Edward A. Wild and the African Brigade in the Civil War

2015-08-31 History

Author : Frances H. Casstevens
Release : 2015-08-31
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 044/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Edward A. Wild and the African Brigade in the Civil War by : Frances H. Casstevens

Download or read book Edward A. Wild and the African Brigade in the Civil War written by Frances H. Casstevens. This book was released on 2015-08-31. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edward Wild, the controversial Union general who headed the all-black African Brigade in the Civil War, was one of the most loved and most hated figures of the 19th century. The man was neither understood nor appreciated by military or civilian, black or white, Northerner or Southerner. After enlisting at the outbreak of the war, Wild was promoted to Brigadier General and placed in charge of the United States Colored Troops. In fulfilling his assignment to free slaves and gain recruits, he took three women as hostages and ordered a great deal of property destruction. He freed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of slaves and settled them safely on Roanoke Island. Wild then not only recruited the newly freed blacks but trained them and gave them the opportunity to prove their worth in battle. Nobody, it seems, was happy about serving with them, but the African Brigade performed courageously in several battles. Wild did some inexplicable things. Were his actions typical of the 19th century or did he act outside the norm? Was the criticism he suffered from his fellow Union officers valid--or was it due to personality conflicts? Did he deserve to be arrested, court-martialed, and even wiped from the history books--or was he the victim of discrimination? This work draws its answers from extensive research and includes many rare letters to and from Wild, including one from one of the North Carolinian hostages.

Black Cloud Rising

2022-02-15 Fiction

Author : David Wright Falade
Release : 2022-02-15
Genre : Fiction
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 206/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Black Cloud Rising by : David Wright Falade

Download or read book Black Cloud Rising written by David Wright Falade. This book was released on 2022-02-15. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Already excerpted in the New Yorker, Black Cloud Rising is a compelling and important historical novel that takes us back to an extraordinary moment when enslaved men and women were shedding their bonds and embracing freedom By fall of 1863, Union forces had taken control of Tidewater Virginia, and established a toehold in eastern North Carolina, including along the Outer Banks. Thousands of freed slaves and runaways flooded the Union lines, but Confederate irregulars still roamed the region. In December, the newly formed African Brigade, a unit of these former slaves led by General Edward Augustus Wild—a one-armed, impassioned Abolitionist—set out from Portsmouth to hunt down the rebel guerillas and extinguish the threat. From this little-known historical episode comes Black Cloud Rising, a dramatic, moving account of these soldiers—men who only weeks earlier had been enslaved, but were now Union infantrymen setting out to fight their former owners. At the heart of the narrative is Sergeant Richard Etheridge, the son of a slave and her master, raised with some privileges but constantly reminded of his place. Deeply conflicted about his past, Richard is eager to show himself to be a credit to his race. As the African Brigade conducts raids through the areas occupied by the Confederate Partisan Rangers, he and his comrades recognize that they are fighting for more than territory. Wild’s mission is to prove that his troops can be trusted as soldiers in combat. And because many of the men have fled from the very plantations in their path, each raid is also an opportunity to free loved ones left behind. For Richard, this means the possibility of reuniting with Fanny, the woman he hopes to marry one day. With powerful depictions of the bonds formed between fighting men and heartrending scenes of sacrifice and courage, Black Cloud Rising offers a compelling and nuanced portrait of enslaved men and women crossing the threshold to freedom.

Clingman's Brigade in the Confederacy, 1862-1865

2002-01-01 History

Author : Frances Harding Casstevens
Release : 2002-01-01
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 003/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Clingman's Brigade in the Confederacy, 1862-1865 by : Frances Harding Casstevens

Download or read book Clingman's Brigade in the Confederacy, 1862-1865 written by Frances Harding Casstevens. This book was released on 2002-01-01. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On November 11, 1862, Brigadier General Thomas Lanier Clingman, despite a lack of formal military training, was named commander of four regiments sent to North Carolina to prevent Federal troops from making further inroads into the state. Clingman has been called one of North Carolina's most colorful and controversial statesmen, but his military career received little attention from his contemporaries and has been practically ignored by later historians. This work determines the effect Clingman's Brigade had on various battles and in various defensive positions. It also corrects falsehoods by providing a more accurate portrayal of Clingman, the brigade, and the problems it faced. Chapters are devoted to Clingman in his civilian life and his military life, battles fought by the brigade, and the four regiments. Appendices include Clingman's two order books (detailing general and specific orders), a roster of his officers, and miscellaneous letters.

George W. Alexander and Castle Thunder

2004-01-01 Biography & Autobiography

Author : Frances Harding Casstevens
Release : 2004-01-01
Genre : Biography & Autobiography
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 596/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis George W. Alexander and Castle Thunder by : Frances Harding Casstevens

Download or read book George W. Alexander and Castle Thunder written by Frances Harding Casstevens. This book was released on 2004-01-01. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Captain George W. Alexander was a controversial figure in Richmond duringthe Civil War, honored as a hero and condemned as a cruel prison superintendent. He was appointed Provost Marshall and put in charge of Castle Thunder in 1862, after escaping imprisonment at Fort McHenry. At his Confederate prison in Richmond, he oversaw prisoners of all types, including Confederates, women, slaves, Federal deserters, and spies. This biography traces his entire life from his career in the U.S. Navy andthe voyage with Commodore Perry to Japan, to his hiding in Canada after Lees surrender, to his editorship of Washington DCs "Sunday Gazette" and death in 1895. The main body of the text concentrates on Alexanders time at Castle Thunder, but the book also explores the evolution of the prison system and the provost marshalls department, touching on unusual prisoners and escape attempts. Appendix 1 is a partial list of prisoners at Castle Thunder and when, where, and why they were arrested. Appendix 2 is a transcript of the court martial of Private John R. Jones. Appendix 3 lists prisoners sent from Camp Holmes and appendix 4 is a report of Alexander as Assistant Provost Marshall. Appendix 5 is a pamphlet published by the Republican Party National Committee; it struck at the it struck at the Democratic Party by scorning its military prison keepers.

North Carolinians in the Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction

2012-09-01 History

Author : Paul D. Escott
Release : 2012-09-01
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 261/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis North Carolinians in the Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction by : Paul D. Escott

Download or read book North Carolinians in the Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction written by Paul D. Escott. This book was released on 2012-09-01. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although North Carolina was a "home front" state rather than a battlefield state for most of the Civil War, it was heavily involved in the Confederate war effort and experienced many conflicts as a result. North Carolinians were divided over the issue of secession, and changes in race and gender relations brought new controversy. Blacks fought for freedom, women sought greater independence, and their aspirations for change stimulated fierce resistance from more privileged groups. Republicans and Democrats fought over power during Reconstruction and for decades thereafter disagreed over the meaning of the war and Reconstruction. With contributions by well-known historians as well as talented younger scholars, this volume offers new insights into all the key issues of the Civil War era that played out in pronounced ways in the Tar Heel State. In nine essays composed specifically for this volume, contributors address themes such as ambivalent whites, freed blacks, the political establishment, racial hopes and fears, postwar ideology, and North Carolina women. These issues of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras were so powerful that they continue to agitate North Carolinians today. Contributors: David Brown, Manchester University Judkin Browning, Appalachian State University Laura F. Edwards, Duke University Paul D. Escott, Wake Forest University John C. Inscoe, University of Georgia Chandra Manning, Georgetown University Barton A. Myers, University of Georgia Steven E. Nash, University of Georgia Paul Yandle, West Virginia University Karin Zipf, East Carolina University

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Edward A. Wild and the African Brigade in the Civil War

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