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Reminiscences of My Life in Camp: An African American Woman's Civil War Memoir
Near the end of her classic wartime account, Susie King Taylor writes, "there are many people who do not know what some of the colored women did during the war." For her own part, Taylor spent four years―without pay or formal training―nursing sick and wounded members of a black regiment of Union soldiers. In addition, she worked as a camp cook, laundress, and teacher. Written from a perspective unique in the literature of the Civil War, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp not only chronicles daily life on the battlefront but also records interactions between blacks and whites, men and women, and Northerners and Southerners during and after the war.Taylor tells of being born into slavery and of learning, in secret, to read and write. She describes maturing under her wartime responsibilities and traveling with the troops in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. After the war, Taylor dedicated herself to improving the lives of black Southerners and black Union Army veterans. The final chapters of Reminiscences are filled with depictions of the racism to which these efforts often exposed her.
This volume reproduces the text of the original 1902 edition. Catherine Clinton's new introduction provides historical context for the events that form the backdrop of Taylor's memoir, as well as for the problems of race and gender it illuminates.
This volume reproduces the text of the original 1902 edition. Catherine Clinton's new introduction provides historical context for the events that form the backdrop of Taylor's memoir, as well as for the problems of race and gender it illuminates.
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1902
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About the author
Susie King Taylor
37 books6 followersSusie King Taylor (August 6, 1848 - October 6, 1912) was the first Black Army nurse. She tended to an all Black army troop named the First South Carolina Volunteers, 33rd Regiment, where her husband served, for four years during the Civil War. Despite her service, like many African American nurses, she was never paid for her work. As the author of Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers, she was the only African American woman to publish a memoir of her wartime experiences. She was also the first African American to teach openly in a school for former slaves in Georgia.
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
October 31, 2023
Reminiscences is a brief memoir of Taylor's fascinating life, beginning with her birth as a slave in Georgia in 1848. She surreptitiously learned how to read and write as a child, although this was prohibited to Blacks in the South. Her educational achievements led to her assignment first as a laundress, then nurse, to the 33rd U.S. Regiment Colored Troops, after she and her family escaped to Union protection in 1862. She remained with the regiment through its many battles, meeting Clara Barton along the way, until its mustering out in 1866.
After the war, she taught school in Georgia for some years, eventually relocating to Boston, where she was active in the Women's Relief Corps, which supported Union veterans, and a civil rights activist. In a poignant chapter of "Thoughts on Present Conditions", the present then being 1902, she wondered if the war had been fought in vain:
In this "land of the free" we are burned, tortured, and denied a fair trial, murdered for any imaginary wrong conceived in the brain of the negro-hating white man. There is no redress for us from a government which promised to protect all under its flag.
She writes of reading that the Daughters of the Confederacy petitioned the theaters of Tennessee not to permit the performance of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" because of the "bad effect" it might have on children.
Do these Confederate Daughters ever send out petitions to prohibit the atrocious lynchings and wholesale murdering and torture of the negro? Do you ever hear of them fearing this would have a bad effect on the children?
After the war, she taught school in Georgia for some years, eventually relocating to Boston, where she was active in the Women's Relief Corps, which supported Union veterans, and a civil rights activist. In a poignant chapter of "Thoughts on Present Conditions", the present then being 1902, she wondered if the war had been fought in vain:
In this "land of the free" we are burned, tortured, and denied a fair trial, murdered for any imaginary wrong conceived in the brain of the negro-hating white man. There is no redress for us from a government which promised to protect all under its flag.
She writes of reading that the Daughters of the Confederacy petitioned the theaters of Tennessee not to permit the performance of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" because of the "bad effect" it might have on children.
Do these Confederate Daughters ever send out petitions to prohibit the atrocious lynchings and wholesale murdering and torture of the negro? Do you ever hear of them fearing this would have a bad effect on the children?
January 16, 2020
This is a memoir of a black woman who received her freedom early in the American Civil War. During the war years, she worked in a union camp nursing the sick and wounded, educating the soldiers, and helping out in any capacity she could. After the war she remained in the south for several years working as an educator, and then in the early 1870’s she moved north to Boston Massachusetts.
I had a difficult time rating this book. This is a great window into what life was like for a black woman during and after the Civil War. At the end of each chapter there are notes that provide historical context on events and terms no longer in use, which I found helpful. I especially enjoyed the last couple of chapters because you really get inside Susie King Taylor’s head: how she thought and felt about the current issues and events of the day and how they affected her life.
The writing was good, the end of the book powerful, but where it lacked for me was the emotions and thoughts of Susie’s life during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods. This part of the book read like facts with little or no emotion. I can only speculate why she didn’t go into more detail of her thoughts and feelings, but this lack of emotion made me feel disconnected from her.
This is a quick and interesting read, and I recommend it to anyone who’s interested in the Civil War or black studies.
I had a difficult time rating this book. This is a great window into what life was like for a black woman during and after the Civil War. At the end of each chapter there are notes that provide historical context on events and terms no longer in use, which I found helpful. I especially enjoyed the last couple of chapters because you really get inside Susie King Taylor’s head: how she thought and felt about the current issues and events of the day and how they affected her life.
The writing was good, the end of the book powerful, but where it lacked for me was the emotions and thoughts of Susie’s life during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods. This part of the book read like facts with little or no emotion. I can only speculate why she didn’t go into more detail of her thoughts and feelings, but this lack of emotion made me feel disconnected from her.
