The pioneering history of African-American involvement in the Civil
War, with a new introduction by the renowned Civil War historian John
David Smith.
A History of the Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865
(originally published in 1887) by pioneer African American historian
George Washington Williams remains a classic text in African American
literature and Civil War history. In this powerful narrative,
Williams, who served in the U.S. Colored Troops, tells the battle
experiences of the almost 200,000 black men who fought for the Union
cause. Determined to document the contributions of his fellow black
soldiers, and to underscore the valor and manhood of his race, Williams
gathered his material from the official records of U.S. and foreign
governments, and from the orderly books and personal recollections of
officers
commanding Negro troops during the American Civil War.
The new edition of this important text includes an introductory essay
by the award-winning historian John David Smith. In his essay, Smith
narrates and evaluates the book's contents, analyzes its reception by
contemporary critics, and evaluates Williams's work within the context
of its day and its place in current historiography.