Monthly Archives: July 2011

If anyone was at the epicenter of emancipation in the late spring and summer of 1861, it was Gen. Benjamin Butler, commanding federal forces in and around Fortress Monroe, Virginia. It was he who made the fateful decision in late … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s Disunion in the New York Times has a timely piece written by Kate Masur, which provides additional perspective on whether African Americans served as soldiers in the early months of the Civil War. In it, she recounts the story of John … Continue reading →

In blogs and internet discussion groups, Civil War buffs and scholars debate ad nauseam whether African Americans fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. The topic generates enormous interest, but with little resolution despite the fact that reliable historical … Continue reading →

With the passage of July 9 resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives absolving the Union army of capturing fugitive slaves and the introduction of the Slaveholders’ Rebellion Bill in the U.S. Senate on July 16, the opponents of slavery … Continue reading →

The July 8 edition of Civil War Emancipation discussed the lead taken by Congress in Summer 1861 in nudging the United States in the direction of emancipation, at the same time Lincoln was attempting to placate Unionist slaveholders in the border … Continue reading →

The July 10 edition of Civil War Emancipation featured a letter from Maryland Congressman Charles Calvert to Abraham Lincoln complaining about the state’s slaves fleeing their owners and finding refuge in Union army camps, even accompanying the troops across the Potomac … Continue reading →

Desperate to escape bondage, slaves fled to Union forces any way they could when presented with the opportunity. The federal army, of course, became the main sanctuary for slaves during the Civil War. However, when given a chance to flee to … Continue reading →

While slavery came under pressure in Virginia and Maryland in the late spring and early summer of 1861, elsewhere in the South the business of slavery went on, now seemingly secure under the Confederate government. On July 7, 1861, the … Continue reading →

Slavery was under assault in the late spring and early summer 1861 from the acts of individual Union soldiers, the slaves themselves, and even members of Congress. Of the loyal slave states, none was more affected during this period than … Continue reading →

History generally lionizes Abraham Lincoln for his role in emancipation in the Civil War. He gets called “The Great Emancipator” and his Emancipation Proclamation gets treated as one of the great documents of American history. While Lincoln certainly does deserve … Continue reading →