Freedmen/Women and Formerly Enslaved

Yazoo: or, On the Picket Line of Freedom in the South. A Personal Narrative

Autobiography of James L. Smith: Including also, Reminiscences of Slave Life, Recollections of the War, Education of Freedmen, Causes of the Exodus, etc.

The story of the African-American experience during the Civil War and its aftermath is not just one of bondage and slavery. Freedmen and women, enslaved and formerly enslaved, actively fought for emancipation and were integral to abolishing the institution of slavery. Further, these individuals lived and participated in Southern and Northern industries in various capacities, as laborers, tradespeople, merchants, activists, and soldiers. Their voices are as important as any general or politician in understanding the Civil War or Reconstruction. In this collection, you will find these essential voices, some accounts pinned by their own hands while others by those who experienced life alongside them.