A wonderful, first-edition hardcover copy of Capt. Luis F. Emilio’s “A Brave Black Regiment,” a volume among the rarest and most desirable of all Civil War regimental histories, lovingly inscribed on the flyleaf by one African American soldier to another: “A Birthday Present/ To my old comrade/ Corp. Jno. W. Harper Co. K 54th Massachusetts/ from his old comrade/ Joseph J. Richardson 54th Mass Vols Co. E/ May you live long and prosper.” Both Harper and Richardson lived in Ohio before the war and enlisted as privates in the 54th Massachusetts in 1863. Harper and Richardson survived the regiment’s historic charge against Fort Wagner and the remainder of the War, returning home in August of 1865.

A Brave Black Regiment, arguably the single greatest book about the experience of African American soldiers in the Civil War, is certainly the most impressive account of the 54th Infantry, whose story was adapted for the big screen in the classic 1989 film “Glory.” A first edition is scarce under any circumstances; such an edition presented from one black veteran to another is exceedingly rare. The author, a captain in the regiment, relied heavily on the journal of their Regimental Quartermaster Lt. John Ritchie when writing the book. It covers James Island, Fort Wagner, Charleston, Olustee and Honey Hill, all engagements at which Harper and Richardson were present.

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was organized in March 1863 by Robert Gould Shaw, the son of a notable Boston abolitionist. Composed primarily of free northern blacks, including two sons of iconic abolitionist Frederick Douglass, the regiment carried the expectations of an enslaved race on their shoulders. Men like Harper and Richardson rose to the occasion. Colonel Shaw (played by Matthew Broderick in Glory) was killed during the regiment’s historic charge at Battery Wagner in South Carolina and was buried in a mass grave with his fallen troops. Intended as an insult, it became an eternal honor.

This volume, published by the Boston Book Company in 1891, is in good used condition, with all 410 pages, 9 maps, plates, and extensive photographic illustrations accounted for. Some normal wear present, one of the maps has tears. It would be the centerpiece of any advanced Civil War library.




[African-American History, Slave, Slavery, Abolition, Abolitionist, Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Union, Confederate, Document, Letter]