Edward A. Wild and the African Brigade in the Civil War - Hardcover

Casstevens, Frances H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786416041 ISBN 13: 9780786416042

Publisher: McFarland Publishing, 2003

Synopsis

Edward Wild, the controversial Union general who headed the all-black African Brigade in the Civil War, was one of the most loved and most hated figures of the 19th century. The man was neither understood nor appreciated by military or civilian, black or white, Northerner or Southerner. After enlisting at the outbreak of the war, Wild was promoted to Brigadier General and placed in charge of the United States Colored Troops. In fulfilling his assignment to free slaves and gain recruits, he took three women as hostages and ordered a great deal of property destruction. He freed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of slaves and settled them safely on Roanoke Island. Wild then not only recruited the newly freed blacks but trained them and gave them the opportunity to prove their worth in battle. Nobody, it seems, was happy about serving with them, but the African Brigade performed courageously in several battles.

Wild did some inexplicable things. Were his actions typical of the 19th century or did he act outside the norm? Was the criticism he suffered from his fellow Union officers valid—or was it due to personality conflicts? Did he deserve to be arrested, court-martialed, and even wiped from the history books—or was he the victim of discrimination? This work draws its answers from extensive research and includes many rare letters to and from Wild, including one from one of the North Carolinian hostages.

About this title

About the Author:

Retired research assistant from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, Frances H. Casstevens, is also the author of Clingman’s Brigade in the Confederacy, 1862–1865 (2002, $45) and The Civil War and Yadkin County, North Carolina (1997, $45; Winner, 1998 Willie Parker Peace Award—North Carolina Society of Historians). She lives in Yadkinville, North Carolina.

Review:

"Excellent biography...important study." --The Civil War Courier

"What a volume...meticulously researched...excellent background information...extensive notes and sources." --Colorado Libraries

"Well researched...worth reading." --Military Review

About this edition

• Publisher: McFarland Publishing
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0786416041
• ISBN 13: 9780786416042
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 335