Category Archives: Uncategorized

On October 17, 1862, the New York Times, attempted to estimate the number of slaves that had escaped slavery up to that point in the war. The article read: A recent Richmond paper, in speaking of the devastation caused to the … Continue reading →

Today, 150 years ago, the Confederacy enacted its infamous “Twenty Negro Law,” which exempted persons owning twenty or more slaves from military service in the southern army. The law read: The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact… … Continue reading →

Do not get me wrong: I have nothing but respect for the Emancipation Proclamation and consider it to be one of the most important milestones on the path to freedom for the slaves in the Civil War. But overemphasizing it … Continue reading →

Not surprisingly, other historians are weighing in on the sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. Here is what I’ve come across so far. No doubt there is more to come. Readers: feel free to send me links to any other essays … Continue reading →

Tomorrow is the sesquicentennial of the release of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. It is certainly one of the most momentous events concerning emancipation in the Civil War, demonstrating the Lincoln administration’s embrace of immediate, uncompensated freedom … Continue reading →

Virginia slaves, c. 1862 Shifting military fortunes had significance for emancipation during the American Civil War. Although Union forces tended to occupy more and more Confederate territory over the course of the conflict, at times the Confederates rolled back the … Continue reading →

In early September 1862, William Tecumseh Sherman wrote his brother, John, then in his early years as a U.S. Senator from Ohio. It is a useful letter because it reveals clearly the attitude of Sherman to African-American slaves alluded to … Continue reading →

 Punch (London), August 9, 1862 As we enter September, with the sesquicentennial of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation only a few weeks away, let us take a last look at August 1862. It was a momentous month in the history of … Continue reading →

The struggle for emancipation in the Civil War produced some memorable cartoons. One such example appeared in Harper’s Weekly in its issue of August 16, 1862. The caption for the cartoon reads, “DROWNING GENTLEMAN. ‘Take that Rope away, you darned Nigger! … Continue reading →

One my favorite Civil War letter writers is William Tecumseh Sherman. He wrote with a forthrightness and candor that I find refreshing. And one my favorite Sherman letters was written on August 24, 1862. The recipient was Thomas Hunton, a … Continue reading →