This is a quick and interesting read, and I recommend it to anyone who’s interested in the Civil War or black studies.
September 18, 2023
3.5 stars
There are always new things to learn and new insights to gain whenever you read firsthand accounts such as this. For instance: how Confederate soldiers would put on black face to trick the black Union soldiers into thinking they were escaped slaves, only to attack them. Or how captured Confederate soldiers or spies would sneak into Union camps and kill soldiers in their sleep. Not to mention how the Confederates treated Union prisoners of war and that the slave women would sneak food to the POWs despite great personal risk to themselves. For as short as this is, it does offer a lot of interesting tidbits such as this.
Still, this barely told us anything of the author herself. Susie King Taylor was an escaped slave who came to Camp Shaw and used her skills in writing, reading and sewing to teach the other soldiers to read and doing whatever other tasks were required, including those of a nurse. She was clearly greatly respected by all the men, black and white, but beyond this, we really don't learn much more about her personally. There are some harrowing near misses she relates, and we're told she's married (her first marriage), but the daily ins and outs of her life are a mystery. Her notes on life after the war are more detailed, and while she lived in Boston, she traveled in the South a couple of times and bemoaned the horrors she saw there.
It's a shame she didn't live long enough to see the end of Jim Crow. Though she'd probably roll in her grave upon seeing what conservatives everywhere in this country are doing, or attempting to do, in how they teach black history - as in, they're doing their best to not teach it at all. She noted a group of Confederate daughters who tried to get Uncle Tom's Cabin banned from theater performances because it would negatively impact their children - all while black men were being shot, hanged and lynched in plain view of everyone, including those so-called delicate children. And here DeSantis is culling black history from Florida's "educational" systems, and Georgia officials weren't even going to investigate the three white men who shot and killed Ahmaud Aubrey in broad daylight while filming themselves doing it, and there are so many more examples. So are things better? I suppose, quantitatively, they are, but these past handful of years have shown us how easily that pendulum can swing back the other way if we aren't vigilant and allow ourselves to become complacent.
There are always new things to learn and new insights to gain whenever you read firsthand accounts such as this. For instance: how Confederate soldiers would put on black face to trick the black Union soldiers into thinking they were escaped slaves, only to attack them. Or how captured Confederate soldiers or spies would sneak into Union camps and kill soldiers in their sleep. Not to mention how the Confederates treated Union prisoners of war and that the slave women would sneak food to the POWs despite great personal risk to themselves. For as short as this is, it does offer a lot of interesting tidbits such as this.
Still, this barely told us anything of the author herself. Susie King Taylor was an escaped slave who came to Camp Shaw and used her skills in writing, reading and sewing to teach the other soldiers to read and doing whatever other tasks were required, including those of a nurse. She was clearly greatly respected by all the men, black and white, but beyond this, we really don't learn much more about her personally. There are some harrowing near misses she relates, and we're told she's married (her first marriage), but the daily ins and outs of her life are a mystery. Her notes on life after the war are more detailed, and while she lived in Boston, she traveled in the South a couple of times and bemoaned the horrors she saw there.
It's a shame she didn't live long enough to see the end of Jim Crow. Though she'd probably roll in her grave upon seeing what conservatives everywhere in this country are doing, or attempting to do, in how they teach black history - as in, they're doing their best to not teach it at all. She noted a group of Confederate daughters who tried to get Uncle Tom's Cabin banned from theater performances because it would negatively impact their children - all while black men were being shot, hanged and lynched in plain view of everyone, including those so-called delicate children. And here DeSantis is culling black history from Florida's "educational" systems, and Georgia officials weren't even going to investigate the three white men who shot and killed Ahmaud Aubrey in broad daylight while filming themselves doing it, and there are so many more examples. So are things better? I suppose, quantitatively, they are, but these past handful of years have shown us how easily that pendulum can swing back the other way if we aren't vigilant and allow ourselves to become complacent.
March 20, 2019
A fuller title of this book is
As Union troops moved from the North through the Upper South, Susie King Taylor (SKT) (Not yet married and not yet her name) became part of the mass of slave folk which was escaping slavery. The SC Volunteers/the 33rd US Colored Troops group of Union soldiers and their rescued slaves/Contraband made their way to the Outer Banks. barrier islands off the cost of North Carolina. The white Union officers in charge of these troops found out that SKT could read and write. So they put her in charge of teaching classes of children and adults. As the war progressed and the Union camp moved from one Outer Banks island to another, SKT became a nurse rather than a teacher. She was on the island that Fort Wagner was on.
(For those who have watched the movie Glory. Fort Wagner was the fort at the end of the movie where the Massachusetts 54th Infantry tries to take the Confederates.)
Due to SKT's skills, professionalism, and importance in changing and saving lives, SKT became a respected person who travelled through parts of US to give speeches.
Review of the text. The text is heavily edited, clear, concise. Notes at the back of each chapter largely explain what SKT did not name. Of course, SKT was a literacy teacher and war nurse, not a historian. And time fades memory. Fortunate for readers, historians have gone back into the text and added footnotes to provide names and context.
For those interested in filling out a bit of the context of the Massachusetts 54th at Fort Wagner, for those who want a little more context of behind the Union Lines on the Outer Banks, this memior will provide a more human rpbehind-the-lines perspective.
