Your point is that white southerners did not have a monopoly on racism and I couldn’t agree with you more. I can’t tell you how many times one of my readers feels a need to point this out as if I am somehow trying to engage in a morality play that singles out the South as the “bad guys.” Let me first say that nothing could be further from the truth. Much of what I write about is simply a reflection of my area of interest as a historian. I want to better understand the history of slavery and race in the South. It’s a fascinating topic.

The manuscript that I am close to finishing on the Crater and historical memory tells a story that is centered mainly in the South since it was white southerners who took an interest in this battle after the war. I do cover the treatment of USCTs at the hands of white Union soldiers in the manuscript and I even included a few accounts in a recent post that you can check out: http://cwmemory.com/2007/08/09/white-union-soldiers-race-and-the-battle-of-the-crater/

Finally, you said: “Why do so many writers make broad, out front in the face of every American with accurate statements that the South was racist to the extreme but will not give the atrocities committed by the North on African Americans equal attention?”

There is as extensive a literature on the problems of race in the North as there is on the South. I am more than happy to suggest a few if you are interested. There is no bias against the South despite what you may hear from people who themselves are unfamiliar with the literature.

However, I thank you for how you have handled many sensitive issues that we still are prickly about today. Keep writing.

Gregg

Believe it or not, I do know that you are KEVIN. I guess I better go take my geritol!

I look forward to the intereview. By the way, it’s Kevin and not Mark.

James,

Pegram’s account is definitely one of the more sophisticated and revealing accounts on this issue, but overall his fits easily into the rest of the lot.

The irony, of course, is that the men in the USCT formations weren’t drunk; their commander, alas, was.

I am also making my way through the Hess volume. You will notice in the acknowledgments section that I collected most of his archival sources for this particular book. Keep in mind that Hess is much more interested in the influence of earthworks on the Crater and broader campaign rather than the racial aspect. In my opinion it’s what makes his three-volume treatment of the war in the East so important. Glad you found the post to be of some interest.

Very interesting article. I just finished reading a review copy of Earl Hess’s new book, “In the Trenches of Petersburg.” He covered this topic fairly well, but did not use the Richmond newspaper article as a source. Thanks for making me aware of this.

Mike