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Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor
The heart of this book is the remarkable Civil War diary of the author’s great-grandfather, William Benjamin Gould, an escaped slave who served in the United States Navy from 1862 until the end of the war. The diary vividly records Gould’s activity as part of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia; his visits to New York and Boston; the pursuit to Nova Scotia of a hijacked Confederate cruiser; and service in European waters pursuing Confederate ships constructed in Great Britain and France.
Gould’s diary is one of only three known diaries of African American sailors in the Civil War. It is distinguished not only by its details and eloquent tone (often deliberately understated and sardonic), but also by its reflections on war, on race, on race relations in the Navy, and on what African Americans might expect after the war.
The book includes introductory chapters that establish the context of the diary narrative, an annotated version of the diary, a brief account of Gould’s life in Massachusetts after the war, and William B. Gould IV’s thoughts about the legacy of his great-grandfather and his own journey of discovery in learning about this remarkable man.
Gould’s diary is one of only three known diaries of African American sailors in the Civil War. It is distinguished not only by its details and eloquent tone (often deliberately understated and sardonic), but also by its reflections on war, on race, on race relations in the Navy, and on what African Americans might expect after the war.
The book includes introductory chapters that establish the context of the diary narrative, an annotated version of the diary, a brief account of Gould’s life in Massachusetts after the war, and William B. Gould IV’s thoughts about the legacy of his great-grandfather and his own journey of discovery in learning about this remarkable man.
- GenresHistory
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2002
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August 3, 2023
William B. Gould was a slave who escaped from his owner in North Carolina during the Civil War (in 1862) and, together with a group of seven other slaves, were captured by a Union Navy ship. Gould then enlisted in "Uncle Samuel's" Navy and served out the remainder of the war on various ships and was discharged in 1865. The Navy records listed him and the others as "contraband," hence the title of this remarkable book.
I learned of William B. Gould and of this book because Gould eventually found his way to Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was married in September 1865 to a woman he had known in North Carolina. After a few years in other towns, in 1871 the young couple settled in Dedham, a suburb of Boston where I live. I first heard of Gould three or four years ago when a small park near my home was renamed for Gould. The Town was recognizing Willam B. Gould for his service both to his country, and to Dedham. He had been a prominent citizen in the Town, a respected plasterer and contractor, church member and elder, and active in the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization. Five of his six sons served in the military during World War I, and one during the Spanish-American War.
At the dedication of the park, a speech was given by Gould’s great grandson, William B. Gould IV, who was the first Black law professor at Stanford Law School and is the author of this book. I believe it was in connection with that event that I learned that William B. Gould IV had written this book, based upon the Civil War diary of his great grandfather.
What is most remarkable about this book is not the book itself so much as the diary of William B. Gould upon which it is based. So far as is known, there are very few other diaries of Civil War military service by former slaves known to exist, perhaps as few as two others. It was rare for slaves or former slaves to be literate, because it was illegal to teach them to read or write. It is not known how or where William B. Gould learned to write.
Gould’s Civil War diary was found in the family’s Dedham home in the 1960s, when it came to the attention of his great grandson. That initiated what became a decades-long effort by William B. Gould IV to research his great grandfather’s history, understand the diary and what it revealed, and connect its brief record to other aspects of the Civil War and the family’s history.
So, this book is not only a reproduction of the diary itself, but a chronicle of Gould’s life and of how his great grandson pieced together the story.
At one level, the original diary is a tabulation of the daily life of a sailor on a warship, a mix of tedium interspersed with the excitement of battle and port visits. For me, as a veteran of the Navy almost exactly 100 years later, that aspect was at once somewhat familiar and also revealing since I had neither served during wartime nor visited the foreign ports that Gould’s service brought him to. His ship was among the Union Navy ships assigned to European waters to search for and capture or destroy Confederate ships engaged in trade, or newly constructed by European shipyards for Confederate service. One surprising element is the amount of diplomatic activity – port visits where local visitors come aboard by the hundreds, formal dinners between the officers and local dignitaries, social events like dances, and participation by the US ships in protocols like observing holidays, and even in one remarkable funeral procession by Naval ships of multiple countries for a Russian prince. Gould also notes illness among the crew, death from disease and accidents, desertions, new enlistments, along with the military activity related to their mission.