A Black Woman's Civil War: Reminiscences of my Life in Camp with the 33rd US Colored Troops, late SC Volunteers.
As Union troops moved from the North through the Upper South, Susie King Taylor (SKT) (Not yet married and not yet her name) became part of the mass of slave folk which was escaping slavery. The SC Volunteers/the 33rd US Colored Troops group of Union soldiers and their rescued slaves/Contraband made their way to the Outer Banks. barrier islands off the cost of North Carolina. The white Union officers in charge of these troops found out that SKT could read and write. So they put her in charge of teaching classes of children and adults. As the war progressed and the Union camp moved from one Outer Banks island to another, SKT became a nurse rather than a teacher. She was on the island that Fort Wagner was on.
(For those who have watched the movie Glory. Fort Wagner was the fort at the end of the movie where the Massachusetts 54th Infantry tries to take the Confederates.)
Due to SKT's skills, professionalism, and importance in changing and saving lives, SKT became a respected person who travelled through parts of US to give speeches.
Review of the text. The text is heavily edited, clear, concise. Notes at the back of each chapter largely explain what SKT did not name. Of course, SKT was a literacy teacher and war nurse, not a historian. And time fades memory. Fortunate for readers, historians have gone back into the text and added footnotes to provide names and context.
For those interested in filling out a bit of the context of the Massachusetts 54th at Fort Wagner, for those who want a little more context of behind the Union Lines on the Outer Banks, this memior will provide a more human rpbehind-the-lines perspective.
January 22, 2021
I was so happy to stumble upon this book, which I had never heard of before, right on the day that the first African American woman was sworn in as Vice President of the United States.
This is the memoir of Susie King Taylor, born a slave in 1848 Savannah, Georgia. She had to learn how to read and write in secret, as this was highly forbidden for Black children. At the age of only 14, Susie was traveling with the Union army and helping to nurse Civil War soldiers.
Susie takes us through her background and covert education, to being a part of the army, her fearlessness over tending men with infectious diseases, and listening to the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which she and the soldiers celebrate.
There were many things about the Civil War and the era that I had never heard before, including many horrific details. For example, there is the terrible story of a group of Confederate soldiers wearing blackface to disguise themselves as Black men, thus tricking the Union soldiers into letting their guard down, and then attacking.
A Confederate general repeatedly offers false surrender.
And one Union soldier given leave into town in South Carolina is captured by the enemy, and given a twisted sort of death parade through the streets, made to sit in his own hearse carrying his coffin, which his fellow soldiers must watch helplessly, until at the end of his "parade," he is shot.
And as well, Taylor mentions multiple times how the government was unwilling to pay the Black soldiers their pay, offering them half-pay instead, although many did not receive "a penny for eighteen months."
Besides these disturbing and heavy scenes, there are also lighter details: For example, the story of a pet pig who became beloved by the regiment and taught to play tricks, jokingly called "His pigship" by Taylor. Also, she swears by the health benefits of her delicious sassafras tea - I suppose I'll have to try some now.
After the war ends, Taylor continues her memoirs, detailing her years after the war, setting up a school for Black children and later teaching adults at a night school.
She also witnesses the continuation of segregation and vicious racism, leading her to question at times if the war was in vain.
When she travels south to Tennessee, she is made to ride in a filthy train car - for colored passengers. And once she arrives in Chattanooga, a Black man tells her with weary resignation that here, men are lynched "all the time," and says "Oh, that is nothing. That is the way they do here. It is done all the time. We have no rights here."
This passage was absolutely heartbreaking:
It is sad how chillingly timely this quote feels reading it today.
From this point on in the book, Taylor's writing takes on new power as she delivers page after page of hard-hitting truths about the atrocities of racism.
Recommended reading to illuminate the life of a courageous woman who should be better known.
This is the memoir of Susie King Taylor, born a slave in 1848 Savannah, Georgia. She had to learn how to read and write in secret, as this was highly forbidden for Black children. At the age of only 14, Susie was traveling with the Union army and helping to nurse Civil War soldiers.
Susie takes us through her background and covert education, to being a part of the army, her fearlessness over tending men with infectious diseases, and listening to the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which she and the soldiers celebrate.
There were many things about the Civil War and the era that I had never heard before, including many horrific details. For example, there is the terrible story of a group of Confederate soldiers wearing blackface to disguise themselves as Black men, thus tricking the Union soldiers into letting their guard down, and then attacking.
A Confederate general repeatedly offers false surrender.
And one Union soldier given leave into town in South Carolina is captured by the enemy, and given a twisted sort of death parade through the streets, made to sit in his own hearse carrying his coffin, which his fellow soldiers must watch helplessly, until at the end of his "parade," he is shot.
And as well, Taylor mentions multiple times how the government was unwilling to pay the Black soldiers their pay, offering them half-pay instead, although many did not receive "a penny for eighteen months."
Besides these disturbing and heavy scenes, there are also lighter details: For example, the story of a pet pig who became beloved by the regiment and taught to play tricks, jokingly called "His pigship" by Taylor. Also, she swears by the health benefits of her delicious sassafras tea - I suppose I'll have to try some now.
After the war ends, Taylor continues her memoirs, detailing her years after the war, setting up a school for Black children and later teaching adults at a night school.
She also witnesses the continuation of segregation and vicious racism, leading her to question at times if the war was in vain.
