Black Sailors in the Civil War: A History of Fugitives, Freemen and Freedmen Aboard Union Vessels - Paperback

by James H. Bruns (Author)

Thousands of Black sailors served with valor during the Civil War. Yet few histories have highlighted their contributions to the Union's impressive naval victories throughout the war, which prompted Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, to declare that if the army could not win the war, the navy would have to. Drawing on official naval records, personal letters and journals, and oral histories of formerly enslaved Americans, this volume documents the service of fugitive, freemen and freed Black sailors, 1861-1865.

Author Biography

During his 35-year federal and not-for-profit career, James H. Bruns has served as Director of the Department of the Navy's Museum System, with administrative oversight of the Navy's nine national Museums. He lives in Lorton, Virginia.