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Book Reviews These are some reviews from a recent issue of
The Civil War News:
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African-American Recipients of the Medal of Honor
by Charles W. Hanna.
Illustrated, bibliography, index, 199 pp., 2002. McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers, Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640, $49 ppd.
Since its inception during the Civil War, the Medal of Honor has been awarded to 3,457 men and one woman (Mary Walker). Of these, only 88 medals went to African-Americans. In this brief book, the author tells the story of these men. The Civil War accounted for 26 medal recipients, 18 from the Indian Wars, eight during the peacetime period of 1872-1890, six from the 1898 conflict, only one during World War I, seven from World War II (and these were all awarded during Bill Clinton’s presidency), two from the Korean War, and 20 from Vietnam. Of the Civil War recipients, 13 came during the heroic assaults at Fort Harrison on Sept. 29, 1864, a battle more widely known as New Market Heights. Four African-Americans earned the medal while serving in Farragut’s fleet during the battle of Mobile Bay. The 54th and 55th Massachusetts each had a color bearer whose gallantry in action earned him the medal. Hanna provides biographical background (when known) and details on the action in which the recipient showed his gallantry. Photographs of some men are provided, with some views of their headstones in various cemeteries across the nation. This is a handy guide for those interested in the Medal of Honor, but one wonders whether the price tag of this book justifies its purchase.
Richard A. Sauers
Richard A. Sauers is the author of numerous Civil War books, including Advance the Colors!
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