"Soldiers in the Army of Freedom"

Given the current level of interest, especially among professional historians, it is surprising how few regimental histories of black units are being published. Part of the same Campaigns and Commanders series as the book mentioned in the previous post, Ian Spurgeon's Soldiers in the Army of Freedom: The 1st Kansas Colored, the Civil War's First African American Combat Unit takes on a group of soldiers who were pioneers in the Union army's testing of black troops in fighting roles.

Spurgeon is also the author of a good treatment of the political career of Jim Lane [my review], who was an early supporter of raising black troops for the Union war effort.