Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops, 1862-1867

by William A. Dobak

The Civil War changed the United States in many ways—economic, political, and social. Of these changes, none was more important than Emancipation. Besides freeing nearly four million slaves, it brought agricultural wage labor to a reluctant South and gave a vote to black adult males in the former slave states. It also offered former slaves new opportunities in education, property ownership—and military service. From late 1862 to the spring of 1865, as the Civil War raged on, the federal government accepted more than 180,000 black men as soldiers, something it had never done before on such a scale.

Known collectively as the United States Colored Troops and organized in segregated regiments led by white officers, some of these soldiers guarded army posts along major rivers; others fought Confederate raiders to protect Union supply trains, and still others took part in major operations like the Siege of Petersburg and the Battle of Nashville. After the war, many of the black regiments took up posts in the former Confederacy to enforce federal Reconstruction policy. Freedom by the Sword tells the story of these soldiers' recruitment, organization, and service. Thanks to its broad focus on every theater of the war and its concentration on what black soldiers actually contributed to Union victory, this volume stands alone among histories of the U.S. Colored Troops.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War

568 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 2011

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh]

Dubak examines the history of organizing and using black Americans in both armies during the American Civil War with emphasis on the Union. Political and cultural considerations are discussed. The use of black troops during the first couple of years of Reconstruction are mentioned. This is a good read for the Civil War buff as well as those interest in black history. It is very readable and the work is well foot-noted.

[Lloyd Monroe]

A comprehensive survey that examines African American troop organizations and their service during the Civil War. The author is to be commended for the breadth and depth of his research. One can mine his book for not only an introduction but a fairly detailed description of the contributions of approximately 200,000 African Americans who waged war for freedom and union.