{"product_id":"freedom-soldiers-the-emancipation-of-black-soldiers-in-civil-war-camps-courts-and-prisons-hardcover","title":"Freedom Soldiers: The Emancipation of Black Soldiers in Civil War Camps, Courts, and Prisons - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJonathan Lande\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlmost 200,000 African Americans fought to save the Union, many believing that military service was the pathway to freedom. Yet, even after enlisting, their journeys for liberation continued amid the bloody civil war. They marched across taxing terrain, performed backbreaking labor, and endured corporeal punishment meted out by white officers. They also agonized over families still enslaved and suffered virulent diseases. Many grew disillusioned, disgruntled, or homesick. They fought on bravely, yet thousands also ran. Chafing against restraints and violence reminiscent of slavery, they briefly liberated themselves from onerous army discipline. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe men examined in \u003cem\u003eFreedom Soldiers\u003c\/em\u003e took self-granted breaks--\"leaves of freedom\"--and, once caught, were tried by the US Army for the military crime of \"desertion.\" In the courts-martial, they justified their unauthorized departures by telling authorities that they left to temporarily help their families, regain their health, and evade violent officers. Army judges nevertheless convicted freedom seekers, sending most to military prisons. From prisons, the convicted deserters wrote petitions to President Abraham Lincoln and Union officials requesting release. These prisoners disputed rulings, offered their continued service to the Union, insisted on the injustice of incarceration, and explained the dire need of kin around the wartime South. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing upon transcripts of the nearly 80,000 Civil War courts-martial cases, as well as prisoners' petitions, soldiers' letters, and government reports, Jonathan Lande recovers this subset of soldiers who took leaves of freedom and defended their breaks within the military justice system. In doing so, he reveals how Black men fought for freedom not only against Confederates but also in US Army camps, courts, and prisons.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJonathan Lande\u003c\/strong\u003e is an assistant professor of history at Purdue University. His work has received numerous awards, including the Allan Nevins Prize from the Society of American Historians and the William Nelson Cromwell Foundation Dissertation Prize from the American Society for Legal History.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 328\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.4 x 8.8 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 15, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52761756533069,"sku":"9780197531754","price":71.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0927\/3304\/7117\/files\/ZmGRkybRiv9780197531754.webp?v=1763009467","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.us\/products\/freedom-soldiers-the-emancipation-of-black-soldiers-in-civil-war-camps-courts-and-prisons-hardcover","provider":"belfastbooks.us","version":"1.0","type":"link"}