The Slaves' War: The Civil War in the Words of Former Slaves (Hardcover)

~ Andrew Ward (Author)
Key Phrases: most scandalous thing, old marse, running from the war, The West, Union Army, Old Master (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In Ward's groundbreaking history, the Civil War is recounted from the previously silent victims that it most directly affected: the slaves themselves. Through hundreds of interviews, diaries, letters and memoirs, Ward offers an entirely new perspective of the war and firm-voiced Richard Allen presents the material with tremendous passion. Allen reads at a solid pace, letting every word seep in so that by the end of the book, the outrageous tragedy of slavery saturates each listener. With believable and realistic shifts in tone and dialect, Allen displays his inherent storytelling talent by furthering the previously silenced voices of slaves. A truly compelling listening experience that demands repeated listenings. A Houghton Mifflin hardcover. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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"This is a riveting book about the most important event in our history . . . readable and compelling." --Ken Burns

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Product Details Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (June 10, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0618634002 ISBN-13: 978-0618634002 Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,695 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #14 in  Books > History > Historical Study > Oral History #74 in  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > United States Civil War #88 in  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > United States > Civil War

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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
most scandalous thing, old marse, running from the war

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The West, Union Army, Old Master, The East, North Carolina, Abraham Lincoln, George Knox, South Carolina, James Thomas, Jeff Davis, Civil War, Jefferson Davis, Bull Run, Fort Pillow, Louis Hughes, Harpers Ferry, General Lee, Marse Robert, Pine Bluff, Adelia Wicker, Got My Own Again, The Row's End, Couldn't Leave, Elizabeth Keckley, Belle Grove

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	93% buy the item featured on this page: The Slaves' War: The Civil War in the Words of Former Slaves 4.6 out of 5 stars (8) $14.24
	2% buy Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II 4.7 out of 5 stars (68) $11.98
	2% buy The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family 3.5 out of 5 stars (64) $12.89
	2% buy When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection (Dover Thrift Editions) 5.0 out of 5 stars (12) $2.50

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8 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 37 of 38 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars "Thank the Lawd, us is free as the jay birds!" *, May 27, 2008 By  Kerry Walters (Lewisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       There are many excellent studies of black Civil War soldiers and equally good editions of letters and reminiscences from black veterans. (In fact, following the 1989 release of the film "Glory" about the black Massachusetts 54th, there was something of a flood of such books.) But until now, there really hasn't been a good study of the reactions of southern slaves to the war. Andrew Ward, familiar to Civil War buffs from his excellent River Run Red (2005) has changed that with his The Slaves' War. Mr. Ward's book is perhaps best described as a hybrid between straightforward narrative and oral history. In ten well-written and organized chapters, he transcribes the chronological reminiscences of slaves from both eastern and western theaters of the war. The witnesses come from all walks: house and field slaves; skilled and unskilled; men, women, and children; slaves who eagerly followed the course of the war, and slaves who wanted nothing to do with it; slaves who were rented by their masters to dig fortifications, and slaves who remained on the farm while their white owners went to the front; slaves who remained convinced until their dying day that they'd met Lincoln on an incognito journey through the south he made before the war, and slaves who actually did observe Jefferson Davis on a regular basis (one black preacher humorously prayed: "Shake Jeff Davis over the mouth of hell, Lord, but don't drop him in"); slaves who welcomed blue-coated soldiers as harbingers of Jubilo, and slaves who, frightened by their masters' tales of northern barbarism, were frightened; and slaves, always and everywhere, distrusted by masters worried that all the northern-spawned talk of abolition would spawn rebellion south of the Mason-Dixon line. Ward tells us that he surveyed thousands of recorded interviews, memoirs, obituaries, diaries, and letters in compiling The Slaves' War. It's both remarkable and a bit disconcerting that this material hasn't been mined until now. Hopefully Ward's revitalization of these slaves' voices, with all their eloquence, hope, fear, pain, joy, anger, pride and even humor, will spark more research into this too neglected Civil War perspective. __________ * This joyous cry was raised by plantation slaves upon the news that the Confederacy was defeated. But as would prove all too often the case in the post-war years, the joy of freedom was quickly shadowed by threats. Immediately after the slaves shouted their thanksgivings, "a white man come along and told them that if he heard them say that again, he would kill the last one of them." From Addie Vinson's reminiscences, p. 263. 17 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable!, June 21, 2008 By  Daniel Pearlman (Santa Fe, New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This is a superb telling of the story of the Civil War with running commentary in the actual words of slaves who saw it, fought it, endured it and lived to tell about what it was like for them and their fellows before, during and after the war. For anyone interested in the war, it provides a unique and invaluable perspective never seen before. For anyone interested in African American history, which of course should be every American who wants to be politically awake, this is a wonderful opportunity to let the people speak for themselves, a most welcome change in historical writing about these terrible and awesome events. Must read..... 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Content Over Style, October 7, 2008 By  Roderick S. Haynes "R. Haynes, Seattle, WA" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    As someone who has been an amateur Civil War historian for over 40 years, this is a glimpse of the war from an entirely new, and sobering perspective. The reader needs to understand Ward has captured the oral testimonies of former slaves, and as such, the style of presentation is unavoidably choppy and not congruent. But that pales in comparison to the CONTENT of what the former slaves relate in this book. It is a unique, and again, very sobering collection of stories. And I HIGHLY recommend reading it. I am adding it to my library.		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars An incredibly insightful work on the Civil War This book is the product of extensive research. It is resourced and documented to perfection with hundreds of quotations and reminiscences of former slaves, but as importantly,... Read more Published 9 months ago by Steven R. Parr 3.0 out of 5 stars It was okay I have recently purchased The Slave's War after seeing the author on The Daily Show promoting it. I absolutely love reading about history and real events from real people, but I... Read more Published 14 months ago by Justin Feasby 5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, enlightening book on Civil War Although this book is a hard one to read more than a few chapters at a time, it is worth the effort. Read more Published 14 months ago by Fran W. 5.0 out of 5 stars The Slaves' War This was by far the best book of its kind written about this particular event in American history. The author used great care in weaving a histroical story by first person... Read more Published 15 months ago by Edwin C. Tingstrom 4.0 out of 5 stars Great Follow-up to Complicity I had just finished reading Complicity (The North's involvment in the slave trade) when this book arrived. It is a wonderfully written "history" book & I love history Published 16 months ago by Val Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618634002
• ISBN-13: 978-0618634002
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,695 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Books > History > Historical Study > Oral History
  #74 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > United States Civil War
  #88 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > United States > Civil War

