A History of the Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865 explained

A History of the Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865 by George Washington Williams (published 1888) was a major book-length academic history of military history of African Americans in the American Civil War.^[1] Carter G. Woodson called it "one of the most valuable accounts of the Civil War."

Williams himself served with the U.S. Colored Troops.^[2] Williams has been described as "the finest black prose stylist of his day" and his History showcases this skill.^[3] Williams' book has been called the most important of a trio of histories of 19th-century African-American military histories written by black authors, alongside Williams Wells Brown's The Negro in the American Rebellion and Joseph T. Wilson's The Black Phalanx.^[4]

Williams' historiographic use of newspaper reports, soliciting records of local groups through newspaper advertisements, and oral histories, including traveling to interview soldiers, was pioneering.^[5] The creation of the book is considered a part of the "birth of black studies."^[6]

External links

• HathiTrust.org: Full text of A history of the negro troops in the war of the rebellion, 1861-1865, preceded by a review of the military services of negroes in ancient and modern times, by George W. Williams.

Notes and References

1. News: Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Book Review: The Negro in the Civil War, by Benjamin Quarles . Ulysses G. . Lee . Ulysses G. Lee . 128 .
2. Book: Smith . John David . A History of the Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 . Williams . George Washington . 2012 . Fordham University Press . 978-0-8232-4042-5 . New York.
3. Mohr, Clarence L. “Bibliographical Essay: Southern Blacks in the Civil War: A Century of Historiography.” The Journal of Negro History, vol. 59, no. 2, 1974, pp. 177–95. JSTOR, . Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
4. KINNAMON . KENETH . The Political Dimension of Afro-American Literature . 1975 . Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal . 58 . 1 . 130–144 . 41177950 . 0038-1861.
5. Franklin . John Hope . 1978 . George Washington Williams and the Beginnings of Afro-American Historiography . Critical Inquiry . 4 . 4 . 657–672 . 10.1086/447961 . 1342950 . 162368037 . 0093-1896.
6. Smith . William David . Spring 1975 . Black Studies: Recommendations for Organization and National Consideration . The Journal of Negro Education . 44 . 2 . 170–176 . 10.2307/2966652. 2966652 .