Monthly Archives: May 2012

I recently finished reading Glenn David Brasher’s new study of 1862’s Peninsula Campaign for a book review that will appear in The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. It is entitled, The Peninsula Campaign & the Necessity of Emancipation: African Americans & … Continue reading →

Happy Memorial Day from Civil War Emancipation. Enjoy the holiday but please do not forget what it is about.

Charles Franklin Crosby This being the Memorial Day weekend, it is a nice moment to share a small treasure from my research on black Civil War Veterans, done for my books, After the Glory: The Struggles of Black Civil War … Continue reading →

On May 9, 1862, Gen. David Hunter, in command of Union forces in coastal South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, on his own authority freed the slaves in those states. Hunter’s action was meant to bolster his position by encouraging pro-Union … Continue reading →

Andy Hall, over at Dead Confederates has made a series of interesting posts related to Robert Smalls and the escape of the CSS Planter since his first post about this topic on May 13. They are all well worth reading. … Continue reading →

I was not surprised to see other bloggers noting the 150th anniversary of Robert Smalls’s escape from Charleston harbor aboard the Planter, as I did in my post yesterday. It is a feel good moment in a war with precious … Continue reading →

Many slaves had harrowing stories of their escape from slavery during the American Civil War, most which were never written down and hence are lost to history. At least one, however, became famous, even legendary: the escape of Robert Smalls … Continue reading →

One of the nagging questions confronting Americans in Spring 1862 was the slaves’ fate. Although the end of slavery was then by no means certain, with slaves having fled into Union lines for about a year, national leaders finally were … Continue reading →

By May 1862, the consequences of emancipation in Washington, D.C. were beginning to become clear. One early effect came from turning the District of Columbia into free territory. It created a potential refuge for slaves in Maryland, especially the counties … Continue reading →

This is a follow-up to my post yesterday, which pled for multi-causality in explaining emancipation in the American Civil War. To borrow a phrase from the U.S. Congress, I would like to “revise and extend” my original blog post. This … Continue reading →