A Great Sacrifice
Northern Black Soldiers, Their Families, and the Experience of Civil War

James G. Mendez (Author)

9780823282494

Paperback / softback, published 5 February 2019

304 pages, 15
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.486 kg

A Great Sacrifice is an in-depth analysis of the effects of the Civil War on northern black families carried out using letters from northern black women—mothers, wives, sisters, and female family friends—addressed to a number of Union military officials.
Collectively, the letters give a voice to the black family members left on the northern homefront. Through their explanations and requests, readers obtain a greater apprehension of the struggles African American families faced during the war, and their conditions as the war progressed. The original letters that were received by government agencies, as well as many of the copies of the letters sent in response, are held by the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
This study is unique because it examines the effects of the war specifically on northern black families. Most other studies on African Americans during the Civil War focused almost exclusively on the soldiers.

List of Figures xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1 Life in the North: Before the War 11
2 A Grand Opportunity: 1861 and 1862 19
3 The Forming of Black Regiments and Success in Battle 28
4 The Unequal Pay Issue 44
5 Violence on Two Fronts 81
6 Information Requests 98
7 Discharge Requests 120
8 The Conclusion of the War 130
9 After the War: A Different Kind of Battle 135
10 Even Farther Away from Home: Occupation Duty Continues 156
11 Home Again 178
Appendix: Northern Black Regiments 185
Acknowledgments 187
Notes 189
Cited Literature 237
Index 249