Stephen V. Ash, distinguished professor of the humanities and professor of history, just published his fourth book, Firebrand of Liberty: The Story of Two Black Regiments that Changed the Course of the Civil War (W.W. Norton, 2008). The book discusses the first campaign fought by African-American soldiers who, led by white officers, captured Jacksonville, Florida, in March 1863. Ash argues that the success of the campaign persuaded President Lincoln to authorize full-scale enlistment of black soldiers.
Visit Stephen V. Ash’s website
Selected Publications
Firebrand of Liberty: The Story of Two Black Regiments That Changed the Course of the Civil War (W.W. Norton, 2008)
A Year in the South: 1865: The True Story of Four Ordinary People Who Lived Through the Most Tumultuous Twelve Months in American History (HarperCollins, 2004)
[with Paul H. Bergeron and Jeanette Keith], Tennesseans and Their History (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1999)
Secessionists and Other Scoundrels: Selections from Parson Brownlow’s Book (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1999)
When the Yankees Came: Conflict and Chaos in the Occupied South, 1861-1865 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1995; paperback edition, 1999)