When she travels south to Tennessee, she is made to ride in a filthy train car - for colored passengers. And once she arrives in Chattanooga, a Black man tells her with weary resignation that here, men are lynched "all the time," and says "Oh, that is nothing. That is the way they do here. It is done all the time. We have no rights here."
This passage was absolutely heartbreaking:
In this "land of the free" we are burned, tortured, and denied a fair trial. We are murdered for any imaginary wrong conceived in the brain of the Negro-hating white man. There is no redress for us from a government which promised to protect all beneath its flag. It seems a mystery to me. They say, "One flag, one nation, one country indivisible. But is this true?
It is sad how chillingly timely this quote feels reading it today.
From this point on in the book, Taylor's writing takes on new power as she delivers page after page of hard-hitting truths about the atrocities of racism.
Recommended reading to illuminate the life of a courageous woman who should be better known.
March 2, 2025
This book was less about Susie King Taylor and more about the "civil" war and the union soldiers. There's a horrid story shared on pg 98 when Susie and a white woman are in a body of water, trying not to drown and the white woman has a baby she's holding with her teeth.
pg. 140 what are "the true whites" ?
pg 141 There are still good friends to the negro. Why, there are still thousands that have not bowed to baal. (the author doesn't get scripture right and I want to point out that God allowed his chosen people to be enslaved for 400 years).
pg 142 Let us not forget that terrible war, or our brave soldiers who were thrown into Andersonville and LIbby prisons, the awfl agony they went through, and the most brutal treatment they received in those loathsome dens, the worst ever given human beings; and if the white soldiers were subjected to such treatment, what must have been the horrors inflicted on the negro soldiers in their prison pens? Can we forget these cruelties? No, though we try to forgive and say, "No North, no South," and hope to see it in reality before the last comrade passes away.
(this narrative neglects the fact that war is ugly and the Northern aggression was just as bad if not worse to it's pow's. I'd much rather have the facts and not the manipulated emotional propaganda.)
The very end natoe of chapter 13 says The first Africans were brought to this country in 1619, (doesn't mention the hows or the whys, since it wasn't slavery, but indentured and neglects who and the how the slavery started.)
This book is full of half truths and I didn't care for that.
pg. 140 what are "the true whites" ?
pg 141 There are still good friends to the negro. Why, there are still thousands that have not bowed to baal. (the author doesn't get scripture right and I want to point out that God allowed his chosen people to be enslaved for 400 years).
pg 142 Let us not forget that terrible war, or our brave soldiers who were thrown into Andersonville and LIbby prisons, the awfl agony they went through, and the most brutal treatment they received in those loathsome dens, the worst ever given human beings; and if the white soldiers were subjected to such treatment, what must have been the horrors inflicted on the negro soldiers in their prison pens? Can we forget these cruelties? No, though we try to forgive and say, "No North, no South," and hope to see it in reality before the last comrade passes away.
(this narrative neglects the fact that war is ugly and the Northern aggression was just as bad if not worse to it's pow's. I'd much rather have the facts and not the manipulated emotional propaganda.)
The very end natoe of chapter 13 says The first Africans were brought to this country in 1619, (doesn't mention the hows or the whys, since it wasn't slavery, but indentured and neglects who and the how the slavery started.)
This book is full of half truths and I didn't care for that.
Read
October 21, 2021**Read for class**
DISCLAIMER: This is not the edition I read from, this is a secondary publication with editorial annotation. The one I read was first edition and lacked given historical context about issues mentioned (in other words, the first edition was shorter by 80 or so pages and was grammatically/punctually unaltered).
Honestly I loved this and I hate war stories! This was eye opening and I’m shocked that the K-12 public education system does not teach about Taylor.
DISCLAIMER: This is not the edition I read from, this is a secondary publication with editorial annotation. The one I read was first edition and lacked given historical context about issues mentioned (in other words, the first edition was shorter by 80 or so pages and was grammatically/punctually unaltered).
Honestly I loved this and I hate war stories! This was eye opening and I’m shocked that the K-12 public education system does not teach about Taylor.
November 6, 2016
I think everyone should read this book. I hadn't heard much about Susie King Taylor and I'm surprised there aren't more books about her. Susie was a remarkable nurse and teacher. Quite frankly, this woman was extraordinary.
October 8, 2019
One of the greatest assets of this book is Taylor’s reaction to the years following the war. There are some very powerful passages in the last few pages and in her section about the years of “freedom” after being declared free. Very good, quick read!
July 7, 2023
I picked up this little book last year when a friend and I went to visit the Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick MD. It is unusual to read a memoir by a woman from this time period, let alone a black woman. This courageous young woman escaped from the war to the Union side and immediately began helping out as a teacher and a laundress and a nurse and a cook and anything else that was needed. Her husband became part of the first formally organized unit of "Colored Troops" in the Civil War and the unit comported itself quite well during the war. For the first 18 months, black soldiers were not paid for their labors the way the white soldiers were and they were considered to be fortunate to receive uniforms and rations. Despite this, their courage and dedication to the cause was unquestioned.
