The story of the black soldiers who helped save the Union, conquer the West, and build the nation. In 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Frederick Douglass promised African Americans that serving in the military offered a sure path to freedom. Once a black man became a soldier, Douglass declared, “there is no power on earth or under the earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States.” More than 180,000 black men heeded his call to defend the Union―only to find the path to equality would not be so straightforward. In this sharply drawn history, Professor Elizabeth D. Leonard reveals the aspirations and achievements as well as the setbacks and disappointments of African American soldiers. Drawing on eye-opening firsthand accounts, she restores black soldiers to their place in the arc of American history, from the Civil War and its promise of freedom until the dawn of the 20th century and the full retrenchment of Jim Crow. Along the way, Leonard offers a nuanced account of black soldiers’ involvement in the Indian Wars, their attempts to desegregate West Point and gain proper recognition for their service, and their experience of Reconstruction nationally, as blacks worked to secure their place in an ever-changing nation. With abundant primary research, enlivened by memorable characters and vivid descriptions of army life, Men of Color to Arms! is an illuminating portrait of a group of men whose contributions to American history need to be further recognized. 46 Illustrations

Men of Color to Arms!: Black Soldiers, Indian Wars, and the Quest for Equality

History

Leonard Ph.D., Elizabeth D.

Americas

W.W.Norton&Company

This work examines the experiences of women in the American Civil War. It focuses on the lives of three courageous and independent women: a nurse, a community organizer and a qualified doctor.

Yankee Women: Gender Battles in the Civil War

Did the federal government mete out justice or revenge in response to Lincoln's assassination? On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was murdered by John Wilkes Booth, and Secretary of State William H. Seward was brutally stabbed. Clearly a conspiracy was afoot. Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt was put in charge of the investigation and trial. He first set out to punish all of Booth's accomplices and then wanted to go after Jefferson Davis, whom he felt had instigated the assassination―despite stern opposition, not least of all from Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson. Elizabeth D. Leonard tells for the first time the full story of the two assassination trials. She explores the questions that made these trials pivotal in American history: Were they to be used to make the South pay for secession? Were they to be fair trials based on the evidence? Or were they to be points of reconciliation, with the South forgiven at all costs to create a solid union? 36 illustrations.

Lincoln's Avengers: Justice, Revenge, and Reunion after the Civil War

The fascinating stories of the women who worked as spies, as daughters of the regiments, or who disguised themselves as male soldiers to play their heroic part in the Civil War. Historian Elizabeth Leonard has combed archives, memoirs, and histories to unearth the stories of the hidden and forgotten women who risked their lives for the blue or the gray. These women spied for their cause, remained on the front lines as daughters of the regiments, and even dressed as men and enlisted under aliases to take up arms and fight as soldiers. Here are the stories of Belle Boyd, a proud Confederate loyalist and key player in Stonewall Jackson's struggle to hold the Shenandoah Valley; army woman Annie Etheridge, whose four long years of courageous work on the field earned her a Kearney Cross for bravery; Sarah Emma Edmonds, who enlisted as "Franklin Thompson," remained with her regiment as a much-respected soldier for two years, fighting at Fredricksburg and elsewhere; and many other courageous women. Leonard investigates why these women chose unconventional ways to help their cause. In doing so, she gives us a striking portrait of the lives women led in the nineteenth century and of their ability to break through the traditional barriers of Victorian womanhood.

All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Leonard Ph.D., Elizabeth D.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Leonard Ph.D., Elizabeth D.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Leonard Ph.D., Elizabeth D.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Men of Color to Arms!: Black Soldiers, Indian Wars, and the Quest for Equality

Yankee Women: Gender Battles in the Civil War

Lincoln's Avengers: Justice, Revenge, and Reunion after the Civil War

All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies