Overview

Advancing the cause of racial equality while saving lives Of some twelve thousand Union Civil War surgeons, only fourteen were Black men. This book is the first-ever comprehensive exploration of their lives and service. Jill L. Newmark’s outstanding research uncovers stories hidden for more than 150 years, illuminating the unique experiences of proud, patriotic men who fought racism and discrimination to attend medical school and serve with the U.S. military. Their efforts and actions influenced societal change and forged new pathways for African Americans. Individual biographies bring to light Alexander T. Augusta, who challenged discriminatory laws; William P. Powell Jr., who pursued a military pension for twenty-five years; Anderson R. Abbott, a friend of Elizabeth Keckley’s; John van Surly DeGrasse, the only Black surgeon to serve on the battlefield; John H. Rapier Jr., an international traveler; Richard H. Greene, the only Black surgeon known to have served in the Navy; Willis R. Revels, a preacher; Benjamin A. Boseman, a politician and postmaster; and Charles B. Purvis, who taught at Howard University. Information was limited for five other men, all of whom broke educational barriers by attending medical schools in the United States: Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Creed, William B. Ellis, Alpheus W. Tucker, Joseph Dennis Harris, and Charles H. Taylor. Newmark presents all available information about the surgeons’ early lives, influences, education, Civil War service, and post-war experiences. Many of the stories overlap, as did the lives of the men. Each man, through his service as a surgeon during the war and his lifelong activism for freedom, justice, and equality, became a catalyst of change and a symbol of an emancipated future.

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9780809339044

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Reviews

Far from a purely inspirational narrative, Jill L. Newmark aptly demonstrates the social, political, cultural, and personal struggles and indeed artistry of a group of pioneering Black soldier-surgeons, medical professionals, humanitarians, politicians, and entrepreneurs whose collective recognition is long overdue. --Christopher M. Tinson, author of Radical Intellect: Liberator Magazine and Black Activism in the 1960s Jill L. Newmark fills a significant gap in scholarship on Civil War medicine with her deeply researched and detailed exploration of the Black military surgeons of the Civil War. In each biographical exploration, Newmark reminds us of the important work that Black surgeons performed, not only in the medical tent, but in claiming and advancing the work of civil rights. --Sarah Handley-Cousins, author of Bodies in Blue: Disability in the Civil War North A magnificent accomplishment! This volume reconstructs the lives of 14 Black Civil War-era physicians through meticulous and dogged archival research. These revelations about Black medical contributions to the war will inspire historians and their students for years to come. --Margaret Humphreys, author of Intensely Human: The Health of the Black Soldier in the American Civil War A monumental achievement, Without Concealment, Without Compromise is the first book on the Black physicians who served during the U.S. Civil War. Jill L. Newmark has meticulously researched city directories and census records, newspaper reports and pension applications, federal depositions and military documents to produce a breathtaking account of the Black doctors who wore Union blue. The portraits of these men are compelling. Without Concealment, Without Compromise is a must read for anyone interested in either the Civil War or the history of medicine. --Jim Downs, author of Maladies of Empire: How Colonialism, Slavery, and War Transformed Medicine Newmark's book moves deftly among medical history, military history, social history, and religious history--in the process showing how some of those traditional boundaries vanish when examining an event like the Civil War. An important work for anyone interested in the African American experience during the conflict that ended slavery. The author resurrects the stories of dedicated medical professionals who broke through racial barriers and serve to inspire us still. --Zachery A. Fry, author of A Republic in the Ranks: Loyalty and Dissent in the Army of the Potomac

Author Information

Jill L. Newmark, independent historian, is a former curator and exhibition specialist at the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Her exhibits include “Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine,” “Within These Walls: Contraband Hospital and the African Americans Who Served There,” and “Opening Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons.” She has published articles in Prologue and Traces, as well as online in Circulating Now and blackpast.org. Find more about her work at www.blackcivilwarsurgeons.com.  

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