Why read Forged in Battle?

Book cover of Forged in Battle: The Civil War Alliance of Black Soldiers and White Officers

Book description

Sixteen months after the start of the American Civil War, the Federal government, having vastly underestimated the length and manpower demands of the war, began to recruit black soldiers. This revolutionary policy gave 180,000 free blacks and former slaves the opportunity to prove themselves on the battlefield as part of…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Forged in Battle as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Paul D. Escott

Author

The decision to recruit Black soldiers made an enormous difference in the war and in politics. Black recruits to the U.S. Army equaled all the northern men lost in the first two years of fighting and proved themselves on many battlefields. Their sacrifice also made an irrefutable case for Black rights. Joseph Glatthaar’s book admirably tells the story of these soldiers and their white officers.

From Paul's list on The best books on politics and race in the Civil War era.