No Man Can Hinder Me

Titled after the refrain of an old spiritual, "No Man Can Hinder Me:" Black Troops in the Union Armies During the American Civil War chronicles African American participation in the Civil War from their earliest enlistment efforts through veterans' experiences in the postwar years. Military specifics (including: selection of officers, pay, health, weaponry, treatment of prisoners) are examined within the broader political contexts of citizenship and emancipation to illuminate the social and historical milieu in which these men served. Hunter frames his essay within the combat experience of the black division, serving with the Army of the Potomac, that participated in the Battle of the Crater at the end of July 1864.