Bluejackets and Contrabands: African Americans and the Union Navy

One of the lesser-known stories of the Civil War is the role played by escaped slaves in the Union blockade along the Atlantic coast. From the beginning of the war, many African American refugees sought avenues of escape to the North. Due to their sheer numbers, those who reached Union forces presented a problem for the military. Fortunately, the First Confiscation Act of 1861 permitted the seizure of property used in support of the South's war effort, including slaves. Eventually regarded as contraband of war, the runaways became known as contrabands. In Bluejackets and Contrabands, Barbara Brooks Tomblin examines the relationship between the Union Navy and the contrabands. The navy established colonies for the former slaves, and, in return, some contrabands served as crewmen on navy ships and gunboats and as river pilots, spies, and guides. Tomblin presents a rare picture of the contrabands and casts light on the vital contributions of African Americans to the Union Navy and the Union cause.

Author: Barbara Brooks Tomblin
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Published: 09/01/2009
Pages: 398
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.53lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.34w x 1.26d
ISBN: 9780813125541

Review Citation(s):
Chronicle of Higher Education 10/02/2009 pg. 16
Choice 06/01/2010
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2010 pg. 71

About the Author

Barbara Brooks Tomblin taught military history at Rutgers University and is the author of several articles and books.

This title is not returnable