Why read African Canadians in Union Blue?

Book cover of African Canadians in Union Blue: Volunteering for the Cause in the Civil War

Book description

Before Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, he added a paragraph authorizing the army to recruit black soldiers. Nearly 200,000 men answered the call. Several thousand of them came from Canada.

What compelled these men to leave the relative comfort of their homes to face death on the battlefield, loss…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked African Canadians in Union Blue as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Julian Sher

Author

By the thousands, young Black men from Canada–some were escaped slaves, others were freemen, often descended from Americans–rallied to join Lincoln’s army.

Reid paints moving portraits of their determination to fight racism, their sacrifices, and their contributions to the cause. I was particularly interested in the historic role played by Black Canadian doctors and Reid delivers a sweeping overview and fascinating details of the main characters.

From Julian's list on The best books on the Civil War plots against Lincoln from Canada.