But at another level, the diary reveals a great deal about young Gould and his thoughts about the war, slavery, his hero Abraham Lincoln (whose death brings Gould and his shipmates great grief), his family and friends, and a bit about his own role as a low-rated seaman on the ships (albeit not usually told in much detail).
It might seem that William B. Gould was but one of many such men who served their country in war, and their community in peacetime, and thus not so remarkable. But how many such men had been slaves and later made a place of respect for themselves and their families in their communities? Perhaps many, but this one had documented his war years and had a great grandson who could construct a narrative to flesh out the man and his place. Moreover, his community (Dedham) has now recognized his contributions and not only named a park after him, but has now erected a statue of him as well. That statue is only a couple of hundred yards from my front door, heightening my interest in him and his story.
As a literary work, this might not rate 5 stars, but I rated it that way for its revealing portrait of a particular man and of his role in the civil war and in my own town. It is one thing to know of slavery as a concept and of the civil war as a historic period, but quite another to read what a specific person had to say of his experiences in the period, especially when that man lived a short distance where I live now, helped to build churches and other buildings I have been in, and is buried nearby.
PS: My only negative comment is that I was disappointed in the quality of the photographs reproduced in the book.
I learned of William B. Gould and of this book because Gould eventually found his way to Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was married in September 1865 to a woman he had known in North Carolina. After a few years in other towns, in 1871 the young couple settled in Dedham, a suburb of Boston where I live. I first heard of Gould three or four years ago when a small park near my home was renamed for Gould. The Town was recognizing Willam B. Gould for his service both to his country, and to Dedham. He had been a prominent citizen in the Town, a respected plasterer and contractor, church member and elder, and active in the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization. Five of his six sons served in the military during World War I, and one during the Spanish-American War.
At the dedication of the park, a speech was given by Gould’s great grandson, William B. Gould IV, who was the first Black law professor at Stanford Law School and is the author of this book. I believe it was in connection with that event that I learned that William B. Gould IV had written this book, based upon the Civil War diary of his great grandfather.
What is most remarkable about this book is not the book itself so much as the diary of William B. Gould upon which it is based. So far as is known, there are very few other diaries of Civil War military service by former slaves known to exist, perhaps as few as two others. It was rare for slaves or former slaves to be literate, because it was illegal to teach them to read or write. It is not known how or where William B. Gould learned to write.
Gould’s Civil War diary was found in the family’s Dedham home in the 1960s, when it came to the attention of his great grandson. That initiated what became a decades-long effort by William B. Gould IV to research his great grandfather’s history, understand the diary and what it revealed, and connect its brief record to other aspects of the Civil War and the family’s history.
So, this book is not only a reproduction of the diary itself, but a chronicle of Gould’s life and of how his great grandson pieced together the story.
At one level, the original diary is a tabulation of the daily life of a sailor on a warship, a mix of tedium interspersed with the excitement of battle and port visits. For me, as a veteran of the Navy almost exactly 100 years later, that aspect was at once somewhat familiar and also revealing since I had neither served during wartime nor visited the foreign ports that Gould’s service brought him to. His ship was among the Union Navy ships assigned to European waters to search for and capture or destroy Confederate ships engaged in trade, or newly constructed by European shipyards for Confederate service. One surprising element is the amount of diplomatic activity – port visits where local visitors come aboard by the hundreds, formal dinners between the officers and local dignitaries, social events like dances, and participation by the US ships in protocols like observing holidays, and even in one remarkable funeral procession by Naval ships of multiple countries for a Russian prince. Gould also notes illness among the crew, death from disease and accidents, desertions, new enlistments, along with the military activity related to their mission.
But at another level, the diary reveals a great deal about young Gould and his thoughts about the war, slavery, his hero Abraham Lincoln (whose death brings Gould and his shipmates great grief), his family and friends, and a bit about his own role as a low-rated seaman on the ships (albeit not usually told in much detail).
It might seem that William B. Gould was but one of many such men who served their country in war, and their community in peacetime, and thus not so remarkable. But how many such men had been slaves and later made a place of respect for themselves and their families in their communities? Perhaps many, but this one had documented his war years and had a great grandson who could construct a narrative to flesh out the man and his place. Moreover, his community (Dedham) has now recognized his contributions and not only named a park after him, but has now erected a statue of him as well. That statue is only a couple of hundred yards from my front door, heightening my interest in him and his story.
