Portrait of an Abolitionist: A Biography of George Luther Stearns, 1809-1867

by Charles E. Heller

George Luther Stearns became John Brown's single most important financial backer. He personally owned the 200 Sharps rifles Brown brought to Harper's Ferry. Massachusetts Governor John Andrew asked Stearns to recruit the first northern state African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, recently made famous by the Hollywood movie Glory . Stearns was made a major and made Assistant Adjutant General for the Recruitment of Colored Troops. He recruited over 13,000 African-Americans, established schools for their children, and found work for their families. After Emancipation, he worked tirelessly for African-American civil rights. Friends and associates included the Emersons and the Alcotts, Thoreau, Lydia Maria Child, Charles Sumner, Andrew Johnson, and Frederick Douglass.

264 pages, Hardcover

First published February 13, 1996

About the author

Charles E. Heller, a former university administrator and adjuct faculty member, holds a doctor degree in United States history from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. An Army Reserve Colonel, he returned to active duty to teach and write for the Army at the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College and has recently left military service to resume his civilian academic career. In addition to teaching Heller has numerous publications on United States history and national security issues. He is the co-editor of America's First Battles (1986).