Captaining the Corps d'Afrique: The Civil War Diaries and Letters of John Newton Chamberlin

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

I have stood by their side in the grim conflict,
wrote Union Captain John Chamberlin.
Woe to the nation that long upholds their rights from them.
Chamberlin, commander of the 1st Louisiana Native Guard, spent nearly five years in the South during and after the Civil War. A well read, observant and articulate writer, his letters and diaries record his unique perspective on commanding black soldiers and engineers in the Corps d'Afrique. More than an everyday account of camp life and battles, Chamberlin’s writings-here presented in historical context-give an insider’s view of the Union army’s relationship with black troops and the political and social implications of wartime events. Late in the war, his correspondence focused on a schoolmate, Anna Bullock, and their burgeoning relationship.