Black sailors in the Civil War : a history of fugitives, freemen and freedmen aboard Union vessels Cover Image

Black sailors in the Civil War : a history of fugitives, freemen and freedmen aboard Union vessels / James H. Bruns.

History of fugitives, freemen and freedmen aboard Union vessels (portion title)

Summary:

"Thousands of black sailors served with valor during the Civil War. Yet few histories have highlighted their significant contributions to the Union's impressive string of naval victories throughout the war, which prompted Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, to declare that if the army could not win the war, the navy would have to. Drawing on official naval records, personal letters and journals, and oral histories of formerly enslaved Americans, this volume documents the service of fugitive, freemen and freed black sailors, 1861-1865"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9781476690544
ISBN: 1476690545
Physical Description: viii, 238 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Publisher: Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2023]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

"That will do": Towards Freedom -- Runaways -- Robert Smalls -- Northern Black Mariners -- Recruiting in Major Cities -- Welcome to the Navy -- The Need for Army Contrabands and Its Fleet -- From Overseers to Boatswains Mates -- Blue-Water Black Bluejackets -- Brown-Water Black Bluejackets -- The Great Exodus in 1862 and 1863 -- Seizing the Lower Mississippi: David Farragut, -- the Minority Flag Officer -- Capturing the Upper Mississippi: Andrew Hull -- Foote, the Union's Pious Sailor -- Vicksburg: The Gibraltar of the Confederacy -- Prizes and Problems Along the Red River -- Coffee -- The Safest Service -- Marked Passing -- Black Bluejacket Valor -- The Union Navy's War on Salt -- Mobile Bay -- The Union's Starships -- The Aftermath.