simply cannot accept the idea that some slaves and many freemen willingly supported the CSA and many served in its' armies. The fallback position is that they were not soldiers as they lacked weapons being only cooks, teamsters or body servants. The same group will accord soldier status to a man who drove the Red Ball in WWII but not a teamster driving a wagon for the AoNV.

This book takes a very close look at Black Confederates, proves that they do exist, and shows how much information was never recorded. The sad part of their story is that it is untold. This is a vital book for anyone interested in the subject.

10 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Black sympathies in the old South, October 28, 2006

By 

Richard Osborne "Richard T. Osborne" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Southerners in Confederate Armies (Paperback)

Whether Southern Blacks served in the Confederate Army as cooks or front line troops is irrelevant. What is relevant is the intent of their hearts; they supported the Cause of the Confederacy. Blacks can and do believe in State's Rights. Blacks can and do believe that a strong central government is the enemy of freedom and noone wanted freedom more than the slaves, especially the Black slaves in the North. Southern States were buying McCormick Reapers as fast as the North could manufacture them. This book does a great service in shattering Liberal myths about the Lincoln War and in proving that Black people like freedom as well as Whites. After all, why would a Black man want to fight for Mr. Lincoln after all the rude insults and negative remarks he made about Blacks? This book is a positive contribution to Black History. Perhaps the next book will be about Confederate Indians.