Other editions of book Army Life in a Black Regiment

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"Army Life in a Black Regiment" is the Civil War memoir of written by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, an abolitionist who was commissioned as a colonel to head the first regiment of emancipated slaves in 1862. Higgonson book is a stirring history of the first regiment of emancipated slaves formed to fight in the Civil War. It is also about Black soldiers in a white war, white officers in a Black regiment, self-discovery, rivers, and hope. Much of the imagery and characterization in the movie GLORY seems to have been adapted from "Army Life in a Black Regiment," which is a first-hand narrative of war by an idealist sorely tested by politics and physical hardship. Higginson's writing of the book is in part his attempt to deal with what today we would call Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder, and it is no wonder that the tone sometimes reminds the reader of Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River." An interesting read for Civil War buffs and those interested in the role of black soldiers during Civil War days.

Army Life in a Black Regiment. By Thomas Wentworth Higginson. 1823-1911. Suitable for African American Studies, Black Studies. These pages record some of the adventures of the First South Carolina Volunteers, the first slave regiment mustered into the service of the United States during the late civil war. It was, indeed, the first colored regiment of any kind so mustered, except a portion of the troops raised by Major-General Butler at New Orleans. These scarcely belonged to the same class, however, being recruited from the free colored population of that city, a comparatively self-reliant and educated race. "The darkest of them," said General Butler, "were about the complexion of the late Mr. Webster." The First South Carolina, on the other hand, contained scarcely a freeman, had not one mulatto in ten, and a far smaller proportion who could read or write when enlisted. The only contemporary regiment of a similar character was the "First Kansas Colored," which began recruiting a little earlier, though it was not mustered in the usual basis of military seniority till later. [See Appendix] These were the only colored regiments recruited during the year 1862. The Second South Carolina and the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts followed early in 1863. This is the way in which I came to the command of this regiment. One day in November, 1862, I was sitting at dinner with my lieutenants, John Goodell and Luther Bigelow, in the barracks of the Fifty-First Massachusetts, Colonel Sprague, when the following letter was put into my hands: BEAUFORT, S. C., November 5, 1862.

A regiment is a military unit, composed of a variable number of battalions - commanded by a colonel. Depending on the nation, military branch, mission, and organisation, a modern regiment resembles a brigade, in that both range in size from a few hundred to 5,000 soldiers (3 to 7 standard companies). Generally, regiments and brigades are grouped as divisions. The modern regiment's size varies in number, scope, and administrative role from country to country (and might not exist in some military forces) and sometimes even within the military of the same nations. (Quote from wikipedia.org)About the AuthorThomas Wentworth Higginson (1823 - 1911)Thomas Wentworth Higginson (December 22, 1823 - May 9, 1911) was an American author, abolitionist, and soldier.Higginson was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was a descendant of Francis Higginson, a Puritan minister and emigrant to the colony of Massachusetts Bay. He was a grandson of Stephen Higginson, a member of the Continental Congress, and a distant cousin of Henry Lee Higginson, founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.He graduated from Harvard in 1841, and was a schoolmaster for two years. He then studied theology at the Harvard Divinity School, becoming pastor first of the First Religious Society (Unitarian) of Newburyport, Massachusetts, and then of the Free Church at Worcester in 1852 - 58. (Quote from wikipedia.org)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.http://www.forgottenbooks.org

Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a Unitarian minister, was a fervent member of New England's abolitionist movement, an active participant in the Underground Railroad, and part of a group that supplied material aid to John Brown before his ill-fated raid on Harpers Ferry. When the Civil War broke out, Higginson was commissioned as a colonel of the black troops training in the Sea Islands off the coast of the Carolinas.

Army Life in a Black Regiment is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Thomas Wentworth Higginson is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Thomas Wentworth Higginson then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

Army Life in a Black Regiment is Thomas Wentworth Higginson's personal account of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, a black regiment mustered into the Army of the United States during the Civil War. It was composed of escaped slaves from South Carolina and Florida. Colonel Higginson transformed almost 800 former slaves into soldiers. The regiment was very effective along the Florida and Georgia coast. Harriet Tubman served with these men as a cook, nurse, spy, and scout. The regiment was re-designated the 33rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment on February 8, 1864.