Donald R. Shaffer teaches history at the University of Northern Colorado. His writings have appeared in Civil War History and in the volumes Southern Families at War and Union Soldiers and the Northern Home Front.
"A valuable and long-awaited work, After the Glory provides a
powerful social history of race and gender. It is a saga of triumph
and tragedy, of limited and ambiguous victories, of black men
struggling to find true freedom in postwar America."--John David
Smith, editor of Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in
the Civil War Era"A comprehensive and carefully researched portrait
of black veterans in the postwar decades."--James McPherson, author
of Battle Cry of Freedom"A significant contribution to Civil War
and African American history."--Louis S. Gerteis, author of Civil
War St. Louis
"Soundly researched and written, this is a significant scholarly
achievement. Shaffer's work is the first of its kind and has forged
a new path in the historiography, suggesting avenues for further
examination of the war's impact upon a contingent of the population
that helped achieve victory and solidify emancipation's
promise."--Civil War News"Makes a strong contribution to the
literature on African American soldiers in the era of the Civil
War. The book is tightly organized, nicely written, and brimming
with fascinating details about the men's experiences during and
after the war. Shaffer has served the veterans and their enduring
legacy well."--Journal of Military History"A worthwhile and lively
reminder of who the veterans were, how they lived, and how their
expectations and hopes were denied, along with those of black
Americans in general. it constitutes an important final chapter to
the story of black military service in the Civil War."--On Point"An
insightful study that sheds light on these black victories and
defeats that have hitherto been neglected in the historical
scholarship." . . . Shaffer's work illuminates an important social
group of Civil War America."--Southern Historian"A remarkable book
written with intelligence and clarity about a long-neglected
subject. . . . A major study."--Journal of American
History"Shaffer, like the movie Glory, has given black veterans a
voice. This work's strengths are in the black visions and voices,
utilization of pension records, and the problems of historical
memory."--Journal of American Ethnic History"This work will be the
definitive study of African American Civil War veterans for some
time. . . . It is a reliable, sometimes moving, account of ordinary
men caught in extraordinary historical circumstances. . . . The
standard work on African American veterans."--Journal of Southern
History"A welcome addition to the growing literature on African
Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction. For too long,
this kind of African-American history has been 'lost, stolen, or
strayed' and ignored by most American history books."--Arkansas
Historical Quarterly"Informative. . . . As its title pun implies,
the scholarly sequel to the movie Glory is more subdued than
cinematic, but the story features many interesting character and
some important surprises."--American Historical Review"The first
comprehensive study of African American Union veterans and their
struggle for 'dignified manhood.' Easy to read and well argued.
Highly recommended."--Choice"Shaffer resurrects these forgotten
patriots and their trials with a mastery that illuminates the true
nature of the Civil War and its legacy."--North & South"An
impressive collective biography of these neglected heroes. . . .
Will help inform both academic and general readers of the extent to
which late nineteenth-century America was a postwar
society."--History: Reviews of New Books"A solidly researched,
brilliantly illustrated, history of the unfinished emancipation of
blacks after 1865. . . . Americans interested in justice should
read this fascinating book, because injustice was what the black
heroes of the Civil War received from an ungrateful North and a
hostile and racist South. . . . An essential book for those who
want to understand American race relations past and
present."--Washington Times"With the publication of Shaffer's
important andgroundbreaking book, Civil War historians now have the
opportunity to look beyond 1865 and ponder more deeply the nation
that black Union soldiers helped create, with all of the promise
its new birth of freedom held for these brave men, and all of the
peril. . . . The publication of this book marks an important
milestone in our understanding of the long-term impact of the Civil
War on American history. . . . Shaffer's conclusions are both
heartening and sobering. . . . Shaffer is convincing when he argues
that service in the Union Army offered many black veterans inner
resources they could call upon when attempting to better themselves
after their return to civilian life. . . . Historians have
long-wondered about the impact of the pension system on black
veterans, and Shaffer's groundbreaking book offers some fascinating
answers."--H-Net Reviews
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