A great sacrifice : Northern Black soldiers, their families, and the experience of Civil War / James G. Mendez.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mendez, James (James G.), author.

Series:

North's Civil War.

The North's Civil War

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African American women--Correspondence.

African American women.

African American soldiers--History--19th century.

African American soldiers.

African American soldiers--Family relationships--History--19th century.

African American families--History--19th century.

African American families.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans.

United States.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects.

Northeastern States--Social conditions--19th century.

Northeastern States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, New York : Fordham University Press, [2019]

Summary:

A Great Sacrifice is an in-depth analysis of the effects of the Civil War on northern black families carried out using letters from northern black women—mothers, wives, sisters, and female family friends—addressed to a number of Union military officials.Collectively, the letters give a voice to the black family members left on the northern homefront. Through their explanations and requests, readers obtain a greater apprehension of the struggles African American families faced during the war, and their conditions as the war progressed. The original letters that were received by government agencies, as well as many of the copies of the letters sent in response, are held by the National Archives in Washington, D.C.This study is unique because it examines the effects of the war specifically on northern black families. Most other studies on African Americans during the Civil War focused almost exclusively on the soldiers.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Figures

Abbreviations

Introduction

1 Life in the North: Before the War

2 A Grand Opportunity: 1861 and 1862

3 The Forming of Black Regiments and Success in Battle

4 The Unequal Pay Issue

5 Violence on Two Fronts

6 Information Requests

7 Discharge Requests

8 The Conclusion of the War

9 After the War: A Different Kind of Battle

10 Even Farther Away from Home: Occupation Duty Continues

11 Home Again

Appendix: Northern Black Regiments

Acknowledgments

Notes

Cited Literature

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780823285907

0823285901

9780823282524

082328252X

9780823282517

0823282511

OCLC:

1081037903