Army Life in a Black Regiment

by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, R. D. Madison (Introduction), R. D. Madison (Noted by)

Overview

Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a Unitarian minister, was a fervent member of New England's abolitionist movement, an active participant in the Underground Railroad, and not only corresponded with John Brown before the ill-fated raid on Harper's Ferry, but was part of a group that supplied material aid to Brown. When the Civil War broke out, his reputation, enhanced by his impassioned articles about Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner in the Atlantic, made him the perfect candidate to head the first regiment of emancipated slaves, and in 1862, he was commissioned as a colonel for the troops training in the Sea Islands off the coast of the Carolinas.

Army Life in a Black Regiment is Higginson's stirring account of his wartime experiences. Shaped by American Romanticism and imbued with Higginson's interest in both man and nature, the narrative ranges from detailed reports on daily life to a vivid description of the author's near escape from cannon fire to sketches that conjure up the beauty and mystery of the Sea Islands.

This edition of Army Life also features a selection of Higginson's essays, including "Nat Turner's Insurrection" and "Emily Dickinson's Letters".

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140436211
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/01/1997
Series:	Penguin Classics Series
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.78(h) x 0.83(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

R. D. Madison is a professor of English at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He has edited several volumes of military and naval history, including William Bligh and Edward Christian's The Bounty Mutiny for Penguin Classics.

Table of Contents

Introduction by R.D. Madison
Suggestions for Further Reading
A Note on the Texts

Army Life in a Black Regiment
CHAPTER I. Introductory
CHAPTER II. Camp Diary
CHAPTER III. Up the St. Mary's
CHAPTER IV. Up the St. John's
CHAPTER V. Out on Picket
CHAPTER VI. A Night in the Water
CHAPTER VII. Up the Edisto
CHAPTER VIII. The Baby of the Regiment
CHAPTER IX. Negro Spirituals
CHAPTER X. Life at Camp Shaw
CHAPTER XI. Florida Again?
CHAPTER XII. The Negro as a Soldier
CHAPTER XIII. Conclusion

APPENDIX
A. Roster of Officers
B. The First Black Soldiers
C. General Saxton's Instructions
D. The Struggle for Pay
E. Farewell Address

RELATED READINGS
A Visit to John Brown's Household in 1859
Nat Turner's Insurrection
Letter to a Young Contributor
Some War Scenes Revisited
Emily Dickinson's Letters

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Editorial Reviews

Higginson was a Union colonel in charge of training black troops during the Civil War. He provides the officer's perspective on these recruits in a series of essays published in 1870. His observations range from camp life to a treatise on "The Negro as a Soldier." Though the book is not out of print, Dover's version is the most affordable edition currently available. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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