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James Henry Gooding

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On the Altar of Freedom: A Black Soldier's Civil War Letters from the Front Paperback – April 6, 1999

by James Henry Gooding (Author), Virginia M. Adams (Editor)

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On February 14, 1863, twenty-six-year-old seaman James Henry Gooding volunteered to serve in the Massachusetts 54th, the first regiment of black soldiers ever recruited for the Union army. Over the next twelve months, he posted a series of remarkable letters from the front to his hometown newspaper, the staunchly abolitionist New Bedford Mercury. Written with insight and literary flair, his letters provide a vidid portrait of the war as seen through the eyes of a black volunteer.

From basic training at Camp Meigs in Readville, Massachusetts, through campaigns in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, Gooding faithfully records the activities of the 54th, including the legendary storming of Fort Wagner. He also voices the injustice felt by soldiers of his regiment over the issue of unequal pay, the refusal to promote deserving black enlistees to officer rank, and the deeply ingrained racism of whites in both the North and South.

Wounded and captured during the battle of Olustee, Florida, in February 1864, Gooding died later that year in Andersonville Prison.

In her introduction, Virginia M. Adams provides biographical details on Gooding's life and examines the antebellum history of New Bedford's large and articulate community of free blacks.

Print length

198 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date

April 6, 1999
Dimensions

6.31 x 0.58 x 9.11 inches
ISBN-10

9781558492028
ISBN-13

978-1558492028
Lexile measure

1380L
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Our correspondent, 'J.H.G.', is a member of Co. C., of the 54th Massachusetts regiment. He is a colored man belonging to this city, and his letters are printed by us, verbatim et literatim as we receive them. He is a truthful and intelligent correspondent, and a good soldier."―The Editors, New Bedford (Massachusetts) Mercury

"These letters are a rare find. I know of nothing else like them for black soldiers in the Civil War. They give an unparalleled picture of the activities and thoughts of a black regiment by one of its enlisted men. And best of all, these letters are about the most famous of all the black regiments, recently made even more famous by the movie Glory."―James M. McPherson

"The story of the 54th is irresistible. .... Gooding chronicles his regiment's progress from training camp through its first campaign in Georgia, the struggle for Fort Wagner in 1863 (in which half the regiment fell before the rebel guns) and the long, frustrating siege of Charleston that followed, but he is at his best arguing against the twin injustices of denying black soldiers the promotions and equal pay their bravery and sacrifice should have dictated."―New York Times Book Review

"[Gooding] was well read― allusions range from classical antiquity to Dickens―and a shrewd, witty, and opinionated observer of military life and the conduct of the war."―New Yorker

"Pithy and poignant. ..... Adams ably augments the remarkable series of letters with an insightful introduction, fact-filled annotations, and appendixes that expand our understanding of the 54th's men, their place and time, and their war. Highly recommended."―Library Journal

"This excellent work will appeal to Civil War scholars and laypersons alike."―Civil War History

About the Author

Virginia M. Adams is librarian emerita of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society's Whaling Museum Library in New Bedford.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 155849202X
Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Massachusetts Press; New edition (April 6, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 198 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781558492028
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1558492028
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1380L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.31 x 0.58 x 9.11 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,507,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,199 in Black & African American History (Books)
- #6,028 in African American Demographic Studies (Books)
- #12,142 in Historical Study (Books)

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glory be

Letters from James G. of the 54th Mass

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2011

Verified Purchase

This is the story of a Black soldiar, James Henry Gooding of the 54th Mass Infantry, who writes letters of his experiences during the Civil War.

What a wonderful way to see through his eyes back to a time when we could try but never be able to imagine what these men lived through.

He describes life in the camp as they drilled under the watchful eye of Col. Robert G, Shaw, "who detects anything out of keeping with order or military discipline."

Goodings describes life in the camps and there are the inevitable battles, as well as his comments on the New York Draft riots. Included is his letter to President Lincoln regarding the pay for Black soldiers.

Corporal Gooding was killed at the battle of Olustee Station, Florida, on February 20, 1864. His letters provide a rich legacy for those of us who have a real interest in the Civil War.

3 people found this helpful

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Eric Rosemond

Informative

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

Very interesting And full of facts.

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2018

Verified Purchase

A much needed book on African American history during the Civil War.

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2017

Excellent book!!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2017

GREAT READ.

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2012

Here's a very interesting book that shows that black soldiers during the Civil War could write, use excellent grammar, fight and endure the atrocities of war just as well or better than many of their white counterparts. The detailed letters written by Corporal Gooding give us better insight into the kind of fighting these first black troops were engaged in and how the 54th Mass. Volunteers fared in battle. It is interesting to note the reaction of the men to being offered lower pay than whites and how eventually their silent but firm protest was answered with equal pay for equal duty. I was especially interested in the steam ship De Molay which transported the 54th Mass. from Boston to South Carolina because it is the same steamer that my great grandfather, Richard Clow was taken on in 1865 when transported from Boston to City Point, Virginia. I had hoped that the Corporal would have given a description of the ship voyage and conditions similar or different to that described by Richard in my book, "Rough Enough", but sadly this is not so. I can only presume that between 1863 and 1864 the steamer was modified and utilized by much larger groups of soldiers to be put it into the condition described by Richard Clow. Perhaps if he had done a private journal we might have seen a slightly different side to some of his comments. In addition to the many informative letters, I enjoyed the numerous pictures which complement the theme of the text. At the end of the book we are fortunate to see Sgt. Gooding's letter to the executive department of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the reply from John A. Andrew that, "The U. S. is wrong; and while they delay to right , we for the sake of justice and our own honor, will volunteer to do the right instead." Would that a few more persons in our society continued to show this kind of response to the plight of the poor and downtrodden in our country today.

One person found this helpful

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The Truth Seeker

A Look at the War From a Different Perspective

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2012

This was a look at the American Civil War from the viewpoint of an African American soldier serving in the Northern Army, in the famous 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. It offers a viewpoint of the War, not normally written about.

One of the most fascinating parts about this book, is the armed African American Confederate soldiers, who were captured on Morris Island, SC.

What makes this more interesting is that Pulitzer Prize winner, James M. McPherson, who attacked author Joy Masoff, for including black Confederates in her book, "Our Virginia: Past and Present," wrote the Foreword for this book and therefore knew that blacks fought for the South before he criticized her in a Washington Post article.

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