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Thank the Lawd, us is free as the jay birds!" *, May 27, 2008

By	Kerry Walters (Lewisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are many excellent studies of black Civil War soldiers and equally good editions of letters and reminiscences from black veterans. (In fact, following the 1989 release of the film "Glory" about the black Massachusetts 54th, there was something of a flood of such books.) But until now, there really hasn't been a good study of the reactions of southern slaves to the war. Andrew Ward, familiar to Civil War buffs from his excellent River Run Red (2005) has changed that with his The Slaves' War.

Mr. Ward's book is perhaps best described as a hybrid between straightforward narrative and oral history. In ten well-written and organized chapters, he transcribes the chronological reminiscences of slaves from both eastern and western theaters of the war. The witnesses come from all walks: house and field slaves; skilled and unskilled; men, women, and children; slaves who eagerly followed the course of the war, and slaves who wanted nothing to do with it; slaves who were rented by their masters to dig fortifications, and slaves who remained on the farm while their white owners went to the front; slaves who remained convinced until their dying day that they'd met Lincoln on an incognito journey through the south he made before the war, and slaves who actually did observe Jefferson Davis on a regular basis (one black preacher humorously prayed: "Shake Jeff Davis over the mouth of hell, Lord, but don't drop him in"); slaves who welcomed blue-coated soldiers as harbingers of Jubilo, and slaves who, frightened by their masters' tales of northern barbarism, were frightened; and slaves, always and everywhere, distrusted by masters worried that all the northern-spawned talk of abolition would spawn rebellion south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Ward tells us that he surveyed thousands of recorded interviews, memoirs, obituaries, diaries, and letters in compiling The Slaves' War. It's both remarkable and a bit disconcerting that this material hasn't been mined until now. Hopefully Ward's revitalization of these slaves' voices, with all their eloquence, hope, fear, pain, joy, anger, pride and even humor, will spark more research into this too neglected Civil War perspective.
__________
* This joyous cry was raised by plantation slaves upon the news that the Confederacy was defeated. But as would prove all too often the case in the post-war years, the joy of freedom was quickly shadowed by threats. Immediately after the slaves shouted their thanksgivings, "a white man come along and told them that if he heard them say that again, he would kill the last one of them." From Addie Vinson's reminiscences, p. 263.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable!, June 21, 2008

By	Daniel Pearlman (Santa Fe, New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a superb telling of the story of the Civil War with running commentary in the actual words of slaves who saw it, fought it, endured it and lived to tell about what it was like for them and their fellows before, during and after the war. For anyone interested in the war, it provides a unique and invaluable perspective never seen before. For anyone interested in African American history, which of course should be every American who wants to be politically awake, this is a wonderful opportunity to let the people speak for themselves, a most welcome change in historical writing about these terrible and awesome events. Must read.....

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Content Over Style, October 7, 2008

By	Roderick S. Haynes "R. Haynes, Seattle, WA" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As someone who has been an amateur Civil War historian for over 40 years, this is a glimpse of the war from an entirely new, and sobering perspective. The reader needs to understand Ward has captured the oral testimonies of former slaves, and as such, the style of presentation is unavoidably choppy and not congruent. But that pales in comparison to the CONTENT of what the former slaves relate in this book. It is a unique, and again, very sobering collection of stories. And I HIGHLY recommend reading it. I am adding it to my library.