Publisher's Synopsis
The military contribution of the nearly 180,000 African American soldiers to Union victory in the American Civil War has mostly been a footnote. The men who fought with and commanded the United States Colored Troops had a different perspective, having seen their bravery, eagerness to fight, aptitude for training, and perseverance up close and personal.Pen Hallowell was one of those officers. A close friend, Harvard classmate, and Union Army comrade to future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Hallowell was from a Quaker, abolitionist family. He led black troopers alongside Colonel Robert Gould Shaw in the 54th Massachusetts and then commanded as Colonel of the 55th Massachusetts himself. He was at Fort Wagner when Shaw was killed.George R. Sherman served with the 7th U.S.C.T.Both men here give their first-hand impressions of the men they fought with. They wanted other Americans to recognize the importance that black Union soldiers had played in prosecuting the war for the Union.Though written over 100 years ago, the words they offer are still relevant to anyone interested in the Civil War history.
