The Colors of Courage: Gettysburg's Forgotten History: Immigrants, Women, and African Americans in the Civil War's Defining Battle

By Margaret S. Creighton

Book Overview

In the summer of 1863, as Union and Confederate armies converged on southern Pennsylvania, the town of Gettysburg found itself thrust onto the center stage of war. The three days of fighting that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465014569
• ISBN13: 9780465014569
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Unsung Heros of Gettysburg

So much has been written about the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 -- July 3, 1863), that it is difficult to find something new to say or a new and interesting way to say it. Margaret Creighton's book, "The Colors of Courage: Gettysburg's Forgotten History" (2005) succeeds on both counts. Margaret Creighton is Professor of History at Bard College, Maine. Her study of the Battle of Gettysburg focuses on the people and groups that frequently do not receive their full due: the Union XIth Corps, composed in large part of German immigrants, slightingly referred to as "Dutch", and its leaders, the German immigrants in the Borough of Gettysburg, the women of Gettysburg, and the African-American community in Gettysburg and its environs. Professor Creighton also discusses the "Louisiana Tigers" a much-feared unit of the Confederate Army. Each of these groups, Professor Creighton shows the reader, had something at stake in the Battle of Gettysburg over and above the military maneuvers and strategies, and each contributed something important to the result of the battle and to its significance. The book begins with some stage-setting of where each group stood just before the Battle. Thus the Union XI Corps was smarting from the defeat of the Union Army at Chancellorsville, and it was viewed as the scapegoat because it was the victim of Stonewall Jackson's surprise attack on the far Union flank. Professor Creighton gives a good picture of pre-war Gettysburg, something most other histories treat too lightly. Women of Gettysburg were of varying economic and social status and had to bear much of the brunt of the invasion because many of the men were in military service or had left the town in anticipation of the invasion. Approximately eight percent of Gettysburg's population was African-American. Most of the African-American population was poor and stuggling, but some individuals had managed to acquire land and property and to attain positions of influence and respect within their community. With the Confederate invasion, most of the African-American population that was able to do so left town. And with good reason. The Southern Army seized African-Americans as "contraband," including those who had never spent a day in Southern slavery, and sent them South to a life of slavery. Professor Creighton describes this well as the "reverse Underground Railroad." In Professor Creighton's account, we see how the XI Corps and its leaders tried to redeem themselves at Gettysburg. She shows how women conducted themselves heroically during the battle by offering a mixture of cooperation with and resistance to the invading troops. After the Battle, many women in the town made tireless and demanding efforts in caring for the wounded and the dying. There is a great deal of attention paid to Gettysburg's African-American community and how it was changed by the Battle. I found the discussion of the African-American residents of Gettysburg the most fascinating

Full knowledge of the battle of gettysburg requires more than understanding troop movements

Many tourists who come to Gettysburg often find themselves in the middle of town and ask people for directions to the battlefield . When they are told that they are standing in the middle of it, they usually don't understand how Gettysburg and its citizens were affected by the battle which raged in the fields around them as well as in the town itself. This book gives an excellent description of how the white women of Gettysburg , as well as all black citizens, were deeply affected by the prelude to the battle as well as by its horrific lingering after affects. Also discussed is the role of German troops in the battle, and their efforts to overcome the prejudice against them which was rampant at the time. This book gives one a deep understanding of the battle's broader effects, beyond troop movements, casualties and other military matters.

Insight into History

History is written by the victors, or so the saying goes. Quite often, it is the disenfranchised that bears the brunt of histories rath, no more so than the groups outlined in Margaret S. Creighton's magnificent work, "The Colors of Courage". So many books out there have painstakingly dissected the grand battle of Gettysburg, some tomes hundreds of pages long about just one day in the town. However, the stories contained here are rare and untold, and finally have seen the light of literature. And a finely crafted book it is. Creighton, obviously relying on the sketchiest of details, has recreated the lives and passions of three groups of people affected in Gettysburg: immigrant soldiers, women, and African Americans. Creighton's style doesn't weigh heavily on the endless parade of names often associated with historical texts, but centers on a few people who represented each group. Their stories are compelling and intrguing. Even in the tale of nin year old Sadie Bushman, where research may not reveal much, Creighton provides an historical overtone to how childhood and especially girlhood, was revered in America in the 1800's. The effect is wonderful, and moves the story along. Horrifying is the treatment of African Americans in the border town of Pennsylvania. Creighton tells the tales of a dual "Underground Railroad", one that returned slaves to the south as well as the more well-known one that saved them. I'm embarrassed to admit not having even known this was the case; thank goodness Creighton's book corrects the error. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to further develop their understanding of the terrible battle of Gettysburg. These groups now shall not be forgotten, thanks to the work of historian and author Margaret Creighton.

A New Look at an Historic Battle

Margaret Creighton fills in those gaps that most historians, in their tight focus on the battle and soldiers themselves, have left out of the picture. She shows the disregarded and suspect German-American 11th Corps accused of cowardice trying to atone for previous military failure, the African-Americans fearful of being captured and returned to slavery, the women left to deal with the terror of the battle and loss of husbands and children, the loss of their farms and animal, and the town itself in shambles after the battle left to cope with the sick and wounded. She goes past the battle itself to the twentieth century to show how the issue of emancipation became less important that the reconciliation of the south and the north. A splendid work written with insight and care.

Finally!

Finally! Something new about the one of the most talked about battles in American history. This book is a refreshing and fascinating take on Gettysburg.