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

This work, originally published in 1887, was written by George Washington Williams (1849-1891), an African American historian who served in the US Colored Troops. Born into a family of free blacks in Pennsylvania, Williams fought in the Civil War at age 14, later fought revolutionary Mexico, and then served in the Cavalry in Indian Territory. He was the first African American to graduate from the Newton Theological Institution in Massachusetts and spent the rest of his life as a Baptist clergyman, speaker, and writer. Although Williams is more well-known for his History of the Negro Race in America, this work is remarkable for its inclusion of Williams's own experience serving in the US Colored Troops, as well as first-hand accounts by officers who commanded Negro troops. This edition features an essay by John David Smith, a historian at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. An introduction offers a 35-page biography of Williams, highlighting his intelligence and ambition as well as his self-destruction and discussing the reception of his writing during his time. The book includes a b&w historical photo on the front cover and a few historical photos inside. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

George Washington Williams (1849-1891) was a Pennsylvania-born soldier, legislator, and historian whose History of the Negro Race in America, 1619-1880 (1882) became the first work of serious scholarship by an African American.

Dr. John David Smith is Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He edited Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in the Civil War Era (2002).