"From Adam Gamal, one of the only Muslim Arab Americans to serve inside "the Unit," comes a firsthand account of our nation's most secretive military group. When Adam arrived in the United States at the age of nineteen, he spoke no English, and at 5'1" and 112 pounds, he was far from what you might expect of a soldier. But compelled into service by a debt he felt he owed to his new country, he rose through the ranks of the military to become one of...

Explores the often-contradictory role played by Black soldiers throughout American history. Established by Congress, the 14th Amendment of 1886 promised citizenship in exchange for enlistment, prompting many African American men to serve.

"A biography of the second-highest-ranking and most controversial Confederate general, who rejoined the Union after the Civil War, advising other Confederate soldiers to put that war behind them. After joining an interracial government in New Orleans, Longstreet fought against white supremacists when they attacked these postwar elected officials, for which he was vilified and attacked by other Southerners, and blamed for the South's defeat in the...

"John T. Wilder was an influential nineteenth-century American industrialist, and a successful foundry owner at Greensburg, Indiana, when he enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War in April 1861. He was quickly promoted to the rank of colonel, and eventually earned the brevet rank of brigadier general. Wilder distinguished himself as the leader of the 17th Indiana Volunteers, aka "Wilder's Lightning Brigade." He was among the first officers...

"In The Last Southern Fire-Eater, renowned historian of the American South William Link examines the life of Roger Atkinson Pryor-a Virginia secessionist, Civil War general, and earnest advocate of postwar sectional reconciliation. Link shows that Pryor's life involved a series of re-makings. As a newspaper editor and politician, Pryor began his career as a moderate but eventually enthusiastically endorsed secessionism and war. Unlike most "fire-eaters,"...

"This book offers the first full account of Harriet Tubman's Civil War service and the Combahee River Raid. It details how Tubman commanded a ring of spies, scouts, and pilots and participated in military expeditions behind Confederate lines. It also recounts the story of enslaved families living in bondage and fighting for their freedom, using their own distinct and individual voices. The book uses more than 175 US Civil War pension files of the...