Description: "This memoir is an annotated reprint of a book that was originally published in 1907. Its principal author, John Eaton (1829-1906), was a chaplain in Ulysses S. Grant's army who as early as 1862 was charged by Grant with setting up contraband camps for fleeing slaves. Eaton eventually became general superintendent of contrabands for the Department of the Tennessee, and his approach to humanitarian aid and educational efforts, even as war was raging, was one of the first systematic attempts to deal with how newly freed people would be assimilated into the Union as citizens following the war. Later, Eaton's efforts would be the basis for the Freedman's Bureau and its mandate to bring newly freed slaves into American society"--
Brief description:
John David Smith is Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is the author of We Ask Only for Even-Handed Justice: Black Voices from Reconstruction, and coeditor, with Micheal J. Larson, of Dear Delia: The Civil War Letters of Captain Henry F. Young, Seventh Wisconsin Infantry.
Review Quotes:
"John Eaton's recollections long have been an important resource for historians. Grant, Lincoln and the Freedmen is well worth reading and long has needed a thoroughly, thoughtfully, carefully annotated version. Now we have one."--Michael Green, author of Freedom, Union, and Power: Lincoln and His Party during the Civil War
"John Eaton's post-Civil War reminiscences are one of most vivid and important windows we have ever had into the story of emancipation and the experience of formerly enslaved refugees. Eaton's narrative of the 'contraband' camps is rendered with extraordinary and moving detail; one comes away knowing and feeling the agony and triumph of the freedpeople. Smith and Larson have reached a rare achievement as well in editing and explaining this remarkable classic, giving us a journey into the abolitionist mind at war, as well as into historians plying their craft at the highest level."--David W. Blight, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
"Superintendent of Contrabands John Eaton's powerful account of slavery's destruction in the Cotton Kingdom shines light on a simultaneous struggle against the Confederacy and humanitarian crisis in the Mississippi Valley. This invaluable, accessible edition bears testimony to how the formidable institution of U.S. slavery died a death nearly as violent as its long life had been."--Chandra Manning, Georgetown University
"John Eaton's memoir is one of the most important primary sources on the American Civil War. Superbly edited by Larson and Smith, this book is essential to a full understanding of invading U.S. forces' ongoing military, political, economic, and most importantly, racial challenges. Extraordinarily effective in coordinating his work with President Lincoln and General Grant, Eaton valiantly managed the massive transition of African American families from slavery to freedom while supporting the war to save the Union and initiating the difficult process of Reconstruction."--T. Michael Parrish, Baylor University
"John Eaton is finally getting his due. One of the most influential U.S. officials who led the nation through Emancipation, Eaton wrote what stands today as the best, single-volume account of the federal government's work to provide relief and assistance to formerly enslaved people. But Eaton's writing has dwelled in obscurity--until now. Thanks to Micheal J. Larson and John David Smith, whose deeply researched introduction offers important context and sets the stage for appreciating many facets of Eaton's work, this new edition breathes welcome life into the chaplain's words."--Amy Murrell Taylor author of Embattled Freedom: Journeys through the Civil War's Slave Refugee Camps