Captaining the Corps d'Afrique

"e;I have stood by their side in the grim conflict,"e; wrote Union Captain John Chamberlin of the Corps d'Afrique. "e;Woe to the nation that long withholds their rights from them."e; Chamberlin spent nearly five years in the South during and after the Civil War. A well read, observant and articulate writer, he recorded his unique perspective as a commander of black soldiers and engineers. More than everyday accounts of camp life and battles, Chamberlin's letters and diaries --here presented in historical context--give an insider's view of the Union army's relationship with black troops and of the political and social implications of wartime events. Late in the war, his correspondence focused on a schoolmate, Anna Bullock, and their burgeoning relationship.