As a literary work, this might not rate 5 stars, but I rated it that way for its revealing portrait of a particular man and of his role in the civil war and in my own town. It is one thing to know of slavery as a concept and of the civil war as a historic period, but quite another to read what a specific person had to say of his experiences in the period, especially when that man lived a short distance where I live now, helped to build churches and other buildings I have been in, and is buried nearby.
PS: My only negative comment is that I was disappointed in the quality of the photographs reproduced in the book.
August 10, 2025
I saw William Benjamin Gould IV present his grandfather and namesake's incredible Civil War story at the Seldom Heard History of the Civil War Era Conference in Monterey, CA on 03 May 2025. He is a professor of law at Stanford University and was chairman of the National Labor Relations Board during the Clinton Administration. The first William B. Gould escaped from slavery in North Carolina and joined the Union Navy in 1862. He kept a diary while serving for three years aboard ships enforcing the blockade against the Confederacy off the US East Coast (USS Cambridge) and pursuing Confederate ships in European waters (USS Niagara). Gould went on to settle in Dedham, MA and a successful career as a mason and plasterer. All five of his sons served in either the Spanish-American War or World War I, most them as officers. The book includes a well researched prologue that includes Gould's personal history, background on the Union Navy and letters he wrote during his Civil War service that were published in The Anglo-African newspaper. It nicely sets the stage for the diaries themselves, which provide meaningful insights into his era, especially regarding the lives of sailors and Black Americans in the Union during the Civil War. Finally, the epilogue is about Gould's post-Civil War life and his legacy. I highly recommended this book for those seeking additional insights into a conflict whose aftermath is still being sorted out today. I'm donating it to the USS Midway Museum Curatorial Department.
"This book, containing WBG's Civil War diary from 1862 to 1865, has been three decades in the making. I have made the decision to publish the diary in its entirety, albeit with annotations, because (1) of its historical significance-I am aware of only two other Civil War diaries by black sailors, and none from any naval veteran who emerged from slavery; (2) I came to the conclusion that the humdrum and tedious aspects of his life in the United States Navy were as important as the military conflicts, his more eloquent passages, and his commentary on the events of the day, including the state of race relations in the United States and in the Navy." p1
"This book, containing WBG's Civil War diary from 1862 to 1865, has been three decades in the making. I have made the decision to publish the diary in its entirety, albeit with annotations, because (1) of its historical significance-I am aware of only two other Civil War diaries by black sailors, and none from any naval veteran who emerged from slavery; (2) I came to the conclusion that the humdrum and tedious aspects of his life in the United States Navy were as important as the military conflicts, his more eloquent passages, and his commentary on the events of the day, including the state of race relations in the United States and in the Navy." p1
October 16, 2021
I found this book very interesting. The author uses the wartime diary of his great-grandfather, a contraband sailor (escaped slave from Wilmington, NC who enlisted in the Navy in 1862 and served to the end of the Civil War) as the basis for the book which gives a lot of context and background for his great-grandfather's escape with 21 other enslaved men, the war, and the later aspects of his great-grandfather's life. The diary itself gives insight into the daily life of the Civil War sailor and refers to many of the events of the war by detailing the news that reached the ship, including the news of Lincoln's assassination.
I became interested in the book during a visit to Wilmington in June 2021 where (1) in a tour of Bellamy Mansion the elder Gould was noted as an excellent artisan who worked on the mansion in the late 1850s while still a slave and (2) at the Wilmington Riverwalk the elder Gould, his diary, and his great-grandson's book were highlighted in an historic marker. The elder Gould was obviously more educated than most other slaves (and probably a significant number of white Americans at the time) since he could not only read but also write well. After the war the elder Gould settled in Massachusetts and became a well know artisan and a respected member of his community.
I became interested in the book during a visit to Wilmington in June 2021 where (1) in a tour of Bellamy Mansion the elder Gould was noted as an excellent artisan who worked on the mansion in the late 1850s while still a slave and (2) at the Wilmington Riverwalk the elder Gould, his diary, and his great-grandson's book were highlighted in an historic marker. The elder Gould was obviously more educated than most other slaves (and probably a significant number of white Americans at the time) since he could not only read but also write well. After the war the elder Gould settled in Massachusetts and became a well know artisan and a respected member of his community.
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August 29, 2020Interesting, I suppose, mainly for its historical value. Only a tiny bit I could use for the dissertation.
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