Mrs. King Taylor (King being her husband during the war and Taylor her second husband after she was widowed) clearly occupied a place of honor within the 33 USCT as both of the white commanders endorsed her writings. She taught the children of the escaped slaves to read and write and taught their parents in night school classes. After the war she continued this work while she could until the religious charities came to town to offer the classes for free and she could no longer earn the $1 per pupil per month which allowed her to live. Mrs. King Taylor was deeply involved in the hospital work of the war and even worked alongside Clara Barton at one point. She attended the wounded and dying and became somewhat inured to the blood and gore. At one point, she talks about the scores of human skulls strewn across the ground outside the fort and how many times there would be debates about which side of the war the men had belonged to. Sometime after the war, she moved to Boston where she was part of the volunteer group cataloguing the veterans of the area. When she had to travel back to the South she was quite appalled at the brutality with which her race was treated, to the point where she wondered if the Civil War had been fought in vain. The early iterations of Jim Crow are clearly described here -- sadly they are just as horrific as the conditions which persisted into the 1960s -- and are in danger of being revived presently.
The style of this book would not be likely to attract a publisher today. Much of it is a recitation of the major events of her life "I went to place X and lived at the place for some time while working at Y job and then I moved to Z location." It is very bare bones in most places, with a few of the more detailed passages being quite moving -- these usually involved battles or catastrophes. In many ways the stark recitation lends power to the narrative, but I longed for more detail in every part. Having read a few other memoirs from this time period and earlier, it is not inconsistent for it to lack many of the narrative structures and flourishes that we expect in modern non-fiction. It was well worth the read, in large part for the things that were left out that we can only speculate about, based on the forthrightness with which the story is written.
Mrs. King Taylor (King being her husband during the war and Taylor her second husband after she was widowed) clearly occupied a place of honor within the 33 USCT as both of the white commanders endorsed her writings. She taught the children of the escaped slaves to read and write and taught their parents in night school classes. After the war she continued this work while she could until the religious charities came to town to offer the classes for free and she could no longer earn the $1 per pupil per month which allowed her to live. Mrs. King Taylor was deeply involved in the hospital work of the war and even worked alongside Clara Barton at one point. She attended the wounded and dying and became somewhat inured to the blood and gore. At one point, she talks about the scores of human skulls strewn across the ground outside the fort and how many times there would be debates about which side of the war the men had belonged to. Sometime after the war, she moved to Boston where she was part of the volunteer group cataloguing the veterans of the area. When she had to travel back to the South she was quite appalled at the brutality with which her race was treated, to the point where she wondered if the Civil War had been fought in vain. The early iterations of Jim Crow are clearly described here -- sadly they are just as horrific as the conditions which persisted into the 1960s -- and are in danger of being revived presently.
The style of this book would not be likely to attract a publisher today. Much of it is a recitation of the major events of her life "I went to place X and lived at the place for some time while working at Y job and then I moved to Z location." It is very bare bones in most places, with a few of the more detailed passages being quite moving -- these usually involved battles or catastrophes. In many ways the stark recitation lends power to the narrative, but I longed for more detail in every part. Having read a few other memoirs from this time period and earlier, it is not inconsistent for it to lack many of the narrative structures and flourishes that we expect in modern non-fiction. It was well worth the read, in large part for the things that were left out that we can only speculate about, based on the forthrightness with which the story is written.
August 20, 2022
Published in 1902 Susie King Taylor's Reminiscences of my Life in Camp: An African Amercan Woman's Civil War Memoir is no only historically remarkable for blacks and women, but also a compelling look into the political landscape of our divided nation because of the Civil War.
Taylor was born into slavery in Georgia, schooled in various underground schools,and became officially the laundress for the Union soldiers, but was more often nursing and helping the boys any way she could. She dedicates the little book to a colonel well-loved by her and all of the boys in his command. Encouraged by him to write her memoir, she decided she should.
She was never hit, but it seems there some close calls. The most dangerous times were when her sailboats capsized and she nearly drowned waiting for help.
While there's some humorous parts, like the camp's pet pig Piggie, it's mostly a serious work describing the horrors she got used to seeing, how much she admired their boys for fighting the rebels, and how wrongly her 'race' was treated, which only became worse after the war. Ultimately she wonders why they fought the war.
This is the only book of its kind and gives needed insight into the daily struggles during that war, which should not be romanticized. I remember one letter only from her husband who was stationed elsewhere. It must have been a very stressful life but shReminisces of my Life in Camp~~
Published in 1902 Susie King Taylor's Reminisces of my Life in Camp: An African Amercan Woman's Civil War Memoir is no only historically remarkable for blacks and women, but also a compelling look into the political landscape of our divided nation because of the Civil War.
Taylor was born into slavery in Georgia, schooled in various underground schools,and became officially the laundress for the Union soldiers, but was more often nursing and helping the boys any way she could. She dedicates the little book to a colonel well-loved by her and all of the boys in his command. Encouraged by him to write her memoir, she decided she should.
She was never hit, but it seems there some close calls. The most dangerous times were when her sailboats capsized and she nearly drowned waiting for help.
While there's some humorous parts, like the camp's pet pig Piggie, it's mostly a serious work describing the horrors she got used to seeing, how much she admired their boys for fighting the rebels, and how wrongly her 'race' was treated, which only became worse after the war. Ultimately she wonders why they fought the war.
This is the only book of its kind and gives needed insight into the daily struggles during that war, which should not be romanticized. I remember one letter only from her husband who was stationed elsewhere. It must have been a very stressful life but she doesn't complain for herself.
The United States has never fully healed from the Civil War. Maybe if we read Taylor's memoir we could get a little further in the process
The United States has never fully hss.
