Thunder at the Gates: The Black Civil War Regiments that Redeemed America

In this solid addition to the Civil War literature, Egerton (The Wars of Reconstruction), professor of history at Le Moyne College, revisits the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Division, one of the state’s three African-American regiments, and expands on it in important ways. He pushes the standard narrative of the 54th beyond the 1863 battle at Fort Wagner to the bloody fight at Olustee, Fla., and into the postwar period. Providing a fuller picture of black men’s involvement in the war, Egerton weaves in the activities of the two other Massachusetts black regiments, the 55th Volunteer Infantry Division and the Fifth Cavalry. He emphasizes the ways race affected the men’s military experiences, looking as much at individual black soldiers as white officers. The first part of the book sets up the assault on Fort Wagner, providing a smooth account of the creation of the 54th and the recruitment of Robert Gould Shaw, its best-known white officer. The second part provides additional documentation of pervasive racism. Despite their demonstrated bravery at Fort Wagner, black troops endured disproportionate assignment to “fatigue duty,” pay disparity, and unequal treatment under military law. Egerton’s fine work pays respect to the black soldiers who fought and died for black liberation. Illus. Agent: Daniel Greenberg, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (Nov.)