From Booklist
Like Tom Willard's Black Sabre Chronicles, this based-in-fact narrative recounts the longoverlooked contributions of African American military personnel. Using the Civil War as his venue, Forstchen chronicles the experiences of Sam Washburn, a former slave who returns south to fearlessly fight for freedom. Sam, a member of a "colored regiment," provides firsthand accounts of several pivotal battle campaigns from the unique perspective of a black man in the predominantly white Union army. Though merely a drummer boy, young Sam manages to play a key role in the disastrous Battle of the Crater. Action and adventure abound in this heartfelt tribute to the heroism of black soldiers during the Civil War. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
From the bestselling author of The Lost Regiment series comes a factually based narrative of the black military experience in the Civil War.
We Look Like Men of War
"I was born a slave, as was my father before me, but I shall die a free man...."
Thus begins the poignant story of Samuel Washburn, born a slave in 1850. A young master's cruelty leads to an unforeseen confrontation, which forces Sam and his cousin to flee the plantation. They run north to freedom, only to return south to fight for the greater cause.
Though still a boy, Sam becomes a regimental drummer with a "colored regiment" and sees action in the Wilderness campaign at Fredericksburg and Petersburg, as well as at the bloody Battle of the Crater in July of 1864.
Sam's voice offers a unique and insightful perspective on the carnage of the War Between the States and the toll it took on both young and old, black and white.
About the Author
William R. Forstchen is a professor of history at Montreat College in North Carolina. He did his doctoral thesis on the 28th U.S. Colored Troops who fought during the Civil War.
He is also the author of the bestselling SF Civil War series The Lost Regiment. Forstchen was Newt Gingrich's coauthor on the bestselling alternate history novel 1945 and was coeditor of the nonfiction anthology It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.
We Look Like Men of War FROM THE PUBLISHER
"I was born a slave, as was my father before me, but I shall die a free man...."
Thus begins the poignant story of Samuel Washburn, born a slave in 1850. A young master's cruelty leads to an unforeseen confrontation, which forces Sam and his cousin to flee the plantation. They run north to freedom, only to return south to fight for the greater cause.
Though still a boy, Sam becomes a regimental drummer with a "colored regiment" and sees action in the Wilderness campaign at Fredericksburg and Petersburg, as well as at the bloody Battle of the Crater in July of 1864.
Sam's voice offers a unique and insightful perspective on the carnage of the War Between the States and the toll it took on both young and old, black and white.
FROM THE CRITICS
VOYA
Born into slavery, Samuel Washburn knew no other life, but he dreamed of freedom. Unfortunately, the life he did know was changed forever by several events: the murder of his father by slave hunters, the beginning of the Civil War, and the takeover by the slave-owner's son, Ben, of the farm and Ben's sale of Samuel's mother to slave buyers. Ben is mean, and when Sam's cousin, Jim, fights back, they are forced to run for their lives. They escape successfully to Indiana, and when the state puts together a colored regiment, Sam and Jim are quick to join. Sam is too young to be a soldier, so he becomes a regimental drummer in the 28th United States Colored Troops. Being a drummer boy, however, does not shield Sam from the horrors of war. History professor Forstchen's doctoral thesis was on the 28th United States Colored Troops, and he is the author of The Lost Regiment science fiction Civil War series. Exciting, heartwarming, and horrifying all in one, this novel offers moments when readers will feel the patriotic spirit of the 28th USCT and wish that they could fight beside them. At other times, readers barely will have the courage to keep turning the pages. Sam is powerful, with more bravery and pride than most teenage characters in literature today possess. This novel is highly recommended for all public and school libraries. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P J S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2001, Forge, 192p, $21.95. Ages 12 to Adult. Reviewer: Bradley Honigford SOURCE: VOYA, February 2002 (Vol. 24, No.6)
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