Taylor was born into slavery in Georgia, schooled in various underground schools,and became officially the laundress for the Union soldiers, but was more often nursing and helping the boys any way she could. She dedicates the little book to a colonel well-loved by her and all of the boys in his command. Encouraged by him to write her memoir, she decided she should.
She was never hit, but it seems there some close calls. The most dangerous times were when her sailboats capsized and she nearly drowned waiting for help.
While there's some humorous parts, like the camp's pet pig Piggie, it's mostly a serious work describing the horrors she got used to seeing, how much she admired their boys for fighting the rebels, and how wrongly her 'race' was treated, which only became worse after the war. Ultimately she wonders why they fought the war.
This is the only book of its kind and gives needed insight into the daily struggles during that war, which should not be romanticized. I remember one letter only from her husband who was stationed elsewhere. It must have been a very stressful life but shReminisces of my Life in Camp~~
Published in 1902 Susie King Taylor's Reminisces of my Life in Camp: An African Amercan Woman's Civil War Memoir is no only historically remarkable for blacks and women, but also a compelling look into the political landscape of our divided nation because of the Civil War.
Taylor was born into slavery in Georgia, schooled in various underground schools,and became officially the laundress for the Union soldiers, but was more often nursing and helping the boys any way she could. She dedicates the little book to a colonel well-loved by her and all of the boys in his command. Encouraged by him to write her memoir, she decided she should.
She was never hit, but it seems there some close calls. The most dangerous times were when her sailboats capsized and she nearly drowned waiting for help.
While there's some humorous parts, like the camp's pet pig Piggie, it's mostly a serious work describing the horrors she got used to seeing, how much she admired their boys for fighting the rebels, and how wrongly her 'race' was treated, which only became worse after the war. Ultimately she wonders why they fought the war.
This is the only book of its kind and gives needed insight into the daily struggles during that war, which should not be romanticized. I remember one letter only from her husband who was stationed elsewhere. It must have been a very stressful life but she doesn't complain for herself.
The United States has never fully healed from the Civil War. Maybe if we read Taylor's memoir we could get a little further in the process
The United States has never fully hss.
February 3, 2022
I think the parts that she expected to be most interesting at the turn of the century are pretty different from what I would be interested to hear now. There's a lot about officers and what the regiment did, but very little of the detail of her life. What was it like to be one of the few women in camp? What made her decide to go along with her husband to war? How was she able to leave the household where she was enslaved?
August 28, 2012
Really enjoyed this interesting perspective on the civil war and on the life of freed slaves. Anyone interested in American history or the civil war should read this.
December 28, 2019
Even with the limited reading I've done in the area, at this point I'd be willing to lay money on something like 85% of people who survived the Civil War having published some form of memoir. Colonels, merchants, nurses - everyone had something to say about their experiences during the war. Yet even in this glut, Susie King Taylor's Reminiscences of My Life in Camp stands out, offering the unique perspective of a formerly enslaved black woman embedded with the 1st South Carolina (later the 33rd United States Colored Troops), the Union's first regiment of black troops.
Born in Georgia in 1848, Taylor lived from a young age with her grandmother in Savannah, who sent her daily - and very much illegally - to a secret school for black children where she was able to learn to read and write. When she and her family surrendered themselves to the Union as Contraband in 1862, those skills stood her in good stead and upon her arrival on St. Simon's Island she was invited to start a school. By August, she'd moved to Camp Saxton where she acted first as a laundress and then as a nurse for the fledgling 1st South Carolina. Having married a sergeant in E Company, Edward King, Taylor remained with the 1st throughout the war, following them first to Jacksonville during its oh-so-brief third Union occupation, then back to Port Royal, and finally on to Charleston. Along the way she meets Clara Barton, battles smallpox, and learns how to break down and reassemble a musket on the fly.
I read the original 1902 edition of Taylor's text, which lacks any kind of commentary or footnoting to help contextualize the events. It does, however, include introductory notes from both commanders of the 1st/33rd, Thomas Wentworth Higginson (to whom the volume is dedicated) and Charles Tyler Trowbridge, plus an appendix listing all the surviving members of the 33rd USCT as of the original publication date.
It's difficult not to like Taylor, who was clearly a woman to be reckoned with, and whose final chapters calling out lingering post-war racial inequalities are pure fire. ("In this 'land of the free' we are burned, tortured, and denied a fair trial, murdered for any imaginary wrong conceived in the brain of the negro-hating white man. There is no redress for us from a government which promised to protect us all under its flag...No, we cannot sing 'My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet Land of Liberty'! It is a hollow mockery.") Despite picking this up specifically to read her account of the occupation of Jacksonville (which, notably, debunks the standard claim that the Union's seizure was a bloodless affair), Taylor's no-nonsense style and behind-the-scenes insight into the life of black Union soldiers was enough to keep me engaged through the end of the war, her post-War teaching career, and eventual move to Boston.
As with most memoirs in this vein, Taylor's is pretty light on specific dates, geographic locations, and broader historical context, so I suggest looking for an edition that's been annotated by a historian, or picking up Stephen Ash's Firebrand of Liberty to fill in the blanks. It's also interesting to read this side-by-side with Higginson's memoir, Army Life in a Black Regiment, which covers much of the same content from a very different perspective. I can't help but wish there were a full biography of Taylor available to offer a more in-depth look into her life, but in the meantime her Reminiscences and her voice continue to stand out as exceptional in the crowded field of Civil War memoirs.
