American writer and soldier Higginson, Thomas Wentworth Storrow led the first black regiment in the Army of the Union from 1862 to 1864; he wrote many biographies, including volumes on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and John Greenleaf Whittier in 1902, and he edited the poetry of Emily Dickinson.
A fun diary to read with a great introduction. TWH is an excellent writer and his transcendentalist ideals shine through in his writing. His descriptions of the men and life in the dept of the south during the war are wonderful. He is a very important person to read when researching abolitionism and the use of colored troops in battle. He was a trailblazer for his time and wanted his men, who were former slaves, to be respected and not subjugated to anyone. Reading about his interactions with them, his love for them, and his desire for them to be seen as men is something that carries power. I would recommend this book not only to civil war buffs, but for anyone interested in civil rights and black history.
I am a bit baffled that this book gets as high of ratings as it does. I saw time and again it being held in high regard and was thus very interested in reading it. This is not the first journal I have read about an officer leading free blacks men into battle, but is certainly the more confusing.
He was a staunch abolitionist and I think that is where a lot of people feel the need to give a good review as he is on the right side of history. But, it also feels like a perfect example of the inability to hold historical figures to modern day. The truth of the matter is that often abolitionist simply saw that slavery was wrong, not that they were equal to other races. Many of his comments about blacks are disturbing to a modern reader.
Not only that, but the writing itself is mostly boring. Almost nothing happens other than a few skirmishes and a terrible loss at Fort Wagner. It was a poorly led battle which had a terrible loss of life and by all aspects would point to poor leadership. If this was about any other officer with any other troops it would be forgotten to history.