(You can read the original edition of Taylor's memoir online as a PDF in the Internet Archive here.)
Born in Georgia in 1848, Taylor lived from a young age with her grandmother in Savannah, who sent her daily - and very much illegally - to a secret school for black children where she was able to learn to read and write. When she and her family surrendered themselves to the Union as Contraband in 1862, those skills stood her in good stead and upon her arrival on St. Simon's Island she was invited to start a school. By August, she'd moved to Camp Saxton where she acted first as a laundress and then as a nurse for the fledgling 1st South Carolina. Having married a sergeant in E Company, Edward King, Taylor remained with the 1st throughout the war, following them first to Jacksonville during its oh-so-brief third Union occupation, then back to Port Royal, and finally on to Charleston. Along the way she meets Clara Barton, battles smallpox, and learns how to break down and reassemble a musket on the fly.
I read the original 1902 edition of Taylor's text, which lacks any kind of commentary or footnoting to help contextualize the events. It does, however, include introductory notes from both commanders of the 1st/33rd, Thomas Wentworth Higginson (to whom the volume is dedicated) and Charles Tyler Trowbridge, plus an appendix listing all the surviving members of the 33rd USCT as of the original publication date.
It's difficult not to like Taylor, who was clearly a woman to be reckoned with, and whose final chapters calling out lingering post-war racial inequalities are pure fire. ("In this 'land of the free' we are burned, tortured, and denied a fair trial, murdered for any imaginary wrong conceived in the brain of the negro-hating white man. There is no redress for us from a government which promised to protect us all under its flag...No, we cannot sing 'My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet Land of Liberty'! It is a hollow mockery.") Despite picking this up specifically to read her account of the occupation of Jacksonville (which, notably, debunks the standard claim that the Union's seizure was a bloodless affair), Taylor's no-nonsense style and behind-the-scenes insight into the life of black Union soldiers was enough to keep me engaged through the end of the war, her post-War teaching career, and eventual move to Boston.
As with most memoirs in this vein, Taylor's is pretty light on specific dates, geographic locations, and broader historical context, so I suggest looking for an edition that's been annotated by a historian, or picking up Stephen Ash's Firebrand of Liberty to fill in the blanks. It's also interesting to read this side-by-side with Higginson's memoir, Army Life in a Black Regiment, which covers much of the same content from a very different perspective. I can't help but wish there were a full biography of Taylor available to offer a more in-depth look into her life, but in the meantime her Reminiscences and her voice continue to stand out as exceptional in the crowded field of Civil War memoirs.
(You can read the original edition of Taylor's memoir online as a PDF in the Internet Archive here.)
April 21, 2024
This is a slim, but important volume - Susie King Taylor offers a female and African American perspective of a number of periods. As an enslaved person, she was one of the small minority of slaves who were taught to read and write. She describes her time as an enslaved person and travel to Union lines during the Civil War. While there, she served in a number of support roles for black units. This part of the memoir deals with the drudgery, some exciting moments, feelings of triumph and grief. It offers insight into the story of black troops in the Civil War. A portion of the memoir deals with the reconstruction era. Taylor offers some perspective on life in the North versus the Jim Crow South - the most jarring of which is not being able as a black person to rent a sleeper berth which would have enabled her to bring her dying son home so he could die in his home in Massachusetts. There are also discussions of her work the USCT veteran groups. A slim (70 pages) volume that offers great insight.
December 16, 2017
This primary source briefly describes life with the "colored troops" in the Civil War. Susie King Taylor was an educated slave, who escaped and was offered a teaching position for other escaped slaves. Eventually, she joins in the war efforts. She has the title of a laundress, but she basically does whatever work is required to meet the needs of the soldiers. She teaches soldiers to read. She cooks, cleans and loads guns, and helps make the injured as comfortable as possible. She gives a unique perspective on the war, both from her perspective as a woman and as a black former slave. This is a side of history we hear little about: How women got involved in the war, and how slaves in the South sometimes found ways to help the Union. It's written in 1903, I believe, so decades after the war. She discusses some of the aftermath of the war and the rights of black Americans that are still left wanting, especially in the segregated South.
August 14, 2018
It was difficult to read this book:
1) I've never been one to read history; I have a tendency to gloss over proper nouns. This book is full of people's names, so that was a struggle for me!
2) There are quite a few footnotes with each chapter. I could never decide which worked better - stop and read the footnote as I came to it (they were typically very interesting, but it really slowed down my reading); or just read them all after the chapter (when I had likely forgotten which point exactly they tied to.)
Anyway, it held my interest because it's mostly set in the Savannah, Georgia region. It taught me some details of the civil war that I never knew. It was interesting to see the perspective of an educated black woman.
1) I've never been one to read history; I have a tendency to gloss over proper nouns. This book is full of people's names, so that was a struggle for me!
2) There are quite a few footnotes with each chapter. I could never decide which worked better - stop and read the footnote as I came to it (they were typically very interesting, but it really slowed down my reading); or just read them all after the chapter (when I had likely forgotten which point exactly they tied to.)
Anyway, it held my interest because it's mostly set in the Savannah, Georgia region. It taught me some details of the civil war that I never knew. It was interesting to see the perspective of an educated black woman.
February 1, 2022
An authentic first-hand-experience of the revolutionary changes sweeping across America during the Civil War - a life of continuous change, sacrifice, dedication, honor & struggle involved as the Afro-American community moved from slavery to freedom- but not equal rights, the possibility of an education that came with that freedom & accepting the little glimmer of hope which they could afford while marching forward with conviction that the future will be better- this was a remarkably true account of a woman who lived to see and contributed whole heartedly to the upliftment of the Afro-American community. An illuminating read!
June 24, 2020
A worthy read, but Taylor’s thought processes are often hard to follow. The narrative changes direction frequently without any transitions, and this often happens before she delves into a specific experience. However, the perspective Taylor gives is invaluable as there are very few accounts of military life in the 19th century from a woman’s point of view, and she gives powerful insight to the post-Civil War prejudices prevalent throughout the South. -A relevant read with lessons still needing to be learned today.
January 11, 2022
This book really opened my eyes to the civil war. I greatly enjoy history and have read plenty about the civil war from the eyes of white soldiers and a few from those who were black. But reading it from a black woman's point of view and seeing not just what she went through during the war but after was amazing. She went through so much and had such convictions. I loved every second. Her writing style was wonderful and I am grateful that she learned to read and write so I was able to read about this time from her voice.
June 29, 2017
A historical treasure. A detailed writing of the experiences of a black woman who learned how to read and write as a child. She describes the sacrifices, pride, and injustice that she witnessed and experienced before and after the Civil War. The reporting of her military camp experiences and of the black soldiers is insightful. Also, she speaks about the post Reconstruction struggle of blacks and the beginnings of the painful period of Jim Crow.
March 17, 2018
Susie King Taylor’s words give much insight to the perils that freed slaves endured during the Civil War. While I’m familiar with the history, reading about it from her perspective gives me a greater appreciation. The last two chapters bring us closer to present day and makes me feel disheartened that even in the 21st century we still see many of the same issues arise.
A must read if you enjoy first-hand accounts of American history.
A must read if you enjoy first-hand accounts of American history.
November 6, 2018
The author joined the North in the Civil war as a laundress and quickly became indispensable as a teacher and nurse. She and her husband labored along with many other volunteers in the African American colored troops corps with no pay, just room and board for eighteen months. This slim narrative is written in her own hand years after the deadly conflict. Unflinchingly honest, poignant and a rare glimpse of life and bravery by this intrepid woman.
August 5, 2020
There was so much of her own experience that was barely discussed by her such as her marriages, the birth of her son and his life, and really, all of the contributions of the women during the war. It is a quick read which provides some interesting details, but if one is looking for a true memoir about what African-American women went through during the war, this is not the book. It is still worth reading though.
November 4, 2020
Susie King Taylor was a remarkable woman and this book being one of the scarce Civil War primary sources from the perspective of a black woman is invaluable. She tells the gruesome tale of what being a solider in the Civil War was like but further provides insight into the aftermath of the war and the continued feeling of rigid determination of African Americans in pursuit of a life of true harmony and unity with whites. It’s a necessary and thought-provoking read at its finest.
December 30, 2020
Susie King Taylor is a true survivor and an exceptional human being, always giving of herself to advance and help others.
I certainly enjoyed this book, it is a quick read, done in an hour or two. I would have liked more detail than it offers, even significant events are described as a snapshot, I was left wanting more. Despite this, it still offers an incredibly poignant memoir of its time and left me feeling sad to know the struggle for equality continues into the twenty first century. Will we ever get there I wonder?
I certainly enjoyed this book, it is a quick read, done in an hour or two. I would have liked more detail than it offers, even significant events are described as a snapshot, I was left wanting more. Despite this, it still offers an incredibly poignant memoir of its time and left me feeling sad to know the struggle for equality continues into the twenty first century. Will we ever get there I wonder?
March 8, 2022
Easy read. First hand story about Black soldiers.
I liked the first hand accounts of the war. The details of her story rang true. Her experiences before, during and after the war provides a uniquely Black perspective that's rare in American history. Her train ride from Boston to Louisiana
around 1900 shows the stark difference between the integrated North and segregated South. And how little Black lives mattered in the South.
I liked the first hand accounts of the war. The details of her story rang true. Her experiences before, during and after the war provides a uniquely Black perspective that's rare in American history. Her train ride from Boston to Louisiana
around 1900 shows the stark difference between the integrated North and segregated South. And how little Black lives mattered in the South.
March 23, 2022
What a delight to slide back into a 19th c. style primary source narrative. I’m currently using excerpts of this text with my 7th grade Hands-on Humanities students to do some close reading exploring race, slavery, the Civi War, and America post-Reconstruction. While there are words they don’t know, for the most part she’s a very accessible writer.
It’s also a great text to dissect for considering various reasons and purposes people may have had in mind when committing pen to paper.
It’s also a great text to dissect for considering various reasons and purposes people may have had in mind when committing pen to paper.
June 8, 2023
An interesting book told from a unique perspective. The one thing I wished was for a more detailed account. The last chapter was very powerful. Decades after being freed, Susie King Taylor laments over some injustices that, sadly, are still prevalent today. I do like the way she judges people on individual merit and not by color or creed or what section of the country they are from. More people should have her outlook and the world would be a better place.
October 10, 2023
The book was short but informative. Apparently, there aren't many narratives about the Civil War written by African American women nurses, so this is one of the best sources. I would have liked it if the author had decided to write in much more detail, but this does give some idea